Y’all things aren’t as complicated as you think they are. Get healthy first. I promise everything else falls into line when you put your health first over aesthetic fat loss goals.
You just need a WOE (way of eating) that serves you best mentally & physically & is easy to implement into your lifestyle & stick to.
The big rocks rule:
-getting good, restful sleep
-getting sunshine & outside
-getting daily movement
-eating nutrient dense, whole, unprocessed foods
-managing stress
-cultivating nourishing relationships
-setting boundaries & knowing it’s ok to say NO
-reducing your toxin load & exposures as much as possible
-drinking pure, natural water
Each person is unique & will require a different balance of macronutrients for optimal health, which can change throughout one’s life.
But, there are general guidelines for both men & women, which is a great starting place & should be helpful for most people.
➡️I personally believe you should earn your carbs through activity. Not everyone chooses to eat carbs & that’s OK too.
➡️Research has shown that the body can use (burn or store) about 40g of carbs after a meal. Your body uses carbs more efficiently if/when you’re active. Meals that exceed 40g require more insulin & often times extra carbs to be converted into fat for storage.
➡️High-quality protein is the bomb 💣 & foundation. 1g/lb of ideal body weight for most. Experiment, you can go higher if you want.
Always listen to your body, keep track of how you feel & enjoy the journey!
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General simple Guidelines & Tips to Help You
Pick a WOE (way of eating) that serves you best mentally & physically, is easy to implement, adhere to, & stay consistent with.
Carbs are determined & “earned” through activity level & physical needs & preferences. I find most don’t need more than 100g if you’re fueling properly with appropriate quantities of protein & healthy fats.
Keep meals under 40g of carbs if you choose to eat carbs. Some of us prefer a meat-based “carnivore” approach & that is ok too. Goes back to point #1.
Most do well with meals around 30-60g of protein. Protein I personally like around 1-1.2g/body weight or goal weight if you have more to lose. Leaner, smaller individuals can typically get away w/ranges up to 1.5g/body weight. Ex: I’m 105lb & eat around 170g P/d. Go your own way & experiment, we’re all different.
Fats, depending on your carb intake should be at least 25-35% of our daily calories. A general goal is .7-2.2g/kg of body weight. Those doing high fat carnivore may be around 80% fat/20% protein. Others that choose higher protein carnivore may be around 70/30, 60/40, or even 50/50 fat:protein as far as macro ratios. Experiment to find where you thrive & feel your best.
Choose a meal frequency that works for you. Some like OMAD, some like 2 meals/d, most stick to 3 meals/d.
Most of us should be fasting at least 12hrs overnight. No snacking & making sure our meals are protein centric with adequate healthy fats. No low quality veggie oils.
Gratitude Attitude & Get Outside: red light therapy, walks in nature, get outside at sunrise. Mindset & thoughts matter. You can’t be a negative Nancy & a Positive Patty at the same time. Who would you rather hang out with?
Realize you can eat more than you think you can & maintain a healthy weight. You do not need to eat 1200 or even 1600 calories/day to lose/maintain your weight. I have maintained my weight on around 1800-2000+ calories per day for almost 2 years. Please reverse diet if you’ve been chronically under eating. It’ll be the best thing you’ll ever do for your metabolism, hormones, health, mood, energy, sex life – everything! You’ll quickly discover life doesn’t suck when you finally start eating more than a toddler.
Focus on the big rocks: Sleep 7-8 hrs, shoot for 10k steps/d, eat your meat, drink water, minimize stressors. Being stressed to the titties is not a badge of honor. EX: sh*tty sleep, over exercising (1hr/d, 5 d/wk is enough), too much HIIT (waking 10k/d is a standard goal), under eating (most active females require 1800-2100+ cal/d for maintenance), overly fasting (12-16hrs overnight is sufficient), over caffeinating (<300-400mg/day).
Find your maintenance calories if you don’t know using the calculator on tdeecalculator.net This is what you should be consuming the majority of the year for optimal health & function. Shoot for these calorie goals 1st. I suggest getting comfortable with this before playing around with sexy stuff like fat loss cuts, fasting, & fat cycling. Especially if you come from a place of chronic dieting & disordered eating. This may mean you need to reverse diet & handle your relationship with food first before heading into a fat loss cut.
How to handle food pushers: Use this as an opportunity to educate them on why you require specific foods for your needs, preferences, dis-ease, etc. If you don’t feel comfortable doing this, a simple, “No thank you, & I appreciate you.” is all you need to say. You do not owe anyone an explanation of your needs. You are in charge of what you put in your body.
Cut toxicity from your life: Control what you consume. What you focus on will have an enormous impact on your mindset, attitude, perspective, & what you attract into your life. It is mostly a result of 3 things: What you consume (what you eat, read, listen to or watch), Who you hang out with, Your inner dialogue & self-talk. I like to refer to it as “garbage becomes garbage.” We truly become what we consume physically, mentally, & emotionally. To have a healthier life, take responsibility for what you consume.
Bring your own food to social functions, eat before, or custom order. Check the menu ahead of time. Most places always have meat. Ask them to cook your food the way you need. I ask for my meats to be cooked in no oil with no seasonings. Skip sauces & dressings or have them on the side. Skip pan-fried, breaded, creamed, dipped, scalloped, slathered, etc. Lower cal will be grilled, steamed, baked, roasted, broiled, seared.
If you’ve struggled with disordered eating/chronic dieting & can’t “feel” true hunger/satiety cues, slow down when you eat & stop fasting too long. This one – HUGE. You should be able to distinguish between true physical hunger & emotional hunger/habits. Meals should be large enough to keep you full for 4+ hrs, they should be protein/fat centric, & you should not be snacking in between meals. We numb emotions with food, we eat too fast, we eat our kids food, we eat in front of the tv, we wire our brains to think these self sabotaging habits are normal. You can choose to change those habits & re-write your story.
Realize the adaptation period takes a lot longer than you think. It’s a journey! Ya gotta give it more than 2 weeks to a month y’all. I gained 15lbs initially on the carnivore diet because my body needed to heal. Yes, it was uncomfortable, but I knew & always say any weight you gain trying to gain HEALTH is weight you NEEDED TO gain.
Have patience & commit to doing the hard things that are right things to give you long-term health & longevity.
Oxox
Coach K
She specializes in gut health, sports nutrition, disordered eating, social branding, human connection, and how to optimize life to attract health, wealth, & happiness.
Katie welcomes all preferences & skill levels with a no diet dogma or one size-size-fits-all approach to health, wellness, fitness, & nutrition.
After decades of struggling with her own health issues from Crohn’s, obesity, disordered eating, infertility, hormonal imbalances, & being a competitive athlete, she is passionate about helping others find self love, achieve their goals, & create sustainable success habits for an EXTRAordinary life!
You can catch her via Instagram @lil_bit_of_fit & blog, Lilbitoffit.com