BURN Fitness 101: From Gluttony to Nutritional Obsession…
Through twenty years in the fitness and nutrition business, I’ve spoken with a LOT of people about nutrition. In the past two and a half years living and working with a Licensed Dietitian, I’ve had a LOT of fascinating conversations about the psychology of eating; why people eat what they eat, and what forces drive those choices. In the process, I’ve developed what I call a “Spectrum of Nutritional Approaches” that all people can rank themselves on, somewhere along the spectrum. By understanding YOUR place on the spectrum, you can make changes to adjust the way you eat to match your desired level of “health” vs “performance” vs “pleasure”. There are MULTIPLE physically and mentally “balanced” places on the spectrum, and they vary from person to person. The spectrum ranges from the extreme of “Pure Gluttony”, to “Nutritional Obsession”. Pure Gluttony is a very unhealthy state, in a physical sense, which is driven by a psychological dysfunction. Nutritional Obsession is by comparison MUCH healthier for the body, but psychologically can be just as destructive. In this article I want to write about the spectrum on nutritional approaches, and a healthy transition, both psychologically and physically to a healthier point, in both senses. Finally, I’ll talk about where MOST people can find balance, and still get results from their nutrition!
Pure Gluttony is a nutritional state where the person eats EVERYTHING they eat purely out of pleasure, even to the point where they know absolutely what they are eating is horrible for them, could kill them, and IS currently damaging their health. They are NOT unaware of the healthfulness of their food patterns. They full well know that the garbage food they crave, and constantly succumb to, is very bad food, yet they continually consume it. They go beyond not caring… even to the point of eating things intentionally like they have a death-wish, and food is their deliverance.
Willfully hurting yourself is a diagnosable psychological condition. These people CANNOT be helped by a fitness and nutrition professional. They are WAY outside the scope of practice of a trainer or coach. Until they get their psychological issues corrected, addressing their diet is a waste of time.
Nutritional Apathy is one step on the spectrum above Pure Gluttony. Nutritional apathy is VERY common in disadvantaged families with limited food budget, very limited education, and very strong “nutritional traditions”, where traditional meals are passed along from generation to generation that are horribly unhealthy, yet the people eating them just DON’T KNOW IT. They simply eat the same way they always have, since their mothers served it to them, and their grandmothers to their mothers.
Nutritional Apathy is difficult to fight as a Trainer, due to the ingrained nature of the food choices. Getting someone who has eaten a diet comprised entirely of deep fried meats, sugar-laden drinks, and every side dish drown in fattening sauces to eat “clean food” is a TOUGH uphill battle… especially when it is only ONE member of an extended family attempting to change. These people can and do change their eating patterns, but only after a LOT of DE-TRAINING. Breaking down deeply inset habits is hard.
Misdirected Dieters are the next step up on the spectrum. Misdirected dieting is the population who THINKS they are helping themselves by cutting serious calories out of their diet for short periods (a week or two) to drop a few pounds, or instead, are chronic dieters who have been living for months and YEAR at very low calorie intake, to the point where their metabolism is completely destroyed. Every calorie they eat is stored as fat. Their lean mass is obliterated, their hormone profiles are completely skewed, and along with severe calorie deprivation, they tend to do hours and hours of cardio every week. The thought being that weight change is ENTIRELY calories in vs calories out. Yet… they stopped losing weight 100,000 calories ago.
These clients CAN be helped a LOT by a trainer. But they MUST trust the changes they need to make, and they FREQUENTLY must gain some weight before they start to lose, since their calories MUST go up to healthy levels. They often eat only once or twice per day, and getting them to eat 4-6 times is VERY hard. Resetting the metabolism will take at LEAST 2-3 months, and sometimes longer, but to achieve fat loss, and regain healthy toned muscle… a LOT of metabolic damage has to be reversed. Patience is a trait of FEW today, in our instant-gratification obsessed society, but they MUST have it.
And…. HERE is where I start pissing people off!!!
The Carb/Gluten/Organic/Inflammation/etc Freak (Fear Dieters) are the next step up on the spectrum. Similar to Misdirected Dieters, the Fear Dieter is healthier in general than the lower spectrum dieters, but they get so caught up in all the “dangerous/deadly/carcinogenic” foods that they CAN’T eat, that their eating becomes completely disordered. They tend to be self-diagnosed with every metabolic condition, mystery inflammatory condition, and allergy known to man. They seek out “specialists” who get PAID A LOT to tell them that all their worst nightmares are TRUE, and that they MUST eliminate 57 foods from their diet, and take 20 different supplements to combat all the horrors that lie beneath and DOOM them to eternal fatness, joint pain, chronic fatigue, and misery. They end up eating only BIZARRE foods that completely isolate them from healthy social situations, which affect their relationships... which is never good. In reality, the MIND is the most powerful force in the body, and once convinced that the body has a condition, the mind tends to manifest that exact symptom like a sorcerer summoning up a demon.
