Counting Calories-Bah Humbug!
If you are my client, you know that I cringe when I hear, ” thus and such has sooo many calories!” Ugh…..stop the worrying over calories, would ya please? Ok, well sometimes it’s a concern, but really, in my experience,the truth of the matter is that we are not thinking about what we are eating as much as we are thinking about how much we are eating. 
I’ll bet you one million dollars (well, not really….I wish…hah!) that if you begin today counting nutrition versus calories you will see a different person next year in the mirror.
Today, I was coaching a client who mentioned something to me about a particular food( it may have been crackers, actually, yes it was melba toast), and she was sooo surprised at all the calories. I cringed. Feels like fingers running down a chalk board to me. What’s the nutrition in a melba cracker? That’s the real question. Honestly, I don’t eat them, so I couldn’t tell you. They may have some whole grain goodness, but what else is there? Move your eyes down past the nutrition facts label and go to the ingredient list to see what you are actually eating. Although, it does make some sense to check the sugar & salt, but then when you look at ingredients find out where they are coming from. Is the sugar from refined white sugar -the death food- or from another source of sweetness? Some are better than others. Is the salt refined salt or sea salt? Sea salt is definitely a better option, however there is a limit to daily salt intake. That’s another story to talk about. 🙂
When you focus on nutrition,;in other words ,when you focus on whole foods that provide needed vitamins and minerals that the body needs to function well, everything changes! My client above also said, “well, I need something to help with cravings.” Well, ya know what? When you continually make the change to eat whole fresh foods, eventually, that IS what you crave! The cravings for what I like to call, “edible food-like substances” go away. You find yourself wanting the juiciest fruit you can find, or the crunchiest vegetable of a hunk of grass-fed steak! OMG! I think I am hungry now!
I said everything changes, right? Yes. Body fat decreases! Energy improves! Digestion improves! Skin texture improves! At the cellular level of human life, you are a more healthy being and things just plain work better! The list goes on and on and on.
How do you go about making this happen? You gotta know your personality. Some do better, and in my experience, I believe it works better in the long run to make small changes, get really good at them, then move on to the next change. You will get there. Be decisive and determined about it. For example, start eating a minimum of 5 fruits & veggies EVERY DAY. Without fail, EVERY DAY! (Keep in mind that is only the minimum required -you might get all vitamins and minerals with 5, but not likely. You really need 7-11 servings a day. But start somewhere.) Now if you have an all or nothing personality, and, key words here, this plan of attack has worked for you in other areas of your life in the long run (not just for a short period, then you are back where you were before), then go for the gusto! Start eating 7-11 servings of fruits and vegetables every day. Get 1/2 your weight in water ounces every day. Eat smaller, frequent meals. Always eat breakfast (within an hour of rising). Do it all! Then, keep doing it! Day after day after day and watch not only your body change, but your overall appearance health and feelings of well-being!
I want to help you get there. Accountability definitely helps when you are embarking on new changes. Start focusing on nutrition, not calories. I can help. Contact me: www.cbfitnesstrainer.com