Finding Balance with Food

March 15, 2020

By Angie May, M.S. in Christian Counseling

and Macro Nutrition Coach

Why is it so hard to find balance in the area of fitness and Nutrition? This time of year the pressure is on to be ready for the Summer months and the majority of people will center their goals around weight loss. It is an industry that will likely top $33 billion a year on weight loss products alone; an industry that pushes quick, unrealistic weight loss with extreme changes to your diet such as the elimination of whole food groups, low calorie and cleanses that offer little help in the area of creating a balanced mindset of food. Here are some valuable statistics that offer some insight into what “dieting” has become:

95% of diets fail and most will regain their weight loss within 1-5 years.
75% of American women surveyed admitted to having unhealthy thoughts, feelings, or behaviors related to food or their bodies.
Almost half of American children between 1st-3rd grade want to be thinner and half of 9-10 year old girls are dieting.
Childhood obesity has tripled since the 80’s when America first called out its “War Against Obesity”.

I have worked in the fitness and nutrition industry for over 20 years and I have also fallen prey to the devastating effects of an eating disorder. What makes it so hard to beat anorexia or bulimia? An eating disorder is like no other addiction in that the very thing you have an addiction to, you have to face on a daily basis, multiple times a day. The healing process is complicated.

Even those that aren’t labeled with an eating disorder, often find it hard to see food in a balanced, positive light. When we begin to understand what food is and how it is used in our day to day routines, we can begin the process of changing the way we think and believe about food. Food is fuel for our bodies. Just like gasoline is required for a car to run, food is required for our bodies to function daily.

For the past 3 years, I have been a macro Nutrition coach where I train my clients to under-stand that balancing your Macronutrients (Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fat) is the key to long term weight loss and a healthy view of food. When we see on social media or hear our co-workers talking about losing 5-7 pounds in their first week of extreme dieting, it naturally peeks our interest because we live in a culture of instant gratification. However, the real truth is that healthy fat loss (which is what we want) ranges from 1-2 pounds a week and some weeks we might not see a loss because scale weight is not the only indicators of progress when we are working towards our overall health.

So, what are some practical things you can put into place today:

Start tracking your food in an app (I prefer MyFitnessPal). This gives you an awareness of the food that you are eating and the amounts.
Make SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Time-Bound). This means you make small goals often so that you continue to see progress.
Keep your protein on the higher side. If you are someone that is a regular in the gym then make sure you get at least .8-1 grams of protein per pound of body weight. If you aren’t then make sure you get at least .6 grams per pound of body weight.
Prepare your meals and your eating in advance. You have heard the saying, “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail”. Make sure you set yourself up for success and a little bit of planning can help.
Engage in some kind of physical activity. This is not only good for your physical health but also your mental and emotional health.
Drink lots of water.
Get good sleep. Sleep is another factor that people rarely consider when having trouble managing their weight.

How can you begin to create balance when it comes to your physical health and how you treat food and exercise? Making small changes can lead to big results.

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