Why I Don't Advocate Specific Diets for My Clients

amberlynwellbeing
Oct 29, 2023
2 min read

First and foremost at this time the I am not only certified as a personal trainer, through the National Academy of Sports Medicine. I have no dietician, nutritionist, or nutrition coach credentials at this time.

Why I am wary of fad diets

Fad diets are marketable and appealing because they promise a quick and easy fix.

When it comes to changing the diet in order to lose weight, while it can be helpful in quickly getting weight off, most people will regain the weight within at least 2 years. Our bodies response to a low caloric intake results in changes to our metabolic, hormonal, and neurological systems, our bodies think we are unable to get enough energy to fuel ourselves so they alter natural processes.

Namely, with a lower caloric intake our metabolism slows down in order to make whatever we do get, last longer, and in turn we have a decreased sense of feeling full and an increased feeling of hunger due to our ‘hunger’ hormones, leptin, and ghrelin.

Many fad diets come down to heavy restriction of one food group or another which can lead to dehydration, weakness, fatigue, nausea, headaches, constipation, and inadequate vitamin and mineral intakes.

When it comes to the mental and emotional side, due to the possible fixation of foods and eating in general, disordered relationships with food can result. Your life ends up being ruled by food and rules surrounding it. It is not a sustainable way to live life.

One of the common diets I see is keto, whether it’s explicitly said, a high protein and little to no carb intake. This perpetuates the idea that carbs are bad. Period. Carbohydrates are your body’s base level of energy, they are in most foods, naturally (fruits, vegetables, diary, legumes, etc). Protein is helpful in building new cells, which is especially important if you want to increase muscle mass. Fat is also an essential macronutrient. None are better or worse than the other.

Balance is key when it comes to anything, but most importantly food. To deprive yourself of whole food groups deprives your body of essential nutrients it needs to function healthily. It’s also simply not fun, the more you want to cut something out, the more you you’ll think about it, naturally that's how we’re wired.

So what do you do?

IF you want to lose weight, a negative energy balance is necessary to accomplish this. To figure this out I highly recommend reaching out to a nutrition professional. There are formulas online, but they may not be the most accurate.

Focus on eating food from every food group, typically without overconsuming one or completely restricting another. For detailed information take a look at USDA recommendations.

Most recommendations are based on general and average information. There are a million different ways to structure your diet to suit you. You do not need to cut out things entirely in order to reach your goals. Find the balance that works best for you and your lifestyle