I am often approached by women who ask how they can drop that last 10lbs or how to lose their belly fat or how to get legs that are worthy of seeing the light of day and I always respond with "its all about what you eat". What never ceases to surprise me is the response I get. "I eat healthy already, I know what I need to eat". REALLY???
Seriously... if you are not rocking a body you love, something you are doing isn't working. I am a strong believer that you can't out-train a lousy diet so I am standing firm that most of you are missing the mark. FOOD, what you eat, how much you eat and understanding how and what it does in your body is the answer.
A wise woman once told me that there is a big difference between eating clean and eating to get lean or change your body composition. This is a concept that is totally lost on most of us.
Cutting carbs and eating good fats is not the simple answer. Nor is just increasing vegetable intake and watching portion sizes.
Yes eating clean is a good starting place and of course I am all for the above points (except for the removal of carbs... oh for the love of Pete, when will this diet fad die for good), but this alone will not shape the physique of your dreams.
I will use the example of running to help explain my point. I would bet my studio on the fact that most women choose to learn to run not because they have the desire to feel their feet pounding the pavement but because they want to lose weight. Its free (minus the swanky new runners and cute running coat so you look the part) and can be done anywhere. Its also easy to sign up for a group so you have the comfort and support of other like minded individuals. All of a sudden you start to see changes in your body which motivates you to keep running. Then the day hits that you realize that those initial changes you loved and fueled your enthusiasm just aren't happening anymore. WHY? Its called adaptation. The body has the amazing ability to change when there is a catalyst but eventually it settles into the new groove and then its ability to adapt stops the body from making further progress. So whats a girl to do? Guess you need to run more, start hill training, incorporate sprints and start looking at resistance training and a variety of cardiovascular activities.
The same is true with eating clean. Initially when you start losing the junk food, adding more whole foods, grains, vegetables, proteins, good fats the body responds positively so we think WOW this is working! But just as with running over time you start to realize that those initial changes just aren't coming as quickly (if at all) and you still haven't created the physique that your goals were built on.
Do you know that losing weight can be supported by eating more Omega 3 fatty acids? Do you know where to find those Omega 3s and how much you should be taking in daily? Do you know how much room you have for good fats in your daily nutrition plan? Getting in good fats goes beyond adding nuts and olive oil it requires that you KNOW about all the healthy fats and how to properly incorporate them so that they get you to your goal faster!
How about carbohydrates? Do you know the difference between complex carbs vs fibrous ones? Do you know the best time to eat them or what portion sizes match your activity level? Do you understand the important role they play in determining body composition or the fact that your body requires them for maximum performance?
Then there is protein. Do you understand that there is life beyond chicken? Do you know how much you should be eating and how often? Do you understand the importance of variety so you don't run into health issues such as iron deficiency?
Its all in the details. Calories count, even calories from clean foods.
If your weight loss has stalled and you are confused about why, take a step back and get some help to determining what details you are missing.
Its the difference between walking from Vancouver to Miami or hopping on a plane. Personally when I decide I want something I seek out the people who have the experience to help me achieve or learn what I need to so I can get the job done quickly. Time is our most valuable asset and I for one want to make the most of mine.
Put the journey towards your weight loss goals into high speed and learn the details. I promise you will never look back and the BUC nutrition program will change how you think and feel about food for life.
-LC
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