Research shows any diet you can stick with long-term helps with weight loss. A study in 2014 looked at the Mediterranean, DASH, low-fat, low-carb, high protein, vegetarian, meal replacement, and high fibre diets – each led to significant weight loss (4-10kg over six months).
When you break these diets down, they share basic principles:
· Increase nutrient density: More nutrients, fibre and phytonutrients per bite.
· Eat more veggies: A study of over 130,000 adults found increasing fruit and non-starchy vegetables intake over four years led to weight loss.
· Reduce portions: Smaller portions mean you eat less. Research shows bigger portions lead adults and children to eat 150-230 extra calories daily (600-960kj) – enough for over 7kg weight gain yearly.
· Become aware of triggers: Notice when you're not hungry or eating out of habit so you can actively create new habits.
· Face your food demons: Gently expose yourself to tempting foods with a plan to make peace with foods previously labelled 'unhealthy' or 'bad'.
Behavioural strategies for breaking habits
Do you eat on 'auto-pilot'? This might be reaching for wine as soon as you get home from work, munching snacks while watching TV, or picking up chocolate while paying for fuel. These situations often have nothing to do with hunger but feel rewarding and easily become strong habits.
Break habits by changing lots of little habits. Use a different door to enter your home, choose a different route home from work, sit in a different chair in the lounge, or fill your car in the morning rather than on the way home. These changes help you become more aware and present rather than operating on 'autopilot', priming you for change, including with food.
Do you eat for reasons other than hunger? Most people have eaten in response to emotions (boredom, sadness, happiness), tiredness, because others are eating, or simply because food is tasty and available.
Keep a food, thought and feelings diary for a few days to identify triggers for non-hungry eating. Then think of alternative ways to deal with those triggers. If it's an emotion, find non-food activities that make you feel better like going for a walk, having a shower, or talking to a friend.
Emotions are like waves – initially they feel big and overwhelming but in time, reduce in size and return to calm. Distract yourself with another activity to wait out the emotional wave instead of turning to food for comfort.
If you know you'll be around tasty food at parties or celebrations, eat beforehand so you can eat slowly and savour the taste more. Research shows the more satisfying a food is, the sooner you'll feel satisfied.
Facing your demons
Many foods are labelled 'bad', creating a challenging love-hate relationship. We might love chocolate's taste while thinking it's 'bad'. We try to restrict and avoid it, but when our inhibitions (or blood sugar levels) are low, we hurriedly eat the whole block. Because we've labelled it 'bad', we feel guilty and resolve to banish it again. Then the cycle simply repeats.
Instead of thinking of food as good or bad, accept these foods as simply tasty 'fun' foods. Like anything fun, if you do it every day, it loses its appeal. To create a more balanced relationship with 'fun' food, try to savour a little bit every day (or whenever you feel like it). After a while, it will lose its magnetic power.
Sustainable weight loss isn't about finding the 'perfect' diet - it's about creating lasting habits you can stick with. Focus on increasing nutrient density, eating more vegetables, reducing portions, understanding your eating triggers, and developing a balanced relationship with all foods. Break the cycle of restriction and guilt by making small, consistent changes to your daily routines and treating 'fun' foods as exactly that - enjoyable treats rather than forbidden enemies. Remember, successful weight management is a journey of awareness, not perfection.
