Blitz or Marathon Diets: Which one is right for you?
/
Diets. They are everywhere. In all the headlines, the latest office fad for at least one coworker, and one of the largest and most discussed topics out there. Every year, more than one-third of Americans go on some sort of diet. The worst part? Of those who see some success out the gate, 90% will regain that weight (and sometimes more). This is far from ideal. So what gives? Why don’t diets work in the long term? Why do so many of us keep failing? I'll tell you why. People are IMPATIENT. They want fast results. But that's clearly not working for 90% of people, so let's dive in and try to understand this phenomenon better.
To take things elementary, what's the definition of "diet"?
Diet (dai·uht):
The kinds of food that a person, animal, or community habitually eats.
A special course of food to which one restricts oneself, either to lose weight or for medical reasons
Macronutrients are the main components of food that make up a diet: carbohydrates, fat and protein.
Because we're not living in a society where people gather food from their immediate surroundings, resulting in a habitual set of food we eat all the time, we're referring to part 2 of the definition above. Majority of popularized diets aim for fat/weight loss, and this is done by restricting or avoiding one of the macronutrients. For example, the KETO diet restricts carbohydrates. A Bodybuilder diet does the opposite, restricting fat. One thing diets typically lack is proper instruction on deployment. How long are you supposed to restrict said macro for the best effect? When is the diet "done"?
Most diets are meant to be short-term, or "Blitz Diets", that focus on large caloric deficits, usually more than a 25% reduction from the individuals maintenance calorie consumption. Blitz diets can yield very rapid weight and fat loss; but these are hard to do, so they're most effective over the course of 2-4 weeks when there's a "deadline" event on the horizon (think weddings, weigh-ins for a competition, photo shoots, etc.).
Another form of diet is known as a “Marathon Diet", consisting of small to moderate deficits/restrictions over a longer period of time (think 2-4 months). These types of diets allow for much more “tinkering” and can have fewer "side effects" on mood, hunger, muscle maintenance, and hormonal issues. That said, this type of dieting can be boring and mentally draining. It can feel like there's no end in sight, but they're effective in building a diet around the individual's lifestyle (see part 1 of the definition above).
So which is right for you? To answer that, here is a quick checklist to help figure it out:
How lean are you already? Consider your body fat percentages. For men, is it under 12%? Women, is it under 24%?
How locked in is your nutrition already? How much protein do you eat per day? Do you drink 100oz or more of water per day? How often are you going out to eat/ordering in?
What do you have going on in your life? Do you have kids? Do you work long hours? How much sleep do you get?
Are you consistently working out 3-5x/week?
Once you've considered your answers to those questions, read on. If you are already pretty lean, your nutrition is dialed in, and your'e sleeping like a baby, both Blits and Marathon options should work for you, but following a more aggressive Blitz style diet might be the best fit. You can lock it in hard for a few weeks as a way to "switch it up" (for those personality types who like that) and get some great results.
If you have more weight to lose, aren't sure how much protein you should be eating, and have kids running around at home; a slower, less aggressive approach is what I'd recommend. It's best to run the Marathon.
For most people looking to retain results, the Marathon diet is the way to go as it shows better results in weight loss, reduced muscle and strength loss. These diets are effective for long-term and sustained results, and it homes in on both parts of the definition above. Many people struggle with the baseline nutritional habits (water, protein, balanced meals, etc) necessary to dive into a Blitz diet, and that's where the slow changes and habit building of a Marathon diet can come into play. One can reduce calories, create a course of action to lose weight, and avoid the added stress that comes with crazy cravings and aggressive deficits.
Whatever path you choose, just know you WILL slip up and make mistakes. You'll need to make adjustments along the way (and that's where consulting with a professional can really come in handy), and you'll need to get up and keep moving forward; just focusing on the next meal (not the next day, week or month). At the end of the day, patience is really the key.
References:
Ashtary-Larky D, Bagheri R, Abbasnezhad A, Tinsley GM, Alipour M, Wong A., Effects of gradual weight loss v. rapid weight loss on body composition and RMR: a systematic review and meta-analysis . Br J Nutr. 2020 Jun 24;1–12.
