So, in your quest to seek out ways to lose weight fast, you know that even if you get a good workout going, you’re gonna have to get your diet dialed in as well. Now, it doesn’t have to be perfect (like I talked about re the "80/20 Rule"), but you’ve gotta get it most of the way there.

Or in other words – put the friggin’ fork down, eat less, and eat better.

But there are a ton of different diet plans out there, and all pretty much guarantee that you’ll lose weight fast? Which one should you do? Atkins? South Beach? High-carb? Intermittent Fasting? Or one of a myriad of different other plans out there by guys like Tom Venuto, Joel Marion, or others?

Now while all those have their pros and cons, you gotta remember – let’s think big picture, here. What’s a diet plan that will help you lose weight fast, give you adequate nutrition, fit your schedule, leave you feeling satisfied, but yet, most importantly, is something you’ll stick to for the long-term?

Really, you don’t need to over-think this like most people end up doing. A fairly simple, yet highly useful way of constructing a diet plan would go like this:

1 – figure out your idea bodyweight (or in other words, how much you want to weigh)

2 – for every pound of bodyweight, consume 1 gram of protein each day

3 – for every pound of bodyweight, consume up to (but not over) .5 grams of healthy fats

4 – for every pound of bodyweight, consume up to (but not over) .75-1 grams of good carbs (no simple sugars, refined flours, etc)

5 – everything else (condiments, etc) is consumed sparingly

How you organize an eating plan is up to you. Guys like Tom Venuto many times recommend as many as 5-6 small meals per day. Other plans – like various Intermittent Fasting plans – call for you to not eat during the day, but consume all your calories at night. Or, you could simply go the ‘old-fashioned’ route of eating three meals per day.

Another great plan I’ve heard (and it was amazing in its simplicity) was to figure out how much protein you need to consume in a day. Divide it by four, b/c you’re going to eat 4x/day. Start your each meal off w/your protein source – be it a meat of some sort, or even a whey protein shake. Wash it down with a glass of water. Wait 20 mins (b/c protein will generally fill you up), then eat pretty much what you want (within reason). In two of your meals that day, after the protein, have a big salad full of leafy greens. Wait a little longer. Then eat what you like.

None of this is rocket science – just keep your overall calories in check, get enough protein, get your healthy fats, and make sure the carbs you do eat (though you won’t need a ton of them) are from good, natural sources. Break up your meals however you want, as long as it’s a plan you’ll stick to long-term.