Let's Eat

I am going to be frank. If you have weight to lose, it can be hard. The sad thing is, it just gets harder and harder as we age. But, it's not rocket science, though granted, it seems scary and overwhelming.
I am a big fan of balance and I really like picturing one's fitness goals as a scale. One side of the scale is labeled intake and one side is labeled output. The intake side does not represent calorie intake. I don't really enjoy counting calories and I think it is silly overall. Who is going to want to count calories for the rest of time? I certainly don't. It is much better to get into the habit of eating whole, natural and nourishing items. The intake part of the scale represents those times when you take in NON nutrient rich whole foods, or maybe if you are taking in non fruit and veggie based carbs. The other side of the scale represents exercise. If you are trying to lose weight you want the output side of the scale to be heavier than the intake portion everyday. If you are trying to maintain your current weight you want the scale to be in balance (this does not however mean that you are able to eat a bunch of nasty food as long as the scale is in balance-- you still want to be making nutrient rich choices- but you probably don't have to freak out if you have a muffin on Friday morning with a cup of coffee!) The only way that the scale gets a little confusing is if you are trying to GAIN weight, as that goal is very personal and specific and it changes the scale. One side still represents intake and output respectively, but intake using becomes more protein based and you want that heavy, but you also want your output heavy too. This post is going to be dedicated to losing weight, so lets go from there:
There are five basic rules to eating well that go along with the scale. You can argue these, but they are a relatively universal blueprint for healthy eating.

1. Eat every 2-4 hours. It keeps your metabolism humming and keeps blood sugar balanced.
2. Women should eat 1 serving of protein and Men should eat 2 servings of protein with every meal.*
3. Eat veggies with every meal.*
4. If you are trying to lose weight only eat non fruit and veggie carbs after exercise
5. Eat healthy fats every day - about 30 % of the diet should come from healthy fats.

* I am very interested in hormones and diet, this being said I believe you should eat veggies before you eat anything else. Example if you are having a mid morning snack you would have a cup of veggies and then some almond butter. Also, if you are a woman with high testosterone levels, you may want to monitor how you feel on a diet high on animal proteins- talk to your doctor and nutritionist about this. And lastly, I believe, if you can, choosing organic dairy (milk, cheese and butter) is very important.

Like I said before I don't believe in calorie counting. I believe in being prepared. I believe in not having things like GMOs and sugary treats in your house if you can't resist eating them. (Even if you have kids, I know this seems impossible, but they will survive. And if they eat public school lunch, then you know they are having a least one brownie or cookie everyday... it will be ok!) I believe in limiting eating out of a box or a can whenever you can. Even if you are not looking to lose weight I want you to take the time to prepare your fruits and veggies after you come home from the store, just don't toss them into the crisper bins. Take ten minutes and wash the fruits and wash and chop the veggies.  And about those crisper bins, put all the stuff you don't want to be eating in them, and put all your whole, healthy things on the shelves. And really toss all the stuff that is not good for you. If you can't help yourself, then help yourself... by getting rid of it. Also make sure there is no food items out in the open. When we see food we want to eat it, even if we are not hungry.
We need to be prepared, we need to be organized, we need to be natural and whole and we need to be balanced. And we need to drink lots and lots of water. And we will be ok!

Man never made any material as resilient as the human spirit.

Bern Williams