7 - Picking the Right Plan

Welcome back, ladies!

In today’s episode of Slim & Satisfied, I’m talking about picking the right weight loss plan for you. It’s hard to choose a plan that’s suitable for your individual needs. To make things a bit simpler, I offer three key questions that you can ask yourself to help evaluate the plan you’re on now or the one you’re thinking of starting. Asking these questions can help prevent us from falling into the “shiny object syndrome” trap, which can lead us to falsely believe a plan will work for us because of a catchy ad or a friend’s experience.

As a side note, moving forward on the podcast, I’ll be focusing especially on weight loss plans for women suffering from hormonal issues such as thyroid conditions and PCOS. But don’t worry, virtually all the information I’ll share with you will still be valuable even if you don’t have these conditions.

Now, we all know that there is always a certain amount of trial and error when it comes to weight loss. The problem is, the choice to go on a diet is often impulsive. We don’t always take the time to make an informed decision surrounding a plan that matches our personality, schedules, and lifestyle. The goal here is to find some type of synergy between our lives and the plan we’re following.

So, what questions should we ask ourselves when choosing a plan?

Question 1: Is this diet flexible?

Your plan should fit into your life, not force you to put it "on hold". A solid plan should also work well when it’s not followed with 100% accuracy. I used Keto diets as an example here, as this sort of plan is very restrictive and inflexible.

Question 2: Is this diet effective?

The plan we follow needs to be producing results (meaning weight loss!) for us. We also need to keep in mind that ‘effective’ includes being appropriate for other health needs we may have. This means family history of disease, preexisting conditions, as well as whatever else you may be experiencing. For example, a woman with PCOS may look for a plan that mitigates risk factors that come along with it, like heart disease or anovulation. We want to actively prevent these issues through our weight loss plan.

Question 3: Is this diet safe?

This is perhaps the most important questions to ask ourselves. We want to look at the long-term here. Will you be able to maintain this diet when you’re 50, 60, 70 years old? If not, it may be smart to reconsider.

When I talk about ‘safe’ I am talking about including a variety of food. Solid plans don’t eliminate entire food groups (looking at you, Keto). .

It’s also important to make sure this plan is teaching you how to eat. The diet you choose should feel natural and have a positive impact on your life. It shouldn’t teach shortcuts or gimmicks, nor should it label food as ‘not allowed’. This puts us as a much higher risk of disordered eating or even an eating disorder.

What you’ll learn in this episode

I’m hoping I’ll be able to offer some insight on what it takes to choose a solid, healthy, and sustainable weight loss plan. I provide some examples of what a good plan looks like, as well as what a not-so-good plan might look like. There is a lot to unpack here, so I break down three key questions that can help narrow down the endless list of diets out there today.

Helpful Links

Free meal prep guide for ladies with PCOS: www.dafnachazin.com/pcosplan

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