Have you ever heard of PubMed?
No, it’s not the Irish version of Club Med (although that’s a place I’d definitely visit).
It’s a popular online search engine you can use to hunt down research papers related to everything biomedical & life sciences.
It’s not the only place you can go to, but it’s one of the most well known.
When you do a search on PubMed for weight loss, you get back more than 166,000 results.
166,000! Can anyone say information overload.
Anyway, it goes without saying that a whole lot of research has been done into the various weight loss methods out there.
On top of that, there have also been a bunch of meta-analyses done to look bigger picture at what works and what doesn’t.
And here’s the interesting part…
When it comes to success, there’s one common element that links together all of the very best weight loss programs.
- It has nothing to do with calories, carbs or fat.
- And it has nothing to do with whether you do cardio exercise, strength training or both.
The only consistent finding across all of the many thousands of weight loss trials & studies is that success is most strongly connected to adherence.
If participants were able to stick with the program for 6 months or longer (no matter if it was low carb, low fat or something else altogether)…
Then their chances of losing weight were dramatically higher.
Great, I hear you mutter under your breath…how is that of any use to me?
Well let me put it this way.
When you’re evaluating whether a weight loss program might be the right fit for you, then you need to be asking yourself one question:
Do I think I can stick with this program for longer than a few months?
If the answer is no, then you probably need to look elsewhere.
The weight loss program you choose needs to become part of your life, not just part of your New Years resolution.
Setting Yourself Up For Success
Let me give you one simple way you can use this information to your advantage.
As anyone who’s tried to lose weight can tell you…deprivation is hard.
And if you go into a weight loss program feeling dejected about all of the delicious foods and meals that you’re going to have to cut out of your diet, then your chances of sticking with it for the long haul are going to be much lower.
So why not flip the switch?
Focus on what you can eat, not on what you can’t.
Instead of focusing on all of the foods that you’re going to be missing out on…
Focus on the foods that you really enjoy eating, and then try and find a diet that doesn’t force you to cut them out completely.
So for example…
If you love breads, pastas and desserts, then you might be looking for something like this:
If you like the idea of eating fewer, larger meals rather than cutting calories across every single meal you eat, then you might like something like this:
If you don’t want to cut too much meat from your diet, focus on programs that put protein front & center:
If you enjoy smoothies and want to know how to use them as part of a successful weight loss plan, something like this might be useful:
When it comes to losing weight, there are many (many) different ways to achieve great results.
By focusing your efforts on an approach that you have a higher chance of sticking with long term, you’re immediately setting yourself up for success.
Remember, it’s not about what has worked for someone else…
It’s about what WILL work for you (when you stick with it).
You just need to choose a strategy that you believe you’ll be able to stay with for the next 6 months and beyond.
Bonus Tip
Once you’ve locked yourself into a diet or weight loss plan, there’s one other thing you can do that has been proven to have a powerful impact on your ability to stick with it for longer.
Use financial incentives to fuel your motivation.
Click the button below to find out how you can take advantage of an out-of-the box approach that gets the thumbs up from Jillian Michaels.