With the New Year rapidly approaching, folks are beginning to announce their resolutions. This time has reminded me of how silly I think “diets” are, particularly for athletes.

A few days back, I exposed how I like to write about shit nobody cares about when I mused on the health benefits of tamarind paste.

Loren commented:

I am curious to know your thoughts on Whole 30? I really want to step up my diet in 2016 & beyond.

C’mon, Loren. Softball. Sure, I’ll bite.

From what I can gather, the basis of the Whole 30 is simple. Eat unprocessed food for 30 days.

The other day, my son Chase asked me what my diet consists of these days. “Animals and vegetables, Chase.” My answer will almost always be the same, even if it doesn’t have a particularly fancy title.

By now, you already know our lean on cleanses, juice fasts, pills and powders. But even though some “get in shape” programs are more sensible than others, very generally speaking, you’re better off not dieting. This is backed up by boatloads of quality studies.

What happens to people on diets in the long run?” Mann asked. “Would they have been better off to not go on a diet at all? We decided to dig up and analyze every study that followed people on diets for two to five years. We concluded most of them would have been better off not going on the diet at all. Their weight would be pretty much the same, and their bodies would not suffer the wear and tear from losing weight and gaining it all back.

Look, I get it. For many (and maybe for Loren), participating in a program is the way to go. Having a predetermined structure can provide awareness and confidence. And if this is your lean, then by all means, the Whole 30 is strong conceptually. It’s not a bad place to start. But if you set out with 30 days of anything in your mind, you may find yourself on day 31 with a pint of Cherry Garcia in one hand and a spliff in the other. Day 32 might be a colossal disaster as well.

So why not dig into a lifestyle change? Buy lots of animals, fruits and veggies. Cook with them. Drink great coffee, a little wine, Scotch or whatever is your pleasure. Listen to good music while you eat. Go for a run or a swim. Lift some really heavy weights. Do shit like this on very regular basis, then go easy on yourself and crush cheesecake once in a while.

Be human. Don’t diet.

Kap