When it comes to eating correctly, the simplest advice is the best advice.
1 – If you want to lose weight, don’t be extreme.
We can all be ridiculous with food. You’re not alone. We’re either eating too much of this or too little of that. The best advise I have for anyone is don’t be extreme.
Don’t try dropping 12 kilograms in a month. Focus more on losing 1kg every month for 12 months.
If you feel you need to drop 12 kilograms in a month its time to be honest with yourself and evaluate what got you in that position.
It was probably a lack of discipline when it came to food and exercise – represented as an extreme. If you now go to the other extreme in order to lose this weight, you’re creating turmoil within your body.
You’ve tried the extremes. They don’t work. Commit to a longer, steadier process.
2 – Be honest about your body type.
I’ve got long arms and naturally skinny legs. It’s how I was born. I was also born with a high metabolism so I battle to put on weight. This means I’m lean, but it’s hard for me to put on muscle. Some of the other coaches at Roark are the exact opposite. They pile on muscle quickly but it’s hard for them to get lean.
There are some things about your body that you need to not only accept, but embrace.
We’ve all got this social external pressure telling us to be lean but muscular but curvy but skinny but not too skinny but athletic but skinny is the new strong.
Focus on you. If you’re overweight, fix it. If you’re weak, get stronger. If you’re unfit, start moving.
Your ideal body shape is the best version of your own body. No more, no less.
3 – Even when you’re making bad food choices, try to make good ones.
We all crave junk food – I don’t advocate depriving yourself of this. It gets frustrating, and at times anti-social.
Having said that, always try to keep proteins, carbs and fats in mind. Even if you’re making a ‘bad’ food choice by eating pizza, try to stack it with protein. Of course you’re still eating an excess of carbs, but at least you’re giving your muscles the protein they need to grow and perform.
Remember, small percentages add up over time.
4 – Change something small.
This is the best piece piece of advice I can offer regarding how many calories you eat each day. A friend of mine, Rob MacDonald, wrote the following for a US based magazine Breaking Muscle:
“Start slow. If your goal is to lose weight, cut calories by 100-200 per day. Do that for a few weeks and see what happens. Conversely, if your goal is to gain weight add 100-200 calories and note what happens over two weeks.
If you aren’t losing enough weight, cut another 100-200 calories. If you aren’t gaining enough weight, add 100-200 more per day. Follow this pattern until you find your optimal intake. It may take you a few months to figure out how many calories you need to ingest, but personally, I’d rather invest the time and do things the right way to suit my individual needs then take the easy way out and set myself up for failure.”
5 – Take it hour by hour.
Not day by day. This isn’t meant to make you pedantic about food or exercise, it’s meant to keep you present. Don’t think too far ahead.
Make a good choice every hour regarding what food you put in your mouth, how much water you drink and how often you move your body.
Years are made up of hours. You’ll get to where you want to be in the future if you remain present and consistent.
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