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Don't D I E T-
My 4 building blocks for a LASTING nutritional change!
Think of the word diet and what's the first thing that comes to mind? Visions of joyless eating, redundant foods, everything plain. Enough lettuce to turn you into a rabbit. No joy for your taste buds. Meals that would starve a mouse and piles of food labeled "OFF LIMITS", locked away, never to be tasted again. Doesn't sound pleasant does it? Of course not, which is why I usually do NOT refer to anyone's nutrition plan as a diet. It's a nutritional plan, a lifestyle change, a healthy way of eating, your plan should NOT be about deprivation.
Boooring! Deprivation diets, fad diets and taboo-food diets send the wrong message. Your body is not an enemy that needs to be beaten and starved into submission. Building healthy habits can – and should – be fun! This is a positive thing you’re doing, making yourself healthy and happy at the same time and fueling your body with whole, natural, fat burning and muscle sustaining foods!
Food was created for a reason. Each food has specific benefits and potential drawbacks. Even chocolate, in certain forms, is said to protect against high blood pressure and heart disease. On the other hand, if you eat nothing but grapefruits, you'll be loading up on certain vitamins, but missing out on a lot of other very important nutrients. The key is balance. Too much of anything can hurt. But not enough of everything can hurt even more.
How far do you think your car would go on watered down gas or without any oil? This is a rhetorical question, as the answer is obvious. Let me clue you in on a little secret- you’re no different. Deprive your body of what it needs and it’ll break down. The secret is to be conscious of the grades of "oil" and "gas" that you use. Some are more powerful than others, and help you run longer and more effectively on less fuel.
Food was created for a reason. Each food has specific benefits and potential drawbacks. Even chocolate, in certain forms, is said to protect against high blood pressure and heart disease. On the other hand, if you eat nothing but grapefruits, you'll be loading up on certain vitamins, but missing out on a lot of other very important nutrients. The key is balance. Too much of anything can hurt. But not enough of everything can hurt even more.
How far do you think your car would go on watered down gas or without any oil? This is a rhetorical question, as the answer is obvious. Let me clue you in on a little secret- you’re no different. Deprive your body of what it needs and it’ll break down. The secret is to be conscious of the grades of "oil" and "gas" that you use. Some are more powerful than others, and help you run longer and more effectively on less fuel.
The following are my 4 major tips for achieving success, balance, and longevity with your nutrition plan;
1) Make sure the plan fits who you are and the life you lead!
This is my number one, and the main reason why each and every one of my clients eats entirely differently then another. A nutrition plan HAS TO FIT WITH YOU and with your LIFESTYLE. You should NOT adjust to a plan, a plan should adjust to you. If you hate fish and your nutritional plan is loaded with fish, I can guarantee you won't enjoy it and you won't stick to it. If your plan mandates that you eat 6 times a day and you simply do not have the means or time to accommodate 6 meals then you're immediately set up for failure. Your plan should fit comfortably with your lifestyle and involve healthy foods that you'll enjoy eating and look forward to preparing.
2) Make sure the plan fits your goals!
Cookie cutter diets and "one size fits all" fads are crap. Plain and simple. If your goal is to build muscle then your food choices need to be based on that goal. By the same token if your goal is to lose bodyfat then you'll need to be making decisions about food that are going to gear you towards fat loss. The bottom line- no matter WHAT your goal, make sure your nutrition FITS that goal and is structured around achieving it- you cannot get that pulling a cookie cutter workout out of MuscleMag or Men's Health or Shape or Fitness. You will need to individualize a plan based on your goals, and your goals alone!
3) Portion Control
Know your portions. Be conscious not only of what you're putting in your mouth but how much you're consuming as well. Mindless and emotional eating are common problems associated with weight and bodyfat gain and getting a handle on how much you eat in addition to WHAT you eat will give you drastic physique results. 8 ounces looks entirely different then 4 or 5 and depending on your goals, you'll need to keep a handle on your portions- if fat loss is a goal of yours this is especially key!
4) Get Support
Making a lifestyle change, any change is hard, but in this day and age, where food is abundant and a staple society's socialization, changing your nutritional habits is especially hard. Temptation is everywhere- at home, in the workplace, on tv, on billboards, in stores- it seems food, and food options are everywhere. This makes changing the way you eat a bigger challenge then you may realize. Having a solid support system will go a long way to ensuring your success. Meet up with friends at the gym, join an online health community or fitness forum, seek out the help of a trainer or coach, or subscribe to your favorite health or fitness magazine- but find a way to get support and motivation for those "hard to handle" days that are sure to attempt an upset on your road to health and fitness freedom!
