Hello Friends, this post and the next installment will be filled with advice, camaraderie, suggestions, science fact, and a lot of “oh for the love of God don’t do that to your body!” when it comes to starting your fitness journey or restarting your fitness journey.
One of the biggest things that needs to be understood concerning fitness is that it’s a very personal journey, as well as every Body is different. Some people have the will power to get the “diet” down (I prefer to think of it as more of an eating healthy mindset- the majority of the time, instead of a strict “I can eat this, but not this” type of mentality). While there are others who can power through the tough workouts, but those cheeseburgers, sodas, and shakes, call their name.
Personally, I found it hard just to get back on the wagon of eating healthy the majority of the time e.g 80%/20%. The huge plus, is that it does get easier as you get healthier and maintenance is far easier than losing the weight or starting everything from the beginning. In essence diet is important, it’s one step at a time, and your mindset will change as your goals become more solidified. It’s one step at a time so my recommendation would be to take a step back without judgement and really gauge what you’re eating regularly, is it healthy 70% of the time, 60%, 50%, 40%? Be honest, it’s for your own benefit.
Now, I recommend increasing the health factor by 10% each week until you feel you’re at a reasonable healthy eating spot For You. This is the spot where you’re feeling better, possibly losing weight, you feel closer to your goals, and MOST importantly you feel that you can do this long-term. Here, I will quickly give you the little cheat sheet if you’re not sure how healthy something is and how to pick the best option:
- Nothing fried. If the meal is described as fried or breaded it probably has a lot of calories from fat so just don’t. Look for and say “Yes” to BAKED foods.
- No excess sugars. Sodas, fruit juice with added sugar, and the like. Even if you get 100% juice look at the serving size and have only the serving size. Say “hi”and get familiar with your old friend, WATER 🙂 Besides do you want to drink your calories or eat them?
- Choose whole grain, brown rice, etc. Not a big calorie difference here, usually but the FIBER is extremely helpful.
Some people like calorie counting, some do not. Personally, I don’t mind counting calories but it is a skill, as you read packaging labels, look at menus, log food in an app, you gradually learn general calories or estimations. My sister does not enjoy counting calories, in so she listens to her body more, stops eating when she feels satiated, and generally tries to make healthier food choices throughout the day. Of course, this being more aware of how her body is feeling also plays into the next day. If she isn’t feeling well she may look for pattern in her eating to see if a certain food just doesn’t sit well with her. Now if you don’t mind calorie counting, need more structure, or just want to give it a shot, here are a few links to find out your bodies caloric needs:
www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator
www.healthline.com/nutrition/how-many-calories-per-day
Now that you know you’re your daily calorie needs you can either aim to eat those calories to see how you feel with healthier eating, maybe reduce those calories 250-500 calories a day to see if you lose weight, but please keep in mind these are not guaranteed numbers, as every Body is different so feel free to play around with them a little bit to see where you feel best, where your goals are being met, etc.
Next time we’ll discuss workout programs, exercises, and pitfalls concerning anything we’ve gone over 🙂
AngelaAndThenSome 