Many times there is the assumption for both men and women that when they start to exercise, the pounds will quickly melt away. If not, frustration sets in. The next question is, how is your nutrition? There are so many sabotaging factors to weight loss which include; eating the wrong choices, not eating enough or eating too much for your entire day, portion size is off, when you eat, where you eat and other possible reasons outside the scope of nutrition.
I want to briefly talk about the effect of proper nutrition when it comes to changing the body. I have been discussing food in the past few posts and would like to re-emphasize the importance of making better food choices.
When I ask participants what changes do they notice about themselves as a result of my fitness classes, I will hear that they are stronger and are losing weight and inches, etc. The few that have not had significant changes will lead me to ask how they would characterize their meals and how many times a day are they eating. The standard answer is, “ not so good and I eat once or twice a day.” What, when and even where you eat has an effect on your weight loss plan.
What are your food choices? Is it chicken wings, mashed potatoes and coleslaw after your workout or is it a boneless, skinless chicken breast with steamed vegetables and a baked yam? When refers to how often you are eating your meals. Is it every 3 hours? If the answer is no, think about how you feel when you have gone 5-6 hours without eating. When you eat more frequently, it prevents your blood sugar from spiking, which keeps it on an even level throughout the day. If you wait too long in between meals, you will usually eat more than what you need at that sitting and then go into a "food coma". This is when you feel sluggish and tired. Eating small portions every three hours is a good standard to follow. The location of when you eat can have an affect that you are not aware of it. Do you eat on the go? In the car? Standing up? If the answer is yes, then you need to take at least 20-30 minutes to eat and really take time to taste your food. If you eat quickly, you usually have no idea what you ate and then psychologically you may want more even though your body does not need it. Have a seat at a table and take time to enjoy your food. Try to chew at least 20-30 times with every mouthful until the food is completely liquefied. It will make a difference.
You can exercise vigorously several times a week, which is very important for your health, well-being and stress relief. The fact that you are not losing the weight you want may be from your nutrition habits that can be unlearned over time.
Take a good, hard look at yourself in the mirror and go to that place of uncertainty. Make a decision to change your eating habits one step at a time. It is always good to voluntarily make a decision rather than anyone (a doctor) or a medical issue to make that decision for you later in life.
1 comment:
I don't know where I heard it before that WHERE you eat is as important as what you eat and how often; but this came to mind a couple of weeks ago when I visited my cousin. He has a teenage son who he says eats him out of house and home. During the visit, my cousin decided to buy his son a meatball sub for dinner. As my cousin and I sat and talked over our meals, his son came in and unwrapped his 6-in. sub and I promise you he ate it in less than 90 seconds! The next thing I knew, he was throwing the wrapper away. I NEVER saw him take a bite!! I had to look closely to see if he'd thrown it away. I couldn't believe it. I said, "That's why you're always eating"! I proceeded to tease him by asking if he'd chewed the sandwich or even tasted it. Before he left, I told him that he needed to try SITTING DOWN at the table and SLOWLY eating his food in the future. I wasn't sure at the time if I was accurate in my advice to him; but now I know that I was!
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