I am not an "expert." I'm 24 and have only been out of school for 3 years. I do however, pride myself in my education, certifications, my continuing education and my experience thus far. I practice what I preach. So, based on what I have learned through experience and education, I would like to clarify why these diets are such a joke.
Diets such as Jenny Craig, NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, The Cookie Diet (WTF!!!), Detox diet, and any diet in general...
These diets will work. They will work for the 90 day trial, the 1 week detox, the 6 months/1 year etc that you dedicate yourself to doing it. You may lose a lot of weight and actually reach your "target weight loss". You have become a smaller version of yourself, which sounds great at first, until you realize that you still don't look good naked. You have saggy skin, cellulite, and your face appears to have aged...no matter how old you are. Your stomach isn't hard...it's "poochy" and your arms are still flabby. However, you lost your desired amount of pounds...yet, you still don't look ideal. What gives? You look pretty good in clothing, but uh ohh...bikini season is coming up, so you make sure to keep your towel or cover up within arms reach because you still feel the need to cover up your excess skin and flab. You have killed yourself with cardio as your form of exercise, yet, you still have that fat and extra skin.
The problem with any diet such as the ones I listed above is that these diets do not teach you how to actually eat well consistently. They don't teach you about the quality of food you are consuming. These diets emphasize points, moderation, calories, grams, etc. These things are important, but most people I have worked with don't want to spend the rest of their life counting calories, or ordering another box filled with crap food made by some weight loss company guaranteeing weight loss if you keep ordering their food.
These diets are not eternal; you will eventually stop because you will get bored, plateau or simply get sick of it. I promise. When you decide that you don't need to go back to Jenny Craig, when you don't order more NutriSystem shit food, or attend a lunch time Weight Watchers meeting because you "know it all and can do it on your own,"...what happens? You gain weight back. This happens A LOT. Not always, but VERY often. Why? Because you never learned how to eat properly in the first place. These diets provide you with food you can eat "in moderation." Which is great, but what happens to you when you stop that diet? When your 3 inch piece of cake is part of your evening treat, even in moderation, the quality of food is not going to make you fit, strong and healthy. Period. Learn how to eat foods that will make you healthy, people.
I know people have done these diets for years and lost weight, stopped, gained weight, and started again. They continue to repeat this cycle. Hello yo-yo diet. Is this any way to live? It's frustrating, demoralizing, and it chips away at your quality of life. No one wants to spend the rest of their life dieting, counting calories, points, or eating packaged diet food. Gross. You never truly learn how to live without the crutch of the guidelines of your particular diet. How awful.
Diets don't last; learning how to eat and what to eat does. The fundamentals of being healthy are extremely simple:
Move regularly each day, move intensely a few times a week, and lift weights to keep your muscles, bones and joints healthy and strong.
"If it doesn't swim, run or fly, or isn't green or grow in the ground, don't eat it."
Foods with labels, in a package are generally not healthy. Check out this article on the paleo diet. It is written without bias, so all haters, feel free to check it out. I choose to eat mostly paleo like, because it makes eating very simple, healthy, and it does not involve regulating portions or calories. As I said in my post about Crossfit, I'm not into paleo for the trend, as I do not consider myself as someone to jump on any health bandwagon. I've been eating gluten free and living healthy for a long time; it's literally my job to do so. I eat clean, real foods (most of the time :) ) that lie within the fundamental health benefits emphasized in the paleo lifestyle. There are tons of ways to modify eating paleo to make it work for you or your family. It is a healthy way of eating for most people. I have seen many clients benefit from learning the guidelines of this way of life. Any "diet" expert will agree that veggies, fruit, and lean meats are the proponents of a healthy diet. As with all things, it may not be for you, but the fundamentals of the diet are worth learning from.
As always, I love getting your feedback and questions. Please feel free to message me on facebook, or e-mail me at BriannaBattles@gmail.com
Chocolate swims right?
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