ADVICE
Why Nutrition Isn’t Rocket Science — and Why Attitude Probably is
The solution really is quite simple
Every time I finish teaching a fitness class there is at least one person at the end of it who comes up to me and asks me the same question: ‘I’ve been doing this class everyday now for the past few weeks and I feel great but I still have belly fat. What exercise would you recommend to control belly fat?’ And the answer is always the same, ‘you just need to watch what you eat’. The member always looks slightly disappointed that I didn’t offer some sort of magic potion and they always walk away, unconvinced by my statement.
A lot of the time people assume that there is some sort of magic exercise or pills that they can take to reduce belly fat within a few days. It doesn’t help that simply talking about wanting to reduce belly fat or getting in shape alerts the spies on your phone and you start receiving targeted adverts for products that promise fast results or diet plans that will get you your dream body. These adverts do nothing more than taking advantage of people’s insecurities and we fall into the trap of paying a ridiculous amount of money for a product or a Personal Trainer and get nowhere with our goals — when the solution really is quite simple.
Watch what goes into your body
There is a reason that the most basic nutrition qualification takes two days to complete- it’s because it isn’t rocket science. The basics of healthy eating are so easy to understand, everybody knows what foods are good and what aren’t good for us, and it’s really just a question of accountability to oneself and one’s goals. We know that added sugar, fizzy drinks, most processed food like donuts, pastries, cereal, etc., are all bad for us. We also know that fruits and vegetables, lean meats, and complex carbohydrates are great for us. The only problem is that nobody has ever said, ‘oh, I love brussel sprouts’. The world we live in, all things bad for us are delicious. That’s why on your birthday you get a cake, not cabbage- because cake is delicious. And this is where the test comes in- can you watch what goes into your body? When someone offers cake, do you have the accountability to say no, thanks (not on your birthday, obviously).
Accountability is tricky. When no one is watching, who cares if you eat a cookie? It really depends on how true you are to your goals and how badly you want to achieve what you set out to do.
What I find useful is writing down what you eat and every time you eat something, asking yourself if you’d be happy reading it in your food diary. If the answer is yes, there’s no reason you can’t eat away.
“Everything in moderation”
For the average person, a healthy diet consists of everything in moderation. I always take my father as an example- he is in the best shape of his life and he has never had to take on any crazy diets. He eats everything he likes but he never binges, or goes overboard with anything. He loves sweets, but he has never had to stop eating sweets for fear of diabetes because he will literally have one piece of chocolate, or a small scoop of home made ice cream or whatever it is he is craving, in small quantity. When he has a KFC craving, he has KFC. When he wants McDonald’s chips, he eats McDonald’s chips. The point is, when you like something, don’t deny yourself of the pleasures associated with it. Go with portion control instead. Writing down ‘a few chips’ instead of ‘a large Maccy D’s chips’ in your food diary is so much better for your conscience and your gut.
Life is about balance and sustainability. When you deny yourself sugars or fats completely, there will come a time when your brain explodes from the craving and not only do you give in, you give in like you just don’t care anymore. Then it’s not just a piece of KFC chicken, it’s an entire bucket plus a massive fizzy drink and a gigantic portion of chips to go with it, complete with a large dessert. When you wake up the next morning, you feel like you have cheated on yourself. Don’t let yourself feel this- eat whatever you like in moderation by controlling portion sizes.
Plan ahead
It’s easier said than done, but planning ahead really does make life and achieving your goals so much easier. Not to say that plans always pan out the way you expect them to- it is absolutely not true. So many times you go out thinking, ‘I will probably get the salad and maybe one glass of wine’. Then someone else gets the pasta and you think, ‘oh, that looks nice, I think I might get that’, the one glass of wine turns into three and life isn’t what you thought it would be.
But planning brings perspective and direction into your goals. Wherever possible, plan your meals a week ahead, or even a day ahead if you can spare the time everyday. Meal prep takes a lot of dedication and time and is probably not everyone’s cup of tea, but if you can make it your cup of tea, you will definitely see the benefits of it. Knowing you already have a healthy meal with protein, some sort of complex carbs and a small amount of fat all ready for you will discourage you from buying that supermarket sandwich or sub.
Good food doesn’t have to taste bad
What usually dissuades people from healthy food is the ‘lack of flavour’ but that doesn’t have to be the case. When people think of ‘diet food’ somehow their mind goes to boiled chicken and broccoli- but why are you restricting yourself to that? Just because you are trying to eat clean, doesn’t mean you have to eat flavorless food. There is always a healthier substitute available for everything. Chicken with peri peri sauce is delicious and nutritious. A lemon and vinegar dressing on a salad is delicious and nutritious. Red lentil pasta cooked in tomatoes and milk is delicious and nutritious. Food can be as nutritious as you want it to be, and as delicious too.
Trending food isn’t necessarily for everyone
There is always something out there in the food market that is trending at one time or another. First, we had avocado. Then, we had coconut milk. Then we had rice milk, oat milk, all kinds of nut milk. We had kale. Everybody goes on about how these items are delicious and how they are the products everyone needs to be consuming. There is no denying that these products are nutritionally dense- avocado is packed with healthy fats and is in fact delicious on toast, coconut milk does make your flat white better, and kale does come with incredible nutrition. Know, however, that just because something is trending, doesn’t mean you have to like it. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to eat it. You can always find substitutes. I never cared for kale. But kale is good. Does that mean I have to eat kale regardless of how I feel? Absolutely not. I stick to my lettuce and rocca leaves. These are probably the least glamorous of cruciferous vegetables but they offer similar benefits and are probably more pocket friendly.
It’s not the food, it’s your attitude
Results take time and hard work. It is so easy to get frustrated by not achieving results immediately, and losing motivation and that is why it is so important to have the right purpose and always remember the purpose.
Anybody can create a habit of eating well and planning ahead and finding healthier substitutes for your favourite fatty meals — but sticking with these habits with resilience needs the right attitude of patience and motivation.
You just read another post from In Fitness And In Health: a health and fitness community dedicated to sharing knowledge, lessons, and suggestions to living happier, healthier lives.
If you’d like to join our newsletter and receive more stories like this one, tap here.
