Nutrition is the key
Nutrition, and I prefer to use this term in general much more than "diet", is the first thing anyone who wants to change their body composition should get their hands on. Start today. The problem is there are so many ideas out there. Some are well supported by research and all, even the extreme ones, have at least small truths in them. I find that everyone has a strong position on nutrition ideas even if they themselves may not be healthy eaters. It can be frustrating to someone trying to better their eating habits. Have you ever been trying to exercise or alter your diet only to have someone chime in with their reasons why you would get better results doing things differently? I believe the intentions are usually good, but people preach food ideologies like they do a religion. Here are a few things people have said to me ...
* "Eat only raw foods ... cooking kills nutrients"
* "Carrots have way too many carbs ... you should limit your carrot intake"
* "You should not eat any fruit after lunchtime"
... you get the idea ...
In general, I see people getting hung up on little pieces of information. Again, some truth to all of them, possibly, but they do not dictate how you eat.
NO LIMITS
You cannot be limiting in your way of thinking. If you are a vegetarian or a vegan for health, personal or spiritual reasons, it is a perfectly sound and potentially healthy way of living. High-fat, low-carb diets have their place and have benefits and can be a healthy lifestyle. But when you get to the point where you cannot see the benefits or read the science behind different nutrition ideas, you have already begun to limit yourself. A very healthy way of approaching the subject is to be open minded and understand the benefits of each. Be able to talk about them and understand them. And understand that there are so many variations in each person's biology that different ways of eating can suit everyone's different needs. Your way may not be the best way for someone else. There is no one correct way to eat but there are underlying principles that will keep us healthy and strong.
NUTRIENT-RICH FOOD
Without reading further, if you merely removed all processed foods from your diet and ate natural foods you would get huge improvements in body composition, energy levels, mental health and overall well-being. There is a great book on the "healthiest foods" (link needs to be here). There is a list of 130 foods. If you were to eat items only form that list ... and "only" is basically an endless array of food dishes with so many ingredients on there ... you would be much healthier.
The body craves energy and nutrients. These foods are the most nutrient rich. Could you get fat eating all this stuff? You could ... I could easily eat my daily calorie intake in almonds and cashews .... but balancing foods form this list and you are well on your way.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?
This is a chapter unto itself. But knowing what you want to accomplish also dictates to some extent your nutritional strategy. Do you want to become a bodybuilder or fitness model? Do you just want to get down to a reasonable weight so you can do daily routines easier? Do you want to gain weight in the form of muscle mass?
If I was training you one-on-one, I would first look at your nutrition and then figure out what you really want to achieve. Everyone is different. I am not going to shove and nutrition methodology down your throat. If you don't mind being overweight but want to lose some weight just to help with day-to-day activities, we can make changes to help get there in a way that does not feel limiting. If you want to have a 6-pack (as is often stated as the goal or "holy-grail"), then there are a different set of changes that needs to take place. Just know what you want. Talk to a trainer or better yet ... someone who may resemble you and have made a similar transformation and use them to your advantage.
* "Eat only raw foods ... cooking kills nutrients"
* "Carrots have way too many carbs ... you should limit your carrot intake"
* "You should not eat any fruit after lunchtime"
... you get the idea ...
In general, I see people getting hung up on little pieces of information. Again, some truth to all of them, possibly, but they do not dictate how you eat.
NO LIMITS
You cannot be limiting in your way of thinking. If you are a vegetarian or a vegan for health, personal or spiritual reasons, it is a perfectly sound and potentially healthy way of living. High-fat, low-carb diets have their place and have benefits and can be a healthy lifestyle. But when you get to the point where you cannot see the benefits or read the science behind different nutrition ideas, you have already begun to limit yourself. A very healthy way of approaching the subject is to be open minded and understand the benefits of each. Be able to talk about them and understand them. And understand that there are so many variations in each person's biology that different ways of eating can suit everyone's different needs. Your way may not be the best way for someone else. There is no one correct way to eat but there are underlying principles that will keep us healthy and strong.
NUTRIENT-RICH FOOD
Without reading further, if you merely removed all processed foods from your diet and ate natural foods you would get huge improvements in body composition, energy levels, mental health and overall well-being. There is a great book on the "healthiest foods" (link needs to be here). There is a list of 130 foods. If you were to eat items only form that list ... and "only" is basically an endless array of food dishes with so many ingredients on there ... you would be much healthier.
The body craves energy and nutrients. These foods are the most nutrient rich. Could you get fat eating all this stuff? You could ... I could easily eat my daily calorie intake in almonds and cashews .... but balancing foods form this list and you are well on your way.
WHAT ARE YOUR GOALS?
This is a chapter unto itself. But knowing what you want to accomplish also dictates to some extent your nutritional strategy. Do you want to become a bodybuilder or fitness model? Do you just want to get down to a reasonable weight so you can do daily routines easier? Do you want to gain weight in the form of muscle mass?
If I was training you one-on-one, I would first look at your nutrition and then figure out what you really want to achieve. Everyone is different. I am not going to shove and nutrition methodology down your throat. If you don't mind being overweight but want to lose some weight just to help with day-to-day activities, we can make changes to help get there in a way that does not feel limiting. If you want to have a 6-pack (as is often stated as the goal or "holy-grail"), then there are a different set of changes that needs to take place. Just know what you want. Talk to a trainer or better yet ... someone who may resemble you and have made a similar transformation and use them to your advantage.
posted by George @ 7:56 AM
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