I’ve mentioned before that the Anything Goes Diet aka AGD helped me to have the right approach to losing weight.

Most of my weight gain happened because I developed some very bad habits. The Anything Goes Diet helped me to reset my mindset, and approach weight loss with a healthy attitude. Despite its name, AGD is very flexible and is not a rigid diet (you know I hate those!)

The Anything Goes Diet By John Barban

The Anything Goes Diet is for the person who believes that your diet should fit your lifestyle, not the other way round. John Barban, the writer of the Anything Goes Diet, is a former diet and nutrition researcher, and a former strength and conditioning coach.

This program teaches you how to eat intuitively and lose weight – all while fitting in socializing, eating out, having treats, and having fun.

There are no crazy strict rules – no offlimit foods, no meal timings, no perfect ratios that need to be maintained, nothing crazy. As you know, I’m not a fan of depriving myself, and this course taught me how to indulge and lose weight at the same time. It’s all about creating a deficit, and the guide teaches you how to do that while eating healthy and having fun.

The program really helped me to understand the mind-body-food connection, and how we really are what we eat.

In order to maintain a caloric deificit with the Anything Goes Diet, you need to do some calorie counting or “calorie guessing” as John calls it, since it doesn’t have to be exact. I know that when you’re not used to considering calories this can be a bit difficult at first, but after the first week or two you start to get a good idea of what foods contain how many calories – this was actually easier for me since I don’t vary my food too much unless I’m eating out. I’ve gotten into the habit of checking nutrition labels for amount of calories at the supermarket, and I don’t stress much about the exact figures (like John recommends).

The AGD also talks about why yo-yo diets and strict diets don’t work, and I am in complete agreement with what John says! I hate having to be strict about what I eat – I have a huge sweet tooth and I love my chocolate. Most diets will tell you to cut out chocolates, but I’m not about to do that

I also appreciate that John has also covered how to eat socially. Most of us like to go out sometimes, whether it’s to McDonalds or to a fancy French restaurant, and John helps you get through those outings without stressing – you can have fun when you go out (which is what you should be doing!), instead of worrying about your diet.

What I Liked About the Anything Goes Diet

The Anything Goes Diet is a diet for free spirits.

It really helped me get started with losing weight and I would recommend it as the first step to anyone who’s serious about getting fit while still having fun.

This program really hit home with me, as you can probably tell. There are many things I’ve tried in order to lose weight, and reading this made me see why those diets don’t work.

It’s also a bit upsetting to think of all those years when I thought I was being good and being healthy but was actually miserable inside because I couldn’t eat what I wanted to (in particular, no-carb and no-sugar diets that I went on, giving up my beloved chocolates, mangoes, french fries and lasagna. Thank goodness I can eat them now and I don’t feel any guilt when I do.)

Negatives of the Anything Goes Diet

Like any other program, AGD isn’t for everyone.

If you’re looking for a quick weight-loss solution, you won’t like it, since this covers a more “slow and steady” approach. You can combine it with Eat Stop Eat (like I did) to lose weight quicker, but by itself this is a slower approach.

This diet is for people who are looking to change their mentality and can think for themselves.

If you are happy to follow the advice of a fitness guru and eat whatever they tell you to, for the rest of your life, then this diet isn’t for you. I’m a bit bitter about this actually, since it annoys me to have to give up my favorite foods. But some people do fare better when the exact guidelines are written out for them and they like to have step-by-step guides to follow – if you’re one of those folks, then you’ll do better with a different course like Cheat Your Way Thin.

I prefer the AGD approach, but of course it’s not for everyone.

Does the Anything Goes Diet Work?

My answer is – YES!

This is a plan for being healthy and fit for the rest of your life, without giving up what you love. It’s been perfect for me and has helped me to successfully keep off the weight.

It’s worked for many of John’s clients, and I don’t doubt its effectiveness, it’s a great long-term solution.

If you’ve had any experience with the Anything Goes Diet, or have any questions, please post a comment below.

You can get the Anything Goes Diet here.

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