#NewYearNewMe: An Introduction to Fitness Part I: Nutrition
By: Joe Camm
It’s January, so that means everyone is in full swing of their #newyearnewme New Year’s Resolution. If you, like many others are struggling to lose the pounds packed on by the holidays, or you just want to get in shape for the summer, here are some tips on how to avoid getting frustrated and overwhelmed by all that’s out there. However, before we start, I must say before you embark on any exercise or nutrition program please consult a doctor first.
The word “diet” is the worst, most dangerous word in the fitness community. It implies that you have an end date. You don’t want your fitness journey to end, you want to take your progress and keep building on it as long as possible. Diets are too restrictive. They have a strict yes and no column for food sources. In reality, you can have some of the foods you want, you just have to modify them.
If you are just starting out in this journey you must realize your limitations. For someone who has been eating a diet where most of your calories come from carbohydrates such as pasta, pizza, breads, and soda; how well would you do on a carbohydrate restrictive diet such as Keto? Perhaps, it would work better if you slowly eliminated excess carbohydrates, junk food, and soda from your lifestyle first.
Set up long term and short-term nutrition goals to help you keep on track. Weight loss doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time to lose weight. To burn one pound of fat it takes 3,500 calories. By eliminating 500 calories a day you will burn just one pound of fat a week. Apps like My Fitness Pal help you keep track of calorie intake, and your overall progress. When cutting weight, it is highly advised to log everything you eat and measure all food out. You will be surprised on how all the little things you eat throughout the day add up.
In the next blog I will focus on exercise. If there is any advice, I can give you, it’s to be patient. The results will come. It takes four weeks for you to notice a difference, eight weeks for friends and family to notice, and twelve for the rest of the world to notice. Just keep going, the end result will be worth it.