I found out (the hard way) that eating too much of a "good" food can be a bad thing!
This pretty much sums up why I failed (in my opinion)...
I liked the "idea" of eating "low-carb", but it meant that going out for meals was difficult, I had to give up some of my favourite foods, and it made exercise feel "harder".
I liked the "idea" of ONLY eating whole - so-called - "fat burning" foods allday, everyday, but it got boring.
^^^ I couldn't stick to it.
And what's the best diet in the world?
The one you'll do!
Don't get me wrong, I got pretty lean on some of these diets I've tried.
But, it was at the expense of my social life...and it made my relationship with food even worse!
I also never seemed to be able to lose that "last bit of fat around the stomach"...
Until I realised that there is a better way!
Now, the key to a successful weight-loss (fat loss) strategy is to create an energy deficit through your diet and / or exercise programme.
And one way to ensure you have a diet that you can stick to is to:
Make sure you feel full and satisfied!
^^^ something I completely overlooked...
The amount of food on your plate (the weight) will play a key role in how full and satisfied you feel, which will help you overcome and control urges to binge / overeat.
This is exactly why I get all my clients to track their hunger levels.
Because food choices will impact this and making simple food swaps (without actually eating fewer calories) can make a big difference to whether you stick to your nutrition plan or just pile the weight back on.
I used to think popcorn was "junk food" (it obviously can be depending on how you make it).
There was no persuading me, though.
I also "heard" that avocado was a fat burning food, so I would eat 1, and sometimes 2 or 3 everyday...without having the knowledge of how much energy this was giving me.
I just thought it was "good for me" so more must be "better for me"...
Here's the comparison between the "junk food" and the "fat burning" food (and if you're wondering what this looks like, watch the video):
66 g of popcorn kernels cooked in 1 kcal fry spray and topped with sea salt and stevia provides:
Fat: 7.1 g, Carbs: 32 g, Fibre: 10.1 g, Protein: 9.2 g, Calories: 229
136 g (meat only) avocado (1 avocado) provides:
Fat: 20 g, Carbs: 12 g, Fibre: 9 g, Protein: 2.7 g, Calories: 239
So, an avocado provides more calories than all of that popcorn, yet takes barely any time to eat and - in my opinion - doesn't really fill me up.
Plus, it's pretty boring to eat on it's own.
Now, I still eat avocados (usually in salads). They're full of healthy fats etc.
But my point is that you CAN lose weight (achieve fat loss) without "giving up" foods or going to the extreme.
There's a BETTER way.
And it just so happens that popcorn (a food I used to "give up" and crave) can help me feel full and satisfied. It's loaded with fibre and pretty much provides the identical nutrition as the "superfood" oats!
So, focus on what matters:
- Building a nutrition plan you can stick to
Which usually involves (at minimum) these 2 things:
- NOT giving up your favourite foods!
But at the same time, making sure you feel full and satisfied by:
- Making the "majority" of your diet full of high volume, nutrient dense foods (avocados AND popcorn...).
Learn from my mistakes.
If it wasn't for my "all or nothing" / "no bad foods" mentality, I would have probably been where I am today 5 years ago!