Why I have banned the word ‘diet’

We’ve all made the same excuses, I will start after the weekend, I am tired this week, Christmas is only a couple of weeks away – I’ve heard every excuse trust me. I understand life gets in the way we have holidays, parties and temptations like Easter but each time we make an excuse we are one week, month or year away from achieving our goals.

When it comes to weight loss everyone is after a quick fix, 100s of thousands of us buy into the diet pills, 1 week challenges and slimming shakes happily parting with our hard-earned cash for a quick win. Unfortunately there is no quick fix, only the fact that the more hard work you put in, the sooner your body will start to take shape.

Now I am not perfect and I won’t pretend that I don’t still love a “lads” night out and if I could get away with it I would happily chow down a nice kebab. I have banned the word ‘diet’ with my clients and together we are making a lifelong change when it comes to nutrition. I do know how confusing the food industry can be with so many conflicting statements that leave us all confused (even me) about what we should or shouldn’t be eating. Every diet seems to have the magical answer, whether it is cutting out carbs, low fat foods or juicing. But none of these are sustainable and have never worked whilst I have been training so I created nutritional plans that anyone can stick to, not just a personal trainer.

There is no better time to start your nutritional journey than today. To start with just reflect and keep a food diary for a week as this will really help you realise what you are eating or maybe you’re just not eating enough food in general. During this week answer a few questions: are you tired, stressed, drank enough water or have you done any exercise this week?

You can begin to improve your eating habits by making simple swaps that could make a big difference in the long run.

Breakfast:

Cereal for overnight oats

Snacks:

Crisps for Kale Crisps

Lunch:

Ham Sandwich for a Ham Salad

Dinner:

Chicken Penne Pasta, Chicken Quinoa and Veg

Dessert:

Milk chocolate for Dark Chocolate

There are also 4 rules I try to stick to when it comes to my eating habits and I hope these might help you this week.

Healthy Salad

Green Goodness

Chopping

Nutritional Cooking

1. Preparation is key

Preparation is key when it comes to getting lean and being organised is really important when trying to reach your goals. You need to say goodbye to convenience foods - it's time to ditch ready-made sandwiches, meal deals and micro meals. Make it like your mamma did nothing beats home-prepared, nutritious meals that are high in protein and healthy fats. Make life even easier by batch cooking and get yourself some flashy Tupperware pots.

2. Snacks

Now most of us think having the odd small snack here and there can’t do much harm. Snacking is often where people go wrong when it comes to eating good food on the go. When you are out and about it is so much easier to grab a quick muffin from the petrol station or a packet of your favourite Walkers crisps. But when you are hungry you need to reach for something that is healthier. I recommend having a Whey protein shake, handful of nuts or some fruit.

3. Don’t miss a meal

Just because you’re not eating that doesn’t mean you’re not putting on weight. Try not to skip meals throughout the day – I know my new mums do this a lot. Try and aim for 3 healthy meals a day and two snacks. Keeping full throughout the day also prevents night binges.

4. Hydration

I’m the worse for this but I do try to drink plenty of water because it is the easiest thing to change to make a real difference. Try and grab a water and have it with you at all times, the girls are really loving the new hydr8 bottles – have you seen them? If you are rubbish at remembering to drink this might be your new best friend.

If you would like me to create you your own personal nutritional advice please get in touch today.

If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.

Brad Gray