Diet taboos during fitness

When many people first get into fitness, the first thing they do is search "what not to eat for fitness", or even make a blacklist and post it on the refrigerator. They dare not touch this one, and feel guilty for a long time after taking one bite of that one. In fact, after so many years of fitness, I have seen too many people take detours. The real dietary taboos are not to completely quit sugar and oil, or to ban milk tea and hot pot, but not to engage in extreme diets, not to completely separate fitness diet from your original living habits, and not to blindly eat processed "healthy foods" just to make up for the so-called macro ratio. These three are the core reasons why most people give up halfway and even get worse the more they practice.

Last year, I took care of a young girl who had just graduated. She gave away all the rice and cooking oil at home on the day she applied for the card. The refrigerator was filled to the brim with boiled chicken breasts, frozen broccoli, and instant oats, which she ate for three days. On the fourth day of overtime work, she passed by the fried skewers stall downstairs and stood there for ten minutes. Then she went to a convenience store and bought three boxes of tiramisu and two bags of fried chicken. Do you think it's because of her weak willpower? Not at all. From the beginning, the dietary requirements have been raised to a level that is impossible for me to persist for a long time. A rebound is inevitable.

When it comes to the adaptation of diet and lifestyle habits, we have to mention the topic of "can we eat happy foods" that has been quarreling in the fitness circle for several years. Here we really need to discuss the situation on a case-by-case basis. If you are a bodybuilder preparing for a competition and want to be in season shape, then zero free sugar and strict sodium and oil control are industry consensus, and there is no room for bargaining. ； But if you just train three or four times a week and want to reduce your body fat to the point where you can look good in a T-shirt and climb stairs without getting out of breath, there is really no need to live like an ascetic. There are several veterans around me who have been practicing for five or six years. They have a hot pot meal on Sunday night every week, eat duck intestines, beef, and drink ice cola. Their body fat is stable at 13%-16% all year round, and their muscle mass is still increasing. To put it bluntly, fitness is to add points to your life, not to put you in shackles.

Oh, by the way, what’s more deceitful than blindly quitting food is the superstitious belief in those processed foods with “exclusive for fitness” and “zero calories and low fat” printed on the packaging. When I was a student during my fat-reduction period, I ate so-called "zero-fat whole wheat bread" every day when I was hungry. After eating it for half a month, I didn't lose any weight. Later, I took it and looked at the ingredient list. The first place was wheat flour, and the second place was fructose syrup. If I added some wheat bran, it would be called whole wheat bread. It has higher calories than ordinary white bread. There are also those zero-calorie sparkling water. Some people drink three or four bottles a day, thinking that they have no calories anyway. There is actually a lot of controversy in the academic circles about sugar substitutes, and there is no completely unified conclusion. However, the mainstream consensus is that occasional small intake of sugar substitutes will not cause obvious burden on the body. Long-term consumption of large amounts (such as drinking more than 3 bottles of zero-calorie drinks a day) will most likely disrupt the homeostasis of the intestinal flora and increase the desire for high-sugar foods, which is not conducive to long-term weight management. I myself tried drinking two bottles of zero-calorie Coke every day for a week. During that time, I really always wanted to eat sweet things, but then I stopped. It’s okay to drink a bottle if I get craving for it occasionally. There is really no need to drink it as water.

Another mistake that many people make is to eat something they don’t like just to make up for it. For example, some people obviously can't drink original protein powder, so they hold their noses and drink it in order to replenish protein. After drinking it twice, they no longer want to practice. ； Some people don't like to eat broccoli, so they eat it every time, and they feel nauseous when they see green vegetables. It’s really not necessary. There are so many sources of protein. If you get tired of chicken breasts, you can eat beef tendon, fish, shrimp, eggs, or even some braised food. Just don’t eat that thick layer of braised oil. ； If you don’t like broccoli, eat spinach, lettuce, or okra. As long as the nutrition of dark green vegetables is not much different, you must first make yourself comfortable eating before you can stick to it for a long time.

In fact, after all is said and done, is there any food that must not be touched? I have been exercising for five years, drinking milk tea and eating barbecue. My body fat has always been stable at around 15%, and my strength has been increasing year by year. What you should really avoid is the mentality of "wanting to lose ten pounds after training once". If you eat an extra bite of cake today, your training will not be in vain, and if you skip a meal tomorrow, you will not suddenly develop hip lines. If you regard fitness as a long-term living habit, and adjust your diet to a more balanced diet, it will be more effective than any extreme method. Oh, by the way, if you're really hungry, go ahead and eat it. Don't hold it in. It's better to eat one bite than to overeat the whole box, right?