8 Things You Need To Know To Experience a Successful Diet

Everyone wants to have a SUCCESSFUL diet,

To experience a successful diet you need to understanding HOW fat loss actually works and what is required for fat loss.  

1.    Calorie deficit

To achieve fat loss we need to be in a Calorie Deficit.

A calorie deficit is when you are consuming (eating) LESS calories than you are burning.

2. Macronutrients

You need to understand what macros are, their roles and their significance in the fat loss process. 

Calories- determine your rate of fat loss

Macronutrient -determine how you feel

So yes, calories matter most but macros give you the opportunity to try and feel your best so finding the unique macro split for you is what's important for best results and this takes time trial and error!

3.Sleep

You need to understand how sleep impacts the fat loss process and tips & tricks on how to optimize your sleep quality. 

Does sleep Affect Fat Loss?

No

Eating in a calorie deficit will always result in fat loss, no matter how much sleep you do or don't get. However, poor sleep can affect our ability to stick to eating in a calorie deficit which, as we hope you understand now, WILL effect fat loss.

Poor sleep increases ghrelin (our hunger hormone) and decreases leptin (our satiety hormone). This means we are tired, hungry and not satisfied which usually results in over eating, meaning we are no longer in a calorie deficit = potential fat gain.

4. Stress

Understanding how stress impacts the fat loss process and tips & tricks on how to manage and reduce your stress for best transformation results. 

Can High stress affect Fat Loss?

Directly No

Indirectly yes…

When we are stressed we have a strong tendency to make irrational food choices, have lower satiety hormone production, and also simply have a tendency to crave foods that are calorie dense.

Furthermore, stress can impact our thyroid hormones which can affect the "energy out" component of energy balance.

Stress also can dysregulate our parasympathetic (rest & digest) and sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous systems.

5. Tracking Progress

Understanding all the various methods that exist that can be used to track progress, and how accurate/reliable these are.

The main ways to track weight loss progress are:
1. Scales
2. Measurements
3. Photos
4. Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis 
5. DEXA scans

Truth be told none of them are the MOST reliable.

Collectively, they give a good idea on progress and yes you do want to see improvement in all areas, however, how you FEEL will always be the best and most accurate feedback.

6. Motivation VS Discipline

Understanding why motivation is useful but, more importantly, why discipline is CRUCIAL to long term success.

Where did that go?
Why can't I just do what's required?
Why does it feel so hard now?

Don't worry - you're not alone.

So don't feel like you'll never be able to achieve anything because you just can't get motivated. We are here to remind you that you are capable of whatever you put your mind to. 

7. Fat Loss Plateaus

Why they occur and how to work through them to achieve long term sustainable results. 

Plateaus occur simply because we are not designed to diet.

When we diet for extended periods of time (anywhere from 4 weeks onwards) our body starts to raise an array of defensive mechanisms in order to stop us from literally starving to death (thanks body).

This is why you get hungry, you get sick and you might even have side effects such as losing your period after extended periods of time in dieting

Your body wants you to stop dieting and will do anything to
make that happen
-- insert willpower here --

8. Diet Break

It’s important to "diet break" at some point in your dieting journey, what that even means and how it all works!

What is a Diet Break?
Diet breaks are essentially a much required & essential "break from dieting" where you bring calories up to baseline/maintenance calories mainly from carbs and essentially 'refill the tank" and replenish everything that has been depleted from dieting.

When we hit a plateau, sometimes the only thing we need to do is take a step back from dieting, do a 3-14 day DIET BREAK, reset and commence dieting again and results start to show on the same calories that were previously no longer working. It is literally magic.

PLEASE NOTE: Diet breaks are NOT a "free for all" binge or week off track.
They must be 100% tracked to not exceed total calories and sticking to the macro breakdown is also very important!

There are the 8 simple keys to successful results we follow for all our transformations here at Strong Fams

Contact us today to work with one our coaches and get a whole body and life transformation!