The Tribune

Health coach Ethan Quant, of Elite Wellness Solutions, has succeeded in his weight loss journey and now wants to share his methods with the Bahamas in an effort to foster a culture of wellness and conquer the obesity epidemic.

Out of frustration and desperation I must have tried every single diet and weight loss programme out there. Anything that promised quick results with minimal effort I tried. I remember eating cabbage for like 10 days straight. I was willing to try almost anything to get rid of my unwanted weight. The crazier the diet, the better were the results it promised. I went from counting points to eating fruits and nuts, to taking magic pills and drinking shakes, all in hopes of uncovering my dream body.

I actually had some successes as well. I lost about 60 pounds during what I now call my “fad diet phase”. The thing is, as soon as I lost the weight I would stop the diet or the programme and then the weight would come back on and bring a couple of friends.

I could lose the weight, I could buckle down for a month or two and shed the pounds, but I could never really keep it off. It wasn’t until I realised that my body was a reflection of my lifestyle, and if I truly wanted to change my body I had to change my lifestyle, that things changed. I had to adopt the behaviours and habits of healthy and fit people and make them a part of my daily life like brushing my teeth or going to work.

So I want to warn you of fad diets in hopes that you will not look to these short-term quick fixes, but instead really look at modifying your lifestyle and changing your behaviour.

So what exactly is a fad diet? You can spot them easily once you know what to look for. A fad diet normally promises quick weight loss through what is usually an unhealthy and unbalanced diet. They target people who want to lose weight quickly with little or no exercise. They often promise you will lose fat, but in most instances any weight lost is most likely water weight.

The fact is, fad diets are designed to take advantage of people’s willingness to try anything to get the pounds down. Sadly, many people prefer the promise of quick fixes over making the effort to commit to changing their lifestyle. But the problem is that fad diets can have negative long-term effects.

False hope and sudden failure are common characteristics of fad diets because they claim to be your magic bullet to weight loss success. Then you find that the restrictive, unbalanced, unhealthy diet has you barely even functioning and you feel like you have failed. You blame yourself and your confidence in your ability to achieve your goal drops. You are then thrown back on the weight loss/weight gain roller coaster and back to emotional eating.

This cycle of fad dieting eventually damages your metabolism, actually causes weight gain, facilitates the development of a negative body image, as well as increases your chances of developing an eating disorder.

Understand that I am not judging anyone who tries to lose weight “by any means necessary”. I was there, so I totally understand. It is important to know just like everything else in like there is a good way and a bad way, a healthy way and an unhealthy way to lose weight. If you focus on healthy living, incorporating regular physical activity and eating a proper balanced diet, your body will respond. Trust me, I am living proof. Best of all, you will feel better about yourself and your health wellness and fitness journey.

If you need help navigating any aspect of your health, wellness and fitness journey, feel free to reach out to me directly. Always remember, at the end of the day you have the power to be successful in health, in fitness and in life!

• You can contact Ethan Quant at ethan@elite-wellnesssolutions.com or on Instagram at @ethanquant.