Diet 101

Our last post talks about our journey from fitness noobs to somewhat intermediate fitness enthusiasts. While it seems simple enough - start small, consistently be active and learn to enjoy it, our healthy weight loss was not evident yet. The reality is exercising is only a fraction of your fitness journey. Most of the results can be seen only after you account for good nutrition in your food.

Many of you may already be familiar with the phrase “you are what you eat”. Although the phrase was coined by the French in the 1800s, the phrase became popular in the 1920s when the nutritionist Victor Lindlahr used it to spread the message for the people to be more mindful of what they eat because they have to eat healthy in order to live healthily. However, with the widespread availability of cheap, accessible, ready-to-eat (junk) food everywhere, this mantra is difficult to follow all the time and may not be sustainable for most people with busy schedules, including us.

We are sure that many of you have heard the phrase ‘caloric deficit’ when trying to lose weight. However, what not many people understand is how much people have been overestimating our caloric needs, while underestimating the calories in the food we eat. This leads to a consistent surplus in their daily intake of food, thus leading to weight gain. The food sold outside generally does not factor in portion control and nutritional balance. Instead, restaurants usually focus on how to make the food taste good while maintaining low cost. This is usually achieved by the addition of high amounts of fats, sodium and sugar - also commonly known as ‘The Unholy Trinity’ of calorically dense food.

It is clear that the healthy way to lose weight is to balance your caloric intake through portion control and healthier food alternatives. Many credible sources online state that one healthy meal consists of one portion of protein, two portions of vegetables or fruits and one portion of carbohydrates. Therefore, the first logical step that we took was to reduce the amount of carbohydrates we consumed per meal while increasing the amount of vegetables, fruits and protein. The easiest and most effective way to reduce the consumption of carbohydrates is by severely limiting added sugar and unnecessary carbohydrates. We achieved this step by limiting sugary drinks, desserts and unhealthy snacks. Unfortunately, cakes, pastries and drinks are high in added sugar (commonly known as liquid calories) and contain ~10 to 20% of an average adult’s daily caloric needs, with zero nutritional value and are very addictive in nature. Unhealthy snacks like potato chips, cereal and biscuits are made up of mostly unhealthy fats and carbohydrates that are not needed in our body. In fact, too much consumption causes our blood sugar level to spike and crash uncontrollably, which eventually leads to type 2 diabetes and other health problems. Our aim was to try to maximize nutrition within the allotted calorie allowance and minimize ‘empty calories’. This approach allows us to notice significant and immediate improvement in the way our clothes fit as well as an increase in our energy levels, which in turn fuel our workout.

Understandably, with limited readily available healthy food outside and having to opt-out from all the Unholy Trinity, this lifestyle seems tough. But, humans are fundamentally creatures of habit. This means that as long as we make the effort to try, we will eventually notice the changes in the type of food that we crave and bring us satisfaction. In our experience, this is the KEY to losing weight healthily and sustainably.

One easy way to ease the transition to healthier eating habits is to subscribe to a healthy meal plan. Caterers like Fit Three, Wunderfood and Nutrition Kitchen, offer affordable meal plans that can be altered to fit your dietary needs. Once you are used to eating healthy food, you can then start exploring different ways of preparing your own versions of a healthy meal plan. Remember, the key is your determination to start, to choose wisely and to honor the nourishment your body needs. Good luck fellow seekers of Excel Vita!

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