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Food Is King

Updated: Aug 18, 2021




I was just speaking on a friend’s podcast yesterday all about the importance and effectiveness of quality nutrition. Nutrition is literally the end all and be all to a leaner

body, or healthy body composition as fit pros like to say. Yet, we still have folks out there who are neglecting the most important piece of the puzzle. The people who neglect their nutrition seem to be 1 of 3 individuals. 1) They deem their 1-hour workouts as “enough” to achieve their goals, and so they feel as if they deserve a “reward” for training. 2) They give a solid effort, but when it comes down to It, they have a less than stellar mindset. 3) They are just lazy.


Amongst these 3 groups of people there is usually 1 common theme. They workout because they know it is good for them. While this is a great start, they also end up spinning their wheels and making no progress because they give into their every craving, which leads to over consuming calories daily. In addition, they pay way too much attention to the calories burned inside of their 1-hour workout.


As a coach, one of the very first things I do with my online clients, is have them track all their food for 7 days straight, weekends included! Why, partially because I can use this for more accurate data when prescribing them with an individualized nutrition plan, but more importantly, I want them to build awareness around what and how much they are consuming daily, and how they are spending the other 23 hours of the day! You could have the best workout ever for 1 hour, but that 1 hour will NEVER be enough to out train the 23 hours of bad decisions (shitty food and poor sleep).That’s why at Matrisciano Fitness we address nutrition first.


But look, I get it nutrition can be hard, confusing, and just downright challenging. Through working with my clients, I have discovered some common nutrition pit falls and traps. So, today I wanted to address them and give you some tools to knock down the barriers and finally achieve the body you want!




1) Realistic Expectations


This is one of the hardest things for people to accept. They must have realistic expectations and goals when it comes to achieving the bodyfat% they desire. People are the direct outcome of their habits, and when they have spent the last 1,3,5+ years eating whatever they want, whenever they want, they must understand it will not be fixed in 30 days. With every passing day, month, year, it only gets harder for our bodies to change because of the compound effect of our habits. The clients with the best success, comes from years of consistency, hard work and good habits. They pay attention to their nutrition choices day in and day out, they play the long game, show discipline and do it consistency.


We live in a world of instant gratification, so naturally those expectations carry over into our fitness goals as well, but look it is silly to think 3 years of crushing mountain dew and potato chips is going to come off in 30 DAYS. Have some patience and trust the process. Because to be honest, you have no choice. You can quit, give up and let yourself continue to get heavier and more out of shape OR you can choose patience, and choose to get 1% better each day. It might take some time, but at least you will be moving in the right direction, and that is all that matters. Pay now OR pay later.


2) Fad Diets


It seems like every day there is a new study published on a “diet” that is supposed to help you lose fat, turn into superman/woman and FINALLY achieve the body you want. Look, this is all Bull****. All of these fad diets that restrict food groups or put you in a time restricted eating window is just a TOOL to help you get into a calorie deficit without having to track food, or build awareness around the food choices you make. The ONLY way to lose fat is to be in a calorie deficit. However, this is a topic for another time. Nutrition is not hard, stick to whole foods as close to the source as possible, eat an adequate amount of protein daily (.8-1g per 1 pound of bodyweight), eat high quality fruits and vegetables daily, drink your water, and do it for a long time!


The key to staying on track with your nutrition for a long time, is to eat the food you are supposed to 80% of the time, while allowing yourself to enjoy life and have foods you want 20% of the time. Why? Well because balance and enjoying yourself will always produce a happier individual with less stress, a happy individual with less stress will always be more likely to stay ON the program. Easy math.


3) Cutting Out Food Groups

I remember a couple years ago when everyone was demonizing fats. But now we have diets like keto that are supposed to be the cure to cancer. In a world full of these diet camps, stick to BALANCE. Majority of the time when I talk to new clients, I discover the problem is what they are not eating, not what they are eating. What I mean is, most are not eating vegetables every day, enough protein, carbohydrates around training window, enough daily fiber and so much more. In fact, they are nibbling on glorified candy bars (protein bars), eating 1,000 calories per day, and destroying their metabolism and hormones. Pairing this with little to NO movement and then going out on the weekends, having 10 drinks + 4,000 calories in garbage fast food.


It is no wonder why we are fighting an obesity epidemic. The best thing you can do is take control of your eating habits before it takes control of you.


If you need help with getting started in the right direction, apply for coaching here.


4) Diet Hopping


Stop chasing the instant gratification and start committing to the process. With the overwhelming amount of information that comes at us through our phones, it is more important than ever to commit to something long term. Committing to something for 12 weeks, 24 weeks, hell….52 weeks is one of the best things you can do for ANY endeavor in your life, not just your health and fitness. Long term commitment provides superior results, both physically and mentally. In today’s world most people are unable to make a decision & fully commit. It is no wonder they spin their wheels for years, never seeing the results they want. All the results we hold near and dear to our heart truly take TIME and that is okay. Always remember anything that comes easy, can go just as easily. Commit to the long game, it will be more rewarding, meaningful and stick around a lot longer, I promise.







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