The problem with society is too many professionals have cut short the explanation and knowledge that needs to be given in order to provide the proper understanding of how certain diets actually works. Failing to inform society properly has led people into a black hole of fad diets. Most of these professionals, both here and abroad, have provided incomplete explanations in their book, articles, or when talked to; therefore, it is important to learn that it is all built around fluff, in magician terms- a lot of smoke and ladders. In other words, society is been fooled by all the fancy gimmick explanations.
What's our problem again? There are too many fad diets; for example, what everyone calls the high fat, low carb, high protein diet, which replaced the high carb, low fat, moderate protein diet-this created so much confusion.I bet you're confused enough as it is. People didn't even realize that this diet was a high carb diet to begin with; they were just doing their best to eliminate as much fat possible.
There are many types of fad diets, but the 2 that I have mentioned has reinvented itself many times to create an appeal in the weight loss as well as the fitness industry. Do you remember Atkin's Diet or the South Beach Diet? Both of which are high fat fad diets. How about the Weight Watcher and 60-30-10 Zone? Both of which are high carb fad diets. How about the 1980s and 90s bodybuilding diets? This is a low carb, high protein, low fat fad diet. This diet in particular completely caused the whirl wind of confusion that I'm not even going to get into.
Now, back to the main point, how much of each macronutrient do you consume. As I stated in my previous article, "Carb Addiction," ideally you would want to find out how many grams of carbs your body needs depending on your goal. Knowing this can actually program your daily food intake and this will automatically start the process of breaking down the other macronutrients your body needs; protein and fat. Carbs are the root of all success, it is not always evil. Don't run or hide from them, find out how much you need of them. My recommendation would be to find a professional and find out how much carbs, protein, and fat you need. The professional you choose should have a standard formula(s) he/she uses which could be based around one or all of the following: 1) Body weight in kilo grams or pounds, 2) BMI (Body Mass Index), 3) LBM (Lean Body Mass), 4) BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and/or 5) Body Fat Percentage.
I confess. I was a victim of the fad information agent who snuck up and told me to stop eating at 3:00 in the afternoon. Of course being ignorant right after high school, living in Honolulu all by myself led to me to believe that if I follow that plan to stop eating at 3:00pm, paddle up and down AlaWai Canal until 7pm, study until 9pm, and then pass out and go to bed-I'm going to wake up looking like the girls in the magazine. I was so sure of it. I don't think you have to ask me if it worked, but if you're still curious-no it didn't.
It wasn't until later, like everyone else with all the trial and errors, when I started to be more thorough in my research into competitiveness. My coach had asked me, "How does that stop eating at 3:00 or that 6:00 thing make any sense. If your body is the machine that needs to be fueled, shouldn't it be fueled at all waking hours? Doesn't it make more sense that if your body is tasked to burn fat, it should be given the proper nutrients to perform this task more effectively and efficiently?" That is when I understood that fad diets will only work for the moment. At this point, I started to learn what macronutrients are about and how much of each I needed depending on my specific goal.
From my experience, I had a better chance of keeping the weight off and staying decently fit by just making better choices, not necessarily eating healthier, but just being more honest and careful with my choice of foods. The fad diets caused more confusion which made it very difficult for me to deal with mentally, emotionally, and physically. The "Yo-yo" affect turned into a "rollercoaster" ride. I came to terms and realized that I had to look into this more and find out for myself how things really worked. Only then will I be satisfied.
From what I had learned, I had to build a strategy that was built around having my last meal right before bedtime. This was very hard to accept. I thought I was going to have a panic attack. I had to learn how to trust myself and my strategy. This was going against the biggest fad diet rule, the golden rule, "Don't Eat Dinner Before Bedtime", but I did. I don't think you're going to ask me if it worked, but if you're curious-Yes it did.
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