Why Diets Fail - Weight Loss Truth

All so called diets are made-up. That is not to say they won't work, but a diet is simply a plan of eating habits you subscribe to. I want to encourage you to consciously know, without a doubt, that diets fail because people try to force eating habits into their lives they aren't ready for. 

For example, if I'm a professional couch potato and I try to run a marathon, how successful will I be? I know for a fact I would run one block filled with the best intentions to finish, and suddenly find myself gasping for air and giving up. How discouraging is that? Very, if you ask me.

Another reason diets fail is cultural conditioning. If you are trying to set healthier habits, like eating more veggies or avoiding white carbs, how easy does our culture make it for us? The majority of restaurants don't truly have your health in mind. Again, it doesn't mean they're out to make you fat, it's just a lot easier to sell junk foods that cost less and are heavy on everyone's favorite flavors; salt and sugar.

If you really want to lose weight it's pretty simple.

+Eat more protein
+Eat more vegetables

-Eat less sugar
-Eat less salty/fatty/oily food

Also realize exercise isn't an option, it is a necessity. Set small goals. When I first lost 100 lbs, I started running for 30 seconds and walking for 2 minutes. I can now run 3 miles in under 25 minutes which is a stark contrast to where I started. The point is, make goals and work your way up. Some other baby steps I made were cutting out all drinks except water, coffee and tea. I figured I'd rather eat calories than drink them.

Diets will always come and go; if you want to lose weight my humble advice is to make small goals. I lost my first 5 pounds just avoiding soda. I lost the next 20 when I realized I was eating too much after writing everything I ate down on paper. I lost the rest in this manner, slowly avoiding unhealthy foods, getting accustomed to healthier ones, and building up a tolerance for exercise (which becomes enjoyable).

Slow Carb Diet Tips

Below are some basic tips to help you if you are on the slow carb diet. Read about the slow carb diet here if you are interested in learning more about it!

If you're craving pasta...

Peel a squash or zucchini in thick strips with a peeler, cook the strips with a hint of olive oil and top with some fresh tomato pasta sauce. This delicious meal tastes almost like pasta and you may even prefer it!

If you're craving bread...

My friend has found a high fiber bread at health food stores that is 1 gram carb and 9 grams of protein. It is an iffy option to include but a piece a day probably won't hurt. The slices are small but the point isn't to make a grand meal, just have some toast! Awesome find.

If you're craving sweets...

A glass of red wine is allowed on Slow carb diets and is a tasty and healthy way to avoid sugar cravings. It is also rich in anti-oxidants and can be relatively cheap if you're on a budget. Love that two buck chuck!

• Use a small amount of stevia if you need a sweetener. It's likely healthier than aspartame and doesn't spike blood sugar.
• Eat enough beans, vegetables and protein; hunger should never be an issue.
• Eggs, beans, and vegetables make up the bulk of the Slow Carb Diet and are very cheap.
• Remember that your cheat day is just around the corner for the foods you are missing!

Slow Carb Diet Breakdown

Tim Ferris's book, The Four Hour Body, has been sweeping the nation with one of it's stand-out diets: The Slow Carb Diet.

The first thing that people usually ask me after I tell them I'm on a slow carb diet is if its the same thing as the Atkins diet. No, it is not the Atkins diet (aka low carb diet) which if followed you eat as few carbohydrates as possible. What the Slow carb diet allows is "select" high fiber/high protein carbohydrate foods like beans.

Upon researching many articles from other bloggers and health websites, I believe there is a bit of confusion. Many suggest that the Slow carb diet allows whole grain foods like bread and pasta. The Tim Ferris version of the diet does not allow bread or pasta or white/starchy vegetables such as potatoes. Many of those foods are not high fiber/high protein so the food will convert to glucose before it exits your body. The point of the slow carb diet is to prevent or slow down this conversion from carbs to glucose as much as possible. This way you will not spike your blood sugar and are less likely to keep storing fat.

My friends and I enjoying the Slow Carb Cheat Day!

The other secret weapon in The Four Hour Body's version of the diet is the use of a cheat day. You get to designate a day of the week (I love saturday ;D) to eat whatever you want as much as you want. Supposedly it rocks your hormones and reminds your body you are not starving so you won't store as much fat.

Upon writing this it's been two weeks of following a slow carb diet and I've lost 4 pounds. I've had some rocky days but I've been pretty good to follow a strict routine and fully utilize my cheat days (which should be supplemented with squats and a few other workout techniques). Having a juicer handy has also helped. Check back soon for my update on my progress, Read this post if you'd like some tips for following a Slow Carb Diet!

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Fitness Routine Falling Apart?

Have you ever started to exercise on a routine with great ambition, miss a few days and let it completely throw you off track? Recently I've been going through P90X again and fell off track due to finals. It is easy to chalk this up as failure but in actuality it is part of my path to success...

