Study after study shows that weight loss requires eating less and moving more. But there are still people who claim that this is not so. Some of the arguments against are downright idiotic, some sound impressive.
Zozhnik publishes a post by LiveJournal user necroz, based on an article by Armie Legge.

Myth #1. What you eat is more important than the amount of food.

You can lose weight on hamburgers and soda. Although, of course, there are many reasons not to do this, and it is unlikely that you will like such a diet. There is no evidence that the “wrong” food, which is often referred to as GMOs, sugar, fructose, gluten, makes you gain more fat than the “right” one. This again does not mean that you need to eat the “wrong” food.

Whole grains, dietary fiber, enough protein in your food all make it easier to control your appetite and keep you healthy in the long run. In any case, while you are in a calorie deficit, the weight goes down.

Myth #2. If you eat the right combination of proteins/fats/carbs, you won't gain fat.

Almost 100 years of research shows that there is no such combination that would allow you to lose more fat than others. Low-fat, high-fat, low-carb diets - either way, you lose the same amount of fat, provided you consume the same amount of protein. This is the only exception.

A high protein diet allows people to lose less muscle and more fat on the same caloric intake compared to other options. But after a certain amount of protein (approximately 1.6 grams per kilogram of body weight or even less), additional doses of protein no longer affect the loss ratio.

Myth #3. People don't lose as much weight as they're supposed to. So counting calories is meaningless. NOT PROPERLY.

Yes, even in fully controlled studies, people lose less weight on a diet than they should according to deficit calculations. But this is not a matter of counting calories, but energy balance. Here are a few reasons why this balance is so hard to find:

“People almost never get the calorie count right.

– On a calorie deficit, people move less, which leads to less consumption and less weight loss.

- On a deficit, people lose different amounts of water, which also leads to a difference in the result.

In controlled studies, when people ate less, they lost weight. The difference was less than one would expect, but not by much.

Myth number 4. People don't gain as much weight as they calculate.

Just as in the case of loss, the body resists weight gain. Some fail to gain weight at all, despite having a large calorie surplus. Here are a few reasons why this might be happening:

– Increase in activity. On a surplus, unconscious activity can increase. Get up more often, walk more often, wave your arms more often. The difference can reach up to 1000 kcal per day.

– Gaining weight leads to the fact that you have to move a large mass. It also burns extra calories.

– The more you eat, the more the thermal effect of the food is. 10% from 1000 kcal and from 3000 kcal is already an additional 200 kcal costs. Also, when people say "I eat tons of food" it means the same thing as saying "I don't eat anything and I'm gaining weight".

Myth number 5. Metabolism slows down when you cut calories, so cutting calories doesn't work.

If that were the case, death by starvation would be impossible. In the Minnesota Fasting Study, people ate a 50% cut diet and walked more than 30 miles a week. In 6 months they lost 25% of their body weight. The basal metabolic rate dropped by only 225 kcal per day. So yes, there is some reduction in consumption, but this is clearly not enough to stop losing weight.

Myth number 6. Losing weight is too complicated a process to manage with diet and exercise alone.

Yes, hundreds of factors influence body composition. Habitual fat levels, food sensitivities, basal metabolic rate, hormone levels and sensitivity, etc. But there is good news. People who are in a calorie deficit lose weight without having to worry about all of these factors. Eat less, move more, lose weight. Everything.

Myth number 7. When and how often you eat is more important than how much you eat.

There is no evidence that eating 6 meals a day or intermittent fasting is anything more than just a convenient way for some to control appetite. There is also no evidence that the idea of ​​eating fewer carbs at night or eating in the “post-workout window” works. If you consume the same number of calories, you will lose or gain the same amount of mass. This is true for 10 meals, for one.

Myth number 8. Hormones affect weight, so hormone management is more important than nutrition.

Leptin, insulin, testosterone, cortisol, thyroids all affect how many calories you burn and how much fat and muscle you lose. However, there is no evidence that you can change their amount or ratio as a result of dieting, avoiding certain foods, or taking supplements. (except steroids, which are outside the scope of this article).

Myth number 9. Some supplements allow you to lose weight without being in a calorie deficit.

No supplements (most of which are useless) will help you lose weight without a calorie deficit. The ones that work will just help you lose a little more fat. Even powerful things like ephedrine and caffeine will just add an extra 100-200 calories per day. In addition, this effect will decrease as you get used to it.

