By David Barr
I
was once asked point blank: "David, what's the best overall
diet?"
Now there are several ways to
answer this question and we can get into a years worth of
research data in order to answer it. But don't worry I'm not
going to do that. I don't need to. Because from experience
I finally understand that the best diet is and would like
to share it with you.
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Dogmatically Wrong
My real-world education started a
decade ago when I was but a young dogmatist, spreading the 'one
diet truth' to everyone who would listen. I don't even remember
the details of what I used to espouse, but it was probably some
garbage I read in FLEX magazine (allegedly written by a "pro
bodybuilder" no doubt).
The along came Gary. He was someone
I used to see in the gym during the late hours when you're pretty
limited in who to ask for a spot. Seeing as he was a pretty fit
guy I was shocked to learn that he had struggled with his weight
since childhood. In fact, he had recently lost 60 pounds in the
last year and a half!
When I enquired about the details
of his nutrition, he cited a book of "quackery" with all
kinds of bizarre and untested theories. It revolved around eating
food groups individually because they have horrible reactions when
combined -not the least of which was fat storage. Basically the
book was crap. I didn't know a lot back then but it was enough to
know that this diet didn't work. Yup, I had all the answers.
A Revelation and an "Ugh"
Years later when I began thinking
about this situation I couldn't have been more disgusted with myself.
There I was, as ignorant as I could be, telling someone that their
diet didn't work.
He lost over 60 pounds!! How could
that not work??!!
I was on the verge of switching my
research interest to temporal mechanics just so I could develop
a time machine to go back and slap myself.
Now realistically is Gary's old diet
the secret we've all been waiting for? Of course not. But what it
did was get him to start thinking about food and paying attention
to what he put into his body. Along with this lifestyle change he
also started a decent exercise program, and the results were great.
That's what counts. The end results.
Lesson Learned
I focus a lot on optimization and
cutting edge research, but no one on the planet could tolerate the
rigors of this training and nutrition for very long. Even with my
elite clients we alter "The
Anabolic Index" program to suit their lifestyles,
and they're much better off for it - after all, if someone despises
a diet or training program, they're not going to be doing it for
very long.
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So the answer to the question
of "best diet" begins with a look at your lifestyle
to see what you enjoy and what you can realistically do.
Now there's no question that you're going to have to make
a little sacrifice to accomplish your goals, but if that
weren't the case we'd all look the way we wanted and would
eat chocolate Sundaes for every meal (Mmmmm… chocolate
Sunday…).
Once you have that figured
out, you can start to examine the different diets - even
the craziest of which will have some level of efficacy for
someone. Consults with experts help tremendously, and can
do everything from pointing you in the right direction to
developing your entire diet plan, because the "best
diet" is the diet that works for you.
In the next segment we'll
talk about goal development and how to actually meet those
goals!
Until then, stay healthy and
informed.
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About The Author
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