Post by Brian Ayers, CSCS on Nov 14, 2008 10:47:03 GMT -5
The Nutritional 10 Commandments
By Brian Ayers, CSCS
It’s important to realize that there is no one magic diet that will work for everyone. In actuality, the real success in starting a nutritional program comes from the behavioral changes that you make. Even thought adjusting what kinds of food you eat is important, the true key to success is taking a deeper look at what motivates the food choices that you make. Once you can correct the problems in your decision making process it’s easier to stay on track with a good nutritional program. Here are some common pitfalls and suggestions to get you started on the road to creating healthier decisions about what you eat.
1. Thou shall eat small meals every three to four hours.
Eating small meals every three to four hours keeps your metabolism burning high throughout the day. The increased frequency of eating also adds to the number of calories you expend through digestion. This sets your body up to store less of the calories that you take in as unwanted fat.
2. Thou shall not connect eating to emotion, habits, or boredom.
This is by far the hardest of the commandments for some people. However, it is one of the most important. Breaking psychological ties to food is a huge step towards achieving nutritional goals. Eating based on having a bad day, being bored, or just because you always have, are some of the biggest obstacles to overcome because most of the time they are unconscious reflexes. Taking control of your eating means that every time you feel the urge to impulse eat, you must stop and asses your motivation for what you are about to eat. Ask yourself “Is it the right thing for me to be eating right now?” It is okay to gain enjoyment from eating certain foods, but be sure that you recognize the proper time and use moderation.
3. Thou shall eat healthy balanced meals including protein, carbs, and good fats.
Making sure that each of the small meals that you eat has a good amount of protein, some healthy fats, and natural carbs will ensure that you are getting the necessary variety of nutrients. This will also help to stabilize your blood sugar levels which will give you more constant energy throughout the day, as well as helping to reduce the amount of fat that your body stores.
4. Thou shall prepare healthy meals in advance.
The key to sticking with a good nutrition plan is preparation. If you prepare your meals ahead of time then you can better control the number of calories and the amount of fat, protein, and carbs in each meal. It also insures that you will have good food available instead of resorting to undesirable food choices or even worse, skipping a meal, which will slow down your metabolism.
5. Thou shall not keep junk food in thy house.
The best way to fight the urge to eat food that will sabotage your nutritional efforts is to avoid being around that type of food. Use an “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy when purchasing items at the grocery store. Stock you house with healthy food and that is what you will eat.
6. Thou shall not try to substitute large amounts of cardio for poor eating.
Cardiovascular exercise is great for the heart and is a good way of burning calories to decrease your current fat storage. However, if your eating habits continually add new fat stores, using cardio to “make up” for eating junk food is fighting a losing battle. The only way to see real results is to combine proper nutrition with proper exercise.
7. Thou shall not use special occasions as an excuse to over eat.
There is nothing wrong with treating yourself once in a while for working hard. The problem with special occasions is that they tend to add up. A birthday party here, a going away party there, and before you know it, four out of the seven days in your week have turned out to be “special occasions”. When at a special occasion, try to keep your intake consistent with your normal planned portion size and eating schedule.
8. Thou shall not base thy eating habits solely on thy exercise routine.
In everyday life there are responsibilities that come up that can sometimes affect your ability to exercise as frequently as you should. However, just because you were not able to make it to the gym that day, doesn’t mean that you can’t still eat right. Do not get caught up in the scenario where you think “Well, I missed the gym a couple of times this week, so I’ll start eating better next week when I have more time to workout.” If you continue eating right there is less of a chance of gaining back unwanted weight, even if you miss a workout.
9. Thou shall not expect to completely change in a day, or allow minor setbacks to ruin thy motivation.
Good nutrition is not built overnight. It is a goal, and as with all goals, it takes time to achieve. Going “cold turkey” by trying to completely drop all of your current eating habits and eat nothing but chicken and vegetables will not work for most people trying to loose weight. Too drastic of a change is too hard to adapt to and you are only dooming yourself to failure. Also, once you are set up on a reasonable nutrition plan, allow for cheat meals once in a while. Don’t look at minor slip-ups as complete failure; just pick back up where you left off.
10. Thou shall not force feed thyself foods that are not palatable.
If you don’t like cottage cheese and tofu, than don’t force yourself to eat them as part of your diet. There’s always an alternative food choice to get the same calories and nutrients without all of the gagging. Remember the goal is to not just be on a diet, but to make lasting changes in your eating habits. If you choose food that tastes horrible to you than you won’t stick to it.
