Losing weight and/or gaining muscle is not just nutrition and exercise. The problems with most diets that people follow is that they are usually just a set of rules to follow and do not generally take into account:
· Your work schedule including shifts patterns,
· your social life,
· your sleep hours and rest times,
· your lifestyle,
· your cravings,
· your hormones,
· your age,
· your relationships and family circumstances,
· your physical activity,
· how tired and stressed you are,
· your physical health,
· your mental health,
· your hydration,
· your body type,
· your climate,
· your food preferences,
· your goals (weight loss, weight gain, maintenance),
· your budget,
· your living situation,
· your education,
· your medication and supplements.
The above all impact how your body metabolises food and burns the calories obtained from it. We are all individual and different and that is why even though two people may eat the same foods it will not have have the same effect on them.
A healthy lifestyle focuses on food as fuel, good habits, being consistent, making the best daily choices for you and it is a lifelong journey of learning. Making small changes each day in the long term is better than going all out for a short time, packing it in and starting again. It takes time, trial and error to know what works for you. This makes life interesting so rather than trying to stick to a boring, restrictive diet that you hate and know you will abandon in a few days/weeks/months time try different foods, optimise your sleep, get plenty of rest, stay hydrated and enjoy the process.