The Simple Truth

After all is said and done, achieving and maintaining your healthy weight is still a game that comes down to two things; calories in -vs- calories out.

Many people reach a point where their calories in are out of control and they seek to get back in control using will power and determination. Unfortunately, will power has its limits and before long physiology takes over. My friend Sherri uses this example - ‘Try holding your breath under water for as long as you can. No matter how much you want to stay underwater, eventually biology kicks in and you have to come up for air.’ The same holds true with dieting. If your using all your energy avoiding things you love, eventually you will give into your craving, regardless of how bad you don’t want to. By understanding this and reconnecting your body and your mind, and following some simple nutrition tips you will approach nutrition and fat loss in a more realistic fashion. Are you are ready to play a winnable game.

The rules:

Calories = energy.

Weight Lost: Calories InWeight Gained: Calories In > Calories OutWeight Maintained: Calories In = Calories Out

These are the universal rules of the weight game. They can’t be changed. So it is important to understand each part.

Calories in are controlled by one thing. Your mind. You see most of us eat for many reasons except when we are truly hungry. We eat because we are frustrated, tired, rushed, angry, stressed, lonely, bored, even because we are happy, celebrating, etc.....Usually when you eat for these reasons you are consuming calories that actually stimulate your appetite causing you to feel guilty so you eat more. Some foods that we eat are very high in calories and provide nothing good for your body. And some food make you tired and less likely to want to move your body. If your goal is weight loss, then really learn to listen to what your body is saying. Look for clues that it is truly hungry and select foods that are nutrient-rich and are lower in calories. If your goal is to improve your energy levels and be your best the best foods to eat are also nutrient-rich foods.

Calories Out are controlled by one thing. Your body. You either use them or store them as fat. Now the thing is that when you are eating healthy nutrient-rich foods that fuel you, you will be more likely to have the energy necessary to get up and live your life, and do the things you want to do.

Many people want to increase their metabolism. You’ve heard term metabolism. And here to it boils down to energy, energy in vs energy out. There is no magic pill for this.Your metabolism can be improved - by fueling it. Thats right, if you want your body to become more efficient at burning fat, you have to fuel it. You guessed it, with nutrient-rich foods. Protein, complex carbohydrates, and fat. Starving yourself, skipping meals, and eating foods low in nutrition will significantly slow and in some cases stop your metabolism.

Nutrition and exercise are equally important when it comes to winning this game. There is no trick. It’s become complicated because there are those, namely the Diet industry, that will have us believe we can’t do it on our own. But you can. I am telling you stuff we all have heard before. Drink lots of water. Eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, and whole gain products. Eat lean protein, and healthy fats. Avoid or reduce the amount of sugar, alcohol, and fats consumed. There are no quick fixes, so stay away from crazy diets like cabbage soup, high protein, low protein or diet pills. They don’t work, diets don’t work. Will power does not work.

Make changes to your eating habits, small changes that will bring you the greatest long term results. We are playing this game till the end, not just running one play. Concentrate on what will work for you and your lifestyle. This is your game and you will be tweaking the game play as we go. Once you have a new habit mastered, tackle the next one. One thing at a time for your best success at reaching and maintaing a healthy weight.

Over my next series of blogs, I’m going to coach you through some easy and sustainable strategies for you to design your own nutritional environment. It is up to you to set this new game up so that you can follow the game plan for a life-time. Remember I do not believe in any short cut, quick fixes.

Game On!

Vera