No shortcuts to weight loss

As I’ve mentioned elsewhere on this blog, I occasionally write articles for Livestrong.com. The way Livestrong works is, they keep a database of titles and you can go in and claim the ones you want to write. The titles themselves are derived from actual search engine queries — phrases that real people somewhere entered into google or other search engines.

I’m explaining this because a lot of the available titles I’ve seen lately have made me sad. It’s probably no surprise that a lot of people are going online searching for weight loss tips. It’s probably also no surprise that people are looking for the latest weight-loss secret that will miraculously melt away their fat. I’ve seen available titles about losing weight by eating sauerkraut, dumpling soup, or coconut oil. Asking if drinking apple cider vinegar, sniffing peppermint, weighing your food, drinking mineral oil, getting acupressure, or wearing a hoodie while working out will help you lose weight. How to have a flat belly without diet or exercise or without really trying.

None of these things are going to make you lose weight. Fad diets and “miracle” weight-loss pills have been around forever, but there is no magic trick or shortcut to weight loss. If there were, wouldn’t everyone be doing it?

There are more than 6 million searches on google per month for “weight loss,” compared to only 450,000 for “healthy food.” People are searching for ways to lose weight and lose it fast. But the truth is, there are no shortcuts to weight loss or improved health. Healthy weight loss involves eating a balanced diet and shedding 1-2 pounds per week. Any more than that, and you’re just losing water weight that you’ll regain when you return to your normal eating habits (which you will). Or worse, you’ll be seriously depriving yourself of essential nutrients and setting yourself up for major problems.

It’s simple: Significant, lasting changes in your weight or overall health require significant, lasting changes in your diet and eating behaviors. You aren’t going to lose weight or get healthier if you don’t change something about your diet and activity level.

Eat a plant-based diet full of fruits and vegetables in order to obtain your essential nutrients while reducing your caloric intake. Get off the refined sugar and high-calorie processed foods. Move more. Build lasting changes. Don’t buy the hype about the latest fad diet or weight-loss technique. They only make things more complicated than they have to be.