Lose Weight Eating Foods You Enjoy

The most important thing for weight loss is to eat foods that you enjoy and can continue to enjoy long term. If you restrict yourself or start to eat things you are not used to eating, then you will have a tough time adhering to that style of eating long term.

Studies have shown that the single most potent predictor of a successful diet, is actually long term adherence. Said differently, how likely are you to stick to this style of eating? Can you eat like this forever? Will you be able to enjoy this food for a very long time?

Restricting entire categories of food groups doesn't last very long. For how long can you avoid bread? Or pasta? Or rice? Or your favorite cereal? Most studies show that people can adhere to restrictive diets for 3-9 months. But after a year, most people are back to eating the old way, the foods that they love.

I stress to my patients to not be overly restrictive and to just learn to eat what they enjoy eating (what they have been eating for the last 30-40 years) just less of it!

Hope that helps!

Sustainable Diet Approaches

Want to understand how to eat sustainably? Check out these related posts:

• Mediterranean Diet: Research-Backed and Sustainable – The best-studied diet approach
• Science Says It's Ok To Eat Carbs! – Don't restrict food groups
• Diet is More Important Than Exercise – The research on weight loss
• Dr. Alo's Dietary Guidelines – The complete framework