When you know more about what you eat and the impact it has on your body, you can start to make more informed choices.
However, there’s a new ‘expert’ endorsed miracle diet every other day. Every way you turn someone has the answer, yet everyone is telling you something different. High carb, low fat? High fat, low carb? Because carbs are evil, right? High fibre? Fibre is good isn’t it? Paleo, there’s lots of paleo evangelists out there, surely that’s the one! Or, maybe a high protein diet? Protein shakes seem to be popular with all those crazy fitness people in their stupidly tight lycra.
Who to trust, what to eat?
Well, straight-up common sense would suggest the best diet is the one you can stick to. That means you don’t hate it, you don’t resent it, it’s simply the way you go about your everyday life.
So, let’s start by changing our thinking;
Diet is simply a word to describe what you eat. It’s not a strict set of rules about food. It’s not something you do for a while until you can’t stand the thought of doing it any longer.Click To TweetFrom this point on, when I use the word diet I’m simply referring to the choices you make about food.
My eating habits (diet) have changed significantly over time. That’s been the foundation of my weight loss. We all know what we eat is the biggest contributor to weight loss, or weight gain. I mean, you can kill yourself with exercise everyday but if your food choices are poor you’ll never lose weight.
I’m going to repeat that because it’s important:
You can kill yourself with exercise every day, but if you continue to eat poorly you’ll never lose weight.
While my eating habits have changed, my understanding of food and nutrition has also changed over time. I think this is important. When you know more about what you eat and the impact it has on your body, you can start to make more informed choices.
All food fits into three basic categories. Understanding the impact and the bullshit ideas attached to each of these will help you to make better choices about the stuff you eat.
Protein, carbohydrates and fat
These are the things that make up the food we eat, they are all necessary and do different things when they’re introduced to our body. They’re not good or bad, they’re just food. Please, let’s ditch the notion of good foods and bad foods. That’ll mess with your head till the end of time.
So, before we get into any practical advice and strategies for successfully and permanently losing weight, I want to take a deeper look at food. What it is, what it does and why you need it. I’d like to bust some of myths associated with certain food types and hopefully remove some of the fear that comes with this misinformation we’ve been sold for so long.
PROTEIN: WHAT IS IT? WHY DO I NEED IT?
Protein is a major player in the human body, it helps make up every single cell in your body. Protein plays a part in lots of bodily processes that keep you alive and kicking. That’s pretty important stuff, right? On top of that, it makes up roughly 25% of your muscle mass. That’s why there’s lots of advice out there telling you to eat plenty of protein.
So, what foods are high in protein?
The short answer is meat. Chicken, fish, beef, turkey, pork etc. There are other foods high in protein and they include stuff like, eggs, nuts, seeds and lentils.
Biggest Myths
- You have to eat protein before and after you exercise. Gym junkies love this one. So do the makers and marketers of protein shakes for that matter! But, it’s not true. Just do your best to fit the foods listed above into your regular diet in a way that works for you.
- Your body can only process a tiny amount of protein and the rest just makes you fat. Our good friend science has busted this myth. Turns out your body is really bloody good at digesting and absorbing protein.
Bottom Line
Protein is good for you and does a really good job of keeping you feeling full for longer. Don’t stress about when you eat it, just try and fit it into as many meals as you can.
FAT: WHAT IS IT? WHY DO I NEED IT?
Fat gets a bad rap but it’s actually a major source of fuel for your body and it helps you absorb certain vitamins. That’s pretty cool, right? It does other cool stuff like regulates inflammation and hormone production but we don’t need to go there.
Just like protein, fat is an essential part of your diet. There are certain things your body can’t produce enough of on it’s own to keep you alive. So, you top that stuff up with fat in your food. Because fat gets such a raw deal I’m going to spell this out in big, bold words.
Y O U G O T T A E A T F A T !
Now, this is where things can get a little complicated. There are different kinds of fat. I know, WTF right? Let’s not overcomplicate things though.
Just do your best to avoid artificially produced trans-fats. You might’ve heard of them, it’s something that is pretty unnecessary and generally only added to food to extend the shelf life and make things fry better.
It’s mostly found in the following types of food: pastries, margarine, biscuits, donuts, sausage rolls, croissants, muffins, frozen pizzas, and sandwich spreads that are made with margarine or shortening.
Now I’m not here to suck the fun out of life, and, I still eat many of these foods. Just not nearly as often as I used to.
So, what foods are a good source of fat?
Avocados, cheese, nuts, eggs, fish, dark chocolate, coconut and full fat yoghurt.
