Who has more sex appeal? you or your diet?
Looking back on what we have been through in the health, fitness and nutrition world, you'd think we would’ve discovered the “ultimate diet” by now (or protocol if you prefer). From low fat diets in the 90's, to the more recently established diets such as the Keto diet, Paleo diet, No Sugar diet, Gluten and Dairy Free diet, Don't Shower diet and so on... It's no wonder people are so flaming stressed out and confused about what's right and what's wrong. Lets be honest, regardless of what diet your following and eating, there is always that little thought in the back of your mind saying 'Is this the right thing? Am I doing this right? Can I eat this? Can i eat that? Is this healthy?'. For some, you may be fortunate enough to have a nutritionist/dietitian who deals with the dirty work for you, but for the majority of us, we are left to filter through the countless articles (majority of which have been written by someone as important as myself - that isn't very important) and try and follow something that we 'think' is right.
Big Jimmy puts together a protocol of which he has pulled together from either a) sources that don't provide any robust data because he knows mother of 3, Sally, doesn't have the time or passion to actually follow up his research ability; or b) something that he has tried on himself and therefore it must work even though Jimmy is a 24 year old male who trains 6 times a week and works as a full time PT all year round. Now, regardless of whether Sally gets results from Jimmy’s fabulous new diet/protocol, the principle is that these diets don't apply to everyone. Yes, you may have forgotten how to spell bread, rice, potatoes, and carbohydrates for that matter - because you’ve eliminated them from your life for so long - but what happens when you start restricting carbohydrates with an individual who is highly dependent upon glycogen stores, and is therefore unable to perform, or even put a sentence together, because they feel like brown stuff all day? “You’ll be fine, just work through it” Jimmy says. OK, I agree with that fact your body adapts to certain situations, but if it comes at the cost of someone's performance or feeling of well-being, then bin it (with the brown stuff).
This is where my argument comes in. Diets need to be individualised. We need to be able to sustain them and we need to enjoy them. I was listening to a podcast recently, and they mentioned something awesome:
'Don't make changes to people diets, no one likes change. Make modifications. Over time the client becomes aware of what they do and don't need'.
I think this is a fantastic step forward with nutrition. For example, if our girl Sally has an obligatory roast dinner every Sunday evening and all of a sudden she has to sit there and eat [insert 'bro meal' here] whilst her family enjoys the orgasmic crunch of yorkshire puddings and the moistening deliciousness of grandmas gravy. Let's be honest, the odds on Sally maintaining this “diet” are very slim. If we take more of a “modification” approach, Sally can still enjoy her lovely roast dinner on a Sunday, but perhaps she has a lighter breakfast that day, and ensures she makes her 7am PT session that morning.
You see what I mean here? Things don't have to be massively restrictive, and as I said, this is sustainable, but it seems unless diets are not eliminating, scrutinising or forbidding any food groups or eating patterns, we don't deem them as 'sexy'. Lets be honest, there isn't really anything sexy about eating the required amount of protein, nor is there anything sexy about eating adequate amounts of vegetables and fruits - something that has been proven countless times to work. Unless you can formulate some miraculous powder or eating strategy that is deemed to strip fat within 6 weeks with minimal effort, you will struggle to be successful in giving nutritional advice.
Body compositional goals take time, as do the habits which are required to reach your end goal, whether that be fat loss or muscle gain. I suggest you look past all these commonly advertised products and dieting protocols, and consider either hiring a coach that you can trust or having a read through a few of my previous posts.
Enjoy
