The Diet Cycle – Maybe you are familiar with it? As Personal Trainers we definitely are.
These are the stages people usually follow:
Start a diet
Over restrict/ Skip Meals/ Cut out anything worth eating
Feel deprived / Bored / Hungry
Start to crave (a meal you actually enjoy)
Over eat – any weight you did lose you put back on again
Feel like rubbish about it and give up the weight loss attempt….And Repeat a few weeks/months later
People spend years of their lives doing this. They never progress past that first few weeks at most. They may lose some weight but put it all back on again quickly.
We have clients lose 10,20,30lb from breaking the diet cycle and choosing a more sustainable way. A new mindset and level of enthusiasm are needed, but this only comes when you see constant progress.
When we started Personal Training in the early 2000’s people struggled with this, and today people STILL struggle with this. Busy lives mean people want the easiest fasted result. And for some reason cutting out food groups seems easier at the time – it just isn’t a sustainable diet.
The diet cycle can be addictive because you get that quick win. Week 1 and 7lb loss on the scale.
People who are in control and happy with their bodies, see constant progress and do not live by the diet cycle. They have a structure that gives them control and it allows them to eat what they want to a degree.
Questions you should ask your self when trying to lose weight are:
What structure am I following?
Do I know my calories?
My carb intake?
Fat intake?
Protein intake?
How many calories do I burn (really important)?
This may seem complex but it is not. It just shows you can’t make it up and hope for a result. Without this information, you are literally walking around in circles. A successful transformation all starts with an easy-to-follow structure.
To combat this you need:
Accountability
Structure
Guidance
Losing weight on your own can be very hard, you end up relying on your mood and your willpower. These are not great things to keep on track. Regular goal setting and progression with your food and exercise is. That way you are always moving towards something, rather than just moving away from “feeling fat”.
Targets you should have to keep everything consistently moving forward are:
Cardio Targets : Example – Running speed/ distance. We use all cardio types when assessing fitness. Bikes, rowers, and treadmills.
Strength Targets: How much weight you are lifting on what exercise.
Scale Target: Weigh-in weekly to make sure you understand how your weight fluctuates and what you need to do to guarantee a loss.
Measurements Targets: How many inches have you lost from your chest, waist, hips and thighs?
When you put this structure in place weight loss is honestly easy and motivation increases. No need for drastic food reduction, diet plans, no need for crazy exercise regimes just solid, consistent progress.
So if you are bored of going round and round the diet cycle, stop it here and get planning a serious, sustainable weight loss attempt.
Speak Soon