I’ve talked with a lot of people about their nutrition. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve made these mistakes plus more. Here is 5 common things I see when it comes to trying to eat better.

1. Replacing “bad food” with “healthy food”.

   • First of there is no bad food. There is food that is good for you and food that’s not that great for you. I’m also not saying these are bad options, I actually think they are better, but on occasion NOT every day. Everyone loves the good ol’ snickers bar, am I right? If you don’t then pick your favorite and look it up it’s probably not that far off. But here you go.
     • Snickers bar (1.5oz)- 215 calories, 3g Protein, 28g Carbs, 11g Fat.
     • Cliff bar (2.4oz)- 250 calories, 9g Protein, 45g Carbs, 5 g Fat.
     • Larabars (1.6oz)- 220 calories, 6g Protein, 26g Carbs, 11g Fat.

So you see if you were just to look at the calories and macros of those bars there isn’t much difference. Don’t just take a look at the macro or calorie labels. If you are trying to cut some of those calories out keep those options for open for desperate times, like traveling or on the road for a few days. They are also not going to help you beat the psychological addiction to sweets either. Stick with real food like veggies and fruit (not dried fruit). Stop making “paleo” cakes and cookies and brownies or keto fat bomb truffles. If you want to make a real difference stick with the basics and then add those in on special occasions. If you are trying to eat better obviously the Larabar is a better option since there is only 4 ingredients. In fact you can make your own! Snickers has 3 different types of sweeteners and hydrogenated soybean oil.

2. Under eating and over eating. No consistency.

   • • I talk to a lot of people that say I eat healthy during the week and have trouble on the weekends. I’d say part of that I the focus on the weekends tends to drop and you become more vulnerable to the non-supporters in your life. But when I dig into what they are eating during the week, I find most are eating too little and then they get to the weekend they slow down a bit and your body says FEED ME!!! I’ve been there, so busy with work and the gym during the week and then Saturday comes and I have some time at home to just relax and sit down with a bowl of chips and guacamole and bam, the entire bag is gone in a blink and I’m up looking for more food. I eat a decent lunch, then a friend calls and we head out for dinner and a few drinks and before I know it I’m over 3,000 calories for the day. The next day I wake up feeling shitty and say screw it, I’ve already overdone it, I might as well go big on Sunday too. If this feels like you keep reading, #5 is how you can fix this.

3. Eating to many nuts and seeds, fat in general.

   • Alright it’s so easy to over eat nuts and seeds and trail mix. It’s so tasty and easy to carry with you in your bag. Here’s the issue, 1gm protein or carbohydrates is 4 calories but 1gm of fat is 9 calories. Fat is good and you need it in your diet. Be conscience of how much you are eating. If you have a problem keeping yourself from eating the whole bag, make smaller baggies or containers and keep those around.

4. Not eating enough protein.

   • It’s sometimes hard to eat enough protein during the day. It’s filling. It’s a bit more time consuming to make and harder to carry around. You should be shooting for .8gm of body weight of protein a day. If you are 150lbs then you should shoot for 120gm of protein. This varies depending on how active you are, how much you are working out, how old you are, and what you do for work. But a good starting point is 0.8gm. I generally will have beef jerky in my bag just in case I’m scooting around town or at work and miss a meal. Protein shakes are another option. Hardboiled eggs and tuna packets are easy to pop in your bag in the mornings too if you are on the go that day.

5. Not have a plan.

   • Again been there done that, multiple times. I had to work really hard to make it a habit to get up a little earlier and make lunch to take to work with me. I had to work to make it a habit to cook a little extra the night before and plan out what my lunch was going to be. It takes some time and practice but you need to have a plan to commit to your goals. You can’t just wing it and think you’re eventually get there. You actually might, but most don’t. If you have a goal in mind you have to take some time to plan out how you are going to get there. This goes with #2 consistency. Just like going to the gym, the more consistent your meal prep and planning is, the easier it becomes and the less you have to think about doing it. It isn’t going to happen overnight. Habits take 2-3 weeks of doing it daily to actually become something you will do without having to really think about. If you miss a day or two or three you have to start those two weeks over. Keep with it. Keep it simple, but have a plan.

~Coach Jess