You Can't Out Train a Bad Diet

I know that more than anyone and this statement holds even more water the older you get. 

Tomorrow, I will finish my 7th week of P90X3 and begin my transition week (week 8) on Monday.  I try to watch what I eat but haven't really stuck to a diet and even allowed myself some indulgences (It wasn't easy staying on a diet during the long hours of legislative session when not so healthy food was readily available and I was eating 3 meals a day in my office...plus snacks.) However, that is just an excuse.  I allowed myself too many indulgences that contained a lot of sugar. 

Luckily for me, Session is now over and I'm going to make more of an effort to eat healthier.  I will say this, even though you can't out train a bad diet, exercising will still effect your body in a good way.  For instance, my strength, endurance and flexibility have gotten better.  But for me, my fat likes to accumulate in my mid-section, so even though I see improvement in my arms, legs, and butt (my favorite improvement), my mid-section is still squishy.  However, it has gone through some changes as well... it is harder underneath the layer of fat that covers my "real" abs.  And, I feel great.  I love the workouts. 

But, if I really want to get in great shape, especially for the summer, I'm going to have to get my sweet tooth under control.  I read an article today online featuring fitness experts revealing their secrets on how to lose weight.  The article has been shared on my facebook page but to pass on some of the advice (mainly from my favorite fitness expert Tony Horton and what I think to be the most important), to lose weight and especially fat you should do the following:

• Eat whole foods - lean proteins, vegetables, fruit, whole grains and healthy fats.
• Stay away from or greatly reduce sugary foods and artificial sweeteners.  Yes, that includes diet drinks...which I drink. Actually, Tony says to completely eliminate these but I'm a bit of a pansy and it takes awhile to eliminate my favs.
• Eat veggies first... helps fill you up.
• Stay away from processed foods - anything that comes in a box, a bag, or a can.  This one really sucks because my pantry is full of processed foods and I love my processed foods (mac & cheese as well as other pastas and everything else in there.)  Ugh, maybe a small fat roll isn't so bad. ; )
• Avoid white...flour, sugar, rice, milk & salt as much as possible. 

That is what I took from the article...common sense really, and if you do this consistently, you too can have washboard abs.  I'm starting to think that sugar is like a drug...the more you eat it, the more you want it, and the harder it is to stop eating it.  I'm not sure I'll ever get the great abs I fantasize about because eating right is a struggle every single day (as it is for most people).  However, I'm willing to fight for good abs and if I'm going to go through the training, I might as well have a healthy diet to make all that effort worth while.