We all know someone who constantly seems to be on a diet.
Whenever we see them, they’re on some kind of no-carb plan, they are telling you that so and so foods are bad or they’ve been sucked into a crazy detox diet.
Very occasionally, (and quite incredibly), they might be doing something that makes sense—like counting calories, tracking macros and eating in a deficit (even though they do not know why this works)
Regardless of what method they’re following though, one thing is consistent: They always look the same.
Figuring out why someone on a fad diet never changes isn’t too difficult; chances are they’re regularly binging (either on purpose or they don't realize they are going over) and having huge cheat days. But what about that "clean eater"?
There are plenty out there who seem to be on point 95% of the time, yet forever dieting and not seeing results.
The answer to their issue is that those "clean eaters" are always in DIET MODE. They are chronically always trying to lose weight. Instead they should learn to cycle their nutrition to get the best results.
If your body didn’t hate dieting, you wouldn’t have the urge to overeat!
To lose body fat, you have to be in a calorie deficit. There are no two ways about it. Your body adapts to the deficit by losing weight to get back to normal. Your body does not like being in a deficit (it does not care that you want to be skinny), all it wants to do is survive. Almost immediately, the body starts to fight back as you are trying to lose weight. As you will probably know from previous experience though, losing weight isn’t the only side effect caused by a calorie deficit. You can also experience:
So how do you ensure that you can diet long enough to hit your goal weight without falling into the trap of feeling like you’re forever in a deficit?
There are two phases in proper nutrition, Diet mode and lifestyle mode.
Even though the word "diet" is often seen as a bad word, all diets have a purpose. DIET MODE is when you have a specific goal. Losing fat, building muscle, or prepping for a competition. While Diet mode is turned on you should be almost perfect. I said almost. Nobody’s perfect and nobody should expect it. In Diet mode, you should limit the drinking, eating out, and hard to track adventurous foods. Slips may happen here and there but the sacrifice is needed to remain in diet mode.
Diet mode should be used sparingly. If you are looking for a timeline, think about 6-12 weeks. It really depends on the individual. Some can not stay in a deficit that long without metabolic damage and some can stay in it longer. If you are curious on where you stand, contact us for FREE NUTRITION CONSULTATION
LIFE STYLE MODE is what you cruise with. Lifestyle mode should be where you live most of the year. Some people never even go into diet mode and they still get great results. Lifestyle mode is living by having successful habits. These 10 habits include, having protein at each meal and focusing carbs around your workout (see more here). At this point, you know what’s healthy, what’s not, and how to plan make good decisions. You may be able to get a little loose here and enjoy more. Un-tracked meals out, drinks, and more adventurous foods come back into play but you still must be aware, honest with yourself, and careful.
Lifestyle mode is great for those who have met a goal and want to maintain progress or are ok making slower progress. Lifestyle mode is where you may want to eventually settle in and is where you spend most of your time in. It is also where you should return to after you are done with diet mode.
You are still aware of your food environment but you are experienced enough to enjoy yourselves guilt free within reason. During this time you enjoy life and are not really stressing weight gain (you may actually gain a little here), because you have control of your life and habits and the weight gain will be minimal.
It is important to return to lifestyle mode for many different reasons. You body will like you because it hates dieting. As you go back to lifestyle mode you will begin to notice your energy and workouts becoming much better. Your mind will like you because you will be able to live your life without the stress of always watching what you eat and actually enjoying life every once in a while. For long term weight loss, your metabolism will finally like you. Having a healthy metabolism is one of the key factors in long term health and weight loss. You metabolism begins to lower and slow down as you are in diet mode. This is completely natural and you cannot stop it (this is why we have plateaus). Coming back up to maintenance and increasing calories during lifestyle mode will help you reset your hormones and metabolism so that when you want to lose weight again, your body will be ready.
You may toggle between Diet mode and Lifestyle mode as you see fit. This can depend on goals, events, time of year, or necessary mental breaks. Here at Strive Fitness and Performance we are in DIET MODE 3 times a year (fall, winter and spring), each time for 8 weeks.
Most people find themselves always trying to lose weight 24/7. Their lifestyle mode has become their diet mode. This way of living is very rigid and full of restrictive diets, binging and overall weight gain in a never ending cycle. It sucks and it is one of the main things plaguing people in the United States and is one of the main things holding people back from getting the results they deserve. We see it all the time with our incoming members (probably around 80%).
ONE FINAL TIP: If you want one lasting tip, start by learning the 10 habits that will put you in a healthy lifestyle mode. If you are no where close to having a healthy lifestyle (this is the majority of people), start with one habit at a time. As you perfect lifestyle mode, you will begin to notice some differences with your body as well as your biofeedback.
If you are clueless on where to start with your journey or are a "clean eater" and have plateaued CLICK HERE and set up a FREE nutrition consultation and we can work together to find a plan for you.
