The Benefits Of Ditching Diets And What You Should Do Instead

Kevin Kohan, PES, Sport Nutrition Specialist, Certified Gym Jones Instructor • May 26, 2021

And What You Should Do Instead . . . .


Managing your weight can feel like you are on a never-ending roller coaster. One week you are up feeling like the champion of the world and the next week you can feel defeated and like you’ve ruined all of your hard work because you experienced a few bad days of unhealthy eating in a row. Why don’t diets seem to work long term and why does it seem like weight is hard to maintain?


Restrictive Diets do not work long-term. 

◦. . . And Lauren Horton, PHD.

Senior Manager, Research and Development, Advocare will explain more in detail below as to the “Why”. . .

Many are shocked when they hear it, but diets are not associated with long-term weight loss. In fact, about 95% of people who lose weight by dieting will regain it in 1 to 5 years. Dieting is defined as a temporary meal plan and unfortunately, promotes a restrictive and negative association with food. Interestingly, restricting and depriving yourself of food may actually make managing weight more difficult. It may seem counter-intuitive but regularly reducing the amount of calories your body needs can cause your metabolism to slow down. Your body requires a certain amount of calories to function and sustain your basal metabolic rate (BMR), digestion and physical activity. In theory, eating more calories than your body needs leads to weight gain, eating less can lead to weight loss, but restricting calories too much can harm your health. It can slow your metabolism, cause malnutrition and low energy or fatigue. 

Lifestyle change is the answer to weight management long-term.

Several research studies have shown that consistent weight management results from changing your lifestyle. Lifestyle is defined as the way in which a person or group lives. Although not often thought of, lifestyle involves more than what goes into our bodies as food- it is our interests, opinions and behaviors. According to a study at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the hardest part of changing unhealthy habits is realizing it is a process, not an event (Hall et al 2018). Change happens in stages: pre-contemplation, contemplation, preparation, action and maintenance.

• Pre-contemplation: during this stage, most people have no intention of losing or controlling weight in the next 6 months

• Contemplation: this includes individuals who are not trying to lose or control weight but are seriously considering doing something in the next 6 months

• Preparation: During this stage, you know you want to change, believe you can and are making plans to change soon

• Action: includes those who are actively trying to lose or control weight or who have successfully done so for less than 6 months

• Maintenance: individuals who have successfully maintained their weight loss for at least six months


Lifestyle change usually occurs once an individual has gone through each of the stages of change. Through this process interests and behaviors begin to change to align with healthier food choices, incorporating exercise and making decisions that will be beneficial to your health and body long term. If you are not sure which things to prioritize on your journey to a healthy lifestyle, the five pillars of wellness are a great place to begin:

• Nutrition: A balanced diet should include lean sources of protein, plentiful amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables and limited quantities of processed foods and added sugar

• Exercise: any amount of physical activity is better than none, but the recommended about is 150 minutes per week (or two hours and 30 minutes) in at least 10 minute intervals. 

• Sleep: Believe it or not, sleep is probably one of the most important activities of the day, yet it is the one we most often sacrifice. The National Sleep Association recommends adults get 7-9 hours of sleep per night.

• Stress management: Stress will get in the way of your health and life goals. It can lead to emotional eating, poor sleep and the adoption of more sedentary behaviors. In order to achieve a healthier lifestyle, you must be able to manage stress levels. Creating your own stress-management strategy is a great place to start.

• Supplementation: Nutritional supplements can help fill in nutritional gaps.


Where are you in your journey to a healthy lifestyle?

‘24 Day Summer Shred Challenge’

Whether your a beginner looking for a jumpstart, a veteran who has been having a tough time bouncing back from 2020 and wanting to get your ass back in gear, or an elite athlete looking to become unstoppable we Would be honored for you to include us in your fitness journey!  Contact us to set up your free Fitness roadmap Session so you can get started with our ‘24 Day Summer Shred Challenge’ coming in June! 

HIT Fitness Warehouse is a beacon that everyone interested in bettering themselves can look towards. We are interested in using the gym as a physical tool that people can use to create better lives; both emotionally and psychologically. We exist not only to create better athletes, but better humans.

**Personal testimonies reflect individual experiences and are not necessarily typical of the results you may obtain. Weight loss varies with individual effort, body composition, eating patterns and exercise. If you have a medical condition or are pregnant or nursing, AdvoCare recommends that you consult your healthcare professional before starting an AdvoCare product regimen.


 References:

Hall, K. D., & Kahan, S. (2018). Maintenance of Lost Weight and Long-Term Management of Obesity. The Medical clinics of North America, 102(1), 183–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcna.2017.08.012

Why Diets Don’t Work: How to Avoid the Dieting Cycle & Eat for Your Health – Cedar Rapids, IA – Mercy Medical Center. Mercycare.org. (2020). Retrieved 20 September 2020, from https://www.mercycare.org/services/food-nutrition/why-diets-dont-work/#:~:text=Diets%20are%20not%20associated%20with,for%20an%20intuitive%20eating%20approach.


‘24 Day Summer Shred Challenge’

Stay tuned next week if you Want to Improve Your VO2 Max, and why we are now using this standard for our upcoming 24 Day Summer Shred Jumpstart!  

This Cardio Bundle does it for me! Check out the links below 👇👇

http://m.me/KevinandCarolinaKohan

https://www.advocare.com/120922584/

BMI is Skyrocketing in Kids Right Now and We Have the Solution!

