Me today
It took me over 3 decades to figure out my gut issues & relationship with food.
I know now I lived with a food addiction the majority of my life, I’m just a little over 1 yr on a carnivore, animal-based diet.
For those of you working on increasing your food after chronically dieting, it took me nearly 4 yrs to reverse to maintenance calories. Including a poor relationship with self & scarcity mindset.
Years of tweaking food, training, & daily habits to restore health, have patience, healing doesn’t happen overnight—you can do hard things!
A reminder, you shouldn’t be living in a constant calorie deficit, dieting more than 1-2x/yr, working out 7 d/wk, never sleeping, eating sugar free diet food to cut carbs/cals. It will catch up with you, trust me.
BIOFEEDBACK to check before dieting:
Period normal
Quality sleep & energy
Have eaten maintenance &/or surplus calories for an extended period of time
Lifestyle aligned, stress managed, mindset in a positive space
HELPFUL TIPS
**We want stress as low as possible. Caffeine, life stress, trigger food, cutting food, excessive fasting & HIIT training=all stressors**
Reduce caffeine, <200mg/d
Set calorie, protein, & step goals. Stay rigid during the week to allow flexibility on the weekend. Set controlled refeeds if needed.
Eat slowly until 80% full.
Sleep!
Prioritize proteins & fat. Keep meal prep basic & simple & REPEAT.
Reduce intensity of workouts. Quality is quality, more doesn’t mean better.
Track food accurately. Licks & extra bites count.
Stick to nutrient dense whole foods you can digest & absorb efficiently.
Try intermittent fasting if it works with your schedule/preferences. It’ll allow larger meals in a deficit, you’ll feel more satiated
Hydrate!
Invest in a coach. I offer free quick strategy calls. Link here: