WHAT DO YOU EAT? (SIMPLE FAT LOSS (real food 80 - 90% of the time)

I have been asked time and again.  "What do you eat to stay slim?" 

First off, I'm not slim or lean.  I'm fairly normal with a tonne of muscle underneath.  I don't run well when I try to be lean.  I run well with a bit of fatty tissue on me. Secondly, who cares.  You're already going down the wrong path toward health with that kind of thinking.  Stop thinking DIET.  Stop it!  Thirdly, I eat for performance and pleasure more so than fat loss.  I won't make you skinny.  Sorry but I just won't because I feel that unless your life is in danger then being rake thin shouldn't be a priority.  As a matter of fact it can be just as unhealthy.  SO NO.  Health always comes first.  Eat to be healthy and weight-loss just naturally happens.  The body wants to be lean, it really does, but not when it's stressed (read starvation diet)

I will answer your question though.  It may not help you because we are all built differently but truth be told, I eat almost everything, but in moderation. Well, I can't say that 100% of the time.  Take for example the three out of four servings that I ate of Irish Stew my neighbour made for me. OK, usually in moderation, with a few limitations on things that don't agree with me. I tend to eat regular meals of meat and veggies and post workout meat veggies and some form of starchy carbohydrate.  I do not count calories.  I eat till I'm satisfied and listen to my body.

That's the simple answer. 

Now, it get's a bit complicated.  There are several "diets" I could use as an example but part of my issue with any "diet" is the dogma that comes along with them.  The avatars of this "diet" or that "diet" will spew out the word of their dietary god as the one and only way to eat. Vegan, Vegetarian, raw foodists, Paleo - Scour the internet or blog after blog, and they will site studies that sway people towards their way...sorry boys and girls but studies are more often driven by agendas.  This usually means that soon enough, another study will pop up that refutes it .  Remember, studies are more often than not observational and only prove correlation NOT causation.  Plus, it's not a religion, lifestyle or who you are.  It's the way in which you have chosen to fuel your body.  Period. 

SO...real food.  Think, box.  Think about the food like substances that come in said box.  More than likely that isn't food. You're going to argue that frozen foods come in a box or package.  Yes.  They do -well done.  So the question then becomes how to tell if it's food?  Does this food product hold true to the form you would find in nature? Count the ingredients and how many of them can be pronounced? Does this food go bad?  Ever? Better yet, could you make this at home. If you can bake it, grow it, kill it, it's probably real and you really aught to make it yourself.  So get cooking.



What Should I Eat?

In plain language, eat what works for you. Do not fall into a "diet" trap.  Base your diet on fresh, natural food, like meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, some starch and if you're genetics allow for it a bit of dairy and legumes. Cut WAYYYY back on sugar (processed sugar...fruit has natural sugars in them not added) or cut it out completely but good luck with that.  How about we limit it and have our treats now and again. 

Think, perimeter of the grocery store, where thing eventually become unappetizing. In other words - they rot. The stuff with long shelf life is all suspect!

I'm all for the 80/20 or even 90/10 rule. Allow yourself to live a little. Celebrate food with others. After all, we, in our first world country, are very lucky to have such a vast and plentiful selection. There are not too many eating disorders in third world countries.  Be grateful. Don't be that person who avoids all social situations because it isn't their food, that they eat at their times with their utensils.  Go and enjoy a family dinner or a night out with friends. 

Basically, the things you should be eating are nutrient dense, with lots of naturally-occurring vitamins and minerals.  No calorie counting necessary when the body is being fed what it needs.  Your natural satiation will begin to kick in because on a molecular level you aren't starving.  With processed junk, food-like products are going in but the body isn't getting what it needs.  Have you ever heard of an obese person being malnourished?  It happens - a lot! So, try to remember food quality is important – be careful about where your meat comes from, and try to buy produce locally and as often as possible. 

This is what works for me and after years of trial and error. I have a decent idea of how much of the 20% everything else I can eat.  It's up to you to find out what your 20% can be.  I rarely eat bread and almost never have milk products because they make me feel like garbage but it’s not a low calorie, carbs or anything “diet”.  I eat as much as I need to maintain strength, energy and a healthy weight and a healthy, happy mind. I eat when I'm hungry and sometimes even when I'm not and do not feel guilty.  EVER! My diet (hate that word) is probably much higher in fat than you’d imagine and since I’m eating vegetables and fruits instead of bread, cereal and pasta, it just happens to be lower on carbs than it once was.  Note: lower not "low". Unless I indulge on an entire bag of chips.  Yup!  You heard me. That's usually where my 20% of the 80/20 is spent? This is what works for me now.  My hormones change once a month and so will what my body craves. I let the old girl have what she wants.  Chances are she's a heck of a lot smarter than me anyhow.


Now, this will rile you up. Wheat?

I have no answers for this.  I put it into my 20% but otherwise, steer away from it.  If you're genetics allow for it, as with dairy, go ahead.  

"But it goes bad so it's real and I can bake it so it's real." you say. 

The question stands, "Is it real,"?  Yes and No but I doubt anyone grinds their own flour... real flour (the kind you grind at home) goes rancid at about the same rate as milk if you leave it on the counter. This is a problem for bread companies so they add calcium sulfate and the more you add to your bread, the more “processed” it becomes on the real food continuum. So no, in that it alters the wheat from the form you find it in nature, even if you bake your own. Try to stick to an unbroken whole grain ...quinoa, rice, etc.

How about milk? It falls into the yes/no category.  If you can handle it go ahead but don't go overboard. It's great post workout if you're looking to bulk up.

So there's my two cents on what works for me...Go ahead.  Bag me for it...It's completely observational and only based on one study...me.  Pseudoscience at best.  Remember it's a way to fuel your body NOT who you are as a person.  Do the best you can. Eyes on your own plate!

EASY FAT LOSS SOLUTION (no gimmicks, no products to buy)

Most of the time your plates won’t be “perfect” and that’s ok! The goal is to get you to eat mostly veggies with moderate protein and fat intake, but still provide enough energy to help you recover from your workouts by eating more carbs closer to the time you train.

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