"I'm on this crazy 3-day diet!"

Yesterday I ran into a cashier who works in the cafe of the building I work in.  She was complaining of being hungry.  Ok, eat then!  "I can't!" she says.  Um, why not?  "Because I'm on this crazy 3 day diet."  Now I'm interested. 

Whenever the words "Crazy" and "Diet" are in the same sentence, my ears perk up!

"What kind of diet?" I ask.  She goes on to tell me about this super restrictive diet that lasts 3 days long where for 1 meal she'll have a piece of toast and a hard boiled egg.  Seriously?  Red flag #1.

She then proceeds to tell me how her and her husband do this "diet" once a week.  Seriously?  Red flag #2.  And that she's always hungry.  She also mentions that she's always grumpy and has a headache.

Um, yea!!!

I explained to her that I wasn't trying to pry, but that her "diet" isn't very healthy for her.  I broke it down for her:

1) By restricting your body of the calories it needs your body will go into "starvation" mode and will hold on to the very few calories you're giving it, thus giving you the reverse affect you're looking for by restricting the calories in the first place!

2) In order to lose weight, you need to eat!  Strange concept, I know (sarcasm!), but your want your body to be a fat burning machine.  Therefore, you've got to get your metabolism working in over drive.  One way to do that is by eating every 2.5-3 hrs.  This way your metabolism is continuously working AND you won't have those nasty side affects of your previous "diet" of always being hungry, grumpy and having a headache.

3) Stop eating 3 hrs before going to bed.  Your last "meal" of the day should be no more than 3 hrs before going to bed.  Why?  Because, by the time you go to bed, the goal is for your body to have burned off all the calories you've consumed during the day so that it can only rely on burning fat while you sleep.  Brilliant!

"Great Info!" she tells me.  I say "Thanks!" pay for my breakfast of egg whites and turkey sausage and head on my way.

So, today I go to get my breakfast (because it's cheaper and quicker to get it from the cafe, I know the ingredients they use are wholesome and they have healthy food options for me to choose from, that's why!) and she tells me she's ditched her diet.  "What you said made a lot of sense yesterday, and I'm tired of feeling the way I do.  I'm going to take your advice.  Thank you!" 

"You're Welcome!"