Tired of STRICT diets?
Adam gives you a flexible way to lose weight and be happy!
“Only a Sith deals in absolutes.” These are the famous words of Jedi Master Obi-wan Kenobi as he prepares to battle Darth Vader in Star Wars - Revenge of the Sith. The same can be said for many of the so called “Diets” out there such as Paleo, Atkins and HCG. They take a concept and create an absolute that states how, what, where, when and why you eat. At IWC, we do not deal in absolutes and I am going to spend the next few moments telling you why.
The Atkins Diet, the Paleo Diet, the HCG diet, the Blood Type Diet, Detox diets, and the Zone Diet all hold one common characteristic... they are all fad diets. I will not go into detail on what each of these diets is about, but they are all based around the idea that certain foods must be excluded from your diet.
For the Atkins Diet, carbohydrates are the enemy. For the Paleo Diet, grains and dairy are the devil. In reality, it is funny how similar these diets are and how they work. Most of these diets place you in a calorie deficit by reducing the amount of carbohydrates you consume. You will lose weight at first, but once you stop the diet... all the weight comes back (and more). This phenomenon happens so often that it has been given the term body fat overshooting. Go ahead and Google it.
On the plus side, there is a way to lose weight, reduce body fat and feel great! It requires a little bit of work on your part but if you put in the work it will pay off in the end. It has been termed flexible dieting and it works!
In order to lose body fat, you have to adjust your food intake and activity level so that you are burning more calories than you are taking in. Instead of completely eliminating foods from your diet (like fad diets do), figure out how much protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fiber (macronutrients) you require based on your activity level and age.
Next, use apps such as myfitnesspal and fitbit to track your nutrition and activity level. This forces you to educate yourself on nutrition and actually know what you are putting into your body. You are now in control and have real time data on your caloric intake and the foods you consumed. If you want to have pizza or ice cream later in the day, simply track it in myfitnesspal and adjust the carbohydrates, fats, protein, and fiber for the rest of the day so that you are still hitting your macronutrient numbers.
What is so great about flexible dieting is the fact that it’s flexible! It allows you to still have a life, which makes it sustainable for life. This is the concept I used on my Vegas vacation and I left Sin City leaner than when I arrived. It required some minor preparation (I packed some snacks for the day time), but I was able to eat out 1-2 times per day.
Diets don’t work. Eating clean, practicing the 85% rule and following concepts like flexible dieting will allow you to hit your targets without being miserable. And if you still want to follow a diet that deal in absolutes, just remember that at the end of Star Wars, the good guys won!
Stay well my friends,
Adam Flesner, BS, CSCS, HFS
Personal Trainer
Special: Small Group Training sessions begin July 7th. If your workouts are unsatisfying, not producing results or you are looking for something new, call Adam at 314-910-2993.
Fit Camp #1 meets Monday and Wednesday at 6am
Fit Camp #2 meets Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30pm
1. Trexler, E., A. Smith-Ryan, and L. Norton. "Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete." J Int Soc Sport Nutr 11 (2014): 7.
2. Jakicic, John M., et al. "American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Appropriate intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 33.12 (2001): 2145-2156.
The Atkins Diet, the Paleo Diet, the HCG diet, the Blood Type Diet, Detox diets, and the Zone Diet all hold one common characteristic... they are all fad diets. I will not go into detail on what each of these diets is about, but they are all based around the idea that certain foods must be excluded from your diet.
For the Atkins Diet, carbohydrates are the enemy. For the Paleo Diet, grains and dairy are the devil. In reality, it is funny how similar these diets are and how they work. Most of these diets place you in a calorie deficit by reducing the amount of carbohydrates you consume. You will lose weight at first, but once you stop the diet... all the weight comes back (and more). This phenomenon happens so often that it has been given the term body fat overshooting. Go ahead and Google it.
On the plus side, there is a way to lose weight, reduce body fat and feel great! It requires a little bit of work on your part but if you put in the work it will pay off in the end. It has been termed flexible dieting and it works!
In order to lose body fat, you have to adjust your food intake and activity level so that you are burning more calories than you are taking in. Instead of completely eliminating foods from your diet (like fad diets do), figure out how much protein, fat, carbohydrates, and fiber (macronutrients) you require based on your activity level and age.
Next, use apps such as myfitnesspal and fitbit to track your nutrition and activity level. This forces you to educate yourself on nutrition and actually know what you are putting into your body. You are now in control and have real time data on your caloric intake and the foods you consumed. If you want to have pizza or ice cream later in the day, simply track it in myfitnesspal and adjust the carbohydrates, fats, protein, and fiber for the rest of the day so that you are still hitting your macronutrient numbers.
What is so great about flexible dieting is the fact that it’s flexible! It allows you to still have a life, which makes it sustainable for life. This is the concept I used on my Vegas vacation and I left Sin City leaner than when I arrived. It required some minor preparation (I packed some snacks for the day time), but I was able to eat out 1-2 times per day.
Diets don’t work. Eating clean, practicing the 85% rule and following concepts like flexible dieting will allow you to hit your targets without being miserable. And if you still want to follow a diet that deal in absolutes, just remember that at the end of Star Wars, the good guys won!
Stay well my friends,
Adam Flesner, BS, CSCS, HFS
Personal Trainer
Special: Small Group Training sessions begin July 7th. If your workouts are unsatisfying, not producing results or you are looking for something new, call Adam at 314-910-2993.
Fit Camp #1 meets Monday and Wednesday at 6am
Fit Camp #2 meets Tuesday and Thursday at 5:30pm
1. Trexler, E., A. Smith-Ryan, and L. Norton. "Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete." J Int Soc Sport Nutr 11 (2014): 7.
2. Jakicic, John M., et al. "American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Appropriate intervention strategies for weight loss and prevention of weight regain for adults." Medicine and science in sports and exercise 33.12 (2001): 2145-2156.
RSS Feed
