Diets Diets Diets...

I really don't like the word 'DIET' - to me, it just sounds like something horrible!  People often ask me about the best diet for weight loss, the best diet for muscle building, the best diet for blah blah blah...  honestly, most of those fad diets WILL work.  Temporarily. Very temporarily.  And then, you are probably going to be worse off then when you started in the first place!  I know that my clients don't like to hear this so I doubt if you will either, but slow & steady is the way to go.  A healthy, balanced nutrition plan (or 'diet' if you must call it that!) combined with exercise is the best way to achieve your goals.  Your results will happen, and they will not be short-term (unless you decide to go back to your bad habits, then they will not last!)

There are many healthy ways to go about it, but find a way that works with you & your lifestyle.  It needs to be something that you can make into a lifestyle, not a 2 week starvation diet!

I generally (I say 'generally' because yes, I eat cake sometimes!  And that is just fine!!) follow a plan that is something like this (Remember, this is just what works for me.  You need to find something that works for you, but it needs to include healthy eating & exercise!):

Exercise: hard core!  Heavy weights 3x per week at least.  Cardio about every time I work out.  I usually take 1-2 days to rest each week.

Nutrition: Semi-Paleo.  I go through spurts where I am hard-core-Whole30-Paleo-no-cheating Jen.  And other spurts where I focus on 'mostly paleo' nutrition.  Meaning: I focus on lean proteins, veggies, fruits, nuts, and more fruits :)  But I will allow a few cheats.  My cheats don't usually involve dairy, that is one thing that I've learned that my stomach doesn't love!  But, if it's a birthday I will eat a piece of cake!  And on Thanksgiving, I'll be eating some stuffing :-)
Another thing that I am very consistent with is supplements.  I'm super picky about which ones I take, and I've tried LOTS of different brands!  

My main point is to avoid the fad diets!  Look for a long-term solution, not a quick fix!