See if this sounds familiar: you’ve just started a new diet, certain that it’s going to be different this time around and that it’s going to work. You’re cranking along, adjust to the new eating (and exercise) patterns and everything is going just fine. For a while.Then the problem hits. Maybe it’s something small, a slight deviation or dalliance. There’s a bag of cookies and you have one or you’re at the mini mart and just can’t resist a little something that’s not on your diet. Or maybe it’s something a little bit bigger, a party or special event comes up and you know you won’t be able to stick with your diet. Or, at the very extreme, maybe a vacation comes up, a few days out of town or even something longer, a week or two. What do you do?Now, if you’re in the majority, here’s what happens: You eat the cookie and figure that you’ve blown your diet and might as well eat the entire bag. Clearly you were weak willed and pathetic for having that cookie, the guilt sets in and you might as well just start eating and eating and eating.Or since the special event is going to blow your diet, you might as well eat as much as you can and give up, right? The diet is obviously blown by that single event so might as well chuck it all in the garbage. Vacations can be the ultimate horror, it’s not as if you’re going to go somewhere special for 3 days (or longer) and stay on your diet, right? Might as well throw it all out now and just eat like you want, gain back all the weight and then some.What if I told you that none of the above had to happen? What if I told you that expecting to be perfect on your diet was absolutely setting you up for failure, that being more flexible about your eating habits would make them work better? What if I told you that studies have shown that people who are flexible dieters (as opposed to rigid dieters) tend to weigh less, show better adherence to their diet in the long run and have less binge eating episodes?What if I told you that deliberately fitting in ‘free’ (or cheat or reward) meals into your diet every week would make it work better in the long run, that deliberately overeating for 5-24 hours can sometimes be a necessary part of a diet (especially for active individuals), that taking 1-2 weeks off of your diet to eat normally may actually make it easier to stick with in the long run in addition to making it work better.I can actually predict that your response is one of the following. Some may think I’m making the same set of empty promises that every other book out there makes. But I have the data and real-world experience to back up my claims. Or, maybe the idea of making your diet less strict and miserable is something you actively resist. I’ve run into this with many dieters; they seem to equate suffering and misery with success and would rather doom themselves to failure by following the same pattern that they’ve always followed rather than consider an alternate approach. Finally, maybe what little I wrote above makes intuitive sense to you and you want to find out more.Regardless of your reaction to what I’ve written, I already have your money so you might as well read on.I should probably warn you that this isn’t a typical diet book. You won’t find a lot of rah-rah or motivational types of writing, there are no food lists and no recipes. There are thousands of other books out there which fit that bill if that’s what you want but this isn’t it.

The last nutritional model you will ever need to achieve and maintain your optimal physique, peak performance, and robust health. Do you find yourself confused by the ever-changing diet landscape? Low-carb, keto, low-fat, Paleo, supplements you can’t pronounce, and of course the fix-all magic bullet—it becomes a minefield of endless frustration with little or no sustainable results to show for it. In his new book Flexible Dieting: A Science-Based, Reality-Tested Method for Achieving & Maintaining Your Optimal Physique, Performance, and Health, Alan Aragon is here to put an end to the confusion and put you on a path to success. With over 25 years of experience as a nutrition researcher and educator, Alan reveals the biggest diet secret of all—no single diet is best for everyone. The key to success is finding a tailored program that meets your individual needs and helps you build lifelong habits to support your goals. Flexible Dieting is a research-based, field-tested approach to nutrition that focuses on macronutrient balance and proper food sourcing that will help you achieve your dietary and physical goals at your own pace. With this simple weight-loss plan, Alan shows you how to eat within your specific macronutrient targets, making weight loss achievable and sustainable while fostering a healthy relationship with food and offering more freedom in your food choices.

