Originally Posted by Tink
heavy mama - do you do swimming?
Justin - Hi I am new here. I am so confused on how to actually loose weight because the ways i have done it in the past were using bad coping mechanisms..i.e smoking/not eating/drinking.Now I have major trouble emotionally eating, basically most if not all of the food i eat is to cope with some sort of emotions. I have real difficulty eating anything at all because my body actually needs it, I only very rarely feel pyhsical hunger ( about 3 times in the last 3 years! ) and used to see hunger as a nuisance something that interferes and annoys me and gets me all into a panic.
i know i should eat veg,fruit,protein,good fats etc but i dont know where to begin! do i need to eat protein even though i dont lift weights? And also if I cut out protein completely then would this mean if i lost weight then i would loose a lot of muscle? this really scars me as i have lost weight over and over again in the past (to being underweight, then piling it back to being overweight.) so i prob lost a lot of muscle. Could you give me any advice on what I should be eating, i.e do i just eat fruit and veg to loose weight, or do i need to eat protein or is low carb best? thanks for any info.
Hey Tink,
Let me go through your questions,
First, don't worry because you are not alone - 99% of over (or under) eating is due to emotional causes (or boredom).
Yes, you need to eat protien anyway. It has nothing to do with lifting weights, its simply a natural nutrient that makes up the molecules of your muscle, hair skin, teeth, nails and bone. Without it, those things are robbed of strength and health as they cannot be repaired properly (remember your body is constantly breaking itself down and rebuilding, even if you don't lift weights).
If you cut protein out completely then yes you would lose lots of muscle... but that would be the least of your worries...
My advise is to not let the media and so many self-proclaimed 'gurus' make nutrition to be so complicated. Eating for great health and fat loss is very, very, very simple. There are two principles to look at
Here we go, my nutrition 101!)
1. QUALITY of food (NOT quantity)
Focus on choosing foods that are natural and whole. INCLUDING nuts and any other healthy fats that are high in caloires. I couldn't give a sh*t how many calories are in them. It doesn't matter.
2. WHEN you eat - which is broken into 3 rules
Rule 1: Always have breakfast - a mix of fibre-containing carbs, protein and healthy fat.
My fave choices are poached eggs with a slice of brown toast, or egg on a fried steak (that sounds strange for breakfast at first but when you get used to it you'll feel so much better and more energetic!)
Another option is some scrambled egg or an ommellete with mixed salad thrown in.
Rule 2: Eat before you exercise. A small snack, at least an hour before.
Rule 3: ALWAYS eat after your workout. This is the most important, as it is right now that your body needs fuel to repair. Again, here you want a mix of fibrous carbs, healthy fat and protien (the same as every other meal). Just choose a source of each food and put em together on a plate. Keep it simple.
Focus on quality natural foods and the calories will take care of themselves. You can't overeat on salad.
Eat foods close to nature. Avoid foods that are processed.
So, at least 80% of the time you should be eating a mixture of:
Lean meats
Poultry
Fish
Eggs
Fruits
Vegetables
Nuts
Seeds
Legumes
Beans
Water
The other 20% you can indulge and probably keep your fat-burning results going. If not, then up your good eating to 90%.
That's pretty much all you need to know to get started. Don't let anyone else tell you otherwise or make it more complicated than it needs to be!!
Don't hestiate to ask if there's anything you want explaned further.
Justin
