Your Relationship With Food Matters
Your Relationship With Food Matters
You might be thinking but Saleh there is no way you have a “ bad relationship with food” you are always posting good meals and you are a nutritionist!
Well, the reality is that I too started my fitness journey with alot of ups and downs, and in that, I built a lot of habits that still lurks around me from time to time.
But to understand that I will have to take you back to high school.
In high school I was overweight, and really never felt good or confident about how my body looked. It came to a point where I decided I wanted to lose some weight and gain muscle mass.
But where do I start?
I didn't know how to approach that. So what I did was mimic what people around were doing at that time…Or at least I thought I was.
And for some reason, the idea of bread and cheese was the answer. (high protein high carbs right?!) yeah…not!
I had that for breakfast, as a snack, as a lunch, heck I even had one in my glove compartment for emergencies.
We are golden, right?!
Did I lose weight, Hell yeah I did!, I was starving myself.
But little that I knew this would be the start of a series of habits and behaviors that I would develop. Mainly, thinking I need to eat very little which = lose weight
Fast forward a few years and I gained some muscle mass and learned a “better” approach to training, but I was still holding quite a bit of fat and I still did not love my body.
So, what did I do next?
I did the most sensible thing, find the person that I want to look like and ask them to write me a nutritional plan. So I got a bodybuilder who specializes in getting you really lean.
It worked! I had no cheat day ( even the whole concept of a cheat day is crazy for him, “the fewer cheat days you have the faster the results”) I was super lean but I was super miserable. The calories were so low I was tired and hungry. I was constantly thinking about food and what are things I can eat. I had to plan out my outing because I needed to eat before or after we went somewhere. My relationships suffered, friends, family, and personal.
It was impossible to sustain that lifestyle. It was mentally unhealthy and physically draining.
And when I got lean I was not happy I was even more upset at myself for not looking a certain way. But in that short time of 6 months of dieting, I manage to develop bad behaviors and self-hate. Now I have another problem …
The shame for eating regular food.
So I decided to enroll and be a nutritionist, which is why I enrolled with Precision Nutrition. I learn the basics and develop a better understanding of food and the role it plays there. But that was not enough to change certain views that have stuck in me. I still dieted the wrong way, and I manage to self-sabotage myself every time.
I developed a lifestyle of constant yo-yo-ing
It’s only years later, and after countless clients, I have trained that I realized that there is more to nutrition than the number of calories you eat. There is a relationship that you have to heal in order to be able to move forward.
Sometimes you might need a professional to help you with the mental aspect or a dietitian to help you with underlying issues that you might have.
I vowed that when I have a client I will approach my client nutrition guide in a holistic manner by developing a better understanding of nutrition.
The journey can be bumpy but you have to give yourself time and compassion to be able to throw away old views on nutrition and build a healthier one that will have you stay consistent and be able to establish a healthier lifestyle that resonates with you.
So yes, your relationship with food matters. Don’t build the foundation for toxic relationships with.
This can be
new diets fad
quick fixes
cleanses
jumping from one diet to another
self-sabotage.
If you have been in the same position, I completely hear you. The journey can be complex and difficult at times, but it doesn’t have to be.
Want a free consult Click here and type in “relationship” and I will get back to you to help you get started.
Rustic Chicken Salad
RECIPE:
Lettus
Roasted beets
Shaved Carrots
Shaved Cucumbers
Roasted chicken
Homemade Croutons
DRESSING:
1 garlic glove
1/4 Tahini sauce
1/2 lemon
salt and peppers for tastes
Cayenne peppers
Your relationship doesn’t have to be boring and plain.