Individuality

There is no single best weight loss or weight management solution because no two people are alike.

Yes, some strategies have a lot more successes and/or science behind them, and you can (and should) use credible evidence to give you direction and inspiration. Just realize that even if you're doing the exact same thing as someone else, your results could be different (better or worse).

Authors of diet books and people who have lost weight tend to be excited about what worked for them, and they think that everyone else should be doing the same thing. But if you're trying to follow a particular popular strategy or diet and you feel terrible and/or just aren't losing weight, you should try something else because it clearly isn't working for you. It's not necessarily a "bad" strategy -- it's just not right for you.

Get the advice of your doctor, and follow common sense ... just realize that your personal goals are up to you, and what is actually working is more important than what "should" be working but isn't.

Keep in mind:

1. Look at everything you do as just a simple, personal experiment on your part to verify a tactic or strategy for yourself.
2. Your personal results don't prove a tactic, program, tool, supplement, whatever, is "good" or "bad" by itself -- the only thing you know for certain is that it did or didn't work for YOU at a certain point in time in your life.
3. "Know Thyself": You ultimately are the best judge of what works for you. Your likes, preferences, feelings and goals are perfectly valid. Don't let gurus, trends or others discourage you from what you know is true about yourself, or come to discover about yourself.
4. Be willing to adjust your plans; Be willing to give things a second try; your body and mind change over time.