“Better” not “Perfect”
This has been on my mind a lot lately in regards to nutrition.
I see so many people unable to lose weight, feeling frustrated and finding it hard to stick to any diet.
Quite often people are just looking for a meal plan: Just tell me what to eat and when and I will stick to it and everything will be perfect.
And hey, I’m not knocking meal plans – they do work really well for some people! But I want to encourage you to look at your journey through another lens.
What’s better?
Losing 15lbs in 3 months or losing 20 in a 1 year?
Most people are going to say: 10 lbs in 3 months! I want to lose that weight now!
But lets zoom out a little further.
Person A lost 10 lbs in 3 months. But once summer came and the BBQ’s started, they lost a little motivation and couldn’t stick to their meal plan anymore, they gained 15 lbs back.
Person B took some more time, but they have learned to achieve balance in their nutrition They are continuing to make changes that will get get them where they want to be long term, while still enjoying some summertime BBQ’s.
Which looks better now?
Person A is always going to be the route we gravitate to: How much weight can I lose in the shortest period of time.
Food is complicated, our relationships with ourselves is complicated… all we want is to reach our goals ASAP so we can be comfortable and happy.
But lets try something new today. Let’s write down some goals of where we want to be in the next 3 YEARS. Can that change the way we look at our nutrition right now?
The reason person A lost weight so fast is because they stuck to their meal plan explicitly. But then once life started getting in the way, it became harder and harder to stick perfectly to that meal plan.. until they just gave up entirely.
But is this the only way to lose weight? 3 months of a strict diet with no wiggle room to enjoy life? No, it’s not. In fact it’s probably not going to do little more than help you during those 3 months, and the other 9 will be a struggle. And you can hardly call that the perfect diet.
WHAT IF:
Instead of looking for the PERFECT time to eat your food and the PERFECT sources of fruits and veggies for weight loss and the PERFECT celery juice that’s going to clear you of all ailments…
You chose a few new, healthy habits that you can work to incorporate in to your diet over the next 3 months.
Let’s zoom out again. How much of an impact do you think those new habits can have? Probably more than you think.
Maybe eating protein at every meal, or eating 2 servings of veggies at every meal, or cutting out 1 latte a day doesn’t seem like much.
But guess what:
- Eating more protein keeps you satisfied and full longer. It also helps increase your lean muscle mass (we need this at Locomotive Fitness Co!)
- Increasing veggies provides you with fiber that also keep you full longer, as well as providing your body with the nutrients it needs. A lack of these vitamins and minerals can increase risk for depression, lead to digestive issues, and lead to eating more high calorie foods in general (because we are never full)
- Drinking more water is well known for being beneficial, and cutting down on 1 latte a day could decrease your calories anymore from 1400-3500 a week.
Now does it seem like small can’t make an impact?
Aim for better. Don’t get stuck on what a perfect diet looks like and become overwhelmed that you’ll never get there. Look at the big picture, and start incorporating small changes that will you get you there (in time!)