I heard a very appealing ad yesterday for the ultimate easy diet. It was targeted as a men’s weight loss miracle. In just 30 days men can lose 30 pounds without any change in lifestyle…and no exercise. Undoubtedly, this diet is based on pill popping. The announcer declared that they were so certain that this plan would work that “the first month was free.” Uh, oh. Look out for the cost of month 2!
There was a time when I would have been all over this diet. Why? Because it is “easy.” And who doesn’t want an “easy diet?” Which brings me to this question: Is there any such thing as an EASY DIET?
Before answering that question we must first understand what we mean when we say we want an “easy diet.” I believe that there are 2 primary concerns here:
1) a diet plan that is easy to follow
2) a diet that requires little effort
In other words, you have learned from past experiences that losing weight is an unpleasant task. You know that you need to do something about the weight problem, if not for health reasons then certainly for the sake of vanity. And PLEASE, life has enough hassles!
The answer to the “easy diet” question is “Yes.” There are in fact easy diets. Certainly the one I mentioned at the beginning of this article would qualify. If you are in the market for an easy diet there are plentiful diets, but in my mind, and based on my “been there, done that” experiences, they all lead down the same path.
At the end of that path there is neither rainbow nor pot of gold. There is the immediate satisfaction of losing some weight but probably nothing close to what was advertised. But just as soon as you get off the “easy diet” the weight comes back with a vengeance. You actually end up weighing more than you did before you started the “easy diet.” And that hassle that you were looking to avoid, well, guess what? You got it anyway.
In reality, the only truly “easy diet” is the one that helps you lose the weight you need to lose and then keeps it off resulting in a healthier more vibrant you.
Such an easy diet involves: healthy food, healthy food preparation, food that tastes good with minimum preparation time, food that is low in calories, and food that is low and right in fat content. Also important is a diet that fits your lifestyle, can go where you go, and enables you to enjoy the company of friends without denying yourself some of the fun pleasures that go with eating out.
Most “easy diets” are not good for you. Exercise is important whether you like it or not. A healthy lifestyle is essential and a diet that claims that you don’t have to change anything is useless.
Do you have children? What advice do you give them about eating? I recall when my sons were little saying to them, “Eat your vegetables. They’re good for you.” “Don’t chew your food so fast. Slow down!” And we tried to keep them away from sweets as much as possible. I recall telling my kids, “Get off the video games and get outside and get some fresh air and exercise!”
When it comes to our kids most of us are pretty knowledgeable when it comes to handing out nutrition advice. But we are less concerned about our own eating habits. Point is, you and I already know the basics of what it takes to lose weight, how to keep it off, and how to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Nike had a great slogan. “Just do it!” Do you really want to lose weight, keep it off, and get healthy? Then “just do it.” I’ll bet that you already know what you need to do.
Will it be easy? No. But it is the best thing for you.
By: Richard Weirich