Calories: Quality Over Quantity

Quality over quantity-I think this mantra can apply to many aspects of life, but definitely has application in health and fitness. When it comes to calories (whether you're counting them or not) quality is always more important than quantity. I'm sure everyone has seen the diagrams comparing 2000 calories of junk food compared to 2000 calories of healthy food- and with healthy food, you always get a lot more bang for your buck. 

If you are just starting out or are trying to lose weight, I'd suggest counting calories only at the very beginning- just to get an idea about how each thing you eat is adding up. After that, put your focus on eating clean foods instead. 

By clean foods I mean foods that are as close to their natural form as possible i.e, vegetables and fruits, leans meats (nothing from the deli counter), whole grains etc. [I do not mean eating Smart Ones and packaged protein bars.]

I always prep my food for work the night before!

At this point I probably eat about 1800 calories per day. I eat clean 80-90% of the time and I work out about 5 days/ week. I'm trying to gain muscle and lose fat, but my body needs fuel to gain that muscle!!
 
It's much easier and less time consuming to not have to stress about counting calories. I started using MyFitness Pal about a year ago to count calories, and it became an unhealthy obsession for a little while. Focus your energy on eating foods that will benefit your body, and you'll be a lot happier!

 Remember-- "You can't out train a bad diet!


An update on the early workouts-- I am still loving it! I'm still aiming for at least 3x per week and my body is starting to get used to it.... 

this is becoming my best friend for early a.m. workouts

I LOVE the quiet gym in the morning

leg day this morning- slowly seeing progress