I’m just going to come out and say it – Dieting Sucks! Most of us have followed some type of diet plan in our lifetime or at least know of a friend or family member who went on one themselves. In all of my years of working in the health and fitness industry I’ve never once heard someone tell me that dieting is fun. How can they? I mean for the most part you walk around all day in calorie deficit, eating bland and boring foods and spend the majority of your waking hours fighting cravings and counting down the days until the diet is over or at least until your next scheduled “cheat meal”. Your energy levels are low due to a lack of calories, your not thinking as clearly due to a decrease in healthy fats, and you feel irritable and cranky due to your fluctuating insulin levels caused by a reduction in carbohydrates. You follow a set meal plan, along with controlled portion sizes and the majority of the food you consume cannot be found in restaurants or cafes so your social life begins to suffer. It’s almost as if you’ve become a prisoner within your own body and you can’t or are not allowing yourself to do anything about it.

So why do we diet then? Is it really necessary to deprive ourselves from life’s little joys and suffer through weeks and months of discomfort so that we can reach a specific dress size or target weight loss goal on the scale? If you had asked me this question 5 years ago, I would have said “Yes! Suck it Up”. However now that I’m a little bit older and more informed on overall health and nutrition my answer has changed. In fact it’s completely different. My answer to clients now when it comes to dieting is simple – “Don’t Diet.”

Wait a minute, did a Personal Trainer/Fitness Competitor just tell you not to diet? You bet I did! In my experience with working with the general population, numerous competitive athletes along with following dozens of diet plans myself over the years is that diets just don’t work. Yes, you need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. No, it’s doesn’t have to be at extreme low levels. Yes, you have to burn more calories then you consume if you want to lose body fat at a consistent pace. No, that doesn’t mean that you have to spend your life on the treadmill or stairclimber. Yes it’s true you probably can’t consume burgers and ice cream everyday if you want to lose weight. No, that doesn’t mean that you have to eliminate these foods altogether. Yes, the IIFYM Diet technically can work well for many people. No, I will never promote this particular diet plan to any client if the premises continues to promote unhealthy eating habits which can lead to numerous health issues in years to come such as obesity and heart disease. So what exactly am I saying then?

If you’ve ever seriously followed a restrictive diet plan or have seen someone follow a controlled meal plan religiously then most likely I would assume that you and/or they received some fairly decent results with your/their physique. Perhaps the goal was to lose weight, or build muscle or a combination of the two. And perhaps that goal was achieved. However achieving the goal is only half the battle, maintaining the goal wins the fight. By this I mean, how many times have you yourself lost a significant amount of weight with a combination of exercise and diet only to put that weight back on and sometimes even more some once the plan and/or goal has been completed? I’ve honestly witnessed dozens of people over the years transform their physiques and look absolutely amazing for a few weeks or even sometimes a few months only to lose those very same results in a short period of time. Why is this though? Why would we work so hard to achieve something that at first seem almost unattainable only to throw it all away in a few shorts months of gluttony and inactivity? This is simple. The person has burnt out, relapsed and has returned to their poor eating habits and inactive lifestyle. For this reason I believe that diets that are too restrictive and extreme are in fact dangerous and self destructive.

So what should you do if you want to make changes to your physique for the better? My recommendation is that you first sit down and take a look at your current diet plan. To do this I suggesting starting a food journal and keep track of absolutely every little thing that you eat and drink for a 3-4 day time period. If you don’t measure out your portions or weigh your food then just try to approximate your serving sizes. Also make sure to record the time of day that you consume each meal/snack to have a better idea of your eating patterns. Do you typically eat more in the morning or in the evening? What time of day do you tend to crave sugar the most? These are the types of questions I ask clients who hire me to assist them with designing their own nutritional plans. One size fits all programs don’t work when it comes to nutrition or even for training for that matter, which is why the questions are in place.

I’m not one to ever make promises to people that I can’t keep. I will however promise you this: Should you decide to follow a generic Weight Loss/Diet plan that you find online or that a friend or family member experienced good results with you too will most likely achieve some results. However generally speaking these diet plans are not attainable for life and therefore the results you receive you most likely will not be able to retain in the long term. I don’t know about you but there’s no chance that I’m going to sacrifice my quality of life and my love for good food for a body that I can’t even enjoy because I feel so depleted and miserable on the inside. Find a formula that works for you! This may take a month it may take a year but you will find it. If you need help with your diet then enlist in the services of a fitness professional. I personally coach and work with dozens of athletes and regular people online with their nutritional plans. Once you have a formula in place that allows you to continue to eat well, enjoy your food, and have lots of energy all while achieving and maintaining the physique you want, the rest is easy.

It’s important to try and establish a healthy relationship with food. Try not to use food as a reward or to fill some kind of emotional void. Remember food is fuel for your body. It is essential for survival. It’s also essential that you enjoy your food so that you can enjoy your life. After all you only live once, do you really want to spend the majority of your life dieting?

Cause I don’t!

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove