I decided to stay up past my bedtime tonight. That way I could watch the season finale of ABC’s new show My Diet Is Better Than Yours.

It was a fantastic decision.

The show did so many things that I always hoped to see in other weight-loss competitions. Most notably, it promoted safe and healthy practices. Seems pretty basic, but it’s a more than I can say for some of the other reality show competitions I’ve seen.

On top of that, the show got me fired up and reminded me why it is I love what I do for work. Throughout the course of the show, you saw people completely transform. Both on the outside—with jaw dropping body transformations—and on the inside.

After the finale ended and the winner was crowned, I found myself thinking about some of the show’s big takeaways. And I knew I had to write about it.

Instead of climbing into bed, I wanted to jot down my thoughts and create a rough outline so I could write in the morning…

Fast forward a couple thousand words and I have an entire article in front of me. Sorry, sleep, you’ll have to wait. These takeaways from My Diet Is Better Than Yours are too important.

My Diet Is Better Than Yours: The Takeaways

1. Everything Can Work

Every single person on the finale saw amazing results. Each time someone stepped on the scale, I was blown away. And based on everybody’s reactions—the coaches, fellow contestants, Shaun T.—I wasn’t alone. Each one of them reached huge health and weight-loss milestones, transformed their bodies, and their lives.

All four contestants finished the competition as winners. And they did that with drastically different plans. How’s that possible? Because everything can work. But that doesn’t mean it will work for you. That’s the trick. You have to find out what works best for you.

Every single person is different. What works for one person might not work well for you. No plan is universally the “best.” Different body types, lifestyles, and personal preferences make that impossible. True success only comes when you find a plan that you can stick to.

That’s part of the beauty of the show. Not only did contestants pick a plan they thought would work well for them, they also had the opportunity to change plans if it didn’t feel like a good fit. Finding what works best for you is critical to your success. And it was an integral part of the show.

These were the plans featured on the show (in no particular order):

The Wellness Smackdown Plan by Jovanka Ciares

This plan is, “an anti-inflammatory vegan diet that uses herbs to detoxify the body. This diet puts your body on a schedule, only feeding it between the hours of 10AM and 7PM— and drinking a gallon of water, fruit smoothies, along with three meals, including fresh vegetables and whole grains. Jovanka even adds warm oil massages as well as herbal teas.”

The Strong Safe & Sexy Plan by Jennifer Cassetta

This plan is, “a pescatarian and gluten free way of eating that has a positive impact on the scale, in your gut, and on the planet! The following are its key: hydration, pescatarian, gluten free, eat green, eat healthy fats, pack a probiotic punch, free of refined sugars, free of Frankenfoods.”

The cLean Mama Plan by Carolyn Barnes

This plan says, “you can turn any part of your daily life into an opportunity to burn calories. [It] spells out how chores around the house can be game changers when it comes to weight loss and wellness. “Taskercising” coupled with three meals and three “grab-me-snacks” per day, […] will be [filling] and [burn] more than [you take] in, in record time.”

The Nutrient Timing Plan by Rob Sulaver

This plan is, “all about eating the right foods, in the right amounts, at the right times (especially in relation to exercise.) [It] focuses on whole, unprocessed from-the-earth foods. That means a TON of vegetables, plenty of healthy meats, and balanced, natural fats. The Nutrient Timing Plan uses your hand as a measuring device. For women: 1 palm of protein, 2 fist of vegetables, and 2 thumbs of fat per meal. For men: 1.5-2 palms of protein, 2 fist of vegetables, and 3 thumbs of fat at every meal.”

The No-Diet Plan by Jay Cardiello

This plan focuses on, “creating simple and effective behavioral weight loss strategies such as using blue plates, or eating with your nondominant hand to help with portion control. Premise of The No Diet Plan: Food is the Habit, not the Root Cause! The No Diet Plan provides simple and effective behavioral strategies for sustainable weight loss. These behavioral strategies include proper rest, nutritional awareness and finding the root cause that brought you to this point.”

The Superfood Swap Diet by Dawn Jackson Blatner

This plan, “promotes the practice of swapping out your favorite foods for healthier versions. No refined sugar and no snacking, but you’re allowed sweets and alcohol when with a group and you only exercise for fun! The Rules: Step 1. Decide what you WANT to eat. Step 2. Put the “right RATIONS” on your plate. Step 3. Swap C.R.A.P. [Chemicals, Refined flour/sugar, Artificial stuff, Preservatives] to Superfoods at your own pace.”

The Wild Diet by Abel James

This plan, “focuses primarily on plant-based foods and bans processed carbs, but allows pastured meats, cheeses, butter and even chocolate! Combined with one specially designed 7-minute workout a day— Abel says the fat WILL come off!” Abel also often says, “You have to eat fat to burn fat.”

Each one of these plans can—and does—work. The coaches are experts that truly know what they’re talking about. (I found myself nodding in approval throughout the show.) But just because each plan can work, doesn’t mean it will work for you.

For me, I like eating red meat way too much to stick with Jovanka or Jennifer’s plans. Neither one would be a good fit for me. And that’s okay. While I get hungry just reading about The Wild Diet, somebody else is getting excited reading about The Wellness Smackdown’s detoxes and vegan approach.

When you find a plan that works for you, see it to the end. That’s what the contestants did and it paid off in a big way.

2. Your Team is Everything

Willpower might be all the rage, but a support system makes all the difference.

Let’s be real, when you’re in a competition with a massive payout waiting for the winner, you want to win. Shoot, when I’m playing Monopoly with my family I want to win. But even with all the willpower and self-discipline in the world, the process is going to get rough.

You need a support system to root you on and keep you accountable.

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Related: Accountability is a secret to success. See why here.

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You need a Jay living in a tent in your front yard. You need a Rob running around with a bandana tied to the end of a stick.

You need a Jennifer sitting down with you in the dojo and having a heart to heart about a difficult divorce. You need an Abel helping you throw a dessert party that fits your diet plan.

And you need a Dawn to have that difficult conversation about throwing out your box of “fat clothes.”

Having someone who champions your success when things are going well and when things inevitably get rough is big—both in fitness and in life.

In the show, it went beyond the coaches and experts.

Supportive family and friends made success much more likely. Even the contestants themselves cheered for one another. Yes, they wanted to win. But they also wanted everyone else to succeed. Family, friends, coaches, and fellow contestants all lifted each other up and it showed.

Of the five contestants that started, only four finished. The fifth left the competition early. And it was heartbreaking for the entire cast. Shaun T. literally had tears welling up in his eyes and others begged her not to go.

But I think the heart most broken was her own.

On the home front, she didn’t have much support. While she was in the middle of a grueling competition, life did what it always does—it got hard.

She was stuck at the end of her rope in between a rock and a hard place. A stronger support system could have led to an entirely different outcome. (Take note: I mean at home. The entire cast did a great job being supportive and helpful.)

Surround yourself with a supportive and loving team. Because when life gets hard—and it always does—you need people to help hold you up.

3. It’s About More Than the Scale

I’m not going to lie. I got emotional watching the finale. It reminded me why I do what I do. And that has nothing to do with the number on the scale or the person you see in the mirror. It’s all about the inner transformation that happens when you transform your body.

Everybody crushed it. But not because they looked like different people during the finale. They crushed it because they became different people during the finale. As they transformed their body, they transformed their entire life. You could watch their self-confidence and self-love change throughout the entire season.

That’s what it’s all about—learning to love the awesome person you are and developing the confidence to see that inner awesome.

Not a single contestant seemed bitter or resentful as the winner was announced. Maybe it was just fancy editing, but it looked like everybody cheered, hugged, and congratulated one another for their individual victories. There may have only been one person that won the competition, but every single contestant won a prize even more grand—they transformed their lives.

They all lost weight, dropped inches, and shed body fat. But the changes that really mattered happened on the inside. And their lives will never be the same again.

Now It’s Your Turn

I want you to experience the same kind of transformation you saw on My Diet Is Better Than Yours. Not only do I want you to find the plan that works best for you, transform your body, and transform your life.

I want to help you do it.

It’s time for you to begin your own fitness journey. And it all starts right now. The first step is simple—Join The BENTRAINED Family. You’ll:

– Cut through the industry confusion.

– Find the plan that works best for you.

– Transform your body and your life.