If your New Year’s resolution is to start a strict diet and lose weight, there might be some good news for you.
If you are trying to lose weight, a diet is the first thought that comes to mind. It is also
what makes most people fall off the wagon. In fact, a majority of people who want to lose weight also believe that cutting out foods or following strict meal plans is the fastest way to see results. While this may work for a short time, it usually doesn’t last. Most diets ask for too many changes at once, which makes them hard to follow in the long term.
If the goal is to lose weight and sustain it in the long run, the approach needs to be simple and realistic.
According to fitness coach Raj Ganpath, weight loss does not need extreme steps. It is most important to be consistent, as a balanced method will be far more effective over time.
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A Fitness Coach Explains Why Diets Fail Long-Term
Raj Ganpath, who has over 18 years of experience, recently took to Instagram to talk about the science of weight loss and posted an Reel on December 12. He is the founder of the Slow Burn Method, co-founder and head coach at Quad Fitness, and the author of Simple, Not Easy. In the video, he explains why dieting is not the right path for lasting weight loss and shares a simpler option.
A Steady Calorie Gap Matters More Than Dieting
Raj Ganpath says weight loss comes down to one key thing: staying in a calorie deficit over time. He explains, “The only thing you really need in order to lose weight is a consistent calorie deficit and going on a diet is not the only way to do it. And it is definitely not the best way to do it.” Instead of cutting food sharply, he suggests focusing on small, steady changes that are easier to keep up with.
Strict Diets Are Hard To Stick To
He adds that diets often create a very large calorie deficit. This may help the scale drop quickly, but it usually doesn’t last.
The fitness coach explains, “When you go on a diet, you create a calorie deficit – but a big one, a strong one. So, in the short term, you will lose weight. The scale will move. But once a few months are in, you’ll realise that this is not sustainable. You’ll be depriving yourself. So, it is simply a matter of time before you give up, go back to old ways, and gain all the weight back.”
A Simple Way To Cut Calories Without Dieting
Instead of dieting, Raj Ganpath suggests calorie optimisation.
He shares an easy method: “Write down everything that you eat. Mark all the foods that you feel are unnecessary, and you can give up. Remove about 300 to 600 calories worth of these foods. That’s it.”
Fewer Changes make the process easier
Dieting forces people to change what they eat, when they eat, and how they eat, all at once. This makes it hard to continue. With calorie optimisation, those changes are smaller.
Raj Ganpath says, “You’re still eating the same foods. You’re still eating in a manner that you like to eat, but you’re just eating fewer calories. This is sustainable. This will add up, accumulate, and compound, and in the long term, you will most definitely lose significant amounts of weight.”
