Nutrition - As Simple As Possible

It is the middle of May and for most people who started the year out with grand plans of finally getting their nutrition under control, it probably fell by the wayside sometime ago.  As the winter months wore on, the motivation to say on track probably fell away into the dark days and rain soaked months.  Now the sun is out and the bulky clothes of winter are slowly being replaced with sleeveless shirts and short shorts.  It’s almost bikini season ladies and gentlemen.  Lets get those itty bitty’s out and get ready for some northwest summer days.  

There really is no secret to nutrition.  It can be pretty simple as long as it stays consistent.  Most of the time people get frustrated with the little steps.  If you are always chasing one crash diet after the next and haven’t gotten the long term results that you wanted, it’s the wrong chase for you.  My nutrition certification is through Precision Nutrition and is a habit based nutrition.  This is not for the quick fixes or the drastic scale changes.  This is for body recomposition and finding a healthier relationship with food.  This is for finding the bikini that fits you for the long haul.  In other words you have to put in the work and you have to make the changes that you are willing to make, not for the next 30 days but for the next year or two.  

But I am going to give you the simple version.  

Here’s my go-to nutrition 

1. Make sure you are eating 20 grams of protein at every meal.  Simply put, protein helps build and maintain muscle.  But it also uses more energy to digest (more calories burned) and it helps you feel fuller longer.  
2. Drink at least 65 ounces of water every day.  Water helps the body digest food.  It helps disperses nutrients and it can help clean out the body.  Not only that, it can help with false hunger cues, drinking a glass of water before a meal can help with overeating.  
3. Eat at least five servings of vegetables every day.  Vegetables carry an array of vitamins and minerals that help the body run smoothly.  These vitamins and minerals help with hair and skin health, they help with digestion and absorption of nutrients.  They also carry a lot of volume for not a lot of calories, filling you up at a meal without adding weight in the long run.  
4. Don’t snack.  It sounds so much harder than it is, but so much of our unwanted calories come from mindless eating that happens when we are snacking.  If you want to have some popcorn, by all means have some.  But don’t mindlessly eat popcorn because it is sitting there or mindlessly have a snack every night when you sit down to read a book or watch some tv just because that’s what you do.  If you need a snack during the day, have a protein and a vegetable.    
5. Slow down during mealtimes.  So often we are in a hurry to get from one place to another or meal time is in the middle of three other things we are trying to accomplish.  For some, sitting down to eat becomes more of a hassle than an enjoyment.  Sitting down is a great way to slow our eating down.  It allows our bodies to know that we are eating food and gives us time to enjoy the flavors and textures of what we are eating. 
6. Be careful with Alcohol.  This one should actually be farther up the list.  Alcohol has quite a few negative aspects to weight loss.  First of all it is empty calories, a 12 ounce beer runs you about 200 calories and a glass of red wine will be around 150 calories.  Those are empty calories that can quickly add up in a week, especially if you regularly have a beverage or two nightly.  Some of the other downsides, it lessens you inhibitions towards foods.  After a few drinks it becomes easier to eat even when we aren’t hungry and also the choices of foods are usually more of junk foods.  

If you spent your summer focusing on those six habits and you seriously gave it a solid effort of 90-95 percent.  You would be surprised at some of the changes you would see.  And the biggest benefit is there is no food that is restricted, there is no meal replacements.  It is all about eating good food and enjoying it.  Most of us are so trained to see food as either healthy or indulgence, it’s that all or nothing perspective.  Give yourself a little break from it all, strap on that bikini and love the person wearing it.  Most of us are doing the best that we can and that is more important than spending your summer restricting the foods you love only to over indulged and binge on them later.