He places the salty caviar...
Precisely on to symmetrical pieces of grapefruit
Which balance on a bed of rich, full-flavoured crab (A rare and nice change from my usual prawns, cockles...and crabsticks)
With the zest-filled, buttery Hollandaise sauce complementing the mild and delicate freshly-caught trout...
All topped with a purple (hopefully edible) flour for added cuddles....
The restaurant has an open kitchen (St. Moritz in Polzeath, check it out)
Which means you can see EVERYTHING being prepared and cooked right in front of you.
And just like most things that 'work'
There's usually a trusted system in place
^^^ Often backed up by training and evidence...
And 'proven' further with practical, real life experiences <<< Me dribbling over my food and looking at more cookery courses...
You had one chef who JUST focussed on getting the main component AKA meat and fish... perfect!
Then you had the chef perfecting all the side dishes...
^^^ I'm pretty sure he had a protractor to get those angles!
You had the bread cutter 'chef' <<< who has to get a mention as the thickness and consistency was perfect.
And then you had the chef who JUST did the presentation.
The extras...
The fancy stuff.
And the funny thing?
Because he was at the front of the restaurant, he got the most complements.
And it's the same when it comes to losing fat and keeping it off.
We often focus on the fancy stuff.
AKA
The fad diets...
And forget the stuff that matters most
AKA
The meat and potatoes...
So, here's the 4 ingredients (in order of importance) for losing weight and keeping it off:
1) Overall energy balance -
Yep, whether you do a home workout DVD and have some avocados, broccoli and kidney beans
OR
Do your homeworkout DVD and have some popcorn, prosecco, and Galaxy Minstrels (one of the members of my body transformation programme loves them)
Your overall balance of energy is KING!
Because you can still overeat on 'clean' AKA 'super foods.
And it's exactly why portion size is key.
Start assessing and tracking how you feel after eating certain foods / meals.
Full and satisfied?
Bloated?
Kind of still hungry?
^^^ Start optimising your diet for you.
This will help you create an energy balance that shrinks your waist.
2) Types of nutrients from foods
How much protein, carbs, and fats are your eating?
Feeling hungry a lot?
Protein is the most filling nutrient you can eat so will help to stop you overeating.
Are you eating meat, fish, dairy, beans and pulses?
Feeling tired a lot?
Have you cut your carbs too low?
Slow metabolism?
Well, your carbs may have been too low for too long.
Struggling to lose weight?
Are you overeating on fat?
Fat is the least filling nutrient and has the most calories per gram you eat!
3) Fibre and water
Fibre keeps you full and could help you beat those cravings for that 3:23pm cake
^^^ the average time that we crave a cake!
This in turn could help us improve our health, lose fat and increase our energy levels.
As for water, consider:
Are you urinating clear by noon (ish)?
Are you feeling thirsty / going long periods of the day without fluid / water?
Try adding a glass of water to your main meals to see if it:
a) Helps with headaches / tiredness
b) Keeps you full and stops you overeating and feeling like you're out of control!
4) Micro-nutrition
I'm referring here to potential deficiencies in micronutrients
^^^ AKA vitamins and minerals from fruit and veg
Multivitamin tablets can act as an “insurance”, but just consider the following:
* Exercise may mean you are at a greater risk of micronutrient deficiency
* There are many health benefits of consuming whole veg – perhaps making a multivitamin quite confusing for our body to handle
* If you feel hungry, have poor skin, poor sleep, then we may have to look at the nutrients in your diet that you may be deficient in and look at ways of increasing these
And what I'm leading up to is this:
Multivitamin tablets etc. will often be 'bought into'
MORESO...
Than the idea of overall energy balance <<< which is king
Which is a bit like saying that the symmetrical pieces of grapefruit on your plate are more important...
Than whether your steak 'melts in your mouth'
And this is exactly what I teach in my Fat Loss Mastery Programme
Matt
PS. Came out of the sea just yesterday and saw a whale being taken away that had swept up on the shore in Cornwall.
If I'd had seen this before going in the sea...
I might not have went in.
And missed out on making a fall of myself pretending to fit in with the locals in the sea (all good fun and I'm actually getting better)
It just got me thinking about how FEAR stops us doing and getting what we want.
