A friend of mine is a notorious “speed dieter.”
In the past 10 years, he’s hopped from Paleo to Carb Backloading to High Carb/Low Fat to Carnivore. And I’m sure I’m missing a few.
But he’s not a “failed dieter.”
In fact, he says he’s had good results with all of them—and I believe him.
One could even argue that this is a good thing. You’re experimenting with your body and finding out what works best for you.
Hell, you’re a real-life bio-hacker—just hopefully minus the buttery coffee and “fasting to build mass” mindset.
But in truth, at a certain point, you gotta stop and come to terms with what all these “effective” diets you’ve tried have in common.
They all control calories—if not by tracking, then by excluding foods or incorporating “rules” like time restriction.
They also all keep you mentally engaged—helping keep macros and meal quality top of mind.
The rules of the diet are also easy to stick to or naturally complement your lifestyle.
You get to eat foods you enjoy (including some fun foods) and not foods you hate.
And thanks to all of the above, you get results—which in turn makes the diet easier to stick to.
Cause once you connect THOSE dots, things become MUCH clearer.
You realize that MANY things can work provided you consistently hit the essential physiological and psychological parameters of an effective diet.
It also gives you the foundational knowledge needed to start creating your own personal diet philosophy.
One built exclusively for you, by you, that can be intelligently tweaked and adjusted as you continue to learn and gain experience.
(Though if you’re a coach you still have to humbly accept that some things just work better for some people sometimes.)
It reminds me of that classic Charlie Parker quote that I often cite when discussing writing training programs:
“First you learn the instrument,
Then you learn the music.
Then you forget all that shit and just play.”
– Coach Bryan