Now I'm sure we all know just how crucial nutrition is when looking at setting new goals. Today I am going to touch on just how important nutrition is and the key skills you will need to ensure you stick to your new healthy eating plan. I am sure you will notice throughout I refer to a 'diet' as healthy eating, I do this because the word diet can have negative connotations and can lead to people resenting the food they eat. So step 1...refer to it as healthy eating! This way you can sustain your new calorie intake for a prolonged time. Read on for more tips and tricks!
This was just a simple dinner of tikka chicken fillets, Vegetable rice, Carrots. Broccoli and a chicken stock with a cranberry and raspberry protein smoothie. (Quick and easy)
Whether you are looking to eat more or less than you currently are, these tips will ensure help to anyone and everyone. However, before we get into all the juicy info lets take a look at mindset as it is paramount in reaching any goals. Why do you want to change you diet? Ask yourself what has made you want to make this change and maybe write it down. This way, you can keep on top of the reasoning behind this and ensure you don't start to resent your new healthy eating. Also remind yourself, you are doing this because you want to. A lot of the time we forget why we started and start to resent the food we eat because it feels like a chore. Now you understand the importance of positive thinking lets get into the key rules to follow.
Key tips for starting a new eating plan:
Decide what your actual goal is and why you started.
TRACK,TRACK,TRACK!
Hitting macros (Carbs,Proteins,Fats).
Consistency.
These are the three simple steps to ensuring you stick to your new eating plan.
TRACKING. As you may already be able to tell, tracking is key to ensuring results. I used to eat healthy and knew what was good for me however when I started tracking my calorie intake I noticed just how important tracking food can be. Now, don't get me wrong I know it takes time and effort however once you get into the habit of doing it, it is second nature. The app I use is MyFitnessPal, I find this quick and easy to use also it's a free app...what more can you want? I track everything, even down to the butter on my bread now this might be too much for some people and that's okay, once you get an idea of how much you're eating and the changes you have to make it can steer you in the right direction. After about 1/2 weeks of doing this, it will turn into just another habit and therefore will become just as easy as brushing your teeth.
Macros. For anyone who is unsure of what macros are they are just Carbohydrates, Proteins and Fats. These are the three main things to be looking at when switching up your routine. Why are these important you might ask? These are important to ensure you are feeding the right things to your body to create change. Carbs help generate energy (to work out), Proteins include amino acids which aids in recovery (helping grow muscles) and Fats help in making sure we get the right nutrients we need (Feeding out bodies). I recommend to all my clients when starting out, focus on hitting your macros first and focus on calories later. Although, they are both important if you aren't hitting your macros or eating too much of one and not the others you wont see results. Also, I find it is just easier to focus on one thing first when starting as to not overcomplicate. A tip I recommend to help reach your macro goals is to implement some form of protein into every meal in the day, this way you are hitting your protein goal. I find protein is the one most people miss out as we all prefer carbs some days however it can be key when looking for results. Hopefully, now you understand the importance of macros and how tracking your food goes hand in hand with this. If you need any help calculating your calories or macros don't be afraid to get in touch with me on social media, I will be happy to help.
Consistency. To ensure results you need to be doing these steps day in and day out, yes it can be time consuming but you just have to ask yourself do you want if badly enough? Work hard and you will see results! However, just remember you can have treats and you can implement foods you enjoy as well, you might just have to work on portion control and getting used to saying no sometimes. Take for instance if you are out for a meal with friends just because you're healthy eating doesn't mean you can't go out, it just means you might choose to have a wrap or burger without the bun. Hopefully, this helps you see a new way of healthy eating and how it's not all salads and quinoa. I hope you enjoyed reading this, if you did, feel free to go check out my other blog posts! If there is a specific topic you want to see just get in touch. Now you are ready to go out and start hitting those goals!
Thank you for reading,
Annie
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