The health industry is absolutely saturated with different diets that claim to be the quick fix. Each one has “science-based” results, “easy to use” recipes, and motivating success stories. You probably read all about them, pick one that sounds easiest to implement into your life, and proceed to uproot your pantry into a diet-of-choice friendly display case.
Has it worked for you? Maybe it has! Or maybe it worked well for someone you know, but not as well for you. Or maybe it actually made you gain weight and your dreams of that overnight bikini body were crushed. No matter what happened (or is happening), it probably has less to do with which diet you chose and everything to do with why you chose it and how you implemented it.
Let’s take a look at some of the popular diets of today:
KETO – The keto, or ketogenic diet, requires an extreme shift in your macro consumption. Carbs are the enemy and fats are the star of the show. This shock to your energy system is said to kick your body into constant fat-burning mode because there isn’t enough glycogen (carbs) to keep you going. After your body recovers from lack glycogen (often accompanied by the keto-flu) you live in a state of ketosis, supposedly making your body burn fat for fuel as default instead of carbs. Keto’s less intense cousin is Paleo, which basically cuts out all processed carbs and dairy, aka the “Caveman diet”.
INTERMITTENT FASTING – This is less of a diet and more of a schedule change. People who choose this style usually have a fast:eat ratio of 16:8 hours or 12:12 hours. This does 2 things for your body: It gets you into a good circadian rhythm by eating at the same time every day, and helps your metabolism predict the next meal and how to process it. The consistency and limited window of consumption is said to keep you from eating too much throughout the day.
VEGAN – Veganism often has some emotional reasoning behind it, popular among animal lovers and anti-cruelty activists. However, it can be a hopeful weight-loss diet choice for some. This diet restricts the consumption of ALL meat and animal by products, including all dairy, eggs, and butter. It’s basically the direct opposite of Keto as the carbohydrate level in the macro pie-chart tends to be the largest. The idea of losing weight on a vegan diet is that the lack of fat from meat (and the lack of options altogether) will keep your body lean.
So, do any of these work? They all can, if done correctly and mindfully. The issues arise in your intentions. Do you want to do Keto because you get to eat as much bacon as you want? Your success might disappoint you. Does intermittent fasting appeal to you because you skip breakfast and eat a large dinner anyway? Again, you might be disappointed. Is a vegan diet your choice because you don’t like meat, but you visit vegan bakeries on the regular? Sorry, probably not going to make you drop weight.
There is ONE thing that could make all of these work. One common denominator. They all provide a way to regularly eat at a caloric deficit. The science of weight loss is always the same. If you eat fewer calories than you burn on a consistent basis, you will lose weight. Every diet out there is just a different structure to help you eat less. On the flip side, if you don’t pay attention, it is still possible to overeat on every diet.
The moral of the story is the best diet for YOU is whatever will help YOU stay in a healthy caloric deficit. The trick is to find a balance that accomplishes this deficit, but also makes you feel good. If you feel deprived or starving or restricted, you won’t stick with it and it’s not the long term answer. Finding what works for you often takes some trial and error, so be patient with yourself. And always remember that whatever works for someone else, might not necessarily be right for YOU.
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