Preparing For Your Next Diet the Smart Way

With the holidays before us and New Year’s Resolutions just ahead, food (and diets) is surely on everyone’s minds. I know it’s on mine. I love cooking, baking (and eating!) so I strive to create a healthy balance.

Before you run out and try the newest fad diet or exercise plan, please read on. Many people in my life rely on me for help with their fat loss and physical transformations, so I do my fair share of research on the subject. I have also tested out many fad diets on myself as a guinea pig, to speak from experience first-hand (yes, even I struggle with maintaining an ideal weight at times). I’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. Trust me, if there were a magic quick-fix pill, I would have discovered it (and if there were such a thing, wouldn’t everyone be thin and in shape???).

First, low-carb diets DO work for fat loss. This way of eating can be tough to get past for the first several days, particularly if you’re addicted to bread and sugar. Stick with it to get past this initial “detox” period and I promise it gets easier. Sugar leads to more sugar and the vicious cycle continues. If you choose to follow a low-carb diet, I still suggest limiting your saturated fats and striving to get LOTS of fresh vegetables and the occasional piece of fruit to satisfy the sweet cravings because they’re loaded with nutrients.  

Next, you NEED to work out and make sure you’re working out to build muscle. Muscle is a dieter’s friend. Women, you will NOT bulk up and get huge man arms. Muscle increases your metabolism, helping you burn more calories at rest, adds tone and definition to your body and keeps you strong and healthy inside and out. Muscle improves joint strength and stability, improves reaction time (think catching yourself as you fall), and improves your posture and your self-confidence. Losing weight with diet alone can create serious metabolic damage that will cause rebound weight gain over and over again, making each weight loss attempt much more difficult than the one prior. Losing weight with diet alone causes muscle loss which slows down your metabolism (meaning you’ll always have to eat less and less to keep from gaining weight) and leaves you at risk for injury.

Don’t starve yourself. See my notes on metabolic damage, losing muscle and rebound weight gain. Have you ever known anyone to lose weight PERMANENTLY with a starvation diet alone? Me neither. No one does well being deprived for any length of time, low calorie diets don’t leave you with enough energy to exercise effectively, plus you risk being malnourished. Not a good, long-term solution.

Not everyone has to go gluten-free to lose fat. Yes, some people have gluten allergies or sensitivities and do better with taking it out of their system. But the actual percentage of these individuals is quite low. To be honest, a big reason people lose weight going gluten-free is because they’ve cut out a lot of starchy carbs and are increasing their protein, fruit and vegetable and healthy fat intake. If you simply replace breads and cakes with gluten-free mixes in the hopes of losing weight, it probably won’t happen. These mixes are higher in carbohydrates, lower in fiber and many times still contain sugar. Speaking of fiber…

Find ways to increase you natural fiber intake. Digestion regularity is a BIG problem with many Americans. I “talk poop” with every single one of my clients and I think it’s incredibly important to eliminate regularly for health and weight loss. Did you know John Wayne died with something crazy like 40 pounds of waste in his intestines? Yikes! Most of us are walking around with a few pounds of waste at any given time, so be sure you’re incorporating high-fiber foods into your diet and striving for 25-35 grams of fiber every day. Support that fiber intake with at least 64-128 oz. of water or un-caffeinated liquids a day, too. Not only does fiber clean you out and keep you healthy, it is satiating and helps you feel fuller longer.

Most importantly, slow and steady wins the race. That’s right; I’m asking you to be patient. Probably the most important advice I can give. You didn’t gain the weight in a few weeks, you won’t lose it that quickly, either…that is, IF you’re doing it the right way to lose mostly fat. The goal of losing 1-2 pounds a week is safe and recommended so you’re not losing too much muscle. The only time its okay to lose more than this is if you’re very obese. In fact, if you’re working to put on muscle (which I hope you are!) you may not see much changing on the scale for a while, or it may even go UP a few pounds once in a while. This is horrifying for women especially to see happen, I know!  Time and time again what I’ve seen to be the most long-lasting, aesthetically-pleasing way to lose body fat and change the shape of your body is to work out and eat enough to support muscle growth initially (scale won’t change or will go up), THEN carefully reduce caloric intake to the right level to shred body fat while maintaining muscle and show off those beautifully sculpted, hard-earned muscles.

Get an accountability partner. Accountability in ANY way is so important. Logging your food intake is paramount in success and keeping it off. Join an online support team, recruit and neighbor or friend to do this with you, or hire a health coach if you can.