Balance is Key to Dieting

Whether if you are a work from home person now or if you have gone back to work, having a routine set can be either helpful and harmful. It’s having a balanced routine is what leads to sustainability. Balance in relationships, in weight-loss, in work-life… it is all about balance! I’m going to talk about balance regarding food.

The picture above was taken after my wife and I went grocery shopping last Sunday. You will see veggies, fruit, some meat and Kettle Chips!

Now I know that kettle chips aren’t healthy and I don’t eat them every single day, but I buy them because 1) they are fucking tasty 2) I like them!

I didn’t use to have a great relationship with food. In high school I wouldn’t eat certain foods because I labelled them as “bad”. I also wouldn’t eat past 7pm because I believed that I would get fat if I ate too late. And if I did eat something that mainstream media was telling me that is “bad” then I would work it off by busting my ass trying to “work it off”. I didn’t know it then, but I had created an unhealthy relationship with food. And in college it didn’t get any better. I would binge eat and drink and then “work it off” the following day or the following week.

It took me years to find a healthy relationship with food. To see food as a nourishment and enjoyment rather than “good calories” and “bad calories”. A calorie is simply a measurable unit. That’s all it is. There is no such thing as “bad” calories and “good” calories. What exists is the quality of calories or how nutrient dense a food might be. My wife and I got into the habit of calling food, real food and fake food. Real foods being what comes from the earth and fake food being what comes from factories. Just doing that, has helped me, mentally, gain a different perspective on foods.

So what is the point to all of this?… Balance. You can have vegetables and kettle chips and your world won’t come crashing down. Be mindful of what you are eating, making sure you do eat your fruits and vegetables, because they have nutrients that our body needs, that our body craves!

Now I’m not saying to go out and buy every kind of Oreo you can get your hands on! That is not what I am saying! What I am saying is having one or three Oreos isn’t going to ruin your hard work. Just like eating one salad isn’t going to drop off fat the next day. It’s creating a balance with foods and being able to enjoy them without judging and hating yourself.

Depending on where my clients are in their health journey, I will either suggest the 80/20 rule, three plates/two snacks rule, counting calories and protein or counting macros. Again, it depends on where you are in your healthy journey and what fits into your lifestyle.

I’ll just briefly touch on these four methods but I’ll be making videos to dive deeper into each one.

80/20 Rule:

80% of your diet is nutrient dense and you are eating real foods. The other 20% can be some low quality foods that are less nutrient dense but nourish your soul! For me, my wife makes AMAZING cookies! So I will have cookies… or Kettle chips, or a beer.

Three Plates / Two Snacks Rule:

This is exactly as it sounds you eat three full plates, no going back for seconds or thirds. And you have two snacks that can fit in your hand.

Calorie and Protein Counting:

You have a set budget of calories for the day and you try to stay at that budget or just under. All the while making sure you get enough protein throughout the day. For me my calorie budget is 1500 calories and 520 of those calories are from protein (130grams).

Counting Macros:

Just like counting calories and protein, you have a set budge of calories for the day, but instead of just counting protein you now are counting carbs and fat as well. Each macro will have a different ratio depending on the person. Some people thrive with more carbs and other with more fat, but what mains consistent is having moderate protein. This one is more restrictive but it really hones in your eating habits.

I know I gave you a ton of information! Reach out to me if you have any questions, my instagram handle is @spearstrengthwellness or you can email me, just go to the contact page on my website spearstrengthwellness.com and if you haven’t already, you can subscribe to my youtube channel if you liked it or found it helpful.