I’m taking a break from all the baby content and spam today to get back to some nutrition talk.
Summer is officially here and lately I’ve been hearing friends starting to talk about weight gain over the summer due to drinking more, traveling, and just not being on a consistent routine with eating and exercise. Feeling this way can cause a knee jerk reaction to engage in a drastic dietary changes to “un-do” an indulging. I’ve also been seeing more and more influencers on IG with absolutely no nutrition background sharing fad diets they are trying (aka getting paid/free products) with their followers.
As a Registered Dietitian (meaning I went through a lot of school, dietetic internship, and passing a national test to get licensed) it’s really frustrating to see so many influencers on IG touting different diets, fasts, and nutrition advice without the credentials to do so. Many people idolize these influencers for their looks and fashion; therefore, making them want to eat and exercise like they do. Followers that are easily influenced (trust me I fall into these traps too) believe if they eat and exercise the way the influencer does they might look like them. This is a dangerous way of thinking. Many of these influencers are given free products to try if they share on social media or even a financial kickback if people sign up for the diet or program. This is extremely dangerous because much of what you see on social media isn’t safe, healthy, or backed up science.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not against supporting people to eat more nutritious, get in more daily movement, or even have a realistic weight loss goal. However, I like to educate people on how to achieve these goals in a safe, realistic, and long lasting way. Making drastic changes in your diet may result in weight loss, but this “quick fix” likely isn’t a sustainable way of eating and teaches you nothing about how to properly fuel your body. Doing something drastic in the name of health can be dangerous and counterproductive. Consistency with your behaviors is key and making small tweaks to your diet and lifestyle will be more beneficial to your health in the long run. Here are some red flags to look out for on social media.
5 Diet Trend Red Flags to be Aware of:
Costs a lot of money
Weight loss shouldn’t cost a lot money! This ties into my second red flag below, but you don’t need to sign up for any expensive subscriptions, diet plans, products, etc. People are often so desperate for weight loss they are willing to pay any cost to achieve their goal. These programs often take advantage of people being desperate for something to work and will overcharge for what they are providing.
Substituting real food for liquid replacements, shakes, or supplements
This is not healthy nor sustainable! Proper nutrition requires eating real food, adequate calories, and a variety of food groups. If a program has you replacing meals for supplements or drinks you’re likely not getting adequate macro and micronutrients which can lead to deficiencies.
Eliminates one macronutrient (carbohydrate, protein, fat)
If a diet is vilifying a certain macronutrient that’s a red flag. Carbs, protein, and fat all have different and essential functions in the body. Cutting out an entire food group can lead to deficiencies, low energy, cravings, etc. A proper diet includes a variety of foods and food groups.
There are a rigid set of rules that don’t teach you how to nourish your body long term
A diet program that gives you specific rules to follow might feel helpful in the short term. I understand having rules to follow helps you feel safe and contained, but once the diet it over will you know how to transition back into “normal eating”? A lot of people go nuts eating all the foods they were deprived of while dieting, gain the weight back, and the dieting cycle continues. You know that cycle…. binge/overeat –>restrict/diet–> overeat/binge–>feel guilt–>repeat cycle.
Sounds too good to be true
If it sounds too good to be true then it probably is. If weight loss was as easy and simple as the diet claims then wouldn’t everyone be doing this one diet, having success, and never needing to diet again? New diets and eating styles continue to to be hot topics because diets continue to fail people long term, leaving them looking for the next best way to eat.
Healthy Ways to Get Back on Track after Over Indulging:
NUTRITION: Prioritize protein (most satiating macronutrient), fiber, vegetables, and cut out processed foods and added sugar (here’s my 5 day no added sugar reset meal plan). Don’t skip meals or severely restrict calories as this can lead to over-eating later on in the day.
WATER: Ditch the booze and artificially sweetened beverages and limit caffeine. Aim for half to all of your body weight in ounces. (ex. if you weighed 130lbs your goal is a minimum of 65 ounces to 130 ounces/day)
SLEEP: Inadequate sleep significantly impacts food choices (hello craving highly processed foods) and messes with hunger hormones and cues. Poor sleep can lead to eating an extra 400 calories or more a day.
MOVEMENT: Exercise should not punishment for what you ate. If it is, then you will not enjoy it, burn out, and stop. Once again, consistency is key! So, find something you enjoy doing and move your body because it feels good. Find ways to move your body everyday and have variety with your workouts with the intensity and type of exercises for best results.
xx, A
