Eat food, not too much, mostly plants.

Why “diets” don’t work. You can’t lose weight without controlling your nutrition. You can gain muscle / weight without controlling your intake, however, if you are on a “see food diet” you will most likely gain unwanted fat as well.

If you’re trying to lose fat by joining a gym—but not changing what you eat—you will only get so far. Not even CrossFit Oxygen’s workouts, which are the best in Ringwood will see you looking your best, without changing your nutrition.

But the problem is when there is so much information out there, how do you know where to start? Take these few simple steps to lose unwanted body fat or increase your muscle mass;

• Start tracking what you eat. Writing it down in a journal, in the notes on your phone or use any nutrition tracking app makes a huge difference. We like MyFitnessPal because it integrates with your coaches account and lets your the coach see how your nutrition is supporting your goals, but whatever works for your lifestyle.

• Start balancing your carbohydrate intake by consuming some protein with EVERY meal.

• Increase your water intake, drink more water throughout the day. Not just before bedtime!
• Keep coffee and caffeinated beverages to a maximum of 2 per day. This will help reduce stress & anxiety, increase sleep quality and improve hydration levels.

• Don’t jump on the “diet” everyone at work is doing. Cleanses, fasting, low-calorie meals and even most ketogenic diets are hard to sustain when you don’t have a coach. Most FAD diets will bite you in the butt in the long run.

Whenever you see a new diet on TV or in a magazine, ask yourself: “Can I do this forever?” If the answer is no, it’s not worth consideration. Save yourself a lot of pain today and find something that WILL work in the long run.

We follow this prescription from CrossFit’s founder, Greg Glassman:

“Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep to intake levels that support exercise but not body fat.”

Put another way by Michael Pollan, author of “The Omnivore’s Dilemma” and “In Defense of Food”:

“EAT FOOD. NOT TOO MUCH, MOSTLY PLANTS.”

Keep it simple. Then go work out!

Need help with your nutrition or fitness? Book your FREE 15-minute help call with a coach now.

Inspiration provided by Chris Cooper at Catalystgym.com.