P.S. You're on the Wrong Diet
/Note: I use the word diet through this post (and in general) to mean how you eat. I’m not a believer in going “on a diet,” I’m a believer in having a diet. You can adjust your diet as you learn what works for you, but no one wants to be “on a diet,” especially not indefinitely. That’s super lame and no fun.
I get it. I’ve actually been there. Your best friend (sister, mom, Becky at the office) is on a “diet” and they are getting amazing results. So you think, “This is it! This is the ONE! This person has found the diet that WORKS.” So you get the rules and you go all in.
You don’t see any results the first week, which doesn’t discourage you, because after all, you don’t have tons of weight to lose, and you know it takes time. You don’t see any results the second week, which is okay because you know it takes time for your body to adapt to any changes you make (which is totally true). You don’t see any results the third week, and you’re “fine” because you know it’s working for Becky, so you force yourself to stay committed, 100%. Then week four rolls around, and maybe you’ve lost half a pound, or (heaven forbid!) you’re up three-quarters of a pound! What the what?!?! How is this even possible? Becky has lost 20-plus pounds in the last 4 months! You’ve been following all the rules (you even skipped happy hour… 4 times!). Why are you such a failure? What are you doing wrong?!?!
Well, I hate to break it to you, but there’s a huge possibility that you aren’t doing anything wrong. At least not when it comes to that specific diet. The problem may be that you just aren’t doing what’s right.
I know this may be a shocker to you, but every single human on this planet is different (yes, please note sarcasm). Not only do we have different genetics and gut microbiomes (the bacteria in our gut that helps us survive. Yeah, not very scientific, I know. If you want more… Uncle Google knows everything ;), but we also have different lifestyles; from work and play to sleeping habits. All of these things effect your body, which in turn, contributes to your body composition (aka lean vs. fat body mass).
“So, Erin, what are you saying?”
I’m saying, there is no one perfect diet. There is no diet that will work for every single person on this planet. Does that scare you? It shouldn’t. It should give you an immense sense of relief. It’s not that you’re a failure, you just haven’t found the right thing yet. Becky’s diet may not work for you, but there’s something out there that will. You just need to figure out what works for you.
Now the bad news. There is no way I can help you figure out what works for you with just one blog, but the good news is that I can help point in you in the right direction.
You have to become a student of your own body and lifestyle to find out what works for you. I am generally working one on one with 30+ people at a time, and never have I had two people doing the same thing at the same time. Because each person needs an individualized plan to create long-term results.
To learn what your body needs, I highly recommend two things; keep track of everything and do your research. One of easiest ways to start is to check out several different books on diet and nutrition, and try the one that seems most appealing to you. Nope, not the one your sister had success with, but the one that seems most appealing to YOU right now. There are countless numbers of diet books, but these are a few my clients have used to get started (pssst… if you order from these links, I may get some nickels. I may not, but it’s a possibility):
Whole 30 This one is pretty popular, you probably know someone who has done it. It’s all about eliminating certain foods for 30 days.
WW (Weight Watchers) Another popular diet that a lot of people have done. They’ve really switched things up over the last years, so even if you’ve tried it before, there’s a good chance it’s different now.
Bulletproof Diet You may know this one as the diet that started the butter coffee trend.
Elimination Diet Similar to the Whole 30, but with a more specific layout and reintroduction period.
Ketogenic Diet High fat, low carb, low-moderate protein. While it’s been a recent fad diet, some form of this diet has been around for years.
The Mediterranean Diet Higher in healthy fats (nuts, fish, olives) and moderate carb and protein. This may be a good starter point for you, especially if you love seafood (like I do)!
Virgin Diet Get rid of that sugar, you’re sweet enough!
Sweet Potato Diet Yes, you read that correctly… the sweet potato diet. It’s all about carb cycling.
131 Method This one is all about diet phasing and figuring things out yourself. What that means, is you switch up the way you are eating every month or so and there are no hard and fast “rules” to follow. You can get the book, or check out the online program if you want more details.
The Ultimate Reset This 21 Day program is the opposite of the 131 Methond in that it is a very specifcly formated program, which can be a love it or hate it type of thing. However, it lays everything out for you so there are no questions about “how” to do the program.
Another tool you may want to integrate is some form of shortened-widow eating. This is generally called intermittent fasting, but I find that using the “f” word (fast) scares people. The idea is instead of eating whenever you want all time, you choose a widow of time in which you will eat. For example, an 8-hour window may mean you eat your first meal at 11am and you finish eating by 7pm. A 5-hour window may mean you eat between 4pm and 9pm. A 12-hour window may mean you eat between 8am and 8pm (you’re smart, you get the idea). You don’t have to go extreme, what you do need to do is find something that works for you (are you sensing a theme here?).
I personally LOVED intermittent fasting when I was working ridiculous hours. It totally worked with my hectic lifestyle and I felt great even in a fasted state. I generally used an 8-hour window, but didn’t live and die by that. In fact, one of the signals my body gave me that I was pregnant was when intermittent fasting stopped feeling good. I suddenly needed to eat something earlier in the morning, and I knew there had been a change in my body.
The awesome thing about learning how your body reacts to different foods is that it give you choice! You know how that bagel or chai-latte will affect your waistline and you can choose whether or not it’s worth it at that point in time (and let’s be honest, sometimes it totally is). You’ll know if dairy or beans cause you to bloat or get headaches and you get to be in charge.
Ultimately, there’s a high likelihood that none of the above diets, or any other diet out there, will be the perfect fit for you. One may be close, but not quite there. Pay attention to what feels good paired alongside your lifestyle, your sanity, and a body composition that is right for you. Once you find that you’ll know you’ve found the right diet. Then, you can call it the <insert your name here> Diet, because it’s yours, and yours alone. So start tracking and do your research. Don’t be overwhelmed, just take it one step at a time. You’ve got this.
Pssst!!! Much of this article was originally posted back in June of 2017, and I stand by everything I said the first time around. I’ve made some minor tweaks to the original post, but what it comes down to is everything I wrote then is as true today as it was three years ago. I’m including this updated post as part of my 13 Reasons Why You Aren’t Seeing Results series, because let’s be honest, we aren’t all the same people. We have different lifestyles, different exercise habits, and (gasp) different genes!
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