Before I lost weight with flexible dieting, I was taught you have to be ultra-strict with your eating habits.
That meant no carbs.
No sugar.
No meals after 7 pm.
And for sure no foods you truly enjoy.
This was all before I learned what calories in vs calories out was.
And all before I learned what flexible dieting was.
Learning what I just mentioned above not only changed my life but the lives of the clients I have trained as well.
Continue reading below to learn how I lost weight with flexible dieting and exactly what it is!
Why Flexible Dieting
Flexible dieting is simply a method of watching your calories and eating the way you like in a balanced manner.
There is no doubt about it, most diets are too restrictive.
The fad diets want you to cut out certain foods and look at food as good and bad.
But, in reality, food has no idea that it is either good or bad.
So saying sugar is evil or carbs are evil would be saying that these foods are making a conscious choice.
However, that is not the case.
Therefore, stop looking at food as good or bad, but simply look at it as less nutritious or more nutritious
When you have that perspective you don’t associate food with ‘cheating.’
By taking this outlook you will see that the majority of the time you eat nutritious food and leave some space for fun foods.
This is what I did when I decided to test this way of eating out.
Take a look below at my Before and After.
How I Lost Weight With Flexible Dieting
When I cut calories to lose weight, one would assume I only ate ‘clean foods’ but, that was not the case at all.
I was still eating ice cream almost every other day, however, I was just watching how much I ate because I had a budget.
What do I mean by I had a budget?
Essentially what I mean is, I was eating a certain amount of carbs, fats, and protein.
My goal was to get close to whatever those numbers were set to at that time as possible.
Tracking my calories it made it easier for me to stay in a calorie deficit and to see how much space I had for foods I enjoy.
And simply by doing that and eating in a calorie deficit for 10 weeks, I lost 28lbs!
Now, I did an aggressive cut, but this was to showcase that the most important factor in losing weight is being in a calorie deficit.
There is no specialized diet or foods that will get you there.
Having said that, If I just ate less nutritious food all day long I would lose a lot of muscle because my protein would not be sufficient enough.
Furthermore, I would be extremely hungry because eating foods high in protein and fiber helps you stay full for long periods and that is ultra important when it comes to dieting!
What I Realized
What I realized when I lost weight with flexible dieting, and the science says this, is that you can eat in a balanced manner and still lose weight.
You do not have to be so restrictive with your eating that you cannot live the lifestyle you want.
And the same goes for drinking! Just don’t overdo it!
Working out and exercising should not take away from your life and cause more stress.
It’s apart of your life and you can still choose to eat healthy majority of the time and leave space for fun foods.
Do not let fad diets condition you otherwise.
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