Back when I was still dieting, I remember doing tons of research about how to find the perfect diet for my body. 

I already worked out pretty frequently but I wasn’t really getting any skinnier. I figured, if I just knew the perfect diet for me, then everything would become easy.

I tried a lot of different protocols on my quest for the perfect diet and I learned a lot about what worked for me and what didn’t.

Today I want to share with you the biggest takeaways I got from my personal experience with dieting, as well as my experience working with other girls in my health coaching program.

How to Find The Perfect Diet For Your Body

If you’re ready to learn what you really need to know about finding the perfect diet for your body, you’re in the right place. 

Let’s dive in…

The “perfect diet” myth

Looking for the perfect diet is like looking for the perfect man, it does not exist. There are tons of them out there that you might be really compatible with, but if you never try any of them because you’re holding out for Mr. Right, you’re only making yourself miserable.

I talk to women all the time who tell me that they would start cooking and meal prepping if they only knew what to make…If they just knew the right amount of calories and macronutrients, THEN they would easily be able to reach their goals. When I ask them what they’re doing now, they say something along the lines of “Oh I’m just winging it…eating out, grabbing fast-food, just eating whatever’s convenient”. 

Often, we are so close to our own problems that we can’t see the solution. This is a perfect example of that. 

When you’re holding the belief that there is a perfect diet out there for you and you just need someone to come along to reveal it to you, you relinquish your brain’s natural problem solving abilities. You refuse to implement any of the ideas that you may already have about how to improve because you don’t think they’re good enough. So you end up trying nothing at all and staying stuck with the same results.

The myth is that if you just discovered the perfect amount of calories, the perfect foods to eat and had just the right balances of carbs, fats, and proteins, then everything would be rainbows and daisies.

Believing this will keep you waiting around, not trying any of the simple stuff like drinking more water, snacking a little less, or packing your lunches for work.

The truth is, if you’re eating fast-food, processed foods and added sugar on a regular basis, you could just start swapping that out for home cooked, healthy-ish meals and you would see improvements. 

The more dialed in your diet gets, the more specific and strategic you will need to be to continue seeing the same level of change. But when you’re just starting out, you don’t have to be anything CLOSE to “perfect” to see results.

Until you get the obvious stuff locked in there’s absolutely no reason you should be wasting time searching for the perfect diet. Searching for that is just a distraction from doing the hard work of creating the foundational healthy habits you need first.

Related:

• How To Overcome Perfectionism With Food
• 3 Common Mindset Mistakes When Starting a Healthy Lifestyle
• 5 Habits to Stop for Faster Weight Loss

The fundamentals never change 

So now you may be asking, “But what are these foundational healthy habits?”. 

In the age of the internet it’s way too easy to get sucked in to a rabbit hole of nutrition and diet advice. I know, because I’ve done it more times that I want to admit. Even though it may seem like diet trends are changing with the wind the fundamentals of human health never really change.

Everyone can agree that we need to drink a bunch of water, get enough sleep, move our bodies daily, eat fruits and vegetables, limit added sugar, and not consume too many calories. 

If you’re unhappy with the results you’re getting from your current diet, it always comes back to one of these key things. 

But when you’re struggling with changing your body composition, the 6 things listed above are the only levers you need to pull to speed up your progress. Those fundamentals will never change. 

(If you’re experiencing other health issues like poor gut health, headaches, allergies, etc. then you may need to be checked for food allergies or intolerance. Likewise, if your have an autoimmune disease you may need to be out on a specific diet protocol. That’s not what I’m talking about here.)

To be as consistent as possible in these 6 areas, the best thing you can do is implement them as habits into your daily routine. When you do, you will no longer be stressed about having to  “balance” them all. They will become a part of who you are.

These foundational habits are what you need to be spending your time and energy on implementing…not finding the perfect amount of carbs to eat!

Whenever you find your brain is telling you that you are confused about what to do or you don’t know what you need to try next, you can always come back to these fundamentals and ask yourself — “Am I doing these consistently? Where do I have room for improvement?”

Related:

• How to Improve Portion Control & Stop Overeating
• 6 Steps to Changing Your Eating Habits for Weight Loss
• 11 Weight Loss Eating Habits That Actually Work

Your perfect diet is the one you can stick to 

At the end of the day, the perfect diet for you is the one that makes you feel good mentally and physically, and that you know you can stick to long-term. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to slim down a little extra for a special event or look really hot in your bikini at the beach. The problem is when we apply that same short-term approach in an attempt to get long-term results. 

The short-term, quick-fix approach to weight loss is very different from the long-term lifestyle change approach. It’s so important to make that distinction.

If you have a pant size that you are dreaming of getting into, you need to get honest with yourself before you set out to start another diet…Do you want to achieve that size for just a short period of time (like your wedding, your high school reunion or the summer) or do you want to actually make that your new body size for life?

You HAVE to answer that question for yourself because it determines what actions you should take to get there.

If you only care about getting skinny for your next vacation and you don’t care if you gain it all back then, by all means, track your calories, cut out all unhealthy foods, spend hours exercising, and grind it out until you get there.

But if you’re looking to make a lifestyle change so you can maintain your new body for life, then you need to stop searching for the “perfect diet” and start asking yourself what changes you’re willing to make for life. Your answer to that question will change over time as you get more and more accomplished, confident and comfortable with making healthy choices. 

But if you’re starting this journey now, you need to meet yourself where you’re at and remember that for right now, the perfect diet for you is just whatever little changes you are willing to commit to TODAY.

When you just keep answering that question for yourself each day, you’ll be amazed at how easy it can be to make the lifestyle changes you never thought you would.

Related:

• 4 Reasons Why Your Diet Isn’t Working
• Is Your Diet Too Restrictive (The #1 Way You Can Tell)
• 5 Habits For Beginning A Healthy Lifestyle

One final note!

Feeling confused about what the perfect diet is for you is totally normal but it isn’t going to help you reach your goal.

In fact, the belief that the perfect diet is out there and you just need to find it, is what will keep you from doing the obvious stuff that actually makes the biggest difference.

Keep your brain out of confusion and overwhelm by focusing on the foundational healthy habits that you need. 

Don’t be afraid to meet yourself where you’re at and start getting practice at implementing the fundamentals even though your diet isn’t “perfect”.

You’ll make WAY more progress this way than you will by sitting on the sideline waiting for someone to hand you the playbook.