By Kevin Kohan • April 10, 2025
🚨 [SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS] BMI rate in kids is skyrocketing right now and here's why. According to a new CDC report, kids’ BMI has been increasing at nearly DOUBLE the rate than it did before the pandemic began. BMI (body mass index) is a measure of weight to height that’s an “easy screening method for weight category: underweight, healthy weight, overweight, and obesity.” Alarmingly, the increase was especially high in preschool and school-aged children. This is DEFINITELY something we all need to be paying attention to. There were 432,302 kids aged 2 to 19 years old in the study. They found the rate of BMI increase jumped from 0.052 (pre-pandemic) to 0.100 kg/m 2 /month during the pandemic. In more understandable terms, in August 2019, the obesity rate in the group was 19.3% (already high) … and it reached 22.4% in August 2020 and close to 25% in August 2021. We already knew that kids were gaining weight during the pandemic because of all of the changes in their daily habits …But this study shows how significant this negative impact was in just A FEW SHORT YEARS. Here’s another key finding: The CDC found that children who were already obese gained about 1 to 1.2 pounds a month, putting them on track to gain 6.1 to 7.3 pounds in 6 months. This group is gaining weight at a faster rate compared to the 2.7 pounds in those with a healthy weight. Straight from the study: “Accelerated weight gain, especially among children, can cause long-lasting metabolic changes that put children at risk for serious and costly co-occurring conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and depression.” The US already has a high level of obesity among kids, affecting more than one in six children. This is serious stuff, folks! We need to be paying attention and making sure our kids are staying ACTIVE and putting HEALTHY FOOD into their bodies. The good news is that this is ALL stuff we have control over. More good news is that if you’ve noticed this happening in your family, we’ve got a solution to help! 🤸‍♀️🏃‍♀️Let your kids explore new and exciting activities and challenges with our trained PRO's Now! Whether your child is a veteran with us or coming for the very first time, we know they will be enriched with new fitness experiences that will inspire them to live an active healthy lifestyle. We launched our first HIT FIT KIDS CAMP in 2021 to help offset the findings in the study above and the outcome was beyond what we expected!
Transform in 4 fitness and nutrition program.

Transform In 4

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Get the body you want in 4 weeks! Our members have averaged 3.4% body fat decrease in this program all from eating whole foods and committing to attend 3+ fitness classes per week! The entire program offers meal plans, coaching, nutrition guidance, body composition measurements, before/after pictures, unlimited classes and much more!

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By Kevin Kohan • March 15, 2023
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By Kevin Kohan • November 9, 2022
A strong immune system is important, especially in today’s climate. During seasons when we are more prone to illness, we often look for ways to help support immunity. Many studies show that a balanced diet combined with adequate sleep and exercise, effectively primes our body to fight infection and disease. Throughout the years, many foods have also helped contribute to living a healthy lifestyle. Incorporating some of these foods into the diet can help support our body’s immunity. So next time you’re headed to the grocery store, make a list, and power up your plate to include these nutritious foods. POWER UP YOUR PLATE

FREE Guide For a '5K 8-Week Training Plan'

By Kevin Kohan • September 22, 2022
Many of us want to be able to run, jog, or walk a 5K… but the goal can often seem overwhelming and intimidating. But, what if it didn’t have to be? What if you could complete a 5K in as little as 2 Months? Well, now it IS possible! I put together a FREE 8-week Walk-Jog-Run 5K Training Plan just for you. It’s a step-by-step plan that can help almost anyone complete a 5K run in just 8 short weeks! Plus there are so many other reasons to ramp up your run/jog/walk game: Benefiting heart health Lowering your risk of disease Boosting energy Elevating your mood Improving better sleep Reducing stress Getting up off the couch and into your life! Excited to learn more? Grab your copy for FREE here >>

Biohack Like a PRO

By Kevin Kohan • August 25, 2022
This month I’ve been talking a lot about next-level actions to get even better results from your fitness and health habits. You’ve probably noticed a theme: it’s all about the fundamentals. That’s because even the best ‘next-level’ actions won’t do much if you aren’t nailing your basics most of the time. But what if you ARE covering your basics and want to ramp things up even more? This is when you can turn into an exercise mad scientist to find your own “secret formula” for supercharged results. Your top tip for becoming a successful biohacker?

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By Kevin Kohan • August 10, 2022
🔥 The only hack you need for your goals I’ve got some great info for you today that I wanted to share ASAP because it can make a huge difference in your results. Every few days, someone will ask me what I think about some trendy fitness or wellness topic … things like fasting, supplements, a new fitness gadget … Basically, something (anything!) that’s designed to speed up your results. So, over the next few weeks, I’m going to focus on how to REALLY supercharge your results and break down specific actions you can take to elevate your results to the next level, fast. Because YES: it IS possible to make small changes that yield BIG results. In this email, I’ve got the #1 TIP to rocket you toward your goals. This is the absolute most important thing you should do before you get fancy with any trendy “hacks.” It’s to NAIL YOUR BASICS.

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By Kevin Kohan • August 4, 2022
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My Personal 'Non-Negotiable' "BASICS"

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🔥If you are serious about your goals… one of the BEST things you can do is focus on THE BASICS. Like Bodyweight Strength Training! They give you the biggest bang for your buck over the long run! Here’s what I’m talking about … One of my top personal basics – something I try to do every day – NON-NEGOTIABLE for my fitness is at least 15 minutes bodyweight strength training, 15 minutes flexibility/mobility, and 15 minutes hitting on my weak points to balance out any muscular deviations. Its all about making a plan, and working my plan.”

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By Kevin Kohan • June 22, 2022
Get healthy from the inside out. Not a patch or potion but real wellness and longevity supported by consistently healthy lifestyle choices. Something we call the 5-Pillars of Health. Plus, our New HIT FIT SUMMER SURVIVAL GUIDE just for your absolute FREE!
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