When it comes to wanting to lose weight, improve body composition, and/or fueling performance goals in the gym, the options to choose from are endless. If you ask for advice for what works for others you’ll hear an endless list of various options such as keto, tracking macros, low carb, paleo… the list goes on.
While there are so many options out there, many of them have the same basic principles.
- Restrict food to a certain degree, whether it’s specific kinds or overall quantity.
- Just follow the plan and do what it says; don’t veer off track or you won’t reach your goals.
- In some way the plan will hold you back whether it’s restricting your social life, cutting out your favorite foods, or being so difficult to implement without routine that you just don’t bother.
I’m going to tell you WHY the classic diet framework isn’t going to work for you long term, and what you should look for instead.
Restriction leads to binges.
This is the base principle for why most diets fail – often they require a level of restriction that is impossible to maintain long term, and when you do veer off track the blame is put on YOU for not having enough willpower or wanting it bad enough.
Think of it this way: your willpower is like a muscle. The more a muscle is used, the more it will fatigue. When a muscle fatigues enough, it cannot perform the action you’re asking it to perform resulting in failure. If you’re constantly telling yourself there are foods you cannot eat or you’re not allowed to exceed a certain number of calories (especially if you’re hungry), your willpower muscle can only work for so long before it fatigues and fails. Unfortunately what happens is typically a binge – you go overboard because you’ve been so deprived for so long. It’s not your fault, it’s that the diet is setting you up to fail only to come crawling back to them in hopes of getting yourself back on track.
Instead, it’s better to learn how to balance foods you love and your portions within reasonable limits. If you understand how to build a healthy plate of mostly whole foods and lots of vegetables, you can lose weight or change your body composition without being hungry all the time. When you incorporate foods you love, you don’t need to use your willpower muscle as much and it’s easier to exert it when it’s truly necessary.
Blindly following a plan leads to becoming reliant on someone telling you what to do or how to eat.
A big mistake I see being made is we put our full trust in a diet fixing the surface level issues rather than digging into the deeper root of the issue. A diet gives people limitations which gives them a false sense of control over their own habits. What happens when those limitations are lifted? Typically the individual will go back to how they were before because they didn’t actually learn anything except for how to follow a plan.
This cycle leaves people searching for the next best diet or sticking with one for far too long. These measures should really only be temporary, because if they worked they would teach you how to eat for the long term in order to achieve and maintain results. Meanwhile most people are not in tune with their own body cues, and as a result feel they need to follow a plan to even know what to eat.
Instead, work with a coach who helps you understand your habits and then change those habits to better reflect the goals you want to achieve. There should be an educational component to teach you how to succeed on your own such as understanding how to eyeball portion sizes, how to use your body cues to refine your intake, and how to read your body and it’s needs. When we build a proper foundation for the goals we want to reach, the rest becomes easy.
Most diets do not account for key lifestyle factors.
Most diets are really easy to follow when you’ve got a strict and regimented routine, which is easy for most people during the week. Where this goes wrong is typically when the individual is removed from their routine (ie. the weekend, holidays, and vacation) and they can no longer follow the diet because it’s so damn difficult.
Keto is nearly impossible to maintain if you’re traveling on the go. I’ve seen many people avoid social outings because they’re not able to easily count their macros at restaurants. I also see many people go overboard on vacation and come back with guilt because they’re trying to take a needed break from their diet but they’re caught in a restrict-binge cycle.
Instead, consider working with a coach who teaches you how to maintain a healthy lifestyle when you’re out of your routine. This means developing a healthy diet that is easy to maintain both in routine and outside of routine, implementing strategies for when things are out of control to help you succeed, and teaching balance in all circumstances.
Ready to ditch the traditional diet and try something new that actually works?
I’m accepting new clients into my Nourish With Confidence Kickstart and this is exactly what we focus on during the program!
- You’ll be delivered 8 weekly video modules to walk you through the fundamental building blocks of sustainable nutrition so that you’re empowered with knowledge to take direct action and succeed each week. These will guide you through step-by-step strategies for improving your eating habits, connecting with your internal body cues, learning portions and balanced eating, and more! These modules are the key to building the foundational strategies needed for long-term success.
- Included are follow-along worksheets to accompany the video modules so that you can easily plan, implement, and see results in real-time.. The worksheets will help you shift your mindset, understand your eating habits, identify areas for change, plan and prepare weekly meals, and more!
- Bi-weekly group coaching calls with Coach Diana to ensure you’re making consistent progress, troubleshoot any sticking points, create customized strategies for your lifestyle, and keep you on track for your goals.
- Access to group chat messaging with Coach Diana and your NWC peers for daily support, community, and Q&A access so that you have accountability and guidance every step of the way. You are not alone in this journey and you’ll have maximum support the whole time!
- Personalized nutrition guidance tailored to your goals and lifestyle that will teach you how to master the Nourish With Confidence Method. No counting, no restriction, just results.
Interested? Apply today and schedule your clarity call to learn more and determine if this program is the right fit for you!
Coach Diana Leigh is a Precision Nutrition certified coach who uses habit-based coaching to help her clients get stronger and feel amazing in their bodies without the restriction and overwhelm of dieting. For more helpful tips, follow her on Instagram @coachdianaleigh.
How you can work with Coach Diana:
1:1 Nutrition Coaching
Get individualized guidance in developing healthy and sustainable habits to help reach your goals – whether you’re looking for weight loss, muscle increase, or improved performance – without the stress and overwhelm of dieting or macro counting.
Nourish With Confidence Kickstart
An 8-week group coaching program that helps active individuals create a healthy relationship with food + ditch dieting for good through foundational nutrition habits, balanced strategies, and high-level support.
Enrollment opens 8/2 for the next cycle that begins on 8/16 (but you can apply today)