7 Criteria to plan your diet

Since I am an Instructor and my hair is grey, most assume I am wise and ask my advice on many subjects, even outside the ambit of KravMaga - It can range from career-choices, love life, ideal side-dish for brandy and so on. Since I am accommodative and like to hear my own voice, I squeeze my grey cells and spout wisdom unabashedly!
The One and Only Randy Glasbergen

Of late, after I lost lots of weight, many students ask about dieting. Since they come in all shapes and sizes it is obvious that a standardized diet plan wont fit everyone. So what is the criteria when deciding a diet plan?

Criteria 1 - What is your objective? 
Is it weight loss, weight gain, cosmetic body sculpting, build power, preparing for a competition? Be specific of your primary desire.

 Criteria 2 - What is your current status?
Are you extremely obese, just over-weight, under-weight and so on? This is to indicate the time and effort needed to close the gap between your present and ideal.

Criteria 3 - Do you have any identified or suspected medical issue?
In case you are having other identified medical issues like diabetes, hyper-tension, thyroid etc. also get your Doctor's opinion. Without understanding the implications, changing diet drastically may induce new issues or aggravate existing problems.
Schwadron, Harley

Criteria 4 - What is your profile?
Sedentary life, Reasonably physically active, Highly strenuous and so on?

 Criteria 5 - What is your age?
What works for a college student will not work for a 50+. So be realistic, otherwise you will end up in a worse state than you started.


 Criteria 6 - What is your natural body type?
The 3 major body types are -
Ectomorph: Lean and long, with difficulty building muscle.
Endomorph: Big, high body fat, often pear-shaped, with a high tendency to store body fat. Mesomorph: Muscular and well-built, with a high metabolism and responsive muscle cells.
There are more complex body-types too.. So, factor in your natural body type while setting objectives
Maxine in Crabby Road by John M. Wagner
Criteria 7 - How much of your resources can you expend to meet your objectives?
Diet plans require commitment of Time, Effort and Money too. So, choose a diet plan which can be accommodated by your life style.

So, be reasonable and set realistic goals. Go gradual and do course-corrections by monitoring intermittent results. Be consistent and sustain your pace.
Don't go over-board in a burst of enthusiasm and end up in worse shape!
Location: Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India

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