Myth number 10. Cutting calories makes you hungry, so it doesn't work in the long run.

Usually, when you eat less, you want to eat more. However, if you change your diet to eat more "filling" foods, you may not feel hungry. People who have increased their protein intake may be consuming several hundred fewer calories per day without even noticing it. Although some still remain hungry even when changing food to a more satiating one. What can you do, sometimes you just have to be patient. Gradually, the body will get used to the new mass, and the hunger will go away. In addition, there are many things that make us eat besides hunger:

We eat a lot when we are bored.

We eat a lot from large containers.

We eat a lot when people eat a lot around.

We eat a lot if we don't control calories.

We eat a lot when we eat too fast.

We eat a lot when we are worried.

So, except when you're trying to achieve extremely low body fat, you can usually manage your appetite by choosing the right diet.

Myth number 11. I am not losing weight, although I eat little and exercise a lot.

There are 4 reasons why this statement is false:

Most people don't know how much they actually eat.

“There is no way to check how much they actually ate or spent, so you have to rely on their word. See point 1.

- Whatever diet a person starts, he starts it with preliminary psychological attitudes. If he believes that the diet will work, then he follows it more strictly, adheres to the regimen, interprets every doubt in favor of the diet. And vice versa.

“Even during controlled studies, people know the details of the study, which can affect the results.

Outcome

Any controlled study in the last hundred years shows that people only lose weight when they are in a calorie deficit.

You've heard all sorts of reasons why people think calories shouldn't be counted, but they're all easily broken down based on research. This doesn't mean that calories are the only thing to worry about, but if you want to lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than you burn. Dot.

When we want to lose weight, we try to calculate how many calories we consume per day. However, it is important not only their quantity, but also what food we get them from. Each calorie consists of fats, proteins and carbohydrates, and all these components must be balanced in it in a certain way. Ideally, if proteins are up to 15%, fats are not more than 30%, and the remaining 55% are carbohydrates.

Why do we count calories but not lose weight?

Many of us believe that the smaller the portion, the slimmer the figure, the less likely it is to gain weight, because we eat fewer calories. This statement, according to many nutritionists, is absolutely not true. Take, for example, a small "lunch" of two slices of black bread and eight thin slices of sausage, a glass of compote and three small round gingerbread. Now let's calculate: 53 grams of sausage is about 245 calories; bread 2 slices - approximately 200 calories; three gingerbread cookies of 30 grams - 150 kcal. If we add to this a glass of compote, which "weighs" 170 calories, we get the figure 765 kcal. This is not so small, although the portion visually seems quite small. And this, meanwhile, is half the daily norm.

Calculation formula: how many calories per day do you need

This is how the calorie overkill goes unnoticed, and from food that does not bring significant benefits to the body: these are easily digestible carbohydrates from gingerbread, fat in sausage. But each organism has its own daily calorie intake. To calculate it, there is a universal formula:

1. Write down your age, weight and level on a piece of paper. physical activity(CFA). It can be low, medium or high.

• Low is expressed in a sedentary lifestyle. For example, you leave the house, get into transport, get to work, sit on a chair there and spend the whole day in the office, then return home also by transport, go to a store near the house and that’s it, the day has passed. Coefficient 1
• Average physical activity - this means that a person does not move a lot, but not a little. For example, such a degree is characteristic of polyclinic workers, teachers. Coefficient 2.
• High. To a greater extent refers to those who are engaged in heavy physical labor. For example, miners, loaders. Or to those who visit the gym five or more times a week and exercise intensively for two hours. Coefficient 3.

2. Now we calculate.

For women:

• Age 18-30: (0.062*weight in kilograms+2.036)*240*CFA
• Age 31-60: (0.034*weight+3.538)*240*CFA
• From 61 years and older: (0.038 * weight + 2.755) * 240 * CFA

For men:

• Age 18-30: (0.063*weight in kilograms+2.896)*240*CFA
• Age 31-60: (0.484*weight+3.653)*240*CFA
• Ages 61 and over: (0.491*weight+2.459)*240*CFA

Substituting your values ​​into the formula, you get daily allowance calories you need to maintain your current body weight. Therefore, if you want to lose weight, then substitute in the formula instead of your actual weight the ideal weight, the weight of your dreams. Then you get the number of calories that you must not exceed to achieve the desired result.

So what is there?

