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"Ask the Trainer": Fad Diets

Uncategorized Mar 30, 2023
 

Welcome to our new "ask the trainer" series! We've found that it can be difficult to sort through all the information on the internet to get a straight answer about health and fitness, so we wanted to give our clients and social media followers an invitation to ask about topics that matter to them!

Today's post is by our Fitness Consultant Konner:

I recently had a conversation with one of our clients, Sherry, where we were talking about how confusing it can be trying to eat healthy when it seems there's a million different ways to go about it. She mentioned that many of her friends are always trying these new diets, and that she was also tempted by them at times. We thought this would be a perfect topic to start off this series, as fad diets have become an overwhelmingly popular nutrition practice in recent years.

First, what is a "fad diet"? Fad diets are nutrition guidelines that promise a quick and easy path to weight loss. There are a few characteristics of diets in general, and fad diets almost always follow these rules.

1. Restriction or elimination of certain food groups. The most common examples of this are keto or paleo, which severely restrict/eliminate certain carbohydrates.

2. Calorie restriction. In tandem with eliminating certain foods, fad diets promote low caloric intake. This can come in many forms besides "eat less", such as intermittent fasting, which doesn't allow for any food during a certain time of day.

3. "Magic" food combinations. You've probably heard that drinking a shot of apple cider vinegar with a certain pill can cause drastic weight loss. A common thread found in most fad diets is that they take some small aspect of nutrition, sometimes only supported by a couple studies or a few testimonials, and magnify it. They promise that this one specific, previously unheard-of method is the solution to all your problems.

Now that we've defined what a fad diet is, why are they so tempting? There are a few reasons, starting with the most general...They provide a solution. If you're looking into these types of diets, you probably aren't happy with your current nutrition/health. So when this new diet comes along that promises to easily fix all your problems, you'll obviously be drawn to it. Along with that, the general population doesn't have a good understanding of nutrition. So, when people see this new idea that has some really "in-depth" science or amazing testimonials, they aren't able to decipher which ones are telling the truth. Lastly, our society has become dependent on quick-fixes. Health and wellness is one of the biggest examples of how this has had an impact. We're always looking for whatever's going to give us results the fastest, with the least amount of work. Fad diet promoters take advantage of this and suggest unrealistic results to get people to sign up.

Why don't fad diets work? The quick-fix mentality I just mentioned is one reason. Human physiology isn't flexible. It's very stubborn. Any change to its current state is met with resistance, and it takes a lot of time to overcome that resistance. So when you start a major change like restricting calories, your body doesn't think "Awesome! Just in time to get ready for the beach!" It thinks, "We're starving." This starts a cascade of negative side effects meant to protect you from starving to death that physically and psychologically force you to stop that diet. And, even if you're able to stick with the diet through it's completion, your body hasn't had enough time to actually adapt and change. Mentally, you also haven't had enough time to learn much and/or form habits. So you go right back to what you did before the diet and gain all the weight back (and possibly more than before the diet). Then it's on to the next fad. To actually make changes that will last, you need to form habits and allow your body time to adjust to the changes. This can take much longer than you want, but it will last much longer as well.

The other main reason they don't work is that they pick out one part of nutrition and base everything completely around that. Take a keto diet, for instance. The theory is that if you restrict carbs, your body will make energy from your fat stores in the form of ketones. However, that's far too simplistic. How many calories are you eating? Are you getting enough protein? How much fat do you eat? What types of carbs are you allowed (fruits/veggies)? Are you exercising enough to burn fat stores? Where is your brain getting glucose for energy (probably your muscles)? To actually reach ketosis, it's not as simple as "just don't eat carbs". However, most people don't have the knowledge/time/willpower to keep track of all of these factors for more than a couple weeks. So what ends up happening is they fall off the diet, beat themselves up over it, and then search for the next fad. It becomes an endless cycle of weight yo-yoing and poor mental health. 

What should you do instead? SIMPLIFY. To start, just make sure to get equal parts protein/starchy carbs/fibrous carbs in each of your meals. Track what you eat. Change one habit you know to be detrimental. You can't change everything overnight, so don't try. Just make small changes one at a time, and before you know it you'll be much better off physically and mentally. With these changes, you'll also set yourself up for a lifetime of success by building correct habits and reinforcing them continually. That way, you won't have to fall into that weight/nutrition rollercoaster cycle. It'll be routine, just like brushing your teeth!

If you aren't sure where to start or need some help with staying accountable, we're here to help! You can find a form for a Complimentary Introductory Session and Consultation right here on our website, or you can give us a call at 608-518-3242.

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