You are metabolically unique, and that’s critical to understand when it comes to diet & fat loss strategies.

I call this “the law of metabolic individuality.” This should be common sense, but it often gets blowback from nutrition zealots. It means that each of us is metabolically unique, psychologically varied, and has a vast discrepancy in personal preferences. I think it’s the “metabolic uniqueness” that bothers some people, so let me explain that part.

Sure, humans share a metabolism that functions, by and large, the same from person to person. But, at the same time, it varies in significant ways. To understand, think about appearance. There’s no mistaking that the people you interact with daily are human. They almost always have two arms & two legs, they walk upright & they interact with you in relatively predictable ways.

They are entirely recognizable as “human,” and yet they look entirely unique as individuals. This is the way to think about metabolic individuality. Just as humans vary physically, they differ metabolically as well.

We now know we can fluctuate substantially in how we handle and digest food, whether we’re sensitive to bitter compounds, how insulin-resistant we are, our susceptibility to illness, and more.

There’s nothing incompatible with the idea that we share a vast amount (& the most important aspects of metabolism), but also vary in ways that make a significant difference in our health, fitness function & appearance.

Same with psychological makeup. Personalities differ. We have different relationships & coping strategies for stress. Some are more or less susceptible to addiction. Some like chocolate, others prefer vanilla.

These psychological differences are not just somewhat significant, they are HUGE. Imagine a person who loves chocolate following a diet that never allows chocolate again? Can they sustain that? It’s doubtful.

We must honor these personal distinctions. If you know eating fat makes you get bloated, develop acne & feel sluggish, you should honor that despite what some health guru says about adding fat to your coffee. Understanding you is the most important skill in nutrition.