Diet
We all have been hearing this word in and out, throughout the fitness industry and beyond. “I am on a diet. I only eat meat.”, “I am on a Diet, I cut all sugar out.” …
But what does it truly mean?
What does the word Diet mean?
There are plenty of misunderstandings towards the word. So let me get it straight and define the word, so that you have the foundation and understanding to go further down the line:
A diet is nothing more than a logically Structured plan of food intake.
That’s it. No more, nor less…
What, you didn’t expect this? You probably thought that it means “Cut off 99 percent of food and get thin!” or “Eat cabbage for the entire day and get healthy!” But nope, this was never the case and such “Diet Plans” mentioned above do not only produce mediocre results, but according to Charlotte Markey, a Rutgers University–Camden Psychologist, some of them are also Dangerous to your own health.
It is merely a structure, a plan for each individual for the food intake. Meaning, you answer the 3 questions, WHAT to eat, WHEN to eat and HOW to eat, count in individual factors into the mix
- Gender. Weight of women fluctuate more than that of a man. Plus, the entire hormone structure is different
- Health situation. Allergy (I am a victim of this foul immune system failure as well), diabetes, autoimmune system illnesses, depression and so on.
- Age. Older people need more calcium for the bones than the 20 y.o.
- Profession. A Plumber needs much more strength and energy than an office clerk.
- Hobbies. Running a marathon requires much more energy than a chess player.
- Your goal of cutting your weight differs to a powerlifter who wants maximum strength at all costs.
- Favorite Food / Acceptable Food / No Go’s. You don’t have to eat cabbage all day as long as you take the nutrients through an alternative. It may be even food you enjoy
and blend it into a beautiful plan that is Logically Structured.
Doesn’t sound like a bad thing now, doesn’t it?
Good and Bad Diet
Now, lets define what a “Good” and a “Bad” diet is.
We all have heard the colleagues fighting over the BEST and WORST diets. Somebody swears their life on the “pure meat” diet. The others, on a purely green and body cleaning lifestyle. Some even go as far as cutting everything out for a long period of time aka. Fasting. And if you try it, you get mixed results…
Let me solve this mystery for you. The truth is… There is no Good or Bad Diet as such. There is a huge grey area with extremes, but that’s about it. For the most part, it all depends on the Individual Factors/Needs and the overall Goal.
Which is why I wrote a full list above on the individual factors like age, weight, and so on. Even a small thing like Peanut Allergy can render the effect of a “Perfect Diet” useless.
Logically and Structured Diet
Now you know the definition of a Diet, Diet Plan and what factors are at play defining the plan. We come to the last parts, the “Logically” and “Structured”.
What do I mean by “Logically”?
We all have a day and night cycle. We all need Sleep to recover. And we obey the same laws of physics. Same goes for a Diet. Eating at night is less beneficial than in a day. Why is this so?
The body has its own cycles of production, regeneration, and reproduction which is called circadian rhythm. Difficult word, I know, just remember it as a “Biological Clock”.
Taking the example above, eating at night large amount of Carbohydrates is a no-go because homo sapiens has been always a so-called “Diurnal”. Meaning, we hunt / eat / are active during the day. Those who are active at night are called “Nocturnal” (cats for example).
Meaning, if you eat at night, the body is naturally in the Dormant Mode and in this mode, it is inclined to “safe up” the energy rather than waste it freely. In addition, in the Dormant Mode (especially when Sleeping), the insulin level drops and cortisol (a catabolic hormone) level rises, which is important for muscle growth. By eating Carbs at night you raise the insulin level and lower the cortisol level, which goes against all you work for.
What happens to the excess of energy? This energy that was not wasted transforms to…
You guessed it. FAT! You gather more FAT! Shocking, I know… Oh, but it gets worse!
By being awake at night, you get negative effect on your hormone balance, your Psyche, Mood, and your entire well-being. All of which will be covered on two separate articles in the Psychology and Rest corners.
