Have you started your January 1st diet yet?

Crash Diet Vs. Eating Healthy

It can be a difficult task to figure out what diet works best for you and your body. The answer is, NO DIET is the best diet! The key to OBTAINING and MAINTAINING the body you want is by eating clean and healthy meals and eating treats in moderation! No fancy diets, fads, or shakes, just clean wholesome food! Crash dieting can help an individual lose the weight they are looking for, but it will not allow them to maintain the weight loss and is extremely unhealthy. How can you tell if a new diet is a fad or crash diet? Those diets typically promise quick weight loss, the diet is extremely restrictive, and it is not backed up by research. If any new diet resembles those factors, do not follow it! Food is fuel and a major misconception with loosing weight is that people must restrict calories. This is only true in a small sense. Yes, you must reduce your caloric intake and ensure calories in (the amount of calories consumed) do not exceed calories out (the amount of calories burned), however that does not mean starve yourself for days or weeks on end then “treat” yourself with a very high caloric meal here and there. Crash diets tend to involve unhealthy food restrictions without making actual life-style changes like implementing weightlifting, cardio, or any form of exercising. When in reality, the best weight loss plan is based on a well-rounded diet that focuses on lean proteins, non-starchy vegetables and fruits, whole grains and low-fat dairy while limiting your intake of foods high in saturated fat and sugar.

Examples of Clean Healthy Food

Lean Protein: Chicken, Lean Ground Beef, Beans & Lentils, Eggs, TofuNon-Starchy Vegetables and fruits: Artichoke, Asparagus, Brussel Sprouts, Broccoli, Cabbage, Cauliflower, Eggplant, Mushrooms, Peppers, Squash
Whole Grains: Quinoa, Brown Rice, Buckwheat, Rolled OatsLow-Fat Dairy: Fat free milk, low fat yogurt, Cottage Cheese

However, changing your diet is only part of the process, you must implement some form of exercising as well! The harder you exercise or workout the more calories you burn, which leads to quicker weight loss. Once your metabolism starts to speed up then you can slowly add in more calories! Starting off slow and getting 2-3 workouts a week in to establish a good base, habits and aviod early burnout is the best way to start a workout plan. After achieving some consistency workout 4-5 times a week for 45 min to an hour every time. Focus on HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) training and strength training to help burn the maximum number of calories! Some great tips to help ensure you will lose weight and maintain a healthy lifestyle includes portioning out your meals ahead of time, record meals in an app (MyFitness Pal) to keep yourself accountable, avoid beverages with sugar content, limit eating out, avoid yo-yo dieting, be cautious who you obtain your weight loss information from, and most importantly, DO NOT SKIP MEALS. There is no quick fix to weight loss, it is all about finding balance and creating healthy habits!