Can I eat carbs with fats if I am dieting?
Which fats are better, monounsaturated fats or polyunsaturated fats?
Is it true that I shouldn’t eat after 7 pm?
How much protein do I have to eat to lose weight?
I get one of these questions at least once a day over at www.grrlathlete.com. When it comes to dieting, people are just plain confused. And no wonder, if you search “dieting” on amazon.com you will find that there is over 14,000 books available on dieting. Each with their own set of rules and gimmicks.
In last Friday’s health section of the Toronto Star, Megan Ogilvie wrote a very interesting article about the amount of diets that are out there.
According to the article, Megan has been on 55 diets in the last 56 weeks. She has had varying degrees of success with each diet. According to Megan, the key problem with diets is that “Unless you are an expert in nutrition you could easily fall for a diet fallacy”.
So true .
Megan then goes on to say that, “diets that promote health weight loss- and prescribe it in a healthy way are the minority in this mega-business”.
Again, very true.
The fundamental “problem” with diets is that they all work in theory. Anytime you lower your calorie intake below your daily need, you will lose weight. And, we know from previous research that if you are lifting weights while on ANY of these diets you will not lose any muscle mass.
Therefore, the very best diet for you is the one that fits your lifestyle and that you can stay on for an extended period.The more limited the diet is, and the more crazy rules you have to follow, the more likely you are to fail.With this in mind, here are my five golden rules of dieting.
1. Lower you calories to a level where you will see 1-2 pounds of weight loss every one to two weeks. Typically, this is about 500 to 750 Calories below what you would normally consume.
2. Eat as many fruits and vegetables as you possibly can. Fruits and veggies are the cornerstone for any successful diet or nutrition plan.
3. Eat foods you like. Let’s face it. If you don’t like oatmeal, then trying to follow a diet that calls for oatmeal for breakfast is going to be painful. Pick foods you like, just make sure the portions are correct.
4. Lift weights to preserve muscle mass. We know from research that the number one way to ensure you are burning as much fat as possible is by resistance training. Our Turbulence Training program has been designed to ensure you burn as much fat as possible by helping you preserve muscle mass. You can check out Turbulence Training HERE.
5. Record what you eat. I know you are probably sick of hearing me say this, but I believe recording what you eat is the key to successful weight loss.A good diet is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. Most likely, you are going to be dieting for anywhere between 6 and 12 weeks, sometimes much longer. It is vitally important to your success that your diet is realistic, and built around foods you like.
Ignore diet fads. They will only cause you to become frustrated.
BP
PS- You can read Megan’s article HERE
