The Perils Of Diving Into Strict Diets Headfirst

Every so often you read a sad story in the newspaper about someone
who dove headfirst into a river or lake, without checking to see how
deep the water was beforehand. Unfortunately, it turned out to be a
shallow 18 inches and the consequence of this miscalculated plunge was
a broken neck and a wheelchair.

This reminds me of the way most people impatiently dive into strict,
extreme, or unbalanced crash diets, without thinking about the long
term consequences, invariably crippling any chance they had for keeping
the fat off in the long run.

One thing that almost all mainstream popular diets have in common is
an “induction phase” (or the equivalent). This is often done under the
scientific-sounding auspices of “making the metabolic switch” from
“carb burner” to “fat burner.”

Another common way that popular diets begin is with a “liquid fast”
or “internal cleansing” phase. This is often suggested as necessary for
clearing out all the gunk that has accumulated on your insides which
(says them), is the reason you feel like “blah” and can’t lose any
weight.

Larrian Gillespie, the About.com guide to low carb diets, made a
keen observation in a recent article. Writing about the Induction plan
on programs such as the Atkins diet, she noted:

"Frankly, the only thing I object to is the induction plan
concept...for ANY diet. It's a cheap trick approach to weight
management, since we as Americans are fixated on quick fixes or we toss
a plan and go onto the next marketing promise."

Not only do I agree – I would take it a step further. I believe that
this radical beginning phase actually increases the chances of failure
in the long term.

Gillespie continues with advice about what to do if you choose a low carb approach such as Atkins…

"This (induction) approach will trigger a rebound weight gain. Don't
overdo the induction phase. Better yet, go directly to stage 2 of the
plan and begin there. There is nothing more irritating to a physician
than having a patient come in with health problems as a direct result
of following some crazy diet, like eating ONLY cabbage, or only
grapefruit."

“Induction” is simply a politically correct way to say you have to
crash diet and starve yourself in the beginning. Look at the forums and
message boards: They’re filled with posts from people about to start
these programs, dreading the “initial” phase and wondering if they’ll
be able to hack it (and with people telling war stories about how they
“survived” it ...or tried it and failed).

“Induction” has nothing to do with science, health or permanent fat
loss. It has everything to do with marketing and instant gratification.
Dieters flock to the gurus that promise 12 to 15 pounds of weight loss
in the first two weeks, while sneering at the idea of losing a paltry 2
pounds of fat per week. “Give me results now” is the mindset, with no
thought given to body composition, health or long-term consequences.
What sells more books: “Quickly Lose 8-10 pounds in the first week” or
“lose 8-10 pounds of fat per month and never gain it back?”
Unfortunately, it is usually the former.

Over the past decade and a half I have almost always used the
opposite approach with my clients – and that is, never dive into diets
– instead, ease into a new way of life, one habit at a time, if
necessary.

My clients are introduced to words such as habits, balance,
lifestyle and patience. I sit them down, look them in the eye and ask,
“Do you want to lose weight quickly and gain it back or do you want to
lose fat slowly and keep it off forever and never have to “diet”
again?”

When confronted face to face, the answer is always the latter (but
often begrudgingly so). The patience pays off, and those who are wise
enough to listen enjoy the fruits of lifelong health, leanness and
fitness, never having to endure the repeated yo-yo losses and gains so
many people suffer for an entire lifetime.

Consider these concepts: Do NOT crash diet only to relapse to your
old, unhealthy ways. Do not even put yourself in “emergency” situations
where you feel pressured to lose weight quickly. Build a foundation and
master the fundamentals first, then nit pick, sweat the small stuff and
try “advanced” techniques later.

Once you’ve mastered the basics, then you can slowly make your plan
stricter – if necessary – based on your results. You can reduce or
eliminate cheat days, and tighten up your food choices.

Yes, carbs can be s-l-o-w-l-y reduced to find that optimal level for
your body type where fat loss really kicks in. Calorie levels can
dropped, more cardio added, rest between sets decreased, and training
intensity increased.

On and on your regimen can be gradually “tightened up” and
compliance increased until the desired results are achieved. Then, it’s
a gradual, comfortable transition to maintenance phase, which is never
far away from the fat loss phase.

Contrast this sensible, healthy, lifestyle approach, (which most
people view not only as slow, but flat out “backwards”), with the crash
diet or “induction” approach:

The new dieter STARTS from day one with the strictest, most extreme
version of the diet. It’s often very unbalanced with entire food groups
removed, or it emphasizes only one food or food type. Sometimes, the
restrictions are so tight, you even have to limit the amount of
vegetables you eat! Is that CRAZY or WHAT????

The weight comes flying off… SUCCESS! Or so it appears…until
all the weight has returned 6-12 months later along with the rest of
the 95% of dieters who fail because they insisted on following the herd
and hopping on the latest quick fix bandwagon.

No two people are exactly alike and no single nutrition program is
right for everyone. For example, some people really do thrive on
reduced carbohydrate diets. But one thing that‘s true for 100% of
people 100% of the time is that starvation and crash dieting are a
one-way ticket to eventual weight regain and metabolic destruction.

What should you do instead? Ease into it. Stick your toes in the
water first. Isolate bad habits and replace them with good ones – one
or two at a time – for life. Psychologists say it only takes 21 days to
form a new good habit, and habits, not diets, are the key to long-term
fat loss success. Any nutrition program not built squarely on a strong
foundation of nutritional fundamentals and good long-term habits is an
accident waiting to happen.

Your friend and coach,

Tom Venuto

www.BurnTheFat.com

About the Author:

Tom Venuto is a lifetime natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified
personal trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning
specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling e-book, "Burn the Fat, Feed the Muscle"
Tom has written more than 200 articles and has been featured in print
magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN, Natural Bodybuilding,
Muscular Development, Exercise for Men and Men’s Exercise, as well as
on hundreds of websites worldwide.

For information on Tom's Fat Loss
program, visit: www.BurnTheFat.com