Why going “cold turkey” may not be the answer…

We often think the way to improve our diets is to cut out the “bad stuff”. This will certainly make a difference - minimally processed whole foods that are satisfying and nutritious are preferable over ultra-processed, unsatisfying but moreish junk food. 

But how realistic is it to just cut these foods out completely, and does it work?

In a study at Penn State University, researchers asked 186 women—who they classified “overweight” or “obese”—to rank the “foods you can’t resist and find hard to stop eating.” 😋

The foods that most frequently topped the participants’ lists:

1. Ice cream 🍨

2. Chips 🍟(being the USA they probably mean crisps!😄)

3. Chocolate 🍫

4. Cookies 🍪

5. Pizza 🍕

The scientists then had participants follow a 12-month weight loss program, and monitored their strategies for managing these “problem” foods. 

The result: Overall, the total avoidance of problematic foods—what you often see on “extreme” diets or “quick-fix” weight loss plans—wasn’t an effective strategy. 

So what did help?

✅  Limiting the portion sizes of problem foods—instead of giving them up altogether—was strongly related to weight loss. 

✅ In fact, participants who used this strategy the most lost, on average, nearly double the weight as those who used it the least (15.8 pounds versus 8.3 pounds).

To be sure, if some foods make you feel out of control, you may want to put some boundaries around them. That doesn’t mean you can never eat them.🙅‍♂️

It just means you’re aware they might be a problem, and you’re going to be intentional about how and when you eat them. (A nutrition coach can help you with this👍)