Biggest Myths
- Fat will make you fat. Yeah, we’ve all heard it and it’s a myth that’s been going strong for over 30 years. But it’s not true. FAT DOES NOT MAKE YOU FAT!
- Saturated fat will give you heart disease. Not true. There is no link to saturated fat causing heart disease. In fact, scientists have found that eating saturated fat can actually benefit your health.
Bottom Line
Fat is necessary and it probably should make up about 30% of what you eat. But again, don’t stress about it, just try and get a good dose of healthy fats from the foods listed above and do your best to cut down on stuff that has artificially produced trans-fats.
CARBOHYDRATES: WHAT ARE THEY? WHY DO I NEED THEM?
Carbs have become public enemy number one in recent times. They’ve become the focus of what people like to call the obesity epidemic. So, let’s cut through the hype and take a look at the facts.
Carbohydrates main role is to provide energy to the cells in your body. They’re interesting because they are not considered essential. What I mean by that is your body doesn’t technically need carbohydrates to stay alive. It has the ability to get the things it needs from the proteins and fats that you eat.
Now before you run off and declare war on carbs, there’s an important distinction to make between staying alive and living. Yes, your body can get the things it needs from proteins and fats to keep you breathing, but you’re gonna need carbohydrates if you expect to live a normal and active lifestyle. Remember, carbs give you energy. You’re gonna need that energy to go to work, walk, play sport, chase your kids etc. Not to mention some of the best sources of carbohydrates come from fruits and vegetables and they provide nutrients that protect you from disease.
Just like fat, not all carbohydrates are created equal. Yup again, WTF?! If you wanna get technical there’s two types of carbohydrates, simple and complex. But, I think it’s easier to look at them as ‘whole’ and ‘refined’
Whole carbohydrates are unprocessed and contain all the fibre, vitamins and minerals that are found naturally in food. Refined carbohydrates have been processed and had the fibre and nearly all that other good stuff stripped out.
Whole carbs are basically real food, ya know, stuff that once grew in the ground.
Refined carbs tend to be things that humans have made, or changed. Stuff that’s made with white flour and sugar, like pastries, cakes, biscuits and fruit juice etc. Or, vegetables that have been turned into something else, like potato chips.
So, what foods are a good source of whole carbohydrates?
Vegetables, all of them! Also, whole fruits, legumes (lentils, beans etc) nuts, seeds, brown rice, oats etc. They’re real foods, stuff that grew in the ground, or fell off a tree.
Biggest Myths
- Carbs cause obesity. This statement is just way too general! Whole carbohydrates DO NOT cause obesity!
Bottom Line
Learn the difference between whole carbs and refined carbs, because that shit will change your life.
Whole carbohydrates will give your body sustained energy and help prevent disease. So, if you’re getting the bulk of your carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, and whole grains (whole carbohydrates) then you have nothing to fear from carbohydrates.
Do your best to cut back on refined carbohydrates. This is the stuff you know you should be eating less of anyway. But, if you’re eating healthy and maintaining even a modest amount of exercise, like regular walks, 10-15 percent of your total food intake can basically come from any food you want.
So, that was a sneak peak at what I’ve been working on for the past few months. It’s just a small glimpse into something I hope will be a massive resource for everyone looking to lose weight, get healthy and change their lives for the better. Some of you will have questions, so I’ll my best to answer them:
Shane, why are you writing a book? What about the blog?
With a book I can put everything you need to know about food and nutrition, motivation, habits, weight loss and exercise in one place, in a logical and helpful order. It’ll be available as an eBook and an audio book so you can have it available wherever and whenever you need it. Of course I’ll still continue to run this website in the same way I always have and it will continue to grow, but the book will be a resource that’s at your fingertips in a way that will be more helpful to you.
Will the book be free like all your other information?
Honestly, probably not. 127kgs and this website has grown more than I could ever have imagined. Thousands of people visit this site every month and that’s amazing. But, as a result I’ve had to make continuous behind the scenes upgrades to keep delivering free information to the ever increasing number of people that need it. Unfortunately these upgrades come with an ongoing cost.
I could offset some of this cost by allowing advertising on to the site but I hate websites with ads and it’s hard to control the ads that get displayed. I don’t want to endorse businesses selling supplements and ‘super foods’ you don’t need. I don’t want to provide another platform for fast food advertisements, gym memberships, or Russian brides for that matter.
What I will promise you is that the book will be priced so that it’s affordable to everyone. This isn’t about getting rich, it’s about providing you with the best information, in the most useful and accessible formats and helping as many people as I can lose weight, get fit and live a long, healthy life.
If I can continue to fund, develop and grow this website at the same time, then that’s a win for all of us.
