Posts Tagged ‘Diet Fads’
Using food as a reward can be a huge diet pitfall. I see this happen all the time, a person will start making healthy choices and stick with it for a period of time, then when they see the results they want or feel like they’ve done enough hard work they’ll reward themselves with a “treat”.
This process sends your brain mixed messages. Your main objective should be to look at food as fuel and make good choices when it comes to what you put in your body. If you look at healthy eating as a “diet” with a specific end date you can set yourself up for failure. Here are a few ways you can feel “rewarded” without bringing junk food into the picture.
1. Treat Your Body
Go for a massage. Yes, this is more expensive than a trip to the ice cream shop and it’s also a lot better for your body. Massages are a great recovery practice and if you’ve been working hard in the gym you will benefit greatly from getting one. Try looking on Groupon or Living Social for a good deal on this treatment.
2. Get Your Nails Done
Relax and let someone else take care of you. Shut your phone off and enjoy some time to yourself. Pick a new and fun color as your treat for working so hard on the rest of your body.
3. Get Some New Clothes
If you’re seeing the results you want from your fitness and nutrition plan you should show it off. Go out and look for a new outfit that makes you feel and look good. You can enjoy your new outfit multiple times, instead of the 2:00 you would spend eating a piece of cake and feeling like junk after.
4. Buy A Song Or Two
Hit up Itunes for a new song that makes you feel good. This will be a treat that will also help you in your work-outs. Music can be a great motivator when you’re exercising, so treat yourself to some new motivation!
If you’re not inspired by any of these rewards, then make a list of your own. Come up with four activities that would feel like a reward to you that don’t involve food, and when you hit a fitness or health milestone treat yourself to something on your list.
Photo Credit: http://www.avoiceformen.com
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Last Month I asked Fitness By D Member Stacey Norton to try The Whole 30. Here is a recap of her experience.
When Daniela Bitto, my trainer, asked me if I had ever considered doing the whole 30, I didn’t hesitate to 
say “No”! What was she thinking?…. I mean 30 days of no dairy, sugar, artificial ingredients; alcohol would be near impossible while still shopping and cooking for my family, wouldn’t it? I don’t even like meat all that much. How would I live off of meat and vegetables with a bit of fruit?
When she explained that she had read the book and thought of me and my struggles with weight loss throughout it, I became intrigued. The book talked about people who have done every diet imaginable, workout intensely and still have trouble losing weight. As I listened to her at some point I really HEARD what she was saying. It was quite possible that my weight wasn’t entirely my fault. That my body was just not working correctly to use my fat as fuel. Okay, now she really had me. Especially when she pointed out that I could do anything for 30 days with the same conviction she had a few years ago when she told me I could run a half marathon even when I couldn’t run 200 yards; which is another story for another time. When I was 95% on board, she sealed the deal by signing me up with the Whole 30 emails. The Sunday before I started, I woke up to the below email:
“If you’ve received the Whole30® Daily as a gift, it means you are loved. Someone cares for you and your health so much they are willing to facilitate your transformation and support you along the way. The Whole30 is sensible, manageable, and most importantly, immediately applicable to your situation, regardless of your age, your health status or your past habits. The person who gave you the Whole30 Daily believes in our methods – but more importantly, they believe in you.”
Uhm….How could I not try this when I read that?
Our Journey began on September 10, 2012. I say “our” because my husband, a long time sugar and Cocoa Puff addict, decided to join me when I emphatically told him there was no way he would ever be able to do this.He amazed me by immediately jumping on board with me and giving up his sugary cereal, his beloved peanut butter and fluff sandwiches, and yes even his Heineken Lights. The first two weeks were probably the toughest.
We both felt tired and probably a little agitated as we were both in carb and sugar withdrawal. I’d say it got easier for him around day 15 and I noticed he had more energy, noticeably looked trimmer and was in a much better mood than I. He wasn’t having a problem eating Sausage and Eggs for breakfast, steaks, prime rib, chicken and vegetables for dinner. He thought it was easy though admitted to having cravings at different times. Weekends were hard as we had social events to attend almost every weekend. We made it through these by eating at home before we went and drinking soda water with limes in place of alcohol. I was finding it a bit more difficult than my husband. The shopping and preparation was difficult as I had to prepare all the meals for us as well as for the rest of the family. It was a lot of work. Though I didn’t feel like food or cravings were that much of an issue, I also didn’t have the burst of energy that everyone spoke of. I also felt like my workouts were tough to get through and I was feeling a bit dizzy and exhausted at times. I added in some additional carbs in the form of fruit and sweet potatoes and this helped with that feeling.
On day 31, I’d call our whole 30 a success. The best part of these 30 days was actually the freedom from dieting. If I was hungry, I ate. I didn’t have to worry about calories, points, tracking carbs, calories expended etc.
