You Can’t Out-Train a Bad Diet.

…. We’ve all heard that expression before, but has anyone ever told you why? If they haven’t, you’ve come to the right blog. Have a seat.

Speaking as a serious foodie myself who loves carbs, fancy coffees, food trucks and a glass of wine, it was difficult at the beginning of my weight loss journey to grasp this concept of nutrition first - then exercise. Many have the misconception that if they workout for hours at the gym, only do cardio or bust their ass with a personal trainer 5 days a week - but then stopping at the fast food drive thru afterwards because they worked out and they earned it they’ll still get results.

That’s not how it works.

Sure - maybe the first couple of weeks you might see a small drop on the scale mostly from water loss, but for the most part you’re not going to experience anything but frustration for all your hard work.

First… to have true weight loss you must be in a calorie deficit. This is mostly going to come from your diet. Based on a 2000 calorie a day diet to maintain current weight, you’d want anywhere between a 200-500 calorie deficit, depending on how active you are. The more active you are, the more calories you are actually going to need. Yielding a 1500-1800 calorie intake. A certified nutritionist or registered dietitian can assist you with your actual calculation.

Knowing that this is the most important component of weight loss, stopping for that burger and fries even after your workout will add a significant amount of calories (anywhere from 800-1200) to your daily intake. Kiss your calorie burn goodbye… especially if you only just did cardio.

Our bodies rely on 3 major macronutrients to optimally function; Carbohydrates, Fats and Protein. A well balanced diet will consume these nutrients in a 40/30/30 or 30/20/50 ratio. Healthy Fats and Proteins are needed for muscle growth, cell function and hormone production. Carbohydrates are mostly for energy production. Without these, we risk serious health complications.

That being said, the over processing of food, with added fats and sugars - significantly changes the nutritional content of what you are consuming. These foods end up being high in calories, high sugar, high fat, low fibre and nutrient poor. By fueling your body with these foods on a regular basis, that sweat session you did three times this week, although good for you for moving - isn’t going to help you reach your health and weight loss goals.

Let’s not forget about the calories you’re drinking. Fancy lattes, Frappuccinos, sodas and yes, even alcohol are going to very quickly add unwanted and often an unknown calories. Alcohol is a toxin, and hijacks your body’s ability to use nutrients. You see, when you consume alcohol, your body needs to shift its focus to metabolize and neutralize it to get rid of it. It requires using and depletion if vital nutrients like Thiamine, which then leaves you deficient… and hungover. Reach for your water… about half your body weight in ounces each day.

You can actually consume MORE food, eating a diet of lean proteins, fruits and vegetables, high fibre whole grains. These foods are not only low calorie, but are nutrient dense so you will for sure be consuming all the macro and micro nutrients to meet your health and weight goals, build muscle and increase energy.

I’m not here to tell you you can’t indulge once in a while. I believe in balance, and the “80/20” rule when it comes to my nutrition. I believe if you are choosing a wide variety of whole foods on a daily basis, and are getting regular exercise 80 percent of the time, then 20 percent of the time you absolutely can have that burger and fries, donut or glass of wine or whatever you guilty pleasure you may have. I’m a believer that if we don’t have this balance in our diets it will lead to resentment of your journey and eventually non-compliance.

One meal, one treat, one bad day - or heck, one bad week of off track eating is not going to derail your progress. Portion control also needs to be considered, even for healthy food - because again - the goal is calorie deficit. You can still over eat with a salad…. But that’s another blog.

Working with a nutritionist will help you put these great foods together, plan meals and appreciate the balance in your diet that will help you with your nutrition and health goals.

xoxo

Amanda