Do you want to go through life always being “on a diet?”
Or obsessing that you should be?
Diet trends have you feeling confused?
Here’s the deal:
Do new diet trends constantly confuse you? Culture bombards us with messages to try every diet that comes out. And, why are there so many diet trends? Take a look at this guide to arm yourself with knowledge!
Here’s what happens:
You find yourself reading about new diet trends as they come out. You try a few; one such diet may be intermittent fasting (IF) and the ketosis (Keto) diet. Both of these diets work wonders for men and most women in the first few weeks. The fast results are because of the lack of eating, NOT healthy eating per se. Most of the studies on these diets are based on men; NOT women. Definitely not active women or women going through perimenopause or menopause.
Essentially, due to the effects of calorie deprivation on women (which is what IF is) and how it affects hormones, women will tend to feel more tired and experience more brain fog. With an increase in fat if the diet is continued long-term. None of the above is helpful if you are trying to be healthy and maintain your normal activity levels.
Regarding the Keto diet, (popular in new diet trends) if you are an active individual looking to perform better or attain adaptations with your training, research has shown that the keto diet decreases all performance metrics. In addition, the effects of the keto diet on women include an increase in the stress-inducing hormone cortisol, which in turn increases inflammation. The decrease in your resting metabolic rate causes you to burn fewer calories during everyday activities. As you start to eat normally again, your body will want to store everything you eat for fear of starvation.
What does this mean?
You will experience an increase in subcutaneous and visceral fat. Because of the changes in your hormonal balance caused by not eating and starving yourself, you start the cycle repeatedly. Start a crash diet, lose weight, mess up your metabolism and hormones, return to your previous eating patterns, gain weight, and try a new diet. It is an endless battle. Both of these diets, and any other diet, have inconsistent results.
New diet trends are a bummer!
Diets are no fun, and most of them fail, anyway. If you are on a diet that you cannot maintain long term, why start? You will end up on the no-fun treadmill of weight loss and weight gain and end up feeling bad about yourself. Instead, look at each nutrition plan you are considering and think, “Can I maintain this long term?” Once you find one that is doable, you need to ask yourself: “How can this nutrition plan fit into my life?” (Notice I didn’t use the word “diet.”)
Here’s a better way to embrace real nutrition for real life. It’s flexible, so it fits in and around your workout and your day.
- Here’s a better way to embrace natural nutrition for real life. It’s flexible, so it fits in and around your workout and your day.
Did you know that many active women often do not eat enough during the day and around their workouts to fuel their activity levels? After getting up in the morning, many of us don’t eat a proper breakfast. We then train, work and snack throughout the rest of the day until dinner, at which point we are famished and will eat anything in sight. This routine will cause us to eat salty/sweet foods that aren’t good for us; the result will be overeating. Our good actions and workout get undone at night when our appetite soars and our willpower is down.
Did you also know that hunger throughout the day increases cortisol levels in our body and hence stress? As discussed above, can decrease glucose tolerance resulting in an increase in subcutaneous fat, especially around the midsection. Sound familiar?
Good news:
Eat a 100-200 calorie snack with protein before and after workouts to avoid these adverse metabolic, physical, and emotional effects of being hungry then overeating. A healthy snack with protein prevents the metabolic stress associated with not eating, decreases muscle breakdown, and increases muscle synthesis after a workout. Protein contains the amino acids that are the building blocks for muscle, which allow you to achieve the performance and training goals you are working so hard to achieve.
Yes, snacks are good!
To realize training adaptations that make your body function more optimally, make sure that your post-workout snack contains 20-30 grams of protein. If you are in the peri and post-menopausal phase of life, 40 grams is best to achieve the adaptations you are trying to achieve. Your protein needs will vary depending on your fitness goals, workout intensity, and hormonal state. A custom nutrition plan helps you eat smart.
Summary
There’s a reason there are a million diets. They don’t work. It would be best to have a nutrition plan that is an enjoyable and sustainable part of your life. Just like you wouldn’t put “regular gasoline” in a race car or a long-haul truck, your body needs the right ‘fuel’ or nutrition to maximize your daily routine and activities, and it should easily fit into your life.
If you’d like to Reimagine your Wellness, please schedule time with Sherri Pearson, M.S., R.D., L.N.
Let’s talk!
Dietitian Sherri Pearson provides the nutrition coaching you need to enjoy your healthy, active life to its fullest