Without actually restricting calories I have lost 8.5 lbs, 1.5 inches of my waist, and 1.5 off my hips (the only measurements I took). My skin looks amazing and numerous people have commented on it. Though I have always slept soundly, waking up is much easier for me and I no longer have to hit the snooze button. I do feel like my energy is starting to pick up and that I might have to continue for a bit more time to get the full benefits. I intend to keep as closely to this plan as possible for 99% of the time and never dieting again!
My husband has lost 14lbs, all from his stomach, and looks amazing. He actually wants us to continue on for another few months. We both have physicals scheduled for next week so it will be interesting to see how all our lab results come back.
A special thanks to Daniela, an amazing trainer and friend who gives 110% when it comes to the health and wellness of her clients!
Photo Credit: http://whole9life.com
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How much value do you put on your health? Do you sacrifice the gym membership or coaching that you really want to save money? Here are three ways to afford your fitness costs.
1. Coffee
How many trips do you take to Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts per week? Let’s say you spend $3.00 each time you make a coffee run. If you go everyday at the end of the week that’s $21.00. By the end of the month you’ve spent $84.00 on coffee alone. Not to mention if you order one of the pricier drinks or a food item to go along with your beverage.
Try cutting your number of coffee trips in half. There’s $42.00 you can put towards your monthly gym membership. You’ll also enjoy your special beverage more if you don’t have it every single day.
2. Going Out To Dinner
How many meals do you eat out per week? Think about how much you spend when you go out to dinner. If you order a drink, appetizer and entree you’re bound to spend at least $50 after tax and tip and depending on where you eat. If you go out to dinner twice a week that’s $100 each week and $400 per month.
Cut that number in half and you have $200.00 you can put towards taking care of your body each month. Try cutting back to one night out per week, or when you do go out skip the drink and appetizer and share an entree. Restaurant portions are so big these days you will be fine to share a meal.
3. Quick Fixes
How much money have you spent in the past on a “quick fix diet”? If it sounds too good to be true it most likely is. Stop wasting your money on detox diets, pre-packaged food or anything that claims to aid in weigh-loss like pills, drinks, supplements, ect.
Take that money and invest it in a good gym membership, trainer or class. If you want legitimate results you need to go to someone that has the knowledge and skill level to get you there. You will not find that person at a gym where the rate is $10/month.
If you do not have your health nothing else in life matters. Invest in yourself and every area of your life will be better for it.
Photo Credit: http://blog.creditkarma.com
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Advertisements are everywhere, and it’s your job to
pay close attention to what these products are promising and what they actually do, especially when it comes to food choices. Here are 5 common marketing strategies geared towards the average dieter.
1. “No High Fructose Corn Syrup”
High Fructose Corn Syrup is a type of sugar that is found in many food products in the American diet today. It has the same caloric value per gram that table sugar does. Products are now advertising that they do not have this ingredient to make their product seem “healthy”. Just because a product does not have High Fructose Corn Syrup, does not make it a good food choice.
Heinz has an organic ketchup that has no High Fructose Corn Syrup, does that mean that ketchup is good for you? If you happen to be buying a product that has no High Fructose Corn Syrup that’s a great bonus, don’t base a meal decision off of that one selling point.
2. “Same Amount Of Protein As An Egg”
This advertisement was recently put out by Kashi Cereal. True that the cereal they are promoting in this ad has as much protein as an egg in a single serving. Let’s compare the rest of the nutrition facts for these two food choices.
GOLEAN Crunch! Honey Almond Flax
Serving Size; 1 Cup
- Calories; 200
- Fat; 4.5g
- Carbohydrate; 36g
- Protein; 9g
Egg
Serving Size; 1 Large Egg
- Calories; 70
- Fat; 5g
- Carbohydrate; 0g
- Protein; 6g
This Go Lean cereal has more protein than an egg. It also has 36 more grams of carbohydrate and 130 more calories per serving. Between these two choices the egg a far better choice.
3. “Excellent Source Of Protein”
What makes an “excellent” or “great” source of protein. When you see a food label that has this slogan check the actual nutrition facts. Be a smart consumer and know what makes a product an excellent source of protein. The advertisement may be referring to the price or convenience of the product as being “excellent”. What you really want, is a product that will give you best nutritional value.
4. “30% Less Fat Than Regular Potato Chips”
The product Sunchips uses this selling point frequently. Sunchips do have less fat than it’s leading competitor, does that make it a wise food choice? This product still has 6g of fat and 19g of Carbohydrate per serving. This is a processed food that provides minimal if any good nutritional value. Skip the chips and go for a hand full of almonds if you’re craving something salty.
5. “Gluten Free”
There has been a lot of buzz lately for Gluten free products. There are more items available today that are Gluten free which is good news for someone that is allergic to Gluten. For the average consumer that is not allergic to Gluten this should not be a selling point for you. Most ice cream is Gluten free, do you think that’s a good food choice?
