I recently spoke with David Kates at The National Post about practical tips for choosing a weight-loss approach that fits your life.
Below, I summarize the key points I shared about finding a successful, sustainable plan.
Is it sustainable?
When I work with clients, I encourage gradual, realistic changes. If a diet requires eliminating entire food groups or drastically limiting the variety of foods you eat, it’s unlikely to be sustainable. Such restrictive approaches often set people up for a rebound. Affordability matters, too: plans that require expensive specialty foods, supplements, or exclusively organic meat can be difficult to maintain long term.
Rather than fixating on weekly numbers on the scale, I ask clients to explore their emotional relationship with food and how that influences eating. Many people fall into a cycle of feeling unpleasant emotions, using food to soothe, then feeling guilt and shame afterward. Interrupting that cycle and finding non-food ways to comfort yourself helps shift focus to behavior change instead of constant weighing.
Be savvy — and skeptical
Evaluate any diet critically. What evidence supports it? Who is promoting the plan, and are they qualified to make nutrition claims? What exactly are they promising, and can they back it up?
Who is promoting it?
When a new diet book or plan appears, check the author’s background. Does the author understand nutritional science? Often a credential like “doctor” appears, but it may not relate to nutrition training. An MD doesn’t automatically mean expertise in dietary science.
Are they selling products?
A program that requires you to buy branded protein shakes, bars, pre-packaged meals, or pricey supplements is a red flag. When a plan’s financial model depends on continuous product purchases, your health goals may be secondary to profit.
Are they making unrealistic claims?
Be wary of terms like “miracle diet,” “magic bullet,” or “cure.” Plans that promise rapid weight loss — faster than about two pounds per week — are often unhealthy and unsustainable.
Is the science questionable?
Many diets contain a kernel of truth but crumble under scrutiny. For example, detox diets prey on concerns about environmental toxins, but evidence that specific foods or short-term cleanses meaningfully boost the body’s ability to eliminate harmful substances is weak.
Does the diet rely on gimmicks?
Any diet built around a catchy hook deserves closer inspection. The Paleo Diet’s claim that we should eat exactly like Stone Age humans assumes a uniform ancestral diet and ignores historical nuance. Similarly, plans that revolve around one food item or encourage indefinite mono-regimens (like all-juice) should be treated with skepticism.
Is it potentially dangerous?
Diets that restrict daily calories to unsafe levels (some advertise as low as 500 calories per day) are essentially starvation diets and can cause harm. Avoid plans that recommend injections, laxatives, or enemas; these approaches can lead to nutrient and electrolyte imbalances and other serious side effects.
More on dieting
At their core, successful diets reduce calorie intake in some form. Whether that’s portion control, measured servings, pre-packaged meals, or cutting food groups, eating fewer calories typically leads to weight loss. Most sensible plans emphasize vegetables, moderate healthy fats and proteins, adequate hydration, and minimizing processed foods and added sugars. That advice is sound but not revolutionary.
Research consistently shows the best diet is the one you can follow long term. There’s no universal plan that fits everyone.
My 80/20 rule offers flexibility: eat healthfully most of the time and allow less healthy treats about 20% of the time. This pattern supports long-term adherence and includes room for cake, ice cream, or foods a crash diet might ban. Crash diets are temporary; sustainable healthy eating is lifelong.
Emotional eating
Emotional factors are often overlooked in weight management. Many of us learned to use food for comfort in childhood, and those neural pathways can persist into adulthood. The good news is the adult brain can learn new responses and interrupt those patterns.
In my work with clients, I help them recognize the cycle: feeling lonely, stressed, or upset, using food to soothe, then feeling guilt and shame and returning to food again. By developing alternative coping strategies and reclaiming control over cravings, people can stop that loop and change long-term behavior.
Have you found a long-term approach that works for you? If you’re ready to move beyond dieting and adopt a sustainable, healthier way of eating, consider reaching out for a consultation.