Induction
Destruction: The Perils Of Diving Into Strict Diets Headfirst
By Tom Venuto, NSCA-CPT, CSCS
Every so often
you read a sad story in the newspaper about someone who
dove headfirst into a river or lake, without checking
to see how deep the water was beforehand. Unfortunately,
it turned out to be a shallow 18 inches and the consequence
of this miscalculated plunge was a broken neck and a wheelchair.
This reminds
me of the way most people impatiently dive into strict,
extreme, or unbalanced crash diets, without thinking about
the long term consequences, invariably crippling any chance
they had for keeping the fat off in the long run.
One thing that
almost all mainstream popular diets have in common is
an induction phase (or the equivalent). This
is often done under the scientific-sounding auspices of
making the metabolic switch from carb
burner to fat burner.
Another common
way that popular diets begin is with a liquid fast
or internal cleansing phase. This is often
suggested as necessary for clearing out all the gunk that
has accumulated on your insides which (says them), is
the reason you feel like blah and cant
lose any weight.
Larrian Gillespie,
the About.com guide to low carb diets, made a keen observation
in a recent article. Writing about the Induction plan
on programs such as the Atkins diet, she noted:
"Frankly,
the only thing I object to is the induction plan concept...for
ANY diet. It's a cheap trick approach to weight management,
since we as Americans are fixated on quick fixes or we
toss a plan and go onto the next marketing promise."
Not only do
I agree I would take it a step further. I believe
that this radical beginning phase actually increases the
chances of failure in the long term.
Gillespie continues
with advice about what to do if you choose a low carb
approach such as Atkins
"This
(induction) approach will trigger a rebound weight gain.
Don't overdo the induction phase. Better yet, go directly
to stage 2 of the plan and begin there. There is nothing
more irritating to a physician than having a patient come
in with health problems as a direct result of following
some crazy diet, like eating ONLY cabbage, or only grapefruit."
Induction
is simply a politically correct way to say you have to
crash diet and starve yourself in the beginning. Look
at the forums and message boards: Theyre filled
with posts from people about to start these programs,
dreading the initial phase and wondering if
theyll be able to hack it (and with people telling
war stories about how they survived it ...or
tried it and failed).
Induction
has nothing to do with science, health or permanent fat
loss. It has everything to do with marketing and instant
gratification. Dieters flock to the gurus that promise
12 to 15 pounds of weight loss in the first two weeks,
while sneering at the idea of losing a paltry 2 pounds
of fat per week. Give me results now is the
mindset, with no thought given to body composition, health
or long-term consequences. What sells more books: Quickly
Lose 8-10 pounds in the first week or lose
8-10 pounds of fat per month and never gain it back?
Unfortunately, it is usually the former.
Over the past
decade and a half I have almost always used the opposite
approach with my clients and that is, never dive
into diets instead, ease into a new way of life,
one habit at a time, if necessary.
My clients
are introduced to words such as habits, balance, lifestyle
and patience. I sit them down, look them in the eye and
ask, Do you want to lose weight quickly and gain
it back or do you want to lose fat slowly and keep it
off forever and never have to diet again?
When confronted
face to face, the answer is always the latter (but often
begrudgingly so). The patience pays off, and those who
are wise enough to listen enjoy the fruits of lifelong
health, leanness and fitness, never having to endure the
repeated yo-yo losses and gains so many people suffer
for an entire lifetime.
Consider these
concepts: Do NOT crash diet only to relapse to your old,
unhealthy ways. Do not even put yourself in emergency
situations where you feel pressured to lose weight quickly.
Build a foundation and master the fundamentals first,
then nit pick, sweat the small stuff and try advanced
techniques later.
Once youve
mastered the basics, then you can slowly make your plan
stricter if necessary based on your results.
You can reduce or eliminate cheat days, and tighten up
your food choices.
Yes, carbs
can be s-l-o-w-l-y reduced to find that optimal level
for your body type where fat loss really kicks in. Calorie
levels can dropped, more cardio added, rest between sets
decreased, and training intensity increased.
On and on your
regimen can be gradually tightened up and
compliance increased until the desired results are achieved.
Then, its a gradual, comfortable transition to maintenance
phase, which is never far away from the fat loss phase.
Contrast this
sensible, healthy, lifestyle approach, (which most people
view not only as slow, but flat out backwards),
with the crash diet or induction approach:
The new dieter
STARTS from day one with the strictest, most extreme version
of the diet. Its often very unbalanced with entire
food groups removed, or it emphasizes only one food or
food type. Sometimes, the restrictions are so tight, you
even have to limit the amount of vegetables you eat! Is
that CRAZY or WHAT????
The weight
comes flying off
SUCCESS! Or so it appears
until
all the weight has returned 6-12 months later along with
the rest of the 95% of dieters who fail because they insisted
on following the herd and hopping on the latest quick
fix bandwagon.
No two people
are exactly alike and no single nutrition program is right
for everyone. For example, some people really do thrive
on reduced carbohydrate diets. But one thing thats
true for 100% of people 100% of the time is that starvation
and crash dieting are a one-way ticket to eventual weight
regain and metabolic destruction.
What should
you do instead? Ease into it. Stick your toes in the water
first. Isolate bad habits and replace them with good ones
one or two at a time for life. Psychologists
say it only takes 21 days to form a new good habit, and
habits, not diets, are the key to long-term fat loss success.
Any nutrition program not built squarely on a strong foundation
of nutritional fundamentals and good long-term habits
is an accident waiting to happen.
About
the Author:
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Tom Venuto is a lifetime
natural bodybuilder, an NSCA-certified personal
trainer (CPT), certified strength & conditioning
specialist (CSCS), and author of the #1 best-selling
e-book, "Burn
the Fat, Feed The Muscle. Tom has
written hundreds of articles and has been featured
in print magazines such as IRONMAN, Australian IRONMAN,
Natural Bodybuilding, Muscular Development, Exercise
for Men and Mens Exercise, as well as on hundreds
of websites worldwide.
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