That cupcake isn't going to kill ya

Well if you were hanging around for the last post, you “hopefully” read my blog about getting unstuck.  For me, that journey started with food and my instinct was to ramble on and on about the corruption of the food industry and all the bad information out there.  So, voila, I made a whole stand alone post all about food. Here. We. Go.

I want you to stop telling skinny people that they can eat whatever they want, or that they should eat more cheeseburgers.  I’ve heard both of those things and it’s hurtful and wrong. We all should care about what we are putting in our body. That being said, I’m going to share what I’ve learned along the way (please keep in mind, despite my parents best efforts, “I no doctor”).

I was a dancer my entire life.  A beanpole who shoved double cheeseburger meals down my throat on the car ride to practice every day.  I would train up to 5+ hours a day and had zero idea of what I should or should not be eating. I think my usual weight through high school hovered around 100lbs.  At 5’5’’ (on a good hair day), I was petite, tired and woefully unaware that I was probably burning more calories than I was eating. When dance transitioned to cheer, my body started breaking down.  So PT, braces, and aspirin, became a weekly routine.

Fast forward to college where I found the gym.  I started “working out” (running around the track then lifting up some free weights and throwing them around… kind of kidding).  I still had no muscle and I thought heating up a pasta side with low fat milk was a good meal. Again, I was still wearing knee braces, everything hurt and I thought more coffee would make me less tired.  

I have to say here that, yes I hired a trainer and learned a ton about fitness and movement. But for now I want to share what I learned about food.  You can work your buns off in the gym but if you’re eating like crap (processed food, little nutrients, deep fried, etc.) you can only achieve so much.  Food is fuel for your body. If you want it to perform, you need to be aware of what you’re putting in it. So here’s what I now know about food and why I weigh more than ever but feel better than ever.

• Have clear goals: If you’re just trying to be “healthier” how will you know if you’re succeeding or not?  Set real, tangible goals, write them down then have check ins along the way. I wanted to be able to lift more than I weigh.  To do that I needed to add strength, to do that I needed to eat more than I burn. 

• Track periodically: If nutrition is new to you, start by simply tracking what you’re eating.  Do this without changing your diet then set nutrition goals that align with your fitness goals.  If you’re wanting to lose weight, you need to eat less calories than you burn; if you want to gain weight, it’s the opposite.  Tracking helps educate you on what is actually in food and where your calories are coming from.

• Read labels: All food is a percentage of: protein, fat and carbohydrates.  Treat it as the macro it has the most of. This is a common trap I fell for a lot: “protein bars” often have more carbs (sugar) than any other ingredient. Which means they should be considered more “carbohydrate” bars than anything else. 

• Get educated: If you have a glazed over look in your eyes, know that you’re not alone. But do yourself a favor and do some research: listen to podcasts, read books and hire a nutritionist.  Most of all, just learn as much as you can and make sure the information you are getting is backed by science.  

I’ll step off my soapbox now but I just want you to think about one more thing: you wouldn’t buy a plant, forget to water it and then wonder why it’s dying, right?  The same goes for how you fuel your body… If you want to be your best, you have to start with what you are putting in your body. I’m not saying to cut out cupcakes forever, I’m just saying eat your veggies too.

Happy Hustling!

Kelsey