I see people every day that spend hours in the gym, see no results and think that something is wrong with them, their training program, or something else that they cannot control. Often times it is. Most of the time, however, it is the neglect of their eating habits that are stopping them from achieving their goals. I don’t like the word “diet”. It automatically sends people into a negative attitude. Long term wellness comes from replacing the self-defeating eating patterns with healthy ones. It is a lifestyle goal, something that is not immediate. Unfortunately, many do not have the patience for this, instead opting for a quick diet fix. If it took you 3 years to get out of shape, it will take you time to implement new habits that work hand in hand with your fitness goals. The first thing you should do is to stop making excuses. The second is to be honest with yourself-what are you consuming that is working against all of your hard work?
Fitness is physical, but the largest part is mental. You must make an assessment of your current situation and resolve to work on the weak spots. When confronting clients with changes to their eating plan, I always ask if they eat breakfast. Some do, many do not. There is typically an excuse as to why they cannot eat breakfast. I don’t accept this as an excuse. Please do NOT tell me that you are “too busy” to eat breakfast. We are all busy. You simply need to plan. If it is important enough of a goal to you, you will.
I cannot stress this enough…if you are serious about weight loss, you MUST eat breakfast. Think about the word “breakfast”. It’s a compound word. Break it down. Break –fast. Break the fast. It’s the first meal of the day. It’s the meal that starts your day off by breaking the fast of the night when you are sleeping.
Now on to science. I wish that I could tell people that things weren’t as they are…but some things are exactly as they are. The fact is, that going 6 or more hours without food results in a slower metabolism. You are like a car. You need fuel to get from one place to the next. Your food is that fuel. If you were driving to Florida and stopped in Destin for the night on an empty tank on the way to Miami, it is very unlikely that you would get in that car the following morning and make it to Miami. You would be forced to refuel to get your vehicle there. You are the same way. After sleep, the metabolism doesn’t get kicked in to its capability until after food is consumed, preferably within one hour of waking. That means that your morning workout may not be as effective as it could have been. It also means that you are delaying your body’s fat burning process simply by not eating. Eat something! More on this in future sections, it takes awhile. You have to find out what works from you and you are here for that knowledge! I have spent a lot of time working with clients. Everyone is different and what works for me what may not work for you. We all have to fuel ourselves though, that is fact. When you become deficient in something, you will become ill in the future. We can’t prevent the inevitable, but we must be the best we can be despite it. Not to mention, you will eat the calories eventually. Non-breakfast eaters can expect to be hungry and suffer from cravings towards the end of the day due to the erratic metabolism.
I understand the basic principles. We are all made from the same thing. Its not easy. I like to live. I don’t believe that you should have to sacrifice your basic happiness for the sake of fitness. Rather, fitness should be a part of that happiness, a reward to help you feeling great in everyday life. We do owe it to ourselves. You are your biggest asset. Please keep that in mind along your journey.
More in the future about quick and convenient breakfast ideas. How many of you eat breakfast every day and what do you like to eat?
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