With the new year comes resolutions to eat better, and oftentimes extreme diet approaches. I remember the year everyone did Whole30 for January. But this is a mistake, doctors warn. Especially if you’ve struggled with being overweight or obese for a long time, and “nothing seems to work.”
“Most people are ‘chasing diets,’ meaning they go from diet to diet and pick up on the latest fads,” Craig Primack MD, FACP, FAAP, FOMA and Diplomate of the American Board of Obesity Medicine tells us. “Right now Keto, Intermittent fasting, and vegan are fads,” he continues.
Older, Proven Diets
What’s the problem with an emphasis on these trendy diets? To start, older ‘proven’ diets may actually work better, Dr. Primack explains.
“The older proven diets are older and not always sexy but have stood the test of time,” he says. “They absolutely work, and they work well. I commonly use several diets to treat patients.”
Also, it can be misleading to the public that only one diet can get you to your goals.
“Remember, there is not just one diet that works,” Dr. Primack advises.
Meals Replacements & Medications
Beyond restrictive diets, Dr. Primack would suggest that people consider things like meal replacements that “give both speed to weight loss and don’t require a lot of preparation time.”
“In my practice, I focus on using doctor-prescribed meal replacements either fully or partially,” he explains.
And, for qualified patients, weight loss medications that “turn off the hunger centers of the brain” may be a really good option for people who have struggled with their weight all of their adult lives.
Positive Accountability
Lastly, “people forget about the power of positive accountability!” he reminds. Accountability is huge for getting through the inevitabilities of life, such as vacations, holidays and travel.
“Accountability helps to encourage patients when they’ve have had a good week, and to strategize getting back on track if you have had a bad week!”
