Quick fixes and fad diets continue to be all the rage. We’ll do just about anything the promises drastic, results quick, right? And I get it. When we want to lose weight we want it to be easy. Dieting is synonymous with suffering, hunger, restriction, hard work, feeling exhausted and overwhelmed…So I totally get why people would want to skip all that stuff and get fast results.
The problem is, the faster the weight comes off, the faster it comes back on. And so begins (or continues) the harmful dieting cycle.
There are a quite a few questionable products or diets on the market today that can do some serious hard to both our body and mind and I’m talking about them below. Let’s make a promise to steer clear of any of the stuff I talk about below and instead agree to respect our body and fuel it with energizing, delicious and healthy foods.
Deal? Deal.
1. Waist Trainers
You’ve seen the Kardashians use them. Even Jessica Alba claims they helped her get her body back after pregnancy. I feel like this goes without saying, but any “health tip” that comes from a Kardashian or any other Hollywood Celebrity needs to be taken with a very large grain of salt, if not ignored completely.
Waist trainers will not help you lose fat, they will NOT make your abs stronger or more visible and will probably do more harm than good given that they pinch and cinch your waist to the point of possible digestion and breathing issues.
Want a smaller waist? Let’s do it in a smarter, safer way, ok?
2. Body Wraps/ Waist Sweat Bands
Oh dear Lord. Ok- if you want to lose water weight temporarily by rubbing jelly on your belly and wrapping yourself in plastic or cloth, body wraps and sweat bands will help you do just that, but that’s the extent of it. Body wraps or bands do not detoxify your body and they are not long-term fat loss solutions. They will not results in weighing less or even measuring less in the long term. Don’t waste your hard earned money on this stuff. Save that money for the grocery store and stock up on lean proteins and fresh produce.
3. Diet Pills
If you read most bottles, diet pills will tell you that with proper diet and exercise, they may help with losing weight. So let’s think about this:
Joe Shmoe has been eating a diet high in processed foods, doesn’t exercise much and doesn’t drink much water. He buys these pills and decides to go all in. He stocks up on protein, veggies and whole grains at the grocery store, buys himself a big water bottle and starts walking everyday on top of taking the pills.
Now you tell me- what helped Joe lose weight? The pills? Or a shift in lifestyle?
There is not one single pill on the market that has 100% proven, positive, long-term fat loss results, but some have been proven to cause digestive issues, elevated heart rate, irritability, jitters, dizziness, nausea and vomiting.
What has been 100% proven to give long-term fat loss results is a diet high in lean proteins and produce, whole grains, healthy fats, moderate exercise, staying hydrated and lots of sleep.
4. Any diet or program that cuts out food groups or demonizes certain foods
Paleo, Atkins, Keto, South Beach, Whole 30, 21 Day Fix…the list could go on for pages and pages but I’ll stop there.
Here’s the thing- we do not need to cut out carbs, fruit, dairy or anything else in order to lose fat efficiently (unless of course you have a true allergy or condition that has been diagnosed by a real live Doctor). We also don’t need to obsessively weight or measure everything we put into our bodies because our body will let us know exactly when and how much to eat, should we choose to listen.
Can these programs get you results? Sure, any diet can, especially one that cuts out complete food groups or restricts sugar and alochol. But in the name of sustainability, they drop the ball. Even a program like Whole 30, though it’s meant to only be followed for 30 days, can do a number on someone’s mindset in terms of how they look at food. Sugar, grains and dairy become “bad” foods because if they were “good” they’d be included in the program, right?
Look at it as a red flag when a program you’re considering has a list of “off limit” foods, even if it’s only for a certain period of time. Especially if you have a troubled relationship with food, that’s not a road you want to venture down.
Instead, find a way to eat that allows you to enjoy your favorite food (pizza and wine included) while still allowing you to achieve your fat loss goals (Shameless Plug: Check out my program, FUELED UP FAT LOSS, HERE which starts on Wednesday).
5. Putting Coconut Oil and Butter in Coffee
Separately, coconut oil, butter and coffee are great. But together? Not so much.
Have you heard of Bulletproof Coffee? Simply put, it’s coffee with added butter and coconut oil. It’s said to give the consumer lots of energy and mental clarity. I mean…it better give people a pretty amazing energy boost given that it packs in over 400 calories to our morning cup of joe and 50 grams of fat!
Even if you modify the recipe and put in a tablespoons or so of coconut oil, that’s still over 100 calories and 10 grams of fat FOR COFFEE! For some perspective, black coffee has about 5 calories total and if you add two tablespoons of cream you’re only up to about 55 calories.
Let’s agree to eat, and cook with, our fats instead of drinking them and keeping oil out of our coffee, ok? Especially if our goal is fat loss!
6. Detoxes and Cleanses
I think we’ve all been in a place where we feel like we need to flush out all the crap we just ate on vacation or during a stressful month and a 5 day cleanse sounds like a great idea. But here’s the truth: we have organs like our liver and kidneys that do all the detoxing and cleansing for us. That’s their job. We really don’t need to be wasting money on juices, pills and other elixirs to help us do a job that our body is already great at doing. Aside from the fact that there isn’t any scientific evidence that proves cleanses and detoxes are effective, they can result in nausea, headache, low energy, lots of time spent in the bathroom and really intense food cravings.
When it comes down to it, choose to eat lots of fresh produce and drink lots of water regularly and let your body do the rest.
Now, if you’re really riding the fat loss struggle bus and you feel like no matter what you do, you just can’t seem to lose the extra pounds, check out my 1:1 fat loss coaching program, Fresh, Fit & Fearless!
This program is designed to be THE LAST fat loss program you’ll ever need! How amazing would that be?!