I want to start this article by stating I am not a doctor or a dietitian. I am just a regular person who has always struggled with their weight. I don’t ever recommend certain “diets” or programs because everything you do should be sustainable and enjoyable. I did come across this book and it helped me put things in perspective about what I eat and how active I am. The author of this book Matt Fitzgerald is a well-known endurance coach and award-winning journalist, more importantly, he is a certified sports nutritionist.
We all know that carrying too much weight isn’t healthy but I don’t think the average person will think about how that impedes performance. When you’re bigger you just think to yourself that you can’t run or bike because you don’t exercise or you aren’t an athlete but really weight has a lot to do with it. I use to be stick thin, and I thought I looked great but being that thin hurt my performance greatly. As you all know I have packed on weight due to the covid lockdown and stress, so I am on my way to losing 20-30 pounds but I have no desire to be stick thin again.
When I read this book, I was very taken aback by the lack of bullshit. There isn’t one type of diet but really a no-nonsense approach to fueling your body. Matt looked at the diets of endurance athletes and came up with the diet quality score, looked at superfoods, and even gave the food diaries of 18 pro athletes. When you read these diaries, you realize there is no one diet. You also realize that they do have weight fluctuations, and aren’t perfect.
The book includes recipes, a training program, and much more information that can be employed if you are just trying to get healthy. I am not a professional athlete, so I take the 6 steps he gives and try to do that in my very average life but I still drink wine or have a donut, because I still want to enjoy life. I’ll include the link below I think you will enjoy the book, just remember not to compare yourself to others, this is about being healthier not being better than someone else.