These clients are VERY difficult to help as a trainer, because they are THOROUGHLY convinced that they cannot be helped, that they are helpless to their condition, and that their HIGHLY paid specialist is the only answer. Admittedly… there are a small number of people out there with REAL diagnosable allergies, those who actually HAVE Celiac Disease (Gluten Allergy), and even a FEW (about 2-3% of the population) with serious thyroid issues. BUT… the vast majority of these conditions CAN and are treated with relatively simple modern medicine and MODEST changes in diet… if they actually exist. A VERY large percentage of these self-diagnosed cases are simply people who won’t take responsibility for themselves. The reason for their issues MUST be outside of their control.
Clean Eaters are is the next step on the spectrum. These people are highly educated about the individual specific contents of their food choices. They understand protein quality, glycemic index/load, and insulin response. They understand the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats, but sometimes avoid fats they don’t HAVE to, that would actually help them. They understand the differences in carbohydrates; complex, and simple, and they avoid the foods they SHOULD be avoiding… but they OFTEN either still eat TOO MUCH of the “clean foods” they eat, or they fail to balance their macronutrient distribution (carbs, fats, and proteins) to optimize their results.
As a Trainer, these clients are typically the easiest to get adjusted to get great results! Just getting portion control adjusted, and balancing their macros is the fix. It DOES take some time to get people dialed in, but simply tracking their macros and intakes with a smart-phone app religiously... GETS RESULTS!
Nutritional Obsession is the peak of the spectrum of nutrition. Unless you are an in-season professional athlete, or in actual contest prep for a Bodybuilding/Physique/Figure Contest, staying in a condition of nutritional obsession is a damaging practice if followed too long. Lisa and I are currently in what COULD be considered “obsessive” nutrition mode RIGHT NOW… because we are a few weeks out from a contest. We are consuming ZERO alcohol. 99% of our food portions are pre-made, measured, weighed, and tabulated to the gram, and to the calorie. We don’t, but many people in “pre-contest” eat exactly the same food every day for months on end. Same breakfast, same lunch, same snacks, and same dinner… EVERY DAY. This level of nutritional scrutiny is required to push your body to an absolute maximally competitive condition… but ONLY for a SMALL window of time. After the contest, we will “reverse diet” and add back in more flexibility, more calories, more variety, and moderate alcohol. We go back to “extremely healthy” eating, but in a manner where we can go out to eat, socialize, enjoy chocolate, wine, burgers, pizza, and ice cream like “normal people”. But, next contest season… the “obsession” and scrutiny rises again.
Nutritional Obsession gets dangerous, unhealthy, and harmful if it never ends. If extreme nutrition becomes a year-round condition, it can and IS classified as disordered eating. When a person’s mental state become affixed to any practice to the point where it impacts their social life, relationships, career, etc… it is an addiction. Granted these people tend to be much leaner, and have much better physical health markers than people near the OTHER end of the nutritional spectrum… but their mental health suffers. Extremes can lead to anorexia, serious hormonal issues, and extremes of “body dysmorphia” where the sufferer is NEVER lean enough, muscular enough, etc.
So where is the balance? What is the “correct” balance of nutritional apathy/obsession?
That depends on the individual person’s priorities! Many people want desperately to look like a bodybuilder, or bikini/figure competitor… but refuse to eat like one. For most, getting educated about nutrition (without getting fear-mongered by the fringe freaks) is the key. Getting your portion control dialed in (total calories), and getting your macros balanced (ratio of carbs, fats, and proteins) will put you in CONTROL of your body, and food. Once you have control, you can take yourself anywhere you want. You can make priority-driven decisions of when and what to eat, understand the impacts of what you eat, and how much, then continuously make adjustments. Sometimes, for a period of time when you can, you’ll push up your nutrition to a higher priority and make big changes. Other times, life circumstances will push nutrition to a lower priority, but by understanding and TRACK the good AND the bad… you can minimize the negative impacts.
In general, we recommend EVERYONE track their calorie and macronutrient intake as closely as reasonably possible, as often as possible. Don’t obsess over it… just keep it in sight!
Transition from “unconscious” eating… to conscious and measured nutrition.
Most people need guidance getting started. We provide this guidance to “interested” clients who are willing to put in the work, free of charge included with Personal Training. To those not interested in working out at BURN, we also just do straight nutritional consultation, and meal planning. The rates are the same as for our training.
