It’s Monday!!!!!!! TGIM!!!!! Why am I so excited that it’s Monday you might ask? Well today marks exactly one week since I started my “Diet”. I lowered my carbohydrates slightly, I increased my cardio by a mere ten minutes each day and I gave up my weekly ice cream binges.

According to all the posts that I’ve seen and read on Facebook and Instagram from people who are dieting I should be suffering too right? My energy levels must be non existent and I think I’m suppose to feel tired and perhaps a little irritable by now. Oh, and apparently “The Struggle is Real” when you are on a diet. This seems to be a common quote used by many of my fellow dieters.

Well I hate to disappoint, but I actually feel pretty good. I feel even better then I did the week prior to starting my “Diet”. My strength has increased in the gym and my shorts feel a little bit more loose too. Oh and according to the scale I’m down 7lbs. I’m still waiting for that “struggle” it just hasn’t arrived yet I guess.

So what’s my secret?

As some of you may know I don’t like to use the word “Diet”. I much prefer to use the word “Nutritional Plan”. I find the word “diet” to be a negative one as I tend to associate it with other negative words such as “Restriction”, “Pain” and “Hunger”. A diet is also something that is designed to be short term and usually only lasts a few weeks to a few months. In my opinion most diets are too restrictive which leads people to either cheat, give up or rebound extremely hard once their so-called diet has been complete. This eventually leads to an increase in weight gain, and creates an unhealthy relationship with food which can sometimes end up resulting in an eating disorder within some people. Trust me, I have worked with numerous fitness competitors over the years and I’ve seen this vicious cycle repeat itself far too many times.

A nutritional plan on the other hand is long term and is a constant work in progress. A well thought out nutritional plan teaches you how to fuel your body properly for what it needs rather then what your mind tells you it wants. A well designed plan will also allow you to enjoy a couple of “dirty foods” every few days without having them effect your waist line. Following a plan rather then following a diet allows a person to develop a healthy relationship with food while not feeling too deprived from the foods that they enjoy to eat on a semi-regular basis.

Okay, so back to my own nutritional plan. Why am I changing my previous plan up? Why am I trying to get leaner? Why am I reducing my carbs while increasing my cardio?

My Answer: Who cares?

My reason is my reason. Just like your reason is your reason. The reason that you make a lifestyle change is usually only important to you. I don’t think that you’ll find a single person who is going to lose a minute of sleep worrying whether or not you lost a pound last week. My 8 year old niece came to visit me the other day and she didn’t even notice my 7lbs weight loss! Ugh! Some people are so conceded….

Get my point?

Fine, so what’s my nutritional plan that I’m following that seems to be working so well?

Again, Who Cares?

My current plan is a plan that I created for myself based on my training goals, my lifestyle and my fitness regimen. I didn’t copy some diet that I found on the internet written by some guy who I’ve never met or heard of. I didn’t listen to the massive muscle bound meat head at the gym who is obviously on copious amounts of anabolic steroids for advice on my macros. And no I didn’t “plug” my calories into some online app like MyFitnessPal or Calorie Counter to figure how many calories are in a Starbucks brownie or how I could make “room” for one in my own diet plan. Instead, I personalized my plan for myself just as I do for each individual client who works with me on their own nutritional plan.

Generic Diet Plans Don’t Work in the Long Term!

There, I said it. Feel free to report me to Atkins, South Beach and/or Jenny Craig. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – You need to find what works for YOU and YOUR body. Or at least hire a reputable professional who you know of and trust to help create you an effective nutritional plan.

I’ve leaned out fairly quickly for many shows over the years without the use of fat burners or any other performance enhancing drugs. I’ve lost weight without doing hours upon hours of cardio each day. I’ve never once starved myself to lose a pound and I’ve also never gone more then a week without indulging in some kind of sweet or salty, deep fried food also knowns as my “cheat meal”. When 90% of your daily food intake is clean, there is no reason to make drastic changes such as starving yourself, or becoming obsessed with cardio, or even resorting to weight loss pills and other pharmaceutical drugs. These changes are not sustainable for life and therefore the person who makes them is doomed to fail before he or she even begins.

If you are currently in the process of trying to make a lifestyle change with your daily eating habits and are finding it to be difficult, don’t give up. If you want it bad enough, you can and will get there!

As the saying goes – “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. Neither were some of our bad eating habits that we’ve developed over the years. Instead of trying to change everything all at once, try to make smaller changes slowly.

For example instead of using cream in your coffee try using skim milk. Rather then ordering white rice sushi, opt for the brown rice option, it’s much healthier for you and will actually leave you feeling fuller and more satisfied. Instead of having bacon with your eggs, save yourself some calories and not to mention lots of trans and saturate fat by substituting the bacon for turkey bacon. Changes like this might seem difficult at first but eventually your body and mind will adjust.

Give it time, be patient and make it a point every single day to move two steps forward and take no steps back. This way if you do happen to slip up on the odd occasion and have to step back, you are still one step further ahead then you were yesterday.

Yours in Good Health,

Nick Cosgrove
President
Forever Fit