How many people will read an article about nutrition and say, “Hmmm maybe that’s me, I should probably stop eating that top 7 food that will give me belly fat”
Or see a food documentary and say, “OMG I need to stop eating all meat and gluten immediately!”
Here’s the thing: maybe these articles and movies are right for some people, maybe they are right for you – but maybe they are very wrong as well, and you might end up stressing over nothing and causing your body MORE stress than you would if you ate these supposed toxic foods.
Instead of listening to an article you saw posted on Facebook or a free biased documentary, why not listen to yourself, and really get in touch with your own body.
“Gluten is the worst thing in the world” – someone on the internet somewhere.
If you have Celiac disease, then yes, you cannot eat gluten. But what about gluten intolerance? Instead of just assuming that you have this, and potentially missing out on some awesome foods for no reason at all, and ruining your social life because no one wants to hang out with the guy who has to order gluten-free everything at a Mexican restaurant, why not listen to your body and track some information down.
Look at all the foods you eat, which ones contain gluten? What percentage of your nutrition is coming from them? How do you feel right after eating these foods? Is it the gluten or is it the highly processed carbs?
This is how we should approach all foods.
LISTEN TO YOUR BODY – it will tell you more than any doctor, dietitian or nutrition guru ever will.
This example can be used for anything really. Milk, Hoppy Beer’s (IPA’s) and pitted fruits are all foods that I have found do not agree with my body through self analyzation. Milk goes right through me, Hoppy Beer’s (if I have more than 1) make me feel like I need to puke, and pitted fruits make the throat itch.
I’m no doctor, but I would probably say it is best to avoid these foods!
“Sexy Women’s Fitness Magazine said I need to eat 1200 calories to lose weight”
Maybe you do, maybe you don’t. But how about we start with what we can find out – what are you currently eating?
If you use an estimated number or a calculated number – this could be right for you – but it depends where you’re starting from.
Let’s say calculator X suggests you should be consuming 2,000 calories to reach your goal. Maybe it is right on the money, maybe you DO need 2,000 calories to reach your goal….There are still a few VERY likely issues that keep popping up when people do this:
- 2,000 calories a day may represent a HUGE increase and, therefore, will result in fairly rapid weight gain right off the bat.
- 2,000 calories a day may represent a massive decrease and, therefore, result in crashing and burning.
How do you handle the massive weight gain out of the gate? CAN you handle it? Is it it even necessary?
How do you manage the massive crash – adjust yourself to eat more food or a cheat meal? If so, what is the point of having a calorie goal at all?
See how this “perfect on paper and in theory” turns into a slippery slope of a mess in real life – and leaves more questions than answers?
Here is a real life example: ME!
See that 10-day gap at the start where I had no clue how much I was eating? And the 10 pond weight jump that happened at that same time? That was when I went on a cruise vacation for 10 days.
Obviously I haven’t tracked 100% on every day, but enough to see trends. Currently, I have been eating right around 3000 calories a day and staying right inside that 205-210 range – which is MY current goal.
This may seem tedious, but if you just put the effort into doing it, you will find out so much more beneficial information than anyone else could ever tell you.
This is why listening to your body, and not some internet calculator or nutrition guru, is the best advice you will be able to get on where you want to get down the road.
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