Hey guys!
Many of you are asking me which is the best diet to follow, how do I lose weight, what should/shouldn’t I be eating, should I avoid carbs or no carbs after 6pm…
The truth
Everyone is individual and so I cannot say everyone should eat clean or everyone should do IIFYM (if it fits your macros). It often comes down to personal preference, I find it easier to lean out when on a clean diet as I feel it nourishs my body and gives me fuel for my workouts and daily life.
Science, back to basics
At the end of the day if you are consuming few calories than expending you are going to lose the weight and so most of the fad diets have played on this e.g. the popular Juice diets- of course having 3 juices a day and likely a load of pills filled with chemicals designed to make you feel ‘full’ is going to make you lose weight as the calories are low, but ask yourself is this a.) healthy b.) sustainable and c.) enjoyable.
Question of carbs-good/bad?
Carbs. Good, bad, not after 6pm? Carbs get a lot of attention and mostly get a bad rap. Low-carb diet do make you lose weight and fairly fast but this is not a sustainable diet unless you really plan on not touching another carb again- it is not realistic. Carbs are not the enemy and are actually required by the body to create and fuel those lean muscles you desire and yes girls we want them too if we want to gain that ‘toned’, sculpted look (notice ‘tone’ is in ” there is no such thing – more on this later in the week).
To pick up on just one of the popular trends,
“No carbs after 6pm, carbs after this will cause weight gain”
Total nonsense! Your body does not have an internal clock saying right its 6pm now all carbs I consume now shall be stored as fat.
The likely science behind it is that an average persons main meal and likely high in carbs is their evening meal. So someone has conducted a study into ‘no carbs after 6pm’ amoung these people showing an increased rate of fat loss.
As we already know, low-carb diets do make you lose weight, however think about the abc mentioned earlier!
My diet
I personally find it easier to lean out using clean eating. I am currently following a plan by Becca Smith, bikini competitor and loving my plan! I feel I am nourishing my body correctly and have so much energy for my workouts and everyday life. I find it easier to stick to than IIFYM (if it fits your macros) which I used before and allows you to be flexible with your diet and consume what you want within your given calories, proteins, carbs and fats. I however often found myself going over board not being able to resist the whole bar of chocolate to a few pieces and so never gained the results I wanted and felt demotivated. I still have chocolate and the rest and will likely go back to IIFYM when I have gained the physique I want but for now I am happy having my once a week re-feed and off-plan meal where I have what I want but find now I don’t care the junk and sweet treats nearly as much. Don’t get me wrong I still LOVE cookies, cake and ice-cream as much as you but I care about looking after my body and fuelling myself correctly also-all about finding that balance that works for you!
My advice
Sure try new diets and experiment with what works for you but take ‘the new best diet’ and ‘fad-diets’ with a pinch of salt and always refer back to the basics and fundamentals of weight loss.Anything that cuts calories will make you lose weight but find a diet that suits you. doesn’t leave you feeling sluggish or tired and achieves those goals while keeping healthy and still able to enjoy yourself and live life.
Training Plans
Contact me on sinead@scmfitness.co.uk for information on nutrition and training packages I offer and start your training with me for less than £2/day!
With love,
Sinead x
My philosophy -if you can’t understand what is on the ingredients list-how the hell will your body know!
