I read an article recently that reviewed some of the big fad diets there are out there today. The article discussed some of the pros and cons of each diet and explained the premise of each. All I could do at the end of the article was cringe!! I can't believe some of the ludicrous, restrictive diets there are put there, and better yet, the amount of people that become a slave to these fads!
I tried to look into the diets and see if any of them didn't follow some crazy restrictive plan. Sadly, they all involve restricting at least one or more food groups.
Paleo for example eliminates grains, legumes, and dairy; Keto followers can't have grains, fruits or potatoes; Dukans diet eliminates practically all carbs; Gluten free eliminates, well gluten; and the alkaline diet rids of dairy. There are also all the really crazy ones like the cabbage soup and the grapefruit diet, and they just sound horrendous. There is also ultra-low fat diets that sound sad and raw diets are confusing.
Most of the new diets out there now are all around the idea of "low carb". Everyone is restricting their carbohydrate intake like its the new scapegoat for weight gain; just like fats and protein were the problem of the 90's and early 2000's.
Despite its popularity, going super low carb does not make any sense considering when your body needs energy, it goes for carbs first. Carbs are your body's primary fuel source- and yes it is proved by science that your body needs carbs for energy! Your body also needs fats and proteins for immune function, hormone production, as well as for muscle building and repair.
So what's the real problem? Is it carbs? Is it fat? God forbid is it protein?!? What really causes people to become obese and not be able to lose weight?
The real reason: we eat too many calories of the wrong foods and we aren't active so it leads to weight gain- crazy right?
So what is the answer? There must be a secret?!
The secret is, its really a no-brainer, something we have known all along! The answer is to adopt a lifelong plan for healthy eating and ditch the short term "diet". Is it easy? Well, no; if it was easy, everyone would have it figured out, but it seems that we all want the "magic fix". There is no such thing as a 14, 21, or 90 day "fix" that will "fix" you for life.
It is more complicated than just restricting just one or two things, but I can guarantee you that you will be happier with it long term. I am a firm believer in the 90/10 rule.
90% of the time, I eat healthy by sticking to a basic diet of lean protein, veggies and complex carbs. You read that right- I eat carbs! The key I have found is timing them around when you need it the most. I time my major carbohydrate intake before and after my workouts. That is when my body needs it the most because I need the energy to fuel my workouts and recover after. I also eat tons of veggies, literally about two pounds or more a day to keep myself full and happy. Proteins and fats to keep me satisfied, also to help build and repair muscle.
Then 10% of the time, that is when I get to enjoy my favorite treats like my pastas, pizza, beer, cheese, breads, etc! The best part is because I focus on health, no foods are completely off limits for me so I can still enjoy what I love.
For those who do not know where to start, or how much to even eat in a day, using apps like My Fitness Pal or Calorie King are great sources. Just input your height, current weight, health status (overweight, healthy weight, underweight, etc) and your goals and it does all the math for you. After that, you can use the apps to calculate your macronutrient goals to figure out the amounts of carbs, fats and proteins you should be eating. I like these personally because it does all the work for me. I enter what I eat in a day, and it does the math for me.
Again, it is not the easy route, but we all know anything worth while does not come easy. The best part, there is no cutting things out, no crazy pills or shakes to force down. You stick to the basics of lean proteins, veggies and complex carbs 90% of the time and 10% of the time, you can have the treats you love.
In the end, the goal should always be focusing on your health to meet your weight loss goals. Lately "If It Fits Your Macros" or IIFYM is very popular. IIFYM has grown to popularity because you can have virtually any food as long as it fits your macros. This goes along the idea of no food is off limits, which is great; but the only flaw about it is that if you are trying to fit in pizza, ice cream and fried chicken into your macros, you aren't exactly focusing on overall health. Hence why I prefer the 90/10 rule. I can have my cake, just not every day. I want to be able to build muscle and maintain a healthy weight, but I also want to be healthy on the inside. Like most people, I have a history of heart problems, diabetes, cancer and blood pressure issues in my family; I want to try and avoid these things as much as I possibly can.
There you have it, the secret to the "diet" that will get you where you want to go.
I tried to look into the diets and see if any of them didn't follow some crazy restrictive plan. Sadly, they all involve restricting at least one or more food groups.
Paleo for example eliminates grains, legumes, and dairy; Keto followers can't have grains, fruits or potatoes; Dukans diet eliminates practically all carbs; Gluten free eliminates, well gluten; and the alkaline diet rids of dairy. There are also all the really crazy ones like the cabbage soup and the grapefruit diet, and they just sound horrendous. There is also ultra-low fat diets that sound sad and raw diets are confusing.
Most of the new diets out there now are all around the idea of "low carb". Everyone is restricting their carbohydrate intake like its the new scapegoat for weight gain; just like fats and protein were the problem of the 90's and early 2000's.
