Podcast Transcription: 7 Rules to Know If Your Diet Is Working (And How to Fix It If It’s Not)

Ted Ryce: So most people are following a diet, hoping that it's the right choice, but they really don't know if it is or not. So in today's episode, we're gonna get into the seven rules that I use that you can use as well to tell you if your diet is actually working for. So what is up my friend? My name is Ted Ryce. 

I'm the host of the Legendary Live podcast, as well as being a coach to executives, entrepreneurs, and other high performing professionals for over the past 25 years. So I wanna start this podcast by sharing this exchange I had with someone that stuck in my mind till this day, and this happened years ago. 

I was talking to this individual. And he was obese, huge belly. And he was telling me, well, listen, uh, I eat well. I don't understand why I have this problem and listen to what I eat. I have, he, he went on to name something like an acai bowl or a green juice. He was talking to me about green juice and I was like, and I stopped and I was like, what you're saying does not matter. 

You're telling me a story, but I'm looking at you. You are not healthy. Your diet, whatever it is, it doesn't matter the story. It is not working for you. And my goal today in this episode is to help you. Get out of like the influencer talk and get you data driven on how to know if you're moving in the right direction. 

So let's jump right in. Rule number one, if you're gaining fat or you're stalled out, your diet isn't working. I don't care if you're eating grass fed, keto approved. Steak and it's, you're using butter that's flown in from a small organic farm from Vermont. It does not matter. Energy balance, in other words, calories in, calories out still runs the show. 

And if you are overeating calories relative to how much exercise or movement, et cetera that you're doing, and you're, you have an excessive amount of fat on your body. You are not, your diet sucks. Okay? It's just, oh, no, that's not true, Ted. Yes it is. Okay. Yes it is. I say that with love, by the way. And I used to look, I used to put butter in my coffee and I used to do a lot of things that I don't do anymore. 

I used to, actually, here's something I used to do. I used to put butter because I believe that insulin caused fat gain, so I used to put butter on bread. Crackers because I know that that would blunt the insulin spike from the carbohydrates and it would lead to less fat gain, if any, right? Due to me controlling insulin. 

That's nonsense. I was just adding extra calories. And let me tell you, you can eat clean, you can have your bulletproof coffee like I used to do. You can have your avocado toast. Still, uh, overeat calories. How do you know? Really easy. Measure your waist. Look in the mirror without your shirt on. If you've got a belly, especially if it's been growing, you are eating too many calories. 

Period. End of discussion. Oh, but someone said does not matter. It's not your hormones, it's not the red dye. It's not the um. It's not that Mercury is in retrograde or whatever nonsense anyone else is telling you. You are eating too many calories and nothing will stop you from losing fat. If you get yourself into a calorie deficit, there is no metabolic, there is no starvation mode. 

You wanna look at starvation mode. Go to Google right now. Pause this episode and Google starvation and look at the images that come up. That's what starvation looks like. There was nobody, there's been no one ever who like, yeah, everyone else died in the village. Because everyone starved to death but me, like my body went into starvation mode and like hung on and, and that's why I'm still overweight. 

Even though every, that doesn't exist. That's just something that, look, I love, I'm American, I love being American, but that's something, some nonsense. Some American marketer, probably American, I don't know, but made up. It is not true. Okay, so again, rule number one, if you have too much body fat. It's not going away. 

Your diet isn't healthy regardless of what the constituents of your diet is. Doesn't matter if you're vegan, keto, carnivore, low carb, high carb does not matter. Low fat, your diet is failing. Rule number two. If your blood work is getting worse, it's a red flag. This is so important and it goes beyond fat loss. 

So what am I talking about? Run your blood work and compare it. What is your LDL doing? Fasting insulin, triglyceride, liver enzymes, markers of inflammation, like highly react. Uh, C protein. One thing that's really important. Here's a rule that I follow. I keep saturated fat to as low as possible. Okay? You'll even see in some of these keto guys or carnivore guys who are real extreme, you'll see that their LDL is sky high, and if we, if they have their Apo B, which is APO lipper protein B. 

You'll see that sky high too. I'm not gonna get into a discussion about cholesterol and you know, I've seen the, I used to not believe in cholesterol leading to heart disease. I've even read a book called The Cholesterol Myth. Forget the name of the guy who wrote it, but I don't believe in that stuff anymore. 

I've talked to enough people, read enough research, and when I say people, I don't mean like TikTok influencers, carnivore, TikTok, influencers. Right carnivore Carl, I'm not talking about those people. I'm talking about people who read research and who understand it better than I do, and who I also feel are more objective in their analysis of the entirety of the literature for cholesterol. 

One thing that there is no, there is no controversy about is if you're fasting glucose is high, or you're fasting insulin is high, right? So how do you know if you have these issues? You get your blood work, that it's like your internal scoreboard. And if you're changing your plan, get your blood tested every three months at, let's say a minimum if you're making major changes to your diet to make sure that you're heading in the right direction. 

And if it's getting worse. If you're, for example, you're, you're having more issues with higher, with lipids, higher triglycerides, higher LDL, you're going in the wrong direction. Okay? Liver enzyme issues going in the wrong direction. And here's the thing with this, different people have different thresholds for things like prediabetes or higher blood sugar, uh, levels. 

So it's really important because maybe you do need to cut back on carbs or some of the sugary indulgences and while someone else can get away with it. And just to come back to that carnivore slash keto example, I know people not know people personally, but I've, I've seen people share their blood work and they're on the carnivore or keto diet, and their cholesterol numbers are, are normal. 

Some people get away with it, some people can't. It really depends on, that's something where genetics do come into play. How do you know? Get your blood work done. Rule number three, if you're getting weaker, your diet isn't working. Okay. Rapid weight loss can include muscle loss. And how do you know you get weaker? 

It's not a direct measurement. If you want a direct measurement, we'll talk about this in a second, but you get a DEXA scan or some type of the, the DEXA scan is like the gold standard of measuring not just body fat, but also lean mass, but you can also use an embody, but just measure something. Do not use. 

Your scale that you bought on Amazon for a couple hundred bucks? It is not accurate. Okay. I don't care what brand it is, they, they might get be getting better, but to my knowledge at this moment, the ones that I've seen and have worked with clients, we get a dexascan and their scale is off. The dexascan shows that, so again, coming back to this idea, you can lose weight rapidly. 

But if you're losing strength, then that's an indicator that you're losing muscle that is going in the wrong direction. If you lose muscle, what ends up happening is that your metabolism slows down. A lot of what people say about metabolism slowing down is not true. I'm not gonna get into that. I've done many episodes talking about metabolism. 

Maybe I'll do a miss about Metabolism episode soon. But what we know is that you should be eating enough. To make sure that you're maintaining your muscle mass. And the way to do that is make sure that you're eating enough protein and also lifting weights. So the protein target should be somewhere around 0.7 to one gram per pound of body weight if you're, let's say, in a normal body weight or normal BMI. 

And then you can cut it down even more, uh, uh, you know, point, 0.6 or so if it's, uh, if you're overweight or obese. And remember resistance training. It's mandatory on any fat loss plan. Because if you're not lifting weights, you will lose muscle. Okay? If you're not lifting weights or doing some type of training, you're, you're going to lose muscle and your metabolism does drop with lean mass. 

Rule number four, if it breaks your brain, it'll break your body. What do I mean by that? So if you're on a diet and it's got you stressed out, obsessed, you have guilt. I'll give you an example. I was talking to this guy. He ended up not becoming a client, but he was referred from a client of mine who got extremely life-changing results with me, right? 

And um, he was telling me a story on our call about how. Him and his wife did the whole 30 look it up if you've never seen it. It was really popular, maybe, I don't know, 12, 15 years ago. Nobody talks about it anymore because it's basically an eating disorder. Because not only are you restricting calories and you know, being extra strict about your food quality, but you're also, it, it's just he, I'll give you, I'll, I'll say it like this. 

He said, yeah, we're great. Me and my wife, we lost all the weight, but we, we stopped hanging out with our friends 'cause we couldn't leave the house. There was nothing we like, none of the restaurants. Had whole food, uh, whole 30, sorry, whole 30 approved foods that we could order. So that's nuts. Okay? That's not, that's not a diet, that's an eating disorder. 

Okay? What you need is flexible restraint, not perfection or 'cause that, that doesn't exist. Alright? We can even make the argument. They may even got, they, they might have gotten metabolically healthier, but in other ways became more unhealthy because we need to go, go out and socialize and most of us get benefit from hanging out with other people, not staying home, doing nothing that can be stressful. 

Or if eating carbs in Italy causes panic, your diet's too rigid, you can, um, sustain structured plans. But there needs to be enough flexibility and. Adherence matters more than optimization. What do I mean by that? If you can't stick with what you're doing for 10 years, then it's not the right plan for you. 

I'm doing something right now. I can do what I'm currently doing for the rest of my life, for the rest of my life. Sometimes I'm a little leaner. Sometimes I have a little more, uh, chub around the midsection. But I can always see my abs. I can, I always have vascularity. I have bicep veins, always. I eat almond, croissants, pizza, ice cream, candy, a lot of things that I'd probably arguably be better off not eating. 

That said, I still, I do those things because I feel like my blood work is good. My lean body mass is good. And most importantly, I can maintain this easily for the rest of my life easily, right? Because I have enough flexibility. So rule number five, if it doesn't work on vacation, your diet sucks. Your health shouldn't disappear the moment that you leave your neighborhood. 

So business, travel, holidays, and if you're like me, single dating or a part of life, or if you're in a relationship with your girlfriend or wife going out and celebrating your anniversary. Or their birthday. Or your birthday. So things like calorie banking, walking, protein, prioritization, those give you, those are tools for flexibility. 

Calorie banking, if you've never heard about it, it's when you eat lower calorie meals because you know you're gonna have a high calorie meal. That's what I teach in my program. That's what I do personally. And oh my gosh, you feel like I can do anything. I can go to a buffet and overeat, and I know exactly what I'll do before and after the buffet, and I won't feel that bad doing it. 

So if the plan only works with perfect control, it will collapse under pressure. You need real world compatibility. It's non-negotiable. Okay. And that's what I teach in my coaching program. So the goal is sustainability without obsession. Rule number six, if it's low in nutrients, it's starving you silently. 

So once someone learns, and, and I, I did this before as well, once someone learns about like, oh, it's just calories, so wow, I can eat, like, I can have almond croissants for breakfast and like. A hamburger for lunch and then, right. As long as I keep my calories in check, I'll lose weight. And you know what? 

It's true. It is 100% true. You can eat things that you feel like you shouldn't be able to eat, and you can lose fat and improve your metabolic health, especially if you have too much fat on your body currently. But here's the other thing, micronutrients and phytonutrients matter. What's a micronutrient? 

Well, magnesium. Potassium zinc. B12, vitamin A. Vitamin D. Although typically vitamin D, there's not a lot of vitamin D in in foods. Many foods. What are phytonutrients? Well, poly, uh, polyphenols like anthocyanins and blueberries or sulforaphane in broccoli or, um, olis in pomegranate. Those are examples of phytonutrients that can have a profound impact on your health. 

In fact, I would make the argument that it's a lot more important to make sure that you're eating, uh, the right things than it is to make sure that you're not eating the wrong, that you're, I'm getting mixed up with what I'm saying. It's more important to make sure you're eating the good stuff than it is to cut out the bad stuff. 

Now, of course it comes back to calorie balance. If you're like that individual, obese individual wanted to work with me and you're downing the, you, you're still, um, you know, you're still like in denial about what's going on. That's not what we're talking about. But what I'm saying is like, if you're at a reasonably lean level, for example, if you're a 20% body fat as a man, 25% body fat as a woman, or you know, a little bit lower. 

It becomes important to make sure you're getting enough of these micronutrients and a macronutrient that's also under underappreciated is fiber. Okay? These are things that will change your health, change your, um, yeah, really change your health and, and change your, change your longevity. So keep in mind, uh, you can. 

But because I'm saying this because I don't want you to, I always preach about calories. I don't want you to think that I don't care about diet quality because I do, I do. I had some mushrooms today, but, uh, some shiitake mushrooms with, uh, some. Some ground beef, some lean ground beef, because I know the Ergo theanine in the shiitake mushrooms is a really important compound. 

So keto and carnivore diets, they can help you lose fat, although they don't always, but they can be low in these. Micronutrients and phytochemicals if they're poorly designed and it's really hard to do. Carnivore well at at carnivore doesn't exist. A healthy carnivore diet or an optimal diet using carnivore does not exist. 

So anyway, coming back to fiber too. Satiety. Satiety. So satiety is the fullness you feel after eating. It improves with fiber, it improves with how many veggies you eat. So. If you don't eat enough of these veggies, eat enough fibrous foods, your body will be asking for more food. So rule number seven, if it doesn't fit your life, it won't last. 

So look, even if you're on the best science-based diet that you can find, and you're not making any of these silly mistakes that. People following fad diets are making, you still need to ask yourself this. How can I make this last? Right? How can I make this fit my life? So because things change, single versus being married with kids. 

Kids might want the junk when you're single. It's easy to control what, what's in the house. Do you hate cooking? Well, you better find some solutions for some, some easy meals. I, I currently cook very, very, very little. So you need to have something that works for you. Also, if you have like some cultural things. 

For example, I'm, I'm in Brazil right now. There's gonna be some cultural things that are a bit different, meaning I'm gonna go over to people's houses. They're gonna have types of foods like, uh. You know, more country style foods like beans and pork and rice, and all these other things. So yeah, make sure that it fits your preferences, your work schedule, your culture. 

It all matters because sustainability leads to consistency, and consistency leads to success and why I have a coaching business and why we get such great results. We personalize this strategy and we don't force you into someone else's rules. So let's briefly recap and then we'll go from there. So if you're gain, rule number one is if you're gaining fat or stalled out and not losing fat, your diet isn't working. 

Rule number two, if your blood work is getting worse, your diet isn't working. If you're losing muscle or getting weaker, your diet isn't working. If it's stressing you out to follow the diet or making you crazy obsessed with the food specifics, your diet isn't working. Number five, if it doesn't work in any environment, it's not working. 

Rule number six, if it's low in nutrients, it's not a good diet. Rule number seven, if it doesn't fit your life, it's not gonna last. Your diet sucks. So look, the perfect diet isn't the one that cuts the most carbs or adds the most supplements or sounds the fanciest. It's the one that gets you results with your body in your lab. 

In your lab tests and ultimately your life. So if your diet doesn't pass these seven tests, look, it's not your fault. You just need a better plan. And if you want a program that works with your body, your data, your lifestyle, and not against it, go ahead and go to legendary live podcast.com/free and watch my free new masterclass, and I'll show you how to finally get lean, strong, and healthy without chasing food fads.