adminInnocent Choga Fitness Column
For a healthy and sustainable diet and exercising programme, take it easy. One question most people always ask when they start an exercise programme is what they should eat to lose or gain weight. I always wonder if one is advised to eat certain foods because of specific nutritional values if they would
implement that diet programme.
I have never been able to give anyone a straight answer because I always answer the question with questions of what they eat, how they eat, how it is prepared and how much they consume. I think not many of those who ask me have been able to understand my reply. People want to lose or gain weight for different reasons; to look good in a wedding outfit, for medical reasons, for interviews especially when it is for jobs that require fitness as a condition, eg flying.
From my experience a good and sustainable diet is built around the foods that one likes to eat. We grow up eating different foods and sometimes it is very difficult to switch to something we do not like just because it has been prescribed by someone to be good food. Sometimes people follow the advice, in most cases; they do it for a while and eventually stop.
The case when we are most likely to follow prescribed diets is when the doctor tells us to stop eating this and eat that or we will die or when we apply for jobs with stipulated working requirements that take into consideration of height and weight fitness measurements. When the doctor warns, we listen and when we desperately need the job we have to do it.
I am sure everybody knows what good food is and what bad food is. There is a lot of good healthy food and lot of bad unhealthy foods out there but most people prefer the later because it tastes great. We hear and read so many programmes advising us to eat unprocessed foods avoid sugar and fat etc but many of us still go on to make those foods a regular part of our diets. I think for one to succeed in following a diet programme it is best to make it a long term thing. Therefore there is need to relax and take it easy.
A diet programme that is too strict can deprive one of necessary nutrients. It can render you as one of the most incompatible workmates, partner or parent; as people on a very strict diet are very edgy. They will snap at the slightest irritation. Crush programmes never work, the weight always comes back. It possibly takes one along time to put on weight and it will obviously take longer to take it off.
For those who want to gain weight, one should also take time to gain weight; weight gained fast is not quality weight. I am assuming that these people have body types that are either easy bad weight gainers (endomorphs) or slow weight gainers (ectomorphs). For one to design a good diet programme for someone, there is need to take into consideration the kind of foods one likes, their eating patterns, amounts of food eaten as input and the output which is the amount of energy used in comparison to the consumed food; it is an equation .
When one engages in an exercise training routine it is advisable not to engage in a weight reduction diet programme at the same time. When people join the gym they are very eager to make a change and they want the change to happen very fast. A sudden shock to the body will result in a change, positive or negative.
If the change is so drastic coming from both ends (diet and training) the body’s reaction will most likely be negative, it can be mentally or physically negative. If you have not been exercising, take it easy, exercise for at least 3 months without drastically changing your diet, unless it was really horrible. Proper training alone will see you change even within two months, physically or mentally.
After about three months the body will have gotten used to the workouts then one can slowly introduce a diet programme. Everything has to be gradual. If the training and diet is engaged on with too much vigour chances are that one will burn out sooner or later, drop out and return to old habits.
This is one reason why it is so frustrating for results-oriented trainers who deal with defaulters. Trainers are also motivated by positive results. Every time a person comes back for training they will be starting afresh and there will be no positive results. Consistence in both training and diet is essential, though short breaks from both training and diet are also necessary.
It is advisable to seek the doctor’s advice before embarking on a diet and exercise programme and imperative if one has a medical problem. I would also recommend that one should disclose any ailments, disease or condition to the trainer and if possible arrange a consultation meeting between the trainer and any medical practitioners one is seeing.
In the next article let’s talk about the kinds of food we eat, how we eat, how we prepare our food as well how much we consume; in other words how we can creatively craft a sustainable diet program.
Online Reporter