The ONLY Thing That Works…
Have you had someone (or multiple someones) in your life tell you “the one thing that works…” in terms of fat loss or muscle gain? Have they then launched into some complicated description of insulin, grhelin, muscle confusion, and metabolism resets? Have you found yourself wondering why this is happening just because you mentioned you’re starting a diet or a new exercise program?
Some folks in your life will think they are trying to be helpful by telling you what they think they know about the human body, exercise, fat loss, muscle gain, hormones, and everything under the sun. Some influencers out there will sound science-y enough to maybe grab your attention, but they will be mistaken. There are some out there that claim you should work out and diet based on your blood type or body type. That one or both of those are the ONLY ways you’ll lose weight and keep it off. Then charge you exorbitant monthly fees for just a load of bunk.
Any kind of body recomposition hinges on one major factor among others: adherence. If you lose 30 pounds following a particular diet plan, or if you gain 15 pounds of muscle following a particular work out program and diet plan, then the likelihood of your maintaining those losses or gains depends on how well you’ll adhere to the programs after you reach your goal. What I like to tell my clients “what gets you to the dance is what’s gonna keep you there” for the most part.
I write this blog post for a couple of reasons. First, there isn’t ONLY one thing that works for any kind of body recomposition. Genuinely. Second, not all fitness advice is created equally. Most of the people in my life who’ve ever given me unsolicited diet or exercise advice are coming from a good place with good intentions but just erroneous information or poor timing.
If you are a person without any medical reasons that make weight loss difficult (PCOS, Lupus, Cushing’s Syndrome, among others) or maybe taking a medication that also affects body weight, then if you’re in a calorie deficit, you should lose weight. It doesn’t matter if it’s keto, Mediterranean, South Beach, all carb, no carb, all meat, no meat…you get the idea…if it’s a deficit, you should lose weight. If it’s a surplus you should gain weight. If you genuinely can’t see yourself eating a certain way for a very long period of time, you probably shouldn’t pursue that.
I’m a diabetic, and the number of times I’ve been told, even by medical professionals, that the ONLY way for me to get my diabetes under control is to do Keto is greater than you can imagine. I have had moments when my disease wasn’t managed properly. What were the culprits? Increasing my general carb consumption while also decreasing my exercise or overall movement. Sure, if I eliminated all but 25-50g of carbohydrates from my daily diet, would I no longer have high blood sugar? I would hope so! But I also know from my own experience that I can’t maintain such a diet. And I have gotten my A1C levels to nearly “normal” with diet, medication, and exercise. Interestingly enough body weight does not figure that much into it for me. I’ve weighed nearly 290 pounds and had A1C results in the mid-6s (controlled for diabetics). And I have weighed around 250 and had my A1C in the mid to high-7s. Go figure.
I’ve also been told when it comes to muscle building that the ONLY way to gain muscle is to do CrossFit or other programs that create “muscle confusion” (not a thing) and that any other program is just a fool’s errand. While I’ve also been told by body building purists that progressive overloads with undulating programming is the ONLY way to insure muscle growth. What I’ve discovered working with various coaches is that for me, the thing that works is consistency in the gym, a program that challenges me, and one that I know I’ll stick to doing each week.
The ONLY thing that works is the thing that works for you. The thing that you’ll stick to. The thing that won’t seem like a burden. The thing that won’t have you bringing a food scale to the restaurant or running to the gym as soon as your vacation is over. The ONLY thing that works is what you like and what you can see yourself sticking to. Don’t let someone convince you otherwise…even me.
