What Spartans DON'T Eat!

Many people are scared by the diet half of "diet and exercise" because the wealth of information out there about calorie counting and carb/protein ratios is a bit overwhelming.  Diet is the most important part of fitness, as they say, "abs are made in the kitchen."  Important does not however mean difficult, in fact, it is quite simple to maintain a healthy diet, and it should not require a calculator or a PhD in theoretical math.

Allow me to explain.

First, we have just a few simple rules of dieting.  Most importantly;  How much you eat determines how big you are, in other words, if you take in more calories that you expend, you will get bigger, and the reverse, if you expend more calories than you take in, you will get smaller.  Quite simple.  This does not however mean that you necessarily want to expel more calories than you take in.  BIG does not mean FAT.  Big includes muscle as well!  It is exercise which will determine what kind of big you will be!  Exercise plays a vital role in determining whether your food will go to muscle or fat.

Second, STOP EATING JUNK TODAY.  There is absolutely no health benefit to be had from eating fast food or junk food in general.  This is not rocket science.  I am not saying you need to carefully read the label of every single thing you eat and write it down somewhere, I am simply saying to use common sense.  There is nothing of value on the menu at McDonalds.  Everything there is calorie-laden and high in saturated and trans fats.  Of course I am not only warning against McDonalds.  Pizza is notoriously calorie-dense and usually contains insane amounts of saturated fats.  Avoid it at all costs it will kill your fitness goals.
Soda also deserves a mention.  Soda is sometimes a silent killer of all diet plans.  Many people will drink a soda or two a day without realizing exactly what they are doing to themselves because they put a lot of effort into watching what they eat, but are seemingly oblivious to what they DRINK.  A single bottle of Coke contains enough calories and sugar to replace a small meal.  It is seriously the last thing you want to be drinking if your goal is fitness.  The jury is still out on diet soda, whether it does or doesn't have an effect on your health.  Might as well take be safe and avoid that too.  If you're thirsty drink water or green tea...unsweetened green tea of course.

Honestly, if soda and junk food are a part of your lifestyle, just cutting those out may be enough to start seeing some results.  This is probably the easiest thing you can do to improve your fitness and overall health.  You do not need to be an expert to determine what is and isn't junk food.  Use your best judgment and some common sense and you should be fine.