 Eating out can make sticking to your calorie goals feel like a challenge compared to cooking at home. When you make your own meals, you have full control over every ingredient, and tracking your food in the FatSecret app is straightforward. But when eating out, it can feel challenging to find healthy options or accurately log your meals. But dining out doesn’t mean you have to give up on your goals. With a few smart strategies, you can still enjoy your favorite restaurants and stay on track. This edition of the Nutrition Nudge explores:
7 tips for dining out without compromising your goals. Sticking to your goals doesn’t mean you have to give up dining out. Navigating restaurant menus and making mindful choices is easier than you might think. With a few simple changes, you can enjoy a meal out without compromising your progress. Let’s explore some practical tips to help you stick to your goals while dining out. 1. Plan ahead Before heading out for a meal, take a few minutes to look at the restaurant’s menu online. This way, you can plan your meal in advance and make healthier choices without feeling rushed. Knowing what to order ahead of time helps you avoid impulsive decisions that might not align with your goals. You can also use the FatSecret app to look up the calorie content of meals at popular chain restaurants and log them to your Diary. 2. Customize your order Don’t be afraid to ask for modifications to your meal. Small changes like requesting dressings and sauces on the side can help control how much you use and significantly reduce the calorie content of your meal. 3. Identify healthy options Opt for lean proteins like grilled chicken, fish, tofu, or legumes instead of fried or breaded options. Additionally, look for keywords on menus like "grilled," "steamed," "roasted," and "whole grain." This can act as a quick guide to selecting meals that are lower in calories and higher in nutritional value. 4. Be mindful of beverage choices Beverages can add a lot of calories to your meal without you realizing. It’s a common habit to have a drink when dining out that you typically wouldn’t pour for yourself at home. When choosing a drink to have with your meals, opt for water or diet soda instead of full flavor sugary drinks or alcohol. If you do choose to have a drink, try to limit it to one and select lower-calorie options. 5. Choose healthy sides Sides are often an overlooked part of your meal that can add significant calories. Choose healthier side options like steamed vegetables, salads, or whole grains instead of fries. 6. Manage portions Food at restaurants typically comes in much larger portions than you would usually eat at home. Consider sharing dishes with a friend or request a takeaway container when the meal is served. Avoid overeating by saving a portion for later before you start eating. 7. Load up on veggies Look for dishes that include a variety of vegetables, either as the main component or as substantial sides. They add volume and nutrients without too many calories. Following these 7 tips if you eat out at restaurants often will make sticking to your health goals 10x easier! Stop overcomplicating your weight loss instead put some guidelines in place so you don't even have to question yourself. Good Luck! Coach Kayli
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Blog Post By Kayli Montoya-HustonNASM Certified Personal Trainer & NCI Certified Nutrition Coach L1 and Mindset Coach Embarking on a weight loss journey can be challenging, especially when you're committed to shedding those stubborn pounds but see minimal results. If you're wondering why your body fat isn't budging, you're not alone. In this blog post, we'll explore the top 10 reasons that might be hindering your fat loss progress and provide practical solutions to overcome these obstacles.
Inadequate Caloric Deficit:
Conclusion: Identifying and addressing these roadblocks can pave the way for successful fat loss. Remember, patience and consistency are key. Consult with a qualified nutrition coach or personal trainer to personalize your approach and maximize your results. Your fitness journey is unique, and understanding these reasons can help you overcome obstacles and achieve your body fat loss goals. Today's blog consists of 3 of my favorite tips I've accumulated over my years as a fitness coach.→ Tip 1: Reverse psychology "hack" to make better food choices One of the best ways to do this is by focusing on inclusive habits instead of exclusive habits. Inclusive habits suggest adding to their diet (adding protein, adding fruits and vegetables, adding water). Exclusive habits suggest taking away from their diet (no more carbs, no more fats, no more desserts). It's a subtle difference, but makes all the difference psychologically⏤nobody likes to be told what they can't do. → Tip 2: Three Ways To Remain Athletic As You Age 1. Prioritize soft tissue and mobility work. Too often, we can start doing these once we already feel pain. But if we stay proactive and implement just five minutes each day of foam rolling and mobility drills, we'll keep that athletic edge over time. 2. Incorporate single-leg exercises. This doesn't mean compound lifts like squats and deadlifts don't have their place. But lunges, split squats, step-ups, and single-leg RDLs all need to be included for a well-rounded athletic program. Running, jumping, cutting, transferring power ⏤ getting stronger on one leg will help all of these. 3. Lift FAST on the concentrics. You can use explosive movements like kettlebell swings or the olympic lifts, but you can also just make sure every rep you do is performed with a controlled, powerful concentric component of the lift. Moving fast will keep you fast. → Tip 3: Five “hacks” to eat more protein 1. Eat your protein first (in the day and in your meal). Protein is the most satiating macronutrient, so you’re less likely to overeat with this strategy. But on a daily scale, this same tactic can work by front loading protein at breakfast when your hunger is high. 2. Add a whey protein shake before the meal when cutting. When cutting, you can blunt some of your hunger going into a meal by having a half to full serving of whey protein before diving into your food. This also ensures higher quality protein at each meal. 3. Eat protein more frequently. It’s hard to consume large amounts of protein in one to two sittings. So breaking up your total daily protein goal into more meals and snacks will make the goal easier to achieve. For most, three meals and one shake works well. 4. Have a protein shake after training, upon waking, between meals, or before bed. Most people already include a post-workout shake, but it’s helpful to start doing if not. People also assume you should only drink shakes on workout days, yet they can provide a quality protein boost any time of day. 5. Build your meals starting with a protein source. Essentially, every time you’re about to eat, think to yourself, “what is my protein source going to be?” Then base the rest of your meal/snack around that decision. When you're ready, here are 3 more ways I can help you:
1 - Ask me a question about your #1 fitness struggle. Just hit reply to this email or blog post. I read every email I get. (And yes, it's actually me answering!) 2 - Work with me directly to get in the best shape of your life and stop breaking promises to yourself. Every month I open up applications to work with me through my private 1:1 fat loss coaching program. I only work with people that I can help (80+ clients so far). And since you’re here, good chance that’s you. Click here to apply to work with me. 3 - Check out more of my free content. Facebook Group: "The Phoenix Method for Body Transformation" Podcast: Phoenix Rising:Fitness|Mindset|Lifestyle - 100+ episodes where Coach Julie & I share our knowledge to help make your weight loss journey faster & more sustainable! Blog: Start here - “8 Simple Ways to Speed Up Your Metabolism” Blog Post by Coach JulieNCI Certified Nutrition Coach L1 & Certified Mindset Coach  Wegovy and Ozempic are both GLP-1 (glucagon like peptide). With GLP-1 drugs, you will lose muscle mass if you are not doing some sort of resistance training. “Much of the "weight loss" resulting from GLP-1 agonists is the loss of muscle, bone mass, and other lean tissue rather than body fat (Ida, et al.).” When taking GLP-1 drugs it’s important to focus on getting adequate protein to at least maintain muscle mass. (Usually .75g of protein per pound of lean body mass is adequate. If your goal weight is 150 pounds that means 113g of protein per day.) A significant loss of bone mass, for example, predisposes serious bone diseases such as osteopenia and osteoporosis. And a significant loss of muscle mass lowers metabolic rate (increasing the risk of weight regain), raises the risk of falls, and impairs function and quality of life. Research has found that when people stop taking Wegovy/Ozempic, they rapidly regain weight. (Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism: Journal, June 2022) Experts say this is because the drug is not a cure and it does not prevent the metabolic adaptation that occurs during weight loss. A study published in April 2022 which sought to examine changes in body weight and cardiometabolic risk factors upon the termination of the drug, found that after a year people had regained two-thirds of the weight they had lost. The positive changes they had seen in cardiometabolic risk factors like blood pressure, blood lipids, HbA1c, and C-reactive protein had similarly reversed.According to the study authors, these findings reinforce the need to continue treatment in order to maintain the benefits of the medication. (Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism: Journal, April 2022) The fact that people may need to stay on Wegovy indefinitely in order to maintain the weight loss has raised concerns about long-term use. (NPR, 2023) As a nutrition coach, I have been asked several times about these two drugs. I always suggest talking with your doctor about this and making sure that this is the right answer for you. My opinion though is to always work on lifestyle, diet and fitness interventions first. I would invest in a coach before I spent the money on this very expensive drug. If you have further questions, shoot me a DM, we’ll talk. EVERYBODY IS TALKING ABOUT IT. Unless you follow Dr. Oz, the #ketowarriors, or the descendants of Vegan Gains — you’ve heard that a “calorie deficit” is the key to losing fat. We’ll get into details later, but to refresh: a “calorie deficit” simply means your body is burning more calories than you’re consuming (i.e., calories out > calories in = weight loss (few exceptions)). A “calorie surplus” means you’re burning fewer calories than you’re consuming (i.e., calories out < calories in = weight gain). And if you’re eating at your “maintenance calories,” you’re burning around the same number of calories as you’re consuming (i.e., calories out = calories in = maintain stable weight). Now, I could get deep into the minutia of calories in calories out and how your body “burns” calories, but you probably don’t care about the science. What you do care about: me knowing the science and giving you the actionable steps to put into practice. And that’s exactly what I’m gonna do, so take a quick glance at this pretty picture and let’s keep it movin’.  That’s the why. Now, I’ll share the how.
For the record, I’ve never seen another fitness coach put this information out for free. This is exactly how I set up a calorie deficit for my online coaching clients, so listen up. STEP 1: BUY SCALES. Buy a bodyweight scale and a food scale. These are reasonably cheap and some of the best investments you can make for managing your body. Plus, there are two things humans suck at: estimating and remembering data. In fact, one study on daily food reporting showed even dietitians to be off by up to 800 calories. Some non-dietitians were off by over 1,000 calories! So, yeah. Buy the scales so you don’t do this. STEP 2: DOWNLOAD A FOOD TRACKING APP. I recommend FatSecret or My Fittness Pal to my clients. Don’t use the macro calculator for any of them as that’s the point of this post ⏤ this way is more accurate. MFP might just be more accessible in terms of how to use the app for some people. However, another downside of MFP is their calories can be off with some of their foods due to user inputted data. Just make sure your total daily macros match up to your total daily calories and you’ll be good to go. Any tracking app or using a pad and pen (if you’re a neanderthal) will work just fine. We’ll cover your macros (proteins, carbs, and fats in a bit). STEP 3: EAT NORMALLY AND TRACK EVERYTHING. Without drastically changing how you currently eat, track every single thing (very important this is accurate!) you put in your mouth for at least four days (preferably three weekdays and one weekend day). I say to eat normal because you want to find your current baseline. If you go changing everything you eat, you’ll skew your results. And when I say track everything, I mean EVERYTHING — alcohol, condiments, oils, drinks, supplements, butter, sauces, dessert, etc. STEP 4: AVERAGE OUT YOUR BASELINE. After tracking at least four days, find the average number of calories you ate during that time period. For example:
