By Tatyana Kour

With December’s arrival comes the beginning of the weight loss battle. Many people opt for doing almost anything to lose a bit of weight before the new year hits, with most wanting to see a huge difference right away, and some even claiming most unrealistic weight loss goals in a relatively very short period of time.

Yet, at this time, it may be worth considering personal assessment of certain dieting behaviours that make one’s weight loss experience a failing one, including eating one meal a day and following a low carbohydrate meal plan.

Several people opt for eating one meal a day in an attempt to lose several kilogrammes in a week. This is not a wise dieting approach since it does more harm to one’s body than good. Eating just one meal a day is too difficult, restrictive and tedious to follow. While it is possible to have one balanced meal a day, what counts is one’s daily caloric intake as defined by one’s age, sex, physical activity level and medical condition. By eating one meal a day, one can deprive the body of important nutrients needed to fuel the body and keep body cells alive and functioning. Research in the last decade has repeatedly shown that “drastic calorie-cutting diets do not work in the long run, and sometimes not even in the short run”.

The truth is that skipping meals can cause severe calorie restriction which can cause one’s metabolism - rate at which the body burns energy from food - to slow down. This, in turn, makes one’s body require fewer calories to perform the same body processes in an attempt to survive.

One should never eat below one’s minimum calorie needs since the body’s metabolic rate will slow down, and vitamin and mineral needs will not be meet, thereby causing a binge eating pattern and a failure to lose weight.

Some people swear by the low carbohydrate diet and its success in achieving rapid weight loss. Yet, restricting carbohydrates, as research has shown, is not what counts for weight loss, but ultimately, it is the total calories eaten throughout the day.

Carbohydrates (as in bread, pasta, rice and cereals) in the diet help one’s body to hold onto fluid. Therefore, if there is not enough carbohydrates in the body, the body will release water from the cells, referred to in scientific terms as “osmotic dieresis”, which causes initial weight loss. But, when we lose water, we also get to lose important minerals like sodium and potassium. The body can only survive on carbohydrates, and especially our brains need carbohydrates to function.

Therefore, and while evidence suggests that following a low carbohydrate meal plan is beneficial for rapid weight loss in a few months, research has shown that it is both not sustainable in the long run (greater than six months), and is often accompanied by a variety of health problems.

It is better to work out a moderate carbohydrate plan while emphasising variety, increased grains (especially whole grains), fruits, and moderation in sugars (particularly added sugars).

Be careful to resolve to completely follow an unrealistic diet, or give up certain enjoyable foods, or vow to achieve unrealistic levels of weight loss. If you fall short of unreasonable goals, you will only feel like you have failed when that is not actually the case.

Having a consistent meal pattern of three meals and three snacks a day is the best gift you can give your body to maintain its momentum and boost the body’s metabolic rate to stay healthy and in shape.

Realise that weight loss is a process that takes time, energy, commitment and encouragement. It may be worth assessing where you stand from your weight, your dieting behaviours and your resolutions before you invest both the time and energy in unrealistic weight loss attempts that can be detrimental to your health and your emotional well-being.

The writer, (tatyana@tatyanakour.com), is a consultant, clinical nutrition, dietetics, metabolism and tobacco treatment specialist board certified specialist in nutrition support based in Amman.