Have you ever started a diet, only to crash and burn within a month? Or reach the end of a long diet only to regain everything you lost within a few weeks?
It’s probably ‘cause you forgot about the two most important diet phases: the Pre-Diet and the Post-Diet.
Think of the Pre-Diet like preparing for a boxing match. You wouldn’t just show up on fight night without training, would you?
The same goes for starting a diet.
Before you dive in, you need to PREPARE. This includes stocking your kitchen with healthy foods, testing meal prep and cooking techniques, finding a gym that suits your needs, and getting your sleep schedule in order.
And get your family on board! They don’t have to follow the diet, but they should at least be aware and supportive.
And remember, transformation is not a future event, it’s a present activity. So take the time to do this essential prep work BEFORE you start your 12-week plan.
Now, let’s talk about the Post-Diet phase.
After dieting, your metabolism will have slowed to a degree and maintenance calories are slightly reduced. At the same time, hunger cues and cravings are cranked up high.
So don’t just resume your pre-diet eating habits (especially if those habits led you to carrying too much bodyfat) or try to rely on “intuitive eating.”
Instead, slowly and methodically increase your food volume and reintroduce foods you might’ve dropped during your diet.
Start with dining out for a meal or two, or progressively increasing your food variety, especially fruits and veggies. Then slowly add back the foods you might’ve cut out, like dairy or grains.
As you move away from tracking, start by eyeballing one meal a day and see how you feel. You can always go back to tracking all your meals if you need to right the ship.
Just avoid the temptation of big cheat meals or going all-out at a buffet. And for the love of all that’s good, don’t book an all-inclusive vacation right after the end of your diet—that’s a blueprint to 20 pounds of bloat!
I’d go as far as to say if you don’t have time for pre and post-diet phases, then you don’t have time for a fat-loss diet, period.
At least not a successful one.
– Coach Bryan