If you’re one of my clients or we’ve spoken about nutrition in any way, you may already know my stance on this issue.
At that point, I was around 285 lbs. working a high stress yet sedentary job and took almost zero care of myself physically. When I decided to make the change, I immediately started running through a variety of different “weight loss” diets including:
-If it fits your macro’s
-Low carb
-Intermittent Fasting
-Bodybuilding style meals of just straight up chicken, broccoli, and rice
-Frozen meal delivery services
-Weekly meal prep
-Heck even weight loss pills and powders
Anything I could try to get an edge.
What was nice is that they all worked – in limited capacity. I would see results for a few weeks then it would plateau, I would fall off, then the weight would either remain stagnant or slide back up a bit again. I knew they weren’t healthy options and sometimes the diets were relatively drastic with big cuts and high intensity training – regularly doing 2-a-days at the gym.
Weekly meal prep and the bodybuilding style plan of 4-6 meals a day of the same thing day in, day out had the best effect and helped me see the best results in my own journey to my current weight (~220 lbs.), but the only reason it worked is because it fit my lifestyle.
I was a single.
I was living by myself.
I don’t mind eating the same foods every day.
I was working out twice per day.
I didn’t have a whole lot of social obligations.
I didn’t have a whole lot of other obligations beyond work.
I had the time, energy, and focus that I needed to dedicate to sticking with it… because why not? What else was I gonna do?
It worked for me because it fit my lifestyle.
Anyone who ever tries any weight loss diet will tell you, ultimately the one that worked for them is the one that when you pick it apart, doesn’t change their lifestyle by much.
Keto
Paleo
Atkins
Cleanses
Low-Carb
Low-Fat
IIFYM
Intermittent Fasting
Whatever “diet” you’re trying to follow will ultimately fail if you don’t keep that in mind. As much as people like to complain about “change”, it’s really when we dial in a habit that we thrive the most. Life is difficult. Many of these diets are strict and difficult – making them super easy to slide off of and back into our old habits.
We, as a people, get so transfixed on what’s new, what’s flashy, what’s QUICK that we often neglect the fact that humans are built for distance. Not just physically (we have some of the best cardio endurance of any animal in the world), but in all facets of our life. We know we want the short term solution, but deep down, we know and understand that it’s the long term play that wins us the race.
So to answer the question on what is the “Best diet for weight loss”, I say there isn’t one.
Instead my suggestion is to approach nutrition like we approach fitness – looking to the long term.
Understanding we are at point A and need to get to point B and that the area in between is shrouded in mystery.
Rather than focusing on what diet will help us jump the fog, we should take a look at the footstep in front of us and slowly make habitual changes to our nutrition intake that lead toward better and better choices that cause as little disruption to our current life as possible, that will lead us in the direction of that Point B.
Holding ourselves accountable for where we are and understanding that we can get there, buying in on the system and ourselves, we can change our habits to ensure our bodies are taking in adequate nutrients through protein, carbohydrates, and fats coupled with healthy stress management, sleep, physical activity, and hydration – little by little improving each area of our life and building on top of each other toward a better and healthier us.
If that’s not a good enough answer for you, I guess I can say, the best diet for weight loss is:
- The one you can stick to and doesn’t disrupt your life.
- The one that fits with your goals and allows flexibility.
- The one that promotes “what can we do better in this scenario” rather than, “You can’t have this!”
- The one that focuses on quality protein, carbohydrate, and fat sources rather than highly processed, sugary, fatty, salty foods; and limits alcohol intake.
- Lastly, The one that helps you understand yourself and your relationship with food and know that it’s not the enemy, but works to help you be a better you.
What’s the main part of your diet you’re struggling with most right now?