Normally when someone says they are on a “special diet” or if I hear this at a restaurant, I assume it means they are on a restricted diet of some sort due to food intolerances. For the sake of this blog, I am using the term “special diet” in reference to self-inflicted food choices. Those who choose to remove food groups or staple ingredients for the sake of losing weight, not for religious or moral reasons. I mean the situation where someone has turned vegan because they believe it will help them lose 10lbs. The problem I see with self-inflicted “special diets” is despite the good intentions, the diet may not be ideal for your body type. The diet’s food limitations may be what is sabotaging your weight loss goals in the first place.

 

We can find anything on the internet that will agree with our opinion or outlook, and I am not here to argue my opinion on peoples own diet choices and restrictions. Sometimes I feel we get influenced through social media when we see small, selected snippets of people’s lives with very little background knowledge. This could potentially cause people to drastically switch their lifestyle or diet, in order to be/look like them. So this can either be an extremely positive change, or the change could be somewhat detrimental. None of us are made equal, and the long willowy yoga instructor who practices veganism and a raw lifestyle may not be ideal for a sedentary someone with 30lbs to lose and a family history of diabetes. Some could say… “well with that family history that person would be the perfect candidate for veganism, because studies show plant based diets lower cholesterol, improve hormones, etc. etc.”, and that’s just my point. Just because something is advertised as healthy and does have proven health benefits, does not mean it’s going to be the same health benefits for everyone. Charles Poloquin, the literal OG guru of the fitness and health industry, would even argue your ideal diet is that of your ancestry. The foods your lineage would have eaten is likely going to be what agrees with you the most. I find this theory so fascinating and it is kind of mind blowing when you sit and think about the depth of this theory. Due to the fact our modern World is so incredibly connected through the imports, exports, internet…we are able to share foods and diets internationally and now all different types of foods and cuisines are enjoyed everywhere. Culturally it’s beautiful to share, and so many health foods, herbs, and medicines have come out of sharing. However, there may be some merit as to whether these international foods and diets are really right for us or not. Anyways…I digress.

 

Special diets tend to put a hold on your weight loss goals when your body composition is not in a resilient position. If you are turning vegan or vegetarian for example but have a high BF% and low lean muscle mass, a diet where your protein sources come from carbs, dairy, and supplements will warrant slower results, versus consuming lean protein sources for protein. Vegetarian plans are more acceptable because they can eat eggs, dairy sources, and sometimes will introduce fish as their protein sources (and then hope for a slippery slope once they notice the fish gains…). I find on vegan and vegetarian plans, the majority of their calories tend to be low protein, and high in carbs and fats. This is not if you are someone who cannot “handle carbs”. Someone who can “handle more” carbs in their day would be those with a high amount of lean muscle mass and low body fat %, or those with a naturally occurring high metabolism. A sedentary middle aged women looking to lose 30lbs of body fat and improve their lean muscle composition will not do well on a plan where the protein sources come from carbs. Improving insulin, gut health, introducing a well-balanced diet’s across all different food groups would be the best START to a weight loss plan. I am not saying it is impossible, but increasing muscle mass and decreasing body fat % is significantly easier when meat sources can be consumed as protein.

 

Choosing to be on a special diet not due to intolerances, but to lose weight, is often not a wise decision and can be sabotaging your weight loss goals. Without the proper balance of macronutrients, i.e. carbs, protein, fats, the build and repair in muscle can become an issue, which is problematic to the goal of improving our resting metabolic rate. On top of this, without proper repair, our energy levels for exercise may be hindered which could cause inflammation and stress on our system. I’d say above all, the biggest issue with diet where the protein sources come from carbs and fat is whether or not the person has the composition to handle them or not. Someone with a higher amount of stomach fat for example, diabetes, low muscle mass, high amounts of body fat in general, are typically not in a good position to be eating high amounts of carbs. Types of “carby proteins” would be chickpeas and legumes which are a carb that contains protein, and therefore you can easily blow out your carb portion in a sitting. On the flip side, an appropriate portion of legumes would not be enough protein for the meal.

 

Moral of the story, not all special diets are right for you, and may not be the ideal choice for weight loss if this is your priority. Extensive research should be done before a diet is attempted, to make sure your food choices are healthy and balanced if you do choose to follow a self-restrictive diet. If reading this is upsetting you because your heart is set on being a vegan, and yet you feel your body is not happy eating this way, it doesn’t mean you have to completely rule out the lifestyle. Get to the point where you have improved your composition, metabolism, lean muscle mass, and then you might be able to introduce more vegan and vegetarian meals into your lifestyle. Sometimes you just can’t start out with it unfortunately, but work on your body’s ability to process and digest carbs efficiently as fuel versus stored as fat, then you should be in a much better position to live the lifestyle you want.