Are Diets a Thing of the Past?

As of 2023 the diet and weight loss industry in the United States was worth almost $90 billion. At first glance, it might seem that diets are becoming a thing of the past. But if you look a little bit harder, you will notice that diets have just been rebranded.

For example, calorie counting has turned into macro counting. It wasn't long ago when the only people I knew who were counting macros were people who were pursuing muscle growth. Now it is common for someone pursuing weight loss to track their macros. This might blow your mind, but macro counting IS calorie counting. Whether you are using an online calculator or a nutrition coach to calculate your macros, they are based on your daily caloric needs. They take your daily calorie needs based on your goal (weight loss, maintenance or weight gain) and they divide them amongst each macronutrient group (protein, carbs and fats.)

I am not saying there is anything wrong with macro counting, I'm just pointing out that calorie counting is not in fact a thing of the past. It has just been rebranded to seem less restrictive. At the end of the day, you still have to track every morsel of food that you put into your body. And if that is your jam, then you do you!

Speaking of macros, let's talk about protein. Protein is no longer just a macronutrient, it's a demigod.

Every time I go to the grocery store, there is a new food with added protein. Protein yogurt and milk (even though these are already protein sources.) Protein Pop Tarts, Cereal, even water and chips! We have become a society OBSESSED with protein.

We don't just add macronutrients to foods, we also take them away like in Keto bread or pizza.

I am not someone who is going to demonize processed foods. There is always room for satisfaction and convenience in my world. However, our body thrives when our diets are made up of mostly real, whole foods. Foods that have 1 single ingredient like chicken, potatoes, broccoli, rice, eggs, etc.

This brings me to a very important thought:

The diet industry is not the health industry. And it's important to note that both are industries that exist to make a profit.

Just because a food has added protein or the carbs have been taken away, does not mean that it is the healthiest thing for you to eat. It might be helpful to ask yourself a hard question.

Am I pursuing improved health, or weight loss?

These are not the same thing. As a matter of fact, think about people who are very ill. They tend to lose weight. If weight loss was always healthy, then that would not happen. Similarly, weight gain is not always unhealthy. Think of someone who is recovering from an eating disorder, gaining weight is a great thing. Being underweight is actually known to be more dangerous than being overweight. And don't even get me started on the "almighty" BMI.

If you are someone who has been working on their muscle growth, you know this struggle. BMI does not take into account body composition. So if you have more muscle mass than the average person, you might be considered overweight or even obese based on your BMI.

There is so much more I would like to say, but I think I am going to let you chew on all of this for a little bit.