Nutrition and diet: stop looking for a quick fix
Diet is so important, probably the most important thing with sleep. And yet, most people are doing it wrong. It’s not our fault, we are bombarded by contradicting information all the time so we just give up and think “OK IF EVERYTHING IS UNHEALTHY I’M GOING TO EAT OREOS AND PIZZA I MIGHT AS WELL DIE HAPPY”. We all made that kind of joke right.
Nobody agrees: from doctors and nutritionists and scientists to influencers and bloggers and whoever gives their opinion about nutrition. So that’s really hard to find simple information about what’s the best diet for you. And in case you started that article so I would give you an answer about what’s the perfect diet: I won’t. First of all, even though I am constantly researching the most up to date information from different sources (it’s really important to get information from people who have really different point of views because they usually all make good points), I don’t know everything. I change my mind sometimes. I am wrong sometimes. And then, I firmly believe that diet is such an individual thing that one thing that works for one person won’t work for someone else. We all have different metabolism, bodies, experiences, taste buds, gut bacteria, goals…
I always tell my client to treat themselves like an experiment and try things slowly, see how their body reacts. The body is really good at telling us what it needs: brain fogs, headaches, bloating… it constantly sends us signal that something is wrong but we dismiss it as “today isn’t a great day”. So listen to your body, please. Some healthy food are great for some people but might give others really bad digestive issues or block the absorption of some nutrients. Don’t do what others are doing or telling you, doubt everything (yes, even what I say!) and always be ready to change your mind. Too many people don’t like to, because we don’t like to admit when we’re wrong, but I love changing my mind because it means I’ve grown and learnt something. And we all have different goals. A few people told me they started to eat this or that because they saw me do it, but those people are trying to lose weight and I am currently bulking and eating 3000 to 4000 calories per day. So I am always happy to share my experiences with losing weight (I lost 10/15 kilos after both my pregnancies) but losing weight is not everyone’s goal so even if someone is fit, it doesn’t mean you should eat like them.
About losing weight, I have a lot to say. I have a lot a clients and friends who are women, obviously. And women want to lose weight. We always have those 3 kilos, you know those? Life would be so much better without those, we think, and we spent our life trying to lose them. Spoiler alert: life wouldn’t be better without those. Life is still stressful no matter how skinny you are. But if you grew up in the 90s like me, every magazine and random adults told you about that new diet that would make you lose 5 kilos in 3 weeks. So we grew up thinking losing weight and getting smaller is the best thing a woman can do, and I don’t need to explain to you what it did to us. I had the same conversation with countless women my age who spent years trying to undo what was done to them, and I am so happy to see my friends and clients being amazing mothers and teaching their kids to be strong, not tiny. I am also so happy to see that losing weight isn’t every woman’s dream nowadays. Actually, a lot of my clients don’t want to lose weight and I help them getting stronger, increase their performances, deal with some health issues etc.
But of course, we want to feel and look good and be healthy, and losing fat is one way to do that. And I do help a lot of people to lose weight. I am not saying don’t lose weight, I am saying please don’t make that the whole point. I can tell you from my own experience: I spent my teenage years and twenties trying to be skinner and going on crazy diets that led me to binge and my weight fluctuated a lot but I was never happy. I was running a lot to keep the weight done and I was starving myself until I couldn’t help eating. And I finally got my “dream body” when I stopped focusing on the weight and I started focusing on health and performance.
So when I do nutrition plans for my clients, I make sure that the plan makes sense for their individual health and goals and taste. But I always recommend to rethink the way you eat completely and start a diet that will last a lifetime. Obviously if you need to lose weight you have to be in a calorie deficit. But when you are at your goal weight you shouldn’t stop eating the way you eat, you should just eat more. I make sure my diet is always healthy and nutritious and if I want to get leaner I’ll just cut some food and go in a deficit until I’m where I want to be. And when I want to gain weight I eat the same things, just more meals and bigger portions. Don’t think about your diet like something you will do for a few months to revert back to your old habits: find your optimal diet, the one that makes you feel good and thrive and give you the body you want, and stick to it for life.