Contextualizing Food

Now that I'm in action, as opposed to maintenance, you may see some more content from me relating to competition preparation and training and so forth. However you're never going to see a post from me about how all I ever do now is think of food and my next meal and what my macros or even calories are going to be for the day. Whilst it is important to plan out your nutrition for a competition preparation no question, this post does not relate to this aspect of action, or body fat loss at all.

What I am talking about is how I choose to contextualize food in the course of taking action and even through maintenance. Like most of us, I don't know anyone that doesn't love eating, particularly when it's top notch, decadent, fancy, tasty food. Like Carolyn, I'm a bit of a foodie - I enjoy the good things in life - and will continue to do so. I will probably enjoy food that I consider a treat on my path to the stage. When I told others that I was going to commit once and for all to do this comp, they said "I couldn't do that, I couldn't be that disciplined with my eating" - and then the kicker, "If I couldn't eat what I wanted, I would be so unhappy - I'd be starving".

That's when I thought, "whoa!" This person was talking in real absolutes - so unhappy? Starving? Then, throughout the week whilst chatting to various clients I heard of food spoken about in almost pornographic detail - unbeknowingly, they were all "making love" to their meals in such vivid detail that their phrases could have easily been slid into a Mills and Boon novel (a few character changes of course) and nobody would have been any the wiser. Then I thought of all the times I have innocently said that I was "starving" - and came to the conclusion that I've been feeding (pardon the pun) myself a bit of bull as well. I may get really hungry but in a first world country it is very unlikely that you're ever going to be starving. Now I'm making an effort to tell myself the facts...what really is true.

My own take home message for the week was enjoy food - but put it in the right context - if your day is spent in salivation over the meals ahead, you've placed too much importance on something that may not be as important as you think it is. Where is the "most important" in all of this? Where's the rest of your life, your family, your friends? Successful weight loss or comp prep doesn't mean hiberating from the world for 12 weeks a year. Integration of all parts of your life is the key. I am looking forward to my next meal out - the food, for sure and even more importantly, who I share it with.

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Training and Nutrition
I taught RPM again this morning and managed to keep that wonderful momentum I felt yesterday going through today's class. What helped me the most I feel was a more deliberate than usual shift of focus to the participants and the whole coaching process. When I hear the groans and the "yahoos" and see the smiles, I feel so uplifted. Same for all of the clients I see - in some cases I've started off with one and inherited a whole family...it is too cool.

Nutrition - all going well - eating a truckload of fruit and vegetables to bump my carbs up to over 40% - I'm not a low carb lover, more of a middle of the road chick and now my hands are looking rather frog like - puffy on the tips of my fingers and back to normal finger joints. I think I may just be winning the swelling race! Scale has begun to catch up after the hard yards I have put in this week which a nice change.