After reading about how a woman dined only on Starbucks fare and lost 80 pounds, I laughed, but it also makes me mad. Why do I let these things get to me? I know better, but some people seem so blind. Danni from Healthy Kitschy Kitchen agrees and she just posted a similar rant about this. In fact, we seem to share a lot of similar views. Check out her blog for some healthy tips, great rants, and delicious recipes.
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| Notice the word on the bottom. Do you want your day's worth of meals from this? |
This will be short because time is limited, as I've said just about every time I've posted lately. Sorry for being a broken record, but I felt the need for this post.
There have been and still are so many meal-based fad diets like.....
The Subway Diet - We all know Jared and his giant pants he holds up.
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| Jared and his pants. (source) |
A Very, Very, Stupid McDonald's Diet - Ever see Super Size Me? Nuff said. I can't stand to just pass by the place.
There are tons of crazy and stupid (hence this post's title) meal-based diets out there; here's a comprehensive list I found on Diets In Review if you care to see more of these aggravating diets.
I figure most of you reading are fellow foodie bloggers and can laugh at how absurd these things are, but sadly others actually get sucked into to the weight-loss claims and feel the need to try themselves. If you are one of the "others", let me save you some time and frustration....DON'T DO IT!
The basic reason a non-nutritive diet of nothing but McDonald's or Starbucks can let you lose wait is basic calorie math; if calories in < calories out = weight loss. Here's a handy chart if it helps....
| The Cause | The Effect | The Result |
|---|---|---|
| Calories In Beats Calories Out | Caloric Surplus | Muscle gain, fat gain, or both. |
| Calories Out Beats Calories In | Caloric Deficit | Fat loss, muscle loss, or both. |
| Calories In = Calories Out | Maintenance | Everything remains the same. |
Yes, it gets more complicated than this when you take into account the thermic effect of food, but that's another post for another day. For the most part, if you take in less calories than you use, you will lose weight.
If you really want that, just eat a pint of Ben and Jerry's Chunky Monkey (~1200 calories) spaced out in 3 or 4 sessions each day and you will lose weight. I'm assuming most of us burn at least 1200 calories just living.
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| Here's your breakfast, lunch, and dinner in one! |
But please...don't do that either! Instead, avoid what the media says and do actual research on food; it is your health after-all. Or, choose real, whole food not found in packages and you'll be on your way to a healthy way to change your body. As a big bonus, when you consume whole foods like fresh fruits and veggies, lean protein, and healthy fats, you rarely need to count calories. These foods will naturally fill you up with their healthful fiber which helps keep you from overeating.
Now, some of us have other issues like intolerances and allergies (including me), and that part is just trail and error...and help from the doctor. Either way, a whole food diet will always beat meal-based diets where certain food groups are cut out b/c they are "bad" or you are limited to one place for all of your meals. In other words.... whole food diet > meal-based/fad diet.
Tell me, what are your thoughts on these crazy diets? Are you one of the "crazies" who fall into the media trap and try for yourself? I admit I'm guilty of this in the past.
On a separate topic, I just got this Soyajoy G3 soy/nut/seed milk maker and am really excited to share my new creations with you. I just made quinoa milk for my first run and it's still cooling now, so I'll update you once I try it.
Also, only one day left to enter my Navitas Naturals Giveaway; don't miss out!
Have a wonderful day; it's almost the weekend!
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