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Back when I was fitness editor formen's health,I was on a mission to become super slim. It was one of my most eye-opening experiences and not for the reasons you might think.
Originally the story was intended to be a step-by-step guide on “How to Lose the Last 10 Pounds.”
But there was thatMen's healththe focus shifted to abs. (Side note: The photo shoot for the story was one of the strangest things I've done. I was reminded that I'm definitely not a Zoolander.)
If I wanted to help people see their abs, then so be it. But I desperately didn't want to do what was always done. From my perspective, the world didn't need another crazy workout with unrealistic time commitments.
I wanted the “get abs” plan to be doable. That meant I wanted dessert. And I wanted it several times a week.
What Science Says About Losing Weight (And Keeping It Off)
I enjoy a good celebrity story as much as the next person, and I've interviewed a dozen notable stars and shared their workouts and diets.
But here's the thing: It's one thing to break the routine of an actor, actress, or athlete whose main goal and day is based on diet and exercise. It's fun to read about, but it's not exactly practical for the average person.
There can be no real plans for real peoplealsoextreme or crazy because it is not realistic for others to replicate. For me, that meant no two-day workouts or personal chefs. And like I said, I wanted to eat dessert every week.
I believe in good food. I also love cheesecake, brownies, cookies and ice cream. And many other people too.
More importantly, I had to resolve my own internal conflict between what I knew was true and what I believed.
I love science. I have built my career on being evidence-based. Everything in my understanding of getting lean told me that calories mattered and that I was eating dessert while getting leanis possible.
Because that’s how a professor can be a “ Twinkie diet “For 10 weeks and lose 27 pounds.
Or as research suggests Eat dessert with breakfast led to longer-term weight loss compared to people who avoided a dessert-filled first meal. In fact, this study suggested that dessert eaters continued to lose weight (lost an additional 15 pounds), while those who cut back on dessert gained most of it back (gained back 22 pounds).
In my opinion, I wasn't blessed with the greatest genetics in the world. In fact, I was overweight throughout my entire childhood.
If I'm honest, I was skeptical that I could actually get great results from eating dessert. Maybe it works for others, but it just didn't seem like it could work for me.
I knew the task was the ultimate test. I laid down the rules, the stakes were high, and the story should be published.
So what happened?
I ate my desserts and at the end of the 12-week process I was at 8 percent body fat.
Women who ate small desserts four times a week lost 9 pounds more than those who enjoyed a larger treat whenever they wanted.
Why You Should Eat Dessert (On Any Diet Plan)
For starters, complete food deprivation is more likely to cause you to fall off your diet than to achieve long-term success. [Note: I'mnot saying you shouldn't occasionally try to remove foods from your diet that seem to be causing issues. That's a different story. I'm talking about creating a plan based on complete restriction.]
One of the biggest obstacles to weight loss is the grind. Diets tend to be frustrating and mentally taxing. And that frustration and exhaustion lead to stress and cravings. It's a downward spiral that inevitably leads to you "cheating" on your diet, holding on to missed foods, feeling guilty, eating more bad food, and then "F it!" Say. and leave the plan.
Some variations of this happen to everyone. And it's not just psychological. As you restrict calories and lose weight, your body adapts, hormones shift, and hunger increases.
What should you do? You need to eat foods that fill you up and satisfy you (think protein, fiber, and vegetables), but you'll also benefit from dessert.
Desserts and treats can reduce cravings for sweet, starchy, and fatty foods. These are the “hyper-palatable” foods that derail diets. And your desire to eat more of them comes when you limit them completely. But having a little can prevent you from having too much.
That's why my experience with desserts and abs was so eye-opening. I ate real food, desserts and treats. No, I wasn't crushing giant slices of cheesecake three times a day, but I wasn't starving for sugar, fat, and salt either.
In many ways it was the anti-diet approach. Instead of waiting for the moment I wanted to quit, I proactively prevented where most diets go wrong: cravings and withdrawal.
That's why it's important to find your sweet spot with a few treats. If you compare most diets, you'll eventually notice this many of them work. Why choose one that will make you unhappy or you'll be forced to give it up beforehand and you'll stick with it long enough to see the actual results?
Yes, you still need to create a diet consisting of vegetables, fruits, proteins and healthy fats. But that's a message we all know by now. What's still lost in translation is that what you eat doesn't have to make you unhappy.
Remember, part of the trick to healthy living is consistency and patience. It works for diet and exercise. No magic. Only consistency and sustainability.
The Dessert “Rules” (Sugar not sold separately)
If you're trying to lose weight, the worst thing you can do is ban all indulgences, which creates a feeling of withdrawal.
A more effective approach allows you to satisfy your cravings in controlled portions.
Research from Alabama found that overweight women who ate small desserts four times a week lost 9 pounds more than those who indulged in larger splurges whenever they wanted.
The little sweets provide the psychological benefit that allows you to stay motivated without derailing your eating plan.
Within any diet, 10 to 20 percent of your calories can go toward a small treat. The key is watching portion sizes (yes, always difficult) so that a cup of ice cream at the 24-hour buffet doesn't turn into a late-night feast. Or, in many situations, put yourself in a position where you have the support to ensure that these types of seizures occur more severely.
But you know what? You're much less likely to switch from a scoop of ice cream to a whole pint if you don't feel like the food is off limits.
Learn your limits. Understand your triggers. And build a system that will help you succeed.
However, if you want the highest chance of successful weight loss, don't eliminate all the foods you love. This is one of the most common reasons why so many diets fail.
Topics of the next articles:
The Abs Workout: A Real Way to Transform Your Midsection
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Why weights are better than cardio for fat loss