The Undue Ordeal of the Perpetual Dieter

YoYo dieting…Herbalife…slimming world…Atkins…cabbage soup…IF…meal replacement shakes…or even the bodybuilding online coaches dream of frivolously prescribed cookie cutter concoctions of HMB, BCAAs and meticulously measured tilapia, justified via the means that his, ‘bro got jacked off of it’. They all exist in the ever-bewildering world of the fitness industry. One has two options when presented with such a predicament…disparage them all equally and rant perpetually about how, ‘my way is better’… or rise above, assess the pros and cons of each and really come to the inevitable conclusion that all have their place, all can work and that by bitching, (my most cherished facet of the industry) one is simply subjecting themselves to the same critique and thus themselves can be slandered for the exact same reasons. One protocol does not work for everyone, macros/micros and all o’s a-like all influence the success or failure of a diet and failure to acknowledge this fact does nothing other than a monstrous dis-service to you as the client.

So, what are the factors that one should be considering when formulating their long-awaited summer-bod diet plan, (specifically referencing weight loss…other clinical populations or those incentivised by muscle gain may differ) …?

Energy balance and thus the implied overall calorie intake still strives as the overriding factor, (yes indeed this does mean that one cannot simply eat as many, ‘sweet potato brownies’, ‘avocado cake’ or, the famously deceptive calorie gangster of ‘trail mix’ as they like under the illusion that it’s, ‘healthy’ or, ‘good fats’…shut up it still involves shoving food in your face and unfortunately yes it is therefore still a calorie…still a unit of energy…and still needs to be accounted for or else it will still shift the illusive energy balance equation into a surplus. Fat gain. Sorry).

Following this, and ONLY once the above has been accounted for can one then start to consider the influence of one’s, ‘macros’, or more specifically one’s protein, carbohydrate and fat intake, in that order. I shall outline below a few of the reasons why protein remains the main player; after this, carbohydrates and fat mainly prove their pertinence due to their health benefits, (which cannot be refuted) as performance gains and particular acute fuelling strategies are not the main focal point of the nutritional prescription. Thankfully, the epiphany is becoming more widely accepted among the general population and gurus alike that carbohydrates remain non-essential for the functioning of the human body thus shouldn’t be credited as the base and majority component when formulating one’s energy deficit diet remedy. Having said this, even without going into the minutia one can see the health benefits affiliated, from fibre and the associated gut and nutritional perks, to the glycaemic, insulin and satiety effects, (some of which highlighted through many a researcher but include Holt et al in 1997, Niwano et al 2009 as well as Acheson et al 1988 with his research on DNL, (as well as the obvious point that carbs are yummy, everyone loves a marshmallow and sometimes ending the day with a big ol’ pile of mash is too much of a comforting thought to, ‘live without’). This leads us on to fat; some of which fall into the essential category, others of which fall into non-essential. In a nutshell… immune function, cell structure, vitamin absorption, sex steroid hormone production and a valuable energy source should depict enough of a wondrous fatty reasoning to warrant sufficient consumption even during a restrictive phase. And this is without delving into the specific benefits of the nutritional teachers pet of the Omega 3 fatty acid, (I shan’t repeat my recital of their benefits as I have expressed their magical blessings in many a post previously…so get reading). Souza et al 2015 even managed to refute and partition the difference between trans fats, (the baddies) and saturated fats, (the now emerging goodies); those of mortality, CV disease, CHD, ischemic stroke and T2 Diabetes which have previously been bashed into us as part of the fat is bad fad…when in reality are only shown to be linked to trans fats.

Protein is top of our macro-hierarchy due to many a factor, of which the main players include; satiety, as shown through Blom et al 2006, along with Lejeun et al 2006 over both a single meal and 24 hour period. Raben et al 2003 highlights the next player in our team of whey warriors; a heightened thermic effect of protein in relation to any of the other macronutrients; thus meaning it’s somewhat unsurprising that participants’ weight loss came out higher and correlated with a lower spontaneous energy intake… the crux of the matter…increased weight loss once again. Following on from the above two is an aspect often over looked by the general population; the maintenance of lean body mass, (LBM) throughout the period of an energy deficit/dieting protocol. Metler et al 2010 studied how an increase in protein consumption throughout this duration can help to counteract many of the negative effects associated with one subjecting themselves to the tumultuous trauma of an energy deficit, (of which can be a copious number of psychological; in terms of deprivation, hedonic hunger and binging, to name a few, as well as physical; in terms of metabolic adaptation and NEAT reduction, again to name a few) along with a resultant positive correlation with the preservation of LBM and all metabolic, hormonal and overall health benefits that go with, (if you happen to be within the older population then you may chose to pay particular attention to this as sarcopenia, osteoporosis and many other illnesses can all be improved to a certain extent through increasing your protein consumptions… get your Grannys on the double chocolate protein shakes and her muscles will love you for it).

