What are your food Choices?
I get asked by many clients why am I not losing I am eating the right amount of calories. Many people are still confused abou the food part of being healthy. You can exercise your butt off but if your not eating healthy you will be fighting a uphill battle that will be very difficult to win. The food portion is the hardest part of the fitness equation. Once you get into a exercise pattern you will want to do it and love getting up and getting moving since it gives you more energy and you want to see the results of your hard work. Problem is you have to get the food portion right as well.
YOU HAVE TO GET IT RIGHT
I have many of my clients doing this 8 week program and I am amazed at all the hard work these people are putting into their workouts. Some people going into week 3 have lost up to 8 lbs and have such noticeable definition! The workouts are hard yes but when I ask them WOW how did you achieve that the answer is always the same … I am eating better.
For example my one client who has lost 8 lbs so far she has stopped eating lean cuisine’s. She has also eliminated alcohol and she is not eating those damn breakfast bars. and the truth of the matter is she didn’t even decrease her caloric intake she just replace the processed stuff with better foods.
For years, people have focused on calorie counting as a way to lose weight. Their reasoning? If you know how many calories your body needs to maintain your current weight, you can adjust your diet so you’re eating fewer calories. Alternatively, you can burn more calories through exercise. Voila! The weight comes off – or so you might think. I have thought this way for a long time and its true you do still have to watch your caloric intake when trying to lose weight but your body makes subtle adjustments based on the calorie content and the quality of what you eat. Otherwise, no one would ever reach a plateau. In response to calorie restriction, your body adapts by slowing your metabolic rate. Appetite hormones like leptin and ghrelin are also impacted so you feel hungrier. That’s why calorie reduction alone isn’t a good long-term formula for weight loss. I think most of us can agree that we need to find a diet that is sustainable for the long term.
Why is diet quality so important?
What you eat and drink creates a metabolic environment that helps or hinders weight loss- independent of calorie intake. Of course, you can’t ignore calories entirely, but calorie reduction without changing the quality of your diet will ultimately slow your weight loss and make it hard to maintain the weight you do lose. You’ve probably heard about people who lost weight on a fast food diet, eating Big Macs every day. They’re able to lose weight, at least initially, by controlling their total calorie intake, but what’s the long-term outcome? Probably not very favorable. Chances are they slowly gained back whatever they managed to lose and more. Plus, how does such a diet impact health?
So Quality of Diet is more important than calorie intake as a single factor
QUALITY MATTERS AND IT MATTERS BIG TIME… A diet of French fries, cookies and soft drinks creates a body that wants to store the fat that your taking in. Processed foods will raise your blood sugar and flood your bloodstream with insulin. This all can lead to more hunger you will feel more hungry after eating 300 calories of processed carbs than if you eat 300 calories of whole grain carb or vegetable. Honestly how many of you have eaten a granola bar only to be starving 15 minutes later. I could easily eat a whole box of granola bars in one sitting. Replace your diet with unprocessed food and watch your hunger become controlled and much less chances to store fat..
WHAT DO YOU EAT YVETTE?
People ask me all the time how many calories do I consume and I can honestly say about 2400 I know it sounds like a lot but I eat healthy calories and I move ALOT. It’s not that hard to consume.. I eat oatmeal in the morning with raisins and a piece of fruit there is 400 then you add mid-morning snack a shake with fruit in it. I am already at 800 and Its not even 9 am. Then for lunch a grilled chicken salad with olive oil and chick peas. Then midafternoon almond butter and an apple, at dinner sweet potato with some ground turkey, fruit for dessert and then at night maybe a Greek yogurt with some protein powder. Do you see what I mean it all adds up and quickly but it is all good food.
So here is the bottom line
Calories still count but focus more on improving the quality of your diet. That’s true whether you’re trying to lose weight or simply maintain. Make low-glycemic carbs, lean protein and healthy fats the main part of your diet and limit high-glycemic carbs. When choosing carbohydrates, make sure they’re unprocessed and higher in fiber. Fiber helps to reduce the glycemic response – and it’s good for your health.
