What Is The Best Diet For Me? Diet Review Series By U.P.

Does eating fat make you fatter? Stopping eating before 6pm will magically stop us from gaining any weight? Is WeightWatchers a waste or witchcraft?

There are many claims that are made by diets that claim to be’Weight Loss Program ‘.

It can be frustrating to try and get an unbiased answer on which diet we should follow.

Everyone has their own agenda when it comes to diet – be they followers of the high carbohydrate, ketogenic, vegan, carnivore or paleo protocols.

All seem to believe they have discovered the secret which all those before them have missed (even if you have spent years researching and experimenting with nutrition).

Ultimate Performance is a company that has only one goal: to help each individual determine the diet approach which suits them.

We are going to tell you a little secret about nutrition…it’s not a secret.

This first part of the ‘Diet Reviews Series’ will give you an objective breakdown of some of the most popular diet archetypes.

You will be equipped with the knowledge and tools to understand each diet’s underlying principles and see what makes it tick.

You will then be able identify what is really important when it comes time to diet, and you can save yourself years of wasted energy and time.

Why do so many diets fail?

Diets are hotly debated and new diet fads appear almost daily.

Since 1975, the prevalence of obesity in the world has almost tripled. As of 2016, there are more than 2.1 Billion overweight or obese people around.

People often restrict their diets to lose weight. In 2016, a review revealed that almost 50% of people worldwide try to lose weight every year and another 20% change their diet in order to prevent weight gain.

Most people who lose weight through dieting do not maintain their weight loss.

These numbers are pretty depressing. According to research, up to 50% of the weight loss is regained in two years. By five years an average person is back at their original weight.

Why is that?

Theoretically, weight loss is easy – just eat less and exercise more. In reality, weight loss is a complex and challenging process. It requires balancing many plates. The most important is adhering to the plan.

Compliance is science, as the saying goes.

It is therefore vital to know the nuts and bolts and principles of any diet.

Weight loss success is not about tools but rules

While fad/named dieting provides rules and restrictions for the diet, understanding nutrition principles gives you tools to use universally.

Tools work for everyone, every time.

Personal relationships, career goals and financial concerns are all important factors in our lives.

Diets should be a part of our daily lives, not the center. Fad diets have rigid rules and regulations that are tailored only to a specific goal. They are not adapted to the changing landscape of life.

It’s important to note that dieting for weight loss is not without sacrifice. Giving up the things that we love and enjoy without good reason is self sabotage.

Weight gain in the modern world is a perfect storm.

Why are there fads diets? Why isn’t nutritional information made transparent? From a cynical point of view, it appears that fad dieting takes advantage of the fact that it’s so difficult to lose weight today by offering the latest solution.

Since decades, we have known the mechanisms that drive weight loss and gain. To lose weight, we must consume fewer calories for a long period of time than our bodies require.

This approach to weight loss is not suited for the unique challenges that each person faces.

Our environment, culture, and genetics are all factors that influence our desire to eat too much. All of these factors influence our behavior and whether or not we act in a manner that promotes weight-loss or weight-gain.

In today’s ‘obesogenic environment’, where food advertising is prevalent, processed foods are cheap, and there’s almost instant gratification with a variety of tasty and calorie-dense products, it’s harder than ever to just say “no”. It’s as easy as opening your fridge or ordering from an app.

We are driven to eat food when it is available by genetic factors. In the hunter-gatherer era, we ate whenever food was available, as we didn’t know when our next meal was coming.

We are also genetically predisposed to not lose weight. This would indicate starvation, and make us incapable of defending ourselves from predators in the past.

We haven’t had the time to adapt to the changes in food availability. Our hunter-gatherer instincts still prevail when it comes our desire to eat food in an age where food is readily available anywhere and at any time.

Modern society also does not place much emphasis on factors such as stress management and sleep, which have a strong impact on our health. We are instead conditioned to use foods and drinks to cope with our busy lifestyles, where we often are under-slept and too overworked.

This creates a perfect storm. It is almost impossible to resist the calorie-laden treats that are pushed in our faces when our evolutionary instincts collide with an obesogenic world.

Diets that are marketed as fads or named diets exploit our constant battles with weight and our desire to be the first one to know about the latest ‘next-best cure’.

We can help you find a solution that will last a long time

In the face of constant advertising and temptation, it can feel like you are fighting a losing war.

There is a way to navigate the fraught fitness landscape, and find a lifelong fitness path that suits you.

You only need the right tools to understand nutrition and diet.

Over the years, we have helped tens and thousands of clients find a sustainable solution that works.

We want to equip you with the skills necessary to be able do the same, and to break free from the endless cycle of dieting.

In the coming 12 months, we will dive deep into diets such as Atkins, Paleo and Ketogenic. We will show you how each diet works and what the pitfalls are. Stay tuned!

The Key Takeaways

• Since 1975, the prevalence of obesity in the world has almost tripled. As of 2016, there are more than 2.1 Billion overweight or obese people around.
• Around 40% of people worldwide try to lose weight every year and another 20% alter their diet in order to avoid weight gain.
• Dieters can regain up to 50% of the weight they lost within two years. By five years’ time, most people are back at their original bodyweight.
• While fad/named dieting provides rules and restrictions, understanding nutritional principles gives you tools.
• Diets that are marketed as fads/named take advantage of people’s constant battles with weight, and our desire to be the first to know about the latest ‘next-best cure’.