It is incredible how much information gets pumped out to the public about diet and food choices that completely contradicts what we thought we know. One expert says red wine is good, others say it is bad, one says red meat causes cancer, the other says it is essential. So the question remains amongst all this conflicting info… what on earth do you do?
Before you work out what what you should eat, you need to first work out what you want to get out of it? Eating for health and longevity might look a little different to eating for weight loss and eating for performance might look different again. We all know eating for enjoyment is a whole other ball game!
Some good advise we have all heard is you should just eat more real food. There is some definite good science and great common sense behind this advise. The only problem is it might not be enough if you want to lose weight. Most people when they come into Vision to lose significant weight (20+kgs) aren't eating all that badly. We all know what we should and shouldn't be consuming, but for some people eating the right food still results in weight gain! That's because some food, while being natural and good for you, may also be causing your body to store more fat!
The key to eating well and losing weight is eating the right balance of food for you. That might mean you have to eat more food, it might mean you need to eat more fat, you might need to eat less carbs? One mistake most people make is they just try to eat less. In the short term this sometimes works and you lose weight, but as you lose weight your metabolism slows and so the only way to continue losing weight is to eat less and less. The basic premise of semi-starvation is flawed because unless you have the mental fortitude to live in mild starvation forever you have to go back to eating normal again one day, and when you do it doesn't just pack back on, some interest comes with it.
Some common mistakes people make are:
Eating too much fruit. Fruit is good for you, it is loaded with nutrients, tastes great and makes you feel good. But it can be overeaten. Too much of the sugar in fruit - fructose - can cause your body to store more fat and has even been implicated in fatty liver disease, gout and high blood triglycerides.
Not eating enough protein. While protein has the same amount of calories as carbohydrate per gram, it doesn't have the same affect on weight gain as carbs do, it also delivers essential amino acids to your body and helps you feel full longer and less likely to snack on sugary foods.
Eating too few carbs. Eating too few carbs can be very difficult. Managing ketosis effectively is difficult, especially if you aren't using a blood ketone meter. If you are trying not to eat carbs and you don't measure blood ketones or don't even know what they are, your body might not want to burn through as much fat as otherwise.
Eating too many carbs. The the flip side, too many carbs causes your body to release your fat storage hormone and your body has to burn through all the excess carbs before it will even try to burn the fat you want to lose. Some carbs are bigger offenders than others, to be safe vegetables are always going to win out over grains and other sources but it really is easy to eat too many in a day.
You have to give up alcohol. There is some good news, you don't have to give up alcohol to lose weight. It will make it easier but if you want to enjoy a few glasses in your week you can still lose weight. You just have to remember, what ever you eat while you are drinking your body will store and it wont get to your food to burn until you have burnt off ALL the alcohol, so you better get up the next day and exercise!
Just remember, eat real food but make sure you get your quantities right! If you want to learn more about what will work for you visit the Vision Website and find the Bundall Studio and book in for our next educational seminar, it's free and you will learn lots and leave with a plan you can execute.
*Disclaimer: Individual results vary based on agreed goals. Click here for details.
