The Black Sea of Diet Books

Yesterday I was at Barnes and Nobel and I was overwhelmed by the New Years Resolution theme they have going on right now.  Every single table is covered in cook books, diet books, self help books and ‘new you’ books.  Everywhere you look there are phrases like “The New You” and “The Tools You Need” and “Your Best Year Yet”.  Here’s an example of one side of one of the tables:

I was looking for a particular health book, and found it completely overwhelming to find it.  So even when I knew what book I wanted, I couldn’t find what I needed.  I started to think of some of you or someone wanting to start a journey, I would have been so overwhelmed by the choices that I probably would have walked out empty handed.  I ended up not finding the book I was there for but instead found a hilarious book on running.

Anyway, I wanted to offer some advice when trying to find a new book about dieting or fitness.

• You Don’t Need More Than One –  Don’t buy five different books about five different diets that are just going to confuse you. If you want to check out a bunch, check your library first and narrow down your options.  I ended up buying ZERO books for my journey. After checking some out from the library, I realized I knew what I needed to do and wanted to set my own rules.  It helped me realize I didn’t want to follow a plan.
• Set Your Goal First – Even before starting to choose a diet plan (if you need one) you need to consider your goals first.  Some diets are not appropriate for long distance runners.  Others are not for anyone not ready for fitness.  Some diets help with lean muscle others help with cardio conditioning. If you know where you want to go, it’s easier to narrow down the diet plans that can get you there.
• Stay Positive! – While you are scanning books, if you are thinking to yourself, “I could never do this”, then DON’T BUY IT!  Find one that you’re excited about or a set of recipes that looks delicious.  If you start your journey thinking about how hard it’s going to be, you’ll probably give up.  There are different plans for everyone based on how fast you want to lose your weight, how much fitness you’ll be doing and how much time you’re going to dedicate to it.  Find one that fits you because there are hundreds and there’s a good fit for whatever you’re looking for.

When I look at that picture above, here’s what I see: A lot of books claiming to all have the secret.  (Other than the super hot Chris Powell!) The real truth behind diet books is……………THEY ALL WORK. Each one claims to give you the results you need because each one can.  There is no one true diet plan.  Every single one of these plans will give you some sort of results.  However, it’s your choice and within your power to decide which is best FOR YOU.

There is one book that I would highly recommend and my original reason for going to B & N.  I never shop there because I try to shop local but I knew Tattered Cover didn’t have a copy.  This is the only diet book that I will probably ever recommend to all who are on a weightloss journey:

Diet Cults is written by Fitness and Nutrition Writer, Matt Fitzgerald.  He takes you through several diets that we’ve all heard of: Weight Watchers, Paleo, Atkins…..and so on and explains why each isn’t any better than the other.  Matt is an extreme endurance runner and suggests a much simpler way of eating that doesn’t require so many rules.  I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Even if you are following a plan because that’s what works for you, I still think it’s worth reading!

Wow.  I feel like I’ve rambled in this post so let’s recap:

• DO NOT walk into a bookstore to get a health related book without knowing what you are generally going to get right now. They are really overwhelming.
• IF you think you need a diet plan with rules, choose one not fifty.  If you’re unsure, go to the library instead.
• All diet plans work.  If you put in the work, you’ll get results.
• Not everyone needs a diet plan.  Don’t be afraid to create your own!