What is the best fat loss diet??
Most important thing ahead: If you want to lose fat, you need to be in calorie deficit, no matter what diet you follow. However, there are so many different diets out there: WHICH ONE IS THE BEST?
If you look at most diets, including the restrictive fad diets, there are a few things they have in common.
Number one: they restrict ‘something’. It doesn’t really matter what exactly it is. It is likely to be different for each diet. It can be a certain nutrient, timing of food intake or a certain food group. Ever heard of a High-Carb-Low-Fat (HCLF) Diet, Low-Carb Diet, Keto Diet, Intermittent Fasting or the Paleo Diet?
Each of the diets will work for a certain individual, but by far not for everyone. It mostly works for people who can tolerate a certain restriction and whose ‘problem behavior’ came from the element that was restricted.
By restricting something, we make that thing more difficult to eat or get. Let’s take cake as an example; conventional cakes are high in calories and can be a big contributing part to weight gain. If you follow a paleo diet, you can’t really get a paleo cake from the store. You would need to bake one yourself, which is more tedious, involves some work and to put it simply; it’s more annoying. By following a paleo diet without being able to get a cake from the store, you automatically restrict your energy intake from ‘foods you shouldn’t have’.
However, here it is important to note that there are big individual differences. If a high-carb-low-fat diet works for a person who generally prefers fatty food, it may end up being a disaster for a person that loves carbs. This person would just over eat all the time.
Take-home message: You need to find a restriction that works for you. If you struggle to find what works for you, I am happy to help you (more info here).
Here are a few examples of the most common restrictions you can use:
Restricting time, e.g. not eating after 6 pm, skipping breakfast and noteating before lunch (e.g. Intermittent Fasting). This restriction works pretty well if you can identify a time when you are likely to engage into unnecessary eating (e.g. snacking in front of the TV in the evenings).
Restricting certain nutrients: These can be carbs or fat (e.g. Keto Diet or HCLF). Protein doesn't make sense, as most people - except for crazy Bro-science bodybuilders - don't tend to overeat protein in isolation or run a Protein Bakery like me :P
Restricting entire food groups (e.g. Paleo): This strategy makes sense for foods that are high in calories; basically containing lots of fat, carbs or most likely a combination of both, or for foods that are readily available and you are exposed to on a regular basis. For instance, you could stop eating bread if you have a bakery on the way to work and can’t resist the temptation when passing to buy something. It is mentally easier to set a strict rule and tell yourself all the time when you go by: “I do not eat bread” than arguing with yourself whether you should get this pretzel or not because in the end you will most likely lose the fight and give into your food cravings.
Restricting calories using macros/kcal counting instead of cutting out entire food groups: You can track your food intake, for example via an app, such as myfitnesspal, and set a calorie target that you shouldn’t exceed. This is probably the most commonly applied kind of restriction.
For me personally, it's a combination of macros tracking and time restriction that works the best. If you need help with your diet, I am sure you will love our programs.
Want to recap and get a few extra tips? Check out my video.