I’m Not Losing Weight and I Only Drink 2 Shakes A day!
Binge, restrict, binge, restrict and as a result, not losing weight. Sound familiar? You certainly aren’t on your own! Fad diets always leave collateral damage in regards to the metabolism and hormones, especially shake diets and the like. In addition, it can take months to undo the negative adaptations that have occurred from chronic yoyo dieting. Weight loss IS impossible but only without the fundamentals in place.
Firstly, there’s the conflicting and confusing advice. Secondly, there are far too many unqualified/uneducated ‘fitness influencers’ in the industry. Thirdly, they are most often here to make quick money and have no focus on actually helping people. As a result, this leaves you heavily confused about who to trust in future and what the best practices are. To add insult to injury, it is very common for a friend to recommend these miracle shakes, pills and potions.
Strange Ingredient Burns 2lb Through The Night!!!!!
We have to admit, they certainly are eye catching and tempting captions! Furthermore, they truly know how to take advantage of the human mind in wanting immediate results. In addition, the reps selling these ‘supplements’ are often pretty in demand instantly and do make instant (albeit temporary) cash. Your immediate thought when they come up on your radar or approach you is often is it really that good? Followed by, well, a friend wouldn’t take me for a ride, surely? Though, the reps ‘up line’ who has conned them into the business model usually does a brilliant job of building up their product. Undoubtedly, when something seems too good to be true…
In the same way, we all know that nothing in life worth having (especially health) comes without patience, knowledge, energy or commitment. But one thing is for sure, fads aren’t the short cut to your goals they are the NEVER cut. In fact, the root cause of not losing weight all these years has shakes, pills and fads at it’s very core. When our car has an issue, we take it to a mechanic. Yet when it comes to an even more important machine – our body, we take unnecessary risks. So, why do we fall for fads time and time again? Well, there are many reasons but just to name a few; lack of education (it really is key), time (we need to lose weight asap), human weakness (the brain loves novel things) and excitement at the thought of finally achieving our goals.
I’m Not Losing Weight Yet I Train Every Day!
The issue with this is people nearly kill themselves with cardio (that they despise, yet do it daily) without any consideration to simply tracking their calories consumed. As a result, they simply and naturally eat those calories back (due to hunger hormones that regulate weight) and continue to stagnate and put more hours into sweating on the treadmill. Thus, accountability and targets are absolutely key. In addition, in some cases a person may think they are tracking yet don’t track sauces, oils or nibbles throughout the day and then there’s alcohol.
I Eat Healthy Foods Too!
Interestingly, when people do track calories they drop them too aggressively, which leads to low energy and future binges. Others assume they can’t get fat when eating healthy foods foods such as; avocados, nuts, seeds, bananas, or dark chocolate. Nevertheless, these foods though healthful, contain high calories per gram.
I’m Not Losing Weight And I Take Fat Loss Pills!
Yeah, the secret here is that no metabolism boosting pill, works. No pill can force your body to burn fat when you are ploughing food in and not moving enough. Even if you did eat less and move more the pill wouldn’t help more than 2-3%! Just think about that for a second, humans are hundreds of thousands of years old, why would our bodies burn fat for free? Hardly a good survival mechanism!
Weight Loss Clubs
These clubs often over pressure you and make you feel terrible when you don’t drop a pound on the SEVENTH day. In addition, we should never have to starve/dehydrate ourselves all day (as I know many have) with the anxiety of the approaching weigh in. Do these companies consider whether you have lost water, glycogen, food in the digestive tract, muscle or fat weight? You can often lose fat and maintain/gain weight and look much better via progress pictures. Many leave the club unhappy only to have to go back again in future because they wasn’t only not educated the first time round but also totally confused.
In Conclusion
Losing weight takes time and must be sustainable so that the more important life pillars like family, health, work and social life don’t take a dive. Get professional help if you can’t seem to lose weight and once and for all ditch the fads forever! For an interesting read check out this article by Very Well Fit on why fad diets are bad and how to avoid them.
Weight loss is simple but balance is key! Make sure you CHEW your food, ditch the FADS and apply the fundamentals to weight loss. In particular, focus on a mild calorie deficit, good macro nutrient ratios, a training regime that correlates to your goals and one that you enjoy! Read this article for more information on how many calories you should eat.
Coaches,
Luke and Kate
