Flexible Dieting: A Science-Based, Reality-Tested Method

Book Preface

A bit of background

The first book I ever wrote was Girth Control—which I self-published in 2007. By that time, I had already been in the fitness field for 15 years (I started training clients in 1992). My goal was to present the state of the science of that time, as well as my field observations.

Here we are nearly 15 years after the publication of Girth Control. I’ve accumulated a substantial amount of knowledge and experience since 2007, and I’m ready to unleash it. Over the years, I’ve had the honor of collaborating on various research publications that form the basis for much of the evidence-based practice guidelines for coaches, trainers, athletes, nutritionists/dietitians, and educators. Clinicians have also found utility in these publications. A special shout-out to Brad Schoenfeld is warranted here, as he has been instrumental in pulling me from the trenches into my periodic bouts in the ivory tower (the halls of academia).

The purpose of the book

Enlightenment in the area of diet and nutrition amounts to freedom from unnecessary effort, expense, health risk, and wasted time. In some cases, it can be lifesaving. But here’s the colossal challenge: How do we reach the general public, who constantly walks through a minefield of diet-related misinformation? How can we teach them what we know? I suppose we can get in a pulpit and preach away, but how can we engage the public to learn? It’s not as if they can just dive into the research literature and navigate their way through it. And even if they could, the in-the-trenches wisdom would still be missing. We evidence-based practitioners seem to know all the “secrets,” but our efforts to effectively communicate them to the lay public have largely failed.

A frequently asked question I get is, what comprehensible yet non-quacky book do I recommend for learning what to eat to reach fitness-related goals? This book is the answer—or at least it’s my answer, backed by mountains of evidence from academia and the real world. Of course I’d love for a book to go viral and change the world in a single swoop. The least I’m hoping for is to initiate the butterfly effect and perhaps inspire a handful of brilliant people with greater reach and resources than I have to continue to make the world better with evidence-based information.

Who this book is written for

I have a ton of literary space to work with here, so why not cover the needs and goals of a wide range of populations? We’re in the midst of a trend toward “narrowing your niche” in the health and fitness realm. This is fine for those who want to create catchy sound bites and memorable marketing hooks, but I have the opportunity to go full-textbook in terms of breadth and depth, and I’m going to take it. Stark beginners (and those with very basic nutrition knowledge) will benefit from this book as much as high-level competitive athletes and experienced coaches. The needs and goals of the Regular Joe/Jane, all the way to folks who consider themselves “elite” on the track, field, ring, and court, are covered. This wide range of populations reflects the people I’ve worked with throughout my career.

With that said, I do have a soft spot for the middle-aged soccer mom/dad. I also have an affinity for the corporate desk jockey trying to recapture the glory days of early adulthood, when the idea of going to the beach or the pool didn’t bring immediate pangs of anxiety. But make no mistake, my aim is to make this book life-changing (or at least genuinely useful) for everyone from couch-potato noobs to professors to professional athletes.

How to read this book

I suppose it’s not common for authors to explicitly coach their audiences on how to read their books. In this case, I feel that you’ll get the most out of my book by beginning with the first chapter, which details the definition of flexible dieting. It’s important to know the meaning behind the title of the book. There are plenty of misconceptions about flexible dieting, perhaps the most annoying one being that flexible dieting begins and ends with tracking macro (macronutrient) grams.

So, read chapter 1 first. Then read the subsequent chapters on the big picture of science and, if you can stomach it, demystifying scientific research. These are important foundational perspectives to carry with you as you tackle the remaining chapters. In fact, these perspectives are important to have as you consume nutrition- and fitness-related media in general.

Once you’ve read chapters 1 and 2 (and 3 if you’re brave), the next three chapters do a deep dive into how the major macronutrients—protein, carbohydrate, and fat—affect your body and its ability to function optimally during exercise. I then explore dietary supplements before finally getting into dietary programming. You are free to bounce around these chapters as you wish, but keep in mind that each one ends with an “in a nutshell” summary in case you’re feeling lost.