Tag: dieting

Why dieting often leads to weight cycling

When people want to lose weight you often hear them say I need to go on a diet. Then they go on these complicated diet plans telling them that they cannot eat these “junk foods” and often times if they follow the plan correctly this works. But too many times I have seen people lose weight then a month later they put back on the weight the same amount that they lost and I began to ask myself why is this so common among people? And the answer is weight cycling. Weight cycling is a pattern of repeatedly losing and regaining weight. Some experts refer to this type of process at “yo-yo dieting”. When people go through this phase they often feel like giving up because they feel like the whole process was a waste of time. So they get depressed and will lose hope.

Marketers that offer these different diet plans often promise quick weight loss with no hunger and very little effort. These are the diets that usually backfire. One reason that these diets often times do not work is because they are rigid. Rigid diets specify rules like ” eat only cabbage and bananas” or “never eat after 6pm”. Some of you that are reading this right now are probably on this type of diet or have tried it at some point in your life. And because these diets are unpleasant and restrictive people don’t stick with them. People that are on rigid diets tend to have a higher percentage of body fat than people on more flexible plans. People on rigid diets tend to be more depressed, have anxiety, and binge eating as well.

On the other hand flexible diets are based off on energy balancing of calories eaten and burned. They focus on portion size make exceptions for people based on their daily routines, appetites and food availability. If you go out with your friends and over eat with a flexible diet, it allows you to cut extra calories tomorrow and increase your exercise regimen to compensate. As a result of this people tend to stay on flexible diets longer.

Everyone who diets will experience some degree of lowered metabolism during a period a period of calorie restriction as the body defends its fat stores. That’s why weight loss tends to slow down after an initial quick drop and why the long-held rule that you must cut 3,500 calories to lose a pound of fat is not strictly correct. It’s also part of the reason successful weight maintenance requires permanent changes to your old eating habits.

If you have any questions or want to talk to me about training or dieting, feel free to comment below and I will get in touch with you as soon as I can. Visit my website at https://qemfitness.bandzoogle.com/home

Can meal replacement shakes help you lose weight?

A lot of people including myself have always drank protein shakes before or after my workout to replenish our bodies. Some people even take a “meal replacement shake” which are intended to provide the full nutrition of a full meal. Some of these shakes come prepared in a bottle and there are some that are mixed with milk or water. When consuming them they contain a good amount of protein, fiber and essential vitamins that you would be getting in a regular meal. It’s basically an easy way to get quick meal on the go that is low on calories. But this big question that a lot of my clients as me is if I just take this and not eat, will it help with my weight loss process. And today I am here to break it down and give you the answer.

#1 Help you avoid unhealthy food

Meal replacement shakes are portable and convenient for you so the next time you want to stop by McDonald’s this would give you less temptation. Also eating fast food would not be giving you all of the key nutrients that you need. One of the most common excuses that I hear when it comes to eating healthy is the time it takes to prepare certain foods. Now I’m not saying that I’d suggest taking one every time instead of making a meal from whole foods but if your schedule and jam packed and you are on the go taking a meal replacement shake is a better option.

#2 May help you lose weight faster

Reducing your calorie intake is one of the main factors to help you losing weight. One of the challenges of sticking to a low calorie diet is that you may end up feeling hungry. The key to taking meal replacement shakes is that they will help you feel full during this process while consuming fewer calories. Also they can help with people who struggle with type 2 diabetes and help then lose weight faster than someone who is trying to diet conventionally.

#3 Some are high in protein which will help with weight loss

The good thing about meal replacement shakes is that not all of them are the same. Many are high in protein which is a major factor when it comes to weight loss. Higher protein diets makes you feel more satisfied which will then lead to you eating fewer calories throughout the day.

Risks

Some risks that come with taking a meal replacement shake so that some of them contain unhealthy ingredients such as added sugars, artificial flavors, chemical preservatives and corn syrup. Also some shakes may contain more sugar than protein which would not help lose weight but gain it. So you have to be very careful when picking out the right shake if you want to go this route.

Another risk is that this is not a long term solution for you. Many people take these shakes and try to replace it for whole foods. This will not work because not only do whole foods have vitamins and minerals that you won’t get in a shake, it also has compounds and enzymes that may be hard to put into a bottle.

Lastly they do not fix bad eating habits. Generally just dieting does not work for weight loss it requires long term lifestyle changes. While drinking meal replacement shakes, yes they can help you lose weight but they will not force you to change your unhealthy eating habits.

At the end of the day whether you want to go this route or not, meal replacement shakes can be used to your advantage when dieting but this is not something that I would recommend that you use for your main meals. I still suggest eating whole foods and taking these shakes from time to time will benefit you the most.