Weight Loss Myths - Follow THIS diet and you will lose X kgs in Y weeks

To lose weight you have to follow a particular plan 

When I look back at the fads, the plans, the ultimate diets that the media present, I am struck by one thing. The only people benefiting from the constantly changing advice are the publishers of the magazines and books praising them.

First it was Low Fat and we all charged out to buy low fat food, which is often not only low in fat, but low in taste too. Then Low Carb, where we could eat as much bacon, egg and sausages as we could fit onto our plates, as long as we did not eat a slice of bread or some beans with it. At the moment it seems that High Protein is the new Low Carb, but I am sure that this will be disproven and a new wonderdiet will be proclaimed. Likely before the Spring, ready for the bikini season.

The best way to lose weight is to eat less and move more.

The reason we lose weight on any kind of restrictive diet is because we are more conscious of what we are eating. Be it low in fat or carb or high in protein. We are "on a diet" and when we announce this, if even to ourselves, we eat less.

I find that banning anything, makes me crave it even more. So if I say, "NO CHOCOLATE", then I will hold out all week then gorge on a chocolate cake at the weekend. If I say, "less chocolate" and allow myself a treat occasionally then I can take it or leave it.

For me, this means buying a box of expensive chocolates - I love Godiva chocs - and eating one or two pralines a week.

When I tried out Low Carb, I craved yogurt and fruit. And bread. God, did I crave bread. And when I fell off the wagon, I ate loads of it. Slightly defeats the purpose.

I like Weightwatchers as I can pick and chose what I want to eat and it is very flexible. I find it difficult to stick to a diet that tells me what I should be eating for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Ideally, I would be going to a meeting but since there are no English speaking ones in Geneva, and my French is not really good enough to enjoy a local one, I will stick to online Weightwatchers.

Breakfast today was two small slices of toast, with Le Petit Frais - a kind of soft/cottage cheese - and apricot jam. I use Le Petit Frais instead of butter, it is delicious with jam and much lighter. Getting used to eating smaller portions was difficult to begin with, but soon becomes easier as I get used to eating less.

I have lost 1.5kgs in the past week, 2kgs altogether since I started my journey on 3rd January. This week I shall start using my cross trainer to try and boost the weight loss.

Let me know how you are doing, and what you are planning to do this week.

There is no "best diet" plan. There is just the one that works for you. Do share your experiences in the comments below so that we can learn from each other.