If you told me five years ago that food is just fuel I would have disagreed with you whole heartedly, gotten mad and stomped off knowing well and good, food is far more than just fuel. Five years ago I was also trapped in my own sugar addiction. Five years ago I was preparing for two bikini competitions, I was constantly fighting my sugar addiction and I was not fueling myself properly.
Food is calories. Calories are what keeps our bodies functioning. A calorie is a unit of measurement for energy – it is not “how much food is in that bag.” Calories are used to help our heart beat, to keep our immune system functioning, our bodies moving, etc. You are using calories right now reading this. You expend a certain amount of calories each day being alive. You expend more getting out of bed, getting ready, working, driving, and even more when you workout. (Find out how much you burn here.)
But not all calories are created equal.
Remember when you studied the food pyramid and we learned about empty calories? Those are calories that serve absolutely NO purpose whatsoever to our bodies. They can not be converted to fuel. They include refined sugars and alcohol.
Protein is typically not converted to energy well. It can be but it is more difficult. Protein is good to help your muscles recover (when you workout the muscle fibers break down – protein helps them get put back together.) Carbohydrates convert to energy very easily – maybe too easily for regular consumption. They are broken down quickly and can turn into sugar for the body quickly. This not only blocks the fat burning process, but it also burns off quickly. Imagine carbs as like crappy, cheap gas station gas for your car. If you are going on a road trip you are better off getting better, Premium gas because your gas mileage will be better. That is where fat comes in. Fat converts to fuel. It digests slowly so you stay full longer (yay no more sugar cravings!) and it doesn’t spike your blood sugar levels (yay! no more cravings!) Fat is like the really high quality premium gas.
(Please keep in mind when reading the paragraph above, this does not pertain to those not trying to lose fat, but those trying to build muscle or fuel their bodies for training. In that case, eating carbs is very, very necessary. I’m not recommending a low carb diet nor am I saying all carbs are bad. I do recommend consuming carbs, but everyone has different amounts necessary, and not all are created equally. I’m just trying to say, eating a bowl of pasta for lunch, having a granola bar as a snack and pizza for dinner isn’t a great idea.)
When you begin fueling your engine with premium gas (when you begin fueling your body with high quality foods) you become more efficient. For myself having a lot of energy is important for several reasons. My days usually start around 6:30am to walk my dog anywhere from 1 – 3 miles. I come home and work then hit the gym for about three hours. Then I’m back at my desk until it’s time to make dinner, around 6pm. At 7:30pm it’s boyfriend time, laundry, dog walking, clean up and stretching until finally hit the hay around 9:30pm. I expend a lot of energy (about 2400 calories worth!) Not only do I need energy to be alert for this, but getting stronger is important to me. To get stronger I absolutely must fuel my body.
If I burn 1800 calories a day just “doin’ my thang” and I only eat 1600 calories I may feel a little tired. But if I workout and “do my thang” and only eat 1600 calories something is going to have to give. At first I may just be really tired in the afternoon and maybe groggy most of the day, but I’m also not going to have the energy to hit my lifts. My body will start to shut down and run on less energy, which means my immune system will begin to fail, my organs may not be able to function properly, my muscles will not recover fast enough and my brain will slow down (reaction, creativity, memory, etc will fail.)
But keep in mind what I said about not all calories being created equal. Eating a 100 calorie pack of cheese crackers and eating half an avocado are two totally different things! I don’t care if you eat 2000 calories worth of empty calories, you are not getting any nutrients and those calories are going to do absolutely nothing for you!
Right now I want you to go through your activities for the day. Find your BMR including your activity level and working out. Do you eat enough calories? Are you getting them from the right sources? How do you feel? Is your brain functioning as well as it could? Are you getting stronger or are you always tired? Leave me a comment below to let me know! If you need help then let me know – that is what I’m here for!!!!!!!
Your Coach,
Kyra
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