“Can you give me a diet plan?”

I get DMs everyday asking this exact question. I wish I could. I really do. If I could come up with some kind of sustainable meal plan that’s a one size fits all for everyone I would.

But I can’t.

Especially not without knowing anything about you. To build a diet plan I’d have to know a lot more about you, such as:

1) Your favorite foods
2) Foods you don’t like
3) Foods you have easy access to daily
4) Your daily schedule
5) Your goals(beyond a number on the scale)
6) Your cooking skills (if any)
7) Medical details such as allergies
8) Your eating habits, tendencies
9) Your sleep schedule
10) Your exercise schedule
11) Your motivation level
12) How much are you willing to change from your current day to day routine
13) How you deal with change
14) Your relationship with food

And... I’m pretty sure I’m missing a few.

But..! These are all questions you most likely have the answers to for yourself. Having the answers, you could slowly build a diet plan for yourself.

The goal? To eat less, and move more. I know I know that’s simplifying it way too much. But it kinda does boil down to that...

How?

1) Steer towards eating a 80/20 balance. 80% nutrient rich whole foods such as fruits, vegetables and lean meats. And 20% of whatever you want.

2) Pick a physical activity. It could be anything from 5000 steps a day, hiking, dance, yoga to basketball, soccer, gym, running, anything. Choose your favorite, and keep a consistent schedule. Once a week, twice a week, doesn’t matter.

The goal is to be consistent. You can always turn up the frequency and intensity later.

And from there it's really just day in day out. Almost the same thing every single day. Striving to be a little bit better than yesterday each day. And keeping it up for as long as possible. Not weeks, not months, but years. Start as small as you feel comfortable, and work your way up as slow as you need to.

Consistent imperfection will always beat inconsistent perfection.

Always.

“How do I get past a weight loss plateau?”

Whenever I hear that question my first instinct is, “is it really a plateau?”

For some a plateau is when the scale weight isn’t moving at the speed it use to move at before. For others it’s staying at the same weight for 3 days, and for some it’s staying at the same weight for months.

I think the first step to getting past a plateau is to be honest and ask yourself whether it really is a plateau. Personally I define a plateau as my weight staying the same for over 3-4 weeks while I’m doing the exact same things.

Exact. Same. Things.

If there’s been ‘cheat days’ or events here and there I don’t consider it a plateau. I like think of it as breaking even. I worked hard, and went out the celebrate so the ‘damage’ and ‘hard work’ broke even.

But there certainly have been times where I was doing everything right, and my weight just wouldn’t budge.

By definition if you’re not losing weight, then you’re not in a caloric deficit.

So how do you get past it? You gotta create a caloric deficit by either:

1) Eating less. Audit your everyday foods and cut another 100kcal, maintain it for a week and adjust from there.
2) Moving more. Exercise, or more steps, or just simple being more active such as walking, taking the stairs etc.
3) Being mindful of bites, licks, and tastes. They seem harmless but can easily add up.

Plateaus happen naturally and not because you did something wrong, but it’s likely that you lost enough weight that your old caloric deficit is now your maintenance calories.

So the simple answer?

Gotta create that caloric deficit again.

"Can you suggest a diet for weight loss?"

I'm sorry but, I can't.

I would if I could, but I can’t.

Alright technically I could. I mean I could tell you to go on some ridiculous water fast, or detox or cleanse. And then convince you that the only way get there is to stick to the game plan for at least 14 days. It’s almost guaranteed results. I think somewhere in between is where I charge you a few bucks for the game plan?

But the moment you stop the extreme diet and go back to eating normally all the results suddenly disappear. So you’ll come back to me and ask “What happened?” And I’ll be all like, “well, you went for the standard version, here’s a better version that lasts longer” which in the concoction I add a few squeezes of lemon juice and charged you extra for it.

And that cycle repeats. You yo-yo up and down. And I would have made enough pocket change to eat McDonalds for life.

In all seriousness, I can’t cos I’d need so much more information about you to even point you at a general direction. The best diet isn’t about the exact amounts of food, nutrients, or calories.

It’s about figuring out a menu that you enjoy, which would a mean a higher chance that you stick to it, and the longer you can stick to it the better chance at a consistent caloric deficit or surplus depending on your goals.

It’s about building a relationship with food. Building long term sustainable habits that last a lifetime. It’s not going to happen over night. It’s an ongoing process that could last for years.

I feel the first step you take is to become more mindful and more aware of food. Be mindful of how much you’re eating, when you’re eating, why you’re eating.

Be aware of the different values of food. The difference between half a bowl of rice and a whole banana. You don’t need to know all the little details, but be aware of the similarities and differences.

I believe that in itself, will stir you to make better decisions, which in turn will help you build the best diet for you.