STEP 5: REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH TRACKING WEIGHT AND FOOD FOR 14 DAYS.Try to hit within +/- 50 of that average calorie amount (2,150 – 2,250) every single day for the next 2 weeks (including weekends!) AND weigh yourself every day in the morning – before you eat and after you take your morning dump. It’s important you try to mimic each day so you can get a realistic idea of what your “typical” intake and weight would look like, i.e., don’t do this during vacation. STEP 6: ANALYZE WEIGHT TRENDS. Given that you followed step 5 correctly, we should now see a trend in what your weight does based off how much food you’re eating. If you’re eating ~2,200 calories per day and your weight is trending downward (not down every single day because weight fluctuates) over the course of two weeks — you’re likely in a calorie deficit. If your weight is staying about the same (within a pound or so), subtract 250 calories from your daily calorie goal and keep consistent. This means you are eating around your maintenance calories. If your weight is trending upward, take away 350-500 calories per day (you’re in a calorie surplus). -Coach Kayli  The stuff on the bottom of the pyramid is the most important stuff. As you make your way up the pyramid, you get less and less meaningful impact per time invested. 1. Sustainability And Adherence The most important thing about your diet? It has to be something you can stick to. Even with fast weight loss, you'll still be dieting for quite some time. If your diet isn't something you can stick to for at least a few months, you won't be able to get results. When I first started coaching, I gave all my clients macros - based on my own success with tracking. What happened? Hardly anyone could stick to their diets. This is exactly why we spend so much time initially talking about your lifestyle, and what diet structure will work best for you currently. That's how we create a diet easy for you to adhere to. Now, our goal is NOT to keep you dieting for the rest of your life - so you don't have to be able to see yourself doing this for years... but it has to be maintainable for the course of the diet (typically 3-6 months). So really, after the diet is over is when sustainability comes into play. The habits you've learned - eat protein at every meal, prepping ahead, focusing on high-volume foods, balancing calorie intake with movement - these are what allow you to sustain your new bangin' body composition once you get there. Basically, you'll never just be able to eat crappy food constantly and be fit. So while you don't have to constantly be dieting - you do need to implement the healthy behaviors you've learned to sustain your results. 2. Energy Balance  Basically:
-When you eat FEWER calories than you burn in a day, you lose weight. -When you eat More calories than you burn in a day, you gain weight. ^This is how ALL diets work. They're simply different ways of getting you to eat less. For everything else you could possibly want to know about energy balance, check out last week's email. 3. Macronutrients All your foods are made up of some combination (or at least one) of these “macros”. Your macro intake can have a pretty big impact on your body composition, but it does NOT overrule energy balance. Calories in - calories out is still the most important factor. The calories per gram varies a bit by macro: *Protein: 1 gram of protein contains ~4 calories *Carbohydrates: 1 gram of carbohydrate contains ~4 calories *Fat: 1 gram of fat contains ~9 calories *Ethanol (alcohol): 1 gram of pure ethanol contains ~7 calories Protein Keeping protein high is crucial to building a great body, BECAUSE:
2. Carbs: 5-10% of calories consumed are burned via TEF 3. Fat: 0-3% of calories consumed are burned via TEF When you eat more protein, you're actually increasing the Calories outside of the energy balance equation, since you're burning more calories via TEF.
Fat
Well - no. You can absolutely drink and still hit your fat loss goals. Seriously, don't feel like you need to give up your social life entirely to get in great shape. Now, your body views alcohol as a toxin. So priority one for your body after drinking is getting the alcohol out of your system A.S.A.P. To be more efficient at this, the body shuts down other processes to clear the system faster. Processes like: Oxidation of fat, hormone production, muscle tissue repair, etc. Basically, when you drink, your results (losing body fat, building muscle) stop until your body clears the alcohol. All that being said, fat loss still comes down to creating a calorie deficit. So no need to be afraid of alcohol. To work alcohol into your daily intake: *If you're tracking: swap preferably fat, and then carb calories for macros. -For fat: divide the total calories in your drink by 9. The resulting number is the grams of fat to subtract from your daily intake. -For carbs: divide the total calories in your drink by 4. The resulting number is the grams of carbs to subtract from your daily intake. Basically, always keep your protein higher. Carbs and fats are going to have to take a hit. Try to keep carbs as high as possible, as long as possible. Don't let fat drop below 15% of your total calorie intake. 4. Micronutrients Ok - so this could get really boring. I'm not going to hit you with an exhaustive list of vitamins and minerals. We'll just cover the essentials quickly. You've probably heard the term nutrient-dense foods. Nutrient-dense foods are simply foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are key to overall health, gym performance, and even your mental state. Typically whole or minimally processed foods are nutrient-dense foods. Think - anything that comes from the earth OR lives on the earth. Meats, veggies, fruit, etc. On the other hand, highly processed foods typically contain very few nutrients. Think - Food that's produced in a factory. Typically a very long ingredient list. Now, the five most common micronutrient deficiencies are:
As far as fruits and veggies - a good rule of thumbs is to eat one serving of fruits and veggies for every 500 calories you consume. So how important is food quality? Here's the thing - you could eat only Twinkies and lose weight, as long as you maintained a calorie deficit. For real. The professor in THIS STUDY ate strictly Twinkies and the like for 10 weeks. Dude lost 27 LBs, while eating strictly highly-processed, sugar-laden foods. All he did was maintain a calorie deficit. Now, do I recommend this approach? Absolutely not. Your health will be awful. You need adequate intake of the nutrients whole foods provide to feel good, perform in the gym, and function properly. Plus, while dieting, you have to deal with being hungry often. Highly-processed foods are literally engineered to make you want to eat more. They're "hyper-palatable". Not ideal when the goal is to eat less. Eating mostly unprocessed, whole foods will keep you full longer. Whole foods typically have more volume per calorie (you get more "bang for your buck" as far as satiety per calorie goes). They also generally contain more fiber, which also increases satiety. So does your diet have to be strictly chicken breasts and tilapia? No way. But - making 80-90%of your diet whole foods will make the process much easier, and you'll feel better throughout. From there, you're free to enjoy the other 10-20% of your calorie intake from whatever your heart desires (as long as you work it into your food intake goals) without any negative effects on your results OR your health. 5. Meal/Nutrient Timing How many times have you heard: "You HAVE TO eat six meals a day to lose weight." ^This is super not true. The thinking behind this myth was - due to TEF, you burn more calories (via digestion) when you're eating. So eating more often means you're burning more calories. Thing is - on average, TEF is about 10% of the calories you intake. 10% of a larger meal, or a smaller meal. Whether you eat 2,000 calories in 4 different 500 calorie meals, or in 2 different 1,000 calories makes no difference. TEF at the end of the day will still be 10% of 2,000 calories. So does meal timing/number of meals matter at all? Well, yes. It CAN make a difference. Just be sure to prioritize. All the stuff we've talked about previous to this makes MUCH more difference for your body composition. Treat it as such. A few things to consider:
The most important thing - finding the meal frequency that is easiest for you to adhere to. (Anecdotally, clients usually do best with 3-4 per day.) 6. Supplements “Get ripped in two weeks with the SuperShred-69 fat burner!... And don’t forget to use my promo code.” -J. Swollzz, Instagram Fitness Model Most everyone has tried some type of fat burner, detox, etc. expecting dramatic results...and…..nothing. The problem is, the supplement industry is crazy good at selling on the idea that “the thing” is out there somewhere. You know, "the thing" that’s finally gonna get you the body you want, without having to put in years of hard work and consistency. "The thing" doesn't exist. Truth is, most legal supplements do little to nothing. That's why they're way up here, at the top of the pyramid. Are any supplements worth the money? *A Note On Proprietary Blends: Supplement labels often include “proprietary blends”. This allows for the total amount of ingredients in the blend to be listed, while leaving the exact amount of each individual ingredient unspecified. Taking supplements containing proprietary blends is much more likely to be a health hazard. Finally, do your own research. The following is purely informative, not a recommendation. It’s up to you to determine if a supplement is safe to take. That being said, a few supplements do have merit. Creatine Monohydrate Creatine is an extremely well researched supplement, with the most effective form being creatine monohydrate. Our bodies use creatine phosphate as a fuel source for the first few seconds of intense or explosive movement/exercise. Think of supplementing with creatine as “topping off the tank”. It allows you to maintain high-intensity exercise for slightly longer. This means an increase in strength, and overall workload you’re able to handle in the gym, equating to building more muscle. That being said, the effects of creatine are far from “steroid-like”, but it is a proven supplement to aid building muscle and strength. 3-5 grams/day will do the trick. Caffeine We’re all well-versed in/potentially addicted to this one. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. Although considered a psychoactive drug, its use is extremely common and mostly unregulated. Of all the supplements on this list, caffeine has by far the most noticeable effects. Not only does caffeine boost mood, alertness and mental clarity, it also has some real benefits to your workouts. Research shows that caffeine decreases perceived effort, increases power output, and improves endurance. Not that you needed an excuse for more caffeine, but it’s a real performance booster. Just keep your intake reasonable. Ideally less than 400mg per day. Protein Powders If you’re able to hit your daily protein requirements entirely from whole foods, there’s no need to use a protein powder. Protein powders are lacking many of the micronutrients that quality, whole food protein sources will have. But, if you’re struggling to meet your daily protein requirements, supplementing with a protein powder can be helpful. Whey protein and casein proteins have the best amino acid profiles of available protein powders. They're the easiest for your body to absorb and use. It’s debatable which is superior. The body digests whey protein quicker than casein protein. Whey and casein protein are derivatives of milk. So if animal products are a no-go for you: pea or rice proteins have the best amino acid profiles. Multi-Vitamin Getting all of your micronutrients from whole foods is ideal. Ideal, but not always realistic. Taking a multivitamin is a good way to ensure your daily micronutrient needs are met. Vitamin D We obtain vitamin D naturally through food and sunlight. The issue? Most of us don’t get enough time in the sun, and the amount of vitamin D is negligible in most foods outside of fatty fish. As a result, vitamin D deficiency is extremely common Taking a vitamin D or Cod liver oil supplement can be extremely helpful in preventing this deficiency. The typical recommended dose is 1,000-2,000 IU per day EPA And DHA (Fish Oil) EPA and DHA are essential fatty acids. Now, if you eat fatty fish 2+ times per week, you're good on these. If not, a fish oil supplement can help. Typically, 1-2g EPA + DHA per day is advised. Again, supplements are the LEAST important factor. You'll rarely see any noticeable difference from taking a supplement. So don’t get caught up in the minutiae of things like supplements, and forget to focus on the things that really make a difference when it comes to changing your body. Ok, got all that? A quick summary: Week Three: The Nutrition Hierarchy 1. Finding a diet you can adhere to and learn sustainable behaviors from is by far the most important factor. 2. You must have a negative energy balance for weight loss. You need a positive energy balance for weight gain. 3. Adequate protein is super important. Carbs and fat intake can be geared towards what is easiest for you to adhere to. 4. 80-90% of your food intake should come from whole foods. 5. Meal timing doesn't matter all that much if you don't have 1-4 dialed in. Eating 3-5 meals per day is slightly more ideal. The most important factor is finding a meal frequency that fits your lifestyle. 6. Supplements typically make little to no difference. A few will help you hit your nutrient needs, and/or slightly improve gym performance. Hit comment with any questions! - Coach Kayli Blog Post by Coach Kayli NCI Certified Level 1 Nutrition Coach, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, Woman's and Gut Health Specialist Calculating your calorie needs can be a bit complicated because you have to factor in a number of variables, including your weight, height, age, gender and activity level. But you can get a ballpark estimate using this simple formula:
And of course, the type of calories you’ll be eating matters, too. Focus on plenty of produce and lean protein (fish and seafood, skinless chicken, lean meat, beans, and lentils), and enjoy moderate amounts of whole grains and healthy fats. Now if you are seeking to build muscle your simple formula would look like this:
You can do this! What you do 80% of the time… …is more important than what you do the other 20% of the time. Consistency > Perfection. every.single.time. I believe the most important thing when approaching ANY holiday is to go in with a plan that you'll be happy with at the end of the day. If you plan not to track a single thing and eat whatever for the day, that's awesome, as long as you will feel good about that choice. If you plan to track the best you can while enjoying time with friends and family, that's great, as long as you will feel good about that choice. The key is to be intentional with how you choose to approach a holiday (or any event, for that matter). And then define what success will look like for the day... Because when you go in with a plan, you create awareness and ownership of your goals for the day, and you're less likely to shift into the habits you're working to change. After the holiday celebration, I highly suggest you reflect on your day and ask yourself what worked, what didn't, and what lessons you can walk away with for the future (remember, there's no failure, only feedback). That being said, I am ALWAYS up for sharing tips to help you succeed on your journey... >>> Click Here For My 8 Fav Holiday Success Tips <<< And one last thing before I go...one of the more frequent questions I'm asked around the holidays is how to track alcohol. If that's a question you've also wondered, check out the free guide I created that will show you how to log your alcohol intake! Click the button below to grab it. Lots of people looking to improve their eating think meal plans are the answer. The only problem? Meal plans usually suck… and they rarely last. So, instead, check out these 6 ways to transform any diet in a sustainable way. “Do I get a meal plan?”This is the most common question we get from folks who are considering, or just started out in, our nutrition coaching programs. The answer: No, we don’t do meal plans. But we can’t blame people for asking. Sure, meal plans have long been a staple of the fitness and nutrition industry. Coaches are taught to create them. Clients are taught to expect them. Unfortunately… Most of the time, meal plans don’t work.You see, traditional meal plans are explicit prescriptions. Eat this exact thing, in this exact amount, at this exact time. For example, you’ll often see: Breakfast – 7:30am 3 eggs, scrambled 1 cup vegetables 1 piece whole grain toast 1 cup coffee 1 glass water Morning snack – 10:00am 1 protein bar 1 handful mixed nuts Lunch – 12:30pm 4 oz chicken 2 cups salad 1 handful seeds 1 glass water After exercise – 4:30pm 1 scoop whey protein 1/2 cup frozen fruit 2 omega 3 capsules 12 oz water Dinner – 7:00pm 4 oz steak 1 cup cooked veggies 1 baked potato 1 glass water You might be thinking, “Good! I want a plan. I’m sick of trying to figure all this stuff out! Just tell me what to eat!” Unfortunately, when we try to follow rigid prescriptions like this, lots can (and often does) go wrong. For example: Scenario 1: You just don’t stick to the plan.No matter how enthusiastic you are, meal plans can be tough to follow. This is normal. Life can get in the way.
This is also normal. Unfortunately, it means you might not get the results you hope for. For instance, a meal plan you hoped would help you lose weight could actually encourage you to gain weight instead. Scenario 2: You follow the plan perfectly.In fact, you follow it too well and for too long. Most meal plans are meant to be temporary. They’re designed to help a person get to a specific short-term goal, like dropping a few extra pounds before a wedding, learning to manage blood sugar, or cutting weight for an athletic competition. Our bodies can usually adapt to a rigid way of eating for a short period of time. But if you’re too strict for too long, you could wind up with disordered eating habits and lasting health (mental, metabolic, hormonal, etc) consequences. Scenario 3: You follow the plan for a little while but it sucks.It isn’t sustainable. It doesn’t make you feel better. It doesn’t keep you sane. Maybe you see some short-term results (or not). But you hate living and eating this way. You never want to see another stupid piece of lettuce or 4 ounces of chicken. Eventually, you get so turned off by the process that you regress or quit altogether. You conclude that “eating healthy” sucks. And you miss your big chance to learn how to make healthier, more enjoyable, more lasting and real changes. Another reason meal plans fail.One of the biggest (yet generally unacknowledged) problems with traditional meal plans is their focus on “nutrients”. Real people don’t eat “nutrients”. We eat food.We eat meals, often with other people. We eat meals that match our cultural background and social interests. And we rarely measure things precisely. Sure, sometimes an explicit prescription is necessary.For instance, professional athletes or bodybuilders (in other words, people who make money off their bodies and athletic skills) use meal plans to prepare for training and competition. A prescribed meal for someone in that situation might look something like this:
Instead, we eat foods like:
You don’t need to weigh and measure everything, or count out your almonds. Ask yourself: “Is someone paying me to do this?” If the answer is no, you likely don’t need this kind of approach. You just need to think about what you’re already eating, and how you could make it a little bit better. This means fiddling and adjusting. Making small changes and improvements to what you already normally eat and enjoy, one small step at a time. Think about a spectrum of food quality rather than “bad” or “good” foods. Welcome to the meal transformation game.When you play with the idea of a food spectrum or food continuum, you get to experiment with variables like:
In which situations is that easier or harder? When your choices are limited (for instance, when you’re traveling, or eating at a workplace cafeteria), how can you shoot for “a little bit better” while still being realistic, and without trying to be “perfect”? Let’s transform breakfast, lunch, and dinner.Here’s how that “food spectrum” might look in daily life, with a sample day of eating. Transforming breakfastStage 1 Let’s say that your go-to breakfast is a whipped-cream coffee drink and a chocolate croissant. You pick it up in the drive-thru, and wolf it down on your way to work. This is your starting point. It’s not “bad”. It’s just no longer working for you. You’re getting indigestion from rushing, the croissant doesn’t hold you at all, and you’ve just spilled the coffee on your crotch while changing lanes. Now your game is to improve your breakfast just a little bit, starting with what you already have or do. Stage 2 Your opening moves in the meal transformation game:
But this is a solid start. Well done. Stage 3 Next level of game play:
No problem. We’re keeping it real. Stage 4 Now you are seriously playing like a pro.
