Nutrition Review - Three Steps to Success!

A few weeks ago, I signed up for the Wodapalooza Transformation Challenge as a way to hold me accountable for my eating. I've never done such a challenge before, and as it turns out I'm mostly ignoring it - except as that little extra incentive to keep doing what I was already doing. So far I'm mostly just eating less unhealthy food, and it is actually making a difference, I've lost a little weight and I'm looking leaner.

As my quest for better nutrition continues, I've realized that the approach I'm using boils down to three simple steps.

1. Eat when you're hungry, and don't when you're not.
2. Make healthy, filling choices most of the time.
3. Have treats (unhealthy foods) occasionally.

Step one is twofold, and a lot of people struggle with both sides of it. But it's very simple - if you starve yourself, your body is not going to respond well, and you may end up holding onto or even putting on more weight. And if you eat when you're not hungry, whether by bingeing or distracted eating or stress eating, obviously you're taking in more food than you need.

Step two is also straightforward, and is something that can be implemented bit by bit. By listening to my body and my hunger cues, it's pretty easy to figure out which foods work well and which don't. For instance, I usually eat a bowl of steel cut oatmeal in the morning. Sometimes I put brown sugar on it, and sometimes I put blueberries on it. I like the taste of the brown sugar better, but it's become clear to me that I stay full longer when I put blueberries on instead. Sugar doesn't fill you up, and blueberries do. It seems pretty obvious, but by going through the process of trying it both ways, I've learned it differently than just being told to have blueberries - because it's about more than just what is "healthy," it's about what makes me feel good. In this way, I'm gradually going through most of the foods that I eat on a regular basis and finding what combinations make me feel the best.

Step three is in my opinion just as important as step two. Denying yourself treats and making foods forbidden is a recipe for overeating them when you do have them. My personal weakness is chocolate, with a few other desserts. I've been finding ways to enjoy my favorite foods that still satisfy my cravings without going overboard. Lately as a treat I've been having Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter on graham crackers dipped in milk. It's pretty good. It's not super healthy, nor is it particularly filling, but it's a heck of a lot better than eating a bunch of Oreos or a giant slice of chocolate cake. I also have Chocolate Whey Protein for my post-workout recovery, which isn't quite as delicious as chocolate milk but tastes amazing after a workout.

So far this approach is going very well. I'm not starving myself, so my recovery from workouts is pretty good. But since I am cutting out the majority of empty calories, I am slowly but surely losing body fat.