What will the book cover?
The Fundamentals of Fitness, Fat Loss and Food is made up of 7 parts (so far).
- Part one: The fundamentals of food cuts through all the hype and propaganda that’s published about food and nutrition. It’s a simple breakdown of proteins, carbohydrates, and fat; why you need them, what they do and how your body uses them. You read some of this chapter in the blog post above.
- Part two: The great diet deception teaches you that the concept of dieting is flawed and that there is no single ‘right’ way to lose weight.
- Part three: The fundamentals of fat loss will show you how to get started with weight loss and put you on a path to creating permanent change.
- Part four: How weight loss really works shows you why so many people fail to lose weight and keep it off and it’ll teach you how your body reacts to weight loss. Knowledge is power, right? So, when you understand what’s going to happen you’re better prepared to deal with it.
- Part five: A few words on motivation teaches you that motivation and willpower are both hugely overrated and not a necessary part of overall success.
- Part six: Building healthy habits is everything you need to know about habit change, from breaking bad ones, to building new ones.
- Part seven: The fundamentals of fitness will take your weight loss mission to the next level. Weight loss is great but being fit and strong is amazing and it’s nothing like the magazine covers would have you believe.
When will the book be available?
So, right now I don’t have date for release.
Sales people and marketing gurus would tell me I’m crazy for opening up to you about a product that’s not yet available, let alone finished but…
- Most of you know how I feel about sales people, marketing gurus and the over-hyped products they pitch.
- We’ve always been on this mission together so why should this be any different?
I want to make sure this book is the best possible resource for you before I make it available for sale and I’m hoping you can help me with that.
How you can help
As I’ve said the book isn’t yet complete, so this is your opportunity to get on board and help shape the finished product. This your chance to have your say about what information is included in this resource I’m creating for you. At the end of the day, this is your book.
So, in the comments below, tell me:
- Are you interested in getting a copy of the book when it’s finished?
- What information you really want included in the book, what’s the stuff you’re most desperate to learn about?
- What format you’d prefer the book in: eBook, physical book, audio book, or something I haven’t thought of yet?
-Shane
I am definitely keen to support your book when it’s finished and think your awesome bs-free approach is exactly what people need after all the other crap that’s been thrown at them. In fact I think your book is shaping up to be something I would love to physically throw at some people in my life who seem to jump on every health and weight-loss fad out there to the point it’s nauseating to watch…
Perhaps share some other real-life stories of people that have followed your simple and no-nonsense approach to fitness and nutrition and have changed their lives, as you have. These are always inspiring. Otherwise, just keep on keeping on with your straight up approach and keep the focus on simplicity, given that’s what everyone seems to be looking for these days (think minimalism lol).
I would prefer a physical book hands down but obviously an eBook would be cheaper and easier to provide.
Lol I hadn’t thought of the book as a weapon but you do what ya gotta do right! I like the real-life stories idea, that’s awesome, thanks Melissa!
1. Yes I would buy your ebook.
2. What do strategies do you use so you don’t set yourself up for failure e . g
failing to plan a meal and then not making the wisest choices about food since you don’t have the ingredients and so you eat cheese and crackers cost that’s what’s in your damn cupboard!
3. Ebook is cool
Thanks Annemarie, this is really helpful!
Can’t wait for the Book Shane, really what you have added so far covers everything that’s important for all who are going through the eating real foods for life lifestyle…when it’s out I’ll buy it for you to keep writing your blog keeping it free for others who a desperate but get the information in a easy straight forward way keeping it real! Love it keep it up 👍🏽
Sweet! Thanks Louisa.
Hi Shane
Can’t wait for your book. Something that cuts through all the crap after trying nearly every diet there is !
My body is very sensitive to food and my weight goes up very quickly after somewhat small changes in my daily food intake. Some information about why this happens and how to avoid it would be great thanks
Thanks Julie, I’ll make a note of that.
I also am looking forward to your book. I prefer hard copies, but e-book would be fine.
You have a knack of telling it like it is.
I apply a lot of your advice. Sometimes I succeed sometimes I slip but I keep going.
I find portion control and trying to figure out when to stop eating a problem.
So looking forward to your advice in your book.
Thanks for the feedback Emily.
Yes yes yes… can’t wait for your book! E-book is fine with me.
Lol, thanks Jo!
Hi Shane
I would buy this book especially as you tell the truth about nutrition and weight loss, at least as I have experienced it. I especially like what you have said about gaining weight at intervals through this journey. Pointing out that there is no end in a weight loss journey, was one of the biggest for me.
