Lighter life
Question
I keep hearing about the 'Lighter Life' diet. Any idea why it's so popular, and if it's safe?
Answer
The Lighter Life diet seems to be a structured diet programme that uses group work and forms of therapy, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, as a way to alter the dieter's eating habits.
It's difficult to say why people use this diet plan over others, as people very often have different reasons for dieting in the first place. It may be people who like the idea of a structured programme, and get motivation from group support. Like all diets, it will have both success stories and let downs.
Lighter Life use meal supplements they claim provide 100% of your daily nutritional requirements. This may be the case, however taking meal supplements is not ideal for long term use, particularly if you enjoy your food. It can be boring to have little variety in your diet, and takes the pleasure out of preparing and cooking a healthy, delicious meal.
If you want to lose weight it's important to exercise, as well as think about what you eat. Being active can be possible by getting off the bus a stop early, walking around during your lunch break, or taking the stairs instead of the lift at work. Everything active you do (no matter how insignificant you think it might be), contributes to speeding up your metabolic rate, which then burns calories.
Finally, it's worth remembering that diets often fail because they are no fun; they usually require depriving yourself of the food you might enjoy. People try to follow them and end up hungry or miserable as they are not allowed the food they want. Eating is something we must do for the rest of our lives, so enjoying what we eat is essential, as is trying to maintain a healthy and balanced diet.
Updated: 05/06/2008
Question answered by bss
