It’s easy to get caught up in trying to be perfect with your nutrition game plan.
Hitting your protein goal daily.
Staying within your calorie allotment.
Feeling like a “failure” if the numbers turned red because you didn’t hit those marks and deciding you should just “start again on Monday”.
Perfection is an illusion… and I’m here to debunk the theory that you have to perfectly hit your goals in order to see progress because there are more moving pieces to the puzzle than you might think 👇
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Limiting supplements and prioritizing whole foods intake 🥗
Protein supplements serve a purpose - they are convenient and easy to grab and go in a hurry. However, whole foods cannot be completely replaced by supplements because they do not contain all of the essential nutrients your body needs to function properly on a daily basis. A good rule of thumb is to try and limit your protein supplement intake to 2 servings a day or less, so the bulk of your protein intake can come from whole foods sources. They also can more positively impact your gut health, which aids in so many other bodily functions including your mental health, immune system, fat loss, bowel movements, metabolism, among others!
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Listening to your body 👂
Having hunger and fullness awareness allows you to respond to your body’s needs better. There are nuances to this, however - this isn’t a “hall pass” into going over your macros every day because a little hunger might come during a deficit phase for weight loss and on the other side, when you’re working through a reverse diet your hunger hormones might not be functioning optimally, which creates the need to eat routinely even when you don’t feel that hunger. But if you learn to be aware that your body might need a little more on heavier training/higher activity days and also learn to stop eating before you become overly full, you are setting yourself up for future success with intuitively eating and maintaining the progress you worked so hard to make while tracking macros.
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Knowing the roles that carbs and fats play in addition to protein 🍞🥑
Protein is always a focal point when it comes to any goal, but carbs and fats play an equally important role and shouldn’t be ignored/eliminated. Carbohydrates are your body’s main source of energy - they fuel your workouts, daily activities of living (like picking up your kids, running errands, doing laundry), support brain health, etc. Fats play an important role in hormone health and nutrient digestion + absorption
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Eating routinely and strategically ⏰
Eating routinely throughout the day aids in more stable energy and blood glucose levels. This helps to maintain muscle and prevents it from being used as a fuel source if your body is running low, plus prevents drastic falls in your glucose levels that can cause energy crashes (like the mid-day crash many experience), brain fog, and extreme fatigue. It can also help you stay on track to work to hit your macros more consistently so you’re not trying to play catch-up at the end of the day and cramming lots of food in, which can cause that feeling of being overly full and can impact your quality of sleep!
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Hitting them consistently and following a sustainable plan 📈
Any one can hit their nutrition goals for a few days or weeks, but if you can’t do it for longer than that adjustments to the plan need to be made so you can commit to it for the long term. If the carnivore, mediterranean, or even keto diet isn’t something you can stick to for very long, then we need to find an alternative option. If you also treat every weekend as a free-for-all because you have been too restrictive throughout the week, a plan should be made to promote consistency and a “don’t miss twice” mindset. Meaning, if you go out for a date night on Friday night and have a couple glasses of wine, cool - don’t miss twice and get back to the game plan Saturday morning! Hitting them consistently also prevents confusion for your body - if you constantly swing between overeating and undereating, your body never recognizes a pattern and knows what to expect, which can prevent you from reaching your goals or prolong the process.
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Creating well-rounded meals 🍽️
Adding protein, carbs, fats, and fiber to *most* meals aids in energy levels, satiation (staying fuller for longer), decreased cravings, improved gut and heart health, among many other benefits! Checking in with your meals to determine if they have the 3-4 components of a well-rounded meal can also help you prioritize whole food intake!
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Quality sleep and stress management 💤
You may be hitting your macro goals but if your stress isn’t under control and your sleep quality is lacking, it may hinder your plan and goals. Poor sleep can lead to increased hunger hormones, which causes you to overeat or reach for the quicker food options (which are typically the processed foods). Uncontrolled stress can create a poor relationship with food as well, which can lead to cravings and emotional eating.
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Hydration 💦
Fun fact: your body can confuse thirst for hunger! If you are not adequately hydrated, you might constantly feel hungry, brain fog, snacky, low on energy, decreased performance during training, and more. Aim for at least 80-100oz daily, along with electrolytes for full hydration!
The main takeaway: consistency always wins ⚡️
If you are needing help with creating a game plan that allows you to practice consistency, please reach out! You can find me on Instagram at @libby.angle or by email at libby@lexijwellness.com. I’m always happy to help in any way I can!!
🤍Libby
