Possibly the most misunderstood part of fitness is nutrition.
I personally have not heard of the Warrior Diet until today. But with so many of these programs cropping up, it’s not a shock that I can’t keep up with them all. Just like supplements, somebody has a twist on just about everything.
Don’t get me wrong, some of these diets work and there’s a few exceptions where people are able to stay on them literally for years!
But first a warning: The REAL reason they say 90% or more of dieters fail is because the word “diet” itself is a short-term concept. When you think of your eating habits as short-term, you are bound to fail and go back to eating the way you used to.
Here’s 3 key concepts you need to consider when thinking about dieting.
Key Concept #1:
The diet concept sets you up for quick results. When it comes to the human body, all of us want something for nothing. We want changes immediately. This attitude applies to losing fat, building muscles or just getting in shape.
For starters…
There are no miracle means when it come to good nutrition practices. With thousands of foods to choose from and using different food combinations, you can see how easy it would be to create a variety of diets using multiple dieting angles.
Many diets can leave the individual’s metabolism in a damaged state simply because so many of these trendy diets are deficient in important macro- and -micronutrient. More often than not, they do not provide adequate nutrition for athletes or individuals who are attempting to get into better shape and have increased dietary needs.
Believe me, some of them are too low in protein or carbohydrates to support and athlete and others are much too high in fat to be healthy.
Fact is: Many dieters end up losing weight (which can be a combination of water, muscle and fat) initially but end up gaining it all back and then some. That is extremely frustrating to the dieter who them embarks on yet another trendy diet in an effort to lose the weight again.
Sometimes this is referred to “yo-yo” dieting as the person loses weight, gains more back, loses more and ultimately just destroys their body’s metabolism and frustrates them to no end.
And that’s just the start…
Key Concept #2:
Take a look at a book store shelf at any given time in the nutrition/health section and you will see a wide variety of the latest diets. Some have been around for years, others disappear once the money runs out.
Did you know that anybody can be successful at weight loss if they eat fewer calories than their body needs?
Many of these diets are made-up with a hidden agenda of an advertising company, supplement company or somebody else with serious monetary investments.
Keep in mind that with any of these diets, you should ask yourself if…
* Does the program integrate physical activity?
* Does the program account for personal preferences based on lifestyle and career?
* How fast does the program encourage weight loss or muscle gain?
* Does the program help change negative behaviors into positive behaviors?
* What kind of professional support is provided?
* What kind of maintenance program is provided?
Finally…
Key Concept #3:
Avoid Them!
Most of these hyped-up, trendy diets are counterproductive to your goals and could end up harming you. You should know by now that any nutritional plan must be designed to meet the needs of the individual (metabolic requirements and goals). Let’s look at just one simple example…
A marathon runner requires much less protein then a bodybuilder does!
Just by knowing that, you can see that many of these diets do not take into account the nutritional needs of each individual.
More recent scientific studies report that the best way to get into shape is not to overeat, get less than 25% of your daily calories from fats, have a diet moderate in protein and complex carbohydrates, eat whole foods rather than processed, get plenty of fiber and have fruits and vegetables.
So what’s why you can forget about diets and simply learn how to eat correctly, safely and healthy for the rest of your life. If you do this, you will be able to burn off all the fat you want, gain all the muscle you need and never be on any trendy diet again.
Copyright (c) 2006 Marc David
Marc David is a bodybuilder and author of the, Beginner’s Guide to Fitness and Bodybuilding. You can get info on Marc’s e-book at: [http://www.beginning-bodybuilding.com/] To get Marc’s free e-zine, visit http://www.JustAskMarc.com
