Dieting sucks. Nobody enjoys dieting. Whenever I hear the word “Diet” the first thoughts that come to mind are restriction, fatigue, boring, low energy, and irritability. However for myself personally, my biggest fear when it comes to dieting, is how my performance in the gym is going to suffer as soon as I begin restricting calories and increasing my cardiovascular activity. Or at least this use to be a fear of mine until I learned how to diet correctly.

RULE #1 OF DIETING – Don’t Restrict Too Much, Too Soon

When most people begin to diet, the first thing they usually do is lower their calories. While yes it is true that in order to lose weight you do need to follow somewhat of a calorie restricted diet, you shouldn’t have to resort to such extreme caloric deficits to lose those unwanted pounds.

The first thing I always do when working with a new client on his or her diet plan, is usually start them off with what they feel is an abundance amount of food. In fact, most people who hire me to design their nutritional plans are initially shocked with the amount of food that is on their plan when I first send it to them. They think I made a mistake and remind me that they are trying to lose weight, not gain weight. I tell them there is no mistake however there is a catch. And that catch is that even though they don’t have to consume all the meals that are listed on their daily menu, they do have to consume all of theses meals before they can have a “snack” or have another food option that is not on their plan. Nine times out of ten as soon as this catch has been thrown into the mix, the amount of food that has been incorporated into their plan no longer feels as if it’s “too much”.

But Why?

RULE #2 OF DIETING – STOP SNACKING

In my opinion, based on what I’ve learned from working with the general population for almost two decades with regards to their diet and nutrition, the two most common factors that lead to weight gain besides inactivity, are snacking and lack of portion control. And the two kind of go hand and hand when you really begin to think about it.

I don’t like my clients snacking. I prefer to have them sit down to a small meal that has been portioned out accordingly for their particular goals. And if they don’t have 5 minutes to sit down to a small meal, then I’ll usually turn that small meal into a small shake in which they can just drink while they are at work, driving or walking to an appointment or are in between meetings. Snacking is not controlled. And even if it is controlled (which it rarely is) most people have no idea as to what the macronutrient breakdown or calorie consumption of their little snack is costing them. And even the people that do know and calculate anything and everything on their fancy fitness apps may not actually realize the impact that one small sugary snack can have on the remainder of their day. And why not you might ask? Probably because there’s no app for that…..;^)

RULE #3 OF DIETING – FOLLOW THE PAPER TRAIL

How often do you skip breakfast because you’re just not hungry in the morning? Do you ever start to feel your body crash towards the tail end of the afternoon? And is it a common occurrence for you to crave carbs and sugar in the evening when you are at home resting after a long day of work?

If any of the above eating patterns and energy levels resonate with you, then you are not alone. These are common trends that I see on a regular basis when reviewing new clients’ nutritional logs.

Now do you have to eat as soon as you wake up in the morning? Ofcourse not. But chances are that if you let your body go too long after wakening without fuelling it with something besides caffeine, then you’re setting yourself up for some serious blood sugar drops later on in the day. And then when that blood sugar drops we become tired and irritable and the only way to fix it is to get something quick and fast acting into us right away. Something like a muffin or a cookie, or some other type of sugary pastry at the local Starbucks down the street from the office. I believe that all these factors contribute to the famous mid to late afternoon crash that so many of us have come to accept as a normal daily occurrence.

And now the end of the day is here. You’re home from work. You’re tired, you’re hungry, blood sugar levels are relatively stable from that muffin you consumed a few hours ago, however insulin levels are beginning to spike. Now you need carbs – ALOT OF CARBS!!!. So you snack and you gorge and then you snack some more. You go to sleep feeling full and then you wake up still feeling full and possibly bloated from the night before. And because you’re feeling full you decide to skip breakfast once again.

Now, even though the paper trail has just been exposed the vicious cycle lives to fight another day and continues to repeat itself.

So What Can You Do To Fix This?

Check Out Next Week’s Blog and Find Out……

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance