It’s All About Balance (and protein)- Vanessa Phillips lead trainer, and nutritionist for ABOVE

Two breakfast burritos, a turkey egg bagel sandwich, a 6 inch breakfast sub, 2 coffees and perhaps a donut or two to share. That is the order as Wawa wraps up our yummies in a bag and sends Rob and I on our way. 

That is our Saturday and sometimes Sunday as well, breakfast of champions before we head to lift for over an hour or so in the gym. “Ew you eat at Wawa” yes. “Oh you eat bread” yes. “Do you really eat donuts” yes. YES. 

We do not eat like this every day, but we definitely pack in a substantial amount of calories, protein, carbs and more. Nutrition is not starvation. Food is not evil. Nutrition is finding the right balance of nutrients to accommodate your body’s needs, muscle needs, vitamin needs, mineral needs and more. The “cleaner” the food the better. What is that? What is “clean” food. Technically, clean food is anything whole with less than 5 ingredients on the list (like all that coloring and processed stuff). Clean, whole, foods are optimal. Is throwing in a breakfast binge from Wawa going to kill me? No. People see us and automatically assume we eat clean and healthy. I would say for about 70% of our foods we put in that solid effort. We get cravings, we get hungry, we cheat, we enjoy. We do not slander the name of processed sugar or drinking alcohol. That old saying “Everything in moderation” is true. We are human beings. If you eat a piece of cake and feel like shit about it, don’t do it again. If you take a few bites of a piece of cake and it’s satisfying, it’s ok. 

Food is important. Tasting food and liking it is important. You won’t see me eat chicken brown rice and broccoli every day for lunch. When I put that donut into my mouth at work and people say “you don’t eat like that, do you?” Well, yes. “How do you eat donuts and look like that?” 

I MODERATE. I EXERCISE. I MAINTAIN CONTROL. I stay focused, stay in the gym, pay attention to what I eat and make my main beverage WATER. I like my donuts, my burgers, my tequila….but I know how to put them down or I know I want to finish the whole damn thing and yes bartender I’ll take another. 

I actually stopped following The Rock on social media because he was doing something that really bothered me. His Sunday “cheat” posts of a tray of 15 brownies and a pile of cookies…that sir, is a false advertisement. That is not real life and not what real people can do. You don’t look like that “action figure” and eat a tray of brownies every Sunday. Nothing on that person is real - and nor are his posts. 

When you set realistic goals for yourself, you can attain them far easier. Sure, it takes work, or you wouldn’t need a goal. But, there’s a difference between “I’m going to have  1 bag of chips per week” and “I’m going to go straight vegan.” Extreme dieting is rarely successful and not good for your body.

Moderate. I never believed in a nutritionist until I became one, as ridiculous as that sounds. I learned so much and it was the most difficult certification I have. It taught me: moderation is normal and healthy, counting calories isn’t that helpful, counting macros is a massive waste of time, there’s no such thing as a detox except for your own liver, fad diets don’t work and drink about 3 + liters of water a day. 

I’m not promoting eating donuts or sugar or drinking every day. I’m promoting self control and a well balanced diet. If you are overweight, that’s not healthy. People come in all shapes and sizes but it’s up to us to not add on as much weight as possible. Getting yourself under control is massively important. Promoting healthy “body image” and "self-love" isn’t correct if you’re overweight. It’s lying to yourself. Healthy isn’t skinny, that’s not the message. Healthy is GOOD HEALTH - normal blood pressure, healthy cardiovascular system, clear healthy lungs, strong muscles and bones. 

As for food, like my husband the therapist says about all substances, if it’s not a problem for you then it’s not a problem for me. If it IS the problem, making HEALTHY changes can help. It’s a passion of mine to help!