Factors That Affect Your Dietary Decisions
Hey Angels and Alphas,
Having control of your diet is nothing short of a superpower. A lot of people nowadays fall into the latest food trends and diets, hoping to get that control. But sometimes, we all make wrong decisions simply because of the fact that there’s so much generalized misinformation out there about fitness and nutrition.
Our decision-making process on what to eat (and what not to) is decided by two main factors: the internal and the external.
Weight loss is a process that requires much more than simply going on a diet or working out for a couple of months. In order to achieve long-term weight loss, you need to take a holistic approach that addresses both your physical and your psychological needs.
First, there are internal factors.
These have everything to do with your lifestyle and your knowledge base about nutrition. Your age, height, weight, sex, fitness level, culture, workout intensity, your taste in food, as well as your way of managing time are all important internal factors that can affect your weight loss journey.
Even though taste is one of the more critical factors from an individual standpoint (because even if you’re genetically pre-disposed to liking some foods), external factors can still have a massive impact on whether or not you actually consume them. And when it comes to managing time, some people just don’t have the ability to cook for an hour a day.
Determining your individual tastes, goals, and abilities is the first step to creating a productive and healthy meal plan.
Second, there are external factors.
These include things like stress levels, support systems, access to healthy food options, and your overall environment. While you may not be able to control all of these external factors, it’s important to be aware of them and how they might impact your weight loss goals. By taking the time to understand both the internal and external factors that can affect your weight loss journey, you’ll be setting yourself up for success.
Your beliefs (for example, chocolate is bad) get reinforced every day by what you see online. But if you want to follow a productive plan that will get you where you want to, you have to clear your mind of all these generalized beliefs and look at things from your individual perspective. Don’t go cutting all of your favorite foods just because the TV said so.
Always remember to focus on both of these factors when planning your nutrition! If you only listen to yourself, you won’t be learning enough to grow. But if all you do is take in information, soon enough you’ll be blindly following fitness trends without making any progress.
It can be easy to get caught up in the world of fitness and nutrition. With new information being released all the time, it can be hard to keep up.
However, it’s important to remember that there are two sides to every coin.
On one hand, you need to listen to your body and what it’s telling you. After all, you know yourself best. But on the other hand, you also need to be willing to learn and take in new information.
If you only focus on one or the other, you’re likely to run into problems. For example, if you only listen to your body, you may end up ignoring important nutritional needs. Alternatively, if you only focus on taking in new information, you may end up following fad diets or blindly following the advice of others without truly understanding what you’re doing.
The key is to strike a balance between the two. By doing so, you’ll set yourself up for long-term success.