Be on a diet means a calorie restriction, ie a reduction of food portions of the standard diet. And of course, any reduction in calories leads to a reduction in body weight. However, I would point out two main problems with this approach:

• Most, if not all, of these diets are unhealthy.
• Calorie restriction is not sustainable in the long run, nor are the results of this approach sustainable.
• A common scenario is for a person to become mentally and physically hungry on such diets and sooner or later make up for all the missed calories.

Fortunately, there is a smarter and more enjoyable approach that yields sustainable results:

• Instead of limiting calories, change your calorie source.
• Instead of applying an unsustainable and unhealthy diet for weight loss, adopt a sustainable diet, or rather a lifestyle, for health.

Studies done by the Committee of Physicians for Responsible Medicine in Washington, D.C., as well as numerous personal experiences, show that when people switch from a standard diet to a low-fat whole, plant-based diet, they lose weight without calorie restriction.

This happens because as soon as the body gets more room for cleansing – and this happens when the intake of food that is toxic is reduced, which in the first place is food of animal origin and all kinds of oils – toxins accumulated in fat cells are lost, and with them excess body fat is lost too.

A take-away message: an approach that is sustainable for the permanent weight loss is to adopt a diet, ie a lifestyle, for health, because in such circumstances, the body, which is a self-cleansing organism, will get the opportunity to cleanse itself, and enjoy the accompanying consequences of a clean and healthy organism effortlessly.

I would also point out that I do not promote overeating on an optimal diet, but rather suggest an appropriate calorie intake on an optimal diet with a healthy lifestyle.

I hope you find this blog post and video useful. If they are, please share them. And please, share your experience with different diets in the comment section below.

Keep glowing,
Marina

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References:

• Barnard ND, Scialli AR, Turner-McGrievy G, Lanou AJ, Glass J. The effects of a low-fat, plant-based dietary intervention on body weight, metabolism, and insulin sensitivity. Am J Med. 2005;118:991-997.  

• Turner-McGrievy GM, Barnard ND, Scialli AR. A two-year randomized weight loss trial comparing a vegan diet to a more moderate low-fat diet. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2007;15:2276-2281.