Many people think: it doesn’t matter what you eat, the main thing is not to “go over” the calories. It's not like that at all. Nutritionists say that it is very important from which foods we get this daily allowance of fats, proteins and carbohydrates.

Empty calories, which in most cases bring only new kilograms and no benefit: hamburgers, sausages, marshmallows, eclairs, fried chicken wings, bread, crab sticks, mayonnaise, canned corn, carbonated drinks, as well as any sweet drink.

Valuable calories that will give energy and vitamins are found in:

• Eggs, meat, fish (protein products).
• In greens and vegetables, not only raw, but also stewed.
• Dairy products are not fat free. Cottage cheese starting from 5% fat, milk from 1.5% or more, only cheese should be taken no more than 45% fat.
• Fruit.
• Whole grains, oats, not processed into breakfast cereals.
• Bread is plain, consisting of flour, water and salt.
• Dried fruits. If you really want sweets, you can replace sweets with them.
• Plain water without gas.

the advantages of this method of losing weight and interesting facts

Decided to lose weight?The first step is to master simple arithmetic calculations.

PLACEBO EFFECT

Do not flatter yourself and believe the statements that, they say, a diet has finally appeared, following which you will not have to limit yourself in anything.

Any, even the most sparing technique involves changes in the usual diet, and this is the main problem. A complete rejection of your favorite foods can even prevent weight loss, because it, like any physiological process, has a psychosomatic side.

In other words, the obsession to eat even a piece of sweet bun can slow down weight loss more than the bun itself.
If in a similar vein we consider the simple at first glance method “calorie count”, surprising facts are revealed. For example, the fact that the number of kilocalories is a very conditional indicator.

The best evidence of this is history., which took place in one of the European towns. Chocolates appeared in stores, on the label of which they were incorrectly indicated the energy value: instead of the usual 500 kilocalories, only 50 were indicated.

Buyers jumped in with glee on the dietary product, but, despite the fact that the amount of chocolate eaten exceeded the norm several times, no one recovered. The placebo phenomenon worked as a sign - after all, people were sincerely sure that they were eating a low-calorie dish.

THEORETICAL PRACTICES

Many opponents of the calorie counting method motivate their attitude by the fact that the indicators of calorie tables often have different numbers.

It really is- the calorie content of each specific product depends on many factors: on its variety, on the method of preparation, on the characteristics technological process from torn producers, from the climate in which they grew that other fruit or vegetable, etc. But don't pay attention to it.

For the method to work, you need to follow the main rule: use one table, taking its indicators as correct.

In this case, the brain will also perceive the eaten piece of meat as, for example, 125 kcal, and not 150, even if the second option is correct. Thus, tedious arithmetic turns into a psychological game with your own body.

An additional bonus is that you don’t have to give up your favorite treats, because you can eat absolutely everything, the main thing is to keep track of the quantity.

COUNTING CALORIES - A FEW MORE NUMBERS

The energy value of food is measured in kilocalories. A kilocalorie is the amount of heat required to heat 1 kg of water by 1 degree C. When 1 g of protein and 1 g of carbohydrates are burned, 4.1 kcal is formed, and 1 g of fat is 9.3 kcal.

Need human body in calories depends on the energy loss during physical activity. The harder the muscular work, the more energy is expended and the more More calories should be received by the body with food.

And vice versa - the less a person strains the muscles, the less the need for calories.

The conclusion is simple: if the calories received by a person with food are less than he spends them, then the person loses weight. If the number of calories consumed with food exceeds the energy expenditure, then the unused calories are deposited on the body in the form of fat.

And it happens much faster than it might seem.

For example, if you exceed the daily allowance by 300 calories daily, then after 12 days the scales will show 500 grams more. Conversely, by reducing your calorie intake by 300 units, after 12 days, a pound of fat will “melt”.

Another telling example: in people who are predisposed to obesity, an excess of calorie content of the diet by only 100 kcal per day compared to energy costs can lead to weight gain by 5 kg per year.

