The greatest problem when it comes to diet and weight loss programs is for many people weight loss is not permanent. It could be a matter of days, weeks or months; the simply fact is that most people during this time put back most or all of their lost weight. This can cause anxiety, anger and frustration at the time and effort put towards following a weight loss program that has not delivered the desired results.

So whose responsibility is this far this lack of permanent weight loss; is it the person doing the diet or the diet plan that is being followed itself?

To answer this question fully; involves firstly looking at the psychology of many dieters, as well as the choice of diets available out there.

Most people think weight loss programs have to be complicated to fit in with age, sex and body type. As I am about to reveal many weight loss programs on the face of it look complicated, however this unnecessary complication is mainly to differentiate it from the competition. It can be very confusing to know which diet plan to follow with so much choice out in the marketplace.

Many weight loss programs out there make themselves different from the competition, by using different daily calorie ratios for the 3 main nutrients found in food. The three main nutrients are proteins, fats and carbohydrates. So for example, what you can have is high, medium, low and zero daily calories of proteins, fats and carbohydrates. There is so many different combinations you can with these 3 main nutrients use to make a weight loss plan. There is little wonder that there is so much competition out there with a vast number of different weight loss plans.

So why do so many diets fail people and why isn’t there one diet out there that has proven to consistently achieve permanent weight loss.

The real answer is to turn the first question around; instead it should read why do so many people fail in their dieting. This leads to answering the second question; there isn’t a diet that guarantees permanent weight loss, because it depends very much on the individual who is carrying out the diet.

So instead of recommending which diet you should follow, you need to understand why people fail diets in the long term, this can lead to stopping the cycle of putting weight back on when lost, thus achieving permanent weight loss.

Generally almost all diets work by using the different combinations of fats, proteins and carbohydrates for your daily calorie intake. In the short term by burning up more calories than you intake you will lose weight.

Recent studies back this up; when the popular commercial diets were compared against other over a 6-12 month period, they mostly showed similar weight loss results. One major study concluded that the person adhering to the diet, rather than the diet itself was the main indicator of whether the weight loss program would work or not.

So what this shows clearly that, the most likely way to succeed in achieving permanent weight loss depends on how well you adhere to a weight loss plan in the long term. So how can this be achieved?

A solution to achieving permanent weight loss lies in looking at making lifestyle changes; developing new positive habits that involve following weight loss programs in the long term. The simply fact changes like this simply do not happen overnight and take weeks, sometimes months to become an integrated part of a persons life.

The sad fact is most people there are looking for a magic wand to end their weight loss problems. Many turn to drugs and surgery for an immediate result. Unfortunately drug use and surgery can have side effects or unknown long term consequences.

So the safer and more effective way to permanent weight loss is to reduce your calories and do your diet program for the long term. By developing these habits over weeks, months and years you ensure that weight loss will become permanent for you.



Thanks to Steven Dailly for contributing this article to our Weight Loss blog:

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The Three Day Diet is a fad diet dating back to 1985. Followers of the Three Day Diet are promised up to a 10 pound weight loss in three days. The allure of the the Three Day Diet is the promise of up to a 10 pound weight loss in three days. The reality is that most of that weight loss is likely due to fluid loss and not the more desirable fat loss.

How the Three Day Diet Works

As the name suggests, the Three Day Diet lasts only three days, though it’s said that it can be repeated indefinitely, as long as you alternate with 4-5 days of undefined normal eating. The purpose of returning to your usual eating style is to keep your metabolism from slowing, reverting to fat-storing, starvation mode

The Three Day Diet is a regimented plan that must be followed exactly for three days at a time, followed by normal eating for four or five days before opting to resume the plan again.

The Three Day Diet is a very specific food plan that must be followed precisely. Portions must be eaten exactly as specified and dieters are warned not to overeat — otherwise the promised 10 pound weight loss may not be achieved. Likewise, dieters should not under-eat, even if they are not hungry.

The combination of the suggested foods included in this plan is supposed to create a unique metabolic reaction and boost fat burning.

The Three Day Diet Meal Plan

Day 1

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1/2 grapefruit or juice

1 piece toast with 1 tablespoon peanut butter

Lunch

1/2 cup tuna

1 piece toast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

Dinner

3 ounces any lean meat or chicken

1 cup green beans

1 cup carrots

1 apple

1 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Day 2

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1 egg

1/2 banana

1 piece toast

Lunch

1 cup cottage cheese or tuna

8 regular saltine crackers

Dinner

2 beef franks

1 cup broccoli or cabbage

1/2 cup carrots

1/2 banana

1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

Day 3

Breakfast

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

5 regular saltine crackers

1 ounce cheddar cheese

1 apple

Lunch

Black coffee or tea, with 1-2 packets Sweet & Low or Equal

1 boiled egg

1 piece toast

Dinner

1 cup tuna

1 cup carrots

1 cup cauliflower

1 cup melon

1/2 cup regular vanilla ice cream

What Food is Allowed on the Three Day Diet

The Three Day Diet gives you the freedom to eat a wide variety of foods, as long as you stick to mostly natural foods.n addition to its strict daily food prescription, dieters drink 4 cups of water or noncaloric drinks daily.