Give us a call!
Through twenty years in the fitness and nutrition business, I’ve spoken with a LOT of people about nutrition. In the past two and a half years living and working with a Licensed Dietitian, I’ve had a LOT of fascinating conversations about the psychology of eating; why people eat what they eat, and what forces drive those choices. In the process, I’ve developed what I call a “Spectrum of Nutritional Approaches” that all people can rank themselves on, somewhere along the spectrum. By understanding YOUR place on the spectrum, you can make changes to adjust the way you eat to match your desired level of “health” vs “performance” vs “pleasure”. There are MULTIPLE physically and mentally “balanced” places on the spectrum, and they vary from person to person. The spectrum ranges from the extreme of “Pure Gluttony”, to “Nutritional Obsession”. Pure Gluttony is a very unhealthy state, in a physical sense, which is driven by a psychological dysfunction. Nutritional Obsession is by comparison MUCH healthier for the body, but psychologically can be just as destructive. In this article I want to write about the spectrum on nutritional approaches, and a healthy transition, both psychologically and physically to a healthier point, in both senses. Finally, I’ll talk about where MOST people can find balance, and still get results from their nutrition!
Pure Gluttony is a nutritional state where the person eats EVERYTHING they eat purely out of pleasure, even to the point where they know absolutely what they are eating is horrible for them, could kill them, and IS currently damaging their health. They are NOT unaware of the healthfulness of their food patterns. They full well know that the garbage food they crave, and constantly succumb to, is very bad food, yet they continually consume it. They go beyond not caring… even to the point of eating things intentionally like they have a death-wish, and food is their deliverance.
Willfully hurting yourself is a diagnosable psychological condition. These people CANNOT be helped by a fitness and nutrition professional. They are WAY outside the scope of practice of a trainer or coach. Until they get their psychological issues corrected, addressing their diet is a waste of time.
Nutritional Apathy is one step on the spectrum above Pure Gluttony. Nutritional apathy is VERY common in disadvantaged families with limited food budget, very limited education, and very strong “nutritional traditions”, where traditional meals are passed along from generation to generation that are horribly unhealthy, yet the people eating them just DON’T KNOW IT. They simply eat the same way they always have, since their mothers served it to them, and their grandmothers to their mothers.
Nutritional Apathy is difficult to fight as a Trainer, due to the ingrained nature of the food choices. Getting someone who has eaten a diet comprised entirely of deep fried meats, sugar-laden drinks, and every side dish drown in fattening sauces to eat “clean food” is a TOUGH uphill battle… especially when it is only ONE member of an extended family attempting to change. These people can and do change their eating patterns, but only after a LOT of DE-TRAINING. Breaking down deeply inset habits is hard.
Misdirected Dieters are the next step up on the spectrum. Misdirected dieting is the population who THINKS they are helping themselves by cutting serious calories out of their diet for short periods (a week or two) to drop a few pounds, or instead, are chronic dieters who have been living for months and YEAR at very low calorie intake, to the point where their metabolism is completely destroyed. Every calorie they eat is stored as fat. Their lean mass is obliterated, their hormone profiles are completely skewed, and along with severe calorie deprivation, they tend to do hours and hours of cardio every week. The thought being that weight change is ENTIRELY calories in vs calories out. Yet… they stopped losing weight 100,000 calories ago.
These clients CAN be helped a LOT by a trainer. But they MUST trust the changes they need to make, and they FREQUENTLY must gain some weight before they start to lose, since their calories MUST go up to healthy levels. They often eat only once or twice per day, and getting them to eat 4-6 times is VERY hard. Resetting the metabolism will take at LEAST 2-3 months, and sometimes longer, but to achieve fat loss, and regain healthy toned muscle… a LOT of metabolic damage has to be reversed. Patience is a trait of FEW today, in our instant-gratification obsessed society, but they MUST have it.
And…. HERE is where I start pissing people off!!!
The Carb/Gluten/Organic/Inflammation/etc Freak (Fear Dieters) are the next step up on the spectrum. Similar to Misdirected Dieters, the Fear Dieter is healthier in general than the lower spectrum dieters, but they get so caught up in all the “dangerous/deadly/carcinogenic” foods that they CAN’T eat, that their eating becomes completely disordered. They tend to be self-diagnosed with every metabolic condition, mystery inflammatory condition, and allergy known to man. They seek out “specialists” who get PAID A LOT to tell them that all their worst nightmares are TRUE, and that they MUST eliminate 57 foods from their diet, and take 20 different supplements to combat all the horrors that lie beneath and DOOM them to eternal fatness, joint pain, chronic fatigue, and misery. They end up eating only BIZARRE foods that completely isolate them from healthy social situations, which affect their relationships... which is never good. In reality, the MIND is the most powerful force in the body, and once convinced that the body has a condition, the mind tends to manifest that exact symptom like a sorcerer summoning up a demon.