Transforming lunchStage 1 At this point, starting out, the idea of a sit-down lunch feels flat out ridiculous. “Eat slowly? Who has time for that during a busy workday? Grab a burger and go!” Another “car dashboard” meal. Another stomach ache and regret. You decide you might want to play with this meal too. Stage 2 To improve this meal a little bit:
Stage 3 At this stage, you’re doing a little prep work:
You still grab a diet cola from the vending machine to wash it down. You move from your desk to the lunchroom, where you socialize with co-workers. This slows you down a bit and helps you digest and relax. Stage 4 You’re having the burger without the bun, alongside a nice pre-prepped salad. Instead of staying at your desk or in the office, you take a break. You sit outside and get some fresh air while you enjoy your meal. For a drink, water’s all you need. Transforming dinnerStage 1 It’s 8pm. You’ve just gotten home after an insane day at work. All you want to do is put food into your face and zone out in front of the TV. You can’t even imagine making anything more complicated than boxed macaroni ‘n’ cheese right now. Ketchup and hot dogs are as fancy as it gets. Stage 2 Same concept, but:
Stage 3 Things are getting fancy.
Stage 4 Again, we’re playing at pro level here. With your meal planning and prep strategies, even a weeknight dinner looks good.
Meal transformation is not about reaching perfection.If you’re at stage 1, all you have to do is shoot for stage 2. Or stage 1.5. If you’re in stage 2, play with getting to stage 3. And if you’re stage 3, heck, you can stay where you are. You might never get to stage 4. Or it might only happen at times when you’re relaxed and have a little extra time. Stage 4 might only happen on Sunday night, whereas the rest of your week is a mix of stages 1, 2, and — if you’re super lucky — 3. And that’s OK. How far you progress along the continuum all depends on what YOU want, what YOU need, and what YOU can reasonably do, right now. Over time, things can change. Play YOUR game. Success secret: Have a food prep ritual.You might look at these photos and think, “How can people possibly do all that?” One success secret: Having a food prep ritual. The idea is simple: Practice planning and preparing healthy food in advance. This makes healthy eating convenient and easy. It also makes decisions easier: You don’t have to make a choice when you’re rushed and hangry. Your food prep ritual can include:
Experiment with systems, skills and strategies that work for YOU and YOUR life. The real goal of a meal plan is to stop using a meal plan.Fit, healthy people who have a good relationship with food don’t need other people to tell them exactly what to eat at all times. Living a fit and healthy life doesn’t require perfection, either. If you are using a meal plan:That’s OK. Some people like prescription, especially if they are working towards a specific short-term goal, like cutting weight to compete in wrestling, making sure they get enough nutrients to support a healthy pregnancy, or fueling their triathlon performance. Keep it short-lived. Meal plans are supposed to be temporary, working towards a short-term goal. Keep it real. As much as possible, try to make the meal plan fit your real life, not the other way around. If you’re a parent, a worker, a student, or anyone else living in the real world, most of your meals will fall somewhere in the stages 1 through 3 spectrum. That’s perfectly OK. Just experiment with being a little bit better, wherever you can. Remember all goals require trade-offs. If you want to achieve a high level of performance or exceptional body composition, understand what you are prioritizing and sacrificing. Getting very lean, for instance, comes with costs. Make sure it’s working for you. If your meal plan is making you feel:
…and if you find that meal plans result in you:
What to do next1. Consider where you sit on the spectrum of meal “stages”.Where’s your food game at? What level are you playing at? What level would you like to play at? Given your goals and your current situation, what is realistic? For example, if you currently eat at stage 1, your goal might be to eat at stage 2 for most meals. Or, if you eat at stage 3 most of the time but find yourself dipping into stage 1 or 2 meals more often than you’d like, aim to stay at stage 3 a little more consistently. 2. Start small. One step at a time.Pick one meal to transform and focus on that. For instance, you might leave all your other meals at stage 1, and focus on getting lunch to stage 2. Concentrate on improving that one meal each day. Using the examples above, you might think about things like:
Try just fiddling with one or two, and see which ones work best for you. 3. Add things slowly.Once you’ve improved one meal a day, try another. If you feel like lunch is a solid stage 2 or 3, play with moving breakfast, dinner, or snacks along the spectrum. Or, once you’ve improved one factor in a meal (e.g. adding more protein), try another. For instance, if you’re getting more protein, now try switching out your sugary soda for some soda water. Or adding a little more veggies. Be patient; small steps add up. 4. Set yourself up for success.Notice what makes it easier and simpler for you to eat better. Then figure out how to do or get more of that. For instance:
5. Enjoy your meals.Meal plans don’t usually address how you eat. Before you change what you eat, you can also try changing how you eat. For example, you could:
Meal time is YOUR time. 6. Work towards being your own boss.Sometimes you might just want someone to tell you what to do. That’s fine, and helpful, especially if you’re juggling a lot. But only for a while. Over time, look for ways to help yourself intuitively and wisely make better choices, rather than just following the rules. Think long-term. What do you want to happen over the next few months? Year? 10 years? Do you want to be on a meal plan for the next few decades? Today, if you were to take one small step towards the “better” end of the meal spectrum, what might that look like? How can you start playing the “meal transformation game” today? - Kayli Montoya-Huston   Again - the stuff on the bottom of the pyramid is the most important stuff. As you make your way up the pyramid, you get less and less meaningful impact per time invested.