ON A NOTE

5 GROUPS OF CALORIES

very high

(450 - 900 kcal)

vegetable and butter, nuts, chocolate, halva, fatty pork, puff pastries with cream, raw smoked sausage, high (200 - 400 kcal) cream, sour cream, fatty cottage cheese, ice cream, boiled sausage, sausages, duck, salmon, caviar, cereals , pasta, bread, sugar, honey, jam, marmalade

moderate

(100-199 kcal)

semi-fat cottage cheese, low-fat lamb and beef, rabbit, chicken, eggs, sardines, sturgeon

low

(30 - 99 kcal)

milk, kefir, low-fat cottage cheese, cod, pike perch, flounder, carp, pike, fruits, berries, beets, carrots, green peas

very low

(less than 30 kcal)

zucchini, cabbage, cucumbers, radishes, green salad, turnip, tomatoes, pumpkin, sweet pepper, cranberry

SELECTION OF PRODUCTS

Many have no idea how high-calorie can be the usual dishes. To information that 3 tablespoons olive oil for refueling vegetable salad more nutritious than the whole salad, digested faster, you can start by dividing the main products into 5 calorie groups.

Despite the frightening numbers of the first two groups (for example, for those who want to lose weight, a chocolate bar will be more than half the daily allowance), you should not completely abandon high-calorie foods.

Fats and carbohydrates must be present in the diet, otherwise you can expect skin problems and other troubles. It is best to move the heaviest foods in the first half of the day, and avoid carbohydrates in the evening. Products from the last group can be eaten with virtually no restrictions.

DETAILS

For a woman 25-40 years old, 2200 kilocalories per day is considered a daily norm. But those who want to lose weight will have to divide this amount by two at best.

For those who want lose weight very fast(in this case, do not forget about the possible negative reactions of the body), you can try to hold out for the first month on six hundred to eight hundred kilocalories.

The tools will be a calorie table, a kitchen scale and a calculator. Any dish must be weighed and calculated accordingly.

For example: we take a slice of red sweet pepper (100 g - 28 kcal), weigh it, we get 50 grams and 14 kilocalories. With individual products, everything is simple, but with complex ones - soups, pilaf, salads - is also easy.

To calculate the calorie content of soup, you need to add up the indicators of all the ingredients, and after the soup is ready, apply a simple formula: A divided by B and multiplied by 100. A is the sum of kilocalories, B is the weight of the soup in grams.

At first, a large number of numbers and the need to constantly make calculations can be annoying, but over time, the indicators will settle down in your head and the need for scales and a calculator will occur less and less.

But you shouldn’t completely part with the scales - measurements “by eye” usually differ significantly from what the instruments show.

FOR LOVERS TO CHEW

This is usually associated with psychological features a person, so those who are used to eating often should not drastically change their habitual way of life - nervousness, depression and even panic may occur. There is another option - during the day, eat every hour to eat 100 kilocalories.

The diet is crushed for 10 - 12 meals and a total of 1200 kilocalories, which lead to rapid weight loss. Following this scheme, a person can afford both bread and chocolate without any remorse.

But practice shows that by limiting yourself to the amount of 1000 - 1400 kilocalories, you can achieve the desired results without much effort and intricate schemes.

WHY DO YOU NEED A CONSULTATION?

Despite the apparent simplicity and the availability of the “calorie counting” technique, a consultation with a nutritionist will not be superfluous.

This applies to those who are relatively healthy.

It is essential for any chronic disease.

into account all kinds of intricate factors will be accepted - the conditions for the absorption of fats and carbohydrates by the large intestine, the nature of calories, the time of day at which this or that product was eaten, and much more.

We are often told that weight gain and loss follow simple physical equations, determined by the difference between calorie intake and expenditure. In our comments on the site, the expression “elementary physics” occurs with enviable regularity. No wonder: for decades, the official recommendations of nutritionists have been reduced to the fact that you need to “eat less” and move more, and this dogma is firmly imprinted in the mass consciousness. Again, one calorie does not always equal another calorie. We get fat not because we consume too many calories, but because we eat a certain food. Our bodies are not subject to “elementary physics”, but to complex biochemistry and endocrinology.

And although it is very difficult to break existing stereotypes, I will try to do it once again. Here is the wonderful story of a guy named Sam Feltham who set out to debunk the popular myth that “all calories are equal” by example. To do this, he conducted a series of experiments on himself in the best traditions of film director Morgan Spurlock - the one who ate only at McDonald's for a month and documented the change in his condition and well-being (the film “Double Portion”).

Sam decided to try eating more than 5,000 calories a day for 21 days and see what happens. For those not in the know, the usual recommended intake is approximately 2,500 calories per day, with variations based on gender, height, age, and level of physical activity. Sam calculated his recommended level and came up with a figure of 3,058 calories per day.

