I’ve followed many workout plans over the years. Most of which I’ve found online. However, I would get minimal (if any) results. However, after further consideration, the problem was my diet, not the training plan I was following.
When I started CrossFit a few months ago, I was in pretty good shape. However, I knew that I could still get a lot leaner and stronger. A couple months of CrossFit style training combined with the diet that CrossFit advocates for, has helped me reach my goals.
What is the CrossFit Diet?
The short answer: 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.
Source: CrossFit Nutrition
By focusing on eating whole foods and limiting my caloric intake I’ve gotten much leaner. Another benefit to eating high-quality whole foods is that I don’t have to worry about my energy levels spiking and crashing due to fluctuating blood sugar levels.
One of the best ways I’ve found to think about eating is like managing a gas guage on a car. If I eat a high-carb, high-sugar snack I’ll get a little bit of energy but that energy will be gone shortly after. If I eat a balanced meal with some meat and vegetables, my energy will be sustained for hours after I eat.
If I eat a cookie or a brownie, or some sugary snack, I’ll accompany that with some protein so that I don’t experience a crash and then just crave more sugary junk.
Why Don’t Other Workout Program’s Recommend a Specific Diet?
To be honest, I’m not really sure here. Eating a healthy diet that actually fits your needs can be difficult, especially if you don’t even know where to start. Fat loss is probably 90% diet and 10% exercise and activity, so there needs to be more emphasis on diet.
One thing I realized during quarantine is that eating healthy and working out less actually made reaching my goals easier. When I workout more I get hungrier and end up eating more than the calories I’ve burned while working out.
It’s crazy that the one thing that may have been holding me back from my goals was that I was working out TOO MUCH.
Wow