Have you ever been on a diet?
Am I right in thinking that 99% of women have at some point in their life?
What’s the main reason for it?
Are you worried about your health?
Do you want to look slimmer?
Do you want to feel better?
It could be a combination of many things but the underlying fact is that 99% of you aren’t happy – or at least, haven’t been happy at some point in your life.
Where do you turn for help?
Maybe you try a few things on your own like reducing your calories, cutting out carbs (NOT great, by the way), eating low-fat foods (also NOT great) or joining a slimming club.
But…
Did you know? Dieting will lower your metabolism by reducing your muscle tissue, meaning your weight loss will plateau and you will hang onto your body fat – rather than shedding it?
Your body ultimately wants to survive and will do what it can to do that. If you go on a diet and restrict your calories, your body will lower its metabolism to compensate – it doesn’t need as many calories to survive at the same level so it adapts. It downsizes.
Bad news.
Most people just can’t sustain that low level calorie intake so when they return to normal eating, they will gain weight. The metabolism is still low but now the calories have increased resulting in fat storage.
96% of people who go on a diet will put the weight back on (and more) when returning to normal eating.
The problem with most diets is that they typically limit consumption of a certain food group (e.g. low-fat or low-carbohydrate) and therefore tend to fight against what your body needs to function most efficiently.
The images portrayed on the covers of diet magazines are totally false and are often of famous celebrities who have been on some sort of crash diet.
So what do you do instead?
- Eat healthy, one-ingredient foods (fish, eggs, meat, nuts, seeds etc) and control your weight without dieting or reducing calories too much
- Eat balanced, healthy nutritious foods that are raw, organic, wild, free-range or unprocessed
- Base your eating on low GI (Glycaemic Index) foods to control your blood sugar levels
- Ensure you eat carbohydrates as they are ‘fuel for your brain’ but choose healthy, unprocessed carbohydrates as well as lean protein and healthy fats at each meal – this will help you to lose or maintain your weight effectively
- Strive for a weight loss of 1-2lbs per week as this will maintain your muscle tissue and ensure your body still gets the nutrients it needs to function properly
- Exercise and keep active – to burn calories
If the thought of doing any of this scares you, I can help you get back on track. I can help with your eating plan, your exercise programme and your general lifestyle changes.
I’m still offering a FREE personal training session, which will cover all this, in my studio in Newcastle. To qualify for your free session, just register at the following link: FREE PERSONAL TRAINING