Why you shouldn’t start a diet

By Alex Kain

Why is starting a diet a bad thing? There are so many diets out there that surely you’ll be able to find one that works for you, right? For many people this isn’t the case. Yes there are a lot of diets out there and maybe your friends have had success with one, or several. There are many different kinds from the Atkins diet to the Zone diet, there are as many diets out there as there are letters in the alphabet. Perhaps you’ve heard that so and so lost 10 pounds with their diet, or your friend lost 20 pounds with her diet. This might all sound great, but when we start a diet what is our ultimate end goal?

What are you looking to gain by starting this diet? I think the obvious or first reason is to lose weight. That is a very valid reason to start a diet, but what is the reason why we are wanting to lose weight. Is it for an upcoming wedding or event that we want to look good for? Perhaps it’s summertime and we want to look amazing in our new swimsuit. If you’re looking to just lose some weight for an upcoming event then a diet might be the right move for you. Just a quick and effective way to lose some weight does the job. But even this brings me back to my first question… What are you looking to gain by starting this diet?

Where do you want to be in 6 months from now, one year from now or even 5-10 years from now? If you’re looking to lead a healthier life and not have a constant up and down battle with your weight then you should not be starting a diet. Diets are meant to fail. Sure they might bring about some quick results because you’re cutting almost all the carbs out of your eating, but for the long term goal of 6 months or a year from now, how realistic is it to NEVER have any carbs ever again? Think about that for a minute… No more bread, no more chips, no more ice cream, no more cookies, candy, etc. and the list goes on and on. This is not realistic, not for anyone. Therefore if you start a keto or low carb diet, sure it might work for the first month or two, or maybe even the first couple of months, but eventually you’re going to crack and want to start eating some carbs. If I told you that you could lose 10 pounds by cutting out all sugar from your diet you’d jump on board and say that sounds great. But after the 10 pounds is gone, I’m willing to bet you’re going to want to take a winners lap once around the bakery and get every sweet in sight.

So you’ve now broken the diet and 6 months later where are we? Back to where we were originally which got us thinking we should start a diet in the first place. Thus brings us to the up and down battle that many people go through their entire life and why diets seem to always be on the topic of discussion. There’s always going to be a newer diet that promises results, and odds are it probably delivers on those promises for the short game, but not for the long game. Getting on a diet is like having a leaky roof and putting a patch on it. Sure that works for the summer or winter or through the rainy season, but eventually you’re going to have to replace the roof. Personally I’d rather put in the hard work and have that roof last the next 10 years then just replacing a patch every summer. This is why you shouldn’t start a diet… it will not provide you with the long term habits you need to keep the weight off. Starting a diet is a quick and temporary fix to the problem, which is… your eating habits.

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Alex Kain

Owner / Head Coach / Personal Trainer

Alex has always been a very athletic and active person. Playing just about every sport under the sun, however he spent more time being involved in Hockey, Gymnastics, Diving and Cheerleading (the latter 3 being very similar in nature). Not only did he grow up being very active he had a very nutritiously conscientious mother who wouldn’t allow him many different kinds of foods. So he grew up with a good basis on nutrition and eating healthy. As he grew older he continued to dial in on the nutrition while working out religiously. He would often pair gymnastics type movements with traditional barbell movements when working out. Therefore when he found functional fitness back in 2010 he fell in love with it and never looked back.

Alex went on to grad school where he got a masters degree in Exercise Physiology and won back to back National Championships in cheerleading. Upon graduating he began working at Froedtert hospital in Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation and coaching cheerleading locally. He really enjoyed helping people improve their health but wanted to help people before they were requiring surgery and he also knew that a healthy lifestyle through proper nutrition and exercise could prevent many of the issues he was treating people for. In 2008 he was offered a coaching position in New Zealand. He moved there and spent the next 6 years in New Zealand and Australia coaching New Zealand to 2 gold and 1 silver medal in the World Cheerleading Championships and Australia to 1 Silver medal. 

In 2014 he moved back to the states and that’s when he opened A1 Health and Fitness. His biggest joys are helping people reach their goals and lead healthy lives through diet and exercise. Whether it’s coaching someone to a PR lift or helping someone shed unwanted pounds or start eliminating poor food from their diet, Alex loves it all. His real passion is nutrition and helping people get off their medication, but he can work with all ages. He enjoys traveling the world, spending time with his dog Charlie and his amazing girlfriend Jen as well as family and friends. 

Certifications:

  • USAW L2
  • CrossFit L2
  • Precision Nutrition Level 1
  • WAG certified nutrition coach
  • CrossFit Kids
  • M.S. Exercise Physiology