You’ve heard this one so much you probably don’t
even pay attention to it anymore. The idea of a lifestyle
change has become a cliché. Sure, we all want to
avoid the yo-yo diet plan and make something permanent,
but few people really take the effort to learn how.
Are you one of those people dead-set in making a difference,
so you strap on your shoes, load your refrigerator with
nothing but chicken and broccoli, then put on your blinders
and focus 110% for twelve weeks until you reach your goal?
What happens after that?
Most people celebrate. They eat a lot. They take a break
from training.
A few weeks later, they are back to square one. Instead
of feeling great, they talk about how great it felt. Instead
of looking terrific, they tell old stories like grandfathers
in rocking chairs, “I remember when I could see my
shoes and not my belly when I’d look down at my feet.”
It’s great to have focus and to take on the challenge
and really pursue it. But have you stopped to think about
what happens after?
Are you training and dieting for a few weeks, or for life?
Let me ask you this … if it’s for life, can
you imagine yourself eating the way you are eating from
now until you are six feet under with a bouquet of flowers
above your head? If not, it’s time to change.
You see, living healthy doesn’t have to be about
diets and horrendous workouts. It can be about fun. I still
recall the first time I set down the barbell and put on
a pair of running shoes. Several people wrote me, horrified
at the thought of how my muscles would wilt and wither from
the rigors of training for a half marathon. How could I
give up the admirable iron game for some lousy 13-mile run
through the woods? What was I thinking?
The truth is, I’m beyond the need to compare my self-worth
to the depth of my abdominal cuts or the girth of my biceps.
I’m in this for life, and that means having fun. While
I enjoy grabbing rusty dumbbells and slinging them around
as I grunt, groan, and sweat like I’m taking an indoor
shower, there’s more to life than weight-lifting.
That’s why I like to ski, jog, and do other activities
as well. I make it fun. And you know what? I can do fun.
I don’t have to always have a workout sheet and a
pen to stay in shape. Sometimes all I need is a good pair
of shoes, two hours of free time, and the good green earth
to make my rounds.
The same is true for nutrition. Live a little. Experiment
with healthy recipes. Understand what “better bad
choices” and “portion control” means.
If I want some cheesecake, I might order a slice and split
it with my wife and daughter. You’ll catch me eating
a slice of pizza on occasion, and even sipping on a glass
of red wine. The key is moderation. I don’t have to
count the days until my diet is over because I’m focused
on the process, not the end result. Learn to get out of
the finish line and into the race. You’ll enjoy it
more.
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Key #5: Listen to your body
“Jeremy, I can’t finish my cardio workouts
because I get dizzy and nauseous when I do them first thing
in the morning, but I can’t eat food because they
said I have to have an empty stomach to burn fat.”
“Jeremy, I know I need a ton of protein, but I just
can’t seem to get it down. I get ill eating so much
protein. How will I ever build muscle?”
These questions are common, because instead of listening
to their body, many people are giving up their power by
following the current trend or diet program. Your body has
built-in mechanisms that can teach you a lot about what
you are doing and if it is working. A healthy person knows
when it is time to eat, because they get hungry. A healthy
person also knows whether or not they require protein. These
instincts are built in, but the S.A.D. diet (Standard American
Diet) is so loaded with processed food that has no counterpart
in nature, it’s no wonder the signal is getting lost.
What happens when you are next to a busy intersection with
a constant buzz of cars going by? Eventually, you will tune
out the noise. It becomes part of the background. If you
are standing next to a deserted road, however, the occasional
car whizzing by will attract your attention. You’ll
be “in tune.”
The typical diet is so loaded with salt that it completely
nullifies your sense of taste. When you try to eat something
that is low salt or salt-free, it tastes bland and disgusting.
You reach immediately for the salt shaker or at least grab
a bottle of Mrs. Dash and cover it with herbs and spices.
Try going without added salt for just four weeks. This
is an experiment I experienced first hand, as did my wife,
and so do many of my clients. The first few weeks are not
fun, because everything is so dull. Then, just like a smoker
who has stopped sucking on smoke for a few weeks, something
amazing happens. Slowly but surely, your taste will return.
Suddenly, you become aware of the subtle flavors in vegetables,
fruits, grains, meats, and other foods that just tasted
like salt and seasoning before. It’s an amazing experience,
if you let it happen.
By removing the additives, preservatives, refined sugars,
processed grains, and other artificial components of your
diet, you can start to sense your needs for protein and
carbohydrates as well. I don’t follow the traditional
“slab of meat at every meal” bodybuilder diet.
I know it’s popular, but I choose to listen to my
body.
I’ve force fed pounds of protein and the end result
might be a little more muscle mass, but it also leaves me
staring at a block of steak wishing I was somewhere else
and hoping I never have to taste a bite of meat ever again.
That’s not living … it’s dieting, and
I’d rather live healthy than diet miserably. So, I
stay in tune. If I crave protein, I eat it. If not, I might
just have a vegetarian dish. I listen to my body.
If you have the most energy on an empty stomach first thing
in the morning, go for it. If you’re one of those
who feels dizzy and weak, then listen to your body. Stop
worrying about what “they” say about an empty
stomach. Instead, get some food, let it digest, and then
get to work. Whatever fat-burning benefit you might have
from training on empty will be negated by your lack of energy.
Add some fuel and then push down on the accelerator and
go full throttle. In the end, it’s calories that are
king, not whether or not you time the meal before or after
your workout.
If you thrive on high protein and lower carbohydrates,
that’s great. Personally, I get extremely irritable
when I reduce my carbohydrates and get sick of eating protein
when I raise my protein intake. So instead of giving up
my power to the almighty diet, I listen to my body. I figure
it knows what it wants. Of course, the trend is that you
have to cut carbohydrates to lean down, so I made certain
I lost 35 pounds and cut down to 7% body fat while eating
300 grams of carbohydrates and 90 grams of protein per day
to prove that, first, you can lose fat even with carbohydrates
in your system, and second, it doesn’t take pounds
of meat and tubs of protein powder to maintain a muscular
physique. The proof is in the pudding – you can see
my menus and my progress here:
Bottom line, get comfortable with you. Stop ignoring your
body. Listen to it. If you find that your “splurge
meals” are making you sick, think about the message
your body is giving you and decide if you are going to continue
it week after week, or if it’s time to take off the
training wheels and grow up. You don’t have to have
pizza every week to enjoy life.
(Continued in Part 4)
>>
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