1. Sustainability And Adherence The most important thing about your diet? It has to be something you can stick to. Even with fast weight loss, you'll still be dieting for quite some time. If your diet isn't something you can stick to for at least a few months, you won't be able to get results. When I first started coaching, I gave all my clients macros - based on my own success with tracking. What happened? Hardly anyone could stick to their diets. This is exactly why we spend so much time initially talking about your lifestyle, and what diet structure will work best for you currently. That's how we create a diet easy for you to adhere to. Now, our goal is NOT to keep you dieting for the rest of your life - so you don't have to be able to see yourself doing this for years... but it has to be maintainable for the course of the diet (typically 3-6 months). So really, after the diet is over is when sustainability comes into play. The habits you've learned - eat protein at every meal, prepping ahead, focusing on high-volume foods, balancing calorie intake with movement - these are what allow you to sustain your new bangin' body composition once you get there. Basically, you'll never just be able to eat crappy food constantly and be fit. So while you don't have to constantly be dieting - you do need to implement the healthy behaviors you've learned to sustain your results. 2. Energy Balance -When you eat FEWER calories than you burn in a day, you lose weight. -When you eat More calories than you burn in a day, you gain weight. ^This is how ALL diets work. They're simply different ways of getting you to eat less. For everything else you could possibly want to know about energy balance, check out last week's email. 3. Macronutrients All your foods are made up of some combination (or at least one) of these “macros”. our macro intake can have a pretty big impact on your body composition, but it does NOT overrule energy balance. Calories in - calories out is still the most important factor. The calories per gram varies a bit by macro: *Protein: 1 gram of protein contains ~4 calories *Carbohydrates: 1 gram of carbohydrate contains ~4 calories *Fat: 1 gram of fat contains ~9 calories *Ethanol (alcohol): 1 gram of pure ethanol contains ~7 calories Protein Keeping protein high is crucial to building a great body, BECAUSE:
2. Carbs: 5-10% of calories consumed are burned via TEF 3. Fat: 0-3% of calories consumed are burned via TEF When you eat more protein, you're actually increasing the Calories outside of the energy balance equation, since you're burning more calories via TEF.
Outside of controlling energy balance, increasing protein intake to .8-1 grams/lb of bodyweight daily is likely the most impactful thing you can do to improve body composition. (Although you're good to take protein higher than this, there are no added benefits. So no need to go over the top.) Fat
Carbs
Ethanol/Alcohol
This begs the question: Does drinking kill fat loss? Well - no. You can absolutely drink and still hit your fat loss goals. Seriously, don't feel like you need to give up your social life entirely to get in great shape. Now, your body views alcohol as a toxin. So priority one for your body after drinking is getting the alcohol out of your system A.S.A.P. To be more efficient at this, the body shuts down other processes to clear the system faster. Processes like: Oxidation of fat, hormone production, muscle tissue repair, etc. Basically, when you drink, your results (losing body fat, building muscle) stop until your body clears the alcohol. All that being said, fat loss still comes down to creating a calorie deficit. So no need to be afraid of alcohol. To work alcohol into your daily intake: *If you're tracking: swap preferably fat, and then carb calories for macros. -For fat: divide the total calories in your drink by 9. The resulting number is the grams of fat to subtract from your daily intake. -For carbs: divide the total calories in your drink by 4. The resulting number is the grams of carbs to subtract from your daily intake. Basically, always keep your protein higher. Carbs and fats are going to have to take a hit. Try to keep carbs as high as possible, as long as possible. Don't let fat drop below 15% of your total calorie intake. 4. Micronutrients Ok - so this could get really boring. I'm not going to hit you with an exhaustive list of vitamins and minerals. We'll just cover the essentials quickly. You've probably heard the term nutrient-dense foods. Nutrient-dense foods are simply foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals. These nutrients are key to overall health, gym performance, and even your mental state. Typically whole or minimally processed foods are nutrient-dense foods. Think - anything that comes from the earth OR lives on the earth. Meats, veggies, fruit, etc. On the other hand, highly processed foods typically contain very few nutrients. Think - Food that's produced in a factory. Typically a very long ingredient list. Now, the five most common micronutrient deficiencies are:
^A diet with a good variety of whole foods should cover all your bases here. Consuming dairy, red meat, and getting regular sun exposure will keep you on point. As far as fruits and veggies - a good rule of thumbs is to eat one serving of fruits and veggies for every 500 calories you consume. So how important is food quality? Here's the thing - you could eat only Twinkies and lose weight, as long as you maintained a calorie deficit. For real. The professor in THIS STUDY ate strictly Twinkies and the like for 10 weeks. Dude lost 27 LBs, while eating strictly highly-processed, sugar-laden foods. All he did was maintain a calorie deficit. Now, do I recommend this approach? Absolutely not. Your health will be awful. You need adequate intake of the nutrients whole foods provide to feel good, perform in the gym, and function properly. Plus, while dieting, you have to deal with being hungry often. Highly-processed foods are literally engineered to make you want to eat more. They're "hyper-palatable". Not ideal when the goal is to eat less. Eating mostly unprocessed, whole foods will keep you full longer. Whole foods typically have more volume per calorie (you get more "bang for your buck" as far as satiety per calorie goes). They also generally contain more fiber, which also increases satiety. So does your diet have to be strictly chicken breasts and tilapia? No way. But - making 80-90%of your diet whole foods will make the process much easier, and you'll feel better throughout. From there, you're free to enjoy the other 10-20% of your calorie intake from whatever your heart desires (as long as you work it into your food intake goals) without any negative effects on your results OR your health. 