Now that the ‘holiday’ season is over it’s business as usual…or is it?

January is usually a time when many people start to crack down on diet and exercise as a new years resolution. For most people this is short lived. They start the year off with every intention of making a change and even sign up for the gym and start working out…they might even make some progress with their diet and lose some weight. Then about 4-6 weeks later ‘life catches up’ with them and they fall off the wagon.

Badlands Booker is a competitive eater, for him eating this 6lbs burger could be 'normal'.

This scenario seems to repeat itself year after year. In fact you could say that for these people this is their ‘normal’ January.

Then this got me thinking…there is no such thing as ‘normal’ eating. At least not in a way that can describe the entire year.

It’s more accurate to say there is the ‘normal’ way you eat throughout December and the holiday season…there is the ‘normal’ way you eat in January…and there is the ‘normal’ way you eat when summer rolls around etc.

If all of these ‘normal’ ways you tend to eat don’t produce the body you want, then obviously something has to change.

you cannot simply go back to eat the ‘normal’ way you always during each season or time of year.

This same situation goes for people who have successfully changed their bodies and now want to maintain that new body.

If your old ‘normal’ pattern caused you to gain weight, it will not help you maintain your new weight.

The point is there is no such thing as the ‘normal’ way you eat all of the time.

Instead there is the way you eat at certain times of year, and given certain events (weddings, birthdays, holidays, stressful situations etc)

I have found that having a goal and a date to hit that goal by is one of the only ways to force yourself to create a change on your body and make it happen.

You could even say that you’ve created a new ‘normal’ way of eating by setting a goal for being in a transformation contest like the Adonis Index or Venus Index transformation contests, or simply setting a date for a photoshoot to see how far you can go in a given amount of time.

In this case you’ve created the ‘normal’ way you eat during a transformation, or the ‘normal’ way you eat when you’re getting ready for a photoshoot.

When you look at it this way, you can more easily decide which ‘normal’ pattern you want to follow.

The big difference is that eating the way you ‘normally’ do to prepare for a photoshoot will set you on a course to get into and stay in a shape that you really want…none of the other ‘normal’ ways you eat can do this.

The point is that nobody gets in shape by accident. It always happens because of a conscious effort to do so. But it can also be a normal part of your yearly routine to work towards a better shape and then maintain that shape.

John

I used to have a self imposed rule of fasting during air travel. In other words, any time I was flying somewhere I would make that day a ‘fasting’ day. This seemed to make good sense as most destinations were either a conference or vacation or some other event that would likely involve all kinds of special eating occasions, formal dinners, buffets, catered conferences and meetings etc.

Having some water cuz I'm feeling a bit dehydrated

So I used the ‘bookend’ diet hack of fasting the day before and after each trip (ie: the two days spent traveling to and from said destination)

BUT this system has fallen apart on me because the airline industry and air travel in general is becoming a horribly stressful and dehumanizing experience.

Air travel lately has become more stressful, and so bad that I loathe the thought of having to fly anyway. (Delta airlines are currently the worst offender for me and I will NEVER fly with them EVER again)

And this brings me to the point of today’s post, and that is this: Medicating with Food

Food and the act of eating food you like is an enjoyable and calming experience. And my last few travel experiences have been so brutal that I embraced the concept of ‘medicating with food’ during those days instead of fasting.

Instead of forcing yourself to ‘stick to a diet’ or pre-plan every day of eating to achieve a certain body shape/weight goal, I would suggest fitting the stress/hassle/discomfort level of the day to your food choices of that day.

Gelato! Better than any medicine!

I’m not suggesting you use this advice as license to go to a buffet every day because you have deemed every day of your life ‘the most stressful day ever’. But be realistic, if you know next Monday is likely to be a really stressful day for you and the last thing you want to do is think about food/dieting, then give yourself the green light to eat according to your stress level that day, go ahead and have something that’ll help you get through that day (just be mindful of the total dose, but go ahead and have those comfort foods that help you get through these lousy days)

To be clear, this doesn’t mean to eat as much food as possible and stuff yourself to the point of pain, but rather don’t cut yourself off from any specific food choices that day. if you feel like  a burger, then have one, if you feel like having ice cream then have it.

Having this psychological freedom to know that those options are there if/when you need them is likely going to help you avoid over doing it on these foods when you finally do have them.

On the other hand, when you’re having a low stress day and you’re feeling good and really on top of things, ride the wave of control and momentum and make that the day you really cut back on the calories and maybe throw in an extra workout.

