Before we begin, I'm talking purely from experience of working one-to-one with weight-loss clients and as someone who struggled with an eating disorder growing up.
Now, I'm getting more and more questions about what the "best foods" to eat to lose weight are and what I think about the "x" diet, "cutting out gluten", "ditching dairy", "never eating grains", "giving up bread", "only having shakes" etc...
I also recently held a webinar for a few of my clients in the Fruci Fit Inner Circle members area.
And it worries me.
For the simple reason that it can make you become "obsessed" about food.
It reminds me of (the old, misled, and confused) ME!
Now, learning about "clean" foods or the paleo diet can be useful.
If you don't know what it is, here's a quick summary:
Eliminate wholegrains, legumes (including peanut butter...), grains (yep, bread too), dairy, even some fruits and vegetables (some even ban potatoes...), and all processed foods...
Leaving you with foods like lean meats, fish, eggs, butter, coconut oil, green veggies, nuts (not peanuts), and perhaps some quinoa if you're lucky (and depending on who you hear about the diet from).
^^^ And with these limited food choices, you'll probably actually learn to love some wholesome foods that provide a bucket load of nutrition, improve your cooking skills, and LOSE SOME WEIGHT...
So how could it make you fatter?
1. You want what you can't have - restricting so many foods can make you crave them even MORE, which can lead to binges and the perception that "I failed" and "I don't have the willpower". You beat yourself up and question whether there's something wrong with you...
2. You now see foods as "evil" or "magic" - Eating out at social events has now become a nightmare. You either order another "chicken and salad with no sauce" (that was me) or you feel guilty about your indulgence in something as innocent as a jacket potato or some white rice (That was me, too)
^^^ EVERYTHING was about food. I don't think I'd be married today if I wouldn't have changed my ways...
3. You end up eating a ton of fat and don't understand portion size - The key to losing weight is overall energy balance. Years back I would eat a ton of the "fat burning" avocado because the diet said "eat as much as you like" (again, promoting binging tendencies), without understanding that fat has over double the amount of calories as protein and carbs.
4. You get stuck in a vicious cycle - Eat clean --> miss your favourite foods --> give in to the temptations as it's your friends birthday --> binge --> feel like a failure --> "diet starts again tomorrow" --> REPEAT
And it's not just the stress of work, kids, family life, and body image that can make us turn to food to help us deal with our problems...
It's the birthdays, family gatherings, and celebrations that ALSO make us eat more <<< the good times!
So you're probably kidding yourself if you think that you'll NEVER eat an "evil" food again .
^^^ Something I failed to grasp!
And that feeling of "failure" doesn't just disappear either.
It's like a tiny voice in your head trying to convince you that "this food is BAD"...
But luckily, I myself, and my coaching clients are now utilising nutritional strategies that allow you to include all foods (chocolate and wine, too), enjoy social events again, and NOT be run be the fear of "bad" foods and dieting "failure".
Don't get me wrong, we should eat to nourish the body using wholesome, good quality foods and this is the foundation of every clients nutritional strategy.
^^^ But this doesn't mean giving up your favourite foods.
Life is too short to stress about that chocolate bar...
You can lose weight WITHOUT giving up your favourite foods...
Both myself and my clients are living proof of this.
And if recent research is anything to go by, putting an end to the stressful "diet - restrict - binge - "diet starts tomorrow" cycle, might just improve your mental health and help you live longer...
Matt