Nucleus Training Blog #002 2/4/19
Nutrition? Just say NO!
Full disclosure, I believe hiring a nutrition coach is a GREAT idea…however, I know a lot of us will never take that route for whatever reason. Depending on your goals I have a few strategies that help me stay on top of my nutrition. My ultimate goal is to lose about 10lbs and maintain a body weight just under 200lbs, so it is nothing monumental in my opinion. I’m also not in a hurry as another goal is to feel good every day, which can be greatly impacted by my daily nutrition habits. If you have big goals with nutrition I encourage you to seek out a good nutrition coach and let them help you. If you are looking for some simple things to do and maybe make some small changes today to try it on your own then just say NO!
I learned a few very simple guidelines to follow that I want to share with you. First, eat real food. It is that simple. Eat lean meats, vegetables, fruits, nuts and seeds. There is really no other reason to eat anything not on that list. You can get all your caloric needs: your macronutrients (protein, carbohydrates, fats) and your micronutrients (vitamins and minerals). Second, eat mostly plants. Every meal should be filled with fresh vegetables. Plants are very nutrient dense foods meaning you get a lot of vitamins and minerals with every bite. Third, don’t eat that much. It may sound too easy but literally only eat until you’re satisfied and not miserable. Our goal with eating is to give us energy for our daily tasks/exercise. A lot of times we, myself included, end up eating ourselves into a food comma instead of just saying no to those last few bites you didn’t really need. Fourth, eat enough animal protein. When you are exercise you are damaging muscle fibers every time. Those muscle fibers are made of amino acids, and without getting to in depth animal proteins have a full amino acid profile which allows for the biggest bang for your buck in terms of recovery from exercise. I usually try to lead the charge of each meal with a lean protein source (10% fat or less) and then try to fill the rest of the plate with a mixture of leafy greens/veggies, and then a little bit of starchy carbs (sweet potatoes/white potatoes). Fifth, avoid sugar and processed foods. This is kind of not needed if we follow the first four but it’s good to say it out loud to yourself. Don’t eat sugary or processed foods. Go ahead and say it out loud right now. Now if you decide to throw down a handful of skittles you broke your rule, instead you can look at the skittles and just say NO!
I started this year with the “just say no”mantra with two items in January: Soda and sugary coffee drinks. I noticed I was drinking 2-3 sugary coffee drinks a day. So, I decided that nothing but black coffee for January was my goal, just say no to the other stuff that goes in. Was it hard? Hell yes! Did it taste as good? Hell no! But after the month as much as I want to get the white chocolate mocha I am still ordering my coffee black. So that has saved me 300+ Calories a day, 2000+ Calories a week, etc… I’m not a huge soda drinker anyways BUT even when we go to the movies (which we do a lot) I get a bottle of water instead of those huge sodas. Now I’m in February and I decided no fried food. Well, a little more specific. No French Fries, and No Fried entrees. Each month just pick one or two things a month to just say no too and after a year you will have replaced some unnecessary habits with healthier ones. Aim small miss small! By only choosing one thing a month to focus on it is not as overwhelming for me. Here we are less then 2 months into the year and now I drink my coffee black, water at the movies, and get a side salad instead of french fries every time I eat now by telling myself just say NO!
– Mike Whetstone/CF Nucleus