The Diet Cycle
The Diet Cycle
Today’s information age is so radically moving that current concepts and theories tend to die fast. Who would have thought, say in the early eighties that spending hours in the sauna would NOT contribute to shedding a few extra kilos of body fat? Similarly in the early nineties, that the consumption of as much food as you like “as long as its low in fat” would promote long term weight loss!
Concepts come and go, but in the early zero-zero’s, I have seen more diets than magic Queensland winter days (aren’t they great!). Now, you may have already heard the term that “diets don’t work”. But do they? You may argue that “Yes” my diet worked, as I shed 8kg’s! However the concept that a diet can become a lifestyle eating program is questionable. Therefore the suggestion is made that “The diet cycle” is not an appropriate method of eating.
Very simply, the Diet Cycle consists of the following:
1) You are not happy with your appearance and want to lose body fat. Simple, you go on a diet.
2) You deprive yourself, for what seems to be a lifetime, of calories to get substantial results.
3) You hit your goal, weight / size / measurement.
4) Hallelujah! You go completely crazy! You eat all those foods that you have literally starved yourself of during those eight or so weeks. You get back onto alcohol, and chocolates and bread and all that yummy stuff that you thought you loved!
5) You eat it & feel terrible after, because you have broken your plan, your body just can’t handle these foods, your bowel movements are irregular, you feel about 10 kilos heavier….but you just HAD to do it!
6) You plan your next diet…and the cycle continues!
So you are sitting there and thinking “Yeah, I can see this pattern in myself” so the simple solution and the question that needs to be asked is “What are you going to do about it”?
I will give you a simple strategy that we, at Peak Physique often educate our trainers and clients on. Link some pleasure to your experience. Obviously, in the past, if you have overeaten it’s because you have linked more pleasure to eating and enjoying food than being the shape of weight you desire. The strategy is simple:
1) Start to link pleasure to the foods that you will consume to get the shape you are after. Rather than thinking “Oh, this diet food is terrible”, consider thinking how much more energy you have, how good you are feeling, how great you will look and what this will do for you! It feels good, doesn’t it?
2) Eat the foods you love and enjoy – just remember you need to make this conditional when you are really trying to get your goal. For example, if you love to have a beer, then make 1 night a week, as opposed to 5. Remember to compensate with your activity and don’t feel guilty about the beer!
From someone who has been fat, I understand first hand what it’s all about to create a change in your habits; however creating this change is critical and you owe it to yourself and those that you love and care about. The skills and qualities that I developed from a young age ensured that when I needed to, I could change myself. This was displayed at the age of 19, weighing 120kg’s, and possessing more chins than a Chinese phone book! I lost 35 kg’s in 12 weeks for a bodybuilding competition! You can imagine what this did for me personally, and you can do it to!
Get off the diet cycle and on your bicycle
Today’s information age is so radically moving that current concepts and theories tend to die fast. Who would have thought, say in the early eighties that spending hours in the sauna would NOT contribute to shedding a few extra kilos of body fat? Similarly in the early nineties, that the consumption of as much food as you like “as long as its low in fat” would promote long term weight loss!
Concepts come and go, but in the early zero-zero’s, I have seen more diets than magic Queensland winter days (aren’t they great!). Now, you may have already heard the term that “diets don’t work”. But do they? You may argue that “Yes” my diet worked, as I shed 8kg’s! However the concept that a diet can become a lifestyle eating program is questionable. Therefore the suggestion is made that “The diet cycle” is not an appropriate method of eating.
Very simply, the Diet Cycle consists of the following:
1) You are not happy with your appearance and want to lose body fat. Simple, you go on a diet.
2) You deprive yourself, for what seems to be a lifetime, of calories to get substantial results.
3) You hit your goal, weight / size / measurement.
4) Hallelujah! You go completely crazy! You eat all those foods that you have literally starved yourself of during those eight or so weeks. You get back onto alcohol, and chocolates and bread and all that yummy stuff that you thought you loved!
5) You eat it & feel terrible after, because you have broken your plan, your body just can’t handle these foods, your bowel movements are irregular, you feel about 10 kilos heavier….but you just HAD to do it!
6) You plan your next diet…and the cycle continues!
So you are sitting there and thinking “Yeah, I can see this pattern in myself” so the simple solution and the question that needs to be asked is “What are you going to do about it”?
I will give you a simple strategy that we, at Peak Physique often educate our trainers and clients on. Link some pleasure to your experience. Obviously, in the past, if you have overeaten it’s because you have linked more pleasure to eating and enjoying food than being the shape of weight you desire. The strategy is simple:
1) Start to link pleasure to the foods that you will consume to get the shape you are after. Rather than thinking “Oh, this diet food is terrible”, consider thinking how much more energy you have, how good you are feeling, how great you will look and what this will do for you! It feels good, doesn’t it?
2) Eat the foods you love and enjoy – just remember you need to make this conditional when you are really trying to get your goal. For example, if you love to have a beer, then make 1 night a week, as opposed to 5. Remember to compensate with your activity and don’t feel guilty about the beer!
From someone who has been fat, I understand first hand what it’s all about to create a change in your habits; however creating this change is critical and you owe it to yourself and those that you love and care about. The skills and qualities that I developed from a young age ensured that when I needed to, I could change myself. This was displayed at the age of 19, weighing 120kg’s, and possessing more chins than a Chinese phone book! I lost 35 kg’s in 12 weeks for a bodybuilding competition! You can imagine what this did for me personally, and you can do it to!
Get off the diet cycle and on your bicycle