Flexible Dieting: A Science-Based, Reality-Tested Method for Achieving and Maintaining Your Optimal Physique, Performance & Health

There are three main reasons that Flexible Dieting is the best book published in years about what to eat for an optimal physique, and a must read for anyone confused by conflicting diet advice.First, flexible dieting could not be a better subject to make a central theme. Flexible dieting isn’t a specific diet, it’s a type of dietary control. The other is rigid dieting, an all or nothing (dichotomous) approach. It often involves naming good and bad foods (moralizing) and setting non-negotiable rules. Research shows that rigid dieting is associated with unproductive behaviors (including bingeing), unhealthy attitudes, and relapse. Flexible dieting involves no black or white thinking, allows occasional treats (nothing forbidden), gives choice of meal schedule, and even freedom to be more or less strict based on the goal. The flexible approach leads to better adherence, better results, and better mental health.Second, the book is evidence-based (scientific). This is rare in the diet business. Almost all mainstream diets are full of misinformation or downright quackery. Truly evidence-based books have been sorely needed. Alan goes a step further by not only giving scientifically accurate nutrition guidance, but also teaching scientific literacy. That includes how to spot pseudoscience, find and read research, and reconcile conflicting studies.Third, Flexible Dieting teaches individualization. Almost all trendy diets try to convince you there’s only one best way, whether that’s cutting carbs, restricting the times you eat, eating only plants, eating only meat, or only eating what was hunted and gathered by our caveman ancestors. The science behind Flexible Dieting reveals this isn’t true. There’s no single diet best for everyone. Aragon explains it’s imperative to custom tailor eating plans so they suit your goals, schedule and preferences.After explaining flexible dietary control in chapter 1 and scientific literacy in chapters 2 and 3, the book teaches nutrition program design and customization. You learn about macros (protein, carbs and fat) in chapters 4, 5, and 6. Chapter 7 covers supplements. Chapter 8 covers setting calories and specific macro targets, and chapter 9 covers adherence, breaking plateaus, and maintenance.Everything is backed by science and set in the context of flexibility and individualization. The info on individualization is especially powerful and practical. As evidenced by self-determination theory, when people are given the competence and autonomy to individualize their own diets, that not only boosts adherence, it’s also the key to intrinsic motivation.Everyone could learn something new from this book, even the already science-savvy reader. Even well-worn subjects like macros and calories are discussed through the lens of the latest studies. (And the newest way to set macros is better than the old way with purely percentages). Brand new concepts like protein hyperfeeds are also introduced (heard it here first). You also get updates (in some cases changes to old recommendations) on hot topics like non-linear dieting, diet breaks, and carb refeeds, all based on new research. Even “cheat meals” are handled scientifically – they’re known as “hedonic deviations” in the research literature. (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson was provided as an entertaining case study).I purchased the kindle edition. It’s professionally designed and formatted well. There are hyperlinks to online resources and the science references in the back. It’s hefty at 468 pages, plus 83 more of citations (I think the print version is only 300), but I zipped through all of it the same day I downloaded it. There are chapter summaries and a final summary at the end. This way, if you want to get the gist of one chapter or the entire book in minutes, you can.Flexible Dieting is dense with detail and heavy on science but keeps a fairly conversational tone. There’s even some well-placed humor, like Alan’s bodyfat rating description chart (Ch 8) That makes this book good for a layperson or a scientist. The range of material also covers the bases for experience levels from first-time dieter to competitive bodybuilder.For nutrition research nerds and anyone interested in the newest science of sustainable dieting for physique transformation, this is a must-read. For beginners and people not into research yet, it will probably feel like very heavy reading with so much science referenced. However, it’s worth the effort to study material like this and become scientifically literate.Learning from a book like Flexible Dieting written by an experienced evidence-based researcher/author can help free people from wasting so much time and money on countless fad diets. It will also help people master the art of customizing a plan and making it your own so you can stick with it, maintain your results, and still enjoy the occasional indulgence.

Be prepared, the author is a scientist and goes carefully through the scientific literature to make his points. Surprisingly readable and clear. The author lays out the evidence but does not draw unwarranted conclusions. Every chapter ends with a concise review of the main points. If time is short, start with the summary and if you need the details go and immerse yourself. The last chapter is a similar style review of each chapter. The main point is you can have a very healthy diet that looks like almost anything imaginable. There are many ways to get your macronutrients so there is room for some careful discretionary eating. Weight loss is not a life sentence of eating nothing but unpalatable food choices. If your shelf has room for one more diet book then get this one.

Where do I even start? First things first - Alan Aragon is the GOAT of evidence-based nutrition; there really is no close second IMO. I've looked up to him as a scientist for well over a decade.His book Flexible Dieting is an accurate reflection of his knowledge, contributions, and profoundly positive impact on the field. It's no exaggeration to say that Flexible Dieting is an encyclopedic resource that can equip practitioners and enthusiasts with pretty much everything they need to know about nutrition for optimizing body composition and athletic performance. And I mean everything! The breadth and depth of information in this book is unheard of. And it's not just a bunch of theory. The practical applications in this book are so comprehensive and thoughtfully laid out. I personally think this book could serve as a top-tier nutrition certification manual. People can't possibly know what a bounty of knowledge it contains until they crack open the book.Lucky for us, Flexible Dieting is written in a comprehensible style; plain English, not jargon-heavy, yet it spares no detail in covering a multitude of topics that are crucial for the understanding of nutrition. The book begins by defining flexible dieting, running down its origin and evolution (I loved this part and found it to be absolutely fascinating), and clearly explaining why it's largely misunderstood by the conventional presumption that flexible dieting is about counting macros. Alan's coverage of the current science of protein, carbohydrate, fat, and supplements is leading-edge. Explicit and practical guidelines on daily amount, type, and dosing/timing relative to training are provided for the goals of muscle gain, fat loss, and athletic performance.Alan could easily have put out half the information that exists in the current book and made a classic, but he went above and beyond the call of duty. After the deep dive into the macronutrients, an evidence-based look at supplements for various goals cuts through the widespread confusion in this area. The dietary programming section is heavy on number-crunching, but Alan provides a link to an online calculator that makes it all a breeze. Anyone can now use this tool for programming calories and macronutrients for themselves and/or their clients. The book closes out with an in-depth discussion about dietary adherence and weaning off of tracking. This chapter sheds light on the big picture and offers practical insights and tactics that only someone with decades of experience in the trenches can provide.A great feature of this book is that there's a summary at the end of each chapter, and the final chapter is a summary of the whole book. I can tell that Alan painstakingly ensured that this book accomplishes the goal of empowering the reader to gain practical knowledge and skills that they can actually use for a lifetime. I simply can't stress enough how good this book is. It's far more than a diet book; it's a journey that takes a science and experience-based approach to lead the reader toward gaining mastery. Bravo, Alan!