I got some unfortunate news for you today….
Every single diet you’ve ever tried, thought about trying, read about, or heard about from someone else… WORKS.
Yup, even that one diet your friend tried and failed miserably at. It works too.
It’s unfortunate because it just confuses the hell out of everyone. 90% of the people who approach me for coaching say the struggle with nutrition in some way shape or form.
Whether it’s confusion on what to eat, how to eat, when to eat, how to adjust, or the accountability associated with actually succeeding with a diet – they struggle with nutrition above all else.
So today I’m going to bring you the top 7 reasons those people struggle with their diet, which will also more than likely be the top reasons you and the majority of people reading this have failed a diet before.
#1 – You’re A Copy Cat
The nutrition industry is notorious for 2 things: First is trying to single out, blame or isolate a specific nutrient, creating camps within nutrition itself. Saying “Gluten” or “Sugar” is the enemy, when in reality it’s just people over-eating that is the real issue.
Second is taking things to the absolute extreme, which is expected from gym rats and meatheads I suppose. It’s either eating 6 meals per day and no less, or you need to fast for half the day and only eat 1-2 meals. There is no in between….
This leads to people following others, joining camps, going to extreme measures, and just copying whatever worked for the guy they see who has a six-pack.
See the truth is, everything works in some fashion – but if you cannot stick to it long term, it’s useless. That’s the issue with copying what the ripped guy did to get so ripped, it worked for him and his lifestyle but very likely will not work for yours.
You need to completely audit and analyze the nutrition plan you’re considering, because if it doesn’t work with your schedule and lifestyle… than it won’t work.
The next thing to remember and consider, is that they all do work. Every single diet is another way to reduce calories. Many people were eating TONS of processed foods, which is why they were overweight… but then they read the “gluten kills you” article in Time Magazine and cut it out completely, which transformed their body by dropping 50lbs.
So what really happened here? They stopped eating processed shit and fast food, because it all has gluten and wasn’t on the list (AKA – created a big calorie deficit).
Same exact thing happens when someone copies the bodybuilder bro’s diet plan and starts eating 6 meals a day of chicken, brown rice, and broccoli. They end up eating a lot less junk food and consuming a lot more protein and fiber… (Again, another big calorie deficit was created).
How about the guy who started the new intermittent fasting protocol? Well his gut probably got a bit of a “cleanse” (hate that word, but it gets the point across) to digest a bit better and since they skipped a full meal or two every day… They ate less food (aka – calorie deficit!).
We can do this with the no dairy, low fat, low-carb, Atkins, Mediterranean, paleo, and even IIFYM diet because that is a calorie controlled diet.
Don’t be a copycat… find what works for you.
Many times that’s the difficult part that I personally help people discover. If you’re stuck, haven’t figured out what works and want expert coaching to help guide you to the result – Click Here Now.
#2 – You’re Trying To Be 100% On Point, 90% Of The Time… Rather Than Being 90% On Point, 100% Of The Time
I’m huge on flexible dieting, because I believe that we should have some freedom and that being stuck in a strict pattern of only eating the same foods that you don’t actually enjoy very much only leads to falling off the wagon after 30-45 days and actually gaining more fat afterwards.
That’s why attempting to be 100% on point and strict 90% of the time and allowing yourself a “cheat day” or “cheat meal” never works. It only leads to binging, a domino effect of cheat days after the first one, a poor relationship with food and possibly exercise, and typically a negative impact on your hormones.
That’s why I preach and practice being 90% on point, 100% of the time. See if I can just focus on eating really well, filling my diet with nutrient dense whole foods, and every here and there allow some flexibility of what I eat – I’ll end up on top.
I don’t over do anything, I don’t suffer binge episodes anymore, I can enjoy a nice meal without negative repercussions, and I end up staying more consistent for MUCH longer.
Check out my List of Power Foods and follow that for 90% of your diet, then enjoy your favorites 10% of the time – but seriously, just 10%. 1 or 2 cookies is fine, 10 isn’t for the results you’re looking for.
One thing I’ve learned from practicing this is how to be satisfied with just a little. Where as before, I always felt like I needed to clear my plate or eat it all – as if the cookies were going to grow feet and run away.
#3 – You’re Stressed The F#CK Out!
This is going to be quick and simple for me to describe. If you’re not sleeping, have tons of work stress, or have relationship issues – fix that before your diet.
More than likely your cortisol and other stress hormones are going through the roof and the good hormones that we want to be high and optimized are down regulated and dropping day after day.
Many of the people I’ve helped through my coaching program, have asked me for their diet or nutrition plan and my response is simple…
“Before any of that, lets fix your sleep, maybe add some meditation and work on some habits to create a more stress-free lifestyle”
The crazy thing that happens after they take this serious is weight loss happens, at a really good rate too. Because their bodies were just not going to allow fat loss to happen while this stress was stuck at such a high level.
So before we can dial in nutrition or train our asses off, we need to focus on reducing stress. Whether that’s implementing meditation, jumping in the float tank more often, getting more or better sleep, or building self-appreciation – stress comes first and until it does, fat loss will not happen (neither will building muscle).
