Find Your Food
This can be a tough one. Just like with my previous post, Finding Your Fit, there’s no direct answer to what is right or wrong. It’s totally different for each individual. One specific diet / nutrition protocol may work for me, while that same one won’t work for you and vice versa.
Social media presents a large issue for us when it comes to finding a proper diet. One study may be saying one thing while another says the total opposite. Or a new diet claims that you’ll get results in “just 10 days!”. Or our favorite celebrity or fitness “guru” may be promoting one diet. All of the information that is out there can become EXTREMELY confusing.
One of the battles I work through with my clients’ is their nutrition. The exercise piece for (most) people is the simple part. But finding consistency with their nutrition is a STRUGGLE.
I’ve worked with clients who have struggled with:
- Consuming too FEW calories or too MANY calories
- Made poor nutrition choices (low quality foods – fast food, highly processed foods, etc.)
- Yo-Yo dieting constantly — hopping from one diet back to their old ways and back
- Always trying the new diet fads (low carb, Keto, Carnivore, low fat, Atkins, DASH, etc.)
- Cycle of restricting followed by binge eating
We’ve all struggled with at least one of the above at some point in our lives. I know I definitely have and some days, I still do. I’ve been on the too few calories, poor nutritional choices (just ask Alex how my diet was for training in 2017…donuts + pop tarts), going through restrictions followed by binge eating.
But Guess What?
These eating cycles CAN be broken. And you CAN find a consistent eating style that works for you!
Over the last few years, from getting into bodybuilding, competing and transitioning back to a normal life, I’ve learned a few things:
- Consistency is absolutely the key to success
- Restriction is NOT the answer
- Going back to Square 1 every time you mess up is also not the answer
- Flexibility is extremely important – in diet, in life, in everything
- Defining foods as good vs bad is not helping you. There are no good or bad foods, but there are better choices.
- Finding what works for your lifestyle is what will carry you through for the long haul
How You Can Find Your Food:
- Identify where you struggle with food
- Identify foods that you enjoy
- Identify foods (beverages included) that don’t make you feel your best (don’t digest well, don’t provide you with energy, make joints hurt/ache, etc.)
- Learn a bit about nutrition – gain a basic understanding of the macronutrients and how it affects your health.
- Explore various recipes that you enjoy, create a plan for your week, be prepared!
The goal with nutrition is not to be restrictive, it doesn’t have to be chicken, rice, and veggies every day, all day. The goal of nutrition is to be flexible.
Having flexibility with your diet allows you to continue to ENJOY the foods you choose to consume without guilt and also allows for you to enjoy your social life without feeling like your falling off track!
Feeling lost with your nutrition? Let me help you find what works for you through my Nutrition Reset Program!
