You need to balance your diet and exercise in order to be healthy. Even if you know what your end goal is, it can be difficult to determine which diet will work best for you and how it will fit into your life.
We’ve broken down three popular weight loss methods to get you started.
Intermittent Fasting (I.F. )
What’s it all about?
Intermittent fasting refers to a diet that allows you to eat regularly and then have periods of fasting (when your body is not eating).
People will often talk about 18:6, 20:4, or other variations. This is how you should eat or fast and it focuses more on the when’ than the ‘what’.
The most popular variation is the 16/8 fast, which involves fasting for 16 hours each day and eating only within an eight-hour time frame. You could, for example, skip breakfast and eat two or more meals between 12pm and 8pm. Then, fast until 12 noon the next day.
You don’t have to fast, but you shouldn’t stop drinking. It is encouraged that you drink as much water and zero-calorie beverages as possible to keep hydrated.
What could it do for me?
- Enhanced Memory: This includes being able to think clearly and having better working memory
- Tackling obesity, managing diabetes: This may reverse or prevent Type 2 diabetes and obesity.
- Better respiratory and cardiovascular health with improved resting heart rate, blood pressure and breathing
- Lean body and body fat: Those on a 16/8 plan can reduce body fat while still maintaining lean muscles
Pros
- It may help you lose weight
- It can help with chronic conditions such as high cholesterol and irritable bowel syndrome.
- It could help you lose weight and prevent diabetes
Cons
- A 2-week transition period can lead to severe irritability or hunger.
- During this transition period, it can cause nausea, unusual anxiety and headaches.
- The research into side effects and benefits of different medications is ongoing.
- This is not recommended for anyone under 18 years of age, who is pregnant, nursing, Type 1 diabetic, or has a history with eating disorders.
Is this right for me?
If you adhere to a plan that includes proper eating and fasting times, intermittent fasting can be safe and effective. This can help you lose weight and address certain health issues. Before you make any major changes to your health or wellbeing, it is a good idea to consult your doctor.
Paleo Diet
What’s it all about?
Paleo (or Caveman diet) emphasizes whole food consumption. It’s an attempt to eat whole foods and eat the same macronutrients as our Cavemen ancestors over 10,000 years ago. This is evident in the types of food you can eat: lean meats, fishes, fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and nuts. It is also recommended that you drink lots of water and keep active throughout the day.
This diet matches our bodies’ needs in a way modern agriculture doesn’t. The diet’s creators and supporters claim modern foods are responsible for obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and other health problems.
Avoiding certain foods in this diet:
- Grains: Including wheat, oats, and barley
- Dairy products – such as butter, milk, cheese, yoghurt, and yoghurt
- Legumes: Like beans, lentils, and peanuts
- Refined and processed sugars are products that are not made from fruits
- Potatoes
- All non-organic and processed foods: Examples include microwave meals
What could it do for me?
Some benefits have been shown in trials of the diet. However, these studies were limited to a small number of people. More research is necessary. The diet has been linked to:
- Weight loss
- Improving insulin sensitivity
- Controlling blood pressure
Pros
- It could help you lose weight
- These health benefits include lowering blood pressure and managing insulin sensitivity.
Cons
- Research is lacking
- Exclusion of essential food groups could lead to a potential deficit in vitamins and nutrients
- Insufficient data available on the long-term effects of the diet
- Some may find it too costly as it focuses on meat, vegetables, and nuts.
- It is not recommended for women who have been pregnant or are breastfeeding
Is this right for me?
The paleo diet eliminates legumes, whole grains, and dairy completely. You will still get nutrients, fiber, vitamins, and vitamins from the foods that you can eat but not calcium or protein. It’s worth seeking medical advice before you commit to this. This will help determine if you are a good candidate and if your body needs it.
The Atkins Diet
What’s it all about?
Low carb diet, the Atkins diet, has been in existence since 1972. This diet works by reducing carbs gradually, which will reduce your appetite.
You can eat as much protein and fat as you want, and, as with all diets, it’s important to keep hydrated. To ensure you stay on track, you will go through four phases.
Here’s a quick overview of all four phases:
- Phase 1 Induction: You’ll reduce your carb intake and force your body to burn fat instead of carbs. It is recommended that you eat regularly, drink 6-8 glasses of water (approx. 1.2L to 1.5L per day
- Phase 2: Ongoing weight loss. Here you will find your carb tolerance. This is how much carbs you are able to eat while still losing weight. You can also add foods like nuts, seeds, and cheeses to your diet.
- Phase 3: Pre-maintenance This phase is all about embedding good habits. You can increase the amount of grains, starchy vegetables, fruits, and pulses, as well as increasing your carbohydrate intake.
- Phase 4: Going low carb for your life. Once you have reached and maintained your goal weight, the best diet will suit your lifestyle.
What will it do for me?
Research shows that Atkins can be helpful in:
- How to reduce body fat
- Lowering blood sugar levels
- Improving HDL cholesterol
- Lowering your blood pressure
Pros
- It is effective against weight loss
- Research supports low carb diets’ effectiveness.
- Additional health benefits include lowering blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and blood sugar.
Cons
- Side effects possible include dizziness and headaches, weakness, constipation, and dizziness.
- It is not recommended for women who have been pregnant or are breastfeeding
- Could be a sign of existing conditions
Is this right for me?
Atkins encourages whole, organic food while limiting calorie intake. This is the largest contributor to weight/fat reduction. However, like all diets, it’s not for everyone. Talk to your doctor first if you have questions or underlying health problems.
This post was written by Darryl Johnson, Co-Owner of Apex performance. At Apex performance we are a community of highly trained experts looking to provide performance enhancement and a permanent lifestyle change for our clients in a fun and interactive environment. Members can take advantage of youth sports performance training near me, one-on-one training, small group classes and specialized courses for a wide variety of athletics, sports training and body goals!
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