Just in case you’re interested in some tips about NOT shooting yourself in the foot when it comes to successfully upgrading your nutrition and weight loss strategies, I would like to introduce to you THE NEW NUTRITION PYRAMID:
When it comes to losing weight and building a healthier body, our new “Nutrition Priorities Pyramid” reshapes how we go about adjusting our eating. Instead of diving headfirst into detox diets, or obsessing over macronutrient ratios, this pyramid emphasizes foundational habits that truly make or break success. At its base are crucial concepts like managing stress eating and practicing mindful portion control, which you must have under your belt before even THINKING about some kind of “perfect diet”.
Nutrition Pyramid Base – First Things First
The first order of business is to get a handle on emotional eating. If you gobble down the donuts every time something in life is difficult or stressful, no exercise or diet plan in the world can save you. As I wrote about in Beating Sugar Addiction For Dummies, proactive eating (i.e. purposeful, planned) must outweigh reactive eating, or you will be doomed to yo-yo weight loss and regain forever.
Nutrition Pyramid Priorities – From Portions To Macros
Next up is how much you eat — portions.
The total amount of food consumed is the biggest piece of the weight loss puzzle. Calories matter. They’re not the only thing that matters, but they matter more than most other considerations. Sometimes, just trimming back your total calories by 10% is enough to get you moving in the right direction. But in order to do that, you have to pay attention! Click here for a beginning portion guide.
Also important for long-term health — Real Food Instead of Fake Food.
Processed food brings us a host of problems, from carcinogens to appetite triggering. Plus, most highly processed food is woefully short on nutrients and fiber. Instead of low-quality convenience food, stock your fridge with fresh vegetables, fruit, and natural proteins to get the most out of every calorie.
Speaking of natural proteins, combining protein and plant (vegetable or fruit) instead of starches is an important habit for weight loss. Ideally, every time you eat, you’ll combine a Protein and a Plant food. If more calories are needed, you can build around that. But Protein + Plant should be your foundation if you want to lose weight.
Nutrition supplements can be helpful, but there is little value in putting a lot of thought or money into nutrition support until you have the more important parts of the pyramid foundation in place. If you do have the base in place, and it’s time to think about smart support for optimum nutrition, drop us a note and we can talk over the details of your specific situation.
Lastly, adjusting your macros – the ratios of macronutrients (proteins, carbohydrates, and fats) in your diet – is the last step in dialing in your ideal nutrition for weight loss, sports performance, muscle gain, or whatever your particular goals are. But once again, if you don’t have a handle on stress eating, or if your portions are out of line, you are wasting your time fooling with a macro calculator.
Where are you on the pyramid right now? What do you need help with the most? Drop us a note and let us know how we can help you move forward. There have literally been thousands of people before you who have had good success — would you like to be next?