2017 Principles
Year after year how many of you have wanted to start a new healthy lifestyle?
How many of you decide you want to try being a paleo warrior, a ketosis king, a metabolic master or the good old calorie counter?
The pressure from year to year is becoming harder and harder – so why not try some new principles for 2017!
Here are some new strategies you could take:
1- NO calorie counting…..
This is setting you up to have a melt down. Seriously I have done this many times in my life and it’s not a way to live. Studies show that most of us overestimate the calories burnt and underestimate the calories in, so really you are living one big lie first and foremost.
To calorie count takes a lot of energy and plays lots of mind games. The amount of clients I have suggested they calorie count, has been a waste of time – seriously who has eaten exactly 1200 calories ??? Well according to them they did – but I bet they didn’t count in the lick of yogurt they had from their child’s spoon when dishing it up to them (that’s me for sure), or they didn’t add in the coconut oil they cooked in (because 1 tablespoon is 110 calories)!
I know some of the machines used at the gym have a monitor in them that can advise you how many calories burnt, or apps will give you a base rate, but really I run with a running buddy and we run the exact same course at the same pace, but her calorie burn to mine is in a variance of over 150 calories, so using a base rate is totally wrong. So why are you putting all your time and effort into logging calories – when it is not correct?
Plus there are the following calorie burning you do not calculate:
* Nonexercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT): calories burned via involuntary movement (such as fidgeting nd involuntary and unnoticeable muscle movements).
* Diet – induced thermogenesis (DIT): calories burned during digestion (especially when you eat protein).
* Muscle protein synthesis (MPS): calories burned in repairing lean tissue.
* Excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC): calories burned in recovering from intense exercise.
Our bodies will not burn fat so long as we are feeding it with sugar products, so counting calories is not your total answer – if you want to be monitoring something it’s got to be the nutrient food itself.
2: Think long term fat loss and your health, Not short term weight loss.
Stop starving yourself to lower the number on the scale, the scale only gives you a number, it does not measure body fat and lean muscle, it doesn’t measure your health or your happiness for that matter. Being a lighter weight is not a number to go by, feeling good with lean muscle mass is more attractive to chase, it will result in longevity and a stable outlook with your health, family and lifestyle and remember your happiness.
People that go flat out to lose weight quickly need to understand your body will give up our muscle quantity before it gives up fat. If you feed your body good fats everyday it’ll melt the bad fat away. You want to shift focus from quick weight loss to quality weight loss, fat loss.
3: Realistic time frame.
Do not think that if you start this new journey in January (New Year’s resolution) – you’ll be completed by March or April or even August for that matter. You need to understand this is a long term commitment to changing bad habits and eating differently.
My diet or should I say daily food intake, evolves every year – from what I ate two years ago is so different in every way to what and how I eat now. Even 6 months ago I was eating 6 meals a day, currently I eat 2 meals a day. With research and personal experience I trial what my body can handle, with the focus being on my health, not the scales!
Swap your scales for a measuring tape or monitor your sleep, note your moods, your energy or the pain reduction – start to keep a diary about your overall health, not what your weight is, or how many calories you’ve eaten. Note how far you walked or jogged, maybe how many pushups on your toes you completed. If you set a few goals based on overall health you will see more results more often. Once you have reached those goals, either reset the amount or choose something else for the next few months.
4: Nutrition labels.
How many of us get fixated on the one number on the nutrition label?
Total calories per serve, then how many grams per 100 for the sugar, the protein value etc.
To have an overall health focus you need to recognise the following:
The more fibre the better.
The more protein the better.
The less sugar the better.
The fewer ingredients the better. (Very important)
The more vitamins and minerals per serving relative to calories per serving the better.
If the ingredients contain anything trans, hydrogenated, or anything you cannot pronounce plus anything with corn, flour, rice starch – stay away from it.
The majority of your foods shouldn’t have a label anyway – it should be fresh foods, nuts, seeds, meats, seafoods, fruits, vegetables etc – you shouldn’t have to worry about the percentage of this and that.
5: Buy in bulk and from farmers markets.
Support your local farmers, buy fresh produce from them and buy in bulk when you can. This saves money, buy what’s in season and eat when in season, this is also a cheaper way to buy. So many people say it’s expensive to eat healthy – stop using excuses, yes the big fast food companies make their product cheap to buy, but I guarantee you – you’ll be paying more in doctor bills later when your body breaks down due to the high processed foods. (Don’t get me started).
6: Snack on the go.
Pack nuts, seeds, boiled eggs, fruit, vegetable sticks, protein shakes, berries and yogurt. Once you start eating meals with more fibre and good fats, you’ll notice you won’t be hungry as often. As I mentioned only eating two meals a day that are high in fat, moderate in protein and low in carbs, I do not have the urge to snack in between meals. If I do it’s more habitable or if I have had a big training session. In this case I allow the extra snack or meal, but again having nutritious meals that provide my body with what it needs to run efficiently I notice my moods are a lot better and I do not feel HANGRY.
2017 can be a very successful year for you.
As any major change in your life – it takes time, you need to be educated, you need time to process and you need to understand – these are the tools to have a good chance of success.
Stop looking for the quick fix – it’s not there! You always get what you pay for – that’s life. You may choose a program that is cheap, but really it’s like buying the cheap fast food – it’ll cost you more later.
If you take time to understand and employee a professional to help educate you on how your body operates you will have the best year ahead.
One thing to remember – our body has been the same for hundreds of years, it will never change – we were made all the same and our vital organs were designed to work a certain way to help keep us alive – so don’t think you can change this – you need to change your way of eating, sleeping and recovering because that’s what we’ve changed in the past few decades to only realise it’s not working!
That is a fact!
So embrace the 2017 principles.
“I help middle aged women overcome common health concerns by educating them on complementary methods and empowering them to listen to their body”
Kerrie Fatone – Health Coach
If you want to ask me any questions on ways to help you and your health for 2017 here are my contact points and packages available:
https://kerriefatone.com.au/health-coaching-packages/
E: kerrie.fatone@gmail.com
Fb: kerrie fatone health coach
