I see and hear it all of the time. When someone goes on a diet or even just trying to live a healthier life through smarter choices they start worrying and questioning everything.
Are potatoes good or bad?
What do you think of beans? Are they good or bad?
Can I eat bread if it’s gluten free? It’s gluten free so that’s healthy, right?
I had 1/2 of a banana which is about 16 grams of carbohydrates. Is this ok? What if I ate the entire banana?
Should I use refined or unrefined extra virgin olive oil?
I’m not losing any weight. What else should I cut out?
Stop mowing the lawn when your house is on fire! The most important issue isn’t being addressed when you are worrying about the miniscule details. I get it, there is a ton of nutrition information out there, supplement companies making huge weight loss promises and products popping up all over the place claiming to be the “be all end all” answer to fat loss. It’s easy to get sucked into the hype and details, but when you do that you are simply focusing on the wrong things.
It’s time to refocus. If you don’t have proper nutrition basics conquered, forget about what Sally Sue said about carbohydrates at night, supplements, health products and all other fiddly details.
Instead, focus on:
- eating slowly
- eating until satisfied, not stuffed
- listening to your body and hunger cues
- eating more whole foods
- eating less processed foods
- drinking plenty of water
- being active
And be consistent.
Meaning,
- Are you eating slowly and without distraction, making the best food choices as often as possible?
- Are you eating to satisfaction just sometimes?
- Are you eating whole nutrient dense real food or are you eating “diet foods” and other processed fake foods?
- Are you drinking enough water and moving as often as you can everyday?
If you aren’t being consistent yet on the above basics, start there. If you feel you are doing all the important basics consistently and still think you need a supplement, special product or more detailed plan then talk to a trusted friend or coach to come up with appropriate next steps.
In the meantime,
- Check in with yourself on how you are doing with the important nutrition basics
- Stay plugged into the blog because next week I will touch on choosing the best foods for your body
- Keep it simple, silly