The No Limits Diet

I tentatively wanted to name this post “Then eat the damn donut.” 🙂

Ever since creating Impossible Abs and writing extensively about the paleo diet, I’ve run into literally thousands of questions and comments from people about food. Most of them revolve around some sort of “restriction” or “avoidance”. After a while, it gets kind of sad that most people’s relationship with food is so negative.

Even the way people talk about “diets” or “cheat days” reflects the reality that most people think of some foods as their enemy.

Seriously, that’s stupid.

In fact, having to think that you’re “cheating” about ANY food is stupid.

You don’t need to sneak, cheat, or hide food. It doesn’t have to be the enemy and you don’t have to feel bad about eating a specific food. BUT, you should have the knowledge and understanding of what food does and how it impacts your body.

I was talking with a friend the other day about my view on all this, and how I call my own personal “diet” (if you have to call it that), the “No Limits Diet.”

The No Limits Diet

Here’s how it works (it’s really simple):

You can eat whatever you want! But know the consequences of eating that food, and be at peace with the effects (positive or negative) beforehand.

Or, as Yoda may have said,

“Whatever you want, you can eat – but be at peace with the impact of that treat.”

In other words:

Take full responsibility for everything that goes into your body.

• If you’re going to have coffee, have coffee! But know you might feel sluggish around lunch time.
• If you’re going to mindlessly eat chips during the Super Bowl, then know how you’ll probably feel it the next day.
• If you’re going to eat the donut, eat it! Enjoy it! And make sure you understand how it will make you feel in the morning.
• If you’re going to have a couple drinks on a Saturday night with a friend, that’s fine! But if you have five, don’t be surprised if you sleep terribly.
• If you’re going to eat broccoli, have broccoli! But 2 lbs in one sitting may give you some digestive issues on the back end.

Understanding the CORRELATION between the food you eat and how you feel is one of the best parts of the paleo diet – it forces you to learn what you can feel like outside of the Standard American Diet, because most people don’t know how good they COULD feel with proper nutrition. When you start eating a lot of whole foods, with lean meats and healthy fats, you can quickly start improving both your own personal function AND your mental cognition.

So really, if you want to lose fat, you probably shouldn’t eat that donut. You can, but it won’t help you achieve your bigger goal. And only you can decide which goal is more important.

Here’s a few simple guidelines for making decisions with the No Limits Diet:

Know What Certain Foods Do To You

Quite literally, food is the fuel that makes your body run. So when you feed it the right fuel, you can do Impossible things. When you feed it mediocre fuel, you may be able to pull off some mediocre things, etc.

Here’s a list of what most people eat, with a quick rundown of how the food affects the body:

Vegetables

Almost no downside, great source of vitamins. Worst complaint is that they taste “meh” (not a really bad downside in the grand scheme of things). Act Accordingly.

Red Meat

Builds & repairs muscle function. Quality meats contain good ratios of healthy fats. Excessive consumption can lead to heart issues if combined with other poor eating habits. Act Accordingly.

Fish & Seafood

Quality protein source & good source of Omega 3’s, which can help reduce inflammation. Act accordingly.

Nuts / Seeds

Good source of healthy fats, although can contain high levels of Omega 6 which can cause inflammation issues if eaten in excess. Act accordingly.

Grains

Grains are a step away from sugar. Many contain gluten and other anti-nutrients which can jack up digestive systems. Excessive consumption can cause muscle inflammation. Act accordingly.

Dairy

Fluctuates your insulin levels and a good portion of the world can’t digest it well. Much better luck with fermented dairy items. Act Accordingly.

Legumes

Lots of people don’t digest these well. That’s why they call beans “the magical fruit.” Act Accordingly.

Sugar

Gives you a rush of energy and then makes you crash. Causes fat storage, hormone fluctuation and diabetes. Act accordingly.

Alcohol

Messes with your blood sugar, fat storage and sleep patterns. Act accordingly.

Align Your Personal Actions With Your Goals

I find most people’s frustration with goals stems from the fact that their personal actions on a daily basis are not aligned with their goals.

Their actions (whether consciously or subconsciously) are sabotaging their success. There is something in their head that keeps a disconnect between what they want to achieve, and what actions they’re taking to get there.

As a side note: Perry Marshall’s series on Headtrash is a very helpful email series if you struggle with this.

Just like a person who wants to be a writer should start writing every day, a person who wants to be healthy can create healthy habits that they live by on a daily basis. Remember, this is a process that takes time; you can’t tackle everything at once. Small habits, one by one, can be built on top of each other over time.

Realize that Cravings are Just Cravings

A lot of people “cave” to “cravings” because they think that a sensation means that HAVE to eat something. While sometimes your body can give you a craving for a food you actually need, the majority of the time the craving is caused by something you previously ate. (Surprise–sugar often is the culprit). More often than not, this causes a “craving spiral” that makes you eat even more of the food that originally caused the craving.

When you can step back for a second and realize that cravings are literally just a sensation, then you can sit back and make a conscious decision to choose something else.

If you need help with this process, Cold Shower Therapy is a great way of experiencing sensations simply as sensations.

Once you realize you don’t have to give into cravings every time you have one, you take back a little more control over your decisions and your life.

Decide How Badly You Want It

Back to aligning your actions with your goals–some people say that they want to lose fat, but aren’t willing to change the foods they eat.

Some people want to gain weight, but don’t want to lift weights or make sure they’re eating enough.

They want to run marathons, but don’t want to train.

They want the glory without the work.

Don’t be one of those people.

Decide how bad you want it. Figure out what the cost will be to achieve it and see if you still want it.

Then:

If you don’t want it, that’s fine. But STOP PRETENDING like you do. (This also helps helps you to take responsibility and make your actions in alignment with your goals).

And if you DO want it, then WORK LIKE HELL to make it happen.

Everything has a price. Decide if you’re willing to pay it and then be at peace with that decision.

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That’s the No Limits Diet. Start understanding what food does to your body, stop feeling “guilty” about it, and start achieving your goals.

And don’t forget to leave the limits behind.

Please note, from a nutritional perspective, this is less a “diet” and more of a way of taking the “worth it rule” and applying it food in order to have a better, healthier relationship with food and your body.