If I had a dollar every time someone said to me they need to do more “cardio” to lose weight, I could sell the gym and retire. The myth of being able to out-exercise, out-run or out-lift your diet is common, but flawed. It’s not true, and there is plenty of scientific research debunking this myth. Read this, this, or this, to learn why you can’t outrun your diet. At CrossFit, our nutrition guidelines are simple and devastatingly effective. “Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat.” While this protocol is simple, it’s surprisingly difficult for most folks to follow because of our habits, and the situations we regularly put ourselves in. What about alcohol? What about french fries, pizza, burgers, cakes, brownies, cookies, and potato chips? While there are appropriate times and places for these foods, they do not fall within the context of the prescription mentioned above, so they should be enjoyed sparingly. What does that mean? 10% of your meals should include those deviations if you are striving for a healthy percentage of body fat while avoiding chronic disease. For example, if you eat 21 meals a week (3/day), 2-3 of those meals can be a deviation and you should still see a net positive change to your body and health. If you’re having a hard time quantifying that in real life, try logging your food for a week and let’s establish a baseline. You can’t expect to fix something if you don’t have a clear picture of the degree to which it’s broken. What you’ll notice in the CrossFit nutrition program is an emphasis on whole foods. Meat, vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, and starches do not come in bags, boxes, envelopes, or any other food storage containers for the most part (the exception being nuts/seeds and dried fruits/frozen vegetables). If you want to feel better and look better naked, your grocery cart, refrigerator and pantry should be filled with whole unprocessed foods that you can eat raw or cook. The key factor is it’s minimally processed; it’s real, whole food. The truth is this: you have to change what you’re eating and how much you’re eating if you want to change how you look and feel. If you change what you’re eating and do constantly varied high intensity functional movement exercise (AKA CrossFit) you’re going to change how you look even faster. Watch this to see how Ivan has done it. ​If you’re like me, you can probably relate to Ivan to some degree. Whether you exercise of not, nutrition is the foundation of a permanent healthy lifestyle. No matter what exercise program you believe in or practice, the most important aspect of your health comprises of your diet. If you’re interested in learning more about healthy habits or trying to change your dietary habits, let’s talk. We offer Free No-Snack intro’s to answer your questions and help however we can. Don’t forget, we’re starting our 800g challenge on January 1st! This is free to all members and if you’re not a member but interested in participating to kickstart your nutrition, let’s talk !