Dieting Tip: How Boring gets me Results
- C. Rossman
- Jun 24, 2016
- 5 min read
For most of us the world is an exciting place and let’s just say the food world is the most exciting. There are so many options to choose from. For instance one of my favorites, Ice Cream, HELLO!!! OMG the Ben and Jerry’s Red Velvet Cake ice cream, shoot me now! Then there are just Oreo's on top of that! Gosh the world of food is amazing.
To be honest I can’t remember when I actually had these last and there is a reason for that. This blog sprung to mind when I was talking to a colleague of mine. This colleague was describing how hitting macros is a lot harder than what they thought on a daily basis. This got me thinking about how I made my personal switch to hit macros but enjoying all the wonderful food choices in the world.
So when losing weight is it possible to have Oreo’s, Ice Cream, beer, or better yet Pizza?
The answer is simply, heck yes you can! You could literally have all of these or one of these on the daily and still lose weight, I personally don't recommend them daily, but in theory you could. The key is moderation and implementing flexible dieting or IIFYM (If it fits your macros). To someone in the bodybuilding/nutrition/fitness world this isn’t an unknown concept and is more than likely used to keep your sanity while trying to reduced your body weight/fat.
For someone new to the idea of macros:
For example let’s say your specific macro-nutrients for the day calls for 250 g carbs. You can eat whatever you want as long as you stay within ± 5g of your goal. (I personally say ± because sometimes you’ll have a little more or less here or there even if you measure things out)
Now for a lot of you that is new to macro-nutrients this a blessing in disguise because that means you’re not limited to what you can eat. It means you can still enjoy your goodies, going out, and occasional sweets without having to go completely insane trying to eat one thing for extended periods. Heck I even use this method on re-feed days and when I’m trying to add more weight.
Here comes the kicker!
The kicker is, unless you are truly dedicated to watching what you eat and tracking everything, you can easily go overboard. I’m talking about anyone at any time, but mostly people new to the idea of tracking what they eat. I had the same problem when I first started, I would try and implement the flexible dieting principle by eating one serving size of Ice Cream, only to be hit with a craving so big I'd eat a whole pint in one sitting.
That being said the tip I’m about to give may help and may not help. By all means, I recommend flexible dieting that way you can still enjoy all the things you crave.
My tip, if you are new to counting, tracking, have huge cravings, or trying to lose weight and being consistent is simply become as boring as possible.
Boring, you may ask! Yes boring!!!!
What I mean by boring is simple break down your food choices into “staple foods.” Rather foods you like to eat, eat on the regular, or just make up your basic diet. Once you have these it becomes easy.
These foods become the backbone for everything else to fall into place. Get comfortable with them, they become your fall back, you feel safe in times of crisis (at parties or restaurants), and maybe when you feel crazy you eat a little more of these instead of something considered “bad” for you. Now eat theses foods for a month straight or for whatever period of time where you are no longer tempted to eat what you crave.
It can be painful at times but it did wonders for me.
One I can calculate the basis of anything in my head by just knowing how much of a staple food I eat. For example, Rice at 50g has about 30-31 g of carbs, 4 g protein, 2-4 g of fat (depending on the rice). Easy so when I’m in a pinch I know what I’m looking for.
On top of that say you are really watching what you are eating and trying to make the change but go to restaurant and you can’t seem to find something that fits your macros…. Hello personal success, because you know foods that you enjoy plus have a personal gauge on, thus allowing you to stay on track better!
Now when losing weight it’s extremely helpful, not only do I know what foods I need to meal prep with, but I don’t have to worry about all the options, thus taking less energy. Yes options take energy!
If you are cutting down or losing weight you need all your energy for more important decisions you are going to make in the day. Keeping a boring but “safe” diet can save your energy, prevent you from grabbing quick options, and keep you from worrying what to eat. It allows you to take all the anxiety about what food option do I choose out of the whole equation.
So in other words get as boring as possible with the concept! It took me almost 6 years to figure this out and as you can see from the Recipe Corner; many of the recipes I suggest have a staple food. These foods nine times out of ten are the same just different quantities or mixes depending on my macros I’m trying to hit.
Give it a try it might work for you! With time you will start to feel comfortable and slowly but surely you can open your diet again to allow in more foods. I’m currently trying to do that now. A key to the long-term success is what you do on the day-to-day basis, it’s the small things, they add up overtime. If you think nutrition is a weak point for you, it was and is for me, and its something you think you could work on see where this takes you.
Then the next time you hit the Ice cream shop it will be like kicking in the gates to your inner child because mom and dad decided that you were good and took you get Ice Cream. Remember though not every reward should be food! Just little ones here or there, unless you have a pre-scribed re-feed, un-tracked day then go completely ham on everything!
If you have more questions, thoughts, or want to know more about IIFYM dieting defiantly hit the following link by Legion Athletics, its a super good read and has some pretty good all around tips:
-The Iron Pulse Beats within you
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