Chapter 4 - Do You Need To Diet?
You don’t need to diet… but you need to follow a diet.
Does that sound confusing?
Many women make the mistake of starving themselves in the hope of losing weight fast. This is counterproductive and actually works against them.
You need to be on a diet that is right for you… and most importantly, you need to be at a caloric deficit.
As long as you’re at a caloric deficit, you will lose weight.
You’re probably wondering… “What if I ate junk food and still maintained a caloric deficit?”
In theory, yes. It’s not so simple… but yes. You can lose weight even while eating fast food, processed food, and junk food… whatever they may call it. You know what these foods are.
As was mentioned in chapter 1, if you consume lesser calories than your maintenance level, you will lose weight.
Therefore, theoretically speaking, even if you were on a junk food diet the entire day but you were consuming about 500 calories lesser than your maintenance level, you will lose weight.
Many overweight or obese women, almost always have a very poor diet. It is extremely difficult for them to switch from a diet that is so high in processed/junk food to one that is clean and wholesome.
Expecting to switch your diets overnight is just setting yourself up for failure. You absolutely must do this slowly and progressively.
Therefore, your best course of action will be to carry on eating the way you have, but aim for a caloric deficit.
That essentially means that you’ll be consuming less junk food than you were used to. This in itself will help you lose weight.
However, since the goal is to lose weight and get healthy, your end goal should be to eliminate junk food from your diet and eat clean.
Every week, make one small positive change to your diet. If you usually have 2 cheeseburgers for lunch followed by a soda, you may replace that with a crunchy tuna wrap and a glass of cold coconut water.
Psychologically, this is easier. It’s just one meal. Keep at it till this becomes a habit and you slowly but surely, replace all the junk meals with wholesome yet tasty meals.
Healthy meals can be delicious too. You are not sacrificing taste or pleasure by eating healthily. It’s just a matter of getting your taste buds and body to enjoy eating healthy foods. Over time this can be achieved.
In the meantime, you may eat junk foods and still lose weight while on a caloric deficit.
You should also note that junk foods are nutrient deficient. That means, you could be eating junk food and after a short while still feel hungry. That’s because your body hasn’t got all the nutrients it needs. This is one reason why if your diet is poor, you always feel hungry no matter what you eat.
Also note that, there are certain processes within the body that will prevent you from losing weight beyond a certain point. The body is a highly complex organism. It will lose weight for a while since you are on a caloric deficit. However, with time, you will find it increasingly difficult to do so.
It’s not merely a mathematical equation where calories in must be less than calories out. There are other factors such as the quality of the calories consumed, the thermogenic effect of the food eaten, etc.
So, ideally, you may consume junk food at a caloric deficit and over a period of a month or two, slowly wean yourself off these unhealthy foods and get on a healthy diet.
Of course, you may indulge in junk food once in a while. However, many people who have made the switch never feel the urge to eat junk food again.
One of the best ways of eating to lose weight will be to consume foods that help with the fat burning process.
By including these foods in your diet, you’ll not only feel more satiated but the body will burn more calories too. Unlike weight loss supplements, these foods actually work… and they’re cheaper.
Just by consuming these foods, you’ll be able to curb your hunger and also hasten the fat burning process.
So… while you do not need to follow a highly restricted diet and starve yourself, you should aim to consume foods that are beneficial to your health.
You’ll be amazed at just how much good food you can eat when it’s not processed. In the next chapter, we’ll look at what the best foods are for you and what is the single best thing you can do to lose weight.