Sleep, Nutrient Timing, Ergogenic Aids and Meal Frequency are next on our list. Sleep being the priority, as outlined by Nedeltcheva et al in 2010 and Morelli et al 2010. When one looks at their studies in combination the effects of impaired sleep ring aloud; a reduction in the amount of weight lost, greater levels of hormonal disruption, (a reduction in leptin the satiety signalling hormone in a pernicious combination with an increase in ghrelin levels…the hunger signalling hormone), and even an impairment in one’s ability to tolerate glucose, an effect normally, albeit incorrectly, appertained to carbohydrate consumption. Individual differences, one’s own sleep tolerance and an IV drip of 500 coffees may indeed affect the extent to which all play a role, but generally the chorus of concern remains consistent to any situation. When one moves on to tackle nutrient timing, ergogenic aids, (now we’re not talking steroids here…administering substances into yourself as a human pin cushion will influence weight loss/gain/the octave of one’s voice to a far greater extent and thus move this up our list of hierarchical considerations) and meal frequency. Without any intent of being flippant nor dismissive…for weight loss it simply will not make a difference…do not fret… stay within your, ‘calorie allowance’, eat when you want to eat, and don’t eat when you don’t want to eat and you’ll be on your merry weight-loss way, (although you’re on a diet so perhaps emphasise the latter, let’s be blunt, it’s not going to be easy and a certain level of hunger may be inevitable to differing degrees of intensities). Eating after 1800 will not result in all your calories automatically making a b-line for your waist line, and breakfast is not the most important meal of the day, it’s just calories…the timing of which makes no odds, (yes yes, don’t take this to the extreme, please still eat your veggies, deficiencies are an issue, McDonalds is not the answer even IIFYM, and a balanced diet is indubitably imperative for long-term health. I am merely trying to slam a stigma and open up the doors of possibilities for those of whom have been stuck in a rabbit food/binge rut for far too long). The addition of caffeine may prove beneficial for alertness and performance, creatine does increase one’s glycogen storing capacity and performance capacities, (fundamentally irrefutable but still superseded by other factors as mentioned), CLA may reduce the amount of fat you store in a calorie surplus, (…we’re talking deficit here remember) and BCAAs may taste good and increase the amount of water you drink. (Although we do love hydration, unfortunately, impulsively chugging down your, ‘furious grape’ flavoured obligatory intra-workout concoction is unlikely to have many other an effect)…HOWEVER, agonizing over the minutia is a headache that, as many a study will show, is actually only likely to lead to the opposite effect and compromise that all important factor of adherence.

There still remains that above mentioned elephant in the room…adherence. Sometimes a coaches favourite excuse, ‘oh you must have mis-reported, oh you didn’t stick to your diet, oh you lied, oh you don’t realize what you’re eating, oh you’re snacking without realizing it’, Now whilst I don’t mean to condone this brash a flippant passing of the deficit buck, one must also fully grasp the concept and come to the abrupt realization that sometimes…you simply didn’t stick to what you thought you had and the guys night out wasn’t just a, ‘couple of beers all tracked and accounted for’, and was more like a couple of a couple with a drunken concussion rendering one unable to recall the kebab, extra footlong and large BBQ sauce consumed on the stumble home… Similarly, the ostensibly healthy chicken salad brunch with the ladies was actually, ‘drizzled’, (never trust this word) with copious amounts of olive oil, deep fried croutons, a not-so-light coating of mayo and a suspiciously nicely tasting accompaniment of small soya chai kombucha latte with healthy coconut sugar and no cream, (undoubted self-awarded plaudits for the no cream, but hang on, no mention of the added dollop of syrup, nor the fact that coconut sugar is still sugar!)…oh oh look in both cases we’ve ruined our energy deficit in one fell swoop and, ‘adhered’ to nothing other than perpetual denial.

The same can be said to abuse the coach… one may well have stuck religiously to the, ‘macro goals’ sent through on the shiny spreadsheet, however if they’ve still failed to put you in the aforementioned deficit, then one may still themselves holding onto those extra huggable love handles while copping the blame as a secret cookie muncher and in-denial snack fiend…send coachy back to the drawing board, but ensure you’re justified in doing so.