I read others articles, blog posts, facebook and instagram posts on weight loss and health because obviously it interests me. It alarms me to read that people are still doing more of the same rubbish that I was up to 20 years ago trying to lose weight.
One particularly horrifying tale was a Fasting Diet Water Detox for 20 days! Really?
The writer was adamant that fasting was beneficial. I’m sure I’ve also read something along those lines too. However this type of extreme fast should be highly controlled – think resting and taking naps. You definitely shouldn’t be trying to live your normal life at the same time or exercising, as it’s pretty dangerous. Situations can happen like passing out when you are trying to drive to work, organs shutting down from lack of nutrients. The worst part was that she wasn’t doing it this for the purported health benefits, it was for weight loss!
No way people!
This got me thinking about the whole yo-yo diet thing and why it seems like we go on a cycle of ‘on the wagon’ and ‘off the wagon’ and having to ‘start again on Monday’ over and over again.
Looking back and having been through all of it myself, there seems to be a few issues at play. One is the whole concept of dieting, restriction of calories, trying a Fasting Diet as well as restriction of what you really want to eat.
It’s like a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.
You get tired, irritable, the hunger gnaws at you, not getting enough food or the proper nutrients makes you weak and less likely to stick to any plan you have set yourself. This method of weight loss basically sets yourself up to fail. It’s the all or nothing approach, which has you bouncing back to the ‘all’ quite frequently because the ‘nothing’ place is pretty damned crappy! And I should know.
So this cycle continues throughout most of our lives because we don’t know any other way. Most of the weight loss advice is centred around the ‘nothing and hardship’ theme so we feel doomed to never be able to reach the dream beach body we want. (Pink bikini thanks!)
Constant battle
If even by some freaky fluke we manage to hold the hardship together for long enough to get close, it feels like a constant battle to hold the reins in to stay there. What’s even worse though is when you have reached your goal and you feel like you can let the reins go and it all comes back!
Disaster!
So to offer an alternative to another generation of Fasting Diet, detoxing, starving sufferers, here is an alternative I wish someone had explained to me 15 years ago – I could have worn cute shorts and tank tops a whole lot sooner!!!! Doh!
The only reason you fall ‘off the wagon’ is because the wagon is a nasty cow in the first place and not the ride to lasting success. At no point should you go hungry because if you are starving, you will grab any ole thing in front of you. It’s a biological thing and not willpower. So going hungry is not an option. Also the whole ‘what you eat’ factor comes into play.
Instead of making a few tweaks, most people think, ‘Right, diet necessary.’ So not eating breakfast at all for a while, maybe just a coffee, might also go on a detox – so severely restricting food intake for a week or two. Making most feel awful, weak and crazy for ‘something’ which drives them right into the arms of a triple cheese pizza with a whole quart of honey crunch ice-cream for dinner Friday night because they’ve been so ‘good’ for a few weeks. Whatever that means.
Crazy!
It’s your body talking here…”you haven’t been good you crazy woman! I have important work to do in here regulating your energy levels, balancing your blood stream, getting fuel to the right places at the right times, eliminating waste effectively and making sure your organs keep working. Give me something to work with here!!!!”
Do you see how crazy this is? The difference between beach body and pudgy body is so slight, that most miss it and hit themselves in the head with a sledgehammer instead. Millions of people are doing the same thing daily. I did it too, so I can’t beat anyone up for not knowing. But if you are reading this, you know now too. So different way forward right? Right???!!!
Here are some hints to get you started, remember, it’s not about starving but eating cleverly:-
Coffee – increases your metabolism if you know how to drink it correctly. Learn how here.
Pasta – switch for zucchini noodles as starch creates endotoxin in the gut and slows down weight loss.
Bread/crackers – leave it out, have more protein, and fruit.
Desserts – understand that sugar helps increase metabolism but only if eaten with enough nutrients. It’s also important to limit fats with sugar otherwise carbohydrate processing is affected. So a fruity low fat option is best.
A better way.
The difference is subtle and it doesn’t involve going without. So get rid of the yo-yo, thoughts of good and bad, fasting diet, detoxing and the Monday restart concepts that are torturing your poor body and getting you no where. The devil is in the detail and if you are not paying attention to the subtle hints, you will keep missing the hot bod that should be yours. It’s right around the corner, I promise!
Weight loss should not be hard work, it’s more of a puzzle to figure out what works for you for the long haul.
Major hint – it’s not all the ways that failed for you in the past. A suggestion? Check out the ZEN Beach Diet below!
Happy days.
Kristy x