BY EMMET RUSHE: Diets as we know them all follow one simple rule: Cutting down calorie intake. (Calorie deficit)
That is how they succeed in helping you to lose weight.
If you are in a small calorie deficit, you will lose weight at a steady rate.
The problem with most of the popular diets that are around today is the deficit that they are putting people in is too large.
Some of these diets recommend that calories should be set between 800 and 1000 cals per day. This deficit is too low for a woman, and for a man it is absurd.
So….Will you lose weight?
The answer is…… yes…
BUT, it will usually go something like this.
Week 1 – 5lbs lost. Yay me ☺
Week 2 – 4 lbs lost. Still yay ☺
Week 3 – 2lb lost. That’s ok ☺
Week 4 – weight the same. ☹
Week 5 – weight the same, (That’s it. I need a takeaway. I’ve starved myself all week and all for nothing.)
The last part might seem a little dramatic, but if you are a frequent dieter, you know exactly what I mean. Even though you’ve lost 11lb, less than half of this may be body fat. If you go back to your normal way of eating, you can easily put the lost weight back on and more along with it.
So what is the problem then? Why could you not stay on the plan and continually lose weight until you reach your target, even though you followed the plan to the letter?
Your body cannot tell the difference between dieting and starvation.
We have evolved to be able to survive for periods of time without food; it is called the ‘starvation response’.
When you begin a diet your body will recognise the drop-off in food intake and will start a chain of mechanisms that will ensure its survival.
It will increase feelings of hunger and cravings. It will slow your metabolic rate. It will also decrease your energy levels and therefore your training will suffer.
The worst part is that the next time you go on a diet, your body will recognise what you are doing and it will start the same mechanisms at a quicker rate, making it even harder to lose weight.
What is the solution then?
Stop focusing on weight loss and start focusing on health and on optimal body composition.
What is the point on spending months of painstaking dieting and hardship, if, when you are finished and are at the weight you wanted to get to, you are still not happy with your body?
• Stop opting for low fat, pre-packaged foods.
• Get away from diet drinks that mascarade themselves as healthy.
Start eating for health.
• Exercise on a regular basis.
• Use the portion control tips that I gave you last week to prevent over eating.
• Ensure an even amount of proteins, carbs and fat throughout the day, all coming from natural sources.
• Start drinking water with every meal and try and get 2-3 litres per day.
Once you start giving your body what it needs, it won’t store what it doesn’t need. The fat will take care of itself.
#TrainSmart
For further information on Personal Training and Nutrition contact me through the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rushe-Personal-Training-and-Performance/120518884715118
* Emmet is the owner and operator of Rushe Personal Training and Performance.
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