For decades we\u2019ve been told that weight loss and healthy eating demand discipline, rules and sacrifice. Most diets reinforce this idea, urging us to cut carbs and banish sugar. The message is clear: good health requires strict regimes, and a single slip-up will undo your progress. But a growing body of research suggests that flexibility, not restriction, may be the real key to long-term success.<\/p>\n
A new study by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign found that having a little bit of what you fancy might be the optimal strategy for losing weight, keeping it off and reducing cravings. <\/p>\n
In the study, published in the journal Physiology and Behavior, participants who allowed themselves small portions of foods they craved as part of a well-balanced diet lost significantly more weight over the course of one year, and reported larger reductions in cravings (especially for sweets and high-fat foods such as hot dogs and fried chicken), compared with those who did not use this \u201cinclusion strategy\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cMany people think that if you want to lose weight, you need to have strong willpower and resist the temptation for certain foods,\u201d says the study\u2019s lead author, Professor Manabu T Nakamura. \u201cThat\u2019s not the case. It\u2019s about sustainability. If you want to make a change stick, it has to be rewarding \u2014 otherwise you simply won\u2019t do it.\u201d <\/p>\n
Most diets, Nakamura notes, fail because people can\u2019t keep them up. \u201cNo food is banned,\u201d he says. \u201cIf you can incorporate it wisely and the overall meal is balanced, that\u2019s fine.\u201d<\/p>\n