Here are 6 tips to help you avoid falling for these diet marketing schemes
- Make a shopping list before you go to the grocery store
- Ignore the captions on the front of a food box or bag
- Read the nutrition label of any product you’re not familiar with
- Stick to the peripheries of the Super Market, most processed foods are in the middle isles
- Be a smart consumer, if there is a product you want to try do some research on it
- If it’s too good to be true, it most likely is. Don’t let these advertisements be your excuse to put junk in your body.
Photo Credit: http://www.dailymail.co.uk
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The Ultimate Skinnygirl Bethenny Frankel inspires greatly with her book
“Naturally Thin”.
I find myself using the tips in this book everyday, and in the coaching of my clients to living a healthier life. Bethenny gives simple, clear cut advice that can lead to big life improvements when applied. While the book is chock full of great ideas, these are the parts I use most often.
1. The Point of Diminishing Returns
“….what I call that point when a bite you take isn’t quite as good as the bite before it.”¹
This is by far my favorite tip, I love passing this one on to my clients. What Bethenny is explaining is to actually pay attention and taste your food. You can order chocolate cake, just split it with some one and taste each bite. When you stop tasting the food and put you’re mind on autopilot, you know it’s time to put the fork down.
2. The Differential
“….the difference between two choices, and whether or not that difference is worthwhile.”¹
The differential is all about your own personal preferences. For example, take a three egg omelet. Try substituting two of those eggs for egg whites. This is a healthier option and if it tastes the same to you, then the differential is not a big one. You have a healthier meal for the same amount of taste.
Now take something that has a big differential. If you love hamburgers, then a veggie burger is not going to fill that void of wanting meat. Instead go for the hamburger, only eat half of it and fill the rest of your plate with healthy options like steamed veggies. Make sure the fat content for the rest of your day isn’t too high to make up the difference.
The differential is going to be different for everyone. Play around with your meals to find out what yours are.
3. Cancel Your Membership In The Clean Plate Club
“Put the fork down already. They have dishwashers for that.”¹
This is a great tip for when you’re eating out. Portion sizes in America are out of control. A typical entree dish can easily feed two people. Either split a meal or take some of it home. If you’re having difficulty with this rule, start by leaving just one bite on your plate. Then gradually work up to saving half of your meal for later.
In “Naturally Thin”, Bethenny gives you ten rules that when applied will bring anyone to a healthy state of mind and being. This book is worth the read, and be sure to take notes!
Photo Credit: http://www.bethenny.com
¹ ”Naturally Thin” By; Bethenny Frankel © 2009 by BB Endeavors LLC
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South Beach, No-Fat, Low-Fat, High Protein, All-Meat, No Meat, there are literally thousands of “diets” out there. It’s no wonder so many people are confused on what to eat. While I can find flaws in numerous diets, here are my top three offenders.
The Food Pyramid
Yes, this diagram that has been presented to you over and over again since you were a child is extremely flawed. According to The Food Pyramid the majority of your daily caloric intake should come from whole grains. The protein and fat recommendations are very minimal. There is an updated version of The Food Pyramid, however it still puts too much emphasis on carbohydrates. While carbohydrates are not the enemy, they should not be the majority of your diet. This Pyramid also reinforces the MYTH that fat is bad. I find this diet to be the most destructive and one of the main reasons why obesity is extremely previlant in today’s society.
No or Low Carb Diets
Any diet that completely eliminates a macronutrient cannot be good for your body. Your body needs carbohydrates to function properly. It is a matter of finding the right amount. For my clients that are focused on general fitness and are not training for an endurance event, I suggest they take in 40% of their daily caloric intake from Carbohydrate, 30% from fat and 30% from protein. This works extremely well for weight loss and maintenance, depending on the amount of calories they are taking in. Another issue with eliminating carbohydrates is people tend to binge on the foods that they think are “ok” to eat. Someone following this diet can easily intake too much saturated fat which is not beneficial to your body.
Detox Diets
There are tons of them out there, and they’re usually backed by celebrities. Remember these people are PAID to sponsor diets. There’s a good chance whoever is appearing in that diet commercial has never used the product they’re promoting. You do not have to starve yourself and drink nothing but a special elixir for three days to look and feel the way you want. You are actually doing more harm to your body than good when you starve it with one of these “cleansing cycles.” Truth is weight-loss takes time and if you are following a balanced healthy meal plan your body will not need to be “detoxed”.
I know it’s so tempting to believe the latest diet fad out there, I’ve been there and so have many of my clients. Remember the weight-loss industry is a billion dollar industry for a reason. I will tell you what does work, exercise, healthy eating and patience. If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
What kind of diets have you tried?
Photo Credit: http://aww.ninemsn.com.au
