Meal Planning can be really time consuming and overwhelming at first. Motivation is so strong at first that you want to change literally everything that you view is wrong. Many times, this turns into a quick failure because it is simply too much and it will lead to some failures that you are not ready for. To be honest, failures come regardless and is a part of the journey to becoming better. The less opportunities for failure the better and the bigger chance you have to reach your goals.
Here at Strive Fitness and Performance, we track macros (read more on why). This helps our clients meal planning process go a lot smoother and helps them create their own unique meal plans.
To help our clients meal plan, we preach the 3-3-3 method. This method helps with meal planning, because it takes out the variables. Consistency is key (especially at the beginning). The more variables in your meals the harder it becomes to stay consistent.
Choose 3 protein sources, 3 carbs, 3 fats. Green veggies won’t count as one of your 3 carbs, have a free for all (but still log them)
Example:
Make all of your meals with only those foods. At first, you may say “ah that looks like a boring menu”. But think about how many different combos you can come up with. Different styles of cooking, different spices, interesting pairings etc
Why does this work?
It eliminates variables. One of the tricky things with logging food is a fault in perception and mismanagement of what you think you are consuming. This reduction in variables will allow you/your client to pinpoint exactly what’s going on. Essentially, it’s a way to mess up less, stay satiated, get in all the micronutrients, and get used to eating primarily nutrient dense foods.
Once we become mindful of the quantity and quality of the foods we are eating, we have officially reached and mastered LIFESTYLE MODE and can now start to fit in the good stuff like oreos and cake (sometimes).
This has been a game changer for people who have gotten comfortable on a diet or those just starting a more flexible approach. It’s not as fun as pizza, cheeseburgers, and wine, but neither is working hard for no progress, right?
We all know someone who constantly seems to be on a diet.
Whenever we see them, they’re on some kind of no-carb plan, they are telling you that so and so foods are bad or they’ve been sucked into a crazy detox diet.
Very occasionally, (and quite incredibly), they might be doing something that makes sense—like counting calories, tracking macros and eating in a deficit (even though they do not know why this works)
Regardless of what method they’re following though, one thing is consistent: They always look the same.
Figuring out why someone on a fad diet never changes isn’t too difficult; chances are they’re regularly binging (either on purpose or they don't realize they are going over) and having huge cheat days. But what about that "clean eater"?
There are plenty out there who seem to be on point 95% of the time, yet forever dieting and not seeing results.
The answer to their issue is that those "clean eaters" are always in DIET MODE. They are chronically always trying to lose weight. Instead they should learn to cycle their nutrition to get the best results.
If your body didn’t hate dieting, you wouldn’t have the urge to overeat!
To lose body fat, you have to be in a calorie deficit. There are no two ways about it. Your body adapts to the deficit by losing weight to get back to normal. Your body does not like being in a deficit (it does not care that you want to be skinny), all it wants to do is survive. Almost immediately, the body starts to fight back as you are trying to lose weight. As you will probably know from previous experience though, losing weight isn’t the only side effect caused by a calorie deficit. You can also experience:
So how do you ensure that you can diet long enough to hit your goal weight without falling into the trap of feeling like you’re forever in a deficit?
There are two phases in proper nutrition, Diet mode and lifestyle mode.
Even though the word "diet" is often seen as a bad word, all diets have a purpose. DIET MODE is when you have a specific goal. Losing fat, building muscle, or prepping for a competition. While Diet mode is turned on you should be almost perfect. I said almost. Nobody’s perfect and nobody should expect it. In Diet mode, you should limit the drinking, eating out, and hard to track adventurous foods. Slips may happen here and there but the sacrifice is needed to remain in diet mode.
Diet mode should be used sparingly. If you are looking for a timeline, think about 6-12 weeks. It really depends on the individual. Some can not stay in a deficit that long without metabolic damage and some can stay in it longer. If you are curious on where you stand, contact us for FREE NUTRITION CONSULTATION
LIFE STYLE MODE is what you cruise with. Lifestyle mode should be where you live most of the year. Some people never even go into diet mode and they still get great results. Lifestyle mode is living by having successful habits. These 10 habits include, having protein at each meal and focusing carbs around your workout (see more here). At this point, you know what’s healthy, what’s not, and how to plan make good decisions. You may be able to get a little loose here and enjoy more. Un-tracked meals out, drinks, and more adventurous foods come back into play but you still must be aware, honest with yourself, and careful.
Lifestyle mode is great for those who have met a goal and want to maintain progress or are ok making slower progress. Lifestyle mode is where you may want to eventually settle in and is where you spend most of your time in. It is also where you should return to after you are done with diet mode.
You are still aware of your food environment but you are experienced enough to enjoy yourselves guilt free within reason. During this time you enjoy life and are not really stressing weight gain (you may actually gain a little here), because you have control of your life and habits and the weight gain will be minimal.
It is important to return to lifestyle mode for many different reasons. You body will like you because it hates dieting. As you go back to lifestyle mode you will begin to notice your energy and workouts becoming much better. Your mind will like you because you will be able to live your life without the stress of always watching what you eat and actually enjoying life every once in a while. For long term weight loss, your metabolism will finally like you. Having a healthy metabolism is one of the key factors in long term health and weight loss. You metabolism begins to lower and slow down as you are in diet mode. This is completely natural and you cannot stop it (this is why we have plateaus). Coming back up to maintenance and increasing calories during lifestyle mode will help you reset your hormones and metabolism so that when you want to lose weight again, your body will be ready.
You may toggle between Diet mode and Lifestyle mode as you see fit. This can depend on goals, events, time of year, or necessary mental breaks. Here at Strive Fitness and Performance we are in DIET MODE 3 times a year (fall, winter and spring), each time for 8 weeks.
