Self sabotage - It's a real thing!
Are you achieving your body composition goals? No matter whether its a lean body or more muscle, you should be noticing positive changes already if you have been doing the workouts as directed and eating in the suggested manner using the hand sizes for portion control and eating the recommended number of each daily.
Yes no?
If yes, FANTASTIC! Free pass from this blog…but if no…just read on…I’ll be kind I promise 🙂
Do you feel out of control in your diet at times…even regular times during the day? Do you have enough energy for your workouts? Are you reading too many self proclaimed experts on the internet that seem to know ‘the secret’ and that’s making you second guess yourself and your choices? I certainly do and that’s my job! Honestly, it's very easy and common after the first couple of weeks of any kind of change to your old habits and routine for some of those things to slip back in there. VERY NORMAL…VERY…I feel that really needs to be stated. That’s why we are all in this together.
The following are a few common ways we sabotage ourselves:
Eating too few calories during the day and bingeing later:
This is probably the most common sabotage of all. Has this happened to you? Often it is a case of willpower. It is interesting that we have a certain amount of daily will power and if that is used up on stress or decisions earlier in the day, you have nothing to hold you back from the nightly binge. You are tired, flat and that bread is calling your name loudly.
It may also not be as simple as willpower. You may be under-eating during the day and expecting your body to produce enough energy for workouts, recovery, daily tasks and stresses and be a normal functioning member of the family……. Not possible and a classic setup for disaster.
Whatever way it may hit you, this happens with ominous regularity each afternoon or evening and undoes all the good you may have done up till that point. Often the reason we are behaving like this is to fast track results. Yes, it is possible it will, but to the utter detriment of your life, family, friends and health. Pulling back and accepting it will take a little longer than a few days, and eating consistently with whole foods will enable the transformations to take place quick enough and sustainably.
Not prioritising sleep:
No sleep equals high cortisol (stress), high ghrelin (hunger), and basically encourages your body to hold onto its fat stores. No matter what your goal is, I doubt it is to increase your fat percentage. Not only does it hold on to fat but the body also does NOT want to build muscle. Muscle is energetically expensive and if you under eat or sleep poorly the body will place muscle building and muscle maintenance dead last. It is horrible when you work hard in the gym, see no results and have a body that is sore and aching from a lack of proper recovery.
Food choices:
Using the suggested amounts and numbers of macro servings you really can’t go wrong. Just try this and trust. When I first started eating this way many years ago I was sure I would put on weight, I was so used to thinking I had to eat nothing to lose fat…it was scary to eat, but low and behold it worked and I am no outlier, trust me.
Are you eating whole foods?
Be honest here. Are you eating whole foods…. Really? Personally I LOVE my processed foods….damn…they really aren’t good for us…even my beloved protein bars. Give yourself a challenge and try to only eat whole foods for one day this week (more if you can). Here is a link to a sheet of great ones. Whole foods satisfy your hunger more and supply nutrients at the right ratios for maximal uptake in your body.
Little bit of trivia:
How’s your breathing?
Did you know that when we exercise and diet, causing adipose tissue to breakdown and release stored fatty acids, these circulate throughout the body and unless we excrete them somehow, they will just pop back into adipose tissue again. Excretion is done through the liver and kidneys, so we need those guys healthy and hydrated BUT the main way to release the fat is through oxidation….. breath.
Do you breathe deeply regularly? Many of us are shallow breathers…. Make time to focus on deep breaths in and longer breaths out. Try a 4 count in, 7 count hold and 8 count release.
To finish:
I may not have addressed a concern you have, so let me know if thats the case, but otherwise, today is a perfect day to regroup and plan for success by addressing the obstacles you hit. The biggest problem I see constantly is those that don’t do this. Have look at this PDF. Print it out, stick it on the fridge and try to eat as much as possible from the green section suggestions.
If you feel overwhelmed or hopeless please book in to see me or another nutrition specialist. It won’t take much to guide you to a better and easier way to eat, a ways that fits in with your daily life and will make the transition to a healthier, stronger, fitter you a reality not just a dream.