Another situation some of you may have experienced in the past is trying to keep on losing more body fat and weight when you don’t even need to anymore.
For instance, I was training a teenager this week who has literally transformed himself from someone who could be regarded as seriously overweight (he would say that himself), to someone who looks extremely athletic and powerful, and now looks the picture of health.
So he lost all his weight, is now starting to do very well in a few different sports, and is almost unrecognisable in every single area compared to one year ago.
The danger is now that he is tempted to still cut down on his food portions. This can be a common mistake to make, and can be detrimental to his future progress.
I explained to him that the focus now should switch from cutting back, to slightly increasing portion size due to the activity levels he now has in his life.
It makes sense that someone who played very little sport before, and now plays 5-6 times a week requires more energy. The weight and fat loss has put an enormous amount of energy into his life, but the stage has come that he needs even more now to increase his performance.
This is now alien to him, as cutting back has got him to a great situation. This is where relationship with food changes his again.
Seeing food as fuel is ultra-important now to this individual, as opposed to seeing food as something negative because it may put weight back on.
It wont put weight back on because the quality of the food he eats is so much better now.
I explained that one gram of protein and carbs in just under 4 calories, and that one gram of fat is 9 calories. So in theory, he could eat quite a bit more food and still not be eating the calories he was when he was a lot overweight. Overeating is still not advised, and all I meant was an increase to cover his energy requirements.
This individual has changed his life considerably, but should now be using food in a very positive way, seeing it as a very valuable tool in allowing him to perform at the highest level possible at his chosen sports.
Everyone’s relationship with food is different, but keeping it a positive one will allow you to move far more smoothly and productively through different phases in your life.
