Fad diets are easy to spot. Anything that has the word, “diet” in it is a fad! When you go on a diet, you cut either calories, carbs, fats, and or proteins, or a combination of all of them. Therefore, when you come off of the diet, you are adding the calories back in some way that usually causes a weight gain.
As a Certified Nutrition Consultant, I try to get my clients to not “diet,” but instead make a lifestyle change. Small changes equal big results if you make them consistent! For many people, dieting is difficult, and it should be. Anytime you take foods you love away, you are left thinking about them! A better approach is to make a lifestyle change and still eat some of your favorite foods, but in moderation.
For example, I love to eat Mexican food, and we all know how fattening that is. But here is my solution to that. I love the chips and salsa and can never say no. Instead of depriving myself of something my body wants, I eat some and order just a side of beans and rice and steamed veggies and maybe a little guacamole! The beans and rice make a balanced protein and carbohydrate meal, and the chips and guacamole are the fat! Whether you like Italian, Chinese, or some other type of food, there are always ways to make better choices.
When consulting a new client, I always tell them to try to eat six times a day. They usually respond by rolling their eyes and saying they do not have enough time to devote to making that many meals. The answer I tell them is simple: if you go out for lunch, whatever you order, divide it in half and take half back to work. There is your afternoon snack. If you go out to dinner, do the same thing. Order your meal and have the server bring a to-go box with your meal and presto, you have an evening snack, or a mid morning snack for the next day.
Now, when it comes to breakfast, that is easy. A piece of toast with peanut butter is both quick and nutritious and balanced. Just make sure to buy peanut butter that only has the ingredients peanuts and salt. That is it. Or, better yet, buy organic. For a mid morning snack, I always suggest energy bars, especially the 3BAR. It’s tasty, it keeps me full for hours, and I can pronounce all of the ingredients!
So there you have it! Making a “lifestyle” change instead of going on a fad diet isn’t as hard as everyone makes it out to be. And this way, once you lose the weight you will have a much better chance of keeping it off.
