Out of all the diets out there, which one is the absolute best?  We are here to find out!

 

I am sure you are as curious and confused as ever to find out which diet or style of eating is best suited for you.  Perhaps you heard a low carb diet is the answer.  Or maybe that you should eat 5 small meals a day so that your metabolism stays high.  Oh but now you heard some people skip breakfast and that Intermittent Fasting is somehow the answer.  But maybe it would be best to eat like our ancestors did and avoid all processed foods and Eat Clean!

 

The TRUTH is there is NO ONE RIGHT WAY!  The only right way is the one you can stick to for the long term.

 

When people attempt to diet, many try to do the latest fad they heard from a friend or something they saw on social media or that the latest celebrity is doing.  The big problem if you use this approach is that this particular diet or way of eating may not be something you like.  So while it may work in the short term there is no way you will sustain it for the long term.  It doesn't matter if someone is offering you the healthiest and cleanest diet out there, if it sucks you will NEVER stick with it.  Juice and detox anyone? As I always say, if it is boring or too difficult to implement, you will eventually stall, cheat and ultimately quit.  You will end up back where you started or worse.

 

All diets are effective and will work when implemented properly. The science to losing or gaining weight is very simple.

 

If you eat less than your body needs, you will lose weight. This is called a caloric deficit.

 

If you eat more than your body needs, you will gain weight. This is called a caloric surplus.

 

If you eat as much as your body needs, you will stay the same weight.  This is called maintenance.

 

All these are tied to the Law of Thermodynamics. Like the Law of Gravity, it cannot be broken.  Here on earth anyway.  No #alternativefacts.

 

Below is a simple yet effective infographic summarizing how the latest popular diets work with respect to losing weight and gaining weight.

 

As you can see all of these diets are implemented differently, but the formula to losing weight is still the same: eat less than your body needs.  Which diet and how you choose to do that is just preference.  That's it!  One is not better than the other.

 

In the Mighty Transformation Program, I don't tell you exactly what to eat, when to eat, nor how to eat.  I don't do meal plans.  What I try to do is help you understand your body and set certain guidelines that are specific to your goals.  And while staying within those guidelines, I work with you to find the easiest and most enjoyable way possible to choose and consume foods so that you don't feel like you are a slave to a diet.

 

We find something YOU like and avoid what you dislike so that you can stick to it.  If it's fun and easy then you will most likely want to repeat it.  When something is repeatable, then we can start to build proper habits and behaviours and eventually see predictable and sustainable progress.

 

So never fall into the latest diet fad.  Just because I drink beer and do Intermittent Fasting doesn't mean it will work for you.  Just because Jared loses weight on the Subway diet doesn't mean you will too.  Don't mindlessly put a slab of butter in your coffee because you heard it will burn fat faster.  Understand what you like and see how you can make it fit within your lifestyle and for your particular goals.  Once you have done that, then you will have found the BEST DIET tailored and customized FOR YOU and one that you will most likely stick with long term!

 

References

International society of sports nutrition position stand: diets and body composition