Proteins - 22%

Fats - 72%

Carbohydrates - 6%

The proportion, of course, is correct, but only Sam literally ate for two, consuming 2,736 calories more than he spent. Theoretically, based on such an excess of calories, he should have gained at least 7.5 kg in 3 weeks. But practice does not always confirm theory. After 21 days of his epic gluttony (with 400-gram steaks every night!) Sam Feltham weighed only 1.3 kg more than at the beginning of the experiment. But having added a little weight, he also managed to visually lose a little weight: his waist decreased by 3 cm - from 79.5 to 76.5 cm. Measurement of the percentage of body fat showed a figure of 12.6% - almost ideal for an athlete .

Throughout the experiment, Sam led a video blog, here you can watch a video summarizing all 21 days:

The experiment, of course, showed that even while seriously overeating on LCHF, Sam Feltham almost did not gain weight. But maybe it's all about some unique properties of this guy? Maybe he is one of those lucky ones who manages to eat as much as he wants without getting fat, so for "ordinary" people his experience does not matter? To test this claim, Sam ran a second experiment three months later, which he called the "Fake Food Challenge". This time, he got his 5,793 calories from what he called "fake food" - rich, refined carbohydrates, beautifully packaged ready meals.

Here's what his new diet looked like:

Breakfast:

Bran Flakes (100g) Skim Milk (300ml) Strawberry Jam (100g)

Snack 1:

Mini pizza with tomatoes and cheese (500 g) Strawberry yogurt 0% fat (330 g) Can of Coca-Cola (330 ml)

Lunch

Sandwich of 2 slices of whole grain bread and chicken filling with tikka sauce (100 g) Chocolate muffin (105 g)

Snack 2:

Potato chips with cheese and onions (35 g) Reduced fat rice pudding (500 g) Can of Coca-Cola (330 ml)

Dinner

Lasagna with cheese and pepperoni (400 g) Garlic bread (100 g)

Snack 3

Aerated chocolate (150 g) Strawberry yogurt 0% fat (330 g)

Total for the day: 5793 calories, 892.7 g carbohydrates, 188.65 g protein, 140.8 g fat

Proteins - 13.50%

Fats - 22.65%

Carbohydrates - 63.85%

Not an LCHF at all, but absolutely in line with the WHO recommendations for calorie intake from various nutrients.

This time the experiment was not so successful for Sam. Such an active overeating of food rich in carbohydrates and poor in fats gave its results visible to the naked eye:

Bottom line: plus 7.1 kg and as much as 9.25 cm at the waist, which is clearly visible in the photographs. In addition, this time Sam measured the percentage of body fat before and after the experiment. This figure jumped by a third - from 12.6 to 16.9%.

While the number of calories in the two cases was identical, as well as the level physical activity, then we can assume that the experiment convincingly showed that the point is not in the number of calories, but in their source. At least for an English guy named Sam Feltham. This experience is unlikely to meet the strict criteria of serious scientific research, but sometimes the experience of a particular person produces greater impression than many articles in specialized refereed journals.

PS. In order to get rid of the results of experiment number 2, Sam performed experiment number 3, putting himself on a strict LCHF diet with a total calorie intake of 3,500 calories per day. That's not a lot of calories, but theoretically this is the level of calories that Sam needed to maintain a stable weight at his level of physical activity. But here, too, practice diverged from theory, or rather from generally accepted ideas. During the three weeks of “rehab” on the LCHF of normal calories, Sam lost 5.65 kg and 7.5 cm in waist circumference. The proportion of body fat in his body decreased from 16.9% to 14.2%.

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After a low-calorie diet, many people gain weight again. And it's not a lack of willpower or bad eating habits. This is because the body tends to return to a given amount of fat.

A given amount of fat is a certain level of adipose tissue in the human body.

This amount is strictly individual and depends on genetics, activity level and. But whatever it is, the body will try to keep this amount unchanged.

How the body stores fat

Slowdown of metabolism

The further you go from your target amount of fat, the more your body prevents further fat loss by forcing your energy system to Biology's response to dieting: the impetus for weight regain. work as efficiently as possible. Mitochondria - the energy sources of cells - begin to produce more energy from less fuel.