These clients are VERY difficult to help as a trainer, because they are THOROUGHLY convinced that they cannot be helped, that they are helpless to their condition, and that their HIGHLY paid specialist is the only answer. Admittedly… there are a small number of people out there with REAL diagnosable allergies, those who actually HAVE Celiac Disease (Gluten Allergy), and even a FEW (about 2-3% of the population) with serious thyroid issues. BUT… the vast majority of these conditions CAN and are treated with relatively simple modern medicine and MODEST changes in diet… if they actually exist. A VERY large percentage of these self-diagnosed cases are simply people who won’t take responsibility for themselves. The reason for their issues MUST be outside of their control.
Clean Eaters are is the next step on the spectrum. These people are highly educated about the individual specific contents of their food choices. They understand protein quality, glycemic index/load, and insulin response. They understand the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats, but sometimes avoid fats they don’t HAVE to, that would actually help them. They understand the differences in carbohydrates; complex, and simple, and they avoid the foods they SHOULD be avoiding… but they OFTEN either still eat TOO MUCH of the “clean foods” they eat, or they fail to balance their macronutrient distribution (carbs, fats, and proteins) to optimize their results.
As a Trainer, these clients are typically the easiest to get adjusted to get great results! Just getting portion control adjusted, and balancing their macros is the fix. It DOES take some time to get people dialed in, but simply tracking their macros and intakes with a smart-phone app religiously... GETS RESULTS!
Nutritional Obsession is the peak of the spectrum of nutrition. Unless you are an in-season professional athlete, or in actual contest prep for a Bodybuilding/Physique/Figure Contest, staying in a condition of nutritional obsession is a damaging practice if followed too long. Lisa and I are currently in what COULD be considered “obsessive” nutrition mode RIGHT NOW… because we are a few weeks out from a contest. We are consuming ZERO alcohol. 99% of our food portions are pre-made, measured, weighed, and tabulated to the gram, and to the calorie. We don’t, but many people in “pre-contest” eat exactly the same food every day for months on end. Same breakfast, same lunch, same snacks, and same dinner… EVERY DAY. This level of nutritional scrutiny is required to push your body to an absolute maximally competitive condition… but ONLY for a SMALL window of time. After the contest, we will “reverse diet” and add back in more flexibility, more calories, more variety, and moderate alcohol. We go back to “extremely healthy” eating, but in a manner where we can go out to eat, socialize, enjoy chocolate, wine, burgers, pizza, and ice cream like “normal people”. But, next contest season… the “obsession” and scrutiny rises again.
Nutritional Obsession gets dangerous, unhealthy, and harmful if it never ends. If extreme nutrition becomes a year-round condition, it can and IS classified as disordered eating. When a person’s mental state become affixed to any practice to the point where it impacts their social life, relationships, career, etc… it is an addiction. Granted these people tend to be much leaner, and have much better physical health markers than people near the OTHER end of the nutritional spectrum… but their mental health suffers. Extremes can lead to anorexia, serious hormonal issues, and extremes of “body dysmorphia” where the sufferer is NEVER lean enough, muscular enough, etc.
So where is the balance? What is the “correct” balance of nutritional apathy/obsession?
That depends on the individual person’s priorities! Many people want desperately to look like a bodybuilder, or bikini/figure competitor… but refuse to eat like one. For most, getting educated about nutrition (without getting fear-mongered by the fringe freaks) is the key. Getting your portion control dialed in (total calories), and getting your macros balanced (ratio of carbs, fats, and proteins) will put you in CONTROL of your body, and food. Once you have control, you can take yourself anywhere you want. You can make priority-driven decisions of when and what to eat, understand the impacts of what you eat, and how much, then continuously make adjustments. Sometimes, for a period of time when you can, you’ll push up your nutrition to a higher priority and make big changes. Other times, life circumstances will push nutrition to a lower priority, but by understanding and TRACK the good AND the bad… you can minimize the negative impacts.
In general, we recommend EVERYONE track their calorie and macronutrient intake as closely as reasonably possible, as often as possible. Don’t obsess over it… just keep it in sight!
Transition from “unconscious” eating… to conscious and measured nutrition.
Most people need guidance getting started. We provide this guidance to “interested” clients who are willing to put in the work, free of charge included with Personal Training. To those not interested in working out at BURN, we also just do straight nutritional consultation, and meal planning. The rates are the same as for our training.
Give us a call!