WE'VE all had that sinking feeling when you realise you can't eat your favourite things on your newest health kick.
Most of the time, you'll see influencers urging you to 'eat clean', which leaves little chance for a pint with your mates or a slice of pizza.
But one expert said that unless you want to be a competitive body builder, there's no point going down a route you won't be able to maintain.
Body and mindset coach Adam Grayston says he's on a mission to help people 'melt' body fat without gyms, dieting or complex programming.
The 34-year-old said you should stick to three simple rules when trying to lose weight.
Make it work for you
When it comes to getting into shape, Adam said you should allow yourself some flexibility and be realistic in your goals.
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He explained that you should work with ‘good’ and ‘bad’ foods from the beginning, with a realistic ratio.
"In terms of exercise, short, 20-minute bodyweight workouts without equipment have always been my go-to with my online clients.
"These workouts help them supercharge their metabolism and burn more body fat without spending all their hours in the gym, leaving them more time to spend doing what they want.
"So, if you want a beach body, don’t give up takeaways and alcohol, just be more realistic and you’ll soon see long-lasting results," he added.
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Don't restrict
The Preston-based coach said whether you were trying to lose weight for an event or look your best on the beach, you will have cut foods out following certain plans.
He questioned: "How long was it before you ended up eating something ‘bad’? How soon after were you flooded with guilt, feeling like a failure, and that all your hard work was becoming undone?"
The fitness guru explained that the stricter we become with food, the tighter the margin for error and the higher chances we’ll deviate from our plan.
This, he said, results in your wanting to give up because it's not working or you feel bad.
He explained: "By calling certain foods ‘bad’ or ‘cheat meals’ we’re made to feel as though eating them is something negative and naughty, almost as though you shouldn’t be eating said food at all.
"We then associate those foods with doing or being something wrong, as opposed to what they are: food.
"Just like when our parents used to take something away from us as a punishment, when something is taken from us we end up wanting it more. In the short-term? It works! But long-term? It’s a disaster."
Find balance
Adam said that when it comes down to the science behind successful weight loss, it’s calories in versus calories out, coupled with regular exercise, that leads to consistent weight loss results.
He said while alcohol and takeaways don’t make you fat, eating too many calories a day and not getting enough exercise does.
The coach explained that no food should be off limits and a sensible approach is the 80/20 approach.
To do this, he said you should aim for 80 per cent of the food you are consuming to be healthy and balanced, while the remaining 20 per cent can be whatever you want.
He said you should couple this with regular weekly exercises that are in line with your current ability.
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"With this method, you can eat a takeaway and drink alcohol when consumed in line with your daily calorie intake, and still lose weight!
"I have always used the food tracking app MyFitnessPal with my clients, using it to help them understand their body's nutritional needs, calorie tracking, and even macro intakes with an average aim of 2lbs a week weight loss," he added.
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