DITCHING THE "DIET"
Losing weight isn’t easy. In fact, it is nearly always hard work, both physically and mentally. The main problem that we often come across is that we don’t want to have to work hard when it comes to our food. But rest assured, like most things in life, hard work does pay off.
Eating Habits
Most of us have a fairly repetitive diet, we know what we like to eat and changing this habit in the long term is perhaps the most difficult thing to overcome when looking for weight loss (or a change in physique in general). We eat some foods because they are convenient; some because they are on offer; others because we like the taste; a few because we think that they are good for us; and in some cases we just eat things because we always have done. As a result, the weekly shop looks almost identical to last week’s and the idea of an overhaul doesn’t really appeal. But nothing changes by staying the same (certainly not your physique) and if you want to lose fat you have to get control of your food.
The problem is that when it comes to making a change we’re always looking for shortcuts. Of course we are; its human nature to seek out the path of least resistance. And this is why certain “diets” become appealing. They seemingly promise ludicrous weight loss results or massive muscle gain and they promise them almost instantly. Here’s my problem: these weight loss “diets” are ironically one of the main reasons why so many struggle so much with long-term weight loss. Firstly, the diets make us confused about what we should be doing, and secondly the diets are largely unsustainable and fail to change our eating habits for the long-term. They seem too good to be true because they are.
Dubious diets
What is it that we should actually be doing to lose weight? There’s so much conflicting information, particularly on Facebook and Instagram, about what we should and shouldn’t be eating and when we should be eating it. And the worst part is, everything seems to be working for someone else.
"This girl looks great and she’s on the Paleo diet. O.K. so how do I go “full-Paleo”? Wait, what’s this Ketogenic diet? High fat? Surely that will make me fatter? Hang on, what about carbs, are they good or bad? And what’s gluten and am I allergic to it? Is this organic?
Crap, maybe I need to sign up to Slimming World? Or is Weightwatchers better? These diet pills certainly sound good – “fatburners” – but are they safe? Speaking of safe, is this animal meat cancerous? Oh forget it, what I really need to do is get all of this green stuff in this juicer."
Things become incredibly complicated, incredibly quickly. Of course, in some cases, certain individuals need to adhere to specific diets for health reasons. But the sad truth is that smart advertising, celebrity endorsements and a desire for instant gratification has meant that it has become the norm to bounce from one “diet” to the next in the hope that the fat will all miraculously melt away just like the celebrity endorser said that it would.
Sustainability
Here’s the thing: short-term diets result in short-term results. As soon as you stop punishing yourself by existing solely on greens juice, and you start increasing your calorie intake, your waistline will inevitably follow. It’s not the science behind fat loss that is the difficult part: to lose weight most people need to consistently burn more calories than they take in, and that’s it. And this is also the often hidden reason that people lose weight when they do fad diets – the diet tricks you into a temporary caloric deficit while selling itself as something else with all sorts of health benefits. But if you’re in a caloric deficit, it really doesn’t matter whether you’re getting your food plan from Weightwatchers or from the walls of the cave men in the Palaeolithic era: you should be losing weight. The tricky part of any weight loss attempt is in the consistency and sticking to the plan. And this is the real issue with fad diets: the caloric deficit that is imposed is often too extreme and therefore unsustainable. This means that while you’ll lose weight quickly, you can’t possibly sustain the unrealistic eating patterns and you’ll quickly revert back to your old habits and your old weight.
Make a change
Here’s my two cents: Instead of trying to “diet”, I suggest that you try to implement changes to your eating habits. This means sitting down and identifying your habits (both good and bad) and addressing them. Of course, if weight loss is your goal, you need to be in a caloric deficit, but you might find that this doesn’t need to be drastic if it’s combined with a good dose of exercise. Once you’ve implemented changes to your habits (both food and exercise), it will be much easier to maintain your goal weight once you get there. Here are some tips to get started on burning more calories than you eat.
1. Base your meals around vegetables. Vegetables are nutrient dense, low in calories and delicious.
2. Eat protein with every meal. Increased protein means increased satiety (it keeps you fuller for longer). It also requires more energy to digest than carbs and fats and increases thermogenesis. And it helps you to increase muscle mass, which in turn burns more calories. So get it down you.
3. Eat a balanced diet. Don’t try to eliminate all carbs or all fats because you’ll fail. You’ll get crazy cravings for things even when you’re not that hungry. Find sensible, balanced meals that you enjoy and keep you full. Experiment with recipes and cooking. You need to enjoy your food in order to maintain your new habits.
4. Drink more water. Keep your water intake high and you’ll probably find that you get less hungry. Cut down on calorie-laden fizzy drinks and if you must have them, opt for the diet version and limit them to one drink a day.
5. Watch your portion size. Ask yourself, do you really need that much?
6. Make eating a stand-alone activity. Plan your snacks and take time away from what you are doing when you eat. For example, try not to eat while you work/surf the internet/watch TV. You’ll most likely get distracted and eat more than you need. Spend time eating with others, enjoy your meal times and eat slowly!
Some of you might be thinking: “This isn’t anything that I don’t already know”. Good. But the question is this: are you really implementing this advice/knowledge? And are you doing so on a consistent basis? For further nutritional advice or if you’re having trouble sticking to the rules and need support regarding a new nutrition and exercise plan, feel free to get in touch via the contact form.
Anthony