I bet you use Facebook or maybe Twitter?
How about LinkedIn or you browse the Internet?
If you’re not into technology much, maybe you read the good, old-fashioned newspaper (like my parents – although my mother is starting to text me now, which is strange!)?
Anyway, whichever method of communication you use to keep in touch with your friends and the outside world, I bet you get inundated with messages about diets? The latest fad diet or the latest slimming pill?
You get adverts on Facebook telling you that “You could lose a stone in a week!” or “Get toned abs in 3 minutes a day!”
You get the idea!
What are all of these messages about? In my opinion, you need to be very careful before clicking on anything.
99 times out of 100, it is a scam – call it a diet scam if you like. I’m not going to mention any particular company or brand as I have no need to be slanderous but I just want to warn you.
Do you REALLY think you can lose a stone in a week (or even half a stone for that matter)?
Well you may lose it but guess what? It will be a result of you cutting your calories down to a dangerous level. Or it may mean you have to cut out your favourite foods for a few weeks or months.
It may mean you replace your normal meals or snacks with pills or shakes. Let me ask you, do you really know what ingredients are in those pills or shakes?
Have you ever stopped to ask yourself “What’s in it for them?” I’m talking about the person or people who sell this stuff. Are they in it for the sake of your health? I doubt it.
Are they in it to make money? Yes, probably. I know fellow fitness professionals who are now starting to promote diets – it’s unbelievable. In fact, I nearly choked on my gluten-free oats!
Fitness professionals promoting diets? People who are trained in nutrition selling pills and shakes to you and your friends? Did they learn this stuff in college? Of course not.
So what is their real reason for selling it? To make money perhaps and not give a stuff about your health? Really think about it for a moment…
Oh, and besides fitness professionals selling this stuff, people untrained in nutrition are now selling it. People who have no clue about nutrition are now advising YOU what you should be taking to lose weight! Unbelievable isn’t it?
So they sell you some pills and you lose weight. Do you KNOW what the weight loss actually is?
Let me be honest here – it’s UNLIKELY to be body fat!! A revelation there.
It will probably be water weight and muscle tissue. With a big reduction in calories, your metabolism will SLOW DOWN, not speed up. Your brain/body will want to hang onto fat, not lose it.
What happens when you have a lower metabolism?
You keep your fat and maybe gain more of it.
So please ignore all of these diet schemes – they are money-making regimes not bothered about your health.
What can you do instead then?
You can start by eating real food!!!! Plenty of fresh fruit and vegetables – buy them locally from a grocer or a farm shop. I bought 4 large bags of the stuff and it cost only £14. You can buy fresh, lean cuts of meat from the local butcher. You’re also supporting local businesses.
Eat lean protein – chicken, beef, fish (especially oily fish like salmon and mackerel), eggs, nuts, seeds, yogurt, Feta cheese, beans (not baked beans), chickpeas.
Eat ‘good’ fats – yes eat fats! Especially avocado, fish (as above), egg yolks, nuts, seeds, coconut oil, coconut milk.
Eat carbohydrates – please DO NOT stop eating carbs. Your brain needs glucose and carbs provide that glucose. I’m not talking about sugary sweets and biscuits here. I mean items like quinoa, buckwheat, brown rice, wholemeal pasta (if you don’t have a wheat allergy), oats (porridge), fruit, vegetables.
Drink plenty of water – aim for 6-8 glasses per day.
Control your stress levels – increased stress can lead to weight gain due to the hormone ‘cortisol’. High levels of cortisol can lead to weight gain around your tummy.
Don’t cut your calories right down. By all means, reduce them a little but do not go below 1200-1000 per day.
Start exercising – you will burn extra calories, increase your metabolism, get stronger and fitter plus you will get a hundred other benefits.
There you go then.
This message is a WARNING! Do not get drawn into diet schemes. If you do and you lose weight, I guarantee the weight will return when you go back to normal eating.
By the way, if you want some great advice on exercise, why not sign up to attend my classes in Newburn and Jesmond? You’ll get great results like I described above.
Here’s the link: GROUP FITNESS