Diet 101

So there is a wealth of information out there for you concerning diets. Adverts on the radio saying eat this, weigh yourself, all will be fine. Or eat caveman diet or start weekly fasting. Or even don't eat real food have this stuff from a packet as if you were a space man. Celebrity diets are everywhere and everyone has their own take on what we should be eating. The truth is we are all individuals and lead such different lifestyles that our diet is a very unique thing. If you want to take control and haven't got the time to do the research then try and stick to some simple guidelines that we will offer to you over the coming weeks.

If you are looking to lose weight, gain weight, gain muscle, tone up whatever you want I think the first port of call is a food diary. So for the next month, keep a journal of everything you eat and drink and I mean everything. Describe the portion size so that it means something to you. People weighing food have far too much free time on their hands or are following recipes. We are trying to keep it simple here. Also, record how you feel in your food diary. Sometimes it can take a few days for a "bad" food to show up and make us feel lousy. Stick down the time you eat at as well and how long it takes you to consume said meal. The idea behind this is to frighten you into your actual food intake, your lack of water or your over consumption of alcohol. It might even highlight foods you should take out your diet as they make you feel crap. On the other hand you might realise why you are not putting on that lean muscle as your diet consists of a protein shake and a subway.

Get a little notebook from a supermarket for a £1 and write in it. Keep an excel spreadsheet or I am sure there are apps out there that will do it all for you. The thing is, we want to do it ourselves and take control of this. Do it for a month, then spend some time going over the information you recorded and see if anything jumps out at you.

You don't need hand holding you can do this. Take control, this is the first step. If you have any questions about it drop me an email or post them up and I will try and help.

Marcus