“Hey Kei, what is the perfect diet for me?” “I want to eat the best for my body.” These are questions I hear on a daily basis as a personal trainer. The perfect approach to nutrition. The pitfall to this approach is the word “perfect.” Let me be frank, there is no such thing. For me, that word implies you CANNOT miss up. When it comes to eating, perfect doesn’t exist, unless you plan on avoiding all social events and live under a rock.
When I was growing up, my mother used to say, “don’t do that!” So what did I do? The complete opposite. If I were a “perfect kid” and made one mistake, it would be a great deal. However, because I didn’t grow up aiming for perfection, it was okay for me to make a mistake here and there. This is the same approach I want people to take with nutrition.
When you set the bar too high, it’s going to be hard to sustain. So my advice is to be realistic and find your "I am okay with it" approach. Instead of finding shortcuts that’s going to last couple of weeks or months, understand your habits (especially the bad ones) and see where you can modify it. From experience, when most people go extreme, it doesn't last long so take the gradual route.
The ultimate question you have to ask yourself is, "how much are you willing to sacrifice?" Eating shouldn’t feel like you are walking on egg shells; being punished for every bad food you eat. It should be more about what you are WILLING to COMMIT TO and keeping it up for many years. Hope you liked this month’s blog, stay tuned for more next month…………………..Kei