WHAT'S THE BEST DIET IN THE LONG RUN?

Yesterday I had some time between rehearsals, so I wandered over to Barnes & Nobles, picked up a bunch of likely-looking titles, and settled into a comfy armchair to browse (studiously avoiding the cafe and its beckoning fancy-schmancy coffees and pastries). One of the books is The Dukan Diet, the latest doctor-touted diet. It's been a big fad in France for some time, and is starting to gain popularity on this side of the pond. And let me just say, from the reading I did, my first impression is "batshit crazy". 

The diet consists of four phases. You eat nothing but lean protein for the first phase, which lasts 3-7 days (constipation, anyone?). For the second phase, you can add as much as you like from a list of non-starchy, low GI veggies such as . This lasts about 3 days for every pound you want to lose, so if you want to lose 50 pounds, you're going to be doing this for five months. Next, you get to add back in certain foods (such as starchy veggies and a little bit of bread) and have two off-plan meals a week, and finally, you're supposed to be all better and as long as you take the stairs, eat some oat bran every day, and have a nothing-but-protein day once a week, you'll stay thin. So, essentially, this is a recycled Atkins diet.

Multi-vitamins are recommended, and warnings that you may suffer from constipation, bad breath, fatigue, and dry mouth are issued. Sounds like a real party, right? But it's all worth it to get that weight off, right?

Here's the thing. I'm not saying it won't work --- it severely restricts calories, so of course it's going to work --- but any diet this restrictive is going to be next to impossible to maintain over any length of time. Also, it's so unbalanced that you don't have to be a doctor to see that this cannot possibly be good for you in the long run.

What IS good for you in the long run?

Well, according to Dr. David Katz, director of the Yale Prevention Research Center, there isn't One True Diet. There are lots of different ways of eating that work. He does suggest that the famed Mediterrenean Diet, which he points out is a class of diets rather than one specific diet per se, is one of the more successful diets. And it makes sense. Fresh foods in season, preferably locally produced, in lieu of processed foods; including all those things we keep hearing over and over are good for us: fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, nuts, beans, seafood, lean protein, yogurt, healthy fats like olive oil and avocado, and even a little bit of wine. Portion control, exercise, and more veggies on the plate than meat.

This is common sense, and it's sustainable. In the long run, the best diet is the healthiest one that you personally can sustain. Most Americans, raised on processed and fast foods and lots of sweets, are going to have a very hard time staying away from them 100%. I think it's better to allow yourself to have some of them, in very limited quantities, on a regular basis rather than try to restrict yourself entirely. Eating a very restrictive diet takes an obsessive sort of  concentration that most people cannot sustain forever (and you're in danger of a backlash). Heck, even a not-particularly-restrictive diet takes a great deal of concentration and motivation to sustain. I've said it here over and over again, it's a lifelong battle (or journey, depending on how you're feeling on any particular day).

I've been looking for a new diet to help me get  back on track, but every time I look into one, a feeling of dread comes over me. Some things never change. I just don't want to "diet". It's never worked except in the short term. I know what works for me, and that is to try to fill my plate with mostly veggies, use healthy fats in the smallest quantities I can get away with, and most of the time get my carbs from fruits and veggies instead of any refined source such as bread. If I do this --- really do it --- and keep working out daily, then I don't have to count calories or think a whole lot about portion control (well, except for staying away from seconds most of the time). I can have half-and-half in my coffee when I get it away from home. I can have a piece of high quality chocolate every day, and ice cream or frozen yogurt or a pastry a couple of times a week. That's my system, and it does work for me.

Of course, the hard thing is sticking with it over time. This is the constant struggle. Once I get out of the groove, it's very, very hard to get back in.  Curiously, once I'm solidly in, it feels so good that it becomes progressively easier to make the right choices.

For a while now I've felt like I've been climbing a glass mountain, clawing up a few feet and sliding back down. I'm not sure I'm making any progress, but I do think that just continuing to try to climb is a sort of triumph. Where is that next solid foothold that will boost me up? This is what I am looking for right now. I don't know where  or when I'll find it, and that in itself is tiring. But there is nothing to do but keep trying to scrabble up.

Comments

[Carina Coronel]

I really enjoyed reading this article. Got good knowledge on weight loss. Keep writing motivational tips!!

[kevin]

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[Jamie]

Thanks for the great information. I agree that fad diets that eliminate certain food groups are unhealthy and don't help with long term weight-loss.

[Matt White]

I think any diet is "bat crap crazy" if it is meant for a short period. You can't keep weight off unless you make a change that continues for life. Thanks for the post.

[Matt White]

I really enjoyed the post. Great real world advice and discussion. Thanks for sharing.

[Michael]

I really like your thoughts on this subject...well, first of all, thanks for the info. on that crazy Dukan diet...I had never heard of it, and now I know :)

My problem is kind of similar....I KNOW how to eat right, I KNOW I should be exercising, and once I actually do those things, it feels really good to do them on a regular basis and stay on track....whatever it is that I allow to let me get off track, I have no idea ???
It's insane to be overweight - I have no excuse for it, yet, even though I've taken off 25 lbs., I still have a big 50 to go. Ugh.
I guess you just "do it!", right?

I know what kind of food to eat to lose weight - I need to keep the junk out of the house.

[Landon]

I really struggle with this. What is the BEST way to eat? We are pummeled with so much conflicting information..."veganism reverses heart disease and cancer, low carb is best, humans were never meant to eat grains, night shades cause inflammation, yeast is killing us, sugar is evil, fruit is full of sugar, ergo evil"...

[Cindy]

The more Michael Pollan I read, the more I think he's got it right! I've been reading about some of the scary stuff they put in processed food. It's enough to put you off anything that comes in a box!

[RebeccaNYC]

Sorry to be a little behind with my reading, just catching up with your blog today...

I really struggle with this. What is the BEST way to eat? We are pummeled with so much conflicting information..."veganism reverses heart disease and cancer, low carb is best, humans were never meant to eat grains, night shades cause inflammation, yeast is killing us, sugar is evil, fruit is full of sugar, ergo evil"...ARRGH! I like your approach. And the saying..eat real food, not too much, mostly plants, and of course, eat less move more. I try, every day.

[Cindy]

Kelly, thanks for your comment, but I think if you were to go back and read the blog, you'd see that I am not an advocate of diet foods or schemes. I don't believe in commercial diets or products. I believe in eating real food and exercising. :)

[Kelly]

Girl you don't want to diet. Take that word and trash it now. You have done so well but you need to forget diets, they do not work, believe me I have tried many.
Just back back to basics and do not buy diet foods, believe me we have done loads of research into so called diets foods and whilst they may have a reduced amount of sugar or fat they are substituted with other things that are not good for you.
Considering the amount of "diet" food available in the shops, why is it then that obesity levels are rising? Think about it.
I wish you all the very best and good luck
Kindest regards

[Cindy]

Thanks, Beverly. I'll check it out.

Rahree, I haven't been on Social Workout in a while. I tried, but I just couldn't get on board with the new format. The community I had liked so much was gone. However, I *have* recently been thinking about trying it again, or finding something like it. Thanks for the reminder!

[rahree]

hey - are you still doing anything with social workout? i walked away from it for the better part of a year, but started back up at the beginning of the month and am feeling really rejuvenated and motivated to stay on challenge...maybe more challenge/community is what you need, rather than a new eating philosophy?

(i could be totally off base - and if so disregard! but just saying that it's working for me)

[Beverly]

I would like to recommend "Deep Nutrition: Why Your Genes Need Traditional Food". I think you would love it. Here is a good review of it. http://skwigg.tripod.com/blog/index.blog?entry_id=2224882