Dear MFP

I have seen a large number of threads this week about breakfast, meal timing, diet pills, cleanses, fad diets, and, of course, Pop Tarts and ice cream. In them, I see people willfully ignoring peer-reviewed scientific studies in favor of anecdotal evidence or personal experience. I see people shoving their methods down other people’s throats in nasty ways. I see people insisting that ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE has worked for them and this is the only way. I’m not delusional that by writing this all of this will stop; I know fifty more of these threads will pop up today. But please, give this some consideration.

There is one and only one hard, fast rule about weight loss: you have to burn more calories than you consume. You do NOT have to eat breakfast. You do NOT have to eat 1200 calories or less. You do NOT have to eat six small meals a day. You do NOT have to eat clean. You do NOT have to follow a specific diet plan or lifestyle.

…But you can, if you so desire. If breakfast fills you up for the day so you don’t overeat, then by all means, eat it. If it just makes you hungrier and you struggle because you eat it, don’t. If you’ve tried eating more than 1200 calories and you just don’t lose weight, then eat 1200 calories. If you’ve read IPOARM and you find that method works for you, great. Six small meals or IF: doesn’t matter. Clean eating or IIFYM-style Pop Tarts and ice cream: personal preference. Vegan, vegetarian, paleo, primal? Go for it. As long as you are following that one hard, fast rule about weight loss, do whatever else helps you best succeed.

All I ask you to do is this: before you choose your calories, what your diet’s going to consist of, what time of day you’re going to eat, etc., do your research. Learn the facts. Learn why it might be advantageous (or not) for you to eat more calories, eat breakfast, eat gluten-free, eat paleo, or to include a cheat meal. Understand the science behind why meal timing is irrelevant. Look into why certain percentages of macros are recommended. Don’t just blindly accept that you have to do things a certain way, and more importantly, stop telling people that they MUST do something a certain way solely on the fact that it works for you without any scientific evidence to back it up. When proven wrong, don’t be afraid to admit you’re wrong and embrace that losing weight isn’t as complicated as you were making it.

The fact that there is only one hard, fast rule about weight loss means that the possibilities for getting to your goal are endless. Diet and calories can be tailored to best suit your needs. Losing weight is hard enough. Let’s not make it harder than it needs to be.

TL;DR: Calories in, calories out. Beyond that, do what works for you.

Have a great weekend!