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Writer's pictureHeather Layton

How To Love Food And Lose Weight Without Spending Hours In The Gym

Updated: Jul 14, 2021



Do you think “in order to get really fit I’d have to workout all the time”?

I remember a time I was standing in a group of people at an event, I had a plate of some treats and someone said, “How do you eat that and look the way you do"? Another person said, "Because she works out ALL the time." Generally it's the people who are frustrated that they aren’t where they want to be that make these comments, which annoy the fuck out of me.

This person didn't even know me very well, and is that what people assume?

That I spend ALL my time in the gym? Like that's the only thing I enjoy doing and, that it's the only way to be fit? COME ON, that's RIDICULOUS!

But maybe to them it's ridiculous to believe there's any other way. Maybe to them, the only time they saw results were by dedicated a crazy amount of time to it.

Yes I workout, sometimes everyday, sometimes twice a week, sometimes for 20 minutes, sometimes for an hour, but workouts are a secondary support to being able to eat the foods you love, reach and maintain a goal weight.

The biggest contributing factor to success with weight loss and getting fit, is by far the LEVEL OF KNOWLEDGE when it comes to nutrition!⁠

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Eating has a purpose, to support goals and to be enjoyed, but in order to make that work for you, there's things you need to understand that GO BEYOND understanding what "healthy eating" is.⁠


Most people think that if they "eat healthy" they will get the results they want, that is NOT ALWAYS THE CASE.


The body needs different foods/nutrients for different jobs, consider food/nutrients as tools, tools to get a particular job done. If you've been given a hammer but you need a screwdriver, you can't get the end result you need. Same with the body, if the desired end result is weight loss and you're not giving the body the nutrients to promote that, that shit ain't gonna happen, at least not as easily as it could.


Every time I eat, there are 3 things I consider that are critical to my success:

1. What food does my body required to support the goals I have? This is in respect to proteins, carbs both starchy and non, and fats. For example, eating the correct ratio of food and the right type after a workout has a HUGE impact on the results you're trying to achieve. You can absolutely make the wrong choice of food after a workout. If you make the right choice, you can see greater gains (or losses) with LESS time and effort! This is because you gave the body the "right tool" for the job. Now this isn't just in respect to post workouts, you need to understand which tools to use at other times of the day as well.

2. What foods do I feel like eating and how can I make them support my goals? This might be "I totally want a peanut butter and bacon waffle” and then I ask myself “ how can I put that into my day so that it's supportive" alternatively, "where would a peanut butter and bacon waffle be a reasonable tool"? Timing of what I’m doing throughout the day matters. If I want to have something that’s fattier like a burger, I know when to put into my day that’s supportive to my goals. If I want to eat pasta, or pizza I know when to put that into my day, and same with protein. Following timing 90% of the time allows me to never worry about sabotaging my results.

3. What is a reasonable and wise amount given my goals? It’s important to understand what the body needs so you can make sure your giving it the right amount. There’s some factors to this, your activity level throughout the day, what kind of activity you’re doing and the goals you have. “I want to lose weight” requires different nutrient needs and amounts than “I want lose weight and get more definition.” Depending on your goals, there may be times you need to make a conscious effort to actually eat more. If you want to build more definition, then you definitely need to have a solid understanding of what the body needs to promote that, again, this is totally different than if you’re just wanting to lose weight.

Eating healthy doesn’t necessarily equate to weight loss, nor does it equate to gaining more definition. You can absolutely eat healthy and not be where you want to be.

If you want to learn more about which foods/nutrients are the right tools for your goals click here for a free consultation.


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