So I often talk to some of the ladies about ‘change’ and habits…
And we often go into how there are SOME compromises to be made
And obstacles to overcome in order to change the way we look and feel…
It can be scary at times…
We might have fears about whether we can do it..
Whether we are fit enough
Have enough time
Etc…
But you never really know until you do it…
And from my experience of going from calling in sick when asked to doing presentations at university
To now actually guest lecturing at Oxford Brookes University….
I can say that it is never as bad as you make it seem…
And I can be that when you think of everything you have overcome in your life
And think back to all the worries and fears you had at the time and now just laugh it?
You will probably agree.
Although I must say
That the other day caught me off guard a bit..
And outside of my comfort zone..
There I am sat in my car having just dropped the babies off at nursery
Preparing to have 2 minutes of shut eye to recharge the batteries (more on that soon as I will be interviewing Kathleen Reinhardt today on her research into sleep)
And I get a phone call from an unknown caller..
Weirdly, I answer it (which I often don’t do..)
Its BBC Wiltshire asking if I would like to come on the radio to discuss the study that came out
Showing that when calories were on food
People ate fewer calories..
‘Of course I would” I said..
Not knowing that they meant…
Pretty much NOW..
Well, after the travel and news…
So I am sat there on hold, listening to the travel and news
About to go on live
Having not actually heard about the study
Whilst conscious that our exercise session is starting in 5 minutes time..
To which I then say…
I only have 2 minutes..
So I hope that I got my message across in that 2 minutes
But in a nutshell…
- Life is about making choices..
As Julie said in the comments of my interview:
“Life is about making choices. The more info you have the better informed a person is to make the choice that’s right for them. Providing this info can only help 👏👏”
And here’s what Rachael added:
“They should show the calories as I think most people have no idea. It’s not just the cooking methods (everything swimming in fat) but also the portion sizes, which have crept up….After moving back here from overseas I was quite shocked by the huge portions which seem to have become normalised here.”
And Rachael is right there..
Did you know that just by eating a bagel in 2019 compared to 1980
You’ll eat an extra 150 calories or so due to the size of them…
And given that we generally eat what we are given?
Knowledge is power.
- “But it takes the fun out of it”
Some have said it “takes the fun out of it”.
And I get that.
But you could say
it’s a bit like going shopping
And saying that putting the price on items just takes the fun out of it 🤔
You would want to know the cost of your tender stem broccoli right?
Anyway…
When I eat out
I make the decision to either
- Enjoy myself and choose what I want, accepting that it will slow progress (reminding myself that life is living…)
- Make a “healthier” choice (which calories in the menu does help with, especially as my Cobb salad had more calories than my friends pizza the other day…)
- Cut down during the week a bit (small swaps like have an white Americans instead of latte is 200 calories 🤔 do that Monday to Friday and it’s 1000 calories for the weekend)
And my point is that even if I am enjoying myself and not caring what I eat ?
A number on a menu won’t “take the fun out of it” for me…
It’s just a number…
- What about local restaurants and cafés?
I agree with this .
It makes it difficult for the chef to be experimental.
Personally?
If I want to find out the calories of a dish at an Italian for example
I’ll just use something like Prezzo as a guide
Even if I’m at a local restaurant.
But ultimately?
The success of any “diet”
Fitness programme
Or
Body transformation
Isn’t about the things you do now and then (like eating out)
But the things you do every day.
Your habits..
And doing the things you probably know you need to do
But finding a way that fits your lifestyle
Whether that’s knowing the bettER options when on the go
And life is busy
Or getting a done for you meal plan
With the flexibility to have the foods you love..
Just like we do inside our Fit For Life Programme..
Matt “on the radio music 🎶 “ Fruci