So, I cant wait ’till its released. I would prefer an actual book but maybe either would be a good way to go. Some of us are still old fashioned and like the feel of actually reading a book rather than reading online or printing it out.
Thanks
Christine Barrett
Thanks Christine, this is really useful feedback.
Hi! congratulations on your book, I can’t wait to get a copy and I don’t mind e-book or hard copy.
I’d like to see examples of the small changes you made through out your journey not just the ones you started with and seeing the interesting meals you’ve prepared and uploaded have been great too!
Thanks Kim. Definitely considering a recipe/meal section and I’ve been meaning to explore other changes I’ve made for a long time.
Hi Shane, love the idea of having a book where I can have all your great information and inspiration in one place. Love the no nonsense approach and language, a very Kiwi book. !!!
Well done , looking forward to buying a copy.
Thanks Di
I’m so excited about your book….would buy multiple copies of it for sure! A must have on everyone’s bookshelf…a one stop shop on straight up…no b.s..kiwi as..advice and knowledge about health..food and exercise.
Instead of me, trying to find the little gems of wisdom from different blogs to show someone or reference for myself..it will all be compiled.
Thank you Shane..for your blogs and for the upcoming book…you have no idea how your words form a mantra in my mind and keep me on track..as I’m sure they do for many other people 😊
Thanks Elaine, gee I hope it can live up to expectations 😅
Omg I’m excited by the ideas in your book! After spending most of my life losing and gaining through expensive weight loss programs, I’m as keen as mustard to read your honest thoughts on weight loss and exercise. I would prefer a book. Well done young man. You are an inspiration
Thanks Tina, I’m excited too!
Ebook please and different strategies / systems to embed these changes into everyday life – and how to cope /reset when things don’t go as planned 🙂 look forward to the book 🙂
Awesome, thanks Tracy!
Shane – this is bl%^dy marvellous. I’d buy it. Probably both. Definitely e-book. Happy to pay $30 – $40 for hard cover, possibly $15 – $20 e-book.
I’d like some strategies you use/used to lose weight and keep it off. What do you recommend? What further insights have you gained from your blog followers?
I’ve lost weight, regained it, lost it again ect etc. I’m continually working on improving my life. I think it’s important to focus on the small things that you do each day for the changes over time…. I’ve said that and what do I actually do?!? Sigh.
If you need someone to edit or proofread I’d happily do it. For a book! I have 30+ years dieting (traditional) experience since the age of 13.
I hope the cover is a work in progress as the words are catchy … just my opinion here … the image requires some work.
Of course, take or leave my words. This is your work and ultimately your contribution. Go well, go hard. Be in touch if you choose to.
Thanks Shireen. This is great feedback, the pricing, content and the cover critique are all really helpful. Big thanks for the offer of help too, that’s really cool of you.
Hi Shane,
I’m really looking forward to your book. I love your humour and no nonsense approach and having it all in one place to refer to time and again will be great.
I personally would prefer a hard copy because I like to be able to write my own comments, experiences and observations in the margins but an e book would be fine too.
Keep up the marvellous work – you’re an inspiration a star!
Brenda
Yes id get your book prefer hard copy but what the hell “Es ok Would like a wkly meal plans so i don’t have to think to much Cheers
Great news Shane re the book. Please definitely put me down for wanting to buy copy to. I would love to support all your hard work. I recently signed up and got the 6 mistakes ebook. Thank you so much. Look forward to the book very much.
Shane, Yes I would buy your book, hard copy or ebook.
I like your down to earth advise … no hype aka bs free!
Wonderful – I will definitely buy your book, I’d prefer hardcopy if possible. And like others, I’d like a strategy for those nights when I’m too tired to cook, or the day has gone pear shaped. Good foods to have in the cupboard etc.
And what about alcohol? wine/spirits (without mixers)
What do you think of intermittent fasting?
I am really getting a heap of good inspiration from your well written blog, it’s so human, and achievable, it takes the pressure off. Thanks so much for all you share!
Well done with all you have achieved, and continue to, in your approachable unassuming way.
Hi Julie, thanks for your comment. The book is still very much a work in progress but those are great suggestions and definitely things for me to keep in mind for content! Intermittent fasting – I’m aware there are plenty of benefits if done right, I just don’t have the discipline for it, so I don’t have any real experience to share.
Almost sounds to good to be true.
I’m a two times weight watchers goal maker.
But I’m up there again in terms of weight gain!
Great news Shane re the book. Please definitely put me down for wanting to buy copy to. I would love to support all your hard work. I recently signed up and got the 6 mistakes ebook. Thank you so much. Look forward to the book very much.