I’m going to be truly honest today – I’d NEVER tracked food in my life.
I was always pretty happy, content with my appearance (well, mostly, anyway), pleased with my fitness, felt I had a nice balance between discipline and relaxation.
That meant, decent food during the week. Weekends? Time to relax, have some beer, eat, guilt-free.
And despite knowing all the nutritional theory, I really didn’t implement it too fastidiously. A pretty vague idea of ” 80% being good”.
After a spate of working with people – at our personal training gym in Ely – to improve their nutrition and habits – I decided: “You know what. going to do this myself to see what happens”. To allow me to speak with greater confidence.
Here are my BIGGEST lessons learned from an 8-week fat loss phase ……. (I hope they help YOU.)
(1) “Tracking food is only a pain because you don’t stick at it”.
THEORY:
I was the same as you. Felt it was too time-consuming, it turned food into ‘calories’ (not great for your relationship with food), labels are incorrect anyway, I’m busy….. All the stuff you’re probably saying.
REALITY:
It is EASY. And — the most predicatable way to actually know – not guesstimating – what’s going in! Like driving a car, it’s clunky and unusual in the beginning. After 2 weeks, it takes less that 30 seconds. You DO have time. And it WILL help you greatly.
(2) “You’re not eating enough protein. Stop saying you are”.Â
THEORY:
“I have protein with my dinner and a boiled egg for breakfast” just isn’t enough!
REALITY:
I put my hand up here too. My peanut butter on toast (in hindsight) for breakfast could be improved. Thinking about protein snacks are vital. A protein shake is a great tool to boost you up to what you need. Eating a high protein breakfast (3 eggs?) will start your day correctly.
Eating more protein daily has transformed my muscle mass, my body fat, my confidence.
(3) “Walking is your greatest fat-loss tool”.Â
THEORY:
We tend to always ‘train harder’ to get some fat loss. Alongside slashing calories, eating salads, “being good”. Walking 10K steps a day we hear/read is beneficial. But we’ve no time. And a run would be better right?
REALITY:
Walking ISN’T about burning calories. Well, it *does* burn calories but movement and exercise should **NEVER** be framed as ‘calorie burn’. Instead re-frame walking as RECOVERY – for body and mind. Think about it: You’re hitting your body with a calorie deficit (hopefully), you’re strength training 2-3 time per week (hopefully), you might be doing a cardio session (hopefully).
That’s a BIG impact on your body. Taking time to walk, breathe, look around, gently move – helps your body to recover again to go tomorrow! Can’t do 10K? Do 7K. Can’t do 7K? Do 5K. Anything is better than zero K!
(4) “Stop focusing on weight loss”
It’s going to destroy your mind. Instead focus on the PROCESS. You’re now a person who goes to bed early, drinks lots of water, has more energy, controls food, lifts weights, stretches: you’re feeling damn GOOD!!! With consistency you’ll be leaner, more toned, more confident.
(Despite looking leaner, feeling energised, more positive, stronger, I lost only ONE POUND in five weeks. I went on holiday (didn’t track at all) weighed again at week 8 – lost NINE POUNDS. So, it’s too unpredicatable.
(5) “Alcohol is killing your goals stone dead. It’s one of the other”
THEORY:
As I said, Saturday was MY DAY to rub my hands together, open some beers, my reward for being a busy gym owner and father of two. Work hard, Play hard. I never drink during the week. Decent balance, right?
REALITY:
I told myself this story long enough that I fully believed it!! I know, I know, I hear you say: “But I like the taste of wine”. “I don’t want to be a monk”. “Gotta life your life too”…. I’m fully on-board with you.
But what Saturday drinks meant for me was – in no particular order: Undoing all my good work during the week. Ending upside down on the sofa on a Sunday morning. Craving crap (and giving in) all day Sunday. Turning the TV on because I was sluggish, needed a nap. Starting the week with some under-lying anxiety. Sundays? Forget about it! TOTALLY non-productive.
Calorie wise: I must’ve been adding an additional 3,000+ calories each weekend, never allowing myself to get anywhere. Enjoy alcohol, of course, but nightly glasses or wine and/or heavy weekends are holding you back. It’s one or the other.
MY BIGGEST TAKEAWAY:
Simple stuff, done consistently, that is measured, works. Is it boring? Perhaps. But ‘fit’ people do the boring stuff, daily, weekly – until it’s a habit, it’s automatic, doesn’t even need a second’s thought.
Do we want to ‘entertainment’ and ‘variety’ or do we want to be strong, fit, healthy, confident?