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Summary
On episode 89 of 40+ Fitness, Coach Allan explains why a diet or program that works beautifully for a friend can fail you completely, and what to do about it instead of quitting.
He walks through the real reasons results differ from person to person: genetic expression, gut microbiome, hormone and thyroid function, and the fact that weight loss alone is a poor proxy for health.
He closes with a practical tool, the elimination diet, and a simple mindset shift: stop comparing yourself to others and instead measure yourself against your own progress.
Links
- https://podcastawards.com
Key Takeaways
- Your genetic expression, not just your genes, decides how a diet works for you. Human gene makeup is fairly similar across people, but how those genes get turned on and off varies, so even identical twins can react to the same plan very differently.
- A plan built on shakes or set macros can leave you starving two minutes later. It works for someone else because their total calories land where they need to be, but if you metabolize sugar differently, the same shake can spike your hunger instead.
- Marketing testimonials are the exception, not the rule. The fine print that says “results not typical” is accurate: most diet programs work for a small minority, so basing your expectations on someone else’s success sets you up to feel like you failed.
- Your gut microbiome, not just your willpower, drives digestion and weight. Studies transplanting gut bacteria from lean, healthy people into obese people have produced weight loss, showing the microbiome can be rebuilt and strengthened over time, unlike your fixed genetics.
- Get a blood test before starting any diet program. Hormonal issues like low testosterone or an underperforming thyroid can quietly sabotage a plan that would otherwise work, so testing first tells you what you’re actually working with.
- Visible weight loss can hide invisible damage. Someone who drops pounds fast on an ultra low calorie plan may have wrecked their metabolism or liver in the process, so don’t assume their result means they’re healthier.
- Compare yourself to yourself, not to your friend’s results. The only fair measurement is whether you’re a healthier version of yourself tomorrow than today: stronger, better blood markers, more capable in daily life.
- An elimination diet is the best tool for finding your personal food triggers. Strip your diet down to meat, fish, and vegetables for about four weeks to establish a baseline of how you feel.
- Add foods back one at a time so you know exactly what’s causing the problem. Reintroducing gluten and dairy together makes it impossible to tell which one caused a reaction, so patience during reintroduction is what makes the elimination diet actually work.
“We really shouldn’t be comparing ourselves to others. We should be comparing ourselves to ourselves.”
Coach Allan Misner