The Three Day Diet consists of ordinary foods found in your kitchen. No special expensive recipes or ingredients are required. You don’t have to buy frozen diet meals.

You can add herbs, salt, pepper, lemon, vinegar, Worcestershire, soy sauce, mustard and ketchup to your foods.

What Food is Not Allowed on the Three Day Diet

Processed food such as frozen meals, crackers, ramen soups, cake mixes, chips and candy have to be avoided. No bread, alcohol, or carbonated beverages, not even diet soda. Beverages are limited to water, and unsweetened fruit juice.

Known Benefits of the Three Day Diet

The main advantage of the Three day diet is that it helps you lose weight fast.

Apart from this fast weight loss Three Day Diet is also having other advantages like increasing your body energy, healthy skin, reduces allergies and enhanced sexual drive. Other advantages include:



The Three Day Diet can flush your body of toxins in the process as long as you stick with the program and do not overeat.



The Three Day Diet is simple to follow, reasonably cheap, less time consuming and there is no complicated recipes to follow.





The fasting of the 3 day diet can make the body to heal naturally.

Digestion uses up strength in the form of fat and muscles from our energy store Fasting also appears to release a hormone that stimulates the immune system. It also gives your intestinal system a chance to clean itself and the body time to flush out the waste products of metabolism.

A regular practice of fasting is said to also  help prevent a buildup or backlog of metabolic debris in the body, diminishing the possibility of serious illness.

Potential Risks of the Three Day Diet

Some people feel dizzy, weak, unable to concentrate and complete daily activities.If you are looking for a weight loss program and exercise plan that will help you maintain your health, weight, strength, and more, then this diet is not for you. This diet might only offer you temporary weight loss, and might not have enough nutrients in it to help you workout on a regular basis.

What the Experts Say About 3 Day Diet

“There is no such thing as a Cleveland Clinic diet,” says Cindy Moore, director of nutrition therapy at The Cleveland Clinic. “It is an urban legend that is not nutritionally sound, and the only reason it causes weight loss is because it is so low in calories, not because of any food combinations or metabolic reactions.”

Following a plan with fewer than 1,000 calories a day concerns Moore. “The plan yields about 1,000 calories a day which has the ability to lower metabolism so when you revert back to normal eating, you regain weight even quicker.”

Because the 3 Day Diet is so low in carbohydrates, it’s likely the initial weight loss is primarily water weight, as carbohydrate encourages your body to retain water. As soon as the dieter goes back to consuming a normal amount of carbohydrate, the water weight comes back.

There has been a lot of research to help us understand why weight cycling occurs. When we diet, our body still requires a set number of calories to function each day. If we do not get it from food, our body will break down its own energy stores in fat and muscle to survive. It has long been established that a diet that promotes more than a two-pound per week weight loss will break down muscle tissue for energy at a more rapid rate than it will break down fat stores for energy. Whereas, the slower one loses weight, the less our body uses lean muscle tissue for energy and the more it uses our fat stores. Lean muscle is the last thing a dieter wants to lose. Muscle tissue is the source of our metabolic rate. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn each day. The less you have, the less you burn each day. Thus, even slow weight loss diets will burn some muscle tissue for energy, particularly when unaccompanied by exercise. Choosing to lose weight fast without exercising is a no win combination that is a strong predictor of weight cycling.

Bottom Line About The Three day Diet

The Three Day Diet is a simple a low calorie diet. There is nothing magical no mystical chemical reaction that goes on as some seem to think.

The only reason that a person on this diet would lose weight is due to the severe calorie restriction. Because of the low amount of carbohydrate in the diet, it is also possible that a person on this diet will primarily lose water weight. As soon as the dieter goes back to eating a normal diet and consuming a normal amount of carbohydrate, this water weight will be gained back.

The other demerits of three day diet are:



The Three Day Diet is that never educates the dieter on how to achieve sustainable, healthy weight loss.



The diet is so monotonous, dieters gladly return to their old eating habits.



There is no documentation or scientific explanation of how the Three Day Diet food combination burn fat, increase energy, cleanse the body, or lower cholesterol.





There are numerous alternatives to the Three Day Diet that are much healthier, and will produce better results.

Look for a well-balanced weight loss plan that controls calories every day, includes exercise, and allows a wide variety of healthy foods. To lose weight, it is simply not enough to eat a prescribed diet for three days without addressing eating habits that cause weight gain.

 



Thanks to Jeff Behar for contributing this article to our Weight Loss blog:

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