It never ceases to amaze me that even today, people are mesmerized by the fact that I eat candy (not as much though anymore for cavity reasons :-X), dessert when I feel like it, ice cream, or heck, even white bread, rice, fruit, or anything else that, for some reason or another, is to be blamed for people getting “fat”.
It’s fear-mongering and completely misinformed information that has people fearing food now, more than ever, and yet, people’s waistlines are expanding at a higher rate than ever.
I’ve got news for you: it’s not the food making you fat; it’s you.
Let me explain.
Let’s start off with a study which was done between rigid dieting vs. flexible dieting.
If you have wondered why your rigid dieting produced results you truly liked but gained it right back, it’s truly simple; it’s not sustainable.
Any person can cut out an entire food group. Any person can cut out “processed” foods. Any person can demonize a particular food.
The truth of the matter is, is you are setting yourself up for failure from the start.
You are setting yourself up for disordered eating or worse, an eating disorder.
“These findings suggest that rigid dieting strategies, but not flexible dieting strategies, are associated with eating disorder symptoms and higher BMI in nonobese women.”
I won’t get in to a lengthy and wordy article about the what’s and why’s of everything because it misses the point. The I want to illustrate is so long as you start tracking your food, knowing your calorie goal, and macronutrient ranges, you will be able to have much more freedom in your food and dieting which will make it a much easier journey for you.
So I will use myself as the example.
I weigh 176 pounds (80kg) (as of this post).
My calories for dieting (as of this post) is 2,110 kcals. This was taking my training in to consideration as well as my overall activity in daily life. For some people, more or less calories are needed.
I am eating 210g Protein, 205g Carbohydrates (CHO), and 50g Fat.
*For the beginner reading this, your calorie intake is broken down by macronutrients. 1g Protein as well as 1g Carbohydrates yield 4 calories/gram. 1g of Fat yields 9 calories/gram. 210g Protein = 840 kcals. 205g CHO = 820 kcals. 50g Fat = 450 kcals. 840 + 820 + 450 = 2,110 kcals. Back to our scheduled program*
Knowing I have to eat this for my cut, it’s pretty simple now knowing I can eat a WIDE-ARRAY of foods to hit my goals and lose fat with adequate training. I want to show you exactly what 1 day of food tracking looks like for me and how it should look, with some practice, for you. This gives you objective data where you can learn to add or take away calories depending on your goal.
*YOU WILL need a digital food scale. They’re cheap and you will learn a lot in regards to portion*
**Before any of you comment that I’m 7 cals over…I’m actually not. Lol. Apps like this also count “net carbs” and fiber and it can add or take away. You’ll see what I mean in a bit**
Meal 1:Â
Frosted Mini Wheats (Brown Sugar)
Quest Nutrition Chocolate Protein Powder (Best tasting protein powder EVER).
All I did here was scan it in to MFP and then adjust, using grams.
Meal 2:Â
Extra Lean Ground Turkey (cooked)
Wholegrain Brown Rice (cooked)
Avocado
While this one is pretty “bland” on paper, I use spices to make it taste phenomenal and it’s actually one of my favorite meals.
I also cook my protein and many carb sources ahead of time so I can leave it in the refrigerator and take out when I need it. Make my life (and yours) so much easier.
Meal 3
Pita Bread
Extra Lean Ground Beef (cooked)
This is pretty self-explanatory. However, I did cut the pita bread in to triangles and baked it with season salt and pepper. It tasted awesome with the meat which was seasoned as well.
Post-Workout Meal
Quest Protein Powder (again…it’s that good)
M&M’s
and it was amazing. Made a protein brownie.
Meal 5
This was a pulled chicken sandwich.
Chicken Breast
Hamburger Bun
Olive Oil.
All I did here was take the olive oil and brush it on to the bun and toasted it with chopped garlic for a garlic-bread bun. Hot BBQ sauce (real low cals so didn’t need to put it in). And that was that.
And here is how I finished my day.
209g Protein. 203g CHO. 49g Fat.
FIBER! You want anywhere between 10-15g/fiber per 1000 kcals minimum.Â
The fiber intake is also why I may have shown to go over the cals by in essence, as you can see, I hit my targets on the money.
What you don’t see is 5 meals of rice, broccoli, tilapia, and sweet potato.
My meals yesterday were what I wanted..and that’s how dieting IS and ALWAYS should be.
So there you have it: A flexible dieting approach and what it actually looks like. It’s what I preach to my clients and it’s why many of them are a success in their own right.
Now go in to the new week and prepare yourself for greatness and you will start doing VERY well on your fat loss journey.
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If you have been trying to do this yourself and just don’t know how to set your nutrition up and how to train accordingly, I encourage your to read about my online coaching services with Major Gainz Fitness and let’s get you started on your journey to a greater you.