Nutrition is such a big part of the puzzle to become our best selves.
Educating ourselves and paying attention to what we put into our body is just as important as working out. Proper fueling with the right nutrients can do magical things, as well as achieving the healthiest version of yourself by consuming what your body needs. Fueling our body properly can be confusing for many people. But you are not alone!
There is a lot of information out there about nutrition that it is hard to understand and what the best nutrition plan is for you. We have all heard that “if we intake less than what we expend, then we should lose weight”. If this simple equation made the process that easy then everyone would be successful. So why can’t people be more successful when it comes to achieving their goals?
There are four components that contribute to your Total Daily Energy Expenditure:
- Your BMR(basal metabolic rate)
- Non-exercise activity,
- Exercise
- Energy that your body requires to metabolize your food.
Most think that they only burn calories when they are working out (a small piece to the puzzle) which is why they don’t see the results they are looking for. This is where the importance of having a wearable device comes into play. An Apple Watch, FitBit, Garmin or Samsung Watch will help you to collect data on your Total Energy Expenditure as opposed to just the instantaneous calories that you burn while working out
These devices will help you obtain an accurate measurement of your daily caloric burn!
Cutting out certain foods in order to lose weight is not always the answer. Your body needs carbohydrates, fats and proteins (essential macronutrients). They are essential because your body can not create them. You can only acquire these nutrients through food. One of the ways to prevent chronic illness, diseases and dysfunction within your body is to give it what it needs through food.
The basics of macronutrient needs is 45-65% from carbohydrates, 20-35% from fat and the rest from protein. Protein intake depends on your lifestyle and the types of workouts that you complete each week. The daily recommendation is 0.8-2.2g/kg of bodyweight but what you need is different from everyone else. Determining your specific macronutrient needs helps you to achieve your results quicker because they are catered to your lifestyle.
10 reasons as to why people put on body fat (in no particular order):
- They don’t eat enough
- They eat too much
- They skip breakfast
- There are long periods of time between meals
- Macros are incorrect for their body and lifestyle
- Poor quality of sleep
- Increased cortisol levels
- Poor hormone regulation
- Insulin Resistance
- Substance Abuse
These aren’t the only reasons (as there are many) but most people don’t know they have complete control when it comes to their overall health and achieving a healthy body composition.
Ask your doctor, work with a registered dietician or a nutrition/ health coach to help you personalize your nutrition plan based on your lifestyle and your body needs. This is the best way for you to achieve sustainable results and eliminate “yo-yo dieting” and frustration.
