Top 10 Reasons Why Diets DON’T Work.

There are a variety of reasons why Diets just don’t work, but in a nutshell they are not sustainable long term and they make you miserable, fat and ill! - See more at: If being healthy doesn’t make you happy and look forward to starting each day there is something wrong somewhere! Food should be enjoyed and not avoided or used as a treat or punishment! Food is a very social event and on these Fad diets you are alienating yourself as well as making yourself fatter.

 Here is why…

 1. Fad diets are very restrictive and lack variety for a start. Who wants to eat the same thing week in week out! Have you ever been told “You can’t do that!” and then retorted with “WATCH ME!” We all want what we cannot have so why restrict yourself as you are setting yourself up to fall.

 2. They are quick fixes with small short term fake rewards. So you have been on “insert fad diet name here” for a week now and lost “X” lbs. – now what? Are you going to carry on with the same thing now you have lost the weight you wanted? The answer is no, you are going to go back to your normal way of eating until you put it back on again then start over.Balanced-Diet It’s a simple case of calories in vs. calories out, if you are eating more than you are utilising something needs to change. Eat healthier and be more active and you will lose weight without even trying.

 3. They mess up your body’s natural balance and metabolic rate. If you significantly reduce your calorie intake you are shocking your body into starvation mode and decreasing your metabolic rate – this is the rate at which your body burns fat! So guess what? When you go back to your normal lifestyle you will gain what you lost and more, you have basically prepped your body for weight gain!

 4. Fad diets tend to concentrate on food and do not take in to account exercise. So even though you have lost weight you are wobbly. This is because you need to build muscle through strength training and eat a healthy diet…are you seeing a pattern yet? I have even heard a support group tell someone to stop weight training as they are putting on weight! Yes muscle which burns 50 calories a day extra when sitting on her bum! Losing inches was a nice side effect there too and you want me to stop?!

 5. They do not give the body the balance of complete the body needs which includes fats. Yes you need to eat fat, however we mean good fats such as avocado, nuts, and coconut oil etc. not Trans or saturated fats. By reducing fats and calories your body utilises muscle for energy. This is bad…very bad!!

 6. They don’t usually allow for snacking giving only 3 structured meals per day. This means you’re going without food for 4-6 hours. Holy Moly this would have me chomping at the bit. We all know the more hungry we become the slimmer the chance of us picking a healthy snack!

 7. We have all seen the Facebook statuses. “I have been following the ‘insert fad diet name here’ and have lost 6lbs in the first week”. I don’t want to take anything away from the hardship of starving yourself all week, this will mainly be water retention! If you eat healthy and exercise which you don’t usually do you can also lose this amount in a week, however at least you are doing it the right way. Steady and slow wins the race… and will also ensure long-term loss.

 8. I feel for carbs so much, they have such a bad rep! Everyone cuts down on carbs to lose weight but it is the refined carbs, which are full of SUGAR that you need to be careful of. You need natural carbs, which are found in vegetables and salads as they help muscle to use fat for energy! Which is what we want right?

 9. Sugar the rebel! I have seen a variety of brand name snack bars that are sold by diet companies, which mislead you and make money in the process – most of them are laced with sugar. They use fruit flavourings to make you think they’re healthy but have up to 20g of sugar per bar! OUCH!

 10. Finally, so fad diets do not give you the long-term weight loss, which you desperately want, but what they do give you are long term healthy problems from yo-yo dieting!FF-03 Such unwanted after effects can cause damage to bones, vital organs and even brain tissue!

 This is why I am so passionate about working with The Lifestyle Diet team. We provide meal plans individual to you, recipes to suit your lifestyle and encourage a whole body & mind approach & offer support every day!
 Find out more by clicking the link below.↓

  The Lifestyle Diet by Fitproclientrecipes

 Author: Kelly-Marie West is military wife and Lifestyle Coach. She focuses on nutrition and habitual changes making the clients journey gradual and an enjoyable process.

Olympic Athlete Body Weight Exercises

Olympic athletes are known for their powerful and athletic physiques. While the exercises that create sculpted arms, backs, legs and abs will vary for each sport, bodyweight exercises are used by many top athletes as part of their training programs. You can build your own Olympic body by borrowing some of the body weight exercises used by these world-class athletes.

Sprinters
Olympic sprinters have tremendously developed legs and abs as a result of the anaerobic body weight training they do on the track. Sprinting primarily utilizes fast-twitch muscles in the quads, hamstrings, glutes and abs. To maximize your training time, use a body weight training circuit. Complete three to five rounds of a 200-meter sprint, followed by 10 walking lunges, a 200-meter sprint, 10 bodyweight squats and a final 200-meter sprint. Rest two minutes between each round.

