Hey friends! Today I am here to talk about nutrition.
I am just going to say it. Nutrition is king. While we wish we could say that ALL of the magic happens when you workout at the gym, the truth is, what you eat has a greater role in your overall health and weight goals.
Your nutrition is extremely important when looking at your goals in the gym. Weight management must be a consideration – regardless of whether you are looking to build muscle and strength or lose weight. Or both. Weight management follows simple rules. Eat more calories than you burn and you will gain weight, and eat less calories than you burn and you will lose weight.
If your goals are to build strength and muscle…
It is extremely important to be sure that you are properly FUELING your workouts. While not impossible, it is challenging to the body to build muscle in a caloric deficit.
A key factor there would be ensuring you are consuming enough protein. In my experience, I find that clients vastly underestimate the amount of protein they need to properly fuel their workouts. I also have seen a lot of just not eating enough food in general. If you are not eating enough food, your body will begin to break down muscle as a source of energy. Fueling your workouts also requires carbohydrates, which have gotten an undeserved bad rap over the years.
If your goals include losing weight…
It is extremely important to be sure that you are intentional with your food choices. I personally advocate for making healthier food choices as often as possible, but do believe it is necessary to allow flexibility during dieting, or you will not stick to your diet.
Technically, you can make any individual food or meal fit into your diet. Unless you are someone who tends to binge when allowing a certain food into their house or diet, no food or drink should be completely off the table. Having mindfulness and awareness of calories in the foods you consume is very important as well as adhering to proper portion sizes.
The most important thing I want to stress this week to those looking to lose weight is do not expect to see your weight loss results solely from the gym. Yes, coming to the gym will certainly help AID you in your weight loss journey, but it can often only take one snack or large meal to counteract however many calories you burnt from your workout. Do this enough, and you will derail your progress!
In conclusion, nutrition is not a one size fits all approach. Working with a nutrition coach can be massively helpful in learning how to make the best decisions in the kitchen and out in the real world.
How does what you eat contribute to (or impede) your fitness goals?
