In the News: Dr. Ann Skulas-Ray on Fad Diets Versus "Slow-and-Go"

Jan. 28, 2019

Dr. Ann Skulas-Ray appeared on KGUN-9's Good Morning Tucson on January 28, 2019, to discuss the risks of fad dieting and the potential rewards of changing your eating behavior using the "slow-and-go" method.


It's the time of year when many are reexamining their diets and looking to lose weight. Dr. Ann Skulas-Ray appeared on KGUN-9's Good Morning Tucson on January 28, 2019, to discuss the risks of fad dieting and the potential rewards of changing your eating behavior using the "slow-and-go" method.

"[Fad diets] always promise quick weight loss," said Dr. Skulas-Ray, "but they all depend on restriction of food, so they only work for so long." Restrictive diets often fail because people can only keep them up for so long before they "fall off the wagon" and return to previous eating patterns.

Dr. Skulas-Ray offered three helpful tips for a"slow-and-go" approach losing weight and keeping it off:

  1. Keep foods you want to avoid (but not eliminate) out of sight - or better yet, out of the house. The more available a type of food is, the more likely you are to eat it.
  2. Don't depend solely on will-power and deprivation to keep yourself on track. At some point, your will-power will run out. Plus, you don't want your whole life to be about what you can't have/eat/do.
  3. Be mindful at your meals. Take time to appreciate the experience of eating, from the food itself, to the company, to the environment you're in. You'll feel more satisfied and less deprived.

Her best advice for changing the way you eat? Focus on getting healthier rather than on losing weight. You can do that by eating more fruits, veggies, legumes, lean meats, and whole grains.

View her segment here.