The Diet Industry Does NOT Want You to Read This

You can't get through a day without hearing about a new diet that will make you sexier, healthier, and better at everything. We have seen the low-carb ketogenic diet, low-fat diet, carnivore diet, vegan diet, and even a meal timing-based diet known as intermittent fasting.

These are just a sampling.

I can also bring up the Military Diet, Whole 30 Diet, Grapefruit Diet… and the list goes on. This leads people like you, somebody just looking to feel better, look better, and live longer with an overload of too much conflicting information.

What if I told you that there is no best diet, and that each approach is a better example of marketing and branding than it is an effective way to drop the fat?

In this article, I will go over some diets, why they are good and why they suck. Then I will drop the bomb: how each diet only exists to pad pockets and make book authors, supplement companies, and Instagram celebrities wealthy.

A Look at the Major Diet Industry Players

Keto Diet

Originally popularized by Dr. Atkins, this diet was used as a treatment for epileptic children as far back as early 500 B.C. ^[1] From this medical start, in the 1970s it progressed to a fat loss diet after Dr. Atkins read a research paper on weight loss. ^[2]

This never really took off. It was stifled, at least in part, by the US Government that was busy vilifying fat and recommending a higher carb diet.

In 2002, Dr. Atkins launched “The New Diet Revolution.” It completely took over the diet world. People experienced immediate weight loss due to the diuretic effect of the lower carb lifestyle. This is because carbohydrate intake carries water with it.

This is NOT fat loss. It is simply water weight and will average out as time goes on.

The benefit of keto is the blunting of insulin, which leads to a decreased appetite, and less food intake. At the end of the day, calorie intake is the main determinant of fat loss.

Also, the elimination of carbs curbs a lot of cravings for foods such as donuts and pastries, so the chances of messing up are reduced. But studies have demonstrated there is no significant difference in fat loss in low carb versus high carb diets when calories are equal. ^[3]

But that doesn’t prevent people from claiming that this magical “fat burning diet” negates the law of thermodynamics and you can eat all of the fat you want and your body goes into the “fat burning zone.” Your body doesn’t magically start burning fat, it utilizes fat as energy because it is devoid of glucose (carbs). ^[4]

When your body has carbs and glucose, it uses this as energy. When your body is devoid of carbs yet has ample protein, it converts protein to glucose via gluconeogenesis. When your body has little protein and carbs, it converts fat to a form of energy called ketones via gluconeogenesis and that becomes your energy source.

YES, your body burns fat as fuel, just NOT stored body fat – it burns DIETARY FAT! The propaganda on the internet, Youtube and Instagram is wrong. See my video on this here:

But why would they lie?

To sell stuff! Keto products, keto books, keto diet plans (an epidemic with those Instabros and Instahoes on the Gram) and just to be different and gain followers with their topless pics and false hopes and promises.

Bottom line: The ketogenic diet is a good diet, but not magical. While there is evidence of heart disease risk with it, overall it is a decent option if you can imagine a life without toast at breakfast. ^[5]

Low Fat Diet

When the US Government launched their food pyramid, processed carbs were in and fat was OUT! The explosion of low-fat foods came about with the inclusion of delicious additives like high fructose corn syrup and mono and diglycerides to make up for the flavor and mouthfeel of fats.

Insulin would then be spiked through the roof, causing even more hunger and a lack of satiation and then people would overeat even more of those magical low-fat foods. And there you go, we have an explosion of lifestyle diseases like type-2 diabetes.

Using flawed research forged from corrupt experts, the sugar industry paid off scientists to vilify fat and overlook the dangers of sugar. ^[6] And from this we got the food pyramid.

“Of most concern is the increase in cases of obesity and Type-II diabetes among children, for whom early-onset diabetes was virtually unknown just a few years ago. And if current rates continue, by 2050, one in three Americans will have diabetes,” states the documentary Fed Up.

What is right about the low-fat diet? We don’t need more fat than required, but replacing fat with more carbs and processed garbage is not the answer!

But why would they lie?

The sugar industry made money, food companies made cheap, shelf stable, processed foods, and big pharma got rich selling diabetes medication.

Bottom Line: Just because the government says it is good doesn’t mean it is. Replacing fat with carbs and processed foods is not the answer!

Intermittent Fasting

The magical eating schedule where you fast for 16 hours and feast for eight hours, or as I like to call it, skipping breakfast. The Internet was abuzz with people claiming unreal fat loss from simply not eating for a long period and then, well, binging… erm… I meant feasting (the intermittent fasting folks get mad when you say the word binge).

The approach was flawed from the beginning to me since:

• The data cited was mainly on long-term fasts or 24+ hours, not 16 hours.
• We have years of data compiled on the benefits of nutrition around training.
• Eggs and toast at 7 am comprise a delicious meal.

We finally got a study and the results are…

Neither good nor bad. ^[8]

See my video here:

While the fasting group lost more weight than the non-fasting group, there was also a 200 calorie difference in how much they consumed, which more than explains the weight loss. The scary part for me was the decreased thyroid hormones and testosterone in the fasting group, which scares me long–term as this was only an 8-week study.

But why would they lie?

Leangains by Martin Berkhan is a website filled with affiliate links selling books, coaching programs, and a plea for donations. As a libertarian capitalist, I am proud of the man.

Bottom Line: I like Intermittent Fasting. It shows that meal timing is irrelevant in the grand scheme of things and works with ANY diet since it is simply a schedule, so you can go keto or low fat if desired.

It isn’t magical. If you prefer to eat this way, you may do so and rest assured you are going to be just fine. But if you like frequent meals, there is no need to suffer and fast.

The Answer

All of these diets have merit. Yup, every last one of them. Well, except the blood type diet, that one is just silly. Here is the take home of what you should do:

To lose weight you need to be in a caloric deficit. This can be done with diet and training/cardio.

Eat whole, natural foods and supplement with whey protein and omega 3 fatty acids. Whey protein has tremendous health benefits and fish oil is highly recommended for health.

Pick a diet you like! If you like high-fat foods, look into a ketogenic diet. If you hate bacon, go with a diet that utilizes controlled fat intake (keep to at least 0.3mg per lb bodyweight daily) and adequate protein (1g per lb bodyweight daily) and fill in the rest with carbs. ^[9]

Exercise! All diets can be debated, but we cannot debate the fact that exercise is healthy for weight control and overall health.

Eat your veggies! Unless on a carnivore diet, veggies are VERY healthy and should be consumed in abundance.

Consume adequate fat and protein! Fat should be .3g-.5g per pound of bodyweight and protein should be 1g per pound of bodyweight daily. ^[8]

Options! I will leave you with some options for diets that you can live with that take health into consideration:

• The Drop Factor Book
• The Mass Diet

Don’t fall for the next greatest diet. Be smart, be savvy, and be consistent. And always look for the sales pitch when somebody makes claims that seem too good to be true!

References