The 2016 Dieting Season is Off and Running...

After 22 years in this field I have to admit that I periodically get burnt-out on taking the time to read and review new diet books or websites!

Nearly 20 years ago Kelly Brownell PhD once likened fad-diets to trick candles that keep re-lighting when you try to blow them out. Each new crop of books (or websites) invariably claim, “to contain the REAL secrets to weight loss.” This of course is just basic marketing and it’s very effective, especially when the average consumer “knows” more misinformation than fact regarding human metabolism, energy balance, and body weight.

Since it’s January, I thought I’d take a look at what’s “hot” on the diet landscape

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The Game of Weight Loss has Rules

What are your odds of winning a challenging game that you don’t know the rules to? Not so great. Likewise, if you're trying to lose weight but don't understand how your body works, your odds of success aren't good.

You need accurate information about how your body works:

• How many calories do I need to eat?
• How many calories should I burn in activity each week?
• What changes can I expect during weight loss (in my energy needs)?
• How do I stabilize at my goal weight?

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Starvation Mode: Fact or Fiction?

Starvation-mode (or starvation-response) is the popular theory that the body “reacts” to dieting by lowering its metabolic rate in order to preserve itself. According to the theory a dieter could be following a reduced-calorie eating plan—to the letter—and still not lose an ounce. Furthermore, the purported solution is that one needs to eat more in order to lose weight.

The theory is an attempt to explain why people aren’t losing weight although they report (to their weight loss coach, or fellow dieters) that they are indeed following their diet and exercise program.

What are the problems with the theory?

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The MOST Popular Diet: The "See Food-->Eat Food" Diet!

Odds are you have "normal" relationship with food, meaning that you tend to want to eat what is readily available to you. For whatever reasons, this is even truer for those of us with a history of dieting.

How we become overweight is the result of a complex mix of factors that tend to promote a higher energy balance, and therefor a higher body weight.

One of the key factors in this mix is our environment; specifically the number of opportunities to eat, and the type of foods that are most available or handy for us to eat.

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How to Lose Weight 101: Understanding energy balance

If you're trying to lose weight but don't understand how your body works, your odds of success aren't good. However, learning accurate information about how your body works isn't an easy proposition! That's because (no kidding) most medical professionals don't know either. The (magic) diet book and other weight-loss-gurus don't care (they're interested in your money, not your success). So it's fair to say that too often we have a case of the blind leading the blind. Is it any wonder that so many find it so hard to lose weight, and even harder to keep it off? Sadly, not.

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