Feast or Famine? By Juliana Daniell

These are two words that seem to be a part of my life at all times. Whether it’s food, work, men, ideas, it’s never just a steady flow; it’s a feast or famine and hopefully I’m not alone on this! The past few weeks have definitely been feasts for me!! I had my sisters wedding, one of my best girl friend’s wedding, tryouts for the Atlanta Hawks Cheerleading team, my photo shoot with M&F Hers and trying to get settled in my new place. I am happy to say that both weddings were absolutely beautiful, I made the Hawks squad for my second year, I LOVED working with every one on my M&F Hers shoot and had so much fun and am almost settled into my new place.

So, feast or famine? Even though I mentioned a few other areas where I always seem to experience this, I will be honing in on the food part of this because I feel it’s one of the most misunderstood aspects of losing weight or trying to stay thin. I can’t tell you how many times I hear my girlfriends and teammates say, “I have eaten so good today; I didn’t eat breakfast, had some yogurt for lunch and plan to eat a really big but healthy dinner!” AHH!! It just makes me want to scream!! I will admit that at times in college I used to think less was better and that I would drop weight by not eating a lot. And, even though I did drop weight (maybe 3 or 4 pounds max) when I did this, I was hurting myself in so many other ways and had no idea!! I was tired, couldn’t lift as much, couldn’t swim as long or fast, couldn’t stay awake in class, and my joints started to fail. Well I wonder why?!?! The weight that I was losing was not fat, it was my muscle and water and my body was starving and craving nutrients!! My hard work inside and outside of the water to be the best athlete and student I could be, was being ruined because of my “great” choice to altar my diet. But sadly many men and woman, like myself, share this skewed view. Thankfully I figured it out and I am here to educate all of you about it!

The body is an amazing machine and when nourished and cared for correctly
can be an unstoppable force. This information can become very scientific and detailed, but that can be boring and misunderstood; so I’m taking the fun, less scientific route. Don’t worry, it has the same bottom line!! I always like to use the car analogy when I talk to people about this; if you put water in your gas tank or let it become completely empty, what would happen to your car? It would shut down and stop working. The body is the exact same way, however we don’t stop working immediately, it’s a slower process but the end result is the same. Most people think to lose weight you should just stop eating because your body will just burn everything up. Sadly it’s just not that easy. Our bodies are so complex that we can run on terrible foods and basically nothing for quite a while, but we won’t get the results were hoping for. The second you stop eating, or consume minimal meals that contain no nutrients or substance your body is immediately kicked into starvation mode. Meaning, your metabolism slows down, i.e.. you burn very minimal calories, and when you finally do eat, no matter what it is, your body stores it in fear it won’t be getting anything else for a while. So in the end, you might not have eaten anything, but you haven’t burned any calories either. And to add to that if this process goes on for consecutive days your body will start to eat your muscle, NOT your fat, to get the nutrients and substance it needs to get by. So now, you have a slower metabolism, you don’t feel good, your losing your muscle, and you are still not how you want to be!

So again, the question, Feast or Famine? The answer is neither!! Both options produce negative results and should be avoided completely! Eating (correctly) every three hours keeps your metabolism going, your body running in high gear and burning fat as often as possible; drinking a good amount of water throughout the day, this helps everything, your skin, cells, organs, muscles, joints, hunger pains, honestly your entire body benefits from water; and working out, doing the right combination of weights and cardio for your body type. These are the three ways you will, no matter what, see and get the results you want! Now I know at times it is hard to follow that type of schedule, but no matter what your situation, if you want to do it, you can! I live a crazy, hectic life, but my health and staying in shape is something that I am passionate about and will always focus on.

Two weeks; I’ve learned that when you start a new plan, whether its diet, exercise, or job, give it two weeks before you give up or say you can’t. That’s about how long it takes for your body and brain to become acclimated and excited about the new way of life. I’m currently getting back on my diet and workout plan and it’s beyond challenging because my body is craving everything BUT what I’m putting in it.
But I know that if I give it two weeks and keep my eye on the prize, I will be back on track and on my way to being ready to step on that Olympia stage in September!

Some things that help me stay on track: Cases of bottled water in my car, crystal light flavor packets, plain almonds (as a snack), gum, and when I get those cravings, just going ahead and eating what I want. But that doesn’t mean a TON of whatever it is, a very small amount just so that I can get it off my mind! The key to this whole process is eating right, being satisfied, rewarding yourself when you’ve done the job right and staying on top of your work outs. It’s definitely a challenge and some what of a mind game, but most importantly, it’s completely possible to accomplish! We are all in this TOGETHER; just believe in yourself and you will succeed! I’m here to support you, challenge you, educate you, inspire you, and get you back on track to becoming a better you!

Fitfully yours,
Juliana