Here is another book that I’d like to share with you: “Drop the Fat Act & Live Lean” by Ryan D. Andrews. Ryan is a registered dietician, strength and conditioning specialist, and a coach with Precision Nutrition. In this book, Ryan shares his experiences as a nutrition coach. He compiled a list of common behaviors (or should we call it “misbehaviors”) among unsuccessful “losers” and chronic dieters (people who are always on a diet but don’t seem to drop a single pound). Following is just a taste of what he discovered:
- These people tend to skip breakfast, have a small lunch, and make dinner their largest meal. The problem with this approach is that you fail to fuel your body when you need it most, leaving you moody and sluggish throughout the day. If you don’t have enough energy to carry out your daily routine, how can you expect to be able to exercise? Besides, it is most likely that by dinner time you’ll be famished, which leads to binging (overeating). In addition, extreme hunger impairs your ability to make healthy food choices, meaning that you’ll be more likely to eat at fast-food restaurants (because it is fast) or gorge on whatever you have at hand (chips, candies, and other vending-machine goodies).
- These people are always on a diet. In their minds, dieting is a temporary fix that will lead to immediate results. For a short period of time, they will faithfully comply with the crazy new fad, eating only celery or stuffing their face with bacon. (Atkins, anyone?) They also believe that quantity is more important for weight-loss than quality. So, they count calories but don’t change their eating habits. They keep consuming “diet” foods such as low-fat ice cream or sugar-free candies. Unfortunately, restrictive diets are very hard to maintain in the long run. More often than not, a restrictive diet overwhelms the dieter who tends to abandon it altogether. Sadly, they don’t seem to learn with their mistakes because they keep trying diet after diet in the hopes that one day they will find the diet that fits their lifestyle.
- Their diet is rich in processed foods. Processed foods tend to be energy-dense (lots of calories) and nutrient-poor. These foods don’t fill you up because they have been stripped of precious fiber and other fundamental nutrients. In addition, they tend to be readily absorbed by the body, which spikes blood sugar levels. Because the body can’t use all this energy at once, the extra energy is promptly stored as fat. Moreover, processed foods are manipulated to stimulate consumption. Their taste and texture tend to overwhelm your taste buds, making you eat more than you actually need. These foods melt in your mouth; you don’t even expend energy chewing them!
- They tend to exercise less and lead less active lifestyles than lean people. Physical activity is the single most important factor for weight management and weight-loss maintenance. Because we don’t have much control over our metabolism, exercise is the only way one can burn extra calories. Keep in mind that the human body was originally designed for movement, so if we don’t use it, we lose it. According to the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), an adult should exercise at least 150 minutes per week in order to reduce his/her risk of developing chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease. However, if your goal is to lose weight, you may need a lot more. In his book, Ryan recommends at least four hours of exercise per week. The good news is that you don’t need to do all of it in one bout. Break it down into short sessions (10, 20 or 30 minutes – whatever works for you) throughout your day, accumulating minutes of physical activity per week. He also recommends that you focus on activities you enjoy (to improve adherence), and try to diversify your activities (which prevents injuries and boredom).
There are many more dos and don’ts on his list, but you’ll have to read the book to see them all.