Okay, so how can we change our eating habits? How can we eliminate refined sugar, trans fats, and chemically induced “foods” from our diets for life?

First off………..DON”T

Changing Too Much Too Soon

Whenever a new client signs up to work with us online or in person, he or she is doing so because they need help with their training and sometimes (most times) with their diet. After all, the reason why most people hire a Personal Trainer is because they lack either the knowledge, motivation and/or discipline needed to take their physique and health up to the next level.

Making the decision to work with a trainer, whether privately or in a group class, shows that you are committed to your health and that you are taking your fitness seriously. And when most people begin to work with us, they are determined to do whatever it takes to achieve their target fitness goals.

But depending on the individual that we are working with, we don’t always recommend doing “whatever it takes” right away. At least, not completely.

Trusting the Process

When working with a client, it’s extremely important for us to customize our approach with regards to how we create a training program and design a nutritional plan that’s going to be effective for that individual. One of the reasons we have such a high retention rate with our clientele is because we don’t design generic training programs and cookie cutter diet plans. Yes, it takes longer on our part to learn our clients’ bodies and requires much more work from both client and trainer to put together an effective strategy that’s going to work, however once we do find that strategy, the results begin to show.

Reality Check

If you’re going to change your diet and improve upon your training then you’re going to need to do a reality check first. Sure, a 6 meal nutritional plan which includes portions, macros and calories all calculated out for you, looks good on paper. But if you’ve never weighed or measured your food before, or haven’t even bothered to actually make the majority of your own meals EVERYDAY, then this plan might not work for you.

Instead you might be better off starting with a 4 meal nutritional plan and add a couple of easy to make protein shakes so that you don’t feel so overwhelmed right away. Once you’re able to follow a plan like this for a few weeks, then perhaps you can try to trade in those shakes for some solid meals.

The same can be said if you’re someone who consumes sugary and/or salty foods on a regular basis. You can’t just expect your body to suddenly just stop craving these foods because you’ve decided to start cleaning up your diet. Your body is not a car. It can’t just go from 0 to 180 in a few seconds. It’s needs time to adjust. It’s needs to time to correct your insulin levels and rebalance your blood sugar levels.

Putting yourself on a diet of plain chicken breasts, brown rice and broccoli after following years of consuming fried chicken, pizza and pastries will only work for so long. Yes, you might make it a for an entire day, possibly even two. I’ve even seen a few people last a little longer then a week. However eventually you cave. Your body becomes unresponsive to this drastic change and goes into withdrawal. This ofcourse eventually leads you, the dieter to binge, and/or fall off the proverbial wagon all together.

Discouraged Yet? Don’t Be! You can still fix your diet! But first you’ve got to get ready to go to war against the culprits that are making you fat, tired, irritable, raising your blood pressure, spiking your insulin levels, and creating an abundance of health issues for you in the future.

Stocking Your Artillery

Fight Sugar With Sugar – Who says that all sugar is bad? Did you know that Stevia Balance is a completely natural and raw sugar and that it contains little to no calories? And best of all, it’s actually good for you! I won’t bore you to death and explain what exactly Stevia is or why it’s good for you (a simple google search should be suffice if you’re interested), However trust me when I tell you that if you’re trying to kick a nasty sugar habit, then adding a natural sweetener to your diet will help immensely.

Spice is Always Nice – A plain chicken breast tastes gross. Unflavoured oatmeal is disgusting. And let’s face it, brown rice is boring. With that said, it’s 2018, there’s no reason to suffer with your healthy food anymore! Most natural spices will not only add flavour to your new and improved diet, but many of them are actually full of health benefits. Cinnamon for example has been proven to lower blood sugar levels which is perfect for someone who is looking to kick their cravings for sugar to the curb once and for all.

Cooking With Carbs – First off, I want to make it clear – COMPLEX CARBS DO NOT MAKE PEOPLE FAT. Simple carbs on the other hand, have very little place in a solid, well designed, nutritional plan. Complex carbohydrates such as oatmeal, yams, sweet potatoes and brown rice, will provide you with an abundance amount of energy and will keep your insulin levels stable throughout the day, if consumed on a regular basis. So don’t be afraid of carbs and don’t eliminate them from your diet. Just be smart and do your research as to which ones to consume and which ones to avoid.

Lose Fat with Fat – If you’re finding yourself constantly hungry or constantly craving carbs, then there’s a good chance that your healthy fats are too low. Hence, I used the word “HEALTHY”. Healthy fats are crucial in any well balance nutritional plan. The days of “Low Fat” this and “No Fat” that are over. In my opinion, they should have never been around in the first place. Incorporating healthy fats into your diet such as Omega-3 Eggs, Natural Peanut Butter and Salmon will leave you feeling fuller for a longer period of time. Healthy fats are also good for your brain and your skin. If you’re skimping out on your fats, then it might be time to reexamine your diet, as you’re doing an injustice to both your body and your mind.

Putting It All Together

So how much carbs, fats and protein should you consume on a daily basis? I don’t know. To know this, I would have to know you. I would have to know your body weight. I would have to know your health and fitness goals. I would have to know your age, gender, level of activity, physical limitations and lifestyle. And that would be just to get started!

But if you need help with your diet and can’t afford the services of an Online Trainer/Nutritional Coach such as myself, then at least try to apply some of the principles from above to your plan.

Remember, if you’re eating cleaner then you were last year at this time, and exercising harder and more frequently then before, then you’ve already made significant progress.

Now you’ve just got to tighten up that diet and/or perhaps increase your training frequency, and you will be able to turn all that progress, into some concrete results!

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
Forever Fit Performance