What Do All Diets Have in Common? It May Surprise You
For starters, I need to mention that I despise the word “diet.” It’s almost as nasty as some other four-letter words that come to mind. When I think of the word diet, I think of another four-letter word that starts with the letter “F,” and it’s FAIL. But there’s something all diets have in common with one another, and it’s why most people fail and get frustrated.
Why is that? Because they don’t fit the lifestyle of the individual. There are a couple of things, however, that all diets have in common that you should understand so you can apply them to your own lifestyle to ensure you reach your health and weight loss goals.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and is not meant to treat or diagnose any condition. It is recommended that you speak with your doctor before starting any exercise program, changing your daily nutrition, or adding any supplements to your regimen.
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What Do ALL Diets Have in Common?
Below, you will find two things that all diets have in common — it doesn’t matter what the diet is called or what foods they tell you that you can’t eat.
1. They Aren’t Realistic
The first thing you need to look at that all diets have in common is the diet itself. Look at the various diets out there today that everyone is talking about. Without calling them out specifically (there are too many to list), they go something like this… Eliminate an entire macronutrient category. Do you realize how stupid that sounds? Let me get this straight, for the rest of your life, you can go without fat of any kind? Or for the rest of your life, you’ll never have a carbohydrate? Give me a break. The one thing all of these diets have in common is that they are completely ridiculous and unrealistic.
Diets out there today aren’t lifestyle diets and it’s something all diets have in common. People enjoy foods like burgers, pizza, donuts, desserts, cake, or [fill in the blank with your favorite food]. These diets want you to be extremely restrictive, which causes most individuals to get frustrated and fail. These types of diets leave you with a bad taste in your mouth (pun intended).
Related Article: Diets Fail While Lifestyle Wins
A lifestyle diet of everything in moderation is a much better and more sustainable plan. When you restrict yourself, it only makes you crave things more. So, stop telling yourself that you can’t eat something. This leads us right to the next thing that all diets have in common.
2. They Put You in a Caloric Deficit
Think about it… when you follow a diet, what do all diets have in common? Restricting your calories, right? So, regardless of what diet you try, they all want you to consume fewer calories than your maintenance to cause you to lose weight. It makes perfect sense, yet they all fail miserably in their delivery.
If you like low-carbohydrate diets, more power to you. If you like moderate protein, carbohydrates, and fat, go for it. In the end, you need to put yourself in a caloric deficit. What I mean by this is if your maintenance calories where you neither gain nor lose weight is 2,000 calories, you simply need to focus on consuming less than that number in order to lose weight (theoretically, based on the types of food you consume — don’t fill your calories with junk).
A safe way to go about putting yourself in a caloric deficit would be to eliminate 250-500 calories from your maintenance number each day. At the end of the week, it would cause you to lose anywhere from 0.5-1 pound of weight. That’s a great place to be so you can maintain your lean muscle mass while slowly stripping away your body fat.
What’s the Solution?
It’s simple. Eat a well-balanced diet without worrying about eliminating this food group or that food group only to help you shift into a caloric deficit. Instead, eat everything in moderation, and if you truly want to get the best results, track your calories and macros.
Related Article: Is the Nordic Diet Worth Trying for Weight Loss?
Using something like MyFitnessPal is a great way to achieve the weight loss results you desire. So, rather than falling into the next fad diet out there that is overhyped and will cause you to fail, learn from this article and what all diets have in common so that you can make better decisions with your nutrition, not hate being in a caloric deficit, and help maximize your results.
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