Less Is NOT More

Current battle: Less Is More Mentality.

This afternoon, I spread out my lunch on my desk as I began to prepare it: 1 cup of brown rice, 2 oz grilled chicken & 1 c of carrots. I throw my rice & chicken in the microwave, begin to munch on a carrot, and as I pull out my fish oil and gluatmine I hear from behind me...

Overweight Co-Worker to me: I cannot believe how much you eat. You eat what seems like every hour and its a full meal.

Me: I need all of this to fuel me throughout the day and my workouts. I seriously can't even function without it.

OCW: Food is fuel, huh? Interesting.

Me: Yep, that is generally how any animal tends to use it. I'm pretty sarcastic. :) They know this.

Isn't it odd how we are constantly battling old mentalities? As a woman who battled weight, somewhere along the way I picked up "Less is more."

Well, I am here to tell you: Less is NOT more.

Nutritionally, our bodies can only be put through so much based on what we put into it and still function like we want it to. I'm not a nutritionist and do not pretend to be a trainer, I am just an observer. And what I have observed is amazing to me.

I spent approximately the last 4 months on 1200-1400 calories a day with low carbs, doing cardio 3-5x a week in the am with weight lifting and conditioning in the evenings. I am now currently on 1600 calories a day with high carbs, doing cardio 3-5x a week in the am with weight lifting 3 nights a week, conditioning 2 days a week, and yoga 3 days a week and my body has begun to burn fat again.

Eating more allows you do to more and therefore burn more!

It is true. Although, it is understandable that this has to be moderated. I recommend to almost no one to follow a workout schedule like my own. High calories can only follow high activity. If your body feels shaky and like you're not getting enough nutrition, you probably aren't.

I love the shorties. Heather Mae French.

I'm channelling the power of Heather Mae French today. I just love her. She's 5'0" and 105 lbs during contest season. She is seriously a woman I idolize. She's gorgeous and tiny and has her body worked out to a science! I mean seriously. Seriously! ;) And really?! She's only 100 lbs and look at those shoulders! Half of her lean mass is in those things. -Please oh please, can I will myself shoulders like those??-

Tying back into theme: Do we honestly think she built shoulders like that on low carbs and a stomach like that on low cals?

Unrealistic expectations of our bodies only lead to unrealistic goals. Give your body what it needs to attain what you want! :)