We’ve all been on a diet, lost weight, felt great, only to stop for whatever reason, and put all the weight on again, usually with interest.
In this blog, we are going to tell you:
* Why diets DON’T work – ever.
* What actually works – forever.
* How to put what works into place – now.
So why don’t diets work?
It’s simple really. Diets don’t work because long term weight maintenance has more to do with your head than your stomach.
First, let’s define what I mean by “diet”.
I’m talking about things like Weight Watchers, Lite n Easy, Shake diets, Lemon detox diets (don’t get me started on detoxes, that’s a whole other blog), pills diets, Very Low Calorie Diets (VLCD’s) and the like.
Next, let’s talk about why they don’t work. The main problem with diets, is that they have a finish date.
They have a finish date, because frankly, they are pretty much unsustainable.
You have to eat rabbit food, or non-food like shakes & pills, or you have to keep paying fees forever to keep using the plan.
Life is not pills, shakes, kale and points. Life is wedding cake and champagne, party pies and chips, and the odd mojito by the pool.
VLCD’s can cause major health issues, like metabolic damage, gall bladder and kidney damage, and seriously effect hormone levels.
Diets can smash your energy levels, and ultimately send your body into “preservation” mode, inhibiting the body’s ability to use fat as a fuel source – hardly the result we want, right?
Click Play on the video below, and I’ll give you 3 things you can implement right now, and stop dieting forever.
What can you do right now to stop this yo-yo cycle of dieting and putting on weight?
1/ Stop dieting.
Understand the difference between dieting, and having a diet. Sounds simple, but it’s key.
To have a diet, is to understand that this is a lifetime project, with no foreseeable finish date.
The goal is not to lose weight, but to enjoy your food without eating more than you need. Weight loss, therefore, will be a side effect of a healthy lifestyle that includes a smart nutrition & exercise plan.
It is possible, to have your cake, and eat it too. Food is fuel. Nothing more, nothing less. If you know what your targets are, you can eat pretty much anything, and achieve your goals.
Set targets for your calorie intake, and macro nutrients (proteins, Carbs, and fats) , and follow a meal plan based on whole foods that you love.
Which leads to task number two.
2/ Understand energy balance. Understand your targets.
Your car doesn’t use more fuel if it’s feeling emotional. It just uses what fuel it needs to get from A to B. Moreover, your car doesn’t have extra fuel reserves, if you overfill it, the extra falls to the ground.
We on the other hand, have virtually unlimited energy storage (fat) capacity. If we over fill with fuel, we simply make room and store it for later.
So energy balance is understanding how much your body needs for normal function, and eating up to that level for weight maintenance, or just below it for weight loss.
There are some basic terms to understand, and levels to know:
RMR – Resting Metabolic rate, this is your BMR (Basal Metabolic rate – the energy required for basic life function), plus normal activity (work etc)
Purposeful Exercise Activity – Gym sessions, walks, playing sport, any planned extra activity.
Your RMR, plus Calories burned in Purposeful activity, is the “tipping point” of your energy balance. Go over this, you put on weight. Go under, you lose. Eat up to that, you maintain.
There are several other factors involved, but the effect is minimal, so they don’t really add much to this discussion.
Once you know your targets and understand energy balance, blowing out with wedding cake and champagne will never be a blow out again.
3/ Fix your mindset. There are three main factors to having a successful mindset.
* Stop waiting for the perfect time. There is never a perfect time to start looking after yourself. The perfect time is now.
* Forgive yourself. Yes, you have yo-yoed in the past. You binged. You broke resolutions. You broke promises.
You might feel angry, ashamed, remorseful, all those things and more. Get over it. More specifically, let those feelings wash over you, feel them, acknowledge them, then ask;
“What now?”
* Love yourself & allow yourself to be happy. Right now. As you are. This it it. This is the vessel you live in, and you don’t need anyone’s permission but your own to be happy.
The scars, bad tattoos, grey hairs, cellulite, flobby bits, and the wrinkles are your story, and it’s perfect, just the way it is.
You are a sexy beast, and you deserve happiness.
So why wait for happy? I get told by people, “I’ll be happy when I lose weight because I will be able to:”
* Wear nice clothes
* Be more active with the kids
* Go on a holiday
* Be more confident
You know what? If those things make you happy…. Do them tomorrow. Don’t wait for permission.
Ok, you might not trek the Himalayas yet, or go kite surfing with the kids, but you can be more active than you were yesterday, right?
So, if you are ready to stop dieting forever, and learn how to balance your life and weight, then make yourself happy, and fill in the form below or to the right of page for you free success session.
As a special bonus, mention this blog when I call you , and I’ll give a free 7 day trial of the gym.
Oh, before I forget, if you liked this article, one of your friends probably will too, so feel free to share and like on Facebook so they can read it too.
See you in the gym!
Bren “I’m not going without burgers” Ryan
Personal Trainer
Weight Loss Coach
Non dieter.