{"id":29048,"date":"2018-09-28T19:15:17","date_gmt":"2018-09-29T01:15:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/?p=29048"},"modified":"2023-02-24T10:04:20","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T17:04:20","slug":"calmer-eating-method","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/calmer-eating-method\/","title":{"rendered":"The CALMER Eating Method \u2013 Nutrition Made Simple"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Let\u2019s be honest, sometimes health and fitness are hard. Imagine finally committing yourself to a healthier lifestyle only to have to sift through a catalog of information, a lot of which is conflicting. Isn\u2019t information supposed to be more readily available in this, the Google age? Yes! And that\u2019s part of the problem. \u201cHow to lose weight\u201d, \u201chow to gain muscle\u201d, and \u201cwhat to eat in a healthy diet\u201d are among the most frequently searched phrases in Google which assuredly yields tens of millions of results. This is especially true when it comes to the subject of food and, more specifically, what to eat, how much to eat, and when to eat for a [healthier, better] lifestyle.<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all heard that \u201cabs are made in the kitchen\u201d. For many of us, this statement isn\u2019t pertinent to our health and fitness goals. That said, the food you consume on a regular basis has an important role to play. Naturally, that begs the questions of what, how much, and when to eat. Google says that you should eat 6 to 12 times a day, your friend Denise says that she\u2019s lost a ton of weight on a ketogenic diet, your brother Ted says that you should gain muscle and that he\u2019s been successful with carb-cycling. Wait, just the other day you overheard your colleague talking about intermittent fasting \u2013 what the heck is that? The result: information overload \u2013 a very good way to quit before you start.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a fitness professional, not a nutritionist. The intention is not to tell you what to do but to summarize the information for you.<\/em><\/p>\n

The Low-Down<\/h3>\n

Below I\u2019ll (really) simplify and group the most popular food programs. They are listed in no particular order and should be no indication as to my personal preference. If you\u2019re not interested in rules and programs and believe more in instinct and intuition, jump down to \u201cThe CALMER Method\u201d.<\/p>\n

Ketogenic, Paleo, Atkins (low-carb):<\/em>\u00a0if you\u2019ve started researching at all, you\u2019ve surely come across these three eating programs. While they have their intrinsic differences, the three programs (and others like them) prescribe low-to-no carbohydrates. For sustainability, the primary source of energy comes from healthy fats. Acceptable carbohydrates typically come in the form of fibrous vegetables, i.e. broccoli, cauliflower, etc.<\/p>\n

Vegetarianism, Veganism (meat-free):<\/em>\u00a0it may be a faux pas to some to categorize these two eating programs together. But, it\u2019ll be done only for the purposes of simplicity. The two are sometimes regarded as \u201cphilosophies\u201d as opposed to programs because their drivers\u00a0may<\/em>\u00a0be for reasons outside of health, i.e. animal cruelty. Needless to say, no meat allowed. The main difference is the allowance of animal-derived products, i.e. yogurt, eggs, etc.<\/p>\n

Carb-Cycling (carb-timing):<\/em>\u00a0while it may seem complex in application, it is simple in theory. The premise behind carb-cycling is to interchange low\/high carbohydrates based on daily activity and training intensity. In this program, (healthy) fats have an inverse relationship with carbs, i.e. low-carb\/high fats and vice versa.<\/p>\n

16\/8, Eat-Stop-Eat, Warrior (controlled-fasting):<\/em>\u00a0no, it\u2019s not starvation \u2013 it\u2019s eating within a certain \u201callowed\u201d window. While they have their intrinsic differences, the three programs (and others like them) call for a set fasting window through which your allowable intake are no-to-extremely-low caloric beverages such as water, tea, and coffee \u2013 hold the cream and sugar. Outside of the fasting window, you are to consume your daily intake. Depending on the program, the fasting window can be several hours to several days.<\/p>\n

The \u201cCALMER\u201d Eating Method<\/h3>\n

Yes, there are many options out there and the answer as to which will work best for you is\u2026 it depends. In theory, they all work. Each of these programs has success stories and failure stories. The point is, the program that will work best for you is the one that best suits your lifestyle. Notice that the word \u201cdiet\u201d has not been used. If you\u2019re like many, diets will serve you in the short-term but will fail you in the long-term. What works is an eating lifestyle, one that is designed to accommodate you.<\/p>\n

