You can’t “out run” a poor diet.
While exercise plays a significant role in long-term weight loss success, what you eat will be the most important determining factor in your journey to lose weight. So, what should you eat and what should you not eat?
That seems to be the question, when there are so many diet plans out there.
Sarah Easlick, a registered dietician at McLaren-Flint, said there’s still no “magic” formula for losing weight other than to eat less and move more. “To lose a pound per week, a person has to either eat 500 calories less a day, burn 500 calories in exercise or do a combination of both,” she said.
Whether you follow a low carb, paleo or other popular diet trend, the end result is that you’re taking in fewer calories and will lose weight.
Easlick encourages people to take “baby steps” in making a commitment to lose weight, focusing on five pounds a month rather than a large goal of 50 pounds or more. She also suggests that you eat a “rainbow” of foods to get all your nutrients, instead of cutting out any particular food group.
“If you do cut out a food group, for example, carbs, then once you re-introduce them, you’ll gain the weight back that you lost, plus more,” she said. “You have to eat in a way that you can sustain for the long-term.”
Easlick likes to emphasize eating protein for satisfaction and staying full longer. “Most junk foods are void of protein, and after you eat them, you’re still not satisfied,” she said.
She’s interested in the new updated Weight Watchers program for 2016, introducing SmartPoints. The new plan is designed to make eating healthy easier by steering people toward foods with more protein and less sugar and saturated fat.
Julie Hope, owner of Reflections Resale in Fenton, lost 42 pounds on the Weight Watchers program from April to November of last year, now enjoying smaller clothing sizes and more energy.
“I turned 60 this year and didn’t want to be that ‘older, overweight lady’ who couldn’t keep up with her grandkids,” she said. “I’ve tried a lot of things to lose weight, and this really worked for me. I actually looked forward to the weigh-in. Now I feel so much better.”
“Moderation is key,” added Easlick. “Losing weight is still hard work, but sticking with it for the long term is what will be successful.”
