Once upon a time, I had a nutrition client tell me they were considering doing a physique competition as a way to motivate themselves to lose weight quickly.
I told them this was not a good idea.
Why would you discourage someone?
It’s not very often that I would discourage someone from pursuing a goal. In fact, that’s the only time I’ve ever done it, and here’s why: Setting an extreme goal sets you up for failure. It’s the same reason why crash diets don’t work; there’s a time limit on it– A finish line. The mentality this client had was that this would be a way to excuse an extreme drop in Calories for a short period of time to prepare for the show.
The question is, what happens after the show? What’s the “exit strategy”? Without developing a healthy relationship with food, and without understanding how to live a lifestyle of moderation, the second the finish line is reached, the pendulum could swing wildly in the opposite direction.
What if they kept up the weight loss?
Of course, continuing to live in a Calorie deficit isn’t the answer either. That can lead to many different issues, including malnutrition, eating disorders, etc.
So what did you advise they do?
I advised them to lose weight at an appropriate, moderate pace without restricting themselves from any foods. I advised exploring the idea of a competition down the road, but that should be done as a genuine desire to accomplish doing a show, not as “thinspiration” to achieve extreme weight loss.
Extremism is easy; moderation is difficult. From a food psychology standpoint, extremism is unhealthy, and moderation is healthy. Practice moderation– Enjoy yourself and the food you eat while achieving whatever goal you truly want. Not only will this set you up for success, but you’ll be much happier in the long run! Think about it: Are you happier when you get to eat desserts / enjoyable foods in moderation, or when you completely restrict yourself from sweets?
Plus, transitioning from a flexible diet for weight loss to one of maintenance means the only thing that changes is the amount of energy (Calories) you consume; this limits the chances of binges, Yo Yo-ing, and disordered eating patterns.