Summer is right around the corner- Are you ready? Or, are you like the many who are not quite looking forward to bikini season? Do you want to lose weight? Gain muscle? Just get healthier?
Have you ever felt that no matter what you do, your body doesn't cooperate? Yeah, I know the feeling. And just know- you are not alone.
Gaining and loosing weight is no walk in the park. And, doing it the right way, is hard. There are more "diets" out there than I can even count. And with each comes rules, restrictions, and promises. One thing that people do not consider, though, is that even if you follow that diet to the letter, there are a LOT of variables that may be holding you back from achieving the results you want. And, these seemingly out-of-reach goals can be very disheartening. Unfortunately, all the diets in the world won't work long term without addressing these variables. So, that is exactly what we will be digging into.
Our goal with these blogs is to help you establish a diet that will actually work, permanently.
That may seem like a huge empty promise. It's not. Why do I know this? Because these blogs are simply educating you to how dieting/ nutrition works, in depth. From that information, you are listening to your own body, its needs, and YOU are establishing your own diet. Yep, you heard me right. YOU are creating your own diet- a diet that is completely exclusive to you. And, since you are making it, you will know how to alter it, no matter what variables change in the future. That, is a permanent solution, to a lifetime issue. I don't know about you, but I'd say that's a pretty powerful tool.
In this series, we will be going through the 6 steps of establishing an effective diet:
Calorie Counting
Macronutrients
Gut Health
Allergies/ Sensitivities
Nutrient Density
Intermittent Fasting
"Waaaaaiiiiiiiiiit, where is the work out program?! I can't loose weight without working out!"
There's not one. These blogs are strictly about diet establishment. Why? Because you absolutely CAN lose/gain weight without ever even seeing the inside of a gym. And, more importantly, because learning how to take control of your diet will be the best thing you ever did for your body. Am I suggesting that you stop working out or cancel your gym membership? Absolutely not. Proper exercise is very healthy and very necessary. But, it's is not the point of this blog. You have all probably hear the phrase "Abs are made in the kitchen" & " You can't outrun a bad diet". I am a firm believer in both of those. Without proper fuel, your body will eventually stop functioning properly. You can't put coffee in your gas tank and expect your vehicle to run right?
Now, let's dig in.
It is fairly common knowledge- to lose weight you have to eliminate calories. And, yes. That is true. I have said many times in many blogs "Calories-in, calories-out", and yes, when the math boils down, calories in- calories out is the baseline you want to follow to achieve weight gain/ weight loss goals.
You want to gain weight? Consume more calories than you burn.
You want to lose weight? Burn more calories than you consume.
And to put it in the simplest terms possible, this is true. Does that mean counting calories alone, without considering nutrition and body type, is GOOD for your body? No. Does that mean it is sustainable? Also, no. Your diet is not quite that simple or all inclusive. Does it work? Yes. But so does Keto, fasting, liquid diets, and weight loss pills. It's a temporary solution to a life time issue. Bad diets can be just as bad for you long-term as they were effective short-term. Let that sink in. A bad diet could literally alter how your body processes certain foods..... forever. That's a very scary thing. Understanding all of the variables that we are going to go over in these blogs will help you prevent that from happening. And, these blogs may be the best way for you to make an informed decision that very well might help you finally reach your goals, and maintain them, permanently.
So, let's start at the beginning. What is the most basic common mistakes made with dieting?
1. Having your calorie count wrong.
How? It's not just about calories in/ calories out. You need to know how many calories to eat- not too many and also not too few. That may come as a surprise, but if you eat too few calories, you won't lose weight either. And, if your calorie count is only based on a number you randomly found on google, it may not be accurate. You need to select a number based exclusively upon YOU. That means its based upon your Basil metabolic rate, your gut health, your height, weight, and body type, your activity level, your gender, your age, your genetics, your health, and your stress levels. Remember, calorie awareness and counting is only step 1.
2. What kind of calories you are consuming.
Yep. A calorie deficient diet that is entirely comprised of low calorie beer and "only one slice of pizza" ain't going to cut it for long; Nor would a zero-carb diet. Its not healthy and certainly isn't sustainable. You need to know what your body type is, so that you know what kinds of foods to eat, what foods to avoid, and when to eat the right kind of foods. And, through this process you have to stop and listen to your body. Pay attention to how you feel. Your body will tell you what it needs. I know this all seems like a lot. Don't worry, we will break this down together so it makes sense. Once you figure it out, it will just get easier and easier. Promise.
As I mentioned above, we will be digging into all of the answers to the above questions and more, in this series. I encourage you to educate yourself with these articles and find out if a few simple mistakes could possible be the reason for your inability to reach your goals.
Some of the topics we will cover in these articles include:
-Calorie Counting
-Macronutrients (again, not as scary as it sounds)
-Gut Health/ Allergens/ Sensitivities
-Autoimmune Responses/ AIP
-Seasonal/ Local Foods
-Healing vs. Harmful Foods
-Intermittent Fasting
-Food Nutrient Density
etc.
As usual, feel free to reach out with any questions! And always remember, not everybody has the same body. Figure out what works for yours. I look forward to going through this with you guys!
until next time, stay healthy, my friends <3