#also on that note a good nutritionist will know BMI is bullshit

[localcryptideli]

My mother's nutritionist literally encouraged her to grill every vegetable instead of boiling it or just boiling it (even non-raw leafy greens, if they must be boiled, like broccoli, then they need to be pan grilled afterwards), with a bit of garlic and olive oil usually, and sometimes chilli. Apparently not only it doesn't make them less healthy, but it's overall more healthy to consume them that way than just boiling it, something something about the way of cooking it helping boost things and make sure your body absorbs all the nutrition and gets your organs well in motion to break everything down with less issues.

I also heard of multiple nutritionists who both teach you the right food combo to get the most out of a meal (taste included but also nutrients wise), as well as encouraging their patients to have a least a fried food meal (how friend depends on the person I think) a week, I think it has something something with activating the liver and intestine properly? These are also the same people who usually help patients who need to maintain a certain diet for health reasons (chemotherapy, surgery, colon disorders, allergies etc.)

But yeah, healthy doesn't necessarily mean boring or lacking taste, from my experience usually the opposite.

[rahullkohli]

A LITTLE ON NUTRITION AND HEALTH

ok buckle up kids, because i have a load to share on this subject. in this post there will be no shaming of bodies, diets or knowledge - only of idiots who act like they know shit, but in fact are ignorant fools. i.e. idiots who advice people to go on diets, or otherwise treat their nutrition irresponsibly.

also, this is not a ”how to get skinny”-post. this is merely a post to inform about a topic that so many people is dangerously off on. my own personal goal is to lose weight, because my BMI is too high. if you think that you need to lose weight, consult a doctor who can help you figure out if you actually need to lose weight, or if you maybe have an unhealthy relationship with food and/or your body, and that is the issue you need help with.

disclaimer: i am not a licensed nutritionist or health professional. all of my knowledge comes from: me loving to read, me recovering from eating disorders which have prompted me to research on my own plus talk to professionals, me having worked with a nutritionist for over a year where i got to regular updates and have mealplan created specifically for me. also, my mom being a licensed fitness trainer where she also had courses on nutrition.

so, this post came to be because i saw a long post about people being shamed for eating fruit, because some assholes tried to tell them that “fruit is almost pure sugar and bad for you”, or something to that effect, so i will definitely touch on that as well.

the thing is that nutrition is complex and one of the biggest issues in the way our society sees health and nutrition is that it takes a starting point in “one size fits all”, which it most certainly does not. the details of what diet your body needs is unique to you, and magazines/celebrities/blogs/etc. who tries to tell you otherwise either don’t know what they’re talking about, or are feeding you lies on purpose. usually with the goal of money.

as mentioned above; nutrition is damn complex. one diet does not fit all bodies, because our genetic makeup is different. for example, all my three sisters has been diagnosed with PCOS, and i have not. this means that my body can handle carbs better than theirs, because of cysts on their ovaries that overproduce a hormone that makes it harder for their bodies to break down carbs. (feel free to correct me on this one, because i have not researched this condition in details so i may be off on this. i just know people with this diagnosis usually require a low carb diet, the whys and hows are more iffy to me, but this was how i understood it when it was quickly explained to me.) so it is so unique that even four women who share both mother and father doesn’t even match when it comes to dietary needs. it also changes for every person depending on age, so the diet i need now is most likely not the diet i needed as a teenager, or in ten years, and definitely not after menopause because of the hormonal changes.

every single person needs all three macronutrients in their diet, in order to assure the proper function of their body; carbs, protein and fats - yes, fats! as a general rule, it goes most carbs, medium protein and then a healthy, but not too much, amount of fats. but then there are different examples where one needs more or less of one of these because of for example a diagnosis of PCOS. i am not a doctor, so i won’t try to talk about these, because i don’t have the correct information.

CARBS: so why do we need carbohydrates, and why are those what we (usually) need the most of? carbohydrates are what gives us our energy. carbs gets broken down into glucose before entering the bloodstream (this is why athletes love bananas, they're filled with good stuff that gives a good kick after just spending a ton of energy being overly active). this is where the the fruit and vegetables comes in – sure, fruit and some vegetables contain a lot of sugar, but this is fructose which our bodies can easier break down and use for energy rather converting it to fat depots. the sugar that our bodies have trouble breaking down, is refined (often called white, but it also pertains to brown) sugar. simplistically speaking, the sugar we add to our food ourselves.

now, this doesn't mean that you should just eat uncontrollably of fruit and vegetables. as with any other food, overindulging is too much. in denmark the government department for nutrition has for years campaigned that it is important that we get Six A Day. this means six servings of fruit and vegetables every day. due to the high levels of sugar in fruit, for most adults the reasonable choice is 250 grams of fruit, and 350 grams of vegetables every day. the best choices are high in fiber and proteins. especially green ones like apples, broccoli, spinach, peas and green beans are good. note: you also need carbs from stuff like pasta, rice, potatoes, bread, bulgur, quinoa or other in the same category.

