"You are what you eat."
Whether you're an avid carbohydrate lover, or you simply can't escape sugars grasp on you, I can guarantee you some of you are doing the exact wrong things for your waistline and health.
We all know that carbs are the devil, right? Wait, are they? I don't know, someone told me they were. "Don't eat carbs after midday." "Don't eat rice because it makes you fat." If these are all true, why isn't everybody fat and unhealthy? But we're not...
More often than not we listen to the media, Facebook, Google, Wikipedia, or one of our friends friends sisters who did a 2 week online nutrition course for advice. And surprisingly, most of the time, you'll get a different response from all of them. Some are pro-carb, some anti-carb. Some pro-fat, some anti-fat, because it worked for them. The only thing that is consistent is their inconsistency. So stop taking advice from them. If you are confused about something, then you need to do your own research and make your own decision, and I'll do my best to educate you too, so you can make the right one.
Firstly, what is it we are trying to achieve? Are we eating to lose weight? Are we eating to gain weight? Are we eating because we want to be as healthy as possible and we're not concerned with the scales, but more so, our waistline and aesthetics (body image). Hopefully, you all answered YES to the last one. The general public get caught up on trying to lose weight, they forget to be healthy. When you're trying to lose weight, it's simply about those bloody scales. Right? Wrong, we forget about the fact that it may not be healthy or sustainable long term. Everyone is searching for a quick fix, but you soon will learn that it's far from one. You didn't gain 15 extra kilos in 2 weeks, so it won't take 2 weeks to come off either.
Weight loss and improving your health is a journey. You need to control the direction you travel in, and keep doing the little things that snowball together to create BIG positive change. Just like anything else in life, if you rush it, you'll miss something or get it wrong. Slow down and pay attention to the little things because at the end of the day, those little things are what help create or prevent change.
Are you eating yourself fat and sick?
If you're reading this and you're not quite happy with your body shape at the moment, it's time to step back and identify things that need to change in your own life that aren't working, or are doing their best to sabotage any success you might be chasing. If you think your diet is perfect, but you're unhappy with your body, time to go back to Step 1.
Let's start with breakfast? What are you eating? What you eat first thing is the most important.
Are you doing anything before you eat to prepare your body for the food you're about to consume? Eg. lemon juice in warm water with pink Himalayan salt? 5ml Apple cider vinegar in 150ml warm water before every meal if you have poor digestion.
Do you have poor digestion? Can we help that by introducing a ritual to stimulate stomach acid and digestive enzymes in our gut to improve the breakdown of food? (see above)
Are you eating the right balance of protein, fats and carbs at every meal? Including breakfast!
What's next? What do you eat or drink next during the day? Coffee? Latte? Black coffee? Tea? Sweetened? Time to cut the sugars and added crap.
Lunch? Did you prepare your own lunch, or, do you rely on the cafe downstairs from work to grab a quick baguette? Start planning, and you'll save $$$ too!
Afternoon snacking? Lollies? Chocolate? Chips? Soft drink? Coffee again? What's your chosen poison? What you eat or drink right now is very important and will seriously hinder your success moving forward if you stuff up here. Go the wrong way and watch how the rest of your day pans out, not to mention your mood. GO the right way, and watch the domino effect take place and a series of positive choices follow.
Is dinner planned? Protein, Fat, Carb? Or are you going to grab "something quick" on the way home? When was the last time this choice of "something quick" was a good one? ;)
Did you exercise today? Drink plenty of water? How was your mood? All of these play a big role in the big picture.
All of these questions I ask myself almost every day. Why? Because it's part of my routine now. It never used to be, but with keeping it consistent and wanting it bad enough, I committed to making change for the better. I started valuing my health and body more to do the right things by it. I wanted that end result enough to stay focused.
Do you see value in yourself? Do you hold yourself to a high enough regard to make better choices?
Most people eat too much of the wrong foods, and not enough of the right foods. It's time to shift the focus onto what food can make you better. Not just look better, but feel and function better. It's never too late.
Nutrition Basics
- Every meal should contain protein, 3 different coloured vegetables, and healthy fats.
- Carbohydrates are not the devil and they have an important role in your body goals. Although, bad carbs are always bad. White bread, simple carbs like sugars etc.
- Always eat variety, with protein, vegetables and fruits.
- Think about what foods may not be good for you, you may be intolerant to, or simply make you feel crap after eating them. If there is such foods, remove them immediately!!!
- Drink plenty of good clean water.
- Supplement where necessary, under guidance.
- Remove contaminants; processed foods, sugar, artificial sweeteners, fast food, microwave meals and starch based foods (white bread, white potato, and most other white foods).
- Keep a food diary to stay accountable to yourself. Even show your partner for extra support.
- Set clear expectation for yourself when it comes to eating better.
- "You don't have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great."
If you have any intention of maintaining a healthy life, then you need to start today. Anything that happened before right now is irrelevant, so stop dwelling on it. I get it, you ate that chocolate today after lunch, who cares. Feeling guilty about it won't change anything will it? Your positive changes start RIGHT NOW! Not tomorrow, not Monday, right now!
You can't just WANT it to happen, you need to MAKE it happen. Make better choices.
A Fresh Start
- Plan all of your meals for the week on Sunday, then shop for it. Stick to fruit and vegetable shops, butchers and fish mongers. Avoid the supermarket.
- Always eat breakfast.
- Eat at least 3 different coloured vegetables every day.
- Drink more clean water.
- Remove contaminants and let your body heal itself. Your body has the ability to do this by itself, you don't need some crazy detox plan, just go back to basics, and eat good old fashioned quality meals every single day! Watch your body change.
If you are struggling with your weight, body shape, health, digestion or anything in between, please don't hesitate to contact us today for a free consultation. We can help you address any areas of concern and start rebuilding your health before it's too late.
Need some inspiration? Check out Fat, Sick & Nearly Dead by Joe Cross.
Thanks for reading,
Stay healthy,
Liam