ARE TREND DIETS REALLY FOR ME?

I love all the fashion seasons! Every fall, winter, spring and summer I can shop and rock the hottest couture trends that compliment my ever-evolving lifestyle and most importantly “Lovestyle.” But guess what I can’t switch up as often as my new go-to seasonal looks?

MY DIET!

So, let me cut to the chase and give you my biggest secret about super trendy diets…

I DON’T LIKE THEM AT ALL!

Now don’t get me wrong, diets are great for a jump start, but not for long-term success. However, I’m a firm believer that “To each is own.” If you’ve found certain trend diets that work for you, cutos - keep up the great work! But realistically speaking, majority of diets can’t be sustained long periods at a time.

BIGGEST MISPERCEPTION ABOUT TREND DIETS

The biggest misperception on trend diets is people thinking every diet is for them. This comes from not doing extensive research before jumping onto a diet. With so many celebrities and influencers promoting the new hot diet crave all the time, it’s hard to care about losing weight and not get lost in the viral diet sauce. However, I can’t count how many times someone told me they’re on Keto – moments before I soon watch them eat items that are not on the Keto diet, and they didn’t even know it. 

Or someone will say they are intermittent fasting but if you take supplements, even when it’s just fish oil you’re not long intermittent fasting. These diets work because there’s a system to it. Once you break outside of it, it’s not as effective.

MUST DO’S BEFORE STARTING A DIET 

The one thing you must do before starting any new trend diet is assess your current life and schedule. Determine realistically how much time you’re willing to dedicate to the diet. Here’s the key - Take the good parts and apply them to your life. I preach and truly believe that before you lean in to your LOVESTYLE you have to identify your true LIFESTYLE. If you work a 9-5 in an office some diets don’t work for you without prepping and planning. Find the great parts of the diets and implement them into your life. The key to sustaining any lifestyle is being able to maintain your success long term. 

So, determine your activity level and your realistic abilities to plan and stick to the diet. The biggest warning sign that a trending diet isn’t for you is if you realistically can’t keep it up for 3 months. This is when you know it’s too restrictive for you to sustain.

With that being said, I do want to breakdown for you the Pros and Cons to some of the more popular trend diet…here you go:

ATKINS

Pros 

  1. High protein - so steaks and burgers can stay 

  2. You can eat! It’s not a restrictive diet in terms of how much food you can eat. As long as it’s within the approved foods you can eat without feeling hungry all the time! No counting calories or macros 

  3. Teaches you to cut out refined carbs like breads and cakes 

  4. Rapid weight loss 

Cons

  1. Fatigue 

  2. Bad breath

  3. Strict from the jump! Super strict! 

  4. Eating out is a pain in the royal behind

  5. Possibility of food binges because it’s too restrictive immediately

  6. You may not be counting calories BUT you have to count your carbs. If you’re not disciplined to count your carbs this diet is not for you. 

  7. Constipation…just being real. High fiber and supplements are a key

  8. WEIGHT GAIN - because it’s so restrictive when you add other foods and carbs back into your diet you’re going to gain weight. Not all but many regain the weight and then some

KETO

Pros 

  1. Weight loss 

  2. Good diet for someone that’s not super active 

  3. Fats are good for the brain

  4. You get to eat butter, bacon and creams #WHOOP-WHOOP 

  5. Said to be good for those with epilepsy 

  6. Reduces insulin

Cons

  1. If you live an active lifestyle (athletes, bodybuilder, powerlifting, fitness enthusiasts) this diet isn’t for you 

  2. Incredibly Restrictive 

  3. Less protein

  4. Extremely LOW carbs

  5. NO FRUIT

  6. If you don’t follow the entire guideline you will gain weight

  7. Social life is a tough go (no alcohol, no breads, no pastas, no wings sauce, you get the point)

  8. Keto Flu - not fun 

  9. MUST BE IN KETOSIS HENCE THE NAME but a bad meal or choice will quickly knock you out of ketosis and you gotta start over

  10. Kidney stones 

  11. NOT A LONG TERM OPTION 

PALEO 

Pros

  1. Clean eating without preservatives or additives 

  2. High levels of plant nutrients 

  3. High protein means you won’t be as hungry as often

  4. Weight loss 

 Cons 

  1. No grains or dairy 

  2. Fatigue due to low amounts of carbs 

  3. Requires research 

  4. Restrictive 

The ultimate key to achieving fitness results more so than anything else is DISCIPLINE. That’s why maintenance in my personal opinion is more difficult than losing the weight. So, you have to stay committed to your workout regimen and the diet that you know you can keep up with.

Once you start seeing the results, the benefits begin to hit when your clothes start to fit different and your confidence shoots up – which is the most incredible feeling. Now once you reach your goal that's when you have to look in the mirror and say, “Now what!” ...because if you don't have a course of action the maintenance gets hard. If you don't have an accountability partner, or if you aren't someone that’s self-motivated it can also make it really difficult. 

So, don't get complacent. Continue with the same process and keep goals that keep you motivated through the rest of your life. Don't say “Hey I made it and walk away.” Keep going because a true Lovestyle is not a sprint, it’s a straight up marathon. 

FITNESS LOVE, FITNESS THICK FITSara Hood