First and foremost I would like to thank you for coming back to my blog in pursuit of a better way to live through food. If this is your first time here, WELCOME! I hope I can help you make more informed decisions about what goes into your body. I would also like to thank our contributing writer and researcher, Reyna. It takes a lot of passion and dedication to research, put together meaningful and useful content. This blog wouldn’t be what it is today without her efforts. Now, let’s get to it!

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man

I'm strong to the finich

Cause I eats me spinach

I'm Popeye the Sailor Man

Your nutrition is the primary factor in weight loss, endurance training and strength building, and no matter how you look at it, YOU CANNOT WORK OFF A BAD DIET. If your goal is to lose weight, beat your last time or finish first in your next race, diet plays a significant role. Here is a little breakdown of what our bodies need as well as how a poor diet affects our performance and weight loss. If you have a poor diet, especially one that is high in calories, sodium, saturated fat, added sugar, processed foods, and processed carbs, then you are essentially low in vitamins, minerals and nutrients. You will not have the energy to initiate or sustain a workout to eliminate the extra calories, sugar, sodium and fat. Saturated fats weigh you down, makes you feel like you're wearing bricks for shoes and a flap jacket for a shirt. You will strain to stay motivated to endure a long enough workout to make a difference in your health and physique. 

Now if you are a fan of Formula One and MotoGP like I am, you already know that they have to have the best of every component, fuel, fluids and oil. If one of these things is off, those souped-up telemetry probes and gadgets will definitely put up some red flags and if they could…..yell, WTF! Our bodies are not so dissimilar to those purpose screamers of the tarmac. Your success and performance depend on what kind of fuel your body has to work with. Are you with me so far? Let’s get into the nitty-gritty of things.

Calories In, Not Enough Calories out

It is easier to over-consume than it is to burn it off.  Some people may not understand how energy-dense foods can be, and exactly how much energy you need to burn to work it off. So why bother waiting till after your workout to eat that double meat, double cheese or steak and potatoes? You might as well eat it while you are on the treadmill or between your bench presses because YOU CANNOT WORK OFF A BAD DIET. For example, a person could easily eat 1,000 calories in 10 minutes (a Chipotle fajita bowl with all the goodies, or burger and small fries, or steak and potatoes), but it takes 90-120 minutes or more to burn it off at an average rate of 400-500 calories an hour. Unless you are a serious athlete, most are not putting in 100% for full 60 minutes so more than likely burning less than 400 calories an hour due to water breaks, waiting for machines, wiping machines clean, checking messages on the phone, selecting music on the phone, checking Facebook or posing for the Gram!

Calories in will be more than calories out unless you enjoy counting calories and fat grams or become plant-based

Many wind up underestimating calories eaten and overestimate calories burned in the gym. You have to become aware of how many calories you are ingesting, or just make it simple and go whole-food plant-based (WFPB) or WFPB vegan! If you have been reading my blogs and watching my videos you know I will always promote a plant-based lifestyle first and foremost. If you have not yet started your plant-based journey and just now becoming plant curious, then you must be disciplined and diligent to track your calories to determine if you are breaking even, losing weight or gaining weight. You will soon come to the realization that YOU CANNOT WORK OFF A BAD DIET.

At a spin class, a recreational cyclist can burn 400-600 calories an hour, that is if you are at your max watts and apply the appropriate resistance for the entire hour. An endurance athlete such as myself can burn 1000 calories but that does not mean I will leave and treat myself to a restaurant meal after my workout. My treat is a delicious bowl of homemade pasta and veggies or taco bowl so I can actually see physical results later on. Chipotle does offer great healthy options, I am a fan myself. But it’s all about the ingredients that YOU select. A chipotle burrito or bowl with fajitas, chicken, steak or the sofrito and ALL the toppings will run you 800-950 calories and over 2,500 grams of sodium! A 1 oz serving of Chipotle guacamole is 230 calories and 370 grams of sodium so you can see how quickly it starts to add up. If you order soft tacos or a vegan bowl (no meat, no dairy) you are looking at only 500-600 calories but the 1,500 grams of sodium still adds up. So keep eating out to a minimum. https://www.chipotle.com/nutrition-calculator 

Now I am not calling out Chipotle because it's unhealthy like I said I am a fan, especially as a vegan I learned they have better options than other restaurants. Just trying to show how we can be mistaken to believe that something is healthy just because it is served on a bed of lettuce or surrounded with healthy-looking ingredients that have been cooked with more than our days worth of sodium and oil. You can still make a healthier choice but once you get to Chipotle the temptation can be difficult for some, so best to avoid until you have reached your goals.

Before I close part one of this blog I want to touch on how someone can look fit but the insides tell a different story. Here’s how I look at it; being fit starts from within. When your organs are functioning at their best (like the internals of those racing screamers I was talking about earlier) then your performance, whether be it in the gym or just daily life, will be at its best. In turn, you will continuously ascend the fitness and wellness ladder. Fitness success means that your internal mechanisms are not compromised by food. You can have a beautiful looking body but if your internal state is in disarray, then you have achieved nothing. A good example of what I’m talking about is Bob Harper, the trainer from The Biggest Loser. His physical appearance epitomises fitness but when a heart attack dropped him, we were all left mouth agape! Now you might start saying it’s genetics, but let me tell you this, food is what turns those genes on or off! You can lift all you want, but if you keep gape and sucking down oil-laden…..greasy-type animal foods, you won’t be at your best and you’ll be inviting chronic illnesses.

Lastly, in my previous blog, I talked about how food can affect our state of mind. Proper nutrition is vital to your mental health and when your mind is in the right place, then you will constantly make better decisions about your fitness and food routine. Eventually, your choices will add up and your physical wellness will make life more pleasurable and prolonged.

Part 2 coming soon