October 2, 2018

This is something I have struggled coming to terms with since I got into the fitness industry. As a coach who is passionate about lifting heavy things and getting other people strong, it’s hard for me to say that your training is NOT as important as you think it is!

Does strength training provide value?

Yes! If you want to “tone” up, your body must have a base level of muscle. Otherwise, when you do lose some weight, you still won’t have the body you think you want.

So what is the answer?

You’ve heard it so many times, but maybe it hasn’t sunk in yet.

The food you put in your mouth is the most important factor in meeting your goals!

As Josh Hillis says in his book Fat Loss Happens on Monday, “If you don’t like the way your body looks, the problem is always the food. Sometimes it’s the quantity of food. Sometimes it’s the quality of food.”

The experts say that diet is responsible for about 80% of the results you get. So if you aren’t seeing the results you think you should be seeing, take a deeper dive into your food journal.

Wait… You don’t have a food journal?

If you aren’t seeing the results you want and you’ve tried “everything”, it might be time to start writing down exactly what you eat each day!

How else are you going to remember you had that handful of M&M’s at the office.

Or that extra scoop of ice cream after that tough day at work.

Those are the things we tend to forget! (Maybe on purpose, but who knows?!)

A journal can solve that problem. But it will take some work. Those foods might be ones you are likely to leave out of a journal. But they might be the exact foods that when accumulated, are taking you further from your goals.

Going back to Josh– “Your two most important ‘workouts’ of the week are–

  1. Journal review, meal planning, and shopping for food
  2. Preparing, cooking, and portioning food

You aren’t a bad person if you eat junk food just as you aren’t a good person if you eat organic veggies and grass fed beef.

Eating some things will take you closer to your goals.

Eating other things will take you farther from your goals.”

The choice is yours!

Just get a little stronger over time. Let the food do the rest. Put all of your mental energy into staying on top of your food habits (journaling, planning, and prepping). Do that, and you’ll win every time.

Take Away Tips

  • Get a food journal and actually use it!
  • If you aren’t interested in measuring your food, use THIS as a quick guide
  • Review your journal at the end of each day
    • What went well?
    • What didn’t go so well?
    • How can you improve for next day?
    • Remember, don’t beat yourself up. It’s ok to eat a few treats (Consider it part of your 15%, but lock down the other 85% of healthy eating)
  • Continue to train hard with a quality strength training program (It’s still important;)

 

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