What foods should you eliminate to make progress?

Today, I'm going to talk to you about a question that comes up very often when people are new to my advice, or even new to counting macros, regardless of whether it's with me or not.

Without knowledge about body composition, it is very likely that some fluctuations will not be interpreted correctly, or will be interpreted as negative. This is especially true with body weight and measurements, as people tend to have goals in these two variables, something I already explained in another article, so you can read it, if you want, at the following link(Why am I not losing weight??).

When people start, or are at a certain stage, and have unrealistic goals at unrealistic speeds without having a global context of the entire plan, their starting point and their ambitious goal, they tend to think that there is something they are consuming that is holding them back.

Questions of this type arise:

1. Should I cut out processed foods altogether?

2. Should I cut out dairy?

3. Should I cut out gluten?

4. Should I cut out the couple of social drinks on the weekend?

5. Should I cut out fruit?

6. Should I cut out egg yolks?

7. Should I cut out red meat?

And so, this list could reach more than 100 positions in response to the question.

The truth is that neither of these options is valid, nor viable. Since if you are counting macros, you are aware that foods have macronutrients and calories, and that is how your body recognizes them…

THERE ARE NO GOOD OR BAD FOODS

THERE ARE SOME WITH DIFFERENT OR MORE OR LESS CHARACTERISTICS, CALORIES OR MACROS, BUT THEY ARE STILL MADE UP OF MACROS AND CALORIES, AND AS LONG AS THEY ARE WITHIN YOUR GOAL YOU WILL BE CORRECT.

So no, there is no food or food group that you should eliminate, but there are certain details that you should check and/or some questions to ask yourself, which are as follows:

1. Are you 100% sure that your spending and consumption calculations have been well planned? (In case you are not being advised).

2. Are you 100% sure that you are using foods with verified nutritional information? (In case you are not my advisor and you do not have my search list of foods verified by me).

3. Are you 100% sure that you are using specific foods with their specific information and not just random options based on the type of food? That is, for example: Search for yogurt in the app, and put the first one that comes up, and ignoring the information you have in your hand about the specific yogurt you are eating.

4. Are you 100% sure that you are weighing your raw food and then adding it under that weight? Remember that different cooking methods change the volume and weight of food, and recording it cooked in that way would be wrong.

5. Are you 100% sure that your estimates are limited to 1 or 2 situations at most per week? Remember that even though you have good estimates, they are still just that, estimates, and there is a margin of error, which can be a wide or small margin depending on the food.

6. Are you 100% sure that you are consuming 80-90% of your food from dense, micronutrient-rich sources?

7. Are you 100% sure that you are recording everything you put in your mouth that contains macros/calories? Remember that snacking between meals, or a little bit of something, may not be much one time, but often little by little things add up over the long term, and your recording will then be invalid.

8. Are you absolutely sure that you count your macros consistently every day of the week? Remember that calories and macros still count when you go out or on the weekend.

9. Are you absolutely sure that you are not assuming macros based on your own criteria? That is, you see a food and you see its macros, but they don't seem like those to you, and you decide based on your personal perception, to assign it the ones you consider, because according to you, it doesn't have as much of Xs macros. This error is very common.

10. If you don't cook because you have someone else do it, are you absolutely sure that this person is weighing the food correctly? Are you absolutely sure that this person doesn't use some seasonings that contain macros for the preparations and you are not adding them?

11. Are you absolutely sure that complex preparations at home or away from home have been properly recorded, such as risottos, pastichos and similar meals that have a wide variety of ingredients?

12. Are you absolutely sure that you don't forget to add some things, that you plan to add later and in the end you don't do it and you forget it?

13. Are you completely sure that you meet your daily goals as planned, without having extremely high days, extremely low days, and in general a disorder in compliance? Remember that energy balance is essential, but a disorder can alter the way we respond in the short term and also the way we analyze.

14. Are you absolutely sure that you are consuming the right amount of fiber and water? Even though these two do not directly affect energy balance, they do affect intestinal transit and the way your body looks in the short term and its fluctuations.

15. Are you absolutely sure that you are not constantly changing one macro for another? Even when complying with the energy balance, the disorders in each macro have different responses in the short term depending on their compliance. In addition, there are minimum and optimal objective values ​​for specific reasons.

16. Are you absolutely sure that you have an organized plan, with different stages and are you aware of what each of these stages entails? Do you also keep track of your history, for when, how and why to change things? (In case you are not my advisor).

17. Are you absolutely sure that you are doing an optimal training? With good technique, range, set structure, repetitions, load ranges, and also a plan structured by stages, so that you can also manipulate it?

18. Are you absolutely sure you know what you need to achieve your goal? That is, do you know how much muscle mass you have and how much you need, do you know when a deficit or a surplus, or maintenance, or a minicut, or any other characteristic or period is really appropriate?

19. Are you absolutely sure that you have realistic, achievable goals, taking into account your starting point?

20. Are you absolutely sure that you are in a situation in your life of peace, harmony, no stress, and good rest?

21. Are you absolutely sure that, by answering all the previous questions correctly, you have a reasonable amount of time to do so with almost 100% accuracy?

This list could go on, prompting many questions, both specific and allusive to the topic at hand. This should make you realize that your progress is multifactorial, and there's no more important factor than meticulously examining everything you're doing to gradually correct each point that needs improvement. This is why, in some cases, it takes a long time, as we often wander aimlessly in search of magical solutions, like those suggested in the article "What food to eliminate?", forgetting what truly matters: establishing and maintaining a solid foundation through patience and enjoyment

If you answered 100% of the questions correctly (unlikely), all you need to do is be patient, strive for excellence, and accept that great things take time. True fulfillment lies in the journey, not the destination. Small improvements and the process itself bring genuine satisfaction. Don't believe anyone who promises overnight success; they're just trying to sell you a lie. And remember, if things don't go as planned, don't blame yourself for arbitrary, shifting standards.

I hope this article has helped you to free yourself and better analyze the context the next time you have another question similar to the one proposed.

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