One of the first things we ask a client interested in starting a nutrition program with us is what diet plans have you tried in the past and what has worked or hasn’t worked. We ask this because there are many different diet plans out there. Many boil down to the same concept.
You need to take in less calories than you are burning.
But why do diets not work in the long-term? There is a lot of research to show that many people who lose weight have a hard time keeping it off in the long-term. Many people regain the weight they lost (and sometimes more).
A lot of work has been done to figure out why and it seems to come down to two things: one is if you’re too rigid and the second is if you are thinking too short-term.
Let’s deep dive into these
Being TOO Rigid.
I ask people one question when they tell me about their diet regimen. That question is, can you see yourself doing this forever? The reason I ask that question is that when we are too rigid, we tend to have a pass/fail approach to nutrition. Having one cookie means that you have failed on your diet so you might as well eat 10 more (sound familiar?)
When you’re too rigid with your diet you feel like you’re suffering to lose weight. There are going to be cravings and a bit of hunger especially when you start a new nutrition plan. That’s normal. But when you are told that you CAN’T eat certain foods we get into trouble. The reason why is as soon as I tell you you can’t eat candy, you want candy!
Taking on some moderation helps. Going by the 80-20 rule and allowing yourself off meals or free meals helps with the psychology of dieting. The mental aspect of dieting can be harder than the physical meals!
Thinking too Short Term
The second way a diet can go off-track is thinking too much in the short-term. This can be the problem with the 30-day challenges. If our mindset is, okay I’m doing this challenge for 30 days, then we think AFTER the 30 days, we’re binging. We can reverse all of the hard work we have done leading up to that time.
Nutrition really is a long-term strategy. I always compare it to our blood pressure. If our blood pressure is high and we need to go on medications, we take that medication every day. If we take it every day our blood pressure is controlled. If we stop taking it, our blood pressure spikes up again. The same is true for diet or exercise. When we eat well, we recover better, sleep better and just overall feel better. If we stop eating well, we lose those benefits.
So finding a healthy balance and nutrition plan that works and you feel you can stick too is the key.
Mindset is hugely important in nutrition. Often times when I talk to my clients, that is what we need to work on. Especially for women (but also for men), we invest a lot of time in dieting. We are too skinny, too fat, hips are too wide, legs are too small. Working on the mindset aspect of nutrition takes a lot of work. But when you get there