 It is great to power through goals you set but I think a key to success is understanding failure. In this case I will only let myself down if I don't take this opportunity to get back up on my feet. The great thing about messing up on your exercise routine is you recovery fairly quickly. The first couple days of realigning yourself are a bit cumbersome but you get back into your groove pretty quickly from my experience. It's not like that grueling first week where you wake up sore everyday asking "WHY AM I DOING THIS?"... (or maybe that's just me!)

So don't sweat the days you miss when you are trying to exercise. A few days is minor when you step back on that last day of your training schedule and see major results. When I lost my initial weight there were many bumps in the road; the important part is I kept going! In the philosophical words of Aaliyah, "If at first you don't succeeeeeeeeed, dust yourself off and try again." (Sorry you cant hear me try to hit that high note :P)

How P90X helped me lose 100 Pounds

If you are wondering why P90X is so popular it's simply because it is a very effective workout program. You might know that P90X is built on the premises of "Muscle Confusion" which basically means you exercise different muscles at different times so they are stressed more; more stress means a better workout every time.

There are 3 reasons why I really enjoyed P90X:

1. It is easy to follow
2. It is fun to do P90X is hosted by Tony Horton who is encouraging and funny.
3. It works Most importantly is that it works and teaches you to live a healthier lifestyle.

My Weight loss journey.

I did P90X with my best friend a couple years ago. Believe me, I was internally humiliated at how weak I was. Not only was I very overweight but I had very little muscle. Regardless I went through the program and made an effort with each workout.  I actually followed the program pretty closely for 2 months and the last couple weeks fell apart a little, so even my P60-somethingX was effective at the time! So with a mix of improving eating habits, incoporating P90X into my life and starting to run and walk more often, I lost a grand total of over 100 pounds.

If you have been considering P90X I definitely recommend it, but you have to commit to the program (P.S. this excel worksheet will make it easier!). I read some reviews saying it can be done by different people at different ages and levels of fitness but to be honest it is a pretty hard program if you aren't used to a regular fitness routine. But dont be discouraged, modify the program as needed! I'm still having to modify, but I'm doing my best and that is the key for this program.


Have you been through P90X? What did you think of it? Comment below.


(note I am not affiliated with the makers of P90X, I just think its a valuable product if you want to work out at home)

Lose 100 Pounds in 1 Minute

When I was about to turn 18 I was with my doctor for a medical check up; when I stepped on the scale and saw the slider stopping on 273 and being eerily close to 300 pounds, it hit me like a ton of bricks! My world froze and the doctor's words faded away into a distant echo. I stood there and absolutely knew I had to make a descision for myself; to lose weight or not to lose weight. The choice became illuminated and in less than one minute I had already lost 100 pounds.

"...I gained what mattered most; a new sense of being accountable and honest to myself."

In that one minute, I ultimately concluded that I had to change my eating habits and to fall in love with exercise. I knew I would have to stop lying to myself about lifestyle choices and stop being influenced by how companies and restaurants market food to me. I was not sure how I was going to do it, but I knew it was going to happen because in that one moment I gained what mattered most; a new sense of being accountable and honest to myself.

The Body
Whether you're religious or not, you are stuck with your body for the time being. We use our bodies for communication, transportation, recreation, and procreation. It is a gift, a tool, a weapon, a canvas and so much more. It is the ultimate way we interface with the world and the people around us. Regardless of how attached we seem to be, though, we are not our bodies. YOU are not your body. It is an organ, yes, composed of many systems, but if you start to view your body as it's own system that you control, you will learn to respect it more which will lead to many great things. As stated above the body is many things, but why let it become a burden?


The Mind
Like the body, YOU are also not your thoughts... till later! The thoughts in your head do not define who YOU are, but do determine what you may become. Thoughts and beliefs work in cycles like gears. They spin constantly to construct patterns in which we live, but we have the power to change our thoughts, shift in to different gears, which means we can change ourselves and ultimately change the world around us too. It is equally important to feed your mind with information about improving health as it is to feed your body with foods that improve health.


The Spirit
I am not here to tell you who you are. I am just barely wise enough to know you are not your body, and that the state of mind you are in will determine who you become. My goal in writing this article is to explain to you that I lost 100 pounds not in the past 5 years of exploring health and fitness, but in the one minute that preceded that journey. If you are at a point in your life where you are ready to realize you want to change, it only takes a minute to breathe in deeply and acknowledge there is no better time than now to improve your health... but you have to mean it with all your body, mind and spirit. 

I will make more general posts about losing weight in the future, but I feel this perspective was the key that ignited my weight loss. Also the slow carb diet has been an effective diet and you can read about it here.

My weightloss journey

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