Recently I’ve gotten a lot of comments from people who disagree with me on what eating and exercise plan is best for them. The reason they disagree is often that they have done something that worked for them that is the complete opposite of what I’m saying. Now you might think that all this would break my spirit, make me crouch into the fetal position, and cry but it doesn’t. That’s because I also get a ton of comments and emails from people who are getting success by following my advice. How can this be? Well, there’s a simple explanation: “We’re all different.” What works well for some individuals may not work for others, and there are many factors that come into play here.
A common trap that all health enthusiasts (even professionals) can fall into is neglecting to mention that their advice may not apply to everyone. I’m a fan of a low carb and real food based diet. I don’t recommend calorie counting, and I am personally against low-fat, vegan, and meal replacement diets. I have a lot of evidence to support my point of view, but evidence isn’t everything, because there are many people who are doing these different things with incredible success.
While I like a low carb diet, still we are all different and what works for one person may not work for the next. The fact is that most diet plans work if you follow them. That’s the real trick because most diet plans are very difficult to follow.
Low-carb is probably one of the easiest to follow because it reduces hunger which has been confirmed in randomized clinical trials. Randomized controlled trials are the gold standard in the public health and medical science community. However, for some individuals something vastly different might be optimal.
Alternative Plans that work Extremely well for Some People
There are vegans who do pretty much the opposite of what I preach. I honestly think that this is not a sensible way of life, and that they must be careful to take the right supplements and read some books by vegan doctors, but there are many individuals who do incredibly well on vegan diets.
A lot of people have had success with calorie counting. Somehow they can consciously eat less and less food all the time and lose weight in the long term. These people often claim that this is the right approach for everyone which I wholeheartedly disagree with, but it works for them.
Then there are meal replacement diets. There are many of these. It is something that I would never recommend, but there are many people who follow them and do great. I am not going to tell these people to stop doing what is working well for them.
If you find something that works for you, do it! That’s my motto – or at least one of my mottos. I think everyone needs to find a way to eat healthy and exercise that fits with their lifestyle and cultural setting, and that is sustainable for them in the long term.
Final Words
I think it’s important for anyone who is reading about health and nutrition online to put things into perspective. Ask yourself the following questions: “What kind of website is this?” “Does this apply to my situation?” “Is this suitable for my lifestyle?”
Everyone is unique. Our body types are different; we do varying amounts of exercise; we have different kinds of jobs; we are from different cultures. The best diet plan for you, is the one you can follow and which fits into your lifestyle.
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