The point is to match your energy and stress level with your strictness on dieting or cutting calories (if weight loss/maintenance is your goal)

You simply can’t be ‘on’ every day. Some days are just gonna suck, and those are the days that some chocolate, or ice cream or a slice or two of pizza are really gonna help you calm down, so you should totally allow yourself that flexibility.

Life throws you enough curveballs and bummer days as it is, trying to force yourself to ‘diet hard’ on those days could just drive you to snap!

Instead, allow yourself to ‘strategically medicate’ with food when you really need it.

For me it’s during air travel, I’m just a lot happier when I arrive at my destination if I can have some chocolate and fun food the days I travel.

What is your stressful/bummer days that you would like to allow yourself to ‘strategically medicate’ with food? Please share in the comments section.

John

I’ve been coaching a good friend of mine Ali and helping her get in shape for a Venus Index photoshoot this week. We were at the gym and one of the regulars came up to her and mentioned how he really noticed her change over the past month.

What is more important...diet or exercise?

And then Ali said something totally profound without meaning to.

After the gym regular finished telling her that he noticed how much she had changed over the last month she said:

“It’s one thing to notice someone in the gym, it’s another thing to notice someone in the gym getting in shape”

I thought about it and realized how ironic that statement was. If you look around your gym you’ll notice that most regulars look the same day after day, month after month, and year after year.

It’s actually very rare to see someone making any sort of real change in the look and shape of their body…and when someone does it’s totally obvious.

The point is that going to the gym can only do so much for changing the look and shape of your body, but to really make a difference you have to make a change in your diet.

The type of exercise Ali has been doing over the past month hasn’t change much from previous months, the big difference is that she has made significant changes in her diet, and that is where the big difference her look came from.

If you really want to change the look of your body you gotta get your diet under control too, exercise alone will never be enough.

It’s a two part equation, exercise + diet.

Sadly most gym goers get the exercise part down and never figure out the diet part (probably because the diet half is much harder than showing up for a few workouts each week).

For a big time change in the look and shape of your body, the real heavy lifting isn’t done in the weight room but with your diet.

John

In light of the media exposure and proclaimed “twinkie diet” that professor Mark Haub was on the good food vs bad food debate rages on.

I firmly believe there is no such thing as a good or bad food if you don’t consider the dose. In other words you can achieve any lifestyle/fitness/body composition goal you want eating a mix of foods that include the so called ‘bad’ foods.

The only way to improve a Twinkie: Deep Fry it!

If you stop and think about all the foods that are considered ‘good’ and all the foods that are considered ‘bad’ you will quickly find out that one of the most consistent things about each group is their relative caloric density.

In other words, most foods that are considered ‘bad’ are very calorically dense (they are high in calories per gram), and the foods that are considered good largely end up being lower in caloric density (less calories per gram).

Could it be that the good and bad food people are really just trying to say ‘high’ vs ‘low’ caloric density foods?

If it’s not caloric density what could it be? Vitamin content? Mineral Content? Fiber? Fat (or lack thereof)? Some other yet discovered ‘phytonutrient’?

If this secondary list is what really makes a food good or bad then a multivitamin protein paste or bar would have to be considered the best food, but that doesn’t seem right does it?

I think the answer is food is just food, and all of it can have it’s place in any diet no matter what your goals are…even a Twinkie…and damn are they ever tasty!

But if I’m wrong can you let me know what you think the criteria should be for judging if a food should be deemed ‘good’ or ‘bad’?

John

Today we’re going to cover the “Can do without” list.

These are occasions, items, situations and anything that you currently do that you’re not 100% attached to and you could likely do without in order to lose weight.

For the most part I can do without these

For some people it’s as simple as avoiding cheese and crackers while watching tv. For others it might be skipping a second helping at dinner.

It might be the difference between going out to watch the game (where you know there will be pizza and wings and beer) or staying home and making some food that you can better control the calories with.

Whatever it is this is the list that will define what you can get rid of and lose weight on your terms.

For me it was chicken wings and pizza when I’m out with my buddies watching the game.

I still go out, but I limit the amount of chicken wings to once every 2 weeks or so (chicken wings are my hot button food, once I start eating them I just can’t stop)…the other times that I find myself out I choose other options that I know I can control and won’t overeat.

One of my other things is sharing entrees when I got out to eat instead of ordering an entree for myself. This essentially cuts the calories in half but the event and satisfaction of the occasion is maintained.

What are things that you can do without?

John