You Can Give a (Wo)man a Point System
You can give a (wo)man a point system and she'll lose weight temporarily.
Or
You give a (wo)man an education on how nutrition really works (ie what those point systems are doing) and she'll be empowered forever.
We're here for the latter.
The Secret's Out (of the microwave)
If you want to lose fat, there's only one way.
Don't get me wrong, there are thousands of methods to do it, but there's one thing and one thing only that those methods are doing.
To lose fat, you must eat less calories in a day than you burn. (We call that being in a caloric deficit.)
That's it.
You can do it through diet.
You can do it through exercise.
You can do it through both.
But the only way to lose fat is to eat less calories than you burn.
Period.
End of story.
Wham bam thank you ma'am.
What Point Systems Actually Do (literally allllllll of them)
If you were to just eat frozen dinners or pre-packaged meals without doing the systems that go along with them, you most likely won't lose fat.
The reason these systems work, is because they're designed to put you in a caloric deficit (eating less calories than you burn in a day).
That's it. No secret pill. No new scientific breakthrough. Remember, there's only one way to do this and that's exactly what they're doing.
In the Wise Words of Teenagers: Do You, BooBoo
Now, if knowing that, your thought is:
"Well, that's cool. Thanks, Rachel, I would love to continue being dependent upon this one company to tell me exactly what foods I can or can't eat,"
...then more power to you my friend. Go do yo thang.
My job here isn't to tell you not to use a point system.
I want you to be educated.
I want you to understand that this is something you absolutely can do on your own for the rest of your life without relying on anyone but yourself
...with just a little bit of knowledge.
Here's Why You Don't Need It
The truth is, you don't need point systems, microwaved dinners or pre-packaged snacks to get in a caloric deficit.
All you need is knowledge.
Once you take a little bit of time to learn the basics:
-
How to read nutrition labels
-
What to look for in your food
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How to balance your carbs, fats and protein to fuel your body the way it's designed
This becomes a lifestyle you can do on your own:
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Eating food you choose
-
Going out to eat without anxiety or guilt
-
Always having flexibility
-
Feeling empowered to make choices that fit your goals and knowing 100% why they fit
Even if you have no clue how to do any of those things right now.
Even if you've tried to "eat healthy" and given up a thousand times.
Even if you're confused by what good nutrition even means.
You can learn to do this.
The issue is that a lot of these point system companies want you to believe they have the magic cure. That their product holds the secret to fat loss.
The secret to fat loss is this: Get in a caloric deficit and stay there until you've hit your goal.
You don't need any product for that.