How to Detect a Bad Diet

Each year, roughly 45% of Americans vow to get in shape at the start of the new year. Many of us want to eat “healthier,” but what does that look like? In a nutshell, a healthier lifestyle means permanently changing dietary or everyday behaviors for the long term. Some diets claim you can lose X pounds in Y days by only eating specific foods or worse, starving yourself. While we argue there is no single way to improve your health, there are plenty of fad diets that can lead us astray. Here’s how to avoid them.

Fat-Focused
The mentality that fat = bad creates a misleading concept of weight loss. Getting in shape does mean a different number on the scale for many, but less fat does not always equal healthy. Instead of hyper-focusing on what you want to lose, gaining muscle mass and a healthy mindset is equally as important. When changing behaviors it’s vital to find new rituals and activities to replace old ones. Effective diets consider what’s best for your health as a whole.

Fast Results
Does it sound too good to be true? Then it probably is. Losing too much body fat in a small amount of time can also mean losing muscle mass, slowing down your metabolism and putting you at risk of undoing any progress made. Instead, slow and steady progress has been proven to last longer.

Banning Certain Foods
Banning types of foods or relying on dietary aids isn’t realistic for the long term. There are some programs with specific meals that can help some lose weight in the beginning, but they are not plans that can last forever. These diets aren’t compatible with birthday parties, restaurants or feeding a family on the go. A diet is about balance, and even cake has its place in the world of healthy living when portioned correctly. In order to stay healthy for the long term, you need to learn to navigate all kinds of foods.

It’s All Food Related
There certainly are cases where ditching pop, alcohol, or chips is a powerful step toward a healthier life. However, losing weight is not strictly a diet and exercise thing. Stress levels, lack of sleep, or busy lives contribute to our poor choices. Without addressing these larger problems, it becomes more difficult to make lasting change. Effective diets are a part of a larger lifestyle change, instead of only fixating on your dinner plate.

For health that stands the test of time, i’move has teamed up with Precision Nutrition to create 12 months of nutritional counseling with performance specialist and your personal coach Samantha van der Lende. For progress that lasts, your coach will work with you to establish healthy habits to reach your goals. Contact Samantha through our nutritional counseling page to get started.