I'm a pretty private guy. My close friends will testify to this. I hate the spot light, and always have. In the last band I was in, I earned the nickname "Davey Dance a Lot" due to my statuesque presence on stage. I am not a showman and I hate being the center of attention. When I decided that I was going to go ahead and make my private life very public it was a decision that I didn't take lightly.
I finally chose to do it for two reasons. The first is that I want to be held accountable while making this change in my life. I don't know if I could do this on my own or not, but I know that the added motivation and support that I've gotten from all of you has made me determined to give it my all.

 The second reason is that there is so much garbage information about nutrition out there, that we have lost sight of how simple losing weight is. I want to prove just how uncomplicated it really is.

 Doing this 12 Week Challenge publicly has had an unexpected benefit. The pressure to make this work, along with some very insightful and challenging questions from some of you have led me to think critically about my nutritional views. By recording everything and taking good notes, some facts about nutrition have become much clearer to me. The simplicity of it is almost funny.

 I have been experimenting with different eating plans. To evaluate the plans, I recorded my weight, measurements in multiple places, strength levels, and general notes on how I felt while eating each way. Doing it this way allowed me to cut through all the frivolous details, and see which aspects of nutrition are truly important.

Control Calories

Energy in vs energy out is the only thing that truly matters. If you eat fewer calories than you need, you will lose weight. If you eat more, you will gain weight. No matter what else you include in your diet, you will never beat this law of thermodynamics.  Your body needs a certain amount of energy, if you consume less than that amount you will lose weight.  Cement this fact in your mind, and never ever forget it!

Pile up the Protein

Eating protein is the best way to feel full while dieting. Protein is also important for building or maintaining muscle. Building muscle should be a priority for both men and women, so eating protein should be too. Ladies if you think building muscle will make you bulky check this out. Most research suggest that 1 gram of protein for every pound of bodyweight is a good amount.  Eating more than this while dieting can be a good idea, but anyone who says you must eat extraordinary amounts (like 3g/lb) is more than likely trying to sell you protein powder.

The Devil is in the Details

Too many people advise cookie cutter diets. Everyone is different in terms of both hormones, and activity levels. For instance, my mother and I should not follow the same plan. I perform intense exercise  three or four days a week. She exercises, but not at the same intensity as me. If someone advised her to exercise like me, they would be an idiot. However, advising the two of us to eat the same way is somehow acceptable.

 The individual parts of the diet boil down to the following.

1. The ratios of carbs and fats

Everyone should eat lots of protein.  The amount of carbs and fats is much more personal.  Overweight or sedentary people should eat less carbs, and more fat.  Active people need carbs to fuel athletic performance. 

2. Meal Frequency

The idea that you need to eat every two hours to "fuel the matabolic fire" is not true.  Meal frequency has no bearing on metabolic rates. For proof read this. On the flipside, the idea that you need to practice Intermittent Fasting is not true either.  There may be some benefits to fasting, but adherence to a plan is far more important.  If you want to eat thirty small meals a day, do it.  I like eating two big meals, so that's what I do.

3. Meal Timing

Once again, there is research that suggests eating big meals at night has hormonal advantages.  But, adherence to the diet is still more important.  If you would rather eat during the day, do it.  As long as you control your calories you will succeed.

4. Food Quality

There is a popular movement call If It Fits Your Macros (IIFYM) that has come about in the Intermittent Fasting community.  The idea is that everyday you have target amounts of protein, fat, and carbohydrates to eat.  How these numbers are met is not important. If your targets allow you to eat half a cheesecake for dinner, then go nuts.  There are lots of people who use this method to eat junk food and still lose weight.  You may choose to do this, it is up to you.  I think that optimizing health should be a priority with any nutritional program, so I eat healthy food. That is only my opinion though.

Get to work!

Don't over complicate this stuff.  Get your calories in line, and then experiment with the other factors to see what makes you feel good. It may take some time to get it dialed in, but you will learn a lot about your body and your habits in the process.  If you have any questions, or would like some advice, please feel free to leave a comment here or send me a message via my facebook page.  I am working hard to learn as much as I can about making good, practical nutritional plans, so helping you reach your goals would make me very happy!