“I Eat REALLY Well…” so why are you still 20+ lbs overweight?

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Not a day goes by where I don’t hear one of the following statements:

“I eat REALLY well…”

“My diet is perfect…”

“I make good nutritional choices…”

“Tony Gentilcore is so good looking…”

If you eat so well, then why are you still 20 lbs overweight? If your diet is so perfect, then why do you always feel sluggish and tired? If you make such good nutritional choices, then why do you have high blood pressure, cholesterol, and type II diabetes? And yes, I am that good looking (kidding……………………………no I’m not).

The fact of the matter is, people flat out lie and delude themselves into thinking that they are making quality nutritional choices; and yes I am talking to YOU. Research has shown time and time again that people have a tendency to OVER report how much they really exercise and UNDER report how much they are reallly eating. Funny how that works huh? It’s funny how people tend to forget that half a tray of Oreo’s they ate earlier in the week or the bowl of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream they had last night while watching “So You Think You Can Dance?” on televison. (Side Note: oh, I CAN dance. The ladies love my “robot”).

Don’t believe me. I give you exhibit A:

(EDIT: I had a nice little chart here that shows people’s PERCEIVED consumption and ACTUAL consumption of starches, fruit, vegetables, protein, fat/sweets…….but it didn’t work (I stink). E-mail me if you really want it, or you can just take my word for it.)

What does this show us?

1. People ARE eating more grains/starches than they think they are. Not that this is necessarily a bad thing per se. I do feel that carbs have a time and place (in short: breakfast and post-training). I am NOT a “carb phobe,” but generally speaking most people would be wise to limit their carb intake to certain times of the day, especially if fat loss is one of the main goals.

2. People are NOT eating nearly as much fruit as they think they are.

3. People are NOT eating nearly as much veggies as they think they are.

4. People are NOT drinking as much milk as they think they are. This is a bit speculative, especially considering the prevalence of lactose intolerance.

5. People are NOT eating as much meat as they think they are. I am a firm advocate of high(er) protein diets (especially for fat loss and body recomposition). My good friend Cassandra Forsythe (soon to be PhD in Nutrition, also writes for Men’s and Women’s Health) always states: “when in doubt, eat protein.” People need to get more protein in their diets. There are a plethora of cute, furry animals out there to eat (my apologies to any vegetarian that may be reading this). And by the way: soy is atrocious.

6. People ARE eating more fats/oils/sweets than they think they are. This DOES NOT mean I am implying that “fat makes you fat!!!!” On the contrary, I feel that dietary fat is an intragral component of a fat loss diet. It’s about QUALITY of fat, not QUANTITY. However, I am more concerned about sweets. As alluded to above, people tend to eat more sweets than they think they do.

In the end, most people need to quit lying to themselves and accept the fact that they ARE NOT making solid food choices nor are they following sound nutritional habits. Yes, I am talking to you Mr. “I go 6 hours without eating a meal.” Learn better eating habits and success will be guaranted.

Did what you just read make your day? Ruin it? Either way, you should share it with your friends and/or comment below.

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Comments for This Entry

  • Marpay Fitness

    "And by the way: soy is atrocious." >>> I'm curious why you say this? I've read that it's not really good to consume because of its estrogenic effects on hormones etc (unless fermented) but I would like to get your take on it. Thanks in advance.

    September 4, 2013 at 2:11 pm | Reply to this comment

    • TonyGentilcore

      Avoiding soy is impossible (since it's in everything), but the most of the soy options here in the west are so highly processed and devoid of any nutritional benefit (unlike those in the east), that I wouldn't go out of my way to tell people to consume MORE of it. If you want to get more info I'd highly suggest reading the book The Whole Soy Story.

      September 5, 2013 at 11:45 am | Reply to this comment

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