Lose Weight with Templates, Not Diets

Some rights reserved by o5comRemember when you were young and you could eat whatever you wanted without gaining weight? Then came the college years; you might have put on 15 or 20 pounds, but it wasn't enough to worry about. After that though, any more increases started to show. Realizing that this distressing trend of weight gain isn't going away, most of us start the depressing diet/binge cycle characterized by periods of self-control and weight loss followed by returns to old eating habits and unfortunately returns to unflattering weight gain.

Well, if you are sick of this pattern or at least concerned that it might not be the healthiest thing for your body, help is here. The solution to maintaining the perfect weight is not religiously adhering to a strict diet; rather it involves finding the right diet template.

What is a diet template?

Before we answer that question, it is important to understand why diets don't work in the first place. Weight loss is such a tough problem to solve because it pits two of our strongest addictions against each other, good food vs. good looks.

We all have individual eating habits and guilty pleasures that have been culturally ingrained in us. Whether you grew up indulging in pizza, ice cream or something else, chances are there are foods in your dietary history that just plain aren't good for you.

The most common next step is to shirk from these comforts altogether in exchange for the promise of fulfilling another strong, but contradictory desire, the American obsession with body image. Usually the primary motivations behind dieting are superficial, and vanity can be just as addicting as fast food and desserts. Depending on personality, eating history, the place we live, and even the time of year, one addiction will eventually beat out the other, leaving us either physically satisfied but psychologically wanting, or vice versa.

After a few times around the diet/binge cycle, we discover that some strategies work better for us while others don't work at all. Each of us have individual diet needs that must be balanced against our equally unique history with food. Instead of committing to a diet that will be hard to keep in the long term, find the diet that works best and make a template out of it. Less stringent than a diet, a template serves to keep us eating most meals responsibly, while also allowing some room for the small indulgences that keep us sane.

For some people, the diet template is accomplished by incorporating cheat days. Let's say Sunday through Friday, Di Itter follows her diet perfectly. Then on Saturday, Di rewards herself by eating whatever she wants. This incentive system works well for some, but others may find life more unpredictable. In Newt Trishon's case, the temptation cheat on his diet might come when dining out at a restaurant. So Newt allows himself pasta or dessert once or twice a week when eating out, but avoids bringing those items home from the grocery store.

Whether we are more like Di or Newt doesn't matter as long as we involve the 85-15 principle into our diet template. Basically, 85 percent of the time we follow the diet, but allow ourselves to eat like a frat boy for the other 15 percent. Based on an average of three meals a day, we eat 21 total meals per week, allowing us three non-diet meals of comfort food. Since no two people are alike, these percentages may vary among individuals but in general, the 85-15 rule will help keep us slim.

Having a set of general guidelines is also key to a good diet template that fits our individual needs. We have to commit to stay away from foods we know are bad for us. If diabetes runs in the family, then avoid eating excess sugar. Make it a priority to stop eating processed and fast foods. Stick foods found in the aisles on the perimeter of the grocery store.

Feeling overwhelmed by the idea of getting the template right? It is okay. Just keep a record of meals and physical exercise, and then observe the effects. If we experience acne breakouts, digestive problems, or weight gain, we should take a look at what we've been putting into our bodies, and identify any potential problems. Cut these foods or drinks out for awhile and watch for any positive changes.

Our bodies can get back to the fitter forms of younger days, it just takes more discipline as we get older. Fortunately, with age comes experience and, hopefully, more insight into what works best for us. We are not all meant to be yoga instructors or professional bodybuilders. Just be you! Even if that means having a soda every once in awhile. So ditch the over the top diets, find a template that works, and watch good things happen. Most importantly, remember it is never too late to make changes. Change is what life is all about; how we adapt to it determines what we are all about.