Many patients frequently ask me, "doctor I really need help with my weight. What's the best diet to help me to lose weight, should it be high protein and low carbs, or high carbs and low fat, or some other combination? It's just so confusing".
In reality, many of the quick and easy diets have little basis in science or clinical medicine. Most have not even been validated long term as being safe or effective, especially for losing weight and then keeping it off. Ironically, most people who want to lose weight know what to do but are simply unable to do so, for a host of reasons, such as medical, emotional, misguided eating behaviors, and lack of nutritional understanding being but a few reasons. This situation creates a lot of frustration and anger on the part of many disappointed dieters. They need answers and want results.
The answer, which is currently accepted by most clinicians, is that the best diet for you to lose weight on is any reduced calorie diet that you can stay on for an extended period of time. But this is easier said than done. It is not any specific food, food groups or the time that you eat but it is rather what you eat, how much you eat, how you eat and why you eat that matters most for weight loss. Exercise helps, but it is really the amount of calories that you eat that is the most important factor for losing weight.
While there are a host of new FDA approved weight loss medications which can facilitate losing weight that are safe and effective, as unappetizing as it may be, reducing calorie intake is still the cornerstone for losing weight. Of course it would be helpful for your weight loss to avoid snacking between meals, not snacking after dinner or late at night and reducing your alcohol intake. But by understanding the how and why of your weight gain I am certain that I will be able to help you to achieve a 'safe, significant and sustainable healthy weight loss'.