Healthy Eating
Here are my thoughts on nutrition
For most people, they’re just trying to lose some extra weight, trying to eat a bit healthier, not really trying to fine-tune and get down to “competition” levels of body fat. So, really, it’s easier than people often make it. I’m not a doctor or registered dietitian, so please take my advise as it is intended: general nutritional advice. For anything further, please consult a professional. Now let’s talk about eating healthy!
I love food
FOOD. Food of all kinds. Including food that’s “bad” for you. I’m not really willing to cut out all of that, so I try to eat good foods, in moderation, and I allow myself some of the bad stuff, when I’m really wanting it. SUE ME! Not really, don’t do that. But you know what I mean. I know I could stand to cut out more sugar, eat more veggies and fruit, but I do what I can. I’m only human!
For most people, I have found that they’re not quite aware of just how much they’re actually eating. I sometimes do that, too! Some just have no idea, and that’s fine. Others think they don’t eat much, but they eat more, or more calories, than they think. For both types of people, starting out with eating less or eating less sugar, less “bad” foods, and adding more veggies is a great start to healthy eating. That might even be enough to lose the excess weight they’re after. For goals beyond that, they would need a more detailed nutritional analysis and diet.
Macros
So, to the nitty gritty, if you’re into that sorta thing. There are certain things that you should eat that create a healthy diet. The big ones are protein (10-15% of your diet), carbohydrates (45-65%, up to 70% if very active), and fats (20-35%). These are the “macros” that people are often talking about. Some people get really detailed in the amount of macros necessary for their body type, training style and intensity, and goal.
In general, you need more carbs than the rest in order to function, then protein, and less fat, but all are important. You can’t completely cut one group from your diet without serious consequences, and protein is the only one of the three that you absolutely cannot survive without.
Looking to lose weight? The general idea is to maintain a negative energy balance. This means, less calories coming in than being burned. While you’re reading good info, check out my post on spot reduction and why you really can’t just lose fat from one part of your body. Looking to gain muscle? You may need to increase the amount of calories you’re taking in, protein you’re consuming, or both.
Different diet examples
One diet (well, more like a lifestyle change) getting a lot of press is intermittent fasting. The idea behind this is that you either fast for a day here and there, or, typically, follow some sort of routine like a 16:8 plan where you fast for 16 hours and limit your eating time to only 8 hours a day. This could be where you begin eating at 10AM and eat what you want until 6PM and nothing after that. By limiting your eating window, people typically eat less calories because it’s harder to fit in your usual amount in a smaller window. There are other processes that occur within the body that are beneficial, but it’s not for everyone, and anyone who thinks about trying it should research and talk with their doctor first.
The 80/20 diet is where you eat “clean” 80 percent of the time while allowing yourself some leeway for 20 percent of the time. This is a good one to follow because it’s not very restrictive and you allow yourself some indulgence without going crazy. I personally follow a blend of these two “diets” that are really lifestyles, while not getting too restrictive with it.
Lately, I’ve seen a lot of people on higher protein diets, and protein is very important when trying to maintain or gain muscle, and especially important in older people to combat any muscle loss. Eating more protein isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it can be depending on your needs. Some people may need more fats or, especially, carbs to keep going. Others may already get a lot of protein in their diet and don’t need to add anymore. Some may even have conditions where higher protein may be dangerous. If you have impaired renal function, low calcium intake, or low fluid intake, higher protein may be a problem for you.
My point is, everyone is different, so don’t try to follow any one diet to the letter without first consulting a doctor or nutritionist.
Keep track of what you eat for a while
One app that can help is MyFitnessPal. With this, you can keep a detailed journal of your food intake to get a good idea of what you’re eating, how many calories, and how much of each macro you’re getting. It’s not exact, but it gives you an idea, somewhere to start and something to kind of follow. I can also help you get in touch with a registered dietitian for more a detailed analysis and advice and healthy eating for as an individual.
What’s cool about the app and ones like it is that you can start typing what food you ate, and they have a database of so many foods that you can pick what you ate and they have the nutrition information there to add up as you go through the day.
Tips
Some key tips are to not try to make too many changes at once. Too much change, too quickly, can be overwhelming. Some people need that jolt—the clean break—and thrive on it, but that may not be the case for you. Try one at a time first, then go from there.
But honestly? Life is too short to diet it away. You need to keep everything in perspective, eat the foods you like, but keep the “bad” foods to a minimum. You like ice cream? Eat a serving and put it away. Don’t eat it every night. If you follow those ideas, chances are, you’ll find yourself happier with your body and in general. But don’t beat yourself up! If you make a mistake and have a bad eating day, put it behind you and stick to your plan the next day. If you can eat well most of the time, that will give you results.
What I can do for you
I will help educate you on nutrition and healthy eating in general, and support you by way of giving you healthy meal ideas, lending an ear, and offering different advice. I can help you figure out a way to eat better most of the time that will fit your needs and your lifestyle. There are so many options! I will not offer individualized meal plans, because I believe your diet should be something that is more of a lifestyle than a “diet.” Your diet should be something that you will stick to, and that’s basically making healthy choices while not depriving yourself of the things you enjoy.
You can do this! And I’m here to help.