Why Diets Don't Work!!!

Every year there's a new one: the Acai Berry Diet, the Hollywood diet and the South Beach Diet are some of hundreds that are out there today.
 
People are always looking to lose weight as quickly as they can with as little work possible and there are people out there who know they can cash in on this.  Americans spend $40 billion a year on dieting books, pills, drinks, anything they think that will help them lose weight easily. What people don't realize is that fad diets don't work! Sure, they work on a short term basis, but longterm, you'll end up at the weight you started at. 

So what exactly is fad dieting? Fad diets are quick fix diet and/or workout programs that promise results that are too good to be true, because they are. Usually fad diets include a strict diet plan that have caloric intakes that are unhealthy. Jackie Warner's Lose 10 Pounds in 10 Days for example, has her readers eating under 1,000 calories each day. No wonder people lose weight, THEY'RE STARVING THEMSELVES! Never should anyone ever eat under 1,200 calories. 1,200 is the bare minimum to healthily maintain your body. And if you workout, you need more than 1,200 calories. 

Another problem with fad dieting is that you usually cut out one of the main food groups. Popular diets cut out carbs. This may come as a shock but, carbs are good for you! Your body needs carbs in order to function properly. The body requires glucose from carbs to help it maintain properly. Carbs also contain fiber, which is important in an everyday, healthy diet. As for the "low-carb" diets, "Clinical studies have shown that for long-term weight loss, low carbohydrate diets fare no better than traditional diets where 50-60% of calories come from carbs" (Ellis).  

Plain and simple: fad diets also don't work! By cutting out necessary nutrients that your body requires, you can end up gaining weight: "If you don't get enough nutrients — which is a major risk when you're going for a quick fix — your brain, and then your body, will, well, insist that you eat" (Sperl). Not only that, but fast weight-loss is not sustainable--"According to a 2006 study reported in The New England Journal of Medicine, most people who participate in weight-loss programs 'regain about one-third of the weight lost during the next year and are typically back to baseline in three to five years'" (Reisner). Because you are eating such little amounts during these diets, when you return to a higher caloric (aka healthy) intake, you're going to gain weight. Eating less then 1,000 calories a day will result in weight loss, but once you go back to eating 1,200-2,000 calories a day, you gain it right back. Also, a lot of fad diets don't result in fat-loss, they result in water-weight loss. The only thing you're really losing is excess water weight. 

Another problem with fad diets is that it can be a gateway into eating disorders. The "professionals" who sell these books and diets tell their readers that it's okay to eat that little. Uneducated readers can think that eating that little is okay for them and even healthy for them. People with eating disorders never eat over 1,000 calories or have a net-worth (total number of calories that have been eaten minus the number that were burned during a workout) over 1,000 calories. To have "professionals" tell readers that it is okay and encourage eating under 1,000 calories is not okay and is very unhealthy physically and mentally. 

Now, I'm about to share the biggest secret to weight-loss and being healthy, *gasp* FOR FREE. Healthy eating + exercise = healthy body AND weight-loss! It truly is as simple as that folks! Cutting out processed foods, fast foods and sodas that contain man-made chemicals and trans-fats that are unhealthy for you will help you lose weight. Adding in a few days of cardio and strength-training, and you will see the results you've always wanted. Want to know the best part about this plan? IT LASTS. By slowly changing your diet to one filled with fruits, veggies and everything else good for you, you will lose about 1-2 pounds a week. Sure, compared to these diets where you can lose three times that in half the time, it may sound discouraging. But healthy weight-loss obtained through a healthy "diet" (and I don't mean diet as in fad diet. I mean as what you eat on a daily basis) has been proven to "lead to sustainable weight loss" (Ladzinski and Kaipainen). The best part of a healthy diet means no restriction. In the healthy diet community, one of their favorite words  is "moderation." You can have whatever you want, as long as it is in moderation. You're allowed to have a piece of cake every other week, or have some pizza one Friday night. As long as you eat it sparingly, you can still eat it.


 
Fad diets are nothing but a scheme created by people who look to take advantage of this "fad wave" and teaching uneducated people unhealthy methods for weight-loss. Sustainable weight-loss is just one of the many benefits of a healthy lifestyle. Live healthy and you're all set. 

How bad do you want it??

Nobody can want it for you, you have to want it for yourself!

Is there something in your life that you would really like to achieve? You have to want it for yourself. No one can do it for you. You can have the best personal trainer, gym, nutritionist, but it basically comes down to one thing...YOU!

You have to have the desire to change and better yourself. Figure out what drives you, what motivates you. Use that fuel as motivation to work hard and accomplish your goals. Everyone has a best body and can achieve it. However, not everyone has the will power to do it. Don't be part of the ladder.

First, start by writing it down. If you write down your goals you are 50% more likely to accomplish them. Next, create a game plan. Write down in small steps how you are going to accomplish this goal. Make sure you cut yourself some slack. Any new goal is going to take time. There will be ups and downs just like a roller coaster, but keep your eye on the prize. Once you reach one of your small goals, celebrate! Allow yourself to feel good about the small steps that you have accomplished. Never reward yourself with food. Go out and purchase a new exercise DVD that you have been wanting or a new outfit to exercise in. Whatever makes you feel good about yourself without sabatoging your end result. Its very important to surround yourself with positive people. There is nothing worse than trying to change your lifestyle and having people around you bashing what you are doing. Be polite, but keep your distance between the negative people. Find other people out there who support what you are doing and spend time with them.

