Does This Diet Work?

In the last two installments, we covered how to define what “work” means for you and how to determine whether an exercise program will work relative to those goals. Today, we’ll answer the question “Does this diet work?”

This one’s a little bit easier, since nearly everyone who asks this question is working towards the goal of losing weight. NutriSystem, Weight Watchers, Low Carb, Gluten Free, Special K, Paleo, Slimfast, Vegan… you name the diet, and if you are eating fewer calories than you burn each day, they will work towards the goal of losing weight. Heck, not only can you lose weight eating nothing but Twinkies, you can increase your good cholesterol and reduce your bad cholesterol in the process-- so long as you are at a calorie deficit. (Incidentally, these benefits are because of the positive effect of having a smaller fat mass, not because Twinkies and snack cakes are made of magic.)

Lest anyone think I’m saying that the nutritional content and quality of food don’t matter, let me be clear that they absolutely do relative to energy, whether you feel full and satisfied, how you recover from workouts and other general health and wellbeing goals. Approached properly, all the programs I mentioned- with the glaring exception of the Twinkie diet, of course- are going to encourage a mix of protein, carbs, and fats within a generally-accepted healthy range.

But, again, does it work with your lifestyle and goals to be eating freeze dried food from a pouch, or drinking half your meals? If your goal is to cycle a Century, is a no-carb plan going to fuel your training appropriately? My message here is one of freedom and empowerment-- Look for the reduced-calorie plan that fits your lifestyle, hit the deficit with consistency, and it will work. If your friend saw great results on a diet program that sounds to you like Medieval torture, don’t feel like you need to jam your foot into a shoe that doesn’t fit just because it fit someone else.

So, the take away here-- Whichever eating plan makes it easiest for you to consumer fewer calories than you burn will work. Any diet that has you restricting so much that you go binge-crazy on the weekends, or overeating on certain foods (yes, even “clean” foods can be overeaten), will not.

Heather Hawkins is fitness and wellness coach who works to educate and empower people to find a path to fitness that works for their lifestyle.  She is a certified personal trainer and fitness nutrition coach based in San Francisco, CA and runs FitLifeSF.com. Please send your fitness and nutrition questions to Smurf@FitLifeSF.com for use in future blogs.