3 lies the Health & Fitness industry is telling you

For most women, dieting has been a part of their lives for as long as they can remember. 

Hyper-focused on the scales, dress sizes, and how they look. Rather than focusing on how they feel. And I get it - I fought against my body through my teens and twenties to attain a certain shape, weight, and look with complete disregard for how I felt.

The cycle of losing, gaining, and losing again is incredibly taxing on the metabolic, hormonal, and digestive systems and I felt sh**!

In fact, many people have amazing, beautiful; and strong bodies but on the inside, they are:

·  Exhausted and fatigued

·  Bloated and constipated

·  Hair is falling out

·  Nails are brittle and weak

·  Irregular periods

·  Sex drive is non-existent

·  Weight is fluctuating hard

These are all signs from the body that something is not quite right and it's not their fault at all. The health and fitness industry is absolutely over-saturated with information. The dieting industry is a multi-billion-pound industry. This is BIG business.

Most women (and men) have spent thousands even tens of thousands on diet products and services. And the truth is, the research states that diets have a 5% success rate! That means that 95% of diets fail.

Today I am going to tell you 3 of the biggest lies women have been told when it comes to health and fitness.

1 - “Women need to eat 1200 calories to lose weight”

I am not sure where this ‘magic’ number came from, but I can assure you there are no magic numbers. For most women, this number (1200) is way too low. In fact, the calorie recommendation for a child aged 2-3 years old is 1000-1400 calories per day!

This amount of restriction over time leads to;

·  Binge eating

·  Cravings

·  Lowered metabolism

·  Weight loss resistance

·  Digestive issues

·  Hormonal issues

·  Mental health problems

 

Your calorie requirements are unique to you and yourself only!

Your basal metabolic rate is roughly 22 x body weight. This is the number of calories you roughly need for your organs to function. If you are eating near this number or within 10% then you are at risk of metabolic adaptation.

The solution? Start a reverse diet. If you have any questions on them, let me know.

2 - “Drinking weight loss shakes reduces body fat”

When you start removing meals and replacing them with shakes you are going to be consuming fewer calories resulting in a further deficit. Which may work temporarily for weight loss if there is not already metabolic adaptation. However, if you are replacing meals with shakes, you are also going to be consuming fewer nutrients

To make it simple... Calories determine your weight. Macronutrient ratios will determine how you look at that weight. Micronutrients determine how you feel.

This puts you at risk of nutrient deficiencies such as;

·  Iron

·  Vitamin D

·  Omega 3’s

·  B vitamins

·  Copper

·  Magnesium

·  Zinc

And much more…

Deficiencies in any of these can not only put a halt on weight loss, but you are going to be adding a load of symptoms you don't want to happen to your body.

·  Low energy and fatigue

·  Low sex drive

·  Bloating and constipation

·  Brain fog

·  Water retention

·  Anxiety

·  Insomnia

·  Waking up multiple times in the night

·  Excessive thirst

3 - “Carbs make you gain weight”

This is probably the most frustrating one that I see.

Diet culture has demonised carbohydrates with many women and women cutting them out completely. Carbohydrates play many roles in the body. They are the body's main energy source for the muscles and the brain. Because for every one molecule of carbohydrates 3 molecules of water are attached to it. So, when we cut out carbohydrates the weight loss, we experience is just water loss (not fat loss) which is why many women think cutting out carbs is the answer. They then come to realize that this is not sustainable at all for the body or their health.

REMEBER - Getting into shape isn’t easy, however it can be made much simpler with individualized advice catered to your specific needs and situation. But, having someone supporting you and guiding you on your journey will help massively in you being educated.