Many are successful by simply trusting their instinct and intuition. They follow, what I call, the CALMER eating method: consistent, aware, lifestyle, moderation, easy and realistic. Perhaps it\u2019ll work for you.<\/p>\n

Consistent<\/em><\/strong>: whether it\u2019s your sleep pattern, exercise program, or eating methodology, your body is functionally designed to adapt. So, whether you\u2019re omitting meat, carbs, or breakfast, do it with some regularity such that your body knows where to draw its energy from. This also makes food planning much easier for you.<\/p>\n

Aware<\/em><\/strong>: more so than anything else, being conscious alone will take you far. For the most part, you already have an\u00a0idea\u00a0of\u00a0which foods are good and which foods are bad for you. You don\u2019t need Google to tell you that fruits and vegetables are generally good for you \u2013 eat them. You don\u2019t need Google to tell you that you should eat until satisfied and not until bloated \u2013 that should be intuitive. You don\u2019t need Google to tell you that you should drink water (more than you probably do) \u2013 just do it.<\/p>\n

Lifestyle<\/em><\/strong>: your eating patterns should match the demands of your daily life. If you\u2019re constantly on the go, it\u2019s a good idea to have snacks in your car, in your purse, or in your briefcase. If your team frequently meets through lunch, have emergency ingredients at your desk or in the fridge; maybe that\u2019s raw oats, yogurt, chia seeds, veggie sticks \u2013 you decide. I\u2019ve found that most of the time I\u2019m hungry and scrambling for food, I buy food that I\u2019m fully\u00a0aware<\/em>\u00a0is not the best choice or just don\u2019t eat (just as bad).<\/p>\n

Moderation<\/em><\/strong>: don\u2019t go overboard on either side of the spectrum. Eat \u201ctoo\u201d healthy and run the risk of temptation. Eat \u201ctoo\u201d unhealthy and\u2026 well, it should be obvious. If you make good choices \u2013 and you generally know what they are \u2013 most of the time, a slice of cake, a donut, or a bowl of ice cream won\u2019t derail your progress; the whole cake, the whole box of donuts, or the whole tub of ice cream will.<\/p>\n

Easy and Realistic<\/em><\/strong>: you know what you\u2019re doing is working if a) you see progress and b) it\u2019s generally effortless. If you have a collection of recipes that you like, use them and use them often. If you know that going carb-less is not feasible long-term, don\u2019t do it. Remember, this is not momentary, it\u2019s for a lifetime.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Don\u2019t Complicate It<\/h3>\n
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There\u2019s nothing special about The CALMER Method. In fact, it\u2019s nothing more than a soothing acronym to remind you of things you already know pertaining to what to eat, how much to eat, and when to eat for a [healthier, better] lifestyle. It\u2019s the simplest way for you to succeed without being restricted by a plethora of rules and guidelines \u2013 we already have enough of those elsewhere. Should you choose to learn more about things like macronutrients, we break them down for you here;\u00a0carbs<\/a>,\u00a0fats<\/a>, and protein (coming soon).<\/p>\n

Educate yourself within reason but also trust that you already intrinsically know a lot of the answers. Unlike everyone else, I\u2019m not telling you to research and choose what\u2019s best for you. I\u2019m telling you that, sometimes, Google doesn\u2019t necessarily know what\u2019s best. You do \u2013 it\u2019s just the simple matter of execution.<\/p>\n

To see how you can eat healthy on a budget, click\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s be honest, sometimes health and fitness are hard. Imagine finally committing yourself to a healthier lifestyle only to have to sift through a catalog of information, a lot of which is conflicting. Isn\u2019t information supposed to be more readily available in this, the Google age? Yes! And that\u2019s part of the problem. \u201cHow to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":387,"featured_media":41203,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[279],"tags":[457,458],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29048"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/387"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29048"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41210,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29048\/revisions\/41210"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41203"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/evolutionvn.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}