Why Diets Don’t Work
By: Mike Collette (Owner of Prototype Training Systems)
You can’t lose body fat, increase lean muscle mass, improve energy… you name the fitness goal, without controlling your nutrition.
We tell people all the time at Prototype that if you’re trying to lose fat by joining a gym—but not changing what you eat—it’s not going to work. We LOVE our workouts at Prototype, but that alone will not allow you to crush this goal. It comes down to what you put in your body.
But the problem is that diets don’t work.
Have you tried a diet before? Are you still doing it? How did it work for you?
The reality is diets usually backfire, they’re unsustainable and they may promote short term benefits but not long term results.
So what CAN you do to lose weight for the long term?
- Start tracking what you eat. Just writing it down makes a huge difference. Record it in a blank notebook or use apps like MyFitnessPal. We like MyFitnessPal because your coaches can be friends with you and can see what you’re eating. Plus it’s super simple to use!
- Focus on PROTEIN. We aren’t talking about low carb, high fat, or an Atkins type of diet (remember, diets don’t work!), we are talking about focusing on your protein intake. This is the area where most people struggle to get the appropriate amount. So start your day with a high protein-packed meal to make hitting your target protein intake a bit easier.
- Start your morning off with two glasses of water. Even before you drink your morning coffee. This is the only way I make sure I drink enough water. Coffee doesn’t dehydrate you (that’s not the reason why I’m telling you this) but you need more water than you’re probably drinking. And water will make the caffeine more effective anyway.
- At all costs, stay away from “diets”. Avoid the cleanses, crazy short term fasting, low-calorie meals, and or whatever the new fad diet is. They’re not sustainable, and they’ll bite you in the long run. Think about this: next time you see a new diet on TV or in a magazine, ask yourself: “Can I eat this way forever?” If not, it’s not worth trying. Imagine if you stuck to something consistently vs. bouncing back and forth between trends? Where would you be right now?
- Be consistent. Consistency is what matters above all AND it plays nicely into the point I made above. If you’re doing all the things above, do it for longer than a week. Heck, do it longer than a month. Do it every day and stick to it. Remember, you win the week Thursday-Sunday, not Monday-Wednesday.
At Prototype, we follow a Flexible Eating prescription model. This method is simple as it gives you the flexibility to eat foods that you want to eat while educating you on how to fit those into your daily and weekly eating plan. This format has been shown to not only help build incredible and sustainable eating habits but more importantly, get long term results.
After all, we all share the same goal when it comes to fitness and that’s getting results!
Need help with your #Nutrition? Book a Free No Sweat Intro Session to talk about how we can help you! Use the link here!
Inspiration provided by Chris Cooper at Catalystgym.com.