This may not necessarily be your epic Susan Powter moment, but as she once preached, “Stop the Insanity,” in the early 90’s referencing fad diet marketing. In my opinion, she was right, and what she said then still applies today. Dieting doesn’t work long term.

Can you think of a time you or someone you know lost 10-15 pounds from cutting entire nutritional groups, attempting to limit calories, and or eat mostly processed protein packed food? This dieting or form of eating eating lacks nutrition and isn’t sustainable long term, often leaving people feeling disappointed and like failures when they go off the diet or ‘cheat’ because of cravings, hunger, or life demands and gain back the weight.

First of all, there are no ‘good’ or ‘bad’ foods. There are just foods that are more nutritionally dense and foods that are less nutritionally dense. Simply consider opting to eat more of the nutrient dense food and eating less of the less nutrient dense foods, most of the time. Additionally, some people may need to consider medical conditions with their nutrition choices and omit certain foods for their health. If this is you, I suggest speaking with a registered dietitian and or medical doctor, or continue following your familiar protocol.

I’m not here to give you more rules to follow, or tell you what exactly you should eat. I’m here to give you a simple reference toward an anchored and balanced lifestyle with food for the long term. My goal is to help you make life easier and help you find peace of mind in a world where women are often targeted at to be skinny, diet, or take weight loss supplements. 

I’m going to break down three tools that may be useful for you around nutrition! If you have more in depth questions or would like to speak to me for personal suggestions, go ahead and contact me here and we can work together to find some do-able long lasting solutions.

Three Tools:
1. Guide for how much to eat for three complete meals a day.
2. Ways to avoid mindless overeating.
3. Tips on how to order nutritious food, or shop and prepare food. 

1.  Guide. Clients who have active lifestyles and are eating three meals a day following this guide have more energy and maintain muscle. Small snacking between meals may be necessary. Protein, fruits, complex carbs and veggies are the best options if available.

Notice how snickers bars aren’t included on this chart…😒 No big deal! Have the snickers bar too, just aim to eat it after your meal, and on occasion. Perhaps buy the mini instead of the king size, or split the bar in half and see if you feel you want the whole thing. More on having your cake and eating it too in my blog Mindful Eating While Eating Everything!

Also, For women who are pregnant it may be very challenging to eat, in general, due to nausea, food aversions, and/or acid reflux. For this, it may be helpful to eat whenever you can, eat bland foods, or have a small snack before a meal to stimulate the digestive system instead of eating three balanced meals.

When animal meat protein isn’t an option for you, substitute with plant based protein. Additionally, powdered plant based protein supplements may also be suitable occasionally. Since many brands are highly processed, it’s best to have these in moderation.

2.  Mindfulness. A buzz word, but I can’t think of a better word for being conscientious of your actions 🤷🏻‍♀️ When we eat we can sometimes forget we are eating. Food is delicious! And who doesn’t love watching a new episode of your fav show with dinner?! In any case, try chewing food down to taste it all before swallowing, put your fork down between bites and take a breath or a sip of water, then check in with your stomach to see if you are satisfied or want more.

Feeling full is different from being satisfied. Take a moment to gauge where you’re at. Satisfaction is guaranteed...stick with it! 

I recommend eating until you’re at an ‘8’ for each meal. So 10 is uncomfortably full, 5 is not quite satisfied with room for more, and 1 is feeling light headed, grouchy, and tired due to hunger.

3.  Prep. I understand 1000% how cooking sometimes isn’t happening every day of the week (or any day of the week). If ordering out, try these two things and see what works for you. One, sometimes it’s easier to get your complete vegetable, carbohydrate, and protein portion when ordering these as sides. Two, plate your food when it arrives, only eating what you want. You can always get more if you need it! 

Another prep tip is If you’re grocery shopping for the week or month get frozen vegetables or proteins. Especially if you don’t have much time to cook (or like to cook)! You can simply add water to the pan when cooking frozen vegetables or protein and steam cook. Additionally, when cooking, make leftovers so you have food for your next meal and the next day. If you grocery shop buy party platters of food or pre-cut vegetables you’ll have enough food for several days.

Everything good in life takes a little planning and consciousness. And while it’s unrealistic to get it ‘right’ all the time, aim to work at it step by step. Use this information here as a guide toward creating and sustaining a baseline of healthy habits that leave you feeling empowered and working toward feeling well most of the time.