2B Nutrition
Fuel the Metabolism
"I know how to eat."
If I had a nickel for every time I've heard that, I may not be a rich man, but I would VERY well off. Yet this is the exact statement I've heard from numerous clients, members of a health club, and other random conversationalists. We start talking about what it takes to make a change and get into shape and inevitably I get assured, almost defensively so, that the person knows how to eat.
My first response is always, "OK, if you know how to eat, they WHY aren't you eating that way?" This is an easy question to answer because if you think you know how to eat you've also, consciously or unconsciously, taken the time to rationalize andjustify why you're not currently doing so. These are often ticky tack
excuses,
such as:
- "I've been too busy"
- "It's hard when you have kids and there is always junk food around the house"
- "It's too expensive to eat healthy"
- "I'm waiting until (insert whatever date/event) and then I'll start eating well"
- "Well, I kinda think that I probably eat reasonably well some of the time" (sounds extremely convincing)
- "Healthy food doesn't taste good"
- "I've been under a lot of stress and I eat poorly when I'm stressed"
- "I've been under a lot of stress and I don't eat when I'm stressed"
- "Whenever I go out to eat there is nothing healthy on the menu"
- "The people I go out with eat poorly and I get sucked into what they're eating"
We'll go into methods of changing these attitudes on a separate page, but it's first important to identify all of these beliefs and Decisions that are going on in your brain when it comes to nutrition.
And secondly, WHY do you assume that you know how to eat? Because you read a book? Or saw an infomercial on The Juicer? How about that article in Shape magazine?
I've watched the movie A Few Good Men numerous times and it doesn't mean that I know how to practice law. I realize that there must be hundreds and thousands of details regarding law that I know nothing about. And to say that I know how to practice law because I've watched one movie, or read one article, or skimmed one book, would do a disservice to all the lawyers out there (as it does to every Registered Dietician and Nutritionist when an uneducated person claims to know how to eat). With that being said, many components of nutrition are not complex rocket science--they are simple principles. But it takes knowledge, motivation, accountability, and some form of dedication and sacrifice to eat well, which leads to my three basic principles. These principles are the truth...can you handle the truth?
1. The Revolutionary 24/7/365 Diet™.
I've personally developed this diet and I can tell you, flat out with 100% certainty, that it works. In fact, it's magic! And it's a pretty simple diet--all you need to do is follow it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.
If you haven't figured it out by now, I'm not referring to a Diet, I'm referring to a LIFESTYLE. Making a change habitual enough that it becomes a lifestyle is the only way that you'll ever have meaningful change and fulfillment. Diets are just fluff. And there are two major problems with diets:
- First, it almost always implies restriction of food.
- Second, diets are geared towards a specific period of time.
This is where the problems arise--even someone with a great deal of willpower will not be able to restrict their diet for any sustainable period of time (i.e., weeks and months). And because the Metabolism slows with the restriction of food, when you fall off the wagon you will almost certainly gain all the weight back, plus some extra. Even if you go back to eating the way that you did pre-diet, you will gain at least all of the weight back that you lost...it is a physiological certainty (I apologize for bringing you the harsh truth).
In regards to the time element, whether it's a class reunion, wedding, divorce, beach vacation, new year, birthday, etc..., is it really fun to make yourself miserable for a prolonged period of time just so you can feel "skinny" or "lean" for a brief, unsatisfying amount of time? Do you have a plan for when the diet is over? Wouldn't it be nice 2B able to stay that way long term?
2. You CANNOT Win a War with Food.
I'm sorry to say it, but you cannot win a war with food. And even if you're strong, mean, tough, nasty, and full of willpower and determination, you cannot win a war with food. In fact, you cannot win a small battle. Or even a little squabble. Food wins every time, by unanimous decision. You may as well throw in the towel now because you have no chance.
The reason that I make this argument is because of the way our brains interpret and perceive food. For those people that "know how to eat," I will give you this much--I think everyone knows that a double quarter-pounder with cheese, large order of french fries, and soda isn't the healthiest thing for you. And on some level we know what we should be eating (veggies, fruits, lean meats) and what we shouldn't be eating (processed junk). But this is part of the reason fat-free foods became so popular. Cheese, ice cream, cookies (just to name three) were all labeled as " unhealthy foods," but when you suck the fat out of them, up the sugar and call them "fat-free" we all of a sudden think we're winning the war against food because we're having a guilty pleasure that's not so guilty. Think again.
Yes, in terms of overall caloric content, fat-free foods will be lower in calories than their regular counterparts. But fat is also a chemical that brings satiety (your body's way of feeling full) and when there is no fat available it can actually cause you to eat MORE than you normally would eat. Numerous studies are confirming this fact.
What you need to start thinking of is not winning a war with food, but calling a truce and forming a partnership. That is why my ice cream is loaded with fat, as well as my pastries. And please do not offer me fat-free cheese. I'd rather you take a paper shredder, turn it upside down, and dump the scraps on my omelet. It would probably taste the same to me.
Remember, it is not what you do some of the time, it is what you do MOST of the time that matters. And as long as your partnership with food involves a healthy coalition most of the time, it is OK to have your guilty pleasures some of the time. This is the type of give and take that can form a LIFESTYLE.
3. Small Changes can make a BIG Difference.
Most people are too near sighted to look at how little things will affect them long term. For those of you that don't know, there are 3500 calories in one pound. Now, if you divide that into a week, you realize that a caloric deficit (burning more calories than you're taking in) of 500 calories per day would allow you to lose a pound per week, assuming everything else is held constant. Sounds easy enough, right?
But this is still looking at the equation more near sighted than necessary. 500 calories a day is a reasonable amount and can lead to that dreaded "restriction" mindset. But what if you broke it up into one pound per two weeks--now you're only talking about 250 calories per day. Or what about one pound per month--that's just over 100 calories per day. Are you patient enough to do this (remember, we're talking about lifestyle here)? These are the types of small, manageable changes that sustainable over time. And if you don't think you can do it, you're wrong. You CAN do it. Look at the below examples of what little food can constitute 250 and 100 calories, respectively:
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So, the question now becomes, is there something on this list (or something else of comparable calories) that you'd be willing to give up if it meant you could be 12 to 25 pounds lighter in a year? What changes can make this happen for you?
It should also be noted that none of the foods on the above table are bad. The purpose of the table and the examples is that little changes can make a HUGE impact when you think of long-term progress. And if you start to think of what you can do with your daily Decisions to make this happen, you're on the road to success with nutrition.
Click Here to download a FREE list of 2B Healthy Food Choices!
*Footnote*
Despite the above examples of weight loss, it is not my intention to depict this as the only reason that people choose to diet or change their nutrition. It could be for health related concerns as well. And in the grand scheme of life, 2B is about a lot more than weight loss for the superficial reason of trying to fit into a dress or pant size. I simply highlighted weight loss because it is the fundamental goal of most exercise and nutritional ambitions (and we all know of the current obesity rates among youth and adults). But as stated on the 2B Formula page, you're great already, and we want you to believe that. Our goal is to make you even greater, and if weight loss will help you accomplish this objective and you're ready to embrace a lifestyle of health and fulfillment, then we'll be with you every step of the way...
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