Think back to when you were a kid and try to recall your most favorite food to eat - we all have one. Something that you loved so dearly that the mere thought of it had you frothing at the mouth and crippled with hunger pangs until that craving was satisfied. Mine was the cheesiest, gooiest, most mouthwatering bowl of macaroni and cheese. In fact, it's still my favorite food to this day. But, I'm not just talking about any old melty pasta dish - I'm talking about the one and only Kraft Mac & Cheese. Just one whiff of that cheesy goodness or a glimpse of that blue ninety-nine cent box and I'm immediately transported back to my childhood when my mom would whip me up the biggest bowl with extra love and care. I'm sure your favorite food brings you that wave of nostalgia too. Sadly, though, there was a brief time in my life where enjoying some Mac & Cheese no longer brought back fond memories. It became synonymous with a "cheat day." Instead of bringing me warm & fuzzy feelings of comfort and joy, my beloved meal would leave me feeling immensely guilty and ashamed. I know I don't speak alone here when I tell you that deprivation IS awful, both mentally and physically. Suppressing your desire to have your favorite treat because it is somehow "bad" is no way to live your life. I'm overjoyed to tell you it DOESN'T have to be this way ever again. You can eat the foods you love while fueling your body properly and keeping your nutrition on point. Your taste buds and mind will thank you endlessly for this. That is what makes the Flexible Eating lifestyle so unique - by design it will nourish the body and make you feel HAPPY about what you are eating and help you create the balance your body craves. This book will teach you how to live a lifestyle that is realistic and sustainable in our modern world. You're going to learn how to be happy about the things you eat, to go to bed eager to wake up the next morning and achieve your goals one meal at a time, and most importantly you're going to... OWN YOUR EATING!!

Learn about the basics of macronutrients—carbohydrates, fats, and protein—how to count them, and how to successfully lose weight in this new guide! Are you trying to diet but still get tempted by a slice of pizza or a juicy burger, knowing you won’t be able to say no? By following a macronutrients plan, you can have your favorite foods without ruining your diet. Carbohydrates, proteins, and fats are three of the most important nutrients found in food. With this guide, you will learn the importance of these essential elements and how to control them to be the healthiest you can be—and still eat what you want! The Everything Guide to Macronutrients will teach you how to count macronutrients, giving you a more flexible and less stressful form of dieting. You’ll learn how to incorporate your macros into your meals, allowing you to focus more on the essential nutrients and foster healthy eating. With more than 150 recipes and a two-week meal plan to get you started, this book is a comprehensive yet approachable resource that gives you all the tools necessary to help you lose weight more effectively—and keep it off.

After a decade of coaching vegans on how to reach their physique or performance goals, Dani Taylor has written down her formula in a step by step, easy to follow format, so that you can learn how to be your own diet coach. If you're tired of not knowing how much to eat, or what to eat, or are feeling very restricted by a clean-eating lifestyle, you need this book to learn how to break free of the mind taffy that comes from never knowing if you're on the right path. In this book, you will learn how to calculate exactly how much you ought to be eating to reach your individual goals, and learn what you can eat to sustainably keep your results!

Lose weight, increase energy, and boost your immunity—without giving up meat! "With her flexible mix-and-match plans, Dawn Jackson Blatner gives us a smart new approach to cooking and eating." --Joy Bauer, M.S., RD, CDN, "Today" show dietitian and bestselling author of Joy Bauer's Food Cures "The Flexitarian Diet is a fresh approach to eating that's balanced, smart, and completely do-able." --Ellie Krieger, host of Food Network's "Healthy Appetite" and author of The Food You Crave "Offers a comprehensive, simple-to-follow approach to flexitarian eating--the most modern, adaptable, delicious way to eat out there." --Frances Largeman-Roth, RD, senior food and nutrition editor of Health magazine "It's about time someone told consumers interested in taking control of their weight and health how to get the benefits of a vegetarian lifestyle without having to cut meat completely out of their life." --Byrd Schas, senior health producer, New Media, Lifetime Entertainment Services Introducing the flexible way to eat healthy, slim down, and feel great! "Flexitarianism" is the hot new term for healthy dieting that minimizes meat without excluding it altogether. This ingenious plan from a high-profile nutritionist shows you how to use "flexfoods" to get the necessary protein and nutrients--with just a little meat for those who crave it. As the name implies, it’s all about flexibility, giving you a range of options: flexible meal plans, meat-substitute recipes, and weight loss tips. Plus: it’s a great way to introduce the benefits of vegetarianism into your family's lifestyle. Enjoy these Five Flex Food Groups: Flex Food Group One: Meat Alternatives (Beans, peas, lentils, nuts, and seeds; Vegetarian versions of meats; Tofu; Eggs) Flex Food Group Two: Vegetables and Fruits Flex Food Group Three: Grains (Barley, corn, millet, oat, quinoa, rice, wheat, pasta) Flex Food Group Four: Dairy Flex Food Group Five: Natural flavor-enhancers(Spices, buttermilk ranch, chili powder, cinnamon, Italian seasoning, herbs; Fats, oils, butter spreads; Sweeteners, granulated sugars, honey, chocolate; Ketchup, mustard, salad dressing, vinegars, low-fat sour cream)