#4 – You Have Zero Accountability
Without accountability, shit just does not work in your favor. 5 out of every 100 people can get away without any accountability – and that’s me being nice with the ratio, because it’s likely less than 5.
There are different levels of accountability, from posting on social media to having a buddy to paying a coach. But regardless, something needs to be in place for you to see results consistently.
What I’ve found is that without skin in the game (AKA $$$) you will not see the results you want. Everybody hates to talk about money and paying for this, but at the end of the day if you do not invest you will not take it serious.
They even did a study where people paid $1 vs. nothing and the people who invested the dollar saw better results. They had skin in the game. Period. Even if it wasn’t very much, they invested.
It’s the same reason I pay top dollar for a coach as well. I didn’t settle for the $200 a month coach; I went ALL IN on a very expensive coach because I wanted violent accountability and a serious investment on my part so I would take it serious.
Because I made that decision, I work with a coach who cares to see me grow and helps push me to the results I said I wanted (it’s working by the way).
This is truly the thing that sets my coaching clients apart from the rest. They have structure, systems, expert guidance, and non-stop accountability that keeps them on the path every single day.
Click Here To Learn More (Free Strategy Call).
#5 – You’re Following A “Meal Plan”
Just like I said in #1, you cannot just copy someone else’s meal plan. But to be completely honest, for most people writing your own meal plan won’t work either.
A “meal plan” implies that you’re eating 6 magic meals fill with magic ingredients every day and if you eat any other foods, you wont see the results.
The truth? There is no magic ingredients inside meal plans, there is calories and macros (protein, fats, carbs).
The reason meal plans work well for bodybuilders is because they have dialed in their personal macros per meal and it leads to the proper daily intake they need. For most people, this doesn’t work well. It makes more sense to determine their own personal daily intake needs and then adjust their meals however they like to meet those needs.
Now if you learn to understand this concept, you can follow a meal plan. I’ll be completely honest with you right now; I eat the same meals 90% of the time – the only exception being weekends when my schedule changes or when my girlfriend cooks dinner for us.
But this works for me because I understand the concept of macros (protein, fats, carbs) and that I can adjust if I need too as long as I eat within my limits.
If it were as simple as eating super foods every day and a taking special supplement, I’d be a ripped rich man. But it’s just not, unfortunately.
#6 – You Do Not Know How To Adjust
Following the above reason, you just do not know how to adjust. That’s another benefit of having a coach, because sometimes its difficult to adjust your own diet plan without being biased or letting your excuses come into play and affect your adjustment/decisions.
The reason I put this here, is because just like every diet does work if you can stick to it… every single diet will lead to a plateau eventually.
Nobody has ever started a paleo plan or started tracking their macros and never had to stop or adjust, because it just worked forever and they saw results week after week.
At some point, the plan will stop working or slow down significantly. But it’s no reason to stress or freak out, because sometimes the smallest adjustment can make a huge shift in your results and push you right through the plateau you’re facing.
I’ve made the tiniest incremental adjustments to people’s plans and seen massive results. But I’ve also had to make very big adjustments to people’s plans just to see some changes finally happen.
If you have room to pull calories without harming performance or starving yourself, then usually a simple 5% reduction of your weekly calories pulled from either carbs or fats (depends on the person and the macro ratios) can be enough to push through a plateau.
If you’re not tracking macros, which most are not, then it takes some knowledge or coaching to adjust. The same goes for those who cannot pull calories because they’re already low in calories or who need more than 5%.
But the point is, if you’re at this point you likely need to study a bit or seek expert guidance so you can find out exactly how to adjust your plan as you go forward.
#7 – You’re Forgetting About Health
Calories are the biggest mover in fat loss. This is true.
But if you neglect health, you will not see long-term sustainable results. Period.
Gut health, for example, is a HUGE proponent to consider when seeking optimal performance and body composition, yet has little to do with calories and a lot to do with fiber, micronutrients, stress, and general health.
The point is simple and goes back to the 90/10 rule, you need to focus on health and optimizing your body internally if you want to see an optimized body externally.
Get your fiber, get your micronutrients, drink plenty of water, and do not neglect your health – if you desire a good physique and to stay lean. With the big influx and popularity of the “IIFYM” (If It Fits Your Macros), seems that this has been forgotten.
The scary yet insightful truth is that studies are being published on many things that the IIFYM Crowd ignores – all health regarding. They’re finding that without consistently staying healthy, getting adequate nutrients, keeping fiber high enough, not over doing processed foods, and keeping your calories under control… Not only will you not get lean or lose body fat, but you may suffer long term issues as well.
At the end of the day, these 7 things come up constantly in my coaching career… So learn from them and then audit your own personal routine to figure out if you’re falling victim to any of them. Then make the necessary change or find help…
If you want a opportunity to receive my latest ebook, “Eat Like A Man, Look Like An Athlete”, which teaches you how to shed body fat, maintain or build muscle, optimize your hormones, and literally plan every single meal with a follow along template system…
In other words, teaches you what to eat, how to eat it, when to eat it, and how to adjust along the way (without ever tracking macros or calories). Click Here Now or the Picture To The Right.
