Think of building blocks; the foundational elements being first and being built upon. I’m going to give you 10 steps that if conquered one at a time, will create an unshakable tower of understanding and control.
The first step is deciding how much food you need. Everyone has a genetic metabolism, or rate at which your body burns calories, and is controlled by specific hormones. We even have a genetic amount of body fat cells and genetic levels of a hormone that controls hunger. My point is that we’re all different. A one-size-fits-all diet may not be right for you. Creating that total calorie picture can’t be glossed over lightly – it is the foundation of your success. Each step in that process is discussed next, but this is where many people can save time by getting help. In a country of do-it-yourselfers, we all choose what we’ll do on our own and what we’ll hire an expert to do. You may mow your own lawn, but pay someone to change the oil in your car. You may cut your son’s hair but you wouldn’t take out his appendix – hopefully you would “hire” a doctor to do that. People hire me to get them lean and teach them how to stay there. That makes the first step easy and accurate.
Though we’ll revisit the components of food in a bit, the second step in getting lean is spacing your food appropriately through the day. The cliché of eating smaller, more frequent meals is correct. The body can actually only utilize a small amount of calories at a time – approximately 300 to 500. When more than that is consumed we’re storing body fat. Now, that’s a normal process because between meals we then use that stored energy – IF we give our body a chance. If we keep eating and snacking too much we may not. With smaller meals, we not only avoid new fat storage, but we keep energy levels more stable with less blood sugar highs and lows.
The third block in building success now reaches into actual food – carbohydrates. Carbohydrates are the body’s preferred source of energy. They are quickly broken down into glucose, or blood sugar. Being your body’s first pick for a food source, if we eat all our body needs – even if from very healthy sources – we don’t need a secondary source, and we all want that to be our stored body fat. We must limit carbs, but not by too much. Too low of a carbohydrate intake will slow the metabolism down and eventually make it very, very easy to regain body fat. Very low- and no- carb diets are not a good way to lose weight. The right amount per day will help you maintain energy, keep your metabolism high, and support weight loss. Most women need to start with a carbohydrate intake (in grams – just like the food fact panels note) equal to the amount of lean body mass (in pounds). A 150-pound woman with 115-pounds of lean body mass, may want to start with 115 grams of carbs per day.
Dietary fat is the next most important macronutrient in the body fat loss process. We store excess fat as fat, period. Yes, there are essential fatty acids found in fish oils and some plant oils that are healthy for us, but I’m talking about burgers, potato chips, heavy salad dressings, and all those things that can ruin in otherwise great meal in a restaurant or fast-food stop. If you’re getting more than 20 to 25% of your calories from fat, you’re going to have a hard time losing body fat. For most women, that would equate to 25 to 35 grams of fat per day when dieting.
Protein rounds out the actual food selections that we can make in our diet and though I rank it third out of three macronutrients, it is still vital. We can all live without much protein, but when protein is increased to 80 to 100 grams for women (and sometimes 100 to 125 grams for very active women) many good things happen. First, hunger goes down. Protein slows digestion, decreases carb cravings, increases fullness, and can stabilize energy levels. Secondly, it provides the amino acids necessary for the immune system, all cell repair and replication, muscle recovery, and quite literally, every chemical process that occurs in the body. Lean, grilled or baked meat sources, low-fat cheeses and yogurt, and high-quality protein shakes are your best bet.
Those are the first five steps that can create a foundation for permanent weight loss. We all need to know how many calories our body needs per day, how to space that food out and structure our meals, and finally how much and what types of carbohydrates, fat, and protein are best going to accomplish that goal. Now we can spend some time on some easier, less structural aspects of eating.
A major study comparing different diets revealed that the most successful dieters on any diet had one common trait. They all tracked their food intake. I feel like Gomer Pyle jumping up and shouting, “Shazaam, Shazaam!” For those of you under 35-years-old, let me translate that to “Tru dat,” with my do-rag and gold chains in place. In other words – and I know you’re thankful for “other words” after that attempt at humor – you have to know what you’re eating if you want to be successful. This is HUGE! Sally, my client who lost 75-pounds, tracked her food on a color-coded Excel spreadsheet with reports and graphs…she’s a college administrator. I’d settle for a post-it note in your pocket, but just track it. A life-changing amount of education will happen as you make yourself look up foods and learn what it takes to keep your food intake where you can lose and then maintain your weight. You’ll find you can be flexible, enjoy infinite variety, and even splurge as long as you keep your food intake where you need it to be. That makes it “real life” – your life.
How many times have you heard that drinking more water is good for you? Maybe even good for weight loss? Well, it’s true. A more hydrated body can be more efficient metabolically, cut cravings, and even make you lose faster. Get in the habit of drinking a glass of water now and then even when you’re not thirsty. When you are thirsty, don’t slam a diet soda; drink a glass of water and save flavored drinks for sipping on, not guzzling. When you’re hungry – drink a glass of water. That may cut the amount of food you eat at the next meal or even delay the timing of a snack.
Take your vitamins. The American Medical Association recommends it and the fact is that out of 21,500 people surveyed in a government study, not a single person consumed even the meager RDA of all 10 of the most necessary nutrients daily. Many vitamin deficiencies can lead to inefficient metabolic function, can increase hunger, and of course, ultimately cause disease.
Knowing that you’re now tracking your food and you’re on a great plan, I want you to become a scientist. Experiment with your food intake. What happens if you decrease this and increase that, move this here, replace this with that…. Some find that they can accelerate their weight-loss pace by manipulating those variables – as long as they have enough working knowledge to do so. It’s not a good thing to blindly follow a diet. What happens when you’re done? If you didn’t learn anything, you likely gain weight back because all you know is how you ate before, which made you gain weight, and how to diet on Mr. Bestseller-of-the-month’s new diet.
The final piece of the puzzle; the tenth step to long-term success is exercise. I know it’s not exactly a nutrition factor – but it is. We’re searching for an energy balance. We have a certain amount of calories we’re going to use in a day and we eat a certain amount. If we burn an extra 500 calories, we may not even have to eat any less. Of course, if we do eat less and exercise, we lose faster. The strength and lean muscle mass gained create a better metabolism and a healthier body for the long haul, while you’re burning calories to get to your goal faster. Exercise is a big deal. Find something you like and stick to it.
Write out these ten steps on a note card and as you start moving toward a better way of eating, make sure you start at the beginning and create a good foundation. You know; that whole building on sand versus rock thing you learned in Sunday school. You’ll be glad you took the time to do it right!
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