Get OFF the Diet Train

I LOVE nutrition.

You know what I don’t love?  DIETS.

I can’t even begin to count the number of times I’ve been asked by clients, friends and strangers, “What is THE BEST diet for weight loss?”.

I get it.  Everywhere we look…magazines, TV, social media…we are inundated with mixed messages about what we should or should not be eating.

No carbs.

Low carb.

High fat.

No fat.

Eat Paleo.

Do Keto.

Eat meat.

Don’t eat meat.

Isn’t it all just so confusing?? It’s little wonder people have no idea which way to turn.

Here’s the thing…all these diets have one thing in common.  They all force you to cut calories.  And in order to lose weight, the calories in need to be less than the calories out.  In other words, you need to burn more energy than you eat.

So yes.  All these diets work.  The problem, in my opinion and something that I see frequently, is that these “diets” aren’t sustainable long time.  Individuals follow them to lose weight.  And lose weight they do.  But then what?  The severe restriction isn’t sustainable long time. Individuals revert back to their old eating habits.  And they regain the weight.  And people are left feeling as though they’ve failed.

So, what if we got off this whole diet train?

What if we fuelled our bodies with good, nutrient dense foods 80% of the time? Knowing there is room for our favourites within our daily diet?  No crazy restrictions.  No magic pills.  Just delicious foods.

Eating well really isn’t that hard and yet somehow we’ve really gotten away from the basics of it all.  Generally speaking, start your meals and snacks with a couple of servings of veggies (carrots, celery, peppers, mixed greens etc.)  and a serving of protein (chicken, lean cuts of beef, ground turkey, beef jerky are a few examples).  Throughout the day, add in a couple servings of a healthy fat (nuts, seeds, avocados, EVOO etc.) and a serving or two of a quality carbohydrates (fruit, oats, beans, legumes, sprouted breads, long grain rice etc).  Follow this blueprint 80% of the time, allowing yourself a guilt-free “treat” every now and again.  You can eat foods you love and still lose weight.  You can continue eating the foods you love and maintain that weightloss.

Do my clients follow meal plans? You bet they do. But ask any one of them if they feel hungry or restricted and they will tell you the opposite.  Working with me goes beyond a meal plan.  It’s all about EDUCATION!  The meal plan is simply a starting point so my clients can see what healthy nutrition is.  As we work together, I teach my clients how to build their own menus and we continue moving forward so that they can eat well on the fly…no plan required.  We work in a caloric deficit if the goal is to lose weight.  And once their goal has been attained, we slowly introduce more calories so that they can maintain.  FOR LIFE!

My goal is to work myself out a job.  Truth.

This whole “diet” mentality isn’t healthy.  It’s a giant mind game…one I’d be happy to see everyone get away from!

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out!  I’d love to help you out!