Restrict Restrictive Diets!

Alexis Cumetti,

Manager, Delson store

Naturopath

Have you tried the latest extreme fad diet? You shouldn’t!

 Short-term victories attained with this type of eating are always followed with a rebound in weight due to muscle loss. Whether we want it or not, our hormones will kick in to bring our body back to its Status Quo. But worse, the increase in stress hormones caused by the excessive lack of calories is very destructive and will make you want to eat, and eat… and then eat again and again

 Don’t forget that your body and hormones are programmed to fight extreme diets by increasing your appetite and slowing down your metabolism when you drop your calories too far.

 This is 100% not good! Because as your caloric intake bounces up and down, your metabolism also suffers a dangerous series of ups and downs.

 The final result of these fluctuations is the gaining of fat (often more than what was before the diet), changes in mood, cravings, loss of precious muscle tissue and finally – a damaged metabolism.

This kind of caloric limitation will effectively damage your hormonal balance and metabolism. The worst part: the repeated gain and loss in fat is linked with cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes and impaired immune function. A fat loss program that comprises muscle loss while you lose fat will only accelerate the process of your body ageing. Obviously, you don’t want that!

The solution to lose fat and not to regain it

The right way to lose fat is instead, fat loss and muscle preservation. A healthy, long-term solution would be to avoid severe caloric restriction or fad diet approaches. Slow and steady!

Routine: Of Primary Importance

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. This popular proverb indicates that apples are good for our health, and highlights the importance of eating them regularly.

Often, the message people take away from this expression is to eat more apples. But the more important message to take away is to regularly eat nutritious foods. The term “Changing lifestyle” means that the changes made are those that can be followed for the individual’s entire life, in an everyday manner. Implementing a lifestyle change implies that a routine is changed and habits are formed. A healthy lifestyle encompasses the regular consumption of healthy foods frequent physical activity and good sleep every night.

Of course, there exists many ways one can form their routine. One of the best consists of developing a structure fitting your schedule that would make it such that the fewest decisions need to be taken. Why? Because when presented with a choice, individuals largely choose the simplest, quickest or easiest option. Unfortunately, these choices will often conflict with health recommendations.

The success of meal replacements as an aid to fat loss illustrates to what point a reduction in number of decisions to make by an individual can lead to better health.

Another approach consists of planning what barriers that would get in your way before confronting them. Strategies like preparing meals in advance, preparing breakfast rather than buying it, planning an exercise class or a time to work out with a friend, etc. All of these can help pull you from decision-making in your day.

Be Realistic

It’s important to be realistic. Anticipate unforeseen situations and find alternatives. For example, vacations can completely disrupt your routine, which will make it less likely for you to follow your good habits. In this case, it’s important to determine how your routine will be reestablished when you come back.

Routines take time to implement. Adding too many changes at once will probably difficult to maintain and you can relapse of behavior. So, establish new behaviours little by little!

To your success,

Alexis