After piling on the pounds over the holidays, panic often hits. We all understand the appeal of a new diet at this time of year, but it’s important not to jump the gun.
What is the Problem with Fad Diets?
The problem is, many popular diets can provoke health problems, long-term weight gain, and unhealthy relationships with food.
Fad Diets Could Be Harmful?
Take the Whole30 diet. This involves cutting all dairy and grains for 30 days and then returning to your usual diet the following month. This type of yo-yoing won’t help you lose weight and could actually cause serious heart problems.
Did you know that the keto diet (low in carbs, high in fats) was originally designed to treat hard-to-control epilepsy in children? Perhaps less surprisingly, research shows it often increases harmful LDL cholesterol levels.
Some people swear by low-carb diets, but “carb phobia” often leads to people not getting the right balance of nutrients to fuel their bodies, and can even be a trigger for some eating disorders.
Intermittent fasting is all the buzz, but any positive results can be easily explained. By shortening your “eating window” it’s inevitable that you won’t be able to eat as much! A more long-term, viable approach that puts less strain on the body is to cut calories while sticking to regular meal times.
What Will Work Then?
The truth is, diets only work if they’re sustainable over time and allow for balance. If a diet tells you to cut an entire food group out, it’s probably not a good idea. You can always cut back on certain types of food to improve your health, but be wary of making sudden drastic changes.
Remember, if a diet sounds too good to be true, it’s too good to be true. A better alternative is to learn how to meal prep healthy options to create a balanced lifestyle that is nutritious, delicious, and sustainable. Buy a cookbook or look online for healthy, balanced recipes. A few of our favorite resources are Clean Eating, EatingWell and EatSmarter.
Whatever food you’re putting in, it’s vital that you’re working out. Get a free consultation with one of our personal trainers and start 2023 on the right foot!