I'm about to give you some advice that can save you hundreds of dollars and make you fitter than you've ever been if you just listen and take a little bit of action. Let's do a bit of a back story:
For the first 30 pounds that I lost, I counted every calorie. I kept my intake at 1200-1400 calories per day. I didn't know what foods were considered carbs, fats, or proteins, but I did follow the Paleo diet which did not cost me a single dime, nor did it promote buying any meals from companies or anything. During my next 15 pound deficit, I didn't count any calories. I weighed food from time to time to make sure I wasn't overdoing it, but I found out later on why even that was unnecessary. Now let's go back even further.
The idea that calories in = calories out is OLD, but more importantly, it's WRONG. I was even taught this idea during my Texas A&M Kinesiology course. If you burn more than you eat, you'll lose weight...that's what they told us. And that is why America is obese to be honest. Let me ask you something. Do you know how many calories are in a bottle of Coke? It's about 180. Now, do you know how many calories are in a half cup of almonds? 180. If I drank a soda everyday for my afternoon snack, I would gain weight. If I ate the same amount of calories in almonds, I probably wouldn't (depending on what else I ate that day.) So, you agree right? Calories are not the same throughout foods. It's all about the INGREDIENTS.
In addition, you cannot outwork a bad diet. I find myself guilty of this from time to time. I'll think, okay I'm doing a double CrossFit workout today, so I can afford to have a cheat meal. WRONG. The nutrients in the food you eat are still distributed through your body. Burning calories in a workout doesn't make it go away. So if you eat or drink foods with no nutrients, it's still going to sink into your body and rot (aka that stomach fat you can't seem to get rid of.) In fact, you'll be more successful with weight loss if you eat well all the time and never exercise. I don't recommend this, but it's true. It's 80% diet people.
It took me nearly a year to realize that I needed to get over looking at the calories on a nutrition label and look at the ingredients instead. We've been socialized as a society to not look at the ingredients because we don't even know what most of the ingredients are. Well, guess what. That right there is the key. The most wholesome foods do not have additional ingredients. There's a reason why there is no nutrition label on fruits and veggies. IT'S ONE INGREDIENT. Anything processed and packaged will have a list about a mile long with names you've never even heard of. It's especially important to watch out for items that claim to be "low fat" or "healthy choice." Read the ingredients on the back. If you see anything about corn syrup, sugar, xythlin, alkjnaliuehg, aeirhiuftin... (I made up the last three words but you get the point,) put it down. It's toxic. Your body can only use about 10% of the actual food in there, and the rest will be stored as fat (cue stomach fat again.)
You might be wondering, well then what am I supposed to eat? This is the hard part. Americans have trained their bodies to become addicted to sugar. Fun fact, sugar has a higher addiction level than cocaine. It takes months to rid yourself of sugar cravings, and it's not easy. I'm not going to "sugar coat" it for you. It sucks. But if you can get through the sucking, you will find a life that is so freeing, you'll never go back.
I've kept my weight off for over a year because I annihilated my sugar cravings. I used to drink 3 sodas a day, and now I haven't had one since September. The thought of even sipping a soda disgusts me because it will destroy my intestines and I'll be in a coma for hours. I get sick when I eat processed foods now. This doesn't mean I don't enjoy life. I still have pancakes, queso, and pizza every now and then, but it isn't the central part of my diet. It's extremely possible for anyone to live this way if you just have a little self discipline.
I challenge you to try it for a week. Go buy vegetables, meat, seasonings, fruit, and nuts at the store. You can even throw in some oatmeal, sweet potatoes, and honey as a sweetener. Make simple meals. Ground beef with onions, mushrooms, and bell peppers is my favorite. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic. Eat eggs and fruit for breakfast, or make an omelet with a side of oatmeal. Grab a rotisserie chicken if you don't wanna cook. You can even buy the frozen green beans and broccoli because they don't put additives in those. AVOID processed snacks. How do you know if it's processed? Read the ingredients. Seriously try this for a week and then tell me if you don't feel the difference. But if you do it right, you will. Say goodbye to stomach aches, bloatedness, and cardiac arrest in the future.
If you want additional information on this, watch the documentary "Fed Up" on Netflix. I actually cried when I watched it because it made me so worried about what I had put into my body for the first 18 years of my life. If you need any more reason to try out this one week challenge, watch the documentary!
