Forget dieting – I’m here to encourage you to take a sensible approach to weight loss and not be tempted by the promise of quick-fix gimmicks.
With less than 8 weeks until Christmas, it’s time to double down on your efforts and get summer ready! In this article, I show you how to recognise fad diets and what to do to get your weight under control.
Spring is that time of the year when we shed our baggy clothes and discover a multitude of sins hidden during our winter hibernation.
Our exercise regime often goes out the window during the colder months and we tend to eat more comfort foods. Then along comes spring and we don’t like what we see in the mirror; however, that is no excuse to resort to fad diets to get the weight off.
It seems like every year there’s some new weight loss gimmick – juice-only cleanses or detox teas, paleo or keto diets, and everything else in between. I’ve seen it all in my 30+ years in the weight loss industry.
So how do you know if it’s a fad diet?
Here are 3 easy ways to recognise fad diets.
Any product or diet that fits any of the following:
- Promises a new body almost overnight. This is unrealistic and can be dangerous for your health.
- Asks you to eliminate complete food groups or macro-nutrients. For example, the keto diet eliminates carbohydrates which are a macro-nutrient.
- Tells you to eat one food only. There is no single food or diet that can help you trim down and keep the weight off.
Those kinds of products and diets rarely do anything more than disappoint and are not sustainable long-term.
Want more support? Check out my Symply With You mentoring program
What to do instead
As we head towards the hotter months, the thought of stripping down those winter layers can be daunting, so a planned approach to slimming down for summer is needed.
In a nutshell, the solution is to change how you eat and increase your physical activity if you want to get to a healthy weight. A calorie and fat-controlled eating plan along with scheduled exercise each week is what’s needed.
Be realistic about your weight loss, don’t aim to be skinny if that is not your genetic makeup. Sensible eating is about healthy food and a healthy body image.
5 tips to get you on track
- Clean out your pantry and fridge – make sure you throw out all the food that you can’t say NO to
- Do a weekly menu plan – take advantage of the delicious spring vegetables to make salads and stir-fries. Weekly menu plans including all meals and snacks are included in my Symply With You mentoring program.
- Rehydrate – during winter we get accustomed to having hot drinks and forget about drinking water. Aim to drink two litres of water a day.
- Get moving again – lock in three exercise sessions this week and build up to 5 sessions over the coming weeks. Put these appointments in your diary and stick to them.
- Set some new goals – what would you like to achieve before Christmas? Write your goals and put them somewhere you can see them every day.
Need more help?
If the thought of attempting to do this on your own is overwhelming, my Symply With You mentoring program offers all the tools, support and encouragement you need to lose the weight and keep it off.