I chanced upon this quote today,
“I'd much rather eat pasta and drink wine than be a size zero.” Sophia Loren 1965.
And thought we need to dispel this diet myth. I'm all for body positivity, loving yourself and setting realistic body goals but!
Who ever said that enjoying our favourite foods and keeping our health in check have to be mutually exclusive?
It’s misconceptions like these that sometimes stop people even starting a healthy lifestyle!
Psst! Our cookbook even contains pasta recipes! 🤣
Everything can be enjoyed in moderation and anyone that tells you otherwise is not providing accurate, science-based information!
Now let's address the elephant in the room.
Can we have the best of both worlds?
Of course! There are many ways to bio-hack the hell out of our body mechanisms and get the most mileage out of our meals.
One way is making use of the metabolic loophole, the Thermic Effect of Food to help you cheat your way to attaining those weight loss goals faster and easier, without lifting an extra kilo.
In a nutshell, the thermic effect of food is the increase in your metabolic rate after eating and is the highest when consuming.... Protein!
Let's explore the concept and explain it in monetary terms. Now let's say, we see calories as currency and our body as the wallet. Every calorie is a dollar and we have a budget of $1000 to spend everyday.
Overspend and you'll gain weight, underspend and you'll lose weight!
When you spend $1000 on protein, you'll receive $250 to $350 back as rebates! So technically, you only spent $700 to $750!
However, if you spend the same amount of money $1000 on fat, you'll only receive $20 to $30 worth of rebates. All in all, you spent $970 to $980 on fat. Pfft! What a bad deal.
The savings are the highest when you spend on protein! The more you stay in budget and save, the more you will lose weight in the real world!
With the extra savings that you enjoyed from spending on protein, you'll always have extra cash in your wallet to either spend on other foods you enjoy, but you'll maintain your current weight, or not spend it at all and lose weight - whichever your goal is.
Let's bring it up a notch.
Okay, now on top of eating more protein, you decide to incorporate resistance training into your routine and you gain muscle along the way.
Whoa! That's bio-hack x2! Hear me out.
Muscle tissue consumes a lot of calories, which literally means you can eat more without putting on weight and that it can eat away at your stored fat!
This means this wallet of yours has now turned its SGD1000 (Singapore dollar) to USD1000 (US dollar), a stronger currency! Now $1000 can buy you EVEN MORE FOOD without compromising on your current health goals.
With more muscles in your body, you have more calories to spare for your favourite foods! You'll probably also be losing weight even when you're at rest and doing nothing at all.
So don’t worry about muscles making you look bulky, your muscles will help to remove the fat that is already making you look bulky in all the wrong places!
I hope my explanation above can help you see the bigger picture.
Our body is an amazing machine that already has everything well thought out for you. From its nervous, musculoskeletal, cardiovascular systems, etc - every system is designed to perform in the most optimal way, until you mistreat it with bad lifestyle habits.
There are many research studies that have shown that exercise is literally like preventive medicine, reducing the risk of developing premature health problems. Regular workouts not only improve your energy levels but your overall quality of life, mental and physical well being.
So where do I start you ask?
If you want to give your health a chance, our health and nutrition Power Plans are here to guide you every step of the way. We cover hot topics like whether you need to do cardio on an empty stomach, is keto the best, why calories still count but more importantly, we show you clearly how to structure your nutrition and training in-depth, with references linking you to the latest and most relevant research, all presented in a way that everyone can understand.
I know going to the gym may sound intimidating for some of you, we also have home workout plans that will show you how you can use household items, bottles of detergents, backpacks and trusty resistance bands to train wherever you are, whether you’re at home, on a future holiday, business trip, whatever your location, your location becomes the gym!
Of course, if you already understand how your body works and have a comprehensive plan on how you want to attain your body goals, you don't have to purchase our plans.
All I want for you reading this right now, is to be as healthy and health-conscious as you can so we can improve the quality of our lives and be there for our loved ones.
Don't neglect your health because of work, social or other non-health related commitments.
If you lose a job opportunity, you can probably find another one eventually. But if you lose your health, it's not reversible, you cannot replace your body and your good health is never going to come back.
It's the beginning of a new month. Set new goals and do right by yourself. Good luck my friends!
Your friend,
Juliana