This is just one simple example of how information about your own body, its Chemistry, Hormone Structure and Production, and General Function is important into Structuring not only a diet plan for your personal needs, but your entire BEING and its periphery. At every step of your life, you are supposed to understand, correctly interpret, and act upon the changes in your body that you face.
And that is the reason for this entire blog. Its to weaponize you with information and make you BETTER!
Finally, we get to the “Structure” behind all of this.
As in everything else, for the plan to work, it needs maximum Structure and minimum Chaos. This is the golden rule of high achieving people. Complete and utter structure, so that everything can be tweaked at any given time, get real-time feedback, and be able to do proper Analysis, which is essential for Progress.
Diet Examples
Now, to further solidify the concepts, I give you two examples:
Example no.1:
Age: 18
Gender: Male
Profession: College
Weight: 242 pounds
Health Conditions: High blood pressure, Breathing Problems, Mobility Problems, Diabetes
Body Activity: None
Hobbies: Gaming
Goals: Improve Health and Mobility. Gain muscle mass if possible.
A “good Diet” (in combination with a proper Training Plan) for this young man with Diabetes would be a modified Low-Carb / High-Fiber / High Protein Diet. What does he essentially need?
- Controlled Carbohydrate intake to avoid blood Sugar spikes.
- High Fiber for slow digesting. Hence, no blood Sugar spikes.
- High Protein for slow Protein to Carbohydrate conversion and Mass Gain
- Healthy Fats in combination with Protein to slow digestion further and for
This diet doesn’t eliminate carbs, but chooses the right type and amount, while boosting fiber intake to support both blood sugar control and weight loss.
Example no.2:
Age: 40
Gender: Female
Profession: CEO of a well-known company
Weight: 170 pounds
Health Conditions: Kyphosis, Back-/Neck Pain, body under constant stress
Body Activity: Once in a week Strength training in the gym
Hobbies: Besides gym, none. Full time CEO.
Goals: Improvement of general Health, become “Fit” (lower fat percentage, gain muscle, especially on the bottom)
For such a high-achieving woman in her forties it is advisable to go for a moderate Protein Mediterranean Diet. As in the first example, the Diet Plan is combined with a thorough Training Plan and going to the gym at least two times a week for maximum effect.
Details:
- Plant based. Women in general don’t need much muscle mass and hence protein intake. Especially with goals such as these. Which is why a huge bulk of the Diet consists of Vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds. These will give vitamins/energy/supplements not only for Health reasons, but also to address Stress Hormone, which is vital for a productive individual.
- Moderate Protein intake. For bulking on the lower part of the body and keeping the muscle cells intact. Also helps with lowering the Fat deposit through conversion of Protein in Carbohydrates.
- Moderate Carbohydrates. Since the individual in question is very busy, the intake of Carbohydrates needs to be times smartly. Meaning, it should be centered around workouts and during the day without late night snacking.
A few things to note here. Despite the overall Goal of the individual, the work takes priority because she has an insane amount of responsibility. Which is why a smart Dietician, rather than taking simply improving Health or build muscle mass as a Goal, concentrates on relieving as much Stress as possible and optimizes the meal plan for the sole reason of Performance.
That’s how these people will survive the brutal days in the office and manage to go to the gym 3 times a week.
Final Thoughts on Diet
For simplicity’s sake, I didn’t go into detail in these two examples above. But as these examples show, the Diet is pretty much different for most people based on their lives and Health conditions and basic meal plans out there on the internet don’t make much sense and give different results for each individual.
Nevertheless, in further articles, I will take a deep dive in different Diet types and try to give you, my dear Productive Reader, the best view angle possible to construct your own Diet Plan for your own individual needs and thus, to become the best version of yourself.
That’s it for now! Thank you for reading and I hope you had a blast having the truth hit your head like a burning bullet!
Interested in MORE? You can find all the articles in the menu under Elevate Yourself and don’t forget to subscribe to my newsletter with updates on new articles. In addition, they will show you how to get a 6 / 8 / 12 pack or a Booty of a Goddess.
See ya.
PEACE!