Every January, we feel the pressure to ‘make up for’ the indulgent Christmas period as many of us search for a quick fix to improve our health or lose weight.
Although they usually result in fast weight loss, we know that unhealthy, unrealistic fad diets don’t last in the long term.
Research shows two-thirds of people regain ALL the weight they lost and then some following a highly restrictive diet.

Tamara Willner, nutritionist at NHS-backed healthy eating plan Second Nature, revealed fad diets don’t work and that non restrictive eating is key to weight loss. Stock image
Looking at our health holistically, including sleep, stress, movement, and nutrition, is the most effective way to lose weight and prevent regaining the pounds in the future.
Plus, learning to enjoy the things we love mindfully, whether that’s chocolate or wine, rather than restrict ourselves and then binge on these items, is much more likely to result in long-term results.
Our movement – NHS-backed healthy eating plan Second Nature – is asking individuals to stop fad diets. It asks people to stop opting for solutions that don’t work and advice that isn’t legitimate.
Instead, we suggest sustainable changes you can make to improve your health and lose weight in the long term. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to make healthy changes.
The issue is when we make unrealistic goals, inevitably fail to achieve those goals, and then feel as though we aren’t good enough or we’ve ‘failed’. Plus, it’s common to develop an unhealthy relationship with food and see food as ‘the enemy’.
The reason why many of us quit our New Year’s resolutions after just a few weeks and why people, on average, try and fail 55 diets in their lifetime is normally because the diets we try are unrealistic so we end up setting ourselves up for failure from the start.
Losing weight and making healthy changes to our lifestyle doesn’t need to feel like a punishment.
You can enjoy warming, filling meals, like the ones in this meal plan, put together by the registered dietitians and nutritionists at Second Nature, and still achieve your weight loss goals.
There are plenty of things you can do to benefit your health, small steps that once you’ve implemented, will become positive habits.
What is Second Nature?
The Second Nature programme focuses on an individual’s health first, where weight loss is a natural consequence.
It’s a 12-week weight loss programme that combines digital tracking technology and evidence-based education with support from experts, all via an app.
The NHS-backed, digital programme helps you to rewire your habits and teaches you to enjoy food mindfully without counting numbers, calories, or fixating on weight.
The programme helps you to fall in love with food again, without using it as a coping mechanism. Second Nature takes a holistic approach to weight loss, that focuses on mindset, stress, sleep, and exercise, as well as nutrition, to ensure that changes you make actually last.
Source: | This article originally belongs to Dailymail.co.uk