Red Flag Diets to Avoid

The New Year is less than a week away and right now you are probably thinking about resolutions for 2021.  We know that many have plans to make changes to create a healthier lifestyle through dieting. Right about now you’re probably getting bombarded with ads from various programs promising a quick fix with their FAD diet program. 

We understand there is so much information available and it can be confusing to know what diet is right for you.  Use these top 3 red flags to filter out the FAD diets.

PROMISES HUGE RESULTS IN A SHORT AMOUNT OF TIME

We’ve all seen the programs that promise you’ll lose 30 pounds in 30 days if you just follow their plan.  These programs are very calorie restrictive and often do not provide you with enough fuel to support a fitness routine while on these plans.  You should aim to lose about 1-2 lbs per week and 1-2% body fat per month while maintaining muscle.  Often these low calorie plans come at the cost of not only overall weight loss but muscle loss as well.

RESTRICTS MAJOR FOOD GROUPS

There are many programs that advocate completely removing macro-nutrient food groups to aid in weight loss, the most popular being the ketogenic diet.  This diet restricts your carb intake so much that it sends your body into state of ketosis where it uses fat for energy instead of carbs.  At first this might sound great, but what you might not know is that using fat as your energy source causes muscle loss and decreased performance in the gym.  Keto is so restrictive in the amount of carbohydrates you consume that many people will regain the weight they lose and then some when they reintroduce carbohydrates to their diet. 

REQUIRES SHAKES, SUPPLEMENTS, AND MEAL REPLACEMENTS AS PART OF THE EATING PLAN

If a program requires you to purchase their shakes, supplements, and or meal replacement bars, RUN the other direction!  Not only are these products highly processed, but they’re generally more expensive than purchasing “real food”.  They don’t provide your body with quality nutrients you would get from lean protein, veggies, healthy fats, and complex carbohydrates.  These products instead contain a list of ingredients a mile long, most of which many of us would have trouble pronouncing.

The best, most sustainable nutrition programs, advocate eating whole foods, not food products and provide you with support & accountability to make changes one habit at a time. 

Book a chat or join our New Year, New You Nutrition Kick-Start and get started creating new healthy eating habits with a nutrition coach. 

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