How to Choose the Right Diet for YOU

Paleo? Whole 30? Vegan? The list of diets and diet trends is endless. How do you know what makes sense? How do you choose the right diet for you?

I’ve tried a lot of diets. It’s hard not to hop on the band wagon when a certain way of eating is touted to be the best new thing. But these days when my clients ask me “what diet are you on?”, or “how many calories do you eat?”…my answer isn’t as straight-forward and “aha” moment as they expect.

A Diet, Explained

The word diet brings about a Pavlov’s dogs sort of reaction. You imagine counting calories and never really feeling completely satisfied. You probably think of all of the carbs/fats/treats that you can’t have.

In a sense, you’d be right. In the world of food marketing, which is a multi billion dollar industry, diet does mean low carb, low fat, and no fun.

But if you look in the Webster dictionary you’ll find that the definition of “diet” has nothing to do with FODMAPs, or 100-calorie packaging or chicken and broccoli on repeat.

A food or drink regularly provided or consumed.

Habitual nourishment.

There’s an important difference between Webster’s definition and the weight loss industry definition.

The difference? Is that one is about nourishment, enjoyment, relationships and free will…and the other is not.

A Weight Loss Diet, Explained

Fact: to lose weight you must expend more energy than you consume.

Myth: eating fewer and fewer calories is the best, healthiest, most effective way to lose weight.

Fact: by weight loss we really mean fat loss, and that is an important distinction.

Myth: the scale is the best, healthiest, most accurate way to gauge fat loss progress.

A weight loss diet is a diet with an obvious goal: to lose weight. There are a lot of parts of your body that have weight: bones, organs, your brain, blood, muscle. It’s worth understanding and committing to your belief system that the goal is to lose fat, specifically.

That’s what we’re talking about here.

Why There is No Single, Perfect, Fail-Proof Weight Loss Diet Out There

On paper, in a physics lab or to a mathematician, weight loss should be an easy, universal equation. I work with real women and I’ve learned that ain’t true.

There are too many variables and you are too unique a human for their to be a single plan that will work for you, without fail, always and forever.

Here’s why:

Moral of the story: just because it works for someone, somewhere, doesn’t mean it will work for you.

If you choose to eat a plant-based diet, we can find a diet that works for you!

If you choose to eat some dairy but no eggs, that can work too.

Maybe you thrive on a high-carb diet. Maybe you do better with fewer carbs and more fat.

Which means, of course, that practice is what makes progress.

What All Good Diets Have in Common

How to choose the right diet…

Drum roll please!

The diet that is right for you is the one that you can commit to following, consciously and consistently, over the long-term.

That could be a single diet, or it could be many!

Keep in mind that any diet worth it’s weight in kale accomplishes the following things:

Raises awareness

I don’t get excited when my clients nail their macros (okay, yes I do). What really gets me excited is when I see a client start to pay attention, become aware and make conscious decisions about what they eat.

Simply paying attention brings about an awareness. What are you actually putting in your body? How many calories are you really consuming in a day? Is that craving really impossible to overcome or, if you pay attention, can you uncover the why behind the Oreos?

Focuses on Quality

Check out Whole 30. Read up on vegetarianism. Dig in to Paleo. If there is one thing that all of these diets (that can work!), have in common is that they encourage you to eat minimally processed, nutrient-rich foods.

Regardless of whether that food is a piece of meat or tofu. Never mind if it preaches preaches no beans or no meat. A good diet advises you to choose real food, with real nutrients.

Covers the Basics

I am not a huge fan of elimination diets. Unless you have a physiological reason to avoid certain foods, cutting out entire food groups is just not a good idea.

A huge piece of the health puzzle is filling in the nutritional gaps. Your diet should help you eliminate deficiencies that are surprisingly common even in today’s society: water, omega 3s, certain vitamins and minerals.

Something as simple as getting enough water could be the difference between having no energy and feeling like you’re on top of the world.

Makes You Feel Good

It makes me so sad when I start working with a client who says “I was miserable doing “X” diet, but I lost weight so I think I’m going to do it again”. Aargh!

Girl, what you eat should give you more energy, not leave you feeling exhausted. Should make your day easier, not harder. Should give you a better quality of life, not worse!

A good diet isn’t about guilt, or shame, or not enough energy. It’s about strength, and confidence, and power.

Encourages More Movement

Exercise is the peanut butter to your nutrition jelly. It’s the cherry on the to of your sundae. You could do one without the other, but you won’t get the most out of it.

Regular exercise promotes better sleep, more muscle mass, a more regular appetite, better digestion…and more physical activity is an important part to weight loss.

Gives You a Long-Term Plan

Incredibly calorie restrictive diets. Diets that deny you all of your favorite foods forever. Diets with a complex rule system that has no place in real life. These aren’t long-term plans.

Any diet the guarantees 20 pounds lost in 20 days is also guaranteeing short-term adherence. A solid diet plan will give you the tools, strategies and habits to stay consistent for life. It will help you determine when to make changes and it’ll give you the knowledge you need to navigate the brunches and holidays and other sticky situations.

How to Choose the Right Plan for You

So…what IS best for you?

Well, what do you need? Physically, what kind of foods are best for you body? Emotionally, what kind of foods are good for your soul?

What is your ultimate goal? What does success look like/feel like/move like for you?

Does it feel right? The right plan is something that feels attainable. You should feel confident that, given some work and time and help, you CAN succeed.

How will your choice affect family, stress, time, etc?

The answers to these questions will help you find what’s right for you.