You found this AWESOME 500 calorie military diet on Pinterest and you’ve been sticking with it for a few weeks. You’re losing weight! Perhaps lightheaded and weak, maybe your skin doesn’t look as healthy but whatever, you’re skinny! <sarcasm>
Or did it happen like this….
“Hey <Insert Name>, haven’t seen you since <Insert Timeframe>! Hope you’re doing well! By the way, have you heard of <Insert ANY. I MEAN ANY multi level marketing supplement company that requires a monthly supply of some shake, patch or pill>”
You re-read the text or facebook message and recall seeing that she has lost some weight recently, she looks great. Huh. Wonder what this is about. You send her back a message and before you know it, you’re trying out samples and committing yourself to trying what she’s selling.
Now both of these can go one of two ways. Either you fully commit to the diet/product and see “results”, or you don’t adhere to the protocol and you give up. What’s important to understand is that this product, This DIET, didn’t work or fail for you. At all. It is not the product that produced results, and you didn’t miss your mark by NOT committing to eating 500 calories.
Fad diets, Meal replacement shakes, pills and patches can be a catalyst for change in people’s lives, because when you begin taking/drinking/applying it, you should be eliminating the current negative habits you have. THIS IS WHY THEY WORK. You are not losing weight because of the product, you are losing weight because you ELIMINATED the bad stuff.
LET ME SAY THIS AGAIN FOR THE FOLKS IN THE BACK. You are losing weight, your body is shrinking because you aren’t eating chocolate and drinking soda every day. NOT because you found a miracle product that melts away the pounds. Sadly, if you didn’t see results, it’s likely you still consumed the not so good for you stuff as well.
NOW. Here’s where it gets tricky, because you’re losing weight, and that seems like a good thing. But what most fail to recognize is that ideally, you would specifically lose fat, not just weight.
Read this over. If you didn’t feel like going over all of that, let me sum it up for you. When you lose weight in the wrong manner, when you lose weight by drinking a few shakes and skipping meals, it is unsafe, unhealthy and not sustainable. Your muscles will deteriorate, your organs will begin to break down, your cells will age faster… you can’t live off of supplements! These changes happen slowly, over the course of months and even longer. But ultimately, your body will notice and crave the missing elements you’ve removed.
(Not to mention 130 pounds of strength trained and 50/30/20 fueled bodyweight looks way better than 130 pounds of deprived organs and skin)
When you fuel your body with the RIGHT AMOUNT OF REAL FOOD, you will lose fat while maintaining the integrity of the rest of your body. You can eat this way forever and ever and ever, safely. It’s also less expensive than a multilevel marketing plan, when you know what you’re doing.
Does meal prep take time? It can. Does planning your weekly menu take a little effort. If you do it without help, yes. BUT it is sustainable and it works. This is how the body works, guys, clever marketing and pretty packaging don’t make a product or lifestyle good for you, it’s only pretty on the surface. Dig dipper, start a movement with your health by eating well and moving more.
Grind & Shine 