I Feel Fat

I work with triathletes, cyclists, runners, non-athletes, and I can assure you that ‘I feel fat!’ is a real feeling. It is not ‘all in your head’. I used to have that feeling all the time, even though I was training for my first Ironman in 1999. I was lean, but I was always feeling fat.

Years later I became a nutrition coach to help others overcome food issues like the ‘I feel fat’ issue. Once I learned to balance my blood sugar, that ‘I feel fat’ feeling went away. No, it really did. I just had a client yesterday who said those very words to me. ‘I feel fat even though I do all this training.’ ‘ [I should be leaner and look more like an athlete than I do!’]

When I learned more about balancing the blood sugar, I was able to get my body into a fat burning state rather than a fat storing state. I used to live on Clif bars and coffee as an afternoon snack before my second workout. i used to have a salad with grilled chicken on it, then 2 hours later snack on pretzel nuggets. Then 2 hours later, the Clif bar and coffee. Although I was eating relatively ‘healthy’ meals, they were not balanced meals. I had all sorts of trouble losing weight. I had mood swings – yes, I could get angry quickly and over silly stuff. I had PMS. I trained a ton (3 hours per day and longer on weekends) and I still felt like I was fighting my weight constantly. I felt fat all the time. All the time.

I help clients learn how to make meals more balanced, eat regularly spaced meals, and understand which food combinations work best for them. I have some clients who are vegan, some who are lacto and ovo vegetarian and others who are carnivores like me. But this issue of balancing the blood sugar remains the same no matter how you eat.

That chicken on salad greens with lowfat dressing can be balanced by using regular vinaigrette dressing with olive oil. You also want to add the carbohydrates which can be either a grain, or root vegetable like a baked red or small sweet potato. You just need 1/2 cup of your protein, h
1/2 cup of your starchy carb, about 1-1 1/2 cups of greens and a bit of fat from either your dressing or raw nuts and seeds. You can also use the plate theory to load up half your plate with green vegetables, 1/4 of plate with your lean protein, and 1/4 plate with your starch. Here is a photo of what it may look like, altho I will admit, this one has a wee bit too much salmon, and not enough root vegetable. But better than most meals I see 🙂

A vegetarian option may look more like this photo with a bean soup, kale or chard and raw nuts. Either works. You just want to find your best combinations!

If you feel fat, and are tired of feeling that way, try balancing your blood sugar. This will help you burn fat, not store fat. It will help reduce stress and cravings for sweets and ‘carbs’. You will be less hungry through the day and will reach your optimum weight relatively easily without being on a diet. It requires some planning, so you have meals with you, or know where you will stop and choose at a restaurant or grocery or convenience store. It is not as hard as you think. I can help make it easier.

I had three clients the past few weeks who all feel leaner, stronger and had really good energy. Each of them lost 6-10 pounds in just a couple of weeks without feeling hungry. Their workouts were getting easier, their clothes fit better and they recovered better all with balancing the blood sugar. it really does work 🙂

For more information about nutrition plans to help you lose the ‘I feel fat’ feeling, please visit Joanna Chodorowska at Nutrition In Motion. Or call Joanna, sports nutrition coach, at 215-272-6774. She can help you balance the blood sugar, eat real food and feel leaner, stronger and more energized eating real foods.
Real athletes, Real foo, Real results!
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