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Tips from a PT - Make it slow and sustainable

  • 10-01-2023 11:04pm
    #1
    Cill94
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,411 ✭✭✭



    Just thought I'd share my perspective as someone who works in the industry and has seen many people either fail/succeed with dietary changes. The patterns are very clear as to what makes someone successful or not.


    The main thing I would recommend for any of you looking to improve things, is to think long term.

    I.e. can you see yourself eating in the manner you've chosen for the next several decades? If not then you're kind of wasting your time.


    Every January, there are new posters on this board who, with the best of intentions, begin looking for quick fix diets. I get it, you're fed up and want all the fat off your body as fast as possible. So you go looking for the lates fad that's being pushed on the internet.


    All of these fads bear a few common hallmarks: demonisation of certain food groups, praising certain foods as 'magic' for fat loss, limiting the times of day you're allowed eat - and usually a charasmatic guru selling it to you. Some examples include keto, carnivore, paleo, intermittent fasting etc


    These trends tend to gather a lot of steam because they do produce fast results. That's not hard to do when they slash your calorie intake (which trust me, they all do, whether they admit it or not). The problem is that in fitness, fast results usually aren't permanent results. You have to realise that you will not be as motivated to eat like a monk come February.


    As soon as you eventually get fed up of not eating carbs, not being able to eat in the afternoon, not being able to eat a slice of birthday cake - you're going to cave. And when you do, all of that weight is going back on. Because you only got it off by following the ultra restrictive rules, not something you can make a longterm part of your life.


    My advice would be to start small. Much smaller than you think. Go for a 10 minute walk every day. Eat one extra serving of fruit, veg, and protein per day. Go to sleep 30 minutes earlier each night. It might not give you radical results, but it will give you enough breathing room to keep it up, and add more as you feel comfortable.


    Best of luck.



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