Why Personalized Diets are the Key to Healthy Weight Loss – Weight loss is a challenge that tends to confuse many people. Even the U.S. federal dietary guidelines took years to provide Americans with a blueprint for good nutrition. That’s why the latest research on food has been highlighting personalized diets. A study on twins showed us that people with nearly the exact same DNA respond to the same foods differently. That tells us that one-size-fits-all approaches do not work for nutrition.
The same principle goes for weight loss. If an individual wishes to lose weight healthily, a personalized diet may be their best route. Still not convinced? Here’s why personalized diets are the key to losing weight healthily.
Healthy weight loss
A quick internet search on weight loss may lead you to some of the most popular diets, like Atkins 40 or the juice cleanse. These are classified as fad diets or plans that advertise themselves as fast weight loss solutions without established scientific evidence. While some people successfully lose weight following fad diets, a concerningly larger group of individuals harm their bodies in the process of attempting them.
That’s because fad diets tend to bank on cutting certain food groups to achieve a calorie deficit. This doesn’t consider how individual bodies can react to the consequential physical and psychological stress. The restrictive nature of fad diets is thus linked to a higher risk of nutritional deficiencies and disordered eating. Many of those who lose weight even tend to regain the pounds once they resume eating normally.
Healthy weight loss is the process of losing weight while prioritizing the body’s capacity to perform regular functions. Personalized diets are especially effective for this because they consider every individual body’s needs and capacity.
Personalized diets
Each of us has small but noticeable differences in our genes. This creates our own specific nutritional needs. Some may be more sensitive to salt, and some may need to consume more sugar to maintain their everyday functions. Some individuals may have larger unique conditions, like diabetes or hypertension, that affect how they process nutrition.
Personalized diets factor in these characteristics when creating a plan to lose weight. This means that no diet is alike. People can also better monitor their progress because the scientific evidence behind personalized diets is quantifiable. This makes it easy to measure whether you are hitting your weight loss goals and how to adjust accordingly.
How to get started
The first step to coming up with a personalized diet is consulting a medical professional. That is why weight loss programs often come with expert advice to help you on your journey. For example, that may include nutrition and behavioral scientists, registered dietitians, clinical researchers, and more. All of these individuals work together to help clients come up with a meal plan that their bodies will best react to.
Weight loss programs also tend to consider an individual’s habits so that the diet be easily integrated into their lifestyle. This creates long-term lifestyle interventions. A study in Spain that was conducted between the years 2006–2012 concluded that personalized diets for managing obesity are effective. By the end of the experiment, the once-overweight participants developed the motivation to maintain their weight by seeking out healthy meals on their own and incorporating healthy habits like exercise into their lives.
These healthy habits are the next step to your personalized diet. Personalized diets look at weight loss holistically, which means that wellness at all levels is the end goal. Cardiovascular and strength training can supplement your weight loss journey by building muscle and increasing your metabolism. Good sleep can help you maintain a normal level of ghrelin and leptin to avoid unhealthy cravings.
With research and patience, you can healthily lose weight with your personalized diet. For more lifestyle and fitness tips, check out our other blogs on Glamour Genix, where you can learn more about health and well-being.
