Our news feeds are filled with programs selling us quick weight loss. There are 12-week body challenges, 7-day detox diets, 30-day shreds and too many for me to mention. Which is the best fat loss diet? These programs do often deliver quick weight loss. The better question to ask is, do they deliver long-term weight loss results?
When commencing a weight loss regime and in the case of an extreme one, you’ll lose weight. However, it is worth remembering that if you see the scale change, it isn’t directly related to fat. Fat isn’t that easy to shift, and you won’t see it reduce overnight. If the scale has changed overnight, it’s most likely related to water loss. When you reduce your carbohydrate intake you’ll see a shift in water retention.
Research confirms that diets don’t work. If they did we wouldn’t have the obesity and lifestyle health problems that we now are faced with. Sadly, going on a diet usually results in the person gaining more weight than they did to start with (1). Not only that, I find that people who diet tend to be fixated on food. Food is a big part of who we are but to think about food all the time is a concern.
So why aren’t diets working?
It wasn’t that you didn’t have the willpower, the program just wasn’t sustainable. A diet shouldn’t be something that you go on and off from. The program is about taking your money not about you. With weight loss, I do believe to some extent you need to sacrifice. You do sometimes have to be hungry or skip the dessert. But it shouldn’t be hard and it shouldn’t consume you.
My aim with all my weight loss clients is to get them to a position where they do not need to follow a plan. All of their life they tend to be following something in regards to food plans.
So what do you do?
Come in and see me! I’ll yes put together a plan, but a plan that will put you on a path whereby you start to trust yourself again. I won’t tell you how many calories to eat, or what you must eat. I teach you what foods are better, what food isn’t as good, and I educate you on how to intuitively put a meal together that is healthy for you.
Change your lifestyle slowly and accept fat loss takes time.
Be patient. Don’t give up before the shift starts taking place.
Improve your habits bit by bit. In time it does become second nature. You’ll be able to eat intuitively by listening to your body. You will trust your body. You’ll eat when you are hungry, not by the time. You will eat what you feel like, not because something is low in calories on low carb. And you won’t have to be strict what so ever with your food if you want the cake you will eat that and not give it a second thought afterward.
It is important to remember your body will adapt to any low-calorie diet you give it. If you starve yourself you’ll body will adjust its metabolism. This can be one of the reasons why people tend to eat few calories but still gain weight or not lose fat.
Try doing it the right way for the last time.
Some things you could start doing:
- more vegetables, aiming for half your plate to be at least vegetables.
- more water, aim for at least 1.5 litres per day.
- more good quality sleep.
- swapping processed snacks (this includes protein bars) for real food such as fruit and nuts.
- go meat-free one day per week.
- drink no more than 1 alcohol drink per day.
- more incidental exercise.
- aim for 10000 steps per day.
- weekly strength training sessions.
- meditation.
Don’t focus on fat loss. Instead, focus on being healthy.
It is easy to feel overwhelmed by it all. Do remember the accumulated effect. The things you do every day and every week do add up. This time next year you could be looking and feeling very differently.
If you’d like help creating a healthier life please contact me for a consultation. I would love to help!
Let go of your the angst and anxiety around food and your body. Free your mind from food and fat loss. Free your mind so that you can use it being happy instead.
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