By Brian Ayers, CSCS
It’s important to realize that there is no one magic diet that will work for everyone. In actuality, the real success in starting a nutritional program comes from the behavioral changes that you make. Even thought adjusting what kinds of food you eat is important, the true key to success is taking a deeper look at what motivates the food choices that you make. Once you can correct the problems in your decision making process it’s easier to stay on track with a good nutritional program. Here are some common pitfalls and suggestions to get you started on the road to creating healthier decisions about what you eat.
1. Thou shall eat small meals every three to four hours.
Eating small meals every three to four hours keeps your metabolism burning high throughout the day. The increased frequency of eating also adds to the number of calories you expend through digestion. This sets your body up to store less of the calories that you take in as unwanted fat.
2. Thou shall not connect eating to emotion, habits, or boredom.
This is by far the hardest of the commandments for some people. However, it is one of the most important. Breaking psychological ties to food is a huge step towards achieving nutritional goals. Eating based on having a bad day, being bored, or just because you always have, are some of the biggest obstacles to overcome because most of the time they are unconscious reflexes. Taking control of your eating means that every time you feel the urge to impulse eat, you must stop and asses your motivation for what you are about to eat. Ask yourself “Is it the right thing for me to be eating right now?” It is okay to gain enjoyment from eating certain foods, but be sure that you recognize the proper time and use moderation.
3. Thou shall eat healthy balanced meals including protein, carbs, and good fats.
Making sure that each of the small meals that you eat has a good amount of protein, some healthy fats, and natural carbs will ensure that you are getting the necessary variety of nutrients. This will also help to stabilize your blood sugar levels which will give you more constant energy throughout the day, as well as helping to reduce the amount of fat that your body stores.
4. Thou shall prepare healthy meals in advance.
The key to sticking with a good nutrition plan is preparation. If you prepare your meals ahead of time then you can better control the number of calories and the amount of fat, protein, and carbs in each meal. It also insures that you will have good food available instead of resorting to undesirable food choices or even worse, skipping a meal, which will slow down your metabolism.
5. Thou shall not keep junk food in thy house.
The best way to fight the urge to eat food that will sabotage your nutritional efforts is to avoid being around that type of food. Use an “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy when purchasing items at the grocery store. Stock you house with healthy food and that is what you will eat.
6. Thou shall not try to substitute large amounts of cardio for poor eating.
Cardiovascular exercise is great for the heart and is a good way of burning calories to decrease your current fat storage. However, if your eating habits continually add new fat stores, using cardio to “make up” for eating junk food is fighting a losing battle. The only way to see real results is to combine proper nutrition with proper exercise.
7. Thou shall not use special occasions as an excuse to over eat.
There is nothing wrong with treating yourself once in a while for working hard. The problem with special occasions is that they tend to add up. A birthday party here, a going away party there, and before you know it, four out of the seven days in your week have turned out to be “special occasions”. When at a special occasion, try to keep your intake consistent with your normal planned portion size and eating schedule.
8. Thou shall not base thy eating habits solely on thy exercise routine.
In everyday life there are responsibilities that come up that can sometimes affect your ability to exercise as frequently as you should. However, just because you were not able to make it to the gym that day, doesn’t mean that you can’t still eat right. Do not get caught up in the scenario where you think “Well, I missed the gym a couple of times this week, so I’ll start eating better next week when I have more time to workout.” If you continue eating right there is less of a chance of gaining back unwanted weight, even if you miss a workout.
9. Thou shall not expect to completely change in a day, or allow minor setbacks to ruin thy motivation.
Good nutrition is not built overnight. It is a goal, and as with all goals, it takes time to achieve. Going “cold turkey” by trying to completely drop all of your current eating habits and eat nothing but chicken and vegetables will not work for most people trying to loose weight. Too drastic of a change is too hard to adapt to and you are only dooming yourself to failure. Also, once you are set up on a reasonable nutrition plan, allow for cheat meals once in a while. Don’t look at minor slip-ups as complete failure; just pick back up where you left off.
10. Thou shall not force feed thyself foods that are not palatable.
If you don’t like cottage cheese and tofu, than don’t force yourself to eat them as part of your diet. There’s always an alternative food choice to get the same calories and nutrients without all of the gagging. Remember the goal is to not just be on a diet, but to make lasting changes in your eating habits. If you choose food that tastes horrible to you than you won’t stick to it.
