Don’t Forget the Food

Don't Be This Guy(IMG_3409.jpg by Hello Turkey Toe, on Flickr)

I’ve been pretty focused on motivation and working out and all of that nonsense lately, but you know that getting (and staying) fit is more than that, right?

Right?

Yeah, unfortunately you have to watch what you’re eating too.  You can burn all the calories and build all the muscle you want, but if you follow it up by eating an entire bag of oreos (which I would never, ever, ever do…ahem) you’re not helping yourself.  You’ve heard it a million times: you need to burn more calories than you eat to see results (yes there are exceptions, but I’m not getting into that here).

I’m not here to be the food police.  If you want to eat cookies, guess what?  I’m not going to stop you, and nobody else should either.  This is something you’re doing for yourself, and you need to make the choice about what’s more important – the food you’re eating or the results you want.

If you want faster results, you have to eat healthier foods.

Are you going to eat only healthy foods?  Of course not.  Sometimes you’ll decide that dessert is more important and that’s okay, as long as it’s a deliberate choice.  By that, I mean that you’ve thought about it before you eat something.  But the mindless eating, that’s what can cause the real setbacks.

So in addition to your workout plan, you might want to consider having an eating plan too.  Try planning your meals at the beginning of the day, either writing them down or just thinking about what you’re going to eat.  If you know you’re going out for dinner, try to plan a healthier breakfast and lunch.  If you know you’re going out at lunch, plan ahead for having a healthier dinner.

It may not be as much fun as eating whatever you want, but if you’re looking for results, planning ahead is the way to go.