Why Diets Fail and How to Succeed 🙌

 

 

 

It's mid January. Are you still sticking to your New Year's diet? If not, you're not alone, millions of people have good intentions, but most gave up on January 13th, this years National Quitters Day. Yep, that's the exact date when most people will quit their new years resolutions according to research.

New Years or not ... let's look at diets and learn what is going on with this quitting business. 🤩

 

 

You’re relying on willpower rather than science 🧪

 

Most diets (you know, the ones where you eat less!) just end up making you hungrier. You can only resist for so long before your body starts fighting back, but hunger isn't just a feeling, it's a science. We've got these ancient mechanisms in our body that kick in to protect us from starvation (even if we're the ones causing it). Hunger ramps up, cravings go wild and metabolism slows down to conserve energy. Eating certain foods such as, low-fat, high-carb or high in sugar just makes it worse. 

 

What you can do? 

 

• Start your day with protein such as 2 eggs with vegetables or 160g Greek yogurt with fruit.
• Fast for 5 hours after each meal and only drink water or tea. This will produce a hormone that will jump start your fat burning after 4 hours.
• Finish eating by 9pm. This way your blood sugar will be at its lowest point when you are sleeping. 
• Eat enough so that you are not hungry! You need to a mix of lean protein, fat and non-starchy carbs (vegetables, fruit, small amounts of grains and beans) at each meal. Only real, whole, fresh food though!

 

 

This combo of fat, protein and fibre will keep insulin spikes in check and keep you fuller for longer. 

 

 

Calorie Counting 😵‍💫

 

Forget everything you know about counting calories. The idea that weight loss is all about balancing energy in and out is becoming old news.

 

Not all calories are created equal.  

 

Certain foods (like sugar, flour and excess grains, fruit and beans) trigger a shift in your metabolism by spiking insulin levels. Insulin then drives all the fuel from the food you just ate straight to your fat cells (belly fat specifically) and your body thinks it's starving, even though you just ate a bagel or drank a smoothie. This leads to increased hunger and a slower metabolism. 

Ever eat a big meal then an hour later feel hungry again? That's why. 

 

What you can do? 

 

• Focus on very low-glycaemic foods like nuts, seeds, chicken, fish, grass-fed meats and veggies like: asparagus, artichoke, avocado, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, greens, lettuce, mushrooms, peppers, tomatoes, okra, onions, spinach, summer squash, zucchini, and turnips. 
• Treat sugar (and that includes honey!) like a drug, use it in small doses, because all sugar is the same! 
• Avoid artificial sweeteners. They trigger sweet receptors, hunger and slow metabolism. 
• A simple apple after one meal can help satiate sugar cravings -- plus it will make you feel fuller and be more regular! 

 

 

Low fat isn’t the answer  

 
The idea that eating a low-fat diet will help you lose weight belongs to the 1980s, when physicians, the federal government, the food industry, and the popular health media promoted this trend.

 

The belief was that since fat has 9 calories per gram, and carbs have 4 calories per gram, fat should be cut our of our diets to loose weight. Well, clearly not! 

 

SUGAR, is the real culprit, not FAT! 

 

What can you do: 

 

• Don't be afraid of fat. It actually makes you feel full, speeds up your metabolism, and helps you lose weight. Chose 5% yoghurt over 0%.
• Eat good fats at every meal such as avocado, nuts, seeds, coconut butter or olive oil. 
• Eat clean animal fats (organic eggs with the yolk, chicken, grass-fed meats) and fish with omega 3 fats (sardines, herring, wild salmon, black cod). 

 

 

@tonichealth Low fat yoghurts! are you better off just choosing Greek yoghurt and not worrying about the fat, the higher fat percentage will keep you fuller for longer meaning you are less likely to snack later on 🤩 #shopping #supermarketsweep #foodshop #health #healthy #healthyfood #lowfat #diet #dieting #healthhack #snack #snacking #feelfull #feelbetter ♬ original sound - Tonic Health 🍊

 

 

More on TikTok this week

 

This week is diet week on our TikTok. We will discuss the benefits of water, apple cider vinegar, what the deal is with Slim Fast and OJ ... and we have another 'supermarket ambush' in store for you. This time we intercepted Edda at Sainsbury's and helped her make her shopping basket more diet-friendly. We are all in the habit of buying the foods, we are used to buying, but Sunna helped Edda make some small changes that should make a lasting impact if she sticks with them.

As always, we’d love to hear your thoughts! Email sunnavankampen@tonichealth.co and talk to our founder 😊