What you think of when you hear the words "meal plan" (a list of meals to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner) probably won't work.
Instead, let’s start by eliminating nutritional deficiencies.
No one ever wants to believe they have nutritional deficiencies, but you probably have one or more nutritional deficiencies (seriously - more than 80 percent of the population has at least one).
Until nutritional deficiencies are removed, the body simply won’t function properly, making any health or fitness goal a lot harder.
So, to eliminate deficiencies, your first order of business is to get:
a bit more protein,
ample vitamins and minerals,
sufficient healthy fats, and
more water!
Once nutritional deficiencies are addressed, you can start to focus on things like food quality and portions. This process isn’t slow; it’s systematic. It focuses on the things that are in your way, right now. Once those things are eliminated, progress happens fast.
“What’s the best diet to follow?”
Answer: There is no “best diet”.
Why? All dietary protocols have their pros and cons. What works best for one person won’t work best for another. Also: A diet that has worked best for someone in the past, won’t necessarily be what works best for them moving forward.
We want to help you find the approach to eating that works best for you right now, whether it be Paleo or vegan, high-carb or low-carb, tight budget or unlimited funds — or some blend of all of these.
The truth is, the human body is amazingly adaptable to a vast array of diets, so the best diet is the one that:
matches your unique physiology,
includes foods you enjoy enough to follow consistently, and
is realistic in terms of life logistics and budget.
Indeed, you can get lean, strong, and healthy on a plant-based or a meat-based diet. You can improve your health with organic, free-range foods... and with conventional foods.
“Is counting calories important for weight loss?”
Answer: Counting calories is often complex, time consuming, and full of errors. The good news: There is a better way.
Weight management is a simple equation: Eat more than you burn, and you gain weight. Eat less and you lose weight.
But the physiology behind “calories in, calories out” is actually much more complex and dynamic than most people realize. Plus, it’s highly imprecise; we estimate that there’s typically an error of up to 25 percent on the ‘calories in’ side, and on the ‘calories out’ side.
Beyond that, counting calories is an external system. T