Nutrition Strategies From the Ground Up

FUNDAMENTAL Nutrition Strategies

If you've tried going "all in" on your nutrition, and aren't currently experiencing the results that drove you to that, keep reading.

One of the biggest mistakes I see in the nutrition/weight loss industry is people starting with a MUCH more complex strategy than they can maintain (and honestly than is necessary for the results they want).

Don't have the patience to build from the ground up? That's fine! But you don't get to complain if month after month and year after year you continue jumping in and out of trends and diets.

Understanding & Quality

Many people sabotage themselves from the beginning by skipping over the importance of food quality.

YES, calories in and calorgies out will dictate weight loss or gain, but the vitamins and minerals that make up food can impact fact loss, hunger/appetite, energy, sleep, immune health, digestion, and hormone health.

This is often why you'll see people who switch to a "whole-foods based" strategy initially lose weight without tracking or counting any calories (and alternatively why progress can appear to stall with a macros-only approach).

Three to Four Meals Per Day

Skipping meals on the regular? Don't even have a somewhat regular eating schedule?

Start incorporating three to four consistent meals per day, and don't overthink what's in them.

This will start helping regular your appetite, blood sugar, energy, and lay a foundation to incorporate more specificity in the future.

Three to Four Hand Guide Meals Per Day

Protein: One to two palms
Veggies: One to two fists
Starch: One to two hands
Fat: One to two thumbs

Once you've set up your life and systems to eat three to four times per day then the next biggest hammer is rounding out those meal proportions.

You may be surprised to hear this, but many people don't need to go further than this step to achieve sustainable weight management and life balance.

Logging for Data

Here's another step many people skip...logging for DATA. Often, we have people skip straight to aiming for targets without seeing HOW they are going to hit them, or what they're currently doing (which has implications on initial targets).

If you have no idea how carbohydrate-dense rice is versus fruit or the difference between beans and chicken breast, how on earth are you going to take 125p/200c/70f and translate it to the food on your plate multiple times per day, every day?

Logging for Targets

Logging for targets is an extremely effective tool as goals get more specific - i.e. not randomly or for unspecified periods of time or without purpose.

And by specific, I mean targeting a lower body fat percentage, wanting to speed up the fat/mass process or dial in certain nutrients such a protein, fiber, etc.

Targeted Nutrition Strategies (Fasting, Keto, etc.)

Unless you have a specialist, dietician, or doctor showing you exactly how (and why) to use these strategies, at best it could "work" simply by putting you in a caloric deficit.

At worst, you can negatively impact your health and require more time and intentional effort to undo the effects.

It also bears mentioning that these specific strategies can waste a lot of your time and bandwidth if your goal is to lose weight or fat.

If something can be accomplished using the least complex means possible... USE THE LEAST COMPLEX MEANS POSSIBLE.