Happy Wednesday! We are just 11 days into the new year and my gym has been PACKED lately. My go-to walking path is seeing a lot more action too. I love that so many people are trying to get healthy!
But, losing weight isn’t about what you do it’s about what you eat. A wise man once told me there are 5 Steps to Weight Loss:
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Diet
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Diet
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Exercise
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Hydration
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Sleep
That wise man was Mr. B Harper himself. Give me a moment to collect myself after that memory…
Yep – it’s twice as much about what you eat as what you do. So even though someone like me may love running…
“If” I love food equally as much (or more!) I’m not going to lose weight. Bottom line. 
But this isn’t about me it’s about diets, let’s discuss…
I can honestly say Diets Work.
For a week.
Maybe two weeks if you have killer willpower. I have zero willpower. I actually was born without the “willpower gland” so every time I try a diet with prescribed food or extreme restrictions I fail.
But, some people are awesome at doing crazy shit like drinking nothing but cayenne pepper lemonade for a week or swearing off ice cream forever or something equally as crazy and masochistic.
And then there’s people in the middle who can read some suggestions from a healthy diet plan and incorporate it into their lives. For those people, I present to you U.S News and World Ranking’s Review of the Best Diets
The #1 choice was the DASH diet – this program was actually put together to help people with high blood pressure. It’s a pretty solid plan that suggests “clean” foods, lower salt and sugar intake. First step is to determine your calorie needs. I love that these are realistic calorie numbers with 1,600 being the lowest for older, less active adults. Thank you.
You can click here for a pdf on the DASH diet with tons of information.
2. The TLC Diet is next on the list and it’s very similar to the Dash diet, so just go with #1, right? Low fat, healthy carbs, don’t eat 62 Snickers a day, you get it.
3 was a three way tie. The Mayo Clinic Diet, Mediterranean Diet and Weight Watchers – all of which are very different options!
I’ve done Weight Watchers multiple times, but every time drop out because the points counting just seems tedious and more work than just counting calories. Plus, I feel like when I first tried WW in college it was a game to see what you could eat for the least points <- this is when I started drinking diet soda and chewing a ton of gum and eating super processed foods with added fiber. It didn’t work for me, but I know it’s amazing for a lot of other people.
Weight Watchers info – Every food get a point value. You eat a certain amount a day and listen to Jennifer Hudson on Pandora. Then, you look like her.
#6 is the Volumetrics diet. I always say I’m a volume eater, so this is basically what I do very very unofficially. Example: Salad served in an industrial size mixing bowl. 
Ultimately I think the diet that works best is the one that you can realistically do long term. It’s cliché, but we really are all different. I love eating salads for lunch every single day – other peeps may hate that. I also have a very bad night time snacking habit, when others can close the kitchen and 7pm and not bat an eye.
When I talk to my clients about their eating habits I first try to figure out if there is an obvious detrimental habit and work on that first.
Examples:
No Breakfast
Drinking Soda
Pounding Bear Claws
Then, we work on that for a few weeks before moving on to another improvement. This process takes longer than a quick fix, but it’s realistic and you don’t necessarily have to alter (or hate) your life to get results!
Bonus: I just got an unexpected diet tip from reruns of Keeping Up With The Kardashians…
“Spend more time in the bedroom then the kitchen.”
Too bad it looks like Ben already has his hands full…
Question: Have you done one of these diets? Did it work?
Got any healthy diet tips to share with the class?
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I definitely think the cliche is true. Everyone has to find the way of eating and exercising that works for them. We are all different so the same diet isn’t going to work for us all. Using SparkPeople to track my food and fitness and connecting with others was the key to my success.
Weight Watchers has recently revised their program to Points Plus. The focus is on nutrient rich foods that are high in protein and fiber and low in fat and carbs. There is also an option to stick to just power foods so you don’t need to track points as much. Have you checked out their new plan?
I joined Weight Watchers in February and I’ve lost 30 pounds so far, with another 15 or so to lose. I’ve also started to get more active this past year and recently started to add a little running (ok, a goofy jog)…, here and there in my walks. I hope to get better at it.
I walked a 5k and a half marathon last year, and will sign up for more this year. I love your sense of humor, so thanks for sharing with all of us.
That picture of you and Bob is great. Hope he was as nice as he seems to be.
I love the Slow Carb Diet or the basic no duh diet. No crappy carbs 6 days a week, lean proteins, lots of vegetables, and beans, and 1 eat what you feel like eating day. I love it because I do a variety of endurance events every year and I only really feel like I need the extra carbs when I am mid-event. Other than that rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread can take a hike. Plus they make my tummy all bloated (slight gluten allergy).
I do rely on Hammer Gels during long runs (90 mins or more) and I drink a protein caffeine laced drink every morning before boot camp.
Real simple, think a burrito bowl every day minus the rice!
I also didn’t care for Weight Watchers. I felt like it was too tedious figuring out how many points something had. I also felt like no matter what I did I always went over my points, and I was always hungry
Now I just try to eat clean, have protein and a fruit/veg with every snack and meal and don’t worry about calories. I eat when I am hungry and stop when I full and that is about all the calorie counting I do!
I also have a cheat meal each week!
I’ve been using Loseit.com to help track my calories and what I’m eating. It’s a nice way to see what I’m eating and to help me with portion control. I’m not going to deprive myself of the things I like, but at least I can see how much of what foods I’m eating. I’ve actually lost a few pounds already using this, in addition to running more often
The way I view eating is that you can’t do anything temporary to get to your ideal… and expect to stay there. I think about how my everyday choices are creating the lifestyle that I’d have at that ideal weight. If I behave NOW the way I need to at my eventual healthiest, then I’ll eventually get there and STAY there!
For my calories, I looked up the BMR for the weight I want to achieve and try to stick to that. Adding in workouts 2-3 times a week means I’m slowly but painlessly working my way down. I never get crazy-hungry or stressed because I missed a workout or had some dessert. It’s about creating and ingraining my healthiest lifestyle first, weight-loss simply follows.
Thank you so much for this post! Those five words of wisdom from Bob really say so much.
Im definitely a volumetrics eater. I always have been though. It takes a lot for me to feel full so i usually eat massive amounts of veggies.
thanks for share!
I’m trying to follow Nancy Clark’s Food Guide for Marathoners (it’s not just for losing weight, although that is in there.) I use SparkPeople’s Online Tracker to see if I’m getting the right percentages but since they have my calories a lot lower than several other calorie requirement programs I’ve seen, I ignore that part.
I agree, the most important part about a weight loss program is what you eat. That is my weakness tho, I love fast food. Its so hard to stay on track sometimes.
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