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A lot of books have been written on the topic of dieting. In America specifically, but in any larger developed country, the idea of “maintaining your weight” or “losing your weight” seems to be as popular as breathing- and that being said, it’s incredibly difficult to know what to do.

Of course, being guys, this complicates things slightly. Though it’s largely considered “unmanly” to diet, it’s something of a secret requirement: to be the thin, muscular, “six pack abs” sort of guy you want to be, dieting is an absolute necessity. So, how does one do it without seeming feminine?

Easy: With the Simplest Diet Ever- which can be summed up in one simple sentence:

Eat less, eat better, move more.

Quick disclaimer: As always, I am not your dietitian or your god. This is meant to be a general rubric for your own practice, not a bible. Use proper judgment.

Eat Less

This is arguably the easiest to understand, but the hardest to implement. Regardless of branding or nomenclature, eating food is eating food- if you eat more, you will gain weight, and naturally, if you eat less, you will lose weight. It does not matter if the food is titled “diet”, “sugar-free”, “calorie smart” or even “calorie free”- food is food, and semantics generally take a back seat to a plain old simple rule: eat less.

Of course, I’m not just pulling this out of the air. Plenty of studies have questioned the concept of “diet” foods or other tricks to be able to eat everything you want and remain thin. There are many legitimate theories out there that even question “zero calorie” foods- for example, one predominant theory states that eating sweet things (regardless of calories!) makes you hungrier and crave more food.

Eat less. Cut down on your meals. Choose smaller portion sizes. Your stomach will shrink from its distended size and you will feel full on less. Don’t starve yourself- just eat less.

Eat Well

This is a bit more complex than the above, but still generally simple: eat well. Going to a fast food joint is not eating well. Eating nothing but meat and cheese is not eating well. There is no simplistic rule here- you can be eating poorly even if you’re a vegan who eats nothing but raw veggies that were made in organic farms by Buddha himself.

Build your meals by balancing them. Try to work in some basic carbs (rice, bread, etc), some proteins (meat, dairy, etc), some veggies, fruits, and very rarely some sweets. This doesn’t have to be an exact science, but try to get it pretty well balanced- never overdo one or the other, as all generally contain different vitamins and minerals essential to your health. Count your calories, but don’t obsess over them- 100 calories can be burned easily if you exercise enough. If you can, avoid packaged meals and the like- spend more time to cook for yourself, it’s not only tastier, but also (generally) healthier.

One thing I will note specific to us Western kiddies: avoid focusing on the “meat” as the center of the meal. It’s incredibly tempting to do, but a bad idea- not only is it expensive, but it often is far too much than is healthy. Focus on building the bulk of the meal on healthier options (veggies, carbs, that sort of thing) and then add the meat in. After a while, you’ll not only afford better meat and enjoy what you have more, but you’ll avoid eating far more than you should.

Move More

There is no way you can lose weight without burning calories. There is no way you can burn calories without some form of activity. Sitting at your computer, watching TV, or dong half-hearted exercises will not burn anything. This is why those housewives that buy TV diets generally remain as fat as they were initially.

Move as much as you can. Walk places. Bike places. Exercise daily. Run around like a madman. Join sports teams. Weight lift. Do cardio. Do everything you can possibly do to strain your body and make it work for you. If it seems easy, make it harder. If it gets boring, try a new routine. Try new exercises, try new places, try new gyms.

Wait, is it that easy?

Well, it’s not easy at all, actually. Actually doing what I said above to the fullest extent- being a man and eating less, eating well, and moving more- is incredibly difficult. However, the rubric is that simple. Calorie counting, crash diets, and ridiculously complex charts can be left to neurotic yuppies.

If you want to learn more, read about actual real scientific nutrition. Do not read diet books: read introductory nutrition textbooks and other guides. Learn about what you eat yourself, not what some self-important doctor thinks you need to eat and what it might do for you.

It’s that simple.

Tags: diet, Exercise