It still surprises me sometimes when I’m having a conversation with a client about their food “weakness”, and they say something along the lines of “you just don’t understand”. Like they think just because I’m a health and fitness coach that I have some kind of super power that suppresses my love of all things unhealthy. Or, maybe that I was born with a love for only chicken, rice, and kale. Trust me, that couldn’t be further from the truth.
I grew up in the south, land of the casseroles and mashed potatoes. I also grew up with 2 grandmothers who could bake circles around anybody else I know. That meant home-made bread, cookies, pies, cakes, and brownies were ABUDANT, and I was definitely guilty of going back for “seconds” when it came to desserts. Basically, I blame them for my love of all things sweet. 😉
To this day, I do still have a very strong “sweet tooth”. However, I (just like everyone else), have to make a choice. You make this choice as soon as you walk in to the grocery store. We choose to keep our kitchen “crap food free”. You won’t find cookies/brownies/chips/ candy or cakes in my house. Why? Because I’m human, and if it’s there I’ll eat it! Self-discipline can only take you so far. It’s WAY easier to say no one time to a thousand calorie dessert or extra glass of wine at a restaurant than when it’s staring you in the face every time you open the pantry or refrigerator!
BUT, sometimes I WILL eat dessert (brownies will always be my guilty pleasure 🙂 ), and that’s OK too! When you’re “maintaining” we say stick with the 80/20 rule. This means that 80% of the time you are COMPELTELY on compliant with your nutrition plan (NO cheating, no scribbling outside the lines), and the other 20% of the time you can “live a little”. For fat loss you have to crack down a bit, 90/10 is where you have to be and this is a STRICT 90%.
**A simple way to look at this would be if you ate 21 meals/week (3 meals/day), 10% of the time (2 meals) you would be allowed a little “cheat”. So, after a full week of crushing your nutrition plan maybe Friday you have a glass of wine, and Saturday you eat a small bowl of ice cream for dessert. JUST DON’T GO OVERBOARD!**
There you go, you heard it straight from a trainer. We eat dessert too, just like you! 🙂
-Mara
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