Veganism, Vegetarian, Ketogenic, Low carb, Atkins, Michelle Bridges, Lean in 15, I have lost count of how many people I have met in the past couple of weeks speaking about the most popular health and fitness trends and asking if they should “try it”.
I was approached last week by someone who has struggled to lose weight for a few years now and has been yo-yo-ing between celebrity endorsed products, and cookie cutter programs that guarantee amazing results. We sat down and went over everything she had tried, what worked well, and what didn’t. I was baffled by her latest weight loss attempt was for her to turn vegan. Because you know, veganism is just going to melt the fat off you for good, isn’t it.
*disclaimer: I don’t have a problem if you’re vegan, vegetarian or anything, but don’t try and prove that it is the reason why you lost weight.
Weight loss occurs from a caloric deficit. Any diet that restricts a food group, portion sizes will inevitably reduce your overall calorie intake, meaning that you will enter into a calorie deficit resulting in weight loss.
Back to my vegan friend, I asked her to complete a weekly food diary for me to go over and I was amazed by the number of calories she was eating. I did a rough calculation of how many calories she would need to consume to lose weight and it was around 1400 calories per day. She was eating an average of around 1800 calories per day, which would be ideal to maintain her weight which she was doing.
So obviously, veganism wasn’t working.
Here’s another great story of someone on a ketogenic diet was trying to prove that cutting your carbohydrate intake completely is the reason why you lose weight.
So the ketogenic diet promotes the metabolic adaption called “ketosis”. A metabolic state that switches your bodies energy source from carbs to fat. Actually, your body mainly burns fat a rest anyway, more on this later.
The ketogenic diet involves very very low intake of carbohydrates and a high fat intake. The principle of going into ketosis sounds amazing, burning fat all day long, but there are some hidden factors that you must be aware of.
Carbohydrates are essential for the preservation of muscle. When you are in a calorie deficit, you are at a large risk of muscle loss. Maintaining your muscle mass is essential for strength and your metabolism, the less muscle you have, your body doesn’t need to work as hard and making it harder to lose weight. This can be minimised through correct nutritional protocols.
Pretty much the basis of the ketogenic diet is reducing all the calories from carbs, then not replacing it with anything putting you into a calorie deficit.
So all these stories lead to a simple question, what is best for me?
Choosing the most simple and effective health and fitness methods
You don’t need to over-complicate every aspect of your health and fitness. There are simple and effective methods that you can do for the rest of your life, that doesn’t require you to remove food groups etc.
1: Stick with foods from the land
These days, a lot of foods are heavily processed meaning that it can be harder to eat healthier whole foods. The main reason? It takes a little bit of time to prepare the foods compared to the convenience of fast processed foods. Foods from the land help control your caloric intake as the majority of these foods are lower in calories.
2: Focus on your hydration
For optimal hydration, you want to aim for at least 2-4L of water per day. Maybe even more if you are very active and work outdoors.
3: Focus on getting enough sleep
Sleep is essential for optimising your hormones and helping your body recover. Many of us are sleep deprived. Especially those with young kids. A carbohydrate heavy meal can be quite useful before bed as a large amount of the neuro-transmitter serotonin will be released helping your body go into a relaxed state even further.
4: Move Move Move
Every chance you get to move, just move. The majority of clients I deal with live a very sedentary life. Sitting at a desk can really affect your body. You’re going to burn more calories by just moving more. An easy way to losing more weight.
5: Make the most of your workouts
You’re not going to get anywhere by spending the first 20 minutes in the gym wondering which exercises you’re going to do today. You should only need a maximum of 60 minutes in the gym or exercising. Utilise circuits, supersets and full body workouts to get the most out of your workouts.
6: Find what works for you! + A calorie deficit for weight loss
The best thing you need to do is find what works best for you and is specific towards your current lifestyle, not what others think you need.
If you want an exercise and nutrition plan tailored towards your goals and daily lifestyle, simply fill in the form below to find out more.
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