At the same time, the metabolism slows down, the amount of energy you spend on normal activities decreases, even the thermal effect decreases. Effect of circadian variation in energy expenditure, within-subject variation and weight reduction on thermal effect of food . food - the number of calories you spend to digest food.

And the more fat you lose, the more efficient your body becomes. Moreover, the more often you subject your body to such a test, the better it learns to conserve energy. That is, in your fourth attempt to lose weight on a low-calorie diet, fat will go much more slowly than in the first three.

hunger hormones

When you lose weight, your fat cells shrink, triggering the secretion of leptin, the hormone that makes you feel full.

Study Leptin signaling, adiposity, and energy balance. showed that during a calorie deficit, the fall in plasma leptin levels exceeds the rate of decline in fat stores. Moreover, this level remains low for some time after the weight stabilizes. This means that even after the end of the diet, it will be difficult for you to get enough.

At the same time, a calorie deficit elevated level Ghrelin is the hormone responsible for the feeling of hunger. Thus, you constantly feel hungry, meals do not bring satiety, while your body saves energy - ideal conditions for weight gain.

And when you quit a diet, you not only return to your old weight, but also gain even more.

Why do you gain weight after dieting

The fat target we talked about above is determined by the number and size of your fat cells. When you quit the diet, the shrunk fat cells get bigger again. In theory, this should tell the body that weight has been regained and there is no longer a calorie deficit, so you can stop saving energy.

However, the experiment Weight regain after sustained weight reduction is accompanied by suppressed oxidation of dietary fat and adipocyte hyperplasia. in mice proved that rapid weight recovery after losing weight provokes the formation of new fat cells.

The more fat cells you have, the smaller their average size. Lack of fat cell size and reduced leptin levels signal to the body that fat is still reduced, so your body continues to conserve energy. All this makes you accumulate even more fat than before the diet.

It turns out that in order to really lose weight, you need to avoid a sharp slowdown in metabolism during the diet and correctly return to the usual diet after it. Let's look at three strategies that will help you lose weight without slowing down your metabolism and return to your caloric intake without gaining fat.

Three strategies for effective weight loss

1. Find your calorie deficit

First of all, you need to find out how many calories, proteins, fats and carbohydrates (PJU) you consume without any restrictions. For three days, just count nutritional value everything you ate, on paper or in a special application.

Then determine how many calories you need to consume to lose fat without slowing down your metabolism. Try the simplest method: take your weight in kilograms and multiply by 26.5. For example, if you weigh 60 kg, you will need to consume 1,590 kcal to lose weight.

Do not take this meaning as an absolute truth. This is just a starting point, an approximate number to start with.

To find your number of calories, you need to carefully monitor your condition.

If you feel low energy and constant hunger, then you need to slightly increase the calorie intake, otherwise the deficit will lead to adaptation and slow metabolism.

If you feel great and are not hungry, you can, on the contrary, reduce the calorie intake, but it is advisable to do this gradually, since a quick transition will again slow down the metabolism.

2. Use a Reverse Diet to Get Out

When you reach your goals, it's time to increase your calorie intake. However, a rapid transition to increased caloric intake can lead to the formation of new fat cells and a set of excess weight. To avoid this, use a reverse diet.

The essence of this diet is a gradual increase in calories - by 80-100 kcal per day. This approach allows you to slightly speed up, slowed down after a long calorie deficit, return to your nutrient norm and at the same time not gain excess weight.

The specific increase depends on how big your calorie deficit was, how you feel and how afraid you are of gaining weight after the diet. If you've created a large calorie deficit, feel weak, and aren't afraid to put on some fat after you quit your diet, you can take the big leap and add 200-500 calories quickly.

If you feel good on a diet and do not want to gain a single gram of excess fat, increase calories very carefully. For example, each week increase the amount of carbohydrates and fats in your diet by 2-10%.

3. Find small wins to strengthen your resolve.

We have already said that constantly jumping from a low-calorie diet to a regular diet only worsens your results. Therefore, try to avoid disruptions.

Physical discomfort from a lack of calories should be compensated for by mental satisfaction. You won't be able to stay long on the mere anticipation of results - you need daily small wins.

Eliminate situations that make you feel guilty and take away small joys.

For example, if you're constantly going over your carb limit, why don't you just increase it?

When you understand that you manage to follow a diet and keep within your norm, and at the same time you feel good, there is no weakness and wild hunger, you begin to enjoy the process, and this is the key to a long diet with sustainable results.