I want to discuss something very important with you. I hear a lot of clients tell me their goal is to LOSE WEIGHT.
Let me be clear: You have to earn the right to diet.
Last week I discussed how many calories you should be eating. Remember I told you to STOP the 1,500 calorie poverty diets? Just because you want to lose weight doesn’t mean that you should or that it’s best for your body.
For those that have a chronic history of dieting, restriction, and calorie deprivation (you know who you are), you are not meant to diet your entire life. If this resonates with you, your body likely needs maintenance calories for support and rebuilding so that at some point, we can put you into a deficit. Maintenance or re-feeding is important for things like thyroid and sex hormone regulation and cortisol and adrenal (stress) management.
What are your goals?
If you tell me that your primary goal is to improve energy or performance in the gym or on the trails, that is our priority over weight loss. Fat loss can oftentimes be a by-product of eating to optimize performance. However, it is hard to focus on a weight loss plan that improves strength or endurance. Make sense? These are two completely different goals. Again, not to say it can’t be done, but that leads me to my next point. You have to have the foundations down to be a candidate for this type of plan.
If you can’t do 1 pull-up, I can’t ask you to do 10 pull-ups. The same goes with dieting. If you can’t accomplish the foundational changes with ease, you do not deserve to diet. We need to make sure that your body is even in a good spot to create an initial deficit. If you are not checking YES to these things regularly, you are probably not a great candidate for dieting. This doesn’t mean that you can’t or won’t get results. It just means that you have to master these items before I can safely put you in a deficit.
You must master the foundation items first to earn the right to diet:
- Feel amazing. If you don’t feel awesome, it doesn’t make sense to put you in a deficit to feel even worse. So, if you feel like dog (or cat) poo to start off with, you probably shouldn’t be dieting.
- Sleep 8-10 hours, good quality sleep. You fall asleep and stay asleep ok. Pretty simple: If you aren’t sleeping, you won’t lose weight.
- Hormones are great and in optimal range (thyroid, sex hormones). This generally means you have good energy and libido. And, if you are a female that should be getting a menstrual cycle, it’s regular and with no PMS symptoms. PMS symptoms are not normal and means there are underlying issues. And girl, if you are not getting a monthly period (and are of the age that you should), I am absolutely not helping you lose weight.
- Digestion is great. You are pooping every day and have minimal gas/bloating/heartburn.
Meals and snacks all contain Protein, Fat, Fiber (PFF), + Starch based on Activity. Did I mention that you should have a lot of veggies in your nutrition plan?! - Drink half of your body weight in ounces of water. Yeah, if you aren’t easily doing this, restricting calories and tracking food will be a pretty big challenge. Kind of like trying to do those 10 pull-ups when you can’t even do 1.
- Strength Train 2-3 days per week. If done right, this can improve your hormones and stress response and help with fat loss.
- Don’t eat poverty calories. Read last week’s article on why you shouldn’t be eating 1,500 calories a day and work with a Nutrition Coach to increase your calories if needed.
- Manage stress and adrenals. Let me tell ya, dieting is a huge mental and physical stress on the body. So, if you rate your current stress at a 10/10, I will have you focus on ways to decrease this before I create more stress thru dieting.
- Aim for 10K Steps a day. Health goes beyond kicking your butt for 1-2 hours a day at the gym or on the trails. You need to have consistent movement thru out the day.
Here’s where to start …
So you’re a chronic dieter, what to do now? Start by mastering the foundational changes and getting yourself to feel better. And, when you feel good and hormones are optimal, we can put you into a deficit. And if you are crushing the foundations, aren’t eating poverty calories, and have earned the right to diet, let’s get you set up with a caloric deficit.
Coach Abby
Registered Dietitian Nutrition Coach & Personal Trainer
