Why Weight Loss Programs Fail and What is the solution ft. Jay Parekh

Weight Loss is simple. Or at least, that’s what we think.

We know what we have to do in order to shed those extra pounds.

We know what exercises we should be doing and we know what food we should be eating.

Despite all this information that we have with us, a major portion of the weight loss programs out there fail to give us the results that we expect. So what is the issue here? We know everything, and we know what is to be done, yet we fail miserably to lose weight and lead a happy life at the same time. Why?

This question made us curious and we went straight to an expert who could help us: Jay Parekh.

Jay, who is a Health & Performance Coach, specializing in coaching busy professionals. entrepreneurs and athletes recently launched his own Weight loss Program called ‘Get Rewired for Weight Loss’ which addresses the major issues that are not covered in other programs.

We managed to shoot some frequently asked questions about weight loss to Jay and got his expert opinion on the same. You can read the complete interview with Jay below.

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Q: What is the foundation of the already existing weight loss programs out there?

Jay: Well, most of the existing weight loss programs, whether online or offline out there, revolve around meal plans and diet plans. You know my own journey for weight loss started when I was 15 years old. I was fresh out of school and I really wanted to lose weight and get fit.

So I joined the gym. And of course working out helps, for sure it does, but as the saying goes "abs are made in the kitchen". So, I started reading up a lot on weight loss, and fitness in general. That's when my obsession with health and fitness started, 15 years ago!

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Q: What do you think is the biggest flaw in the existing weight loss programs?

Jay: You know, there are a few things that are wrong with today's programs. One is that it's hard to adapt most of these programs to the Indian context. People eat differently in the western world compared to us. Our cuisines are very different. So people have a hard time translating what they've learned to something that can be practically applied to their lives.

The next problem is that weight loss programs don't teach you what to do in a situation where you can't follow the program. It's an all or nothing proposal. So now we have this problem where people have a mentality of either being "on their diet", or being "off their diet".

If people are on their diet, then they follow a strict meal plan, but who can maintain that forever? Eventually, life will get in the way and they will go off their diet. And when people go off their diet they tend to go completely off, because no one teaches them how to manage their lives in a way where they can still juggle life while maintaining their health and weight loss goals.

Finally, all of these programs are Information based. All they do is provide information about the right diets, right foods and the right exercise plans. Well, what's wrong with that? I'll tell you! First of all, as we understand Nutrition and exercise science better and better, scientists now know that no one plan that works well for everyone. Maybe low carb works for me, but it may not work for you.

Or maybe you just prefer to eat more carbs over fats. Personal preference isn't given due respect in most Weight loss programs. It's more "My way or the High way". And that's just not sustainable in the long term.

My point is most weight loss programs focus on telling you "What to do", without telling you "How to do it". For example, everyone knows they need to eat healthy, exercise regularly and sleep well in order to lose weight. This is information everyone has access to. But people still have trouble losing weight.

This is because people need to know "how" to do it. What if they don't feel like eating healthy or exercising or have trouble sleeping? In that case, they need to know what to do to change that.

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Q: What are some of the common misconceptions that people have about weight loss programs?

Jay: There are so many. Some of the common ones I've come across are:

I need to find the best diet and the best exercise plan / trainer in order to lose weight. (The truth is no such plan exists!)

I need to calorie count to lose weight. (Calorie counting is not required for someone looking to lose weight for health reasons)

I need to avoid carbs in order to lose weight. (inaccurate!)

Fat makes you fat. (inaccurate!)

You need to do detox diets or juice cleanses in order to lose weight. (Cleanses have been found to be downright harmful to the body and its natural detoxification process)

I go into detail about these misconceptions and more in my online course.

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Q: Why do you think the existing Weight Loss programs fail to reach the goal?

Jay: To answer that question we need to first define the goal. In my opinion, the goal shouldn't just be weight loss. There are countless programs out there that put people on very restrictive, boring and painful diets, and you know what?

They can work. But here's the thing - What happens when someone comes off of a diet like that? They will gain the weight back! I've seen people yo-yo between weight loss and weight gain, where they first lose the weight through extreme measures but then end up gaining the weight back over a period of 1 - 2 years. In fact, there is a statistic that 80% of people who lose weight through dieting end up gaining that weight back (and sometimes more)! This is also very common in athletes that compete in sports with weight categories like mixed martial arts. "Cutting weight" has become part of MMA culture.

So if you go on a weight loss program and it doesn't help you keep the weight off permanently, in my eyes that program is a failure. We have enough evidence now to say that restrictive dieting is not a good approach to long term fat loss.

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Q: Is it possible to lose weight without restrictive dieting and meal plans?

Jay: No one can sustain a restrictive diet indefinitely. Human beings have fail-safe mechanisms to prevent ourselves from dieing of starvation (and that's exactly what the body thinks is happening when you go on a crash diet). 

Eventually, this leads to problems like extreme hunger pangs, binge eating, guilt, compensation and other dysfunctional eating behaviors.  The only way to lose weight and keep it off permanently is to change your livestyle. So how do you change the way you live? Simple. You do it by changing the way you think.    

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Q: How important is the role of one’s mental state/brain when it comes to losing weight? And how is this overlooked in the existing weight loss programs?

Jay: How you think determines how you behave. There is no condition in which this statement is not true. We know that weight loss is not a knowledge issue. People know what they have to do to lose weight.

In simple words - eat less and move more. However, it is still difficult to do these things despite having that knowledge. That's why some people hire trainers, to push them and get them to behave in a way they would not normally themselves! Therefore, weight loss is a behavior issue, which ultimately boils down to a mindset issue.

In order to lose weight and keep it off, you must change the way you think so that you change the way you live on a day to day basis. The outcome is to permanently rewire the brain to live a healthy lifestyle.

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Q: How does your course stand out from the existing weight loss programs?

Jay: Get Rewired for Weight loss is a combination of Nutrition science, exercise science and the Psychology of human behavior. It's a 10-week step by step system that guides you through the process of change by breaking bad habits and replacing them with new ones that help you achieve your weight loss goal!

It's THE program for people who've tried everything but have not found success! All you have to do is to watch the weekly lectures and follow the daily tasks. The curriculum is specifically designed to help you rewire yourself to live a healthy lifestyle!

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Exclusive for LockerRoom Readers: Register for Jay’s Weight Loss Course by clicking here and avail a flat 10% discount.

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