Realistic, Enjoyable, and Flexible: Dr. Eric Helms listed these 3 things as the base of his Muscle and Strength Training Pyramid. Is your training realistic for your situation? Do you enjoy it? Does it have the flexibility to accommodate your life? The mediocre program that you can stick with consistently for the long term will be far better than the “perfect” program you only do for 4 weeks. The same is true with nutrition.
Consistency far outweighs any sort of specific diet. There are some fundamentals we’d like in a diet (e.g. getting sufficient protein, fruits, and veggies), but there’s a ton of room for personal choice. Before jumping into a training program or diet, ask yourself if it fits these 3 criteria. Long-term sustainability is critically important in making a change that sticks.
