If you’re anything like us you’ve probably found yourself here before…
Me : ‘“Today I’m going to eat really, really, really well.”
Tony at work : “Fancy a biscuit?”
Me : “Oh go on then screw it. Tomorrow I’m on it properly.”
A few things you must remember when this happens.
-
One decision doesn’t decide the decisions you make in the future.
Just because you ate one, two, or a whole packet of biscuits doesn’t mean you need to skip a meal or not eat that fruit salad you brought to work with you. We need a different mindset and more education about what just happened and why. -
One biscuit doesn’t determine your health, neither does a packet.
You eat every 3-5 hours of your life except for when you’re asleep, there is plenty of time to improve not just in the long term but that same day you chose to indulge in some biscuits. Take a step back and assess the situation.
GOOD, BETTER & BEST
We often get stuck with thinking we have to be a sensational eater and if we’re not for even just one second, we must be the worst eater in the world. So here is some context I like to share with my clients.
First off let’s look at just one meal time, breakfast.
We need to know what we’re working with. The most common breakfast that my clients eat when they start with us is Weetabix.
Now we have a reference point we can introduce a concept I like to call good, better and best.
In the past clients have asked me, what’s the best thing I can eat to improve my health. This question is not helpful because although we could all write a list of healthy breakfast meals it doesn’t mean we’ll do it consistently enough to improve our health or see results.
We also need to get rid of absolutes.
“Fruit in smoothies is bad for you because of the sugar content.”
”That isn’t good for you because it’s been processed.”
”This is better for you because the gluten has been removed.”
These statements are not helpful because they all lack context, help & perspective. Your body is incredible, imagine all the times when you’ve drunk a little too much alcohol (literally toxic in large quantities) and it hasn’t killed you.
Here are some absolutes you can deal with;
Calories in vs cals out control total bodyweight.
Macro Nutrients control body composition.
Micro Nutrients control our health.
Start with GOOD, BETTER & BEST in relation to where you are now.
Usual Breakfast : Weetabix
Good : Nutella on Brown Seeded Bread with Strawberries
Better : Porridge Oats, Fruit & Protein Powder
Best : 3 eggs, 1tbsp avocado, 200g Veggies, Water & 1/2 an apple.
This is a complete life hack.
Is nutella on toast with strawberries the most nutritious meal you can eat? Of course not. But we’re not aiming for that because we don’t deliver in absolutes. We are currently looking for a GOOD alternative to what we usually do. Where I once had only processed carbohydrates at breakfast I now also have some whole food nutrient dense carbohydrates.
If your breakfast is usually nothing then weetabix might even look like the ‘Good’ option.
You don’t need to shoot for best, best is usually no friends and no meals out kind of territory.
Good, better and best are always options that are available to you if you just take some time.
Stop shooting for the best version and just make small changes, over time those build up.
