"If we could give every individual the right amount of nourishment and exercise - not too little and not too much - we would have found the safest way to health" - Hippocrates
This is one area I really struggled with. I was working out consistently but not losing weight, building muscle or noticing my clothes fitting differently. So, I started using the selfdietclub.com tool and found I was taking in way too much fat, not near enough protien or carbs and wasting calories on booze (that was the hardest pill to swallow by FAR!).
It took a lot of discipline but I pulled back on fats (bye bye cheese, we had a good run) and starting taking in more carbs and protein. At first it didn't feel right but after the first 2 or 3 weeks I noticed I was not struggling as bad at the end of my workouts. About 5 weeks into it I noticed my clothes fitting better and some muscle definition. At 9 weeks I had lost 8 pounds. Here was my trick though, I NEVER deprived myself. If I wanted a glass of wine, I had one. I went out and bought the individually wrapped Ghiradelli chocolates and if I want something sweet I eat one, and only one. Once every 3 weeks or so I let my hair down and had many beers. But as time went on, I didn't like the way I felt the next day, my workouts were worthless so even that scaled back but I never felt deprived.
I also started looking at healthier alternatives to snacks. I almost always have red, orange and yellow peppers cut and ready to eat. I eat those with a sandwich at lunch instead of chips. If I do want cheese, I have low fat string cheese in the frig. I am a big fan of pistachios. I will count out a serving size on a napkin and put the bag away and once they are gone, they are gone. If I want something sweet I try to eat fruit instead of chocolate.
These are things that worked for me, everyone is different. I didn't make these changes over night, it took awhile to build the discipline but now that I have I love the way I feel. I fall off the wagon sometimes, but I get right back on because I know that if I don't give my body the right fuel I will not make it through the 750m swim, the 12 mile bike and 3.1 run in October.
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Great post. I didn't see it until today. I started to try to change my eating habits about 2 years ago but I seem to always fall off the wagon once the weekend hits. I know drinking has a lot to do with it. I noticed this weekend I would drink 4-5 beers and for some reason I would tell myself I had to have grease by the end of the night and then the next day. I have in my head that grease is the only cure for a hangover! The problem is, it doesn't make me feel that great the next day. So as I put in my other post my goal is to cut out most of my drinking and hopefully that will help with my need to eat grease (especially french fries and pizza). I agree that if I'm craving a beer, have one, but only one. I also noticed that if I prepare my meals for the week on Sunday, I'm more likely to eat better. That's my tip for the week. Prepare for the week and you'll likely stick to it.
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