Why do some diets work while others just end up leaving you frustrated?

OK. I just had to post this quick message because I’ve been getting so many questions about the topic of diets. There are many questions about diets, but this one from Wendy sums up a large number of those inquiries. Leave a comment below to let me know what you think of Wendy’s question and the topic of diets and nutrition.

Hi Tim.

Sorry to start off this way, but I’m totally frustrated! I’ve been following a new diet quite closely for a few weeks and haven’t lost a single pound. In fact, I’ve even gained weight. It was recommended by my friend. She has been following the same plan as me and has lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks! Needless to say, she is loving it and I’m left wondering if I’m doomed to failure. It seems like nothing I try ever works. What am I doing wrong? Will I ever be able to lose this 15 pounds? It never seems to go away!

Thanks! Wendy.

Well, a complete answer involves a detailed look at Wendy’s entire nutrition and fitness plan, I want to bring up a couple points that come up in virtually every diet conversation I have with clients. There are 2 main reasons why most people struggle repeatedly to lose weight and actually keep it off and they are so simple that most people miss them completely.

First, diet’s are a dead end street because they are inherently temporary.

Unless you want to gain the weight back, a diet won’t work over the long term. Why make a change to reach a goal and then go back to the habits that got you in trouble in the first place? The process of repeated dieting is mayhem on your metabolism and will actually set up up for failure in the long run…even if you are doing things correctly. Your body essentially says “screw you! I don’t trust that you are looking after my best interests, and I’m not going to believe what you are telling me to do.”

In this situation, when you eat less your body shuts down and stores fat and when you eat properly, your body says…”finally I’m getting some real nutrition, you’ve been starving me, so I’m going to hoard these calories because I don’t know when you are going to starve me again on some crazy fad diet!”

The food you need to eat are unique to YOU!

Second, and this is where most people struggle most…

Everyone requires a completely different mix of food according to his or her unique “Metabolic Type”. We are all unique people with varying body sizes, shapes, thoughts, personalities, preferences, and responses to the things around us. With this in mind, why would it make sense for everyone to eat the same food for optimal health, fitness, weight loss, and performance? The fact is…it doesn’t make sense!

Volumes of books have been written on the subject, but basically, we all fit somewhere along a continuum of “Protein” type to “Carbohydrate” Type (the “mixed” types are in the middle). YOUR metabolic type will determine the type and ratio of foods to eat. For a simple 14 question form to find out YOUR Metabolic Type, just click here.

The kicker is that your metabolic type can change depending on a number of factors! It’s no wonder people get frustrated and try every diet that comes around. The good news is that by learning a few simple principles, you will be able to customize any meal to ideally match your unique type and the changes you need to make under any condition.

I’m very interested to know what your experiences are with diets, nutrition and the things you find frustrating or confusing about the information that’s available in popular media. Just leave a comment below with any questions, comments, or experiences you’ve had.

Happy Metabolic Typing!

Tim Borys

P.S. If you would like to book a nutrition coaching session that will walk you through the process of eating right for YOUR metabolic type, just click here.