Beware of ‘One Big Thing’
After being a personal trainer for almost 12 years I’ve seen some things change. For example, it used to be much harder for women to accept the importance of strength training. That’s gotten better, although there's still a long way to go. Unfortunately, one thing that hasn’t changed is our attraction to the “One-Big-Thing.”
The “One-Big-Thing” is the promise that “One-Big-Thing” will get you everything you want, and then and only then, you’ll be happy.
But you won’t be.
I’m sorry, but “One-Big-Thing” never works. It’d be great if it did and it’s completely understandable that we want the answer to be so simple, but we’ve been falling for the “One-Big-Thing” ever since carnival barkers sold hair tonic to bald men.
Nowhere is this truer than with diets.
Diet “One-Big-Things” focus on an evil food or food group, usually carbs, although I’ve seen villains like meat, tomatoes, anything un-organic, vegetables, fats…well…come to think I think I’ve seen every food and food group demonized in one way or another…and yes…it’s all ridiculous.
Like most things, nutrition is best approached with common sense. There are people who make their “One-Big-Thing” diet seem like it makes sense (that’s how they get paid, after all). They'll site some evidence, usually lacking context or real proof, and it’ll sound something like this:
“THIS IS THE DIET THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT DOESN'T WANT YOU TO KNOW ABOUT!!”
They’ll play on some combination of fear and hope, knowing you want to believe that the answer is this simple and will solve all your problems.
It’s all a lie, of course.
The evidence is shaky once you really look at it.
The diet is unsustainable.
And the most devious thing is that when it doesn't work, and it never does, they blame you.
You aren’t good enough…disciplined enough…don’t want it enough.
What a bunch of garbage.
How would you feel if you bought a laptop that didn’t power up and when you tried to return it, they told you it was your fault and you needed to buy another if you want one bad enough? That’s infuriating, right? That’s what “One-Big-Thing” diets do.
So how do you protect yourself? Ask yourself these 3 questions:
Does it make sense? Take your emotions out of it and really think. Don't rationalize. Does it really make sense that drinking Apple Cider Vinegar raises your metabolism? Remember the Raspberry Ketones craze?
Does it demonize any one food or food group? No, carbs aren't inherently unhealthy.
Is it sustainable? Is drinking a shake for breakfast, eating a cup of greens for lunch, and 2 ounces of chicken and broccoli for dinner going to work for you for the next half-decade? (Yes, I've actually seen this diet.)
I hope this helps keep some things straight for you. I know how hard this can seem. There's a ton of information, much of it confusing or misleading, out there. Drop me a line if you have any questions.
