I have a LOVE/HATE relationship with this saying: You have to eat to lose weight! I understand the point of this, but some people just don't get it. I of all people understand that you must eat while working out, I understand how hard it is to consume calories right after a workout (to feed my muscle children), I understand how eating something quick and easy seems like the only way. But if you want to know the hard truth- you aren't going to get anywhere with those excuses.
I am going to share what my "magic pill" is! Are you all ready for this?! It is being educated and tracking what I eat! Yup, that is it! It is really that simple! I read articles on different eating styles, and through trial and error have found what works for me and my body type! I have become educated on if I have to eat out- where I can eat out and keep with my clean eating habits. I have become smarter in my eating habits. I now know that ordering a salad at a restaurant, usually is the most unhealthy item on the menu. For example: a Cafe Rio Pork Salad is 990 Calories, An Oriental Salad from Applebee's is 1390 Calories. (this is over my daily allotted calorie intake) I am sorry but if I am going to be eating all of my calories in one meal...I am going to make it worth it- and it isn't going to be on a salad! Yes, I understand eating 1000 calories in skittles isn't the same as eating 1000 calories of broccoli!
I use the term "calorie" as a wide term for nutritional value of an item. I look at the protein count, grams of sugar/sodium, the fiber, the carbs, I do a quick overview of the item, however, using the term "calorie" is something people seem to understand a little bit more. Yes, I read nutrition labels. I am fascinated by them! I love the marketing tactics that are on food "healthy" "all natural" "ONLY 10 Calories" just to name a few- look at serving sizes, look at fat content (yes, some fat is good for you! its knowing the right kind of fats to eat!) be a smart healthy eater (in other words don't trust the marketing on the packages- they lie).
I track my eating habits with the free app MyFitnessPal, my husband has also used this app throughout his whole transformation and it has helped BOTH of us become more educated on what we are putting into our bodies. I love this app because if I cook a meal, I can enter my meals/recipies into it and it will save them for later! It lets you scan the barcode of what you are eating to put into your daily log. I honestly credit a lot of my success to this app. Tracking what you eat, gives yourself a little bit of accountability and responsibility to yourself. On the app you put in your stats, and how much you want to lose, or gain. And it gives you an allotted calorie intake to achieve these goals. I would recommend at least twice a month updating your weight, and every 10 pounds lost it re-calculates your calorie intake.
Now, this app is just a GUIDELINE! Currently, I am still trying to lose 2 pounds a week, so my calorie intake is set at 1200 a day. However, with my workouts, I was only netting (food minus my exercising= my net calories) between 400-500 Calories. This caused me to plateau in my weight loss. This is where I love the saying you have to eat to lose weight. I have had to up my calorie intake to netting between 700-800 Calories, which means I am eating more. But I am not eating fast food, I am drinking an extra protein shake, or having more COMPLEX carbs, I am eating healthy fats for my snacks (almonds, pistachios, cashews, low fat string cheese), I monitor what I eat everyday, I calculate my cheat meals into my week- I have learned with my cheat meals the things I once craved for my cheat meals- now make me sicker than a dog. And the cheat meals I crave are easier to keep within the parameters of my daily allotted calorie intake
Another thing I like about this app is it tells you what percentage of your daily intake is protein, fats, and carbs. I try to keep my protein between 40-50% of my day, fats around 10% and the rest my carbs. And when I am talking carbs I'm not talking breads and noodles. This is my sweet potatoes, squash, my whole wheat bread thins, my oatmeal, and bananas (ect.). I am not a big meat eater, in fact I was vegetarian for about 6 years. I will eat chicken and turkey burger without any problems. But, other meats kinda gross me out. I am getting better with lean pork, but red meats have to be cooked ALL THE WAY THROUGH NO PINK whatsoever...so pretty much jerky! I get my protein with other foods, nuts, Greek yogurt, and protein shakes (yes, there are good ones out there!) We also put/substitute protein into our recipes.
Now onto why I hate the saying you have to eat to lose weight. People take this and run with it- "I went to the gym so now I can eat whatever I want." "It doesn't matter if I eat this big mac, I'm going to run it off anyway." Or the opposite extreme. I can only eat a sliver of an orange with a teaspoon of flaxseed. Be realistic people! Be educated, you have to eat the RIGHT things in order to lose weight! Start small, your body will eventually crave the good stuff, but it has to filter out all of the crap that's in there to start. I still crave cupcakes (yup, I still make sweets and cupcakes for my family, and yes I will still eat one once in a while- the difference is now I'm not eating 3 or 4, or sometimes 8 or 9...I will eat one, if I have to sample something to find the taste, thats what it is a taste, it isn't a spoonful!) I like a different saying, You have to eat SMART to lose weight!
S- Start Small
M- Make the change for you
A- Ask questions (questions labels)
R- Record what you eat
T- Tell someone your plan
Have fun trying new foods, season your food (don't salt it!), educate yourself with what you are eating!
*I got my calorie facts from MyFitnessPal
