Let’s talk about food! “MMMMM… food,” said in Homer Simpson’s voice… Okay seriously – so you have started a new workout routine, or you have been training for some time, and you are frustrated with the results that you have been getting. Or should I say, lack thereof?
Well what I am going to discuss with you today is about making better choices with food, not necessarily what “diet” to follow.
Diets, in the conventional sense, are just a plan with an arbitrary end date and restriction of almost all of your daily calories. Then at dinner or out with friends, while they are eating “fun foods” you say things like, “I can’t have that I’m on this low carb/gluten free/sugar free/animal free/no dairy/twigs and berries with water only diet.” One of the main issues with this is that at the end of this arbitrary date or weight that you chose, you go back to your old eating habits.
Stop!!!!!!! News flash, if you still weigh the same or look the same as you did prior to starting the “diet” then you haven’t changed anything!
You have to change your habits. Not your calories… let’s think about this for the moment.
Changing habits = better, longer and healthier results.
Not changing habits = low carb, gluten free, sugar free, animal free, no dairy, twigs and berries with water only diet, with the same results at the end. Not to mention frustration.
But wait! I know what you are thinking to yourself. But Rob, my cousin’s sister’s momma’s best friend said that she tried this snake potion, along with this twig and berries diet, and lost weight. What do you say to that Mr. Smarty Pants?
Well, yes you are going to lose some weight when you restrict the calories that you take in, which is obviously the goal. However, did you change your habits so that they will last a lifetime, or did you just change for a short while?
The problem is that most times with calorie restrictions like this, you are losing muscle tone as well as water weight, not fat. So, while the scale says that you weigh less, you’re not obtaining the results you are looking for. You didn’t actually lose body fat, just muscle mass and water along with minimal fat.
What you need to do before you start any diet is to have someone take your body fat with a caliper or any type of body fat gauge. I understand that this might be embarrassing but it’s the only true way to tell if you are getting real results.
Also, you will be setting yourself up for success if you make your eating choices easy and habitual, not complex and hard. Compared to popular belief it’s not a science experiment, eating healthy doesn’t have to be complicated.
You can choose whatever eating lifestyle you like; just remember to keep the results it has to be a lifestyle and not have a start and end date.
As always, train hard, be a beast!