Why Restrictive Diets Won’t Help You Long-Term
Elimination diets are all the rage, and for (a somewhat) good reason! More people are better understanding how food can affect so much more than just their waistbands. These diets are great for eliminating common inflammatory foods to figure out what might trigger symptoms and can help people feel better than they have in years. But unfortunately, while paleo and Whole30® programs might pack lots of great short-term results, restrictive diets won’t help you long-term.
The Dreaded Plateau
Eliminating entire food groups and cutting out processed junk will often lead to an unintentional calorie deficit, which helps with weight loss… for a time. Drastically reducing calories will help shed weight until your metabolism slows down, and then you hit the dreaded plateau. You may try to eliminate more food or reduce your calorie intake, but that stubborn plateau won’t budge because your body may be trying to tell you that it actually needs more food than you’re giving it.
Restrictive Diets and Burnout
The biggest complaint about restrictive diets? Burnout. There’s a reason why these programs only last 21 or 30 days. People can only deprive themselves of their favorite foods for so long. In addition to burnout, practicing restrictive diets long term can lead to disordered eating.
Discovering True Food Freedom
So what’s the answer? Well, the ultimate goal is to discover true food freedom! Eliminating inflammatory foods while still enjoying your favorite treats and eating more than you have in years—all while burning fat and building lean, calorie-burning muscle.
That’s the beauty of the FASTer Way to Fat Loss. We combine the science-backed strategies of Intermittent Fasting, carb cycling, and macro tracking with intentional workouts. We don’t believe in diets, we believe in whole-food nutrtion (and enough of it!), which is why we created this flexible lifestyle for every size, shape, and stage of life!
“I can’t say enough about this program! 10 days in and I’m already seeing great results inside and out. I am fairly active (cross-fit) and eat well (Paleo and Whole30) but I just wasn’t seeing results. I have learned so much and now have a better understanding of why things weren’t working. I’m a full-time working mom of three and I have still managed to find time to fit in all of the workouts, plus my regular cross-fit sessions. I underestimated the value of daily check-ins and the group support but it has made all the difference and I’ve really enjoyed my virtual cheerleading group! I highly recommend the program!” – Claire*
*Results may vary from person to person.