Sometimes we like to make things complicated to make ourselves sound smart or show that our way of doing things is far better than anyone else’s.
It seems like the whole health industry is trying to make things complicated; asking you to eat an exact figure of calories per day to lose weight and the meal plans that you are given can often show the meal down to the last calorie.
Now, don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with this, if you are willing to consistently measure your food, cook your own food or type your meals into an application for the rest of your life. I am sure you will get results and I am sure that you will probably be reducing the amount of that you are consuming but doing this does not solve our problem long term does it?
We may get short term results and we may see progress but what happens when we eat out or we get tired of measuring our food or we just want to enjoy a meal for the simple purpose of enjoying a meal? You see I have been in the health and fitness industry for about 5 years and it baffled me that nobody was really questioning the calorie approach. I mean, we clearly have a growing obesity rate around the world but we are doing the same things in relation to nutrition coaching? It doesn’t make sense to me, counting calories and giving meal plans is not solving any of our issues. In my opinion, it is one of the root causes of obesity.Why? We are teaching people how to count calories instead of learning about their own body; when they are hungry, when they are full and what does food do to their body?
The very first thing we need to do is to teach people how to read their hunger levels. A hormone called “Ghrelin” tells us if we are hungry or not. Lets learn how to read this signal first. So the first thing we need to do here is to build awareness of our hunger. Before you put anything into your mouth, ask yourself the question; Am I a 7/10 hungry or is it something else? If you don’t feel like a 7 out of 10 hungry then drink some water, have a black coffee or move around. The reason for this is that our body’s signal for hunger is often mistaken for boredom, procrastination, habit or stress and we have so many emotions attached with certain foods also. Take a step back before you eat and ask yourself that question. “Am I really hungry or …”
The second thing in relation to our hunger is if we are hungry then eat food. The only issue here is that if we eat snacks and just mini on the go foods then are we truly ever going to be hungry or full or are we just going to be in a state of topping up? I always use the scenario of going to the gas station. If you go to the gas station would you just put in a little gas or would you fill the tank? Well, I know what I would do. The same can be said for eating. Why would you just “top yourself up”? Would it not be a better idea to eat a meal as after all your body is asking you for something else.
I don’t want you to just read this article and not apply any of these features. So what I want you to do this week is apply the formula as suggested above. Eat when you are hungry. Yes it is that simple. Follow this simple rule and you will find out so much about your nutrition habits. You are going to find out what foods make you feel full longer, what foods are not serving you well, you are going to feel in much more control of your eating and your energy levels are going to be a lot more sustained. In relation to weight loss and fitness; the same rule applies. Use this as a test week and I want you to become aware of your own body.This is going to be powerful for you.
Just a little guide for you in case you are a little apprehensive. For me personally I usually eat at 12 or 1 in the day and finish around 7 or 8 depending on my schedule. If I am training hard or if I just feel hungry in the mornings then, guess what? I EAT. This is the great thing about eating when you are hungry, you have a much more flexible schedule. It really is an easy way to control your nutrition and it is so basic.
Drop me a message if you have any questions, would love to hear how you are doing?
