In the current reality we live in, food is easy to get in most cases if you have the luxury to live in a well developed country. As time has gone on I've noticed many people using food as their coping ways during stressful times and life experiences. It's interesting how food is something we can't live without and yet people overindulge or eat things that have no value to their body. Ice cream is fun at the moment but is eating a whole pint in one sitting leading to the strongest "you"? In most cases no.
My relationship with food was always out of necessity. Even when I was a young kid and teenager I only ate the minimum amount needed and usually, it was either fast food, subway, Doritos and brisk tea to drink was my personal favorite. As a result of doing that for years and being a chronic "under-eater", I suffered by being stuck in a limited physical body. The pendulum can easily swing the other way as well if people over-eat and that is how you get into my 600lb life tv show episodes ( which I enjoy watching it is very interesting!). Those invidiuals eat as well but instead of not eating enough food, they eat 4-5x the normal amount needed each day.
At some point in life, you realize that to live your best life and be your best self you need to fuel your body with nutritious things. As I started doing that and eating enough food I started to see things and food differently. Almost like Neo in the Matrix, I saw the food as numbers and code, "How many calories does this sandwich have?". I started to track my food every day on the myfitnesspal app and consistently eat around 2500-2800 calories a day. While the average sedentary male needs only 2000 calories per day, that would be someone who doesn't want to grow stronger or exercise. I still need to push myself towards 2900-3100 calories but its a bit harder if you don't eat fast food much.
With that being said, my relationship with food is purely from a numbers perspective. I know exactly how many calories my body needs for the results I want. I know what types of food I need to eat and which I need to avoid ( heavy saturated fat foods, high salt foods, etc). So for me, my relationship with food never really changed from an emotional point back when I was a kid. It simply evolved into a better tool for my life and future. Sure I still enjoy the occasional drink, the taco bells, and yummy fast food but balance is key. With all things, I balance out the food I will eat for that day and make sure it works out in the end. If I eat 5 tacos from Taco Bell my calories shoot way up but so does my fat, my protein is still lacking a bit for a daily total. In that case, I can supplement with tuna, protein shakes, chicken, or any pure protein source.
In the end, as that saying goes " You are what you eat" is very true. I consistently eat to support an aesthetic and strong body. When I have a heavy squat day, I know I need to have more calories and carb up more. Over time it becomes second nature to track your calories and makes it very helpful in the long run as a great habit to build.
About Author
Lloyd L.
Thank you for visiting my website. My name is Lloyd and I live in Hawaii. I started working out in 2010. Read more on how I overcame adversity and transformed my life forever!
