F Fad Diets

One of my “guilty” pleasures is Pinterest.  I absolutely love it!  I haven’t been on in quite a few months but tonight I decided to log on while I was waiting for my Paleo chocolate zucchini bread to finish baking (yum!) I was scrolling down the page on the news feed, looking at pictures, funny memes, inspirational quotes and then BAM a caption that caught my eye and not in a good way.  The title of the post was “How to Naturally Lose 10 Pounds in 2 Weeks” I’m sorry but 1. That’s BULLSHIT 2. That is so unhealthy for your body and 3. If anyone does believe that crap, they won’t be able to maintain that weight loss for more than a few days; that’s if they get that far.  Anything that promises a quick fix never works.  If that wasn’t bad enough I then saw another caption that read, “7 Day 1,000 Calorie Meal Plan.”  Okay, some people may need to eat 1,000 calories a day due to their height, weight or metabolism BUT no one should ever just assume they need to only eat 1,000 calories unless directed by a doctor or nutritionist.  If you’ve ever tried one of these fad diets, juice cleanses etc. guess what?  You got punk’d but the good news is, you aren’t alone.

I believed in these taboo traps for a long time and it got me nowhere.  Not only was I tired, hungry, and cranky but I still hated my body.  I would follow the “diet” for a week or so and then be so fed up and ravenous that I would binge eat.  No joke, I ate an entire package of Chips Ahoy cookies in one night.  I felt disgusted by myself.  I cried for hours and hours afterwards.  I punished myself the next few days by running on the treadmill for 90 minutes in full sweats just so I could pretend that never happened.  I felt pathetic and yet again, I was back at square one.  The creators of these fad diets know that people can’t follow them so they already have a guarantee you’re going to buy it again, another cleanse, another fat loss pill, another lettuce only diet. 

It all changed for me when I stopped buying into this bogus advice and started eating and working out for ME!  I wrote an article a few weeks back about how much damage I had done to my body over the years from 1. Not eating enough 2. Yo-yo dieting and 3. Over-exercising.  It’s incredible how smart the human body is and guess what?!  It will tell you just what you need!  And NO it doesn’t need another pill or 100 calorie meal plan.  It needs NUTRIENTS.  Your body needs macro-nutrients (carbs, fats and proteins) for energy and it needs all the micro-nutrients (vitamins and minerals) for bodily functions.  Without both of these your body is going to be out of whack. 

I tried for a long time to be my own solution but after coming out of a small relapse with my Anorexia this past fall and dealing with unknown territory, Adrenal Gland Fatigue, I decided I needed help.  I did some research and found an amazing sports nutritionist.  I’m going to call him Magic Mike, not for his dance moves but for his knowledge in nutrition, specifically Adrenal Gland Fatigue.  I was beside myself.  I thought I was doing all the right things for my body.  I was exercising 7 days a week, doing cardio for 30-40 mins every day after lifting, eating a low carb high protein diet but I wasn’t.  I was just adding more fuel to the fire.  I’ve been working with Magic Mike for about 2 months now and I have never felt this good!  My strength is increasing, my body composition is changing (less body fat and more muscle mass), I’m sleeping better, and I’m eating more than I have in well…forever!  My point?  Stop believing in quick fixes because they don’t work.  Listening to your body, eating the RIGHT types of foods, and learning to love yourself are the keys to not only health and wellness but HAPPINESS as well.  I know it can be overwhelming and if you’re anything like me you want to see results like, meow but consistency and being patient with yourself will give you the long, lasting results you want!  Health is a lifestyle NOT a fad diet.  Stay strong and lift on!  Oh and eat your macro and micro-nutrients :)