3 Dangerous Myths About Jumpstarting Weight Loss
Hey Angels and Alphas,
Have you ever noticed how many weight loss products out there, such as detox teas, fat-burners, juice cleanses, and meal replacement plans, promise to “jumpstart your weight loss” whatever that means?
And don’t you think that “jumpstarting” your weight loss seems like more of a buzzword than an actual (and helpful) part of your weight-loss journey?
Let’s talk about it.
The truth is, you can lose a lot of weight in a short amount of time. But you know that comes with that. This involves restrictive methods such as ditching entire food groups or cutting a massive number of calories, none of which are productive if you are looking at things long term.
This fat diet or fad method route can only create further setbacks that will stop you from achieving your goals, and not to mention, it often leads to a cycle of yo-yo dieting. This can slow down your metabolism, make it harder for you to lose weight, and make keeping weight off pretty much impossible.
Although there are some brilliant marketing minds in the world of weight loss, and they’re always coming up with new quick fixes, this takes the focus away from what you really need to be doing at the beginning of your weight loss journey…
…and that’s setting up a solid & sustainable game plan.
Weight loss isn’t about how aggressively you can start and more about how intentionally and sustainably you can build your approach.
That’s why today, we’re here to break down 3 of the most dangerous myths about jump-starting weight loss… and what you should be doing instead if you’re looking for healthy, empowering, sustainable results.
MYTH #1 – YOU HAVE TO DRASTICALLY CUT CALORIES.
When I hear someone talking about jumpstarting weight loss, I mostly hear people talking about fad diets that help them lose a few pounds quickly – and then regain them back faster than they lost them.
Remember – severe calorie restrictions are not helpful, healthy, or necessary to lose weight, and they *will* backfire – leading to more extreme yo-yo dieting and weight fluctuations you don’t want to be dealing with.
Here’s what you should do instead…
Set a realistic goal for your calories and journal about your meals.
I always encourage clients to adopt a game plan that looks at the far future. Because let’s face it, there’s no need to lose weight quickly. Instead of reaching for those unhealthy goals like losing 5 pounds in 5 days, aim for a healthy pace of 1-2 pounds a week.
And to solidify your progress, make sure you’re staying in check with that slight calorie deficit (meaning you’re consuming fewer calories than you’re expending) by keeping a journal or even writing notes about what you ate that day and how many total calories you consumed. This will help you raise awareness for the proper portion sizes you need to consume to lose weight… and will keep you accountable.
MYTH #2 – If you stop eating X, you can drop X pounds.
No. Many diets often home in on the foods and meals you should be giving up if you want to lose weight, be it dessert, dairy, carbs, etc. And they will slap you with massive promises such as – just push through those 30 days, and the result will be worth it! But no, no it won’t.
Having to cut out so much of what you love will not only backfire, but will make you feel deprived, craving the foods you decided were “off-limits.” And this will eventually lead to a cycle of binge eating when the strict regimen finally comes to an end.
Here’s what you should do instead…
Add more healthy and delicious foods to your diet!
The best thing you can do for your diet (and weight) is to ditch restrictions and focus on exploring and adding new foods to your diet.
- Create a list of unprocessed, whole foods you might enjoy (but haven’t tried) such as cabbage, carrots, broccoli, artichoke, eggplant, leafy greens, squash…
- Proteins such as chicken, turkey, eggs, tofu, and beans.
- Healthy fats such as nuts, seeds, olive oil, avocado oil, etc.
- And last but not least, complex carbohydrates such as root veggies, whole grains, and sweet fruits.
You will find that when you start prioritizing healthy foods and drinks, all your cravings will disappear, indulgences will no longer feel that tempting, and you will begin to edge out the not-that-healthy foods you were trying to reduce in the first place.
MYTH #3 – Doing a one-week “cleanse” will jumpstart weight loss and help you burn more calories.
Do you actually believe that juice, broth, or detoxifying teas can enhance your body’s ability to burn fat? Because there’s no research to back this up. Detox is just another buzzword – your body can naturally detoxify itself.
Here’s what you should do instead…
Just clean out your pantry and fridge and don’t fall for buzzwords!
You want to *really* detox? Spring clean your kitchen. Stop eating what you have around, hide the junk food (or keep it out of the houses,) and put healthy foods front and center with veggie and fruit bowls on the table. Use glass containers of pre-made veggie snacks at eye-level as soon as you open the fridge, and keep your grab-and-go healthy sweet snacks in pre-portioned bags. Now that’s what I call a detox.
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