Transcript: Why Your Body Knows Better Than Any Diet: Listen to These Natural Signals

What's up, you guys? Famous Ashton Grant here,

and welcome to More Movement, Please. Today,

I want to talk about diet. Yep, that four -letter

word that I can't stand. Maybe you're like me.

Maybe you can relate. I can't stand the idea

of dieting. I don't like the idea of restricting

myself from anything. And that's not to say that

I'm the type of person that just wants to binge

all the time. I don't want to just eat a bunch

of crap. But I don't want to change what I'm

eating. to the point that I start feeling like

I'm restricted, which could lead me to binging.

That said, whenever I started working out as

much as I am now, I was unable to eat and drink

the way that I was before getting serious. And

that's not because I was intentionally restricting

myself. It's because my body started craving

certain things. And here's what I mean by that.

That first week that I was going from two or

three hours of fitness a week to that first week

of doing that 19 classes, I reached for water

more than I ever have in my whole life. I needed

all the water because I was sweating so much

from all the working out. Makes sense, right?

So I constantly was needing more water. As a

result, I wasn't wanting soda as much, not just

because I wanted more hydration, but also because

anytime I would drink soda, it felt bad. Like

it just wasn't enjoyable in the way that it used

to be. So even though I'm a soda girly, I wasn't

enjoying the experience of drinking soda. The

other interesting thing that happened is that

when I started working out as much as I was,

am. When I started working out more, I was unable

to eat the same portions that I was eating previously.

I was catching myself getting so full that I

could not eat another bite. I don't know if it

was because my body was shocked from suddenly

working out as much as I had been, or if it was

because my body was going, hey, you've been eating

too much and you should stop. So what naturally

started to happen is that I was not finishing

my meals. And as a result, I started changing

the recipes that I was doing or that I had been

making to have smaller portions. And this wasn't

like I was, again, I was not trying to restrict

myself. It was simply the fact that I literally

felt if I ate another bite of certain foods,

I was going to be sick. And so we're now. more

than a hundred days in to this wild fitness journey.

And I don't want to say that it has leveled out

because that's simply not true. I'm still not

able to eat the portion sizes that I was previously,

but I am noticing that I am able to eat just

a little bit more, but I'm choosing not to. And

it's not because I don't want it. I mean, there

are times I'm not going to lie. I will just sit

there and eat the entire meal. even though I'm

stuffed and even though I don't want any more,

because there is something to be said for if

you really love a meal, go all in, right? But

I don't recommend that. And I'm sure any person

that's listening to this, if you're a nutritionist

or you're a physical trainer, you're probably

like cringing at the fact that I literally just

said there are some times that I will stuff myself.

The thing is, though, it's not that I'm... trying

to advocate for it. I know when I make that decision

what I'm doing. And yes, I pay for it. I feel

the pain of the fact that I overstuffed myself.

So in truth, no, I've not dieted per se, but

I have naturally changed the way that I'm eating.

And the funny thing is, not only am I changing

the portion sizes, I am catching myself reaching

for healthier options because I can feel a difference

in my performance when I do. And this isn't about

again, I want to I just want to make this abundantly

clear. It's not about restriction. It's about

I am feeling that my body is craving different

things now. And so I'm reaching for those. And

to me, that's a much healthier way of going about

changing what you're consuming than to sit there

and say, oh, well, I have to be in a calorie

deficit of 500 calories so I can't have. X, Y,

or Z. I feel like if you're going to change what

you're eating or change your portions, then it

should be because your body is telling you to,

not because you're telling your body to. Does

that make sense? I hope that makes sense. Because

I feel a difference whenever I'm reaching for

certain things. So I've caught myself. going,

no, I don't want this cookie. What I actually

want is a banana because if I eat the banana,

I can feel the potassium. I can feel it's better

in my system than I would feel after eating that

cookie. And so I guess what I want to do today

is challenge you not to think of things as dieting.

Think of it as what does your body need? Because

if you actually start listening to your body,

it's kind of amazing how it will literally tell

you what you do and do not want. The reality

is that I can catch myself going, oh, I really

want to have, you know, let's just call it a

candy bar or a bag of chips or something like

that. My body literally will go absolutely not

after like the first or second bite sometimes.

And it's not because I want to restrict myself,

but it's because I don't feel good whenever I

consume it. And why would you do something to

yourself that you're not enjoying? Right. Although

then then again, some of you might be listening

to this going, well, I hate squats. So I guess

I should stop doing that. It doesn't feel good,

but it's good for you. Right. So you should still

do the squats. But maybe if you eat a candy bar

and you feel like, wow, that candy bar did not

make me feel good. How about don't eat that candy

bar? You know, that's kind of how I'm feeling

right now. I just wanted to share these thoughts.

The big thing to me is if you are going to try

to lose weight. Yes, of course. Doctors will

probably tell you like, hey, you need to limit

the amount of calories you're consuming, need

to be in a calorie deficit. I understand all

that. If you really listen to your body, it will

tell you what you need. And I think you'll find

that if you start doing that rather than trying

to focus on the numbers of calories that you're

consuming. you might notice that your body is

telling you that it wants something that's healthier

for you. That's been my experience. It's what

I've been feeling and what I just wanted to share

today. So today, as you're consuming, you know,

meals and drinks and whatever it is you normally

consume, check in with yourself. See how you're

feeling as you are consuming these things. Is

it really worth what you're consuming? Because

if you're not enjoying it, What's the point?

I hope this tip helps somebody. I hope it makes

sense. And onwards and upwards, my friends. Have

you worked out today?