5. Meal/Nutrient Timing How many times have you heard: "You HAVE TO eat six meals a day to lose weight." ^This is super not true. The thinking behind this myth was - due to TEF, you burn more calories (via digestion) when you're eating. So eating more often means you're burning more calories. Thing is - on average, TEF is about 10% of the calories you intake. 10% of a larger meal, or a smaller meal. Whether you eat 2,000 calories in 4 different 500 calorie meals, or in 2 different 1,000 calories makes no difference. TEF at the end of the day will still be 10% of 2,000 calories. So does meal timing/number of meals matter at all? Well, yes. It CAN make a difference. Just be sure to prioritize. All the stuff we've talked about previous to this makes MUCH more difference for your body composition. Treat it as such. A few things to consider:
The most important thing - finding the meal frequency that is easiest for you to adhere to. (Anecdotally, clients usually do best with 3-4 per day.) 6. Supplements “Get ripped in two weeks with the SuperShred-69 fat burner!... And don’t forget to use my promo code.” -J. Swollzz, Instagram Fitness Model Most everyone has tried some type of fat burner, detox, etc. expecting dramatic results...and…..nothing. The problem is, the supplement industry is crazy good at selling on the idea that “the thing” is out there somewhere. You know, "the thing" that’s finally gonna get you the body you want, without having to put in years of hard work and consistency. "The thing" doesn't exist. Truth is, most legal supplements do little to nothing. That's why they're way up here, at the top of the pyramid. Are any supplements worth the money? *A Note On Proprietary Blends: Supplement labels often include “proprietary blends”. This allows for the total amount of ingredients in the blend to be listed, while leaving the exact amount of each individual ingredient unspecified. Taking supplements containing proprietary blends is much more likely to be a health hazard. Finally, do your own research. The following is purely informative, not a recommendation. It’s up to you to determine if a supplement is safe to take. That being said, a few supplements do have merit. Creatine Monohydrate Creatine is an extremely well researched supplement, with the most effective form being creatine monohydrate. Our bodies use creatine phosphate as a fuel source for the first few seconds of intense or explosive movement/exercise. Think of supplementing with creatine as “topping off the tank”. It allows you to maintain high-intensity exercise for slightly longer. This means an increase in strength, and overall workload you’re able to handle in the gym, equating to building more muscle. That being said, the effects of creatine are far from “steroid-like”, but it is a proven supplement to aid building muscle and strength. 3-5 grams/day will do the trick. Caffeine We’re all well-versed in/potentially addicted to this one. Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. Although considered a psychoactive drug, its use is extremely common and mostly unregulated. Of all the supplements on this list, caffeine has by far the most noticeable effects. Not only does caffeine boost mood, alertness and mental clarity, it also has some real benefits to your workouts. Research shows that caffeine decreases perceived effort, increases power output, and improves endurance. Not that you needed an excuse for more caffeine, but it’s a real performance booster. Just keep your intake reasonable. Ideally less than 400mg per day. Protein Powders If you’re able to hit your daily protein requirements entirely from whole foods, there’s no need to use a protein powder. Protein powders are lacking many of the micronutrients that quality, whole food protein sources will have. But, if you’re struggling to meet your daily protein requirements, supplementing with a protein powder can be helpful. Whey protein and casein proteins have the best amino acid profiles of available protein powders. They're the easiest for your body to absorb and use. It’s debatable which is superior. The body digests whey protein quicker than casein protein. Whey and casein protein are derivatives of milk. So if animal products are a no-go for you: pea or rice proteins have the best amino acid profiles. Multi-Vitamin Getting all of your micronutrients from whole foods is ideal. Ideal, but not always realistic. Taking a multivitamin is a good way to ensure your daily micronutrient needs are met. Vitamin D We obtain vitamin D naturally through food and sunlight. The issue? Most of us don’t get enough time in the sun, and the amount of vitamin D is negligible in most foods outside of fatty fish. As a result, vitamin D deficiency is extremely common Taking a vitamin D or Cod liver oil supplement can be extremely helpful in preventing this deficiency. The typical recommended dose is 1,000-2,000 IU per day EPA And DHA (Fish Oil) EPA and DHA are essential fatty acids. Now, if you eat fatty fish 2+ times per week, you're good on these. If not, a fish oil supplement can help. Typically, 1-2g EPA + DHA per day is advised. Again, supplements are the LEAST important factor. You'll rarely see any noticeable difference from taking a supplement. So don’t get caught up in the minutiae of things like supplements, and forget to focus on the things that really make a difference when it comes to changing your body. Ok, got all that? A quick summary: The Nutrition Hierarchy 1. Finding a diet you can adhere to and learn sustainable behaviors from is by far the most important factor. 2. You must have a negative energy balance for weight loss. You need a positive energy balance for weight gain. 3. Adequate protein is super important. Carbs and fat intake can be geared towards what is easiest for you to adhere to. 4. 80-90% of your food intake should come from whole foods. 5. Meal timing doesn't matter all that much if you don't have 1-4 dialed in. Eating 3-5 meals per day is slightly more ideal. The most important factor is finding a meal frequency that fits your lifestyle. 6. Supplements typically make little to no difference. A few will help you hit your nutrient needs, and/or slightly improve gym performance. Any questions?? Feel free to shoot me comment below or send me an email @ [email protected]. - Coach Kayli |
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