Keto, Vegan, Atkins, Vegetarian, South Beach, Weight Watchers, Carnivore and the list goes on and on.  Netflix has  several documentaries supporting all of these diets, so who is right?  So what “diet” did I use to lose 92 pounds?  What “diet” do I follow today?

Prior to losing 92, I yo-yo dieted for a decade. It was always a low-carb style diet.  I could lose weight quickly…probably too quickly.  I would burn out frequently.  Eating meat 3 times per day gets boring after a few months.  I would quickly grab the ejection lever after losing 30-40 pounds, and then gain all the weight back faster than I lost it…rinse and repeat.  I was losing weight to “diet” rather than owning my life with a healthy lifestyle.

Of course, that all changed in 2011.  I started with a low-carb diet for the first three months before burning out.  It was time to try something different instead of throwing in the towel, so I gave Weight Watchers a try.  I didn’t sign up for the classes, I just used the food tracking app online.  (It’s not too expensive at $21 a month).  I cancelled it after 7 months but still followed the program—in my head.

You see, Weight Watchers isn’t rocket science.  It’s a good structured program to help you plan accordingly and learn to eat well.  It taught me a few concepts that I’ve used since then:

• Sugar is bad.  All the time.  You knew that already.  Just stop it.
• Processed foods are almost as bad as sugar.  Stop it already. 
• I don’t have to cut out all bread; but I should cut back significantly.
• Dairy is not worth the impact
• Carbs are bad, but not all carbs are created equal.  I don’t care about the carbs in fruits and veggies.
• You can have slightly larger portions with low fat/low carb meals.
• Plan accordingly.  Lets say I have a business dinner at a restaurant without many healthy options.  I will cut back my breakfast/lunch + add extra cardio.
• Don’t waste your daily intake on condiments and cheese if you can avoid it.
• Although I didn’t drink regular soda at the time, seeing the impact within the WW app motivated me to continue to avoid.  Wasted calories people!
• Limit booze.

Over the years I’ve noticed feeling better with reduced gluten.  I’m not gluten-free; but I don’t eat much of it either.

Now, if you read those bullets, it is really not a diet.  It’s a lifestyle.  All you really need to do is eliminate the garbage and replace it with fruits, vegetables and fresh meats.  90% of my weekly intake is exclusively those three things.  It’s not convenient.  You can’t pull it out of the freezer to throw in the microwave and your options are limited when eating fast food.  So what?  You are eating real food.  You will have more energy and your digestive tract will will operate much more effectively. 

Think about it—what foods were around 200 years ago?  Meats, fruits, and veggies.  How about 70 years ago?  Grocery stores weren’t selling Bugles, frozen pizzas and microwave meals.  You ever read the instructions box of “food” like this?  It’s loaded with “artificial flavors”, corn syrup, sugar and words that cannot be pronounced by the average person.  Do you really think you should eat something made up of chemicals that you cannot pronounce? 

All of this led me to my grocery shopping hack:  perimeter shopping.  The aisles are loaded with convenience foods that are processed and/or high in sugar.  Grocery store perimeters usually include the produce and meat sections.  The aisles include all the processed foods and high sugar items.  I started my shopping on the perimeter while trying to avoid aisles.  My aisle shopping is to complete my meals with items such as seasoning and coffee.  

So what’s better?  Vegan or a meat/low carb diet?  I’m not a nutritionist nor am I scientist.  I’ve done both diwts.  They both worked for me, but were boring after a while.  I’ve also seen many fat vegans and folks who re-start their keto plan 20 times a year while never losing weight.  I’m somewhere in the middle.  I think its more important for you to find whatever it is you’ll stick with, as long as it’s healthy.  I think the media and society has over complicated food entirely.  Just stick with real food.  I fully endorse weight watchers for those who need a method to measure what to eat and how much of it.

Go get it.