Get off the diet train

If your goal is weight loss, let’s talk about getting off the diet train and not focusing on quick fixes.

There are so many fad diets out on the market today, from Keto to Whole 30 to a variety of plans where entire food groups are eliminated. The key is to not starve yourself, which negatively impacts your metabolism as you’re trying to lose weight. For example, if you’re using MyFitnessPal and your goal is weight loss, the app will automatically set your calories to 1,200, which is not enough for the average person. Eating enough is so important! It may sound counter-intuitive, but you actually need to eat enough to lose weight, otherwise your metabolism suffers.

That means don’t eat until you’re overly full. Don’t eat until you’re still hungry. It’s really being intuitive and self-aware of when you eat, how it impacts you, and how it makes you feel. You want to target 80% to 90% full. I talk a lot about macros — protein, carbohydrates and fats — and that’s because it’s really important to eat a variety of foods. No foods are off limits. It’s all about portion control and I know it’s not sexy or a quick fix. You want to lose weight slowly because that means it’s most likely fat and will most likely stay off. When you lose weight quickly, it’s typically water weight. For example, if you’re on Keto and you cut your carbs, carbs retain water so if you cut your carbs, you will drop weight. But that’s most likely water weight. One pound is 3,500 calories so unless you’re creating a deficit, or you’re eating over that amount, that is how you gain and lose weight. It’s not a big secret and it’s not magic. It’s calories in versus calories out. You have to create a deficit in some way whether that’s through your food or through workouts. You want to do a combination and something that’s sustainable.

Have you tried quick fixes? Have they worked? And then what happens when you go off of them? I know for most people, you typically gain the weight back, which is what you don’t want. So get off the diet train and focus on eating whole, unprocessed foods, getting the right amount of nutrients, fiber, protein, carbohydrates and fats.