It is summer time and many people are starting to lean out. For some, it’s a yearly ritual and for others it may be the first time they are attempting to lose weight. Either way, fad diets don’t work.
Dieting can be tough, regardless of how you do it. Eventually when you start watching what you eat and training for your fitness goals, you will more than likely hit a period of time that will test your willpower. Everyone knows this and this is why most people fall off. Those who stick it out though are usually the ones who developed a flexible plan that they can stick to and make a life style.
Fad Diets = Failure
In reality, most diets simply set you up for failure from the start as they’re not maintainable for life. These diets are almost always fad diets. Fad diets are not sustainable. On top of that you’re never taught to be self sufficient – it’s always follow this or that as opposed learning anything really useful that will help you for the rest of your life.
One of these two things typically occur during a diet:
- You follow whatever fad is popular at the moment chasing a quick fix, and you lose 5-10 pounds. You then go back to your normal habits and lifestyle, and all the weight and more comes back.
- The diet itself is simply not maintainable from the start so you give up in frustration and move on to the next fad in an effort and hope to someday have “success”.
No matter which scenario happens, things ultimately have the same outcome. You throw your hands up in frustration and defeat and give up. You assume you are just meant to be this way. After all nothing works and you have tried “everything”
Think long-term – not just this week or month, not 5 or 10 pounds. What can you realistically adhere to? What fits your individual personal preferences, schedule, and lifestyle? After all those 3 factors dictate long term adherence and consistency.
The majority of people will follow a FAD as opposed to be FLEXIBLE.
Let’s compare the two.
FAD DIETS
- Rigid
- Restrictive
- Unmaintainable
- Antisocial
- No Balance
- Unrealistic
FLEXIBLE DIETS
- Free
- Structured
- Maintainable
- Social
- Balanced
- Realistic
You will always fail when you attempt to fit your life into a plan as it does nothing more than box you in. You’re more likely to have lasting success by fitting the plan into your life and the best way to make that happen is to base things around your individual personal preferences, schedule and lifestyle.
Flexibility over fads if you want to lose fat, and not lose your sanity.
Blake Bernstein, Resilient Personal Trainer