One of the questions I get asked the most is: Can you tell me what to eat and what not to eat?
My answer is always the same: No.
Weight Loss is 80% nutrition and 20% exercise, no joke! It's easy to show up to the gym and do the workout, or show up at BlackSheep Boot Camp and do the work...the REAL test is when you go home and no one is looking. Unfortunately, on a daily basis, our quest to be fit and healthy is sabotaged by marquees, commercials, friends/family and ourselves. If you have healthy stuff AND crap in your pantry, chances are you will grab the crap stuff first. Because our first thought is, "Well I just worked out so I can have this..." And the thought SHOULD be, "I just worked out, I would hate to sabotage my efforts because I want this..."
So I'm sure your question would be, "Well, when CAN I have the stuff I want?" And the answer is, "When you "GET IT"." When you realize that there is a delicate balance and you are able to eat just one of something, or just take a bite to satisfy that craving. Having been in the fitness field for 4 years, I have had oodles of time for self-reflection. I know what makes me tick. I know what my weaknesses are. I know what I can and can't do. I know what foods I can and can't have. Time and time again you are going to have people that will unknowingly sabotage your weightloss efforts. All it takes is a, "Want to go eat here?" or "Come on, you can have a little of..." The second you realize that NO, you can't eat there because you always eat crap or you CAN'T just have a little of...because you will DESTROY the entire plate, is the second you will have "got it". It is a daily walk and slippery slope once you let your guard down.
When Brett left at the beginning of last year for 11 months, I had a lot of time to expirement with different ways of eating, ie. vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free since I was only preparing meals for my little ones and myself. And this was the most crucial part of my learning. I realized the more vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free we eat, the more likely we are to drop healthy weight naturally and the more likely we are to feel better. I'm not saying to drop everything and go vegan right out of the gates like I did, I am simply saying, "Start small and incorporate SOME veganism into your weekly meals." For instance, instead of real butter, use vegan butter. Don't drink cow's milk, drink Almond milk. Try to find healthy snacks that are vegan and/or gluten-free. I know my weakness is chocolate. Luckily, at Whole Foods they have the most amazing chocolate cookies EVER MADE, and they are both vegan AND gluten-free! I also eat Ezekiel bread. The only white/wheat bread I will eat is the 110 calorie Thomas bagels, otherwise I eat NO white/wheat bread. None. Zero. Zilch. It is NOT good for you if all you eat is wheat stuff.
Wheat is NOT good for you in large amounts. Neither is corn. Or milk. And I tell you what, all three are in EVERYTHING we eat. Read your labels and you will be shocked. Corn, milk and wheat are super hard for the body to digest...ever wonder why we are weaned off of milk when we are babies? Ever wonder why animals are weaned off of their mother as babies? It's because we are NOT supposed to drink it like we do now. Not to mention the antibiotics that are being fed to cows in order to mass produce milk or chickens, cows and fish that grow at an alarming rate. I highly recommend watching Food, Inc. Or go to: www.meat.org.
Ever hear of the statement, "Everything in moderation," ? Well, what they didn't tell you is that there is nothing moderate about the wheat and milk in our foods; it is all in excess. Find more organic foods, eat more vegan/vegetarian. Try to eat meat only about 3 times a week. Eat more nuts. Did you know that we don't need as much protein as the weightloss industry would like us to believe? The protein shakes and meal replacement shakes that people are trying to sell are a marketing ploy. Just something they can make money off of by having a famous name or by swearing that you will lose weight by taking them instead of an actual food meal. YOU DON'T need them! Eat real food! And the hCg drops and pills that are out there: Anyone could drop weight if they only ate 500 calories a day! It's not some miracle pill/drop...it's called common sense. You eat 500 calories and your body goes into starvation mode, you drop weight at an alarming rate, and you become anorexic. Whether or not you want to admit it, when you eat 500 calories, you are anorexic. The second you start to eat normal again, you pack on the pounds because your body is in survival mode, meaning: It will store up fat because it doesn't know when you are going to feed it again.
I just needed to put this out there because I want people to lose weight safely, healthily and smartly. There is NO quick fix. I guarantee you, because if there was I would have found it by now. When I started eating gluten-free (no wheat), I naturally lost 11 lbs in a month, without going to the gym because my body wasn't being overworked by trying to digest and breakdown the wheat that we are tricked into thinking is BEST.
Random thoughts for the morning.
Mandi
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