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Can I Really Eat Anything I Want?

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Over the last week or two I have had a few members asking about diets, what foods to eat or avoid and how to deal with cravings of certain “bad” foods they enjoy. It’s actually a question we get a lot so let’s tackle it here.

First, on the topic of diets, I would say there really isn’t a specific “diet” that we would recommend. What we recommend is learning how to eat properly, what a real portion size is and how much you should be eating in terms of calories depending on your specific situation and goals. There is a really good book about this called “Eat Smart, Eat Often, Eat Small” that you can download free right above this article. Ask yourself, “is the way I am eating sustainable and can I see myself doing this for the rest of my life?” This is where typical “diets” fall short. They are usually a short-term solution. They work, no doubt about that, but for most of us are not sustainable for the long term and therefore not a real solution.

Is there a way of eating that still allows you to eat what you want?

To this I would say yes! The catch is that it can’t be whenever you want. If you are eating well 80% of the time, there is nothing wrong with indulging in some of your favourite foods that might be a less than optimal once in a while. A couple tips on this:

  • When you do indulge, be mindful of how much you are eating. 2 slices of pizza will not stop your progress but 6 might. And you won’t feel good either.
  • Think ahead and include the calories from this less than optimal choice in your regular meal time and into your overall calories for the day.
  • Don’t feel guilty. Eat it and move on, picking right back up again on your normal healthy eating choices.

The key is moderation in dealing with eating foods that are of the “bad” choice column. Remember the 80/20 rule. If you are eating well the majority of the time, one indulgence here or there won’t make a difference, because remember, you will be eating this way for the rest of your life! Over the long term you will be healthier, and feel and look amazing.

Another big tip is to keep your metabolism high by making strength training a regular part of your routine as well. The higher your metabolism, the more calories you burn throughout the day.

So yes, you can eat whatever you want, as long as it is not whenever you want and it’s in moderation. It’s the key to long term success and happiness! For a more complete picture make sure you download the SOS Book!

Want to Live Longer?

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Recently I read an article from TIME Magazine with this exact title and it listed 5 habits that if adhered to, can add about 10 years to your lifespan. Here is a summary of what the article said in regards to the 5 habits and what research says about living your fullest, longest life.

Eat a Healthy Diet

Diet is strongly linked to longevity. The article explains that research shows the best diet is one that includes lots of fruits and vegetables, whole grains, nuts and healthy fats and does not include much sugar or processed food, naming the Mediterranean diet as the diet that fits this best. To keep it simple, just eat real food and control your portion sizes. Eat Smart, Eat Often and Eat Small. Have you heard that before?

Exercise Regularly

“Working out regularly is a boon for both your physical and mental health, boosting everything from cardiovascular fitness to mood and energy – so it’s no surprise that it can also extend your life” the article says.
Current activity guidelines recommend aiming for at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week plus 2 weekly strength training sessions for best health and longevity benefits. It also says that even if you don’t exercise now, its not too late and that research shows that there are longevity benefits to both long term exercisers and later in life exercisers.

Maintain a Healthy Body Weight

If you follow the first two recommendations, this one will take care of itself. Being overweight is linked to many chronic conditions which all have the potential to shorten your lifespan. Eat well and exercise regularly. That is the secret sauce of weight management.

Drink in Moderation

More and more the research is coming out on alcohol consumption that is in support of limiting alcohol as much as possible. It used to say that moderate consumption was ok, healthy even. Now researchers are starting to sway in the opposite direction. Last year a meta-analysis of prior alcohol studies concluded that there is no safe amount of drinking, because the net risks outweigh any potential benefits.

No Smoking

Smoking is associated with serious health problems making it a serious threat to your life longevity. If you do smoke, experts recommend quitting as soon as possible to minimize any threats to your long-term health.

And there you have it, straight from the latest research. We do have a lot of control over increasing the odds of living a long, healthy life if we follow these 5 recommendations. None of this is new either, we have all heard this before and we have been helping people take back control of their health with these exact habits for over 33 years.

What is the Best Diet?

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With so many different diets out there these days, how can you choose which one is best? They all claim to work. Should you do Paleo, Keto, Weight Watchers, high fat, low fat, don’t eat carbs, eat carbs, vegetarian, vegan and the list goes on and on.

What if I told you that the diet doesn’t matter, they all work?

It’s true!

When it comes to weight loss, the diet itself really doesn’t matter but there are 2 very important factors that do.

One is energy balance. If you are after weight loss you must be expending more energy then you are consuming each day. Most diets are a form of calorie reduction, which is why they mostly all work. Typically, when we eat mindlessly and don’t pay attention to portion sizes or food quality, we over eat. And when you over eat, you gain weight. So just paying more attention to what you are eating and how much you are eating will have a positive impact on weight loss. You have to eat the right amount of food for weight loss to occur. Not too much, not too little.

The second and most important factor in choosing a diet is long term adherence. This is where most of the diets fail. If you love to eat pasta and you choose a diet that is low carb or keto and you can never eat pasta again, how long do you think you will stick with it? Diets that severely restrict or completely cut out food groups are not recommended. They are too hard to stick to.

Here is an example. Keto works well in the beginning for a lot of people. Keto is high fat and fat is very satiating and energy dense so it keeps you feeling full longer and therefore you will naturally eat less calories. That takes care of the energy balance factor. But if you are someone who loves carbs and all you can think about is when you can eat carbs again, how successful do you think you will be on keto? Not saying it doesn’t work for some people, it certainly does, but when you factor in long term adherence, keto may not be right for you. You may lose 15 or 20lbs in the first couple months but what good was it if 2 months after that you couldn’t stick with it anymore, you fell off the wagon and went back on all the stuff you restricted yourself from hard, and gained the weight back. If you just look at the first 2 months, that diet worked great but if you consider the whole picture, you essentially wasted 2 months and are now even more frustrated with yourself. It didn’t work.

True lasting weight loss occurs over time. Finding ways to stay the course and be consistent is the key. You are looking for something you can live with for the rest of your life. A good diet really isn’t a diet at all. It’s just about eating smarter. Learning what a proper portion size is, choosing good foods most of the time but not restricting yourself from eating the things you love once in a while and being mindful of when and what you are eating.

Slow and steady wins the race!