I don't know about you, but I love information. I also love to read. And eat. And cook. So that's why nutrition books are something I enjoy.
If you are on a fitness journey, and you are trying to guess your way through it, you need to get another plan. Information is power. Power to change.
These are my five favorite books about food, nourishing our bodies, and eating for change. There is an absolute truth that calories in < calories out = weight/fat loss. But it also matters what you are eating for calories. Here's what these books taught me:
1. "Burn the Fat Feed the Muscle" by Tom Venuto - this is basically a weight-lifter's book, but the method is sound. It teaches the calorie equation: how many calories you need to eat each day. It follows the "clean eating" model, which is basically high protein, veggies, fruit, healthy fats, & low/no sugar or bad fats. It has a meal-assembly guide based on your metabolism type, which is figured out in an entire chapter. Lots of math. Love.
2. "The Eat Clean Diet" by Tosca Reno - Tosca's story is inspiring: around age 40 she changed her eating habits and exercise pattern & became a body builder/fitness model. She sets out all the positives for eating clean & exercising from skin improvement to energy level and overall health, and every other reason in between. She has a separate cook book with additional recipes that are all simple to follow and delicious.
3. "Practical Paleo" by Diane Sanfilippo - Paleo is a gatherer diet, based on vegetables & fruits that have not been domesticated or genetically altered, high in protein, and avoids all legumes & grains, since those are "man-made". She is heavy on the research based on her own experience with benefiting from Paleo, and provides several tweaks in the Paleo diet to combat diabetes, weight loss, systemic inflamation, IBS, and other issues that can be solved with Paleo.
4. "Shred: the Revolutionary Diet" by Ian K. Smith - this book promises big things, and again is based on eating clean. The book outlines a week by week eating plan based on food groups. The meal plan is filling, and I especially like the 8 or so pages of 100, 150, & 200 calories snack ideas.
5. "Thin Side Out: How to Have Your Cake & Your Skinny Jeans Too" by Josie Spinardi - this is a fun and eye-opening read about all the pitfalls of restrictive dieting & the reasons we eat or overeat. It goes in-depth about the psychology behind why you reach for firsts or for seconds, & how to get yourself to stop, feel satiated on less, and get out of destructive eating habits. Even if you aren't a binge-eater, this book provides the key to understanding why we eat beyond fueling.
All of these books boil down to four things:
Eat clean:
protein & veggies are the answer to long-lasting health & fat loss
Exercise:
when combined with healthy eating it's the one-two punch that'll make a knock-out
Processed Sugar is bad:
and we all need to eat less. it is the hard-work-eraser.
Results:
if you can stick with anything long enough, you'll get them
We are all different. One book or author will speak to you more than another. One eating plan will seem easier to you, and so you'll be more likely to follow it. Find out what it is and do that.
Also, knowledge alone won't help you. Use your new-found knowledge and become wise. Apply it.
And last, nothing will change unless you are willing and ready to commit. It's like potty-training. There's no point in starting unless there's interest. Forcing leads to failure leads to lower likelihood of you ever trying again.
I fall into the category of lots of lots of knowledge and a little application. I have lots of room for change and improvement. I've started and failed lots of times, but I know that when it's time I'll know. Make sense? I knew it was time when I kicked of the Summer Slim Down. I felt ready to commit, ready to make it public, and ready to have a support system of women to come along with me.
Happy reading!
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