Why diets don’t work
January has come and gone. How’s that New Year’s Resolution coming along? Not so great? WHY? Did you go ALL IN? I’m not going to…drink alcohol, eat chips, chocolate, sweets, cheese, only black coffee, and I’m going to exercise every day…blah blah blah. That’s called the “all or nothing” mentality. Going ALL IN sets you up to FAIL ALL!
At my personal training studio, I offer 3 and 6 week challenges. With that challenge, clients receive a suggested shopping list of healthy foods and appropriate portion sizes based on whether the client is male or female and their current weight.
In prior years, I used to hand out a 3 week meal plan designed by a nutrition company to all participants. It showed them exactly what to eat and for which meal. I have also done challenges with 30 day cleanses and personally have done the Whole 30.
What I have concluded is that ALL methods work! But as soon as an individual goes back to poor nutrition and exercise habits, all that momentum is lost. So, what now?
I find these methods useful in getting a jump start to the health and fitness process. Mentally and physically people feel better when their nutrition is on point, aka cutting out the crappy “food”. Also as results appear, motivation to continue the journey begins. There is a greater likelihood of creating lifetime habits. The above “diets” are also sometimes useful when preparing for a particular event OR refocusing, if having spiraled out of eating-control.
So, what is sustainable?
The most successful method of maintaining good health is to change habits over time. For many folks, poor nutrition is a result of emotional eating. Unless you can fix the why behind the eating, it’s going to be tough to change without help from a professional.
In some instances, people just don’t understand how to choose healthy foods. Marketing today leaves us confused for sure. Low fat, fat-free, gluten-free, sugar-free, no HFCS, and the list goes on. My personal “favorite”, I love the box of “Good Thins”. Read the label and see just how good they are…NOT!
Track everything you eat for a couple of weeks. Do your research or grab help from a pro deciding what to change. Choose ONE healthy, nutritional habit to implement for at least one week. Or choose to remove one unhealthy habit for one week. Once the new habit is mastered, every week or two keep layering in a healthy habit or removing an unhealthy one.
Have a plan! Focus on “better” health habits and your success rate will be much higher! Put pen to paper and construct a plan. You’ll be more inclined to follow a plan if it’s in writing. Toss the “all or nothing” attitude!
Stop focusing on dieting! Eat mostly healthy! Put down the freaking Mars bar and eat an apple! I have to credit that one to my DVRT bestie Amanda Thebe, except I am 100% sure the word “freaking” was not what she used!