It is coming up to summer and the desire to be in the best shape possible is at the highest!
One thing that we see happening over and over again in this scenario is people going low/no carbs and drastically cutting calories in the last few weeks leading up to their holiday in a desperate attempt to lose as much fat as possible.
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Let us explain the in’s and outs of how this isn’t going to do you any favours:
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So you have 4 weeks left until you go on your holidays and the thought of putting on a bikini or swimming shorts starts to make you panic. You’ve heard that dropping carbs causes rapid weight loss so you give it a go. Given that most peoples diets are low in fats and proteins this subsequently reduces overall calories by a hefty chunk.
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Energy expenditure is greatly increased as you start doing HIIT class after HIIT class. You lose a lot a weight quite quickly and you are pretty happy. You also end up losing a lot of muscle tissue… (not good if you want to look good). You probably don’t look anywhere near as good as you want, but you are happy with quick results.
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So at this point your Leptin (satiety hormone) levels are shot. Your stress hormone, cortisol is sky high. Thyroid output (metabolism regulator) is greatly reduced. Testosterone is rock bottom (yes, females need testosterone for fat loss) and and the calories you need to consume to maintain weight are now pretty dam low. You feel physically crap.
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It’s now holiday time and you are doing little to no exercise and eating and drinking what you want. You’ve now consumed well in excess of your maintenance calories and only looked half decent for the first 2 days of the holiday. During the rest of your holiday you end up putting all the weight you lost previously back on (and some).
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Don’t leave yourself 4 weeks to get in shape! Think about the long game and avoid crash dieting at all costs.
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We are not saying to not enjoy your holiday, but you can avoid putting all the weight back on if you take a longer, more sustainable approach to fat loss.
Get in touch here and see how we can help you get in the best shape of your life
