When I first got into fitness, I did not pay much attention to my diet. I just worked out. But the more progress I make, and the more my body changed, the more questions I get regarding my diet.
A completely 'clean diet' is perhaps the most appropriate diet when it comes to competition prep etc. And I have to admit the cleaner and stricter my diet, the better I feel to a certain point.
Sometimes you need a break
But I usually allow my body (and my brain) to take a break from this. Just eating what lands on my plate.
Last year, I managed to gain almost 4kg in only two weeks of holiday, because my body was just not used to all this sugary and fatty food anymore. I guess most of the weight gain occurred only by water that my body stored when I upset him with all the 'bad foods'.
However, sticking to a clean and well-planned diet afterwards with 6 planned meals a day, no cheats, a maximum of 1500kcal brought me back on track faster than I expected and my stomach thanked me with less cramps and bloating after only 2 days back in. (I know the amount of calories might appear a bit low, but it was exactly what I needed at this point. And apparently, my body was still fueled from the 2-week-holiday feast, because I did not feel weak at all - at the opposite: I feel more energized than before).
It was actually the first time, I realized how my body got used to a diet that mainly consists of brown rice, oatmeal, quinoa, couscous, egg whites, steamed vegetables, chicken and fish. My snacks include fat-free joghurt with fruits, nuts or flavored whey protein, and occasionally bananas before training or with my breakfast.
Mealprepping
I am not a nutritionist (I am a pharmacist though, which gives me a quite profound knowledge in many health and body related matters), I just plan and eat rather according to my feelings, look for inspirations for new recipes on social media. Planning my food for the next week, and prepping all main dishes for the next six days on Sundays, became part of my weekly routine. If I don't do it, I end up eating some random fast food (because when I am hungry, I am hungry... and if there is no plastic box with a prepared meal waiting in the fridge, I need to find a fast alternative). The other scenario is that I am so afraid to eat something crappy that I don't eat anything at all, which is probably even worse. These days do not happen a lot, but when it happens I come home after work; exhausted, weak and drained.
What am I doing?
I found out for myself that I am the happiest, when I allow myself some small treats here and there, i.e. one small cinnamon buns (oh my, these are so delicious...) that a colleague brought to a meeting, a tasty scoop of chocolate ice cream from the shop close to my place, or one salted caramel & chocolate cookie (yes, the one on the pic).
Sometimes I have one of these treats a day, sometimes only two during a whole week. On weekends, I usually make and eat one or two bigger meals, such as my chocolate pancakes. These meals are not overloaded with sugars and fats either, but I enjoy them to the last bit.
Tracking your macros
What helps me a lot is tracking all my calories and macronutrients. Not all the time (unless I am doing a period of strict dieting), I rather use it to check what I am eating and how much in between. Over the years, I became quite good at intuitive eating .
I personally use myfitnesspal, but I think there a lot of other providers for tracking nutrients, macros and calories. My personal game changer was not using the mobile app, but the desktop version of the tracking system on my computer. It was idle for me to fill in everything in my smartphone using the touch screen (my fingers are too big for this :D ). Since I basically sit in front of my computer all day anyway, it is a 1-2 min effort to quickly check in my foods. Most of my meals are saved in the system anyway, so it is only a few clicks.
I heard about these weird discussions 'clean eating' (only the 'good foods') vs. 'flexible dieting' (If it fits your macros - IIFYM), and there are hundred more definitions of what is what, or not. Everyone has to find his or her own way, because in the end it is all about feeling good and eating according to your personal goals. Tracking my macros and calories to make sure I get what my body needs, eating mostly 'clean food' but adding some treats here and there (and adjusting my daily meals accordingly, in order to fit my macros and calorie goal), is my way to do it:
Clean with a chance of flexibility
What are your experiences with diets and tracking macros? I would love to know :)
Yeah food can heal or it can harm. Your body replaces every cell in the body with the food you eat. Don't be artificial, cow raised with horrible living standards, or anything like that. Be healthy. Be a plant you cared for a year with.
very nicely said :)
That's a great app. At the start of my journey, I used the same. But sometimes tracking macros can be difficult, specially if you have a hectic schedule. I generally stay away from weird diets. Just eat clean. And make sure that I have a cheat meal :D
totally agree with you. sometimes I like to try new things, e.g. did a ketogenic diet for a few weeks, just to see how my body reacts. As I say in the text, I only use the app to track some food in between to get an idea where I stand
I use Myfitnesspal too! It has really helped me control my portions. Since I have been using it for 3 years, it makes intuitive eating that much easier- especially on lazy days when I don't want to track; since I pretty much eat the same thing every day anyways. But if you can fit your cheat meal into your Macros is it really cheating? 😉😉😏
same. on regular days I eat kinda the same stuff anyway, so I know what portions I need... IIFYM is a good approach, I agree, still it should not be too many cheats 🤣 then your body notices (even if it fits tour macros) but I usually have at least one small piece of chocolate or else a day. keeps me happy ;)
Great post! It is great to see more people leaving the extreme dieting protocols behind and adopting a more flexible approach!
I do think that it is quite important to make a clarification between IIFYM and flexible dieting. IIFYM is basically an in unmanaged deregulated diet that allows you to eat anything you like as long as you meet your daily macronutrient requirements. Flexible dieting on the other hand is a more structured approach taking care of not only macronutrient requirements but ensuring micronutrient needs are met as well.
Keep up the great work!
G