Finding an effective exercise program is relatively easy compared to finding a nutrition plan that you can live with. Notice that I avoid the use of the word “diet”. Too often diet has the connotation of a specific eating plan. The problem is that those almost never yield permanent results. The two most successful plans in the country have only a 7% success rate over time.
For lifelong weight control, along with maximizing the benefits of your exercise program, there is only one truly successful nutrition plan and that is to eat a balance of whole foods which truly provide the essential nutrients that your body needs. Forget the old FDA food pyramid or anything like that. Truth be told, those things are put together with heavy pressure from various lobby groups with products to sell. The grain industry emphasizes breads and cereals. The dairy industry lobbies for more milk and cheese. You get the picture.
Here are my tips to get you started.
Rule #1, the less processed the better. Many foods are processed with the primary goal of extending shelf life, not preserving nutritional content, so you end up consuming empty calories plus preservatives. You should also avoid foods made of “white stuff”. You know what I’m talking about: white flour, white sugar, polished rice…. Stick with whole grains flours, raw sugar and brown rice.
Rule #2, do not eat altered fats (or oils). To make vegetable oils into solids requires adding hydrogen atoms to the molecular chain. These compounds are not something that the body would encounter in nature. Metabolically speaking, it is easier to digest the food that is recognized and put the other junk “in the trunk”.
Rule #3, go for the actual nutrients we need rather that a broad category. For example, our bodies don’t just need protein, they need essential amino acids. There are lots of “proteins” that we don’t need. That is one of the issues with genetically modified plants. They are made up of proteins that we don’t require and cannot metabolize. Same thing in the “fat” column. We need essential fatty acids in proper ratio (omega 3, 6, 9). For carbs, fruits and vegetables should be the primary source with less emphasis on grains. If you want to be built like livestock, eat like livestock. Otherwise, don’t eat like something in a feed lot. And while you are consuming a variety of brightly colored produce (berries, red bell peppers, etc.), green leafy vegetables, yellow vegetables (carrots, squash, yams, etc.), you will be picking up all kinds of vitamins, minerals and other phytonutrients.
Rule #4, don’t eat poison. Okay, this is harsh. But artificial sweeteners seem to get linked to cancer after they are on the market for a few years. Carbonated drinks, diet or regular, rob the body of calcium. Personally, I rarely drink soda and never eat diet/low cal anything.
This is a short article and volumes are written expounding upon the above ideas. This short essay is just a good place to get started. I am neither a doctor nor a dietician. I just have a lifetime of personal experimentation and have found that this all works very well for me. Examine the data for yourself and give it a try. The rewards are incredible.