As a Massage Therapist and Personal Trainer, you hear of every diet under the sun.
There are so many fad diets out there. It is hard to choose what works for you. The 1 fundamental key to any diet is commitment. This is the foundation for success. Every diet works but not every diet is sustainable.
Those that commit to a high protein diet with little carbs will eventually burn out and cave. The reason why is because Carbs are the gasoline that runs the engine of your body and the body will force you to eat them. Without Carbohydrates, you run out of gas. Protein is not a fuel source, It's a rebuilding source. It is used when your muscles breakdown from activity, activity that is driven by Glucose.
Glucose is used for muscle activity. With every use, you burn that glycogen and without carbs, you can not replenish it. This is what makes you tired on high Protein diets. The lack of replenishing your glycolitic system. A high protein is not sustainable. It works well short term but you must have a plan to change to carbs and exercise once you lose your weight.
Fasting or intermittent fasting
I have always been a big fan of fasting. After all, it is biblical. Fasting is used in various ways. a 3-5 day full fast is said to rebuild your immune system and should be done 1-2 times through out the year.
It's a great reset for the body, to flush out all the junk we put into it. There are a few parameters you must understand on a full fast.
Yes you can have black coffee and water.
You must stop all vitamins. They break your fast.
Intermittent Fasting
If you are following the actual protocol for Intermittent Fasting: it is only 2 non-consecutive days a week, where you limit your calories. (500 for women/ 800 men). Most people also get the time frames wrong as well. Shocker!!!
For it to be affective and help your body, You must eat first thing in the morning (Break----Fast....ding! ding! ding!) and stop by 4pm. This allows the body to digest the food before you go to sleep.
Now why is this important?
Eating late at night interferes with your sleep cycle. Your body recovers and repairs itself from activity while you sleep. If your body is digesting food while you sleep, your body is still active during this time and inhibits sleep and recovery. You will find that stopping all food and drink at 4pm will help all of your health numbers get better, not to mention the weight loss. The AMA did a study on which time frame works best and this one is it. The other time frames did nothing to help people numbers.
This is a more sustainable diet then the high protein diets.
Ultimately a diet needs to have the focus of a lifestyle change. If weight loss is your only goal, you will fail long term. A lifestyle change should be the goal.
Keys:
40% carbs, 30% fats , 30% protein.
Stop eating and drinking by 5pm. I always say eat what you want until then.
Don't eat all the food on your plate.
Eat something every 2-3 hours. Timing your meals and snacks has a bigger bearing on health and weight loss than the food you eat. Try your best to eat at the same time every day. Consistency is key.
As my Wife says, eat a vegetable. They are low calorie, high density foods. Focus on fiber and you will always be full.
Diets do not have to be complicated.
You just need some basic structure.
***Also, alcohol turns to sugar in your system no matter how much you try to fool yourself. There is no healthy alcohol and there is no faster way to derail your fitness and health. Again this is for another post.
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