Food is a tool

As an member of a few of the larger forums I see many posts and threads of the kind where in the member seems to have issues with food as a tool. Moaning and bitching about how certain products don't taste right or aren't sweet enough. Other complaints include 'it's hard to eat X amount' and so on.

  
Well you're an athlete so food is now a tool. If you're a bodybuilder and wish to weigh a set amount you need to eat, by gradual increments, the amounts required to sustain the amount you wish to weigh. It's no good whining and bitching about how you've not gained any weight when you eat for what you weight now. If you weigh 120 and aren't gaining weight - here's a clue - eat more!!! Ditto for those who weigh more than they'd like to be.

Oh and another thing - don't think diet. Sheeetttt... don't even use the diet word. Think lifestyle. What you are about to do and what you'll continue doing is now your daily habit. If you think 'diet' then it's framed by a set time: 8 weeks, 16 weeks and so on. Not 52 weeks, 2 years and and onwards.

Throw in, as above, the member who says 'I can't' or 'I find it hard to eat such a large amount of food'... well d'uh. Don't go 2000kcals a day to 4000kcals a day in a week. Not only is this a recipe to being bloated, and worse, failure it's also not going to slowly add muscle. Your stomach will complain. But throw in an extra 200kcals a day for a week, up it another 200kcals next week and so on until you hit the target. Subtract to lose. The same kinds of rules apply to upping protein. It's not different than the rules for adding weight to the bar in the gym.  

Perhaps I'm old school - maybe I am now having hit 40+ ha ha. Or overtime I've learned what the 'old housewives tale' about, for example, Cod Liver Oil - it doesn't have to taste nice to do you good. So close your eyes, open wide and neck it!!

There is, I think, occasional hints of OCD / being anal, with some of the neophytes. It's arguable that the more twitchy ecto-morphic obsessive is also the kind of athlete that will struggle. But think on - either you've made some decision to be a better, bigger, stronger, leaner whatever it is you wanted or you haven't. If you must post these sorts of comments on-line have a look before you click the button that puts it up and think... am I expecting some sort of great insight or secret from the other members or do I need to man up??