No, they don't. If they know what they are talking about the answer will be: it depends.
As much as I don't like arrogant Layne Norton, he has credentials and also a reputation to live up to, so I happen to believe what he and other guys like Alan Aragon have to say about dieting. Do you disagree with anything they've said here?
http://www.predatornutrition.com/en/content/ask-the-experts-fat-loss-special/Question 1 - What is the most important determinant of fat loss?
Layne Norton - Well there are a lot of things but the biggest thing is to make sure that you are in a caloric deficit. Obviously protein/carb/fat breakdown is going to heavily influence substrate utilization and exercise is important to maintain muscle mass but at the end of the day if you aren't oxidizing more than you take in you won't be seeing significantly fat loss in most cases.
Alan Aragon - The most important thing is to sustain a caloric deficit over a prolonged period. The deficit will periodically close up, and plateaus in fat loss will occur, and getting past those plateaus is a matter of re-
opening the deficit with either a further decrease in intake, increase in training output, or both.
Question 3 - What's the biggest misconception most athletes have about getting in shape?
Layne Norton - That you can do it quick. I see guys who have 40 lbs of fat to lose and think they can just drop it in 12 weeks. Yea you might be able to drop 40 lbs but you are going to lose muscle and you are going to put it back on really fast when you go back to normal eating.
Alan Aragon - The most common misconception is that it can be done quickly and easily as long as the right "secret tactics" or "special foods" are used. The reality is that, for the most part, getting in shape is an epic test of consistency, will, discipline, and diligence. There are no short-cuts. If someone lacks the incredibly high degree of motivation and resolve to succeed, it's not gonna happen.
"The more extreme the methods used to achieve fat loss... the more extreme the rebound will be. Lose it slow, eat a variety of foods, and diet on as many calories as you can. When you are done, SLOWLY add calories back in. Few people actually do this and that is why ~95% of diets fail to produce long term fat loss."
