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Tatyana
Elite Mentor
I have been getting a lot of requests for diet help. I love helping out you lads, and I am really honoured that you ask.
I did want to make a thread related to diet advice, as I have been noticing some things over and over and over again.
I also think that coming off my own restrictive comp diet has had me see food in a different way again.
This is my first point, a lot of you are going on 'cutting diets' that resemble competition diets.
I don't see the point of this, a lot of you could lose the fat without such extremes.
I also think a lot of you are complicating things too much, and too worried about details.
Baby steps darlings, learning how to feed yourself, changing eating patterns and preferences for foods is a process.
Thinking you can go from a less than desireable diet to a 'perfect' diet (if there is such a thing) overnight is a recipe for disaster.
One other thing I have noticed is that a lot of your diets are SO BORING, really, you would think that "THIS IS SPARTA".
There is no need to restrict yourself to the same foods day after day, and a really limited number of foods.
I would completely go out of my brain box if I dieted the way some of you plan you diets.
I do have some foods or meals I eat over and over and over again cause I LOVE them (things like oats/barley/buckwheat/quinoa/wheat flakes with whey protein), but variety is the spice of life.
For example, you can make chilli, potatoe salads, pasta salads, chicken stews..........take the foods you LIKE and modify recipes, reduce the fat a bit, add a bit more protein.
I even have a recipe for competition diet 'ice cream'.
I have chocolate (cocoa and cacoa nibs) in my comp diet.
My new coach has a competition 'pizza' (so looking forward to finding out that one).
There also seems to be another thing missing from a lot of diets, FRUIT and VEGETABLES.
We are a really complicated mix of all sorts of biochemical processes that require all sorts of minerals, vitamins and ALL THREE macronutrients, protein, carbs and fat.
Fruits and veggies are nutrient rich and calorie poor, perfect for filling you up and making sure you get all the micronutrients you need.
Another one of nature's vitamins are seeds and nuts, eat them raw and whole, or roast them yourself.
I would also like most of you to eliminate the idea that there are good and bad foods. Yes, some foods are better choices than others, some will have a more positive impact on your body and mood than others.
Your diet is also individual, and what worked for one person may not work for you.
I would also recommend avoiding extremes, or dieting too severely, there is always the possibilty of doing metabolic damage, and instead of being able to look fantastic till you are the sexiest old man in the nursing home, you could find it difficult to maintain a decent weight.
In general, there are a few things that work
1. Eat whole natural foods, preferably organic and in season
2. Eat a wide variety of foods, including grains, beans, vegetables, fruits and meats
3. At least once in your life, keep a food journal, counting all the calories, protein, carbs and fats, it is just a good learning process about what exactly is in different foods.
4. Have a cheat meal every now and then, but if it triggers you off to binge, avoid those foods that do that
5. Use spices and herbs to change flavours of things, keep it interesting, and a lot of herbs and spices also have great health properties.
I did want to make a thread related to diet advice, as I have been noticing some things over and over and over again.
I also think that coming off my own restrictive comp diet has had me see food in a different way again.
This is my first point, a lot of you are going on 'cutting diets' that resemble competition diets.
I don't see the point of this, a lot of you could lose the fat without such extremes.
I also think a lot of you are complicating things too much, and too worried about details.
Baby steps darlings, learning how to feed yourself, changing eating patterns and preferences for foods is a process.
Thinking you can go from a less than desireable diet to a 'perfect' diet (if there is such a thing) overnight is a recipe for disaster.
One other thing I have noticed is that a lot of your diets are SO BORING, really, you would think that "THIS IS SPARTA".
There is no need to restrict yourself to the same foods day after day, and a really limited number of foods.
I would completely go out of my brain box if I dieted the way some of you plan you diets.
I do have some foods or meals I eat over and over and over again cause I LOVE them (things like oats/barley/buckwheat/quinoa/wheat flakes with whey protein), but variety is the spice of life.
For example, you can make chilli, potatoe salads, pasta salads, chicken stews..........take the foods you LIKE and modify recipes, reduce the fat a bit, add a bit more protein.
I even have a recipe for competition diet 'ice cream'.
I have chocolate (cocoa and cacoa nibs) in my comp diet.
My new coach has a competition 'pizza' (so looking forward to finding out that one).
There also seems to be another thing missing from a lot of diets, FRUIT and VEGETABLES.
We are a really complicated mix of all sorts of biochemical processes that require all sorts of minerals, vitamins and ALL THREE macronutrients, protein, carbs and fat.
Fruits and veggies are nutrient rich and calorie poor, perfect for filling you up and making sure you get all the micronutrients you need.
Another one of nature's vitamins are seeds and nuts, eat them raw and whole, or roast them yourself.
I would also like most of you to eliminate the idea that there are good and bad foods. Yes, some foods are better choices than others, some will have a more positive impact on your body and mood than others.
Your diet is also individual, and what worked for one person may not work for you.
I would also recommend avoiding extremes, or dieting too severely, there is always the possibilty of doing metabolic damage, and instead of being able to look fantastic till you are the sexiest old man in the nursing home, you could find it difficult to maintain a decent weight.
In general, there are a few things that work
1. Eat whole natural foods, preferably organic and in season
2. Eat a wide variety of foods, including grains, beans, vegetables, fruits and meats
3. At least once in your life, keep a food journal, counting all the calories, protein, carbs and fats, it is just a good learning process about what exactly is in different foods.
4. Have a cheat meal every now and then, but if it triggers you off to binge, avoid those foods that do that
5. Use spices and herbs to change flavours of things, keep it interesting, and a lot of herbs and spices also have great health properties.
and if it stays still for too long- watch out ! LOL i'm one hungry bastard lately! LOL 
