Stop dieting and start a lifestyle

Over the past 8 years I have had enormous fluctuations in weight gain and weight loss. I have tried just about every diet out there: Low carb, high carb, low fat, high protein, juicing, gluten free, paleo, the list could go on for hours and I'm not going to sit here and tell you that some of these diets didn't achieve the weight loss that they promise because they did, however when the time period of the diets ended there was a rebound effect that would have me right back where I started in the first place if not even further back. It took me some time to realize what some of these diets were doing to my body that had long term negative consequences and finally about a year ago I found the answer and it was the simplest solution to what I was unnecessarily making a complex situation.

When we search for popular diets or see commercials for them on the TV, what do they all promise?... massive weight loss right? Well let me ask you this: What if I told you that you lost 20lbs but your body fat stayed identical, so you would look exactly the same, just the scales would change? Of course you wouldn't be happy! This is what happens when we go to low on carbohydrates for a prolonged period. Not only does our body go into a state called ketosis but it also starts burning lean muscle when our goal here is to burn fat. Also ketosis has negative effects on our insulin sensitivity so when we do eventually reintroduce carbohydrates into our diet down the road (which is going to be absolutely necessary for our own health), then we are going to be massively sensitive to them and gain back a lot of weight and body fat. This happened to me multiple times throughout my first few years experimenting with various diets.

The key to losing fat and transforming your body versus just 'losing weight' and looking exactly the same is balance! First and foremost our primary goal should ALWAYS be to improve our health and that requires us to create a lifestyle, not start a diet. We want to implement ways of shopping, cooking, eating and living that are sustainable for as long as we live and allow us to continuously improve our health and our body's aesthetics.

That being said I will be following this article with 3 articles on HEALTHY LIVING & EXERCISE, HEALTHY SHOPPING and HEALTHY COOKING & EATING. It's important that you first throw away the concept of embarking on a journey that has a deadline. Instead set goals but realize that the journey to true health and fitness is infinite. Fulfillment comes from sharing your successes with others and motivating family, friends and peers to embark on their own journeys. We rise in life by lifting others, so don't just give to get... give to inspire others!