Gymnasts
Olympic gymnasts are recognized by their well-developed upper bodies. Gymnastic routines require a tremendous amount of strength from the shoulders, chest, back and abs. All of these muscles are put to the test when using the rings. A basic, yet
challenging, bodyweight exercise is the ring dip. Adjust the rings so the bottom of each ring is at armpit height. Grasp each ring in a palms-down grip and extend your arms, pushing your body upward. Concentrate on keeping your arms at your side and contract your chest muscles to help keep your arms in. Once your arms are fully extended, slowly bend your arms as you lower your body to the starting position. Complete three sets of as many dips as you can using good form.

Boxers
Olympic boxers rely on the strength and speed of their chest, shoulders and back to deliver scoring punches on their opponents. A bodyweight exercise combination is the isometric punch followed by the medicine ball punch. This is a static-dynamic training mode that begins with a brief isometric hold, followed by an explosive movement. Start in a boxing stance and apply pressure with your rearward hand against a wall. Wear a training glove to protect the hand. Apply pressure at about 80 percent of your maximum effort in two positions: beginning of the punch and mid-range of the punch. Hold each position for three-to-five seconds. Immediately after the second punch, simulate a punch by explosively throwing a small medicine ball of 5 pounds or less. Continue for six to eight reps.

Downhill Skiers
Downhill skiers need to have strong legs to function as shock absorbers and to provide directional control to navigate steep mountain courses at speeds up to 90 mph. A body weight exercise that simulates those conditions are plyometric jump squats. Jump squats are an explosive movement that start by standing with your feet about shoulder-width apart and arms in front as if you were holding ski poles. Keep your spine straight as you lower your hips until you are in the bottom position of a squat. This is nearly identical to the tuck position used by downhill skiers. Once you are in the bottom position, explode upward, extending your ankles, knees and hips. Jump as high as you can. Once your feet return to the ground, immediately drop into the squat and repeat the jump. Complete as many jump squats as you can in 60 seconds.

Healthy Meal for Teenage Athletes

Teenage athletes need to pay particular attention to their caloric intake and meal planning. This is true not only in terms of the number of calories, but also in terms of composition, meaning where they get their calories and from what foods. Recent evidence suggests that the best diet for a young athlete is based in whole-grain carbohydrates, fruits and vegetables, lean protein and low-fat dairy, and topped with healthy fats for sustaining energy.

Strong Foundation
A young athlete needs carbs for fuel, calcium for protection against stress fractures and bone strength, and iron to restore red blood cells and the iron that's depleted from sweat. It's a myth that an athlete needs extra protein; there is plenty in the regular diet. But the source of this protein should be lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, soy and peanut butter.

Also, it's important to drink fluids, especially when you're working out. Drink consistently throughout the day to get your eight cups of water, and then add fluids according to the intensity of your workout. Water is best, but sports drinks, skim milk and even a bit of 100 percent juice work well, too.

Snacking
Working out requires fuel, as does a growing body. Good fuel equals good results in terms of muscles formation and sustainable energy. When you are on the go, you might need a snack or something you can eat quickly. The fast foods in a teen athlete's diet should be string cheese, yogurt, mixed nuts, dips and veggies, whole-grain bagels with low-fat cream cheese, or a whole-wheat tortilla with peanut butter and banana or all-fruit spread.

If you have a bit more time, a smoothie is a great snack. Use one cup frozen fruit, one cup almond/soy/rice/ or low-fat milk, a dash of sea salt and cinnamon and blend. Almond milk is unique in that it is low in fat, rich in nutrients and naturally sweet.

Sample Meals
Ideally, three different foods in each meal should cover the variety of vitamins and minerals necessary to maintain health, performance and growth. Here is a good example of a meal plan for a teenage athlete:

Breakfast: breakfast burrito (large whole-grain tortilla filled with two scrambled eggs, 1/3 cup of cheese and 1/4 cup salsa); a smoothie; and green tea or water

Snack: two sticks of string cheese; 20 whole-grain crackers; one cup of water; one cup of carrot juice

Lunch: chicken salad (romaine lettuce, one tomato, one carrot, 1/2 cucumber, 1/4 avocado, 6 oz. sliced chicken breast); 20 corn chips or a whole-grain roll; one cup skim milk; one cup water

Snack: 1/2 cup humus; one to two cups assorted cut veggies; one cup sparkling water; one cup pomegranate juice

Dinner: stir fry (6 oz. meat of choice, two cups veggies of choice, three tbsp. low-sodium soy sauce, two tbsp. olive oil); two cups brown rice; two cups sparkling water

Snack or dessert: 1 1/2 cup sliced fruit; three tbsp. whipped cream; 12 almonds; two squares dark chocolate