Is Your Diet Making You Fat? Read to Know Expert Views, Diet Alternatives & More

There are various diet fads that are gaining popularity every day, ranging from intermittent fasting to the ketogenic diet to the Fast 800 plan. On the one hand, some believe that eating soups and salads is the only way to lose weight - these foods feel sad even at the thought of it.

According to health experts, super low-calorie and low-fat diet programs, particularly those like the 600-calorie day plan, promote harmful habits that are neither sustainable nor useful.

When it comes to weight loss, following a diet trend might help you reach your objectives, but it's not a long-term solution. When you get off of it, your weight may rise, and you may feel trapped in a cycle of weight gain and reduction. According to experts, one may gain more weight than one loses in the long term.

Diet fads pay little or no regard to the significance of exercise in maintaining health, entirely ignoring the need of living a balanced lifestyle. On the scales, they may appear to be losing weight, but this might be due to a loss of muscle mass rather than fat, which could be the result of a slow metabolism.

Nutritional education is essential for lasting improvements. Every one of us has to be taught how to properly nourish our bodies. Quick fixes and fad diets simply do not do this.

What unlocks the shift is planning your sleep, stress, relaxation time, relationships, diet, and exercise.

Alternatives to dieting that actually work

Fortunately, there are certain weight-loss alternatives to dieting that might help you avoid or reverse weight gain.

Focus on healthy choices and mindful eating: Try changing your emphasis away from dieting or towards eating in a way that benefits your health.

To begin, pick wholesome foods that will keep you full and help you to retain a healthy level of energy so you can perform at your best.

Another useful method is to eat consciously. Slowing down, savoring the meal, and paying attention to your body's hunger and fullness cues might help you have a better relationship with food and lose weight.

Exercise regularly: Exercise can help you feel better by reducing stress and improving your overall health.

According to research, at least 30 minutes of physical exercise every day is especially useful for weight maintenance. The ideal type of exercise is one that you love and can stick with for a long time.

Accept that achieving your ‘ideal’ weight may not be possible: The Body Mass Index (BMI) is calculated by dividing your weight in kilograms by the square of your height in meters. It's frequently used to help people in determining their ideal weight range.

Researchers have questioned BMI's use in predicting health risk since it ignores changes in bone structure, age, gender, or muscle mass, as well as where a person's body fat is stored.

A BMI of 18.5 to 24.9 is considered normal, whereas a BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight, and a BMI of 30 or more is considered obese.

It's important to remember, though, that you may remain healthy even if you're not at your ideal weight. Some people feel and perform better at a weight that is higher than a normal BMI.

Despite the fact that many diets claim to help you attain your "dream figure," the truth is that some people aren't built to be extremely skinny.

Studies show that maintaining a healthy weight rather than losing and regaining weight through dieting cycles is healthier.

Accepting your present weight may improve your self-esteem and body confidence while also avoiding the lifetime agony of attempting to meet an unattainable weight target.

The final verdict

In a nutshell, ultra-low-calorie diet strategies cause more harm than good. In the long term, these practices can weaken the gut, bones, and fertility, as well as cause vitamin shortages. When attempting to reduce weight, it is critical to make long-term lifestyle adjustments that include all food categories, enough sleep, stress management, and exercise.