The ineffectiveness of dieting: Why focus on the wrong focus

We must understand that everyone who says they are dieting is very likely to gain weight precisely because of dieting. This is not an opinion, but a fact proven by data. The real cost of short-term weight loss is not wasting time, effort, or temporary suffering, but all of these plus weight gain. The humans and mice in the above experiment lost weight under an "ideal state"-their calorie intake was controlled, and they didn't need to control their eating-but they all became fatter. However, it is regrettable to tell you that calorie control remains the most common weight loss method in the world.

Calorie control isn't the primary issue; it's merely part of a larger problem caused by "dietary weight loss methods." There are many high-quality, nutritious foods that can help you lose weight and prevent rebound. But if so many people are eating healthy and nutritious foods, why is the obesity rate still rising?

Simply put, the key to weight loss isn't whether you eat blueberries or grapes, or whether you follow a slow-carb, low-carb, low-calorie, paleo, or Mediterranean diet. It's not about whether you can stick to a healthy diet for 30 days, but about whether you can maintain a healthy lifestyle long-term. If you use the wrong methods, you'll not only waste time but also disrupt your metabolism and undermine your understanding of healthy eating. (If you've already experienced these problems, you can still compensate with the right strategies; your body and brain have sufficient self-healing abilities.) So, let's look at the root of the problem.

Why dieting is ineffective?

If you look for books on weight loss, what will you find?

"The XX diet method".

"New ×× Diet Method".

"A diet that can last for 30 days because..."

"Celebrity slimming diet plan ××: Buy it, because she's famous!"

The market is flooded with diet and weight loss books, and Amazon even has a "weight loss diet" category in its book categories. It's like weight loss and dieting have fallen in love and are about to get married, and no other suitors can get in.

Does anyone object to combining these two? I object, I strongly object!

Marriages based on dieting and weight loss are unhappy because the entire concept of dieting is flawed. Like some unhappy couples, this marriage will not end well. I risk giving unsolicited advice on relationships in my weight loss book to say this: healthy relationships make both partners better. Although dieting is ineffective, the weight loss dieting industry still profits millions of dollars annually. How many people, because dieting doesn't work, believe that weight loss is impossible and never try again? This unhappy marriage has already disappointed many people.

Does dieting have long-term effects?

Because many scientists believe that dieting is the only way to lose weight, they have used many short-term studies to prove that various dieting methods are effective. Janet Tomiyama wrote in the American Psychologist: "Many studies that support the idea that 'dieting can lead to long-term weight loss' have followed up with subjects for less than a year, six months, or even less."

There are countless short-term studies on weight loss and dieting because we don't like seeing the results of long-term studies. One seven-and-a-half-year study found that women who ate only low-fat foods lost just one pound less than women who ate a regular Western diet. Many studies on dieting have also found that most diets are effective in the short term, whether for controlling calories or helping people choose healthier foods, but these methods generally have poor long-term effects because the dietary structure is too unbalanced.

This happens because we've always focused solely on short-term results. Even at the consumer and personal level, when making life-altering decisions, people often base them on the fact that their friend lost 12 pounds in two weeks by drinking fruit and vegetable juice. Sigh, humans!

Do you know what the only truly effective short-term weight loss method is? Two hours of exercise every day, eating absolutely nothing, and you'll experience the biggest and fastest weight loss you'll ever have! With my "Latest No-Food Weight Loss Method™," your weight will drop rapidly, so fast it's life-threatening (not an exaggeration), losing 20 pounds in a week-absolutely effective! I hope my sarcasm is clear enough: please, please don't try the "Latest No-Food Weight Loss Method™." Some people might think this method is absurd and dismiss it, but they're actually using the same methods to lose weight, just to a lesser degree (like various calorie-controlled diets, or disguised calorie-controlled diets, such as detox fruit and vegetable juices).

Short-term weight loss methods are useless, just like my fence can't stop my dog-Shiloh Guise, the escape artist-from leaving the backyard (he jumps over my six-foot fence to swim in the nearby lake). Changing your diet from 30 days to a week, or allowing yourself a few glasses of fruit and vegetable juice instead of eating nothing, won't make the effects last long. All weight loss methods are either sustainable or not-it's a black-and-white issue-and what we see is that almost all weight loss methods are unsustainable, superficial, and a complete waste of time.

wrong focus

Have you noticed that all the weight loss methods, no matter how they change, only two things remain the same: the types and quantities of food? Book after book tells you the problem lies in carbohydrates, meat, calories, and wheat! Their approach is this:

1. A new book on dieting and weight loss has been published.

2. This book explains why other diets don't work-too many carbohydrates, not enough fish oil, too much fruit, too little fruit, incorrect macronutrient ratios, insufficient sugar-free carbonated drinks, too many calories, insufficient exercise, too much wheat, etc.

3. This book proposes a new "perfect dieting weight loss plan".