It’s not uncommon to see the popular Silicon Valley exec proclaiming they’ve dropped carbs, gone full keto, and are hacking their brain function, all due to the most recent science unbeknownst to the peasants outside of their elitist bubble.
And it’s not unheard of to see doctors and nutrition zealots shouting on Twitter about the evil of fruit and how it’s keeping us fat. Or how eating nothing but meat (seriously, a meat-only diet) is going to cure you of all ills, inflammation and make you live forever.
But I need to let you in on something…
These diets… the new findings and so-called miracles are keeping many people fat and frustrated.
Here’s why.
We seek novelty, shortcuts, tricks, hacks, shortcuts. It’s normal for humans.
It’s for good reason. We don’t live for thousands of years.
And for the years we are alive, that time is precious.
At the end of the day, we want to make sure we’re doing the absolute best we can in order to get the most out of our time and effort.
So when it comes to working out and losing fat in an efficient manner, we want the absolute best approach with a certainty of outcome.
However, here’s what we know for sure:
- Weight training 3-4 days per week is the best way to alter body composition for more muscle and less fat. The more consistent you are the better your results.
- Cardio training, while helpful for health, is not the fastest way to lose fat and keep it off.
- Any diet that calls for the removal of entire food groups (such as keto, all meat diets, low-to-no carb, low-to-no fat, strict vegan) will almost always fail because they’re too hard to stick to and are devoid of nutrients.
Most of the time, in order to burn off the belly fat, improve your muscularity, and create the lean, athletic look… it comes down to consistency more than anything.
Magical 3-Step Approach
- Consistency with training at the gym, following a proven program 3-4 days per week.
- Consistency with the BBED (boring but effective diet) dietary principles.
- Consistency with your sleep and recovery.
When we see the latest craze of, let’s say Keto dieting, we always hear the same stuff:
You’ll lose body fat without counting calories. In fact, calories don’t count.
Or…
You’ll never feel deprived of anything. (lies)
Or…
You’ll have tons of energy. (try going full keto and maintaining your strength in the gym)
Or…
You’ll have laser-sharp focus. (by the way, they fail to mention you’ll have to go through a horrible phase of mental fog and the so-called ‘keto flu’ before any of these benefits arrive).
And while you decide to try out this new, bulletproof diet, you’re likely abandoning something that was more moderate, and likely more balanced, that would’ve worked way better for you if you’d just stuck to it.
This is called Shiny Object Syndrome — where you get distracted by the new shiny diet or workout program
So how do you avoid the woes of falling for the fancy keto or paleo diet that all the gurus seem to be pimping?
It’s simple, follow this 3-step approach and DO NOT look back.
Get your training sorted.
Commit to the gym 3-4 days per week.
Do not try to speed up the process by resting less.
That’s all you need. Focus on heavy, compound movements and aim to get stronger over time.
Commit to my BBED principles (Boring But Effective Diet), which are:
- Maintain a caloric deficit on a fixed amount of days per week (4-6)
- Focus on hitting macronutrient goals for protein, fat, and carbohydrates
- Stick to a fixed meal schedule of uniform, predictable meals that work for you (3-4 meals per day is enough for most)
- Focus on nutrient-dense whole foods 85% of the time
Then don’t give in or give up. It’s the persistence and proper record keeping that ensures you make consistent, predictable progress.
It’s not following a new keto plan. It’s not the magical intermittent fasting program that keeps you starved every morning.
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