So you're looking to lose some fat? You make a decision and get started. You either start running like a madman or you start starving yourself. By your own expertise, you run a Google search with the phrase, 'the best ways to lose fat' and get a gazillion results showing 'the best' tips and tricks. I always wonder how everyone claims to give out 'THE BEST' even when they do not know the first thing about the basics. Well, let's not get into that. Let's reserve this rant for a different article. 

Since there's no dearth of fad diets on the internet, you begin with the GM (General Motors Diet) diet. Get short lived results and fail. You get wiser and then fall to the next fad which is ketogenic dieting. You are no wiser that you were and you switch to a low carb. And again, you fail...

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After these torturous diets, you think, forget it! I am happy like this.

What if I were to tell you that you were just fooling yourself all this while? What if you could still eat like a sane being and get the same results? You do not have to push eggs or paneer or salads down your throat just to lose weight. You can diet flexibly.

Flexible dieting, for me, is setting a checklist in order of importance and ticking the boxes. Eating what you like, fitting in your socializing and eating out, and getting the right results. The things you need to be put in place to lose weight are:

1. Calories: It is all about the calories. If you want to lose weight, simply eat lesser calories than what you need. Do it consistently. Consistency is the key! 

2. Protein intake: If you care about having a good physique, the one you dream about, you need to retain your muscle. For that, you need to weight train 3-4 times in a week and eat protein. How much protein? 1.5-2.2 grams/kg of your bodyweight. Whatever fits your food choices and dietary preferences.

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3. The other mumbo jumbo: Carbs and fat, the recent uptrend in the fitness industry and 'expert' YouTubers harp about. Going low-carb, keto, etc. and all that. If your goal is fat loss, carbs and fat ratios DO NOT matter. 

1. Calories are the king. Eat in a caloric deficit to lose weight.

2. Eat protein to have a good 'after' physique and not look like a survivor from a famine.

3. Carbs and fats do not really matter. Adjust as you like.

Pick a nutrition strategy that suits you. There is no 'one size fits all'. 

Craving a slice of pizza occasionally? No problems. Want to snack on some biryani? Eat on! Be flexible as that is the only thing that will give you long-term success. 

Or carry your own Tupperware everywhere! Your sanity, your choice. 

References:

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16685046

About the author:

Pratik Thakkar is the co-founder and director of GetSetGo Fitness, an online fitness company that helps people with fitness goals right from losing weight to competing in bodybuilding shows. He is an online fitness coach who is regarded as someone who will make it easy for you to understand the process by putting things in the right context and providing science-based recommendations. In his free time, Pratik likes to read about psychology or gaming on his PlayStation. You can download a free nutrition guide from his site which will nail down the basics for you.