 

Research your goal and how to get there. Spend time on the internet with groups that have common interests. If you have people going through the same things that you are, it makes it easier to handle. SHARE on the support groups as well. Don't sit there with questions that you want answers too, someone out there can help! Don't be afraid! No one is going to think it's a stupid question.

Lastly, share your victories with others. There is nothing like getting kuddos from your friends for reaching a goal! We are all pulling for you and can't wait to see what you have accomplished! You can do anything if you want it bad enough, so make the decision to commit, write it down and get busy!

HOW BAD DO YOU WANT IT?

If you need help achieving your health and fitness goals message me by clicking on this link and together we can put a plan in place to meet your needs and take you to the top!

JUST STOP!!!

Stop It!

As Maria Robinson once said, “Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending.”  Nothing could be closer to the truth.  But before you can begin this process of transformation you have to stop doing the things that have been holding you back.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you.  If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you.  You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot.  Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth.  And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.
2. Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on.  No, it won’t be easy.  There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them.  We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems.  That’s not how we’re made.  In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall.  Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time.  This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.
3. Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself.  Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.  Read The Road Less Traveled.
4. Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too.  Yes, help others; but help yourself too.  If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.
5. Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you likeeveryone else.  Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you.  Don’t change so people will like you.  Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.
6. Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.
7. Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing.  Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success.  You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.
8. Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us.  We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past.  But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future.  Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.
9. Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive.  But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.
10. Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either.  You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.  Read Stumbling on Happiness.
11. Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place.  Evaluate situations and take decisive action.  You cannot change what you refuse to confront.  Making progress involves risk.  Period!  You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.
12. Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises.  Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.
13. Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely.  It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company.  There’s no need to rush.  If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.
14. Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet.  Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you.  But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.
15. Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others are doing better than you.  Concentrate on beating your own records every day.  Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.
16. Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own.  Ask yourself this:  “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”
17. Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you.  You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough.  But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past.  You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation.  So smile!  Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.
18. Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart.  You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate.  Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.”  It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.”  Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself!  And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too.  If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.
19. Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.
20. Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway.  Just do what you know in your heart is right.

Blessed

Looking back over the last year, I can't help but be brought to tears with the way my life has changed! I began my journey with beachbody last April. I bought Insanity because my best friend had done it and had great results. I never imagined what that one purchase would lead to. I never knew that a fitness program could make such an impact on my life! I started insanity and wasn't fully committed. I skipped way too many workouts, ate way too much crap, and didn't have the right mindset. I quit 6 weeks in. I have always been a quitter. When things get hard, I quit. I never knew what it felt like to give something my all and complete it.

 

After quitting insanity the first time, I dabbled in other workouts and continued to eat crap. It wasn't until my Coach Liz Horne contacted me in October about challenge groups that things really started turning around for me. When Liz messaged me that night I saw a spark in her like I had never seen before! She was passionate about this thing she was talking about and I wanted to be a part of it. I really believed this was the thing that would FINALLY help me succeed!! When Liz added me into my first challenge group it all started slowly clicking. I realized that I couldn't continue to eat terrible and expect results. I started drinking shakeology and it completely transformed the way I looked at food. You see, food used to be my comfort. I ran to food when things made me mad, sad, when someone hurt my feelings, when I had a bad day at work, when I had an argument with someone. I let food be that support system instead of having another outlet. Challenge groups and my workouts became that outlet! The girls in the challenge groups became my motivators, my encouragers, and my supporters!

 

Liz approached me halfway through the first challenge about becoming a beachbody coach. Me? A beachbody coach? But I never stuck with anything, I'm a quitter, why did she think I would be good at this? Liz saw something in me that I had not yet seen in myself and for that I am forever grateful! Liz saw that little flicker in me that would eventually turn into a spark and now that spark has turned into a FLAME!! I told her I would think about it. I continued through three more challenge groups before I finally worked up the nerve to take the leap of faith.

 

Once I decided to become a beachbody coach it was like a whole new person emerged. I have found something that pushes me past the limitations I had put on myself. I've learned that new life starts just outside of your comfort zone. I have found something I'm truly passionate about! I can't  describe in words the way the last year has changed my life forever. I just know that if I could meet the girl I was a year ago, I wouldn't recognize her. She was negative; I am positive. She was a quitter; I am a go-getter. She was unhealthy and unhappy; I am healthy and happy! She was miserable in her skin; I am finally becoming happy with myself. She held herself back from amazing opportunities; I jump at new opportunities! I could go on and on with the ways I have changed in the last year, but I can't find all the words. If you're ready to change your life forever, now is the time! Don't waste another day unhappy and miserable with the way your life has turned out. You choose the life you live! Make the choice to take your life back and make it YOURS! My best days are not behind me, they're in from of me, and I can't wait to see what is in store!!