i've been talking a lot about diet these past few weeks and that is because you can work your ass off at the gym for hours, but if your diet sucks you won't make any progress.
i've mentioned a lot of different diets so i'm gonna give you a list of all the different things (well at least a good chunk of them- cause omfg there are SO MANY) out there and let you decide for yourself what's gonna work best for you in your life!
(side note - i was gonna try to be totally impartial on all these but some are definitely scams or just not good for you. so i'm gonna point that out. not sorry about it.also i will be noting when they are diets you have to pay to be part of)
iifym -if it fits your macros. basically you get a set of macros (from any source- websites or trained professionals) and you just try to hit those maconutrient goals for carbs, fats, and proteins. usually have to track your intake in order to be accurate to your macros.
keto - very low carb diet. approximately less than 20 g per day to keep your body in ketosis. this will, in theory, help you to burn fat faster because your body is not taking in any energy (carbs). does require tracking to make sure you're eating under your carb goal.
low carb variations (atkins, lchf, south beach, etc). - eating low carbs for fat loss. typically less restrictive than keto (some variations allow you to eat up to 100g carbs). there are a lot of variations of low carb diets.
carb cycling- choosing days to eat either high, moderate, or low carb. this can depend on activity level, lifting schedule, etc.
calorie counting- figuring out how many calories you eat and reducing your intake for fat loss. have to track your intake to make sure you are eating under your calorie targets.
paleo - "caveman diet" mainly containing meat, fish, vegetables, and fruit. excludes processed foods and dairy and grain products.
whole30- a strict paleo diet meant to be followed for 30 days. eliminating dairy and processed foods, meant to help you "reset" and also to help you find foods that you may be reacting poorly to.
gluten free - cutting out gluten from the diet. this is unnecessary unless you have an actual gluten intolerance (like celiacs disease)
meal replacement kits (shakeology or herbalife or slimfast) - (gotta buy in to be part of this one). skipping or supplementing a meal with a shake with added nutrients or proteins or vitamins.
zone diet- lower carb diet with a specific amount of meals per day. (3 meals and 2 snacks). uses the glycemic index to classify "good" carbs. ratio of 30:40:30 fat: carbs: protein
cabbage soup diet - THIS IS NOT A SUSTAINABLE DIET (nor is it advertised that way). basically you only eat a cabbage soup recipe for all your meals for a week to lose weight quick. (which you will because you aren't eating very much for an entire week)
weight watchers- (gotta buy in for this one). uses a point system instead of calories and has a community to check in with to add to your motivation to stick with the plan.
blood type diet - this diet says that you should eat and avoid specific things due to your blood type. to get the full lists you have to buy the lists of "good" and "bad" foods. seems very scammy to me.
macrobiotic diet- a diet based out of zen buddhism. an attempt to balance the yin and yang within a person. major guidelines are to eat minimal animal products, eat locally grown foods in season, and eat meals in moderation.
raw food - basically eating mostly uncooked and unprocessed foods. several variations under "raw foodism" that can include dairy, meats, fish, and/or eggs.
bullet proof - low carb diet again. trying to get 50-60% of your calories from healthy fats, 20% from proteins, and the remaining from vegetables. usually starts with a cup of coffee with butter or coconut oil for energy and satiety.
intuitive eating- what the non-fitness population would call regular ass eating. eating things based on what you want to eat without restriction. becoming more attuned to the body's hunger signals and not following any strict guidelines as to what you should or should not eat.
detox diets- all of these are so scammy y'all. anything claiming to detox your body in however many days is full of shit... and that's all these diets will do, to be honest. they're usually glorified laxatives.
grapefruit diet - operates under the theory that grapefruit has a fat burning enzyme. eat half a grapefruit with every meal to help "burn calories/fat" (obviously not real life and a scam). some of these diets are 7 day detox diets where you only eat eggs and grapefruits (hard no on that one)
jenny craig- (have to buy in to this diet- they send you the pre-made meals). teaches portion control and eating small meals throughout the day to increase satiety and energy. this is basically calorie counting without the work of counting calories because they send you the meals
nutrisystem - (gotta buy into this one too. they'll send you all the meals that you eat) very much like the jenny craig system. they give you all the meals that you have to eat, which is at a calorie deficit so you lose weight.
Mediterranean diet- emphasis in eating plant based foods and healthy fats. limits red meat consumption. moderate intake of dairy products. (lower carb diet, as well)
and that's just to name a few... there are so many more than that. some of these are really great... and some are pretty terrible (*cough* that cabbage soup diet y'all*) and some are crazy and some work just by happenstance.
find what works for you and be consistent to get your long term results.
need some food ideas? check out my facebook and instagram to see some tasty foods you can incorporate into your menu!
did i miss any diets that you loved or hated? let me know in the comments!