There are no shortage of diet plans and exercise regimens in our society today. All the advice you get from all these different sources can be a little overwhelming, and you have to be careful to weed out the less useful ones. But the truth is, many different diet plans and exercise regimens DO work. The key, as always, is staying motivated and following the plan.
I’m sure you’ve noticed that there are some diet plans that are very simple while others are more complicated. The researchers at Indiana University and the Max Planck Institute for Human Development thought so too, so they conducted a simple study – test two different diet plans (one simple, one complex) on two groups. The complex diet plan involved more choice on the participant’s part. They were able to choose which foods to eat based on assigned point values. The simple one just gave you a shopping list of healthy foods to eat.
The research indicates that those with the more complex diet plan tended to give up more easily. Says Indiana University Professor Peter Todd from the study, “For people on a more complex diet that involves keeping track of quantities and items eaten, their subjective impression of the difficulty of the diet can lead them to give up on it.”
Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should stay away from complex diets that involve a lot of work. It all depends on your personality. Are you the type of person who likes to keep detailed records of what you eat when you eat it? Do you like looking at and comparing different food alternatives? The complex ones may be more to your liking then.
If not, just remember to keep it simple. Eat healthy foods and exercise portion control. Remember these simple tips:
1. Eat breakfast
Eating early jumpstarts your metabolism giving you and early start.
2. Eat smaller meals
It usually takes one hour to digest 250 calories, so you avoid storing fat by having smaller meals. 4-5 meals per day should do.
3. Don’t eat before sleeping
Our metabolism slows when sleeping, so it’s best to avoid large meals right before sleeping.