PROTEINS: the proteins are responsible for building and maintaining our muscles. this isn't just for bodybuilders/athletes, this is for every single person out there. you need proteins to be able to move your body. protein is also what builds and maintains our hair, nails and skin. a lot of girls/women are in a protein deficit, especially if they work out, because they are afraid it will make them look masculine. this is severe misinformation. as a cisgendered girl/woman you cannot eat or train your way to the look of a stereotypical cisgendered man, you will need to take steroids for that. if you are a trans woman, i will advice you to speak to a professional about this, as i have no information about this, and considering every trans woman's situation is unique in relation to hormones.

protein is most widely known to come from meat and fish, but this can also be found in some vegetables, nuts, soy, quorn and dairy, which is a very good alternative for vegetarians/vegans.

FATS: there was a time where fat was the number one scare in health media, and it hasn't quite been let go since, which is terrible because fats are so incredibly important for our bodies to work the best they can to keep us healthy. fats are responsible for helping your body absorb vitamins, and help keep your heart and organs healthy. if you don't get enough fat, you risk severe constipation and may need surgery. healthy sources of fats are fish and nuts.

so these are the three nutrient groups that we need in order for our bodies to be at our best, but of course it isn't that simple. it also matters how many calories you get, and how you spread them out throughout the day.

as mentioned above, i have been seeing a nutritionist for over a year, and i have lost 20kg by following a mealplan that was tailored to me specifically from information about my gender, age, height, start weight and general activity level. we found that the reason i wasn't losing weight despite my high activity levels, was that i simply wasn't eating enough – yes, another thing media ignores is that eating too little can cause weight gain – and that i didn't spread my food reasonably out over the day, which caused my bloodsugar to be unbalanced.

i started out with one mealplan with x amount of calories spread out on five meals throughout the day. however, since i plateued in my weightloss i just recently got a new plan with more calories and an extra meal a day. this means that i now have three big meals + three snacks, with never more than 2-3 hours between these to keep my bloodsugar leveled all day.

but aside from this you also need to consider vitamins, fiber, minerals and omega 3s. so yeah, it really is about having a balanced diet, but it's much more than just remembering to not eat too much meat, or too much fruit.

why weightloss diets are bullshit and unhealthy: not only is a weightloss diet a waste of time, because if you eat a certain way for x amount of time, and then lose weight to reach your goal, but then go back to eating as you did before, you will just gain the weight back. if you and your doctor think that you need to lose weight, what you need is a lifestyle change. maintaining a healthy body – regardless of size – is a commitment for life. it sounds overwhelming, but breaking it down it is about creating healthy and stable habits, in the form of varied nutrition spread out over your day.

what my experience also tells me is that it is important to not be too restrictive, since this is setting yourself up for failure. if you promise yourself to not have anything unhealthy like chocolate or soda then there's a bigger chance that once you do have it you will end up overindulging. besides, what kind of life is it if you can't enjoy it? sure, healthy and balanced food can be so good and delicious, but there also needs to be space for having pizza with friends, or cake at a birthday party, or a fancy coffee because you just fucking deserve it. you will not ruin your body if you decide to have ice cream one day, or if you just feel like you can't eat anything at all; just do your best to get back to the healthy habit you have worked hard to create.

the key is to not let it be every day, but if you find the diet that fits you specifically, you shouldn't even be craving these things all the time, because all your needs will be satisfied. if you do find that you crave overindulging at all times, you may need professional help. overeating is a disorder and should be taken just as seriously as undereating – both are rooted in psychological issues, and this can't be processed just by getting a mealplan.

i feel like i have been around most of it by now, but if you have any questions (or you actually know more than me and have constructive criticism) you are more than welcome to message me. i hope this was informative and understandable. english isn't my first language, so i apologize for anything that may not make sense in terms of linguistics.

as a last note i want to stress that i am not a professional, and if you are struggling with body image or your relationship with food, please seek help from someone licensed to handle those kinds of things. never try some fad diet because a magazine or a celebrity said it helped them, because it could damage your body than it could do good.

[fullmetalaffect]

The SECRETS

Your body is the filter you experience the world through. I haven’t always taken good care of mine. BUT I DO NOW so here are THE SECRETS:

1. Decide what health markers you want to track and stick to them

You can use BMI if you want but I think that shit is fucked for anyone even remotely athletic. And straight-up weight is an extremely blunt measurement. It really doesn’t capture much besides your total mass. Obviously I’m not a doctor so take this with a grain of salt, but I am basing that on being between 175 and 180 pounds, and having my doctor tell me year over year that I’m in perfectly good health.

