Why I HATE Low Calorie Diets…
LOW CALORIES DIETS….. WHERE SHOULD I START…. find out here.?
I have worked with and continue to work with soo many people who have taken the low calorie diet approach in the past and NEVER got any LONG term results. READ ON TO FIND OUT WHY……..
I have to start by saying that a calorie is not just a calorie! A lot of people think that tracking calories and keeping them low will make them lose weight and look good. They couldn’t be more wrong!!
100 calories from a packet of crisps doesn’t come close to the nutritional benefits of 100 calories from leafy green vegetables.
People tend to take a black and white approach/view at everything these days. With calories they either believe they matter or they don’t. When in reality there is this big grey area where calories matter but they are not the only thing to concentrate on.
People following low calories or shake diets, such as Slimming World, Weight Watchers, Herbalife, Juiceplus etc…. Will see results short term, maybe for 2/3 months but then they will hit what is called a plateau. Then what will your approach be? Reduce calories more? Do more cardio? Or give up which is what 80% of people do. After 6 months you will have put the weight you lost back on, WHY because you diet was too restrictive and making you feel hungry and tired due to the lack of nutrition. Then you head back to Slimming World, Weight Watchers etc because you think it worked and blame yourself for giving up too easily, when in truth it never worked.
If you are going to track calories and take that approach towards weight loss ALWAYS start with your calories as high as you can. Once you plateau it gives you room to reduce your calories slightly. Going all out and just hitting 1000/1200 calories from the beginning is just setting you up to fail! AND before looking at reducing calories you should look at just changing what you are eating rather than thinking calories is everything. Really concentrate on eating foods which have a nutritional benefit rather than how many calories it says on the packet.
YES Calories matter, BUT I would recommend you spend more time concentrating on the following:
1) Sleep – 6-8hrs per night as a guide
2) Quality of Food – Focus on eating foods (calories) that have a nutritional benefit
3) Hydration – Stay hydrated throughout the day. 1 litre of water per 20kg of body weight per day
4) Stress – focus more of your energy on how you can reduce the stress in your life
Your first goal from your diet should ALWAYS be HEALTH. Getting enough quality nutrition from the likes of leafy green vegetables, animal protein, healthy fats will have you feeling fuller, more satisfied, give you more energy AND as an all important bonus having your losing those unwanted pounds and looking great.
So if you’re going to spend some time looking at the packaging of a food for something take a look at the ingredients rather than the calorie content. Try to pick foods with just whole ingredients.
TAKE HOME MESSAGE – Quality of Food comes well before the amount of calories in food. If you are really wanting to lose weight and keep it off long term a low calorie diet is not the answer, take a healthy approach to your diet and always make sure your diet is sustainable.
If you enjoyed this post, I’d be very grateful if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook. Thank You!
—Chris ‘Say No To Low Calories’ Morris
P.S Today I tried sauerkraut for the first time as I have recently learned of its awesome health benefits. Post coming very soon on this…
