One of the hardest things about dieting is that the greatest gains are made up front only to plateau after a few weeks. Most people believe dieting is nothing more than a flat reduction in calorie intake. And while this has an element of truth, it isn't the whole truth.
Most people associate dieting with long drawn out periods of hunger or abstaining from foods that give us pleasure. In truth a long term dieting plan should contain neither of those two things. You should not go through periods of hunger, because hunger signals to your body that it's starving and our bodies have a starvation mechanism that causes them to retain body fat as protection. Ouch, not exactly the intended consequence.
Furthermore, completely abstaining from pleasure and comfort foods is a great way to go insane. Dieting can be near impossible when the cravings set in, and abstaining from guilty pleasures will be your downfall in the end as soon as you take your first break. So, knowing that these foods are not good for us, how can we consume them without negative consequences? The key lies in calorie shifting.
A good diet will return to the basics. There are no diet secrets. Our bodies need carbohydrates, fats, and proteins, as well as a host of minerals and vitamins. These can all be met with a natural diet of whole grains, fruits, vegetables and lean meats. A meal comprised of these food groups can be quite tasty, and because vegetables and fruits are not calorie dense, you can pretty much eat to your hearts content and as often as you like without fear of putting on extra weight.
But let's assume that even though your body is being nourished, your mind is sabotaging your efforts with visions of chocolate cake. One of the unintended consequences of a good healthy diet can sometimes be a lower metabolism resulting from a reduction in calorie intake. This will cause a fat loss plateau, and when we deviate from our diet for a few days we put on fat immediately. This can be avoided if we intelligently incorporate one or two days a week of excessive calorie consumption.
That's right, I'm recommending that one day a week you cast your diet aside and partake in dietary debauchery. Eat your cakes and cookies and snickers. In fact, eat five. Make yourself sick with the rich goodness of junk and comfort foods. As this is your secret weapon in the battle for fat loss.
Over consumption and very high calorie days ensure that your metabolism will not adjust downward to find equilibrium with your calorie intake on diet days. When you return to your diet your body will register your caloric deficit and meet that deficit with energy from stored body fat. That's right, eating garbage will help you lose weight.
The other added benefit of calorie shifting is it keeps you from losing your mind and allows you to stay the course long term. You don't have to eliminate treats, just relegate them to their own day where you enjoy profusely. Eat till you puke if you must, all day long.
We all know how we feel after days like this. You'll last three days without even a thought of junk food because you'll feel disgusting. It's a great tactic for naturally ridding our minds of the compulsive desire for sweets. You'll be able to comfortably carry on your healthy diet because you haven't denied yourself your sweets, and in fact, you've had enough of them.
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