Chances are once you reach a weight goal, whether it’s higher or lower than your set point, you’ll struggle to keep yourself there if you just look at weight. The physiological processes driving that kilogram number are actually better captured and modified by the markers listed below: 

- Body fat percentage

- Lipid panel test

- Glucose test

- Blood pressure

Again, I’m obviously not a doctor. But for me (someone who used to have a disordered/anxious relationship with food), focusing on a body fat percentage range that I measure 2-4 times a year has been a very positive and healthy way to understand what’s going on with my body. 

2. Be honest with yourself

I fluctuated between 18 and 24% body fat this year. I did not consciously stick to any kind of “diet/lifestyle/nutrition” plan. I just trained** as much as my body would allow, and ate what I wanted (within reason.) Fortunately, my parents instilled the importance of vegetables into my thick noggin at a young age so “whatever I want” always includes plenty of green stuff. It also includes pizza though. And Cheesesteaks. And Australian licorice (raspberry flavor only plz.)

You know why I didn’t stick to a plan? Because I had been worrying about what I was eating, on and off, since I was 13. I’m 28. 15 years is a long time to have a bullshit 24/7 food vigilance program running in the back of your mind. It was amazing to reach 18% body fat without consciously “trying,” but training that much without giving myself time to recover eventually caught up with me, so I dialed the training back and re-committed to being sure I wasn’t restricting any food types or volume too much just because I liked seeing my abs. 

This has its drawbacks. When I started to feel my clothing getting tight, and my torso feeling roly-poly when I sat down I re-measured my body fat percentage (I get this professionally done at Bodyspec). Realizing that I had gained 6% body fat in a <1 year period was a slap in the face, but it made me understand I needed to reign in my emotional eating. The key was not panicking or going on a crash diet. It took a couple of months, but now I look like this again:

I’m very happy with this, because that ^ body won three heavyweight white belt adult Gi BJJ competitions this past fall. So, yeah. Even if it’s not 18% body fat, I don’t really care because I can train as much as I want without getting gassed and I think I look good. 

Being honest with yourself isn’t easy, and it requires a commitment to NOT crash diet or panic if you start to get a little bit wigglier than you’d like. It’s playing the long game, but it’s worth it. 

**My training of choice is Brazilian and Japanese Jiu-jitsu. I also do a grappler-specific conditioning class once a week when it’s competition season. Say what you want about traditional martial arts like JJJ, I find the discipline aspect of the art interesting and my Dojo has high-quality teachers who have competed in judo, wrestling, and Muay Thai. That’s a whole different post though.

3. Find a doctor you trust and work with them consistently 

This is hard if you’re big. Some doctors only care about BMI. Some doctors will look the scale and decide that telling you you’re fat will be a great, effective approach to make you healthier. Newsflash: most people who are fat or big know that they’re fat/big. This approach sucks and I understand that doctors aren’t nutritionists or therapists, but come on...if it were that easy, there wouldn’t be a billion-dollar diet industrial complex.

I have been lucky enough to select my doctor for the past 5 years. I always choose a woman doctor, because woman doctors are...women, so they are way more likely to be sensitive to BMI vs. weight vs. body fat percentage etc. And they understand how these metrics are manipulated and distorted by the diet industrial complex to make women feel like shit. So they are sympathetic to me asking, every single year, if it’s fine that I’m 15 pounds overweight according to BMI.

I’ve been working with a Kaiser doctor who repeatedly and consistently tells me I’m healthy at my current weight, because my body fat percentage is still at the top of the “fitness” range (according to the American Council on Exercise, the “fitness” range of body fat percentage for women is between 21 and 24%.)

A sidenote here: if you like being fat, and are happy being fat - regardless of your body fat percentage - more fucking power to you. If you feel good, and you can move around and enjoy activity as much as you want, and you treat people with respect, and you love your life then you’re already ahead of most of humanity. The world needs more people who are happy with themselves, who take good care of themselves, and who respect/are kind to others. Usually, weight takes care of itself if all of those things are in place. 

4. Be patient - and consistent

This one is self-explanatory. It’s hard, and you will probably fuck up. To stick to your goals, focus on what’s motivating you. If your goal is a number, that’s fine - very clear and easy to measure, so numeric goals are great in that regard. I prefer “practice-based” goals, and trust that the numbers will follow. 

My practice-based goals are: to train as much as I can while maintaining a sane/balanced work+home life, and never turn down an extra conditioning circuit if it’s offered. For me, this usually means training between 4 and 6 times a week, for at least 90 minutes at a time. 

5. Realize that when you really don’t want to do something, that’s probably when you need to do it the most 

This is what helps me do those aforementioned extra conditioning circuits. At the end of a 5-minute match when I’m barely breathing hard, I am ALWAYS glad I did those circuits...even though I didn’t want to at the time.  

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Note: obviously none of these things are secrets. They’re just various common-sense points that I’m highlighting because they’ve worked for me.