Despite its popularity, going super low carb does not make any sense considering when your body needs energy, it goes for carbs first. Carbs are your body's primary fuel source- and yes it is proved by science that your body needs carbs for energy! Your body also needs fats and proteins for immune function, hormone production, as well as for muscle building and repair.
So what's the real problem? Is it carbs? Is it fat? God forbid is it protein?!? What really causes people to become obese and not be able to lose weight?
The real reason: we eat too many calories of the wrong foods and we aren't active so it leads to weight gain- crazy right?
The fad diets have sprung to popularity because of their initial quick results. The quick initial weight loss leads everyone and their cousin to swear by these diets. It seems like the easiest way to lose weight, just cut out *insert "carbs, dairy, etc" here* and the weight falls off!
As much as it seems eliminating certain food groups or ingredients are the key to weight loss, these quick results happen because people are being conscientious of what they are eating which means they are actually eating less calories and more health conscious foods.
I have seen it many times; someone goes on a "diet" that is extremely restrictive. They eliminate all treats or better yet, they go three months without grains, pasta, red meat, cheese or potatoes. They lose some weight, feel great, then go off the diet because they feel like they are "finished"and eat whatever they want all over again. After a while, the weight creeps back up- a vicious cycle.
The point I am trying to prove is eliminating certain food groups does not lead to life long weight loss and will prove to become unreasonable for lifelong results. Do you really want to do a vicious cycle of the yo-yo dieting. Can you really expect to not eat bread, pasta, muffins, yogurt, cheese, potatoes, cake or milk for the rest of your life? I sure as hell don't; I am looking for a long term plan!
As much as it seems eliminating certain food groups or ingredients are the key to weight loss, these quick results happen because people are being conscientious of what they are eating which means they are actually eating less calories and more health conscious foods.
I have seen it many times; someone goes on a "diet" that is extremely restrictive. They eliminate all treats or better yet, they go three months without grains, pasta, red meat, cheese or potatoes. They lose some weight, feel great, then go off the diet because they feel like they are "finished"and eat whatever they want all over again. After a while, the weight creeps back up- a vicious cycle.
The point I am trying to prove is eliminating certain food groups does not lead to life long weight loss and will prove to become unreasonable for lifelong results. Do you really want to do a vicious cycle of the yo-yo dieting. Can you really expect to not eat bread, pasta, muffins, yogurt, cheese, potatoes, cake or milk for the rest of your life? I sure as hell don't; I am looking for a long term plan!
So what is the answer? There must be a secret?!
The secret is, its really a no-brainer, something we have known all along! The answer is to adopt a lifelong plan for healthy eating and ditch the short term "diet". Is it easy? Well, no; if it was easy, everyone would have it figured out, but it seems that we all want the "magic fix". There is no such thing as a 14, 21, or 90 day "fix" that will "fix" you for life.
It is more complicated than just restricting just one or two things, but I can guarantee you that you will be happier with it long term. I am a firm believer in the 90/10 rule.
90% of the time, I eat healthy by sticking to a basic diet of lean protein, veggies and complex carbs. You read that right- I eat carbs! The key I have found is timing them around when you need it the most. I time my major carbohydrate intake before and after my workouts. That is when my body needs it the most because I need the energy to fuel my workouts and recover after. I also eat tons of veggies, literally about two pounds or more a day to keep myself full and happy. Proteins and fats to keep me satisfied, also to help build and repair muscle.
Then 10% of the time, that is when I get to enjoy my favorite treats like my pastas, pizza, beer, cheese, breads, etc! The best part is because I focus on health, no foods are completely off limits for me so I can still enjoy what I love.
For those who do not know where to start, or how much to even eat in a day, using apps like My Fitness Pal or Calorie King are great sources. Just input your height, current weight, health status (overweight, healthy weight, underweight, etc) and your goals and it does all the math for you. After that, you can use the apps to calculate your macronutrient goals to figure out the amounts of carbs, fats and proteins you should be eating. I like these personally because it does all the work for me. I enter what I eat in a day, and it does the math for me.
Again, it is not the easy route, but we all know anything worth while does not come easy. The best part, there is no cutting things out, no crazy pills or shakes to force down. You stick to the basics of lean proteins, veggies and complex carbs 90% of the time and 10% of the time, you can have the treats you love.
In the end, the goal should always be focusing on your health to meet your weight loss goals. Lately "If It Fits Your Macros" or IIFYM is very popular. IIFYM has grown to popularity because you can have virtually any food as long as it fits your macros. This goes along the idea of no food is off limits, which is great; but the only flaw about it is that if you are trying to fit in pizza, ice cream and fried chicken into your macros, you aren't exactly focusing on overall health. Hence why I prefer the 90/10 rule. I can have my cake, just not every day. I want to be able to build muscle and maintain a healthy weight, but I also want to be healthy on the inside. Like most people, I have a history of heart problems, diabetes, cancer and blood pressure issues in my family; I want to try and avoid these things as much as I possibly can.
There you have it, the secret to the "diet" that will get you where you want to go.
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