Victor Lindlahr…one of the first speakers of the weight loss world, rightly said this, way back in 1923…

Seriously, centuries of advice and observation boil down to one phrase: you are what you eat.

Think about it.

Doesn’t it make logical sense? Look down at your hands, your torso, your legs, and your feet.

Whatever you see before your eyes is a direct result of what has gone into your body via your mouth.

And that’s actually good news.

No matter what you’ve put into your mouth before today and no matter how satisfied or dissatisfied you are with your hands, your torso, your legs and your body, there is hope.

A whole lot of hope.

Unfortunately, the biggest misconception whenever people want to lose weight is…

“I can lose weight by joining the gym, I don’t need to change my diet…”

And that is why, the first big lesson on nutrition is…

While exercise and nutrition begin as equal entities, consider the following:

How many times do you exercise in a given week?

A safe assumption is that you fall somewhere in the 1-7 range.

Now, how many meals or snacks do you eat in a given week?

A second safe assumption is that you fall somewhere in the 14-42 range.

In short, you simply have more opportunity to get nutrition wrong.

Plenty of people have a nasty habit of waking up in the middle of the night and opening the fridge. Who do you know that wakes up in the middle of the night and starts lifting weights!?

Exercise, working out is well-contained, while nutrition is an ongoing, ever-present choice, which leaves more room for errors.

And that is why, we advise…

The great Jack LaLallane always said…

And he was so right, because nutrition dictates your body weight and much of your body composition. Whereas exercise dictates your shape at that body weight and the remainder of your body composition by virtue of muscle mass.

In short, your nutrition will decide where you pack your weight.

And finally, here are some more Reasons to Eat Well, apart from weight loss…

Improved body composition and weight management, more energy, improved cognition and clearer mind, improved digestion, quicker exercise
recovery, more efficient muscle gain, better physical performance, more effective stress management.

Sounds like quite the magic pill, nai?

Well, eating correctly is the best magic pill…

And… to begin this nutritional journey… the first and by far, the most important thing you can do is….

Which means your weight loss journey begins with WHICH foods you select to eat.

Which foods you bring home.

Which ingredients you bring home.

Everything…

Everything begins with which foods you purposely pick up and bring home.

All other things, all other details like calories, proteins, carbs, low fat, gluten, everything, everything comes later… your success is first and foremost dependent on your food choices.

Open Your Eyes For Making Good Food Selection…

Just ask yourself – What influences, what decides your daily food selection?

Is it habits?

Do you have the habit of picking up certain foods? Question yourself the next time you pick a certain food just out of habit, ask yourself WHY are you eating this?

Is it because it’s nutritious or only because you have been eating it for years?

In short, is your food selection dictated by its nutrition value or by your habits?

Of course, the best environment to get your food is by far, straight from the farm, directly at the source.

But since it’s almost impossible for most people living in cities, at least try to get them as fresh as possible.

Next, look at your daily Schedule?

How does your daily schedule affect what kind of food you buy…

Do you have time for food shopping every day?

Or do you have to stock everything ahead of time?

And finally, social interaction. Are certain people affecting what foods you eat?

Most of us are not even aware of what foods we pick up and why… it has become such an ingrained habit that many a times we do not even notice what we are eating.

But not anymore. Now that you are in this program, we want you to give meaning to your food. We want you to think of food as a source of fuel, which it is.

We want you to think of food as a literal shaper of your life, which it is.

And we want you think of what you eat, because it is EXACTLY what you become tomorrow.

Eat only processed food and eventually even your body will look like it has been processed through a machine!

Eat fresh, natural, nutritious foods and you will be bubbling with energy and good health.

Give food meaning in your life, don’t eat blindly.

When you give food meaning, when you attach a purpose, everything changes.

How do you feel during, immediately after, and several hours after eating it?

Do you feel great after eating french fries? And on the other hand, how do you feel after eating a nutritious, dense meal cooked at home?

You are definitely more satisfied and feel good after a meal at home.

The whole point here is – choose whatever you are going to eat, consciously, know what you are eating, don’t eat blindly… this single step will make or break your weight loss success.

Alright, now, after food selection, the second important thing which goes a long way towards your success is… your ATTITUDE…

Meaning, instead of categorizing foods as I can eat this and I can’t eat that…

Start saying I WANT to eat this and I don’t WANT to eat that.

Here’s an example…imagine a creamy, sugary cake… now tell me where does it fall on your daily food chart?

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know the answer: Nowhere.

You see there are two reactions, two polar opposite emotions commonly felt when considering this.

They are empowerment and restriction.

Empowerment focuses on the look, feel, and perform lifestyle. It adopts a “can” mentality. Using which, you say I can eat vegetables, I can eat meat, I
can eat good fat, fruit, starch, and spices.

On the other hand, restriction adopts a “can’t” mentality. I can’t have cake, I can’t have cookies, and I can’t have soft drinks!

Can vs. cant is not productive, and your vocabulary is not restricted to these words.

You are not confined to the extremes.

You are an adult.

You make your own choices, for your own reasons, that have their own consequences—good, bad, or in between.

You are here to change your nutrition in order to change your life.

Doesn’t it then stand to reason that you would want to eat food that enables looking, feeling, and performing better?

So Act accordingly.

If you want the cake, eat the damn cake!

But … be under no illusions of what it is doing to you!

Ignorance is not bliss when it comes to your body.

Look down at your hands, torso, legs, and feet again. The proof is there!

You are what you eat.

Remember that the next time you want to eat a refined flour and preservatives laden biscuit… and then make the choice of eating it or not, based on
being an adult.

And lastly… stop saying everything or nothing— instead start using the word “Most”

We are all guilty of this everything or nothing mentality, at some part in our lives.

“I’m going to eat perfectly for the next 2 months for my wedding.”

Or…

“I’m never eating ice cream again.”

These kinds of all or nothing statements never help in the long run. A complete nutritional revolution does not happen overnight.

In short, everything or nothing does not work in real life.

Instead, You are what you do “MOST” of the time.

So get rid of the everything or nothing mentality. Replace it with most.

Will one serving of cake ruin your success, of course not, but, if that’s what you keep eating MOST of the time, well, you are going to look the same
most of the time.

Remember the two most important nutrition things…

The first is Food selection – which is the most important aspect of your success.

And second – your attitude, meaning how you deal with food, and how you can change your attitude towards food from the inside… by being an adult, and not by making this journey an all or nothing quest.

I’ll finish this topic by one of the most epic, yet simplest words of the legendary Jack Lalane… he said…