The Simple Truth Why Diets Do Not Work

If you’re feeling frustrated with your diet and you’re not seeing the results you want (or you are struggling to stick to a strict regime) don’t worry: I can assure you that you are not alone. Thousands of people embark on diets with high hopes only to, unfortunately, fall back into unhealthy habits just weeks later.

If you have ever wanted to know why your diet is not working you have come to the right place. Here are a few tips to keep you informed and enthusiastic about healthy living.

Let’s begin.

The Importance of Good Eating Habits

Healthy eating is going to make you happier, better looking and will often contribute to a prolonged life. Unfortunately, despite the obvious benefits of healthy eating many chose to ignore the signs and live an unhealthy lifestyle.

Even when people actively attempt to change the ways they often fall short, lose sight of their goals and return to eating badly. We all know that eating healthier is better for our bodies and minds. So why are people failing?

Tailoring your Diet

As a personal trainer, I have been fortunate enough to be involved with the exercise regimes and diet planning of many people. Throughout the years I have heard people say, “I have tried all diets, but none of them have helped me lose weight”. I have found the people who say this do not want to listen to their bodies. They would rather close their eyes and follow a random diet and see what’s going to happen. This is not a good attitude to dieting!

Recent studies conducted show that a Ketogenic diet had a greater result than a moderate Carbohydrate diet for Diabetics. It was a 12-month long study and all the people who were on Ketogenic diets vs Moderate Carb diets lost weight and some of them even stopped their medication. The test produced some fantastic results.

Guaranteed fat loss and improved health, yes, but that doesn’t mean that it is going to work for you. Can you stop eating sugar and grains?

If the answer is ‘no’ or even ‘I don’t know’ then the Keto diet is probably not for you.

However, if you take a considered approach to your diet and implement certain segments of the Keto program in your diet it could bring positive benefits.

A similar situation has been seen in relation to vegetarians. Recent studies conducted in Taiwan have shown that Vegetarian diets have provided a protective role against the risk of breast cancer. Whilst meat and processed meat dietary patterns have been associated with a higher breast cancer risk.

That sounds amazing and will probably make you want to quit meat. Making a dietary choice like that comes with a lot of pressing questions.

• Can you quit eating meat and fish forever?


• Can you become vegetarian permanently?

So, what to do?

What is the right diet?

Let Your Metabolism Decide

We often hear people bragging about their metabolism, some people have “slow” and some have “fast” metabolism. But most of these people don’t even know what really constitutes their metabolism.

Recently I came across an interesting doctor specializes in human metabolism – Dr. Jade Teta. I love the way he explains metabolism - like a thermostat. In other words, if you are going to try to push your metabolism and achieve extreme fat loss (reduce calories to the max. and train insanely), your metabolism is not going to be happy and will push against you to bring you back to homeostasis.

Indeed, this is often the case with people who pursue quick and purely aesthetic changes to their body. A ‘quick fix’, whilst desirable, is less impressive and sustainable than a long-term change to a healthy lifestyle.

What you need to find is a diet that works for you - not the diet in the magazine, or the diet your friend is on - but what could work for YOU.

If you keep an enthusiastic and experimental attitude when pursuing the ideal diet, you will eventually find your way.

What You Might Not Know About Your Hormones!

If you want to change your body composition two things are required:

1. getting your calories under control and


2. finding a hormonal balance.

When I say ‘calories under control’, I mean a caloric deficit for fat loss and caloric surplus for mass gain plus the right macros in both cases.

When we are talking about hormones, unfortunately, there is no formula that defines which hormonal ratios are required for fat loss or mass gain. This is because we are all unique.

The first sign that your body is not happy and metabolism are not in balance should be obvious. If you are experiencing frequent cravings, low energy levels, a frustrating level of hunger or bad sleeping patterns this is a tell-tale sign that your body is not balanced.

Dr. Jade Teta’s advice is key. You must sort out your hormonal balance first , and then slowly adjust your calories. This is a great way to focus your diet and your healthy lifestyle!

What WILL Work for You in the Long Run?

Finding out what works for you is not that hard. But it does involve some research and experimenting.

One of the biggest mistakes that beginners make is jumping into extreme diets and training hard on Monday, leaving nothing for the rest of the week. Stop doing that! Listen to your body!

Being conscious of the changes your body goes through is key to designing the best diet possible. Start with small changes and see how your body and mind are reacting.

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Sometimes the answer is to stay in bed for an extra couple of hours instead of going to the gym. If your body and mind are exhausted already that extra hour in the gym is going to stress your body even more and your metabolism is going to push against you and prevent you from achieving that desirable fat loss.

Having crazy cravings does not mean that you are going in the right direction - hunger is not equal to long-term fat loss. Hunger is a sign that something is not right with the diet.

You don’t have to be hungry and moody, day in day out, to reach desirable results. Be kind to your body and mind and you will be rewarded.

Conclusion

It is important to keep the Strength Sensei Charles Poliquin’s words in mind when embarking on a dietary journey. Choosing the right diet is an intensely individual experience, it doesn’t have to be overly strict and it shouldn’t be tiresome.

Hopefully, some of these tips will kickstart a renewed willingness to stay healthy and listen to your body!

Author Bio: Justina Triasovaite