Most people find themselves always trying to lose weight 24/7. Their lifestyle mode has become their diet mode. This way of living is very rigid and full of restrictive diets, binging and overall weight gain in a never ending cycle. It sucks and it is one of the main things plaguing people in the United States and is one of the main things holding people back from getting the results they deserve. We see it all the time with our incoming members (probably around 80%).
ONE FINAL TIP: If you want one lasting tip, start by learning the 10 habits that will put you in a healthy lifestyle mode. If you are no where close to having a healthy lifestyle (this is the majority of people), start with one habit at a time. As you perfect lifestyle mode, you will begin to notice some differences with your body as well as your biofeedback.
If you are clueless on where to start with your journey or are a "clean eater" and have plateaued CLICK HERE and set up a FREE nutrition consultation and we can work together to find a plan for you.
We all want our fat loss transformation as fast as possible. The problem? While shortcuts and hacks appear like a magic solution, they’re often a first class ticket to failure.
Building muscle is hard. You’ll have to eat and train more than you want.
Fat loss transformation is tough. You’re going to be hungry, uncomfortable, and have to say “no”.
Some may see this as bad news, but I see it as a great opportunity.
Too many people quit earlier these days, leaving more room for the rest of us to NOT GIVE IN, to dominate, and to make our own breaks.
But the key to results isn’t short-cuts, it’s understanding putting in the work, brushing off small failure, and getting back in the game.
You can’t undo years of bad choices with a 30 challenge, detox, or quick fix. Fat loss does not happen overnight. There is no easy way.
The best bodies take years of hard work, failure, and getting back up and taking action anyway.
If you're willing to accept the price knowing that it won't be easy, here's how you can make your ultimate fat loss transformation.
(1) Focus on getting strong first. Utilize major movement patterns like the squat, deadlift, bench press, and row. Without a base of strength, no other workout will be nearly as successful whether you're trying to build muscle, lose fat, or improve performance. You must get strong first.
(2) Consistency over perfection. Don't search for the perfect routine. Instead, search for a routine you'll do consistently even when life gets crazy. Without consistency, even the best workout plan is reduced to rubble.
(3) Count your calories and learn the basics of portion control before hopping on the next fad diet. All diets can work because they create a caloric deficit for fat loss OR a surplus for building muscle. No matter the marketing pitch, calorie balance is STILL the underlying key to any successful diet. Diets have a purpose, whether it is losing weight fast for a wedding or toning up for a cruise, but the real key to long term results is knowing what to do when you are not trying to lose weight. We call this phase in our life, lifestyle mode. Learn more about LIFESTYLE MODE HERE.
(4) Don’t cash in all your chips for an aggressive fat loss diet when you haven’t learned how to put the fork down in the first place. Aggressive fat loss will mean nothing if you can not keep it off. The sad truth is that Americans are great at losing weight, but we are horrible at keeping it off.
(5) Extreme accountability. We all need someone to hold us accountable to reach our fat loss transformation. In fact, I have 1-2 coaches for business and/or training for this exact reason. Without skin in the game and having someone hold-us to the standard we need to hit out goals it becomes nearly impossible to lose weight and keep it off. You can have a workout partner or join a coaching program like our nutrition coaching programs, like Either way, without accountability and skin in the game you'll struggle to make progress.
So, which of the above is missing?
Is it the plan, the information, or the accountability?
No matter the answer, the ball is in your court and you hold the power to change.
Committed to your success,
Derek Ledwidge
Weight loss can be frustrating. Many times you think you are following the plan perfectly but are not the results you want because of hidden calories that you do not even notice.
It has to be the diet right?
What do most people do in this situation?
Most end up stopping the lifestyle change all together or go back to their initially bad habits because they think nothing is ever going to happen.
You know you’re not eating the ‘wrong’ foods, and you’re sure that you’ve been hitting your fat loss macros.
So what gives?
You’re probably consuming hidden calories that you don’t even know about…
Have you ever been offered something to eat by a friend and thought, “that looks good, I’ll track it later” only to forget when you get home? Or upon reaching the day’s end with a slew of leftover macros, you decide to throw caution to the wind and eat roughly what you’ve got left?
Chances are, neither of these situations will make a huge difference to overall progress, but if you’ve hit a wall and you’re stumped and confused as to why you’re not progressing, then these untracked or loosely estimated calories could be the culprit.
“That looks good, I’ll track it later“
This is why it’s so important to log everything, and not just rely on your intuition. This is especially true the closer you get to your goal.
2. You Eat Out Too Often
Eating out can (and should) be part of a flexible diet. After all, what kind of life is it if you always have to say no to friends and turn down invites to dinner?
But the thing is, there’s a lot of room for error when eating out. It’s not easy to accurately estimate calories at restaurants, and the larger and more junk-like the meal, the further off you’re likely to be. Not to mention you have almost zero control or knowledge on how the meal was made, how much it was made with etc. This is especially true with beginners (people beginning their new habits generally do not know how to intuitively eat just yet)
You’ve got strategies you can use to help you hit your macros when eating out, such as asking for sauces and dressings on the side, picking simple dishes to make estimation easier, requesting that meats be grilled rather than fried, and looking at nutritional data on websites. But chefs can vary in how they prepare your dish, and you still don’t have total control over how your food is cooked.
3. The Macros are WRONG
Shock, horror! How can macros be wrong? Aren’t there laws about the information that goes on food packages?
When you learn that labeling laws allow for “caloric rounding”…
There are, but manufacturers are sneaky and there are loopholes they can get through. Take the popular sweetener Splenda for example:
While it’s listed as calorie-free, each packet actually contains around 1 gram of carbohydrate and 5 calories! This means that if you have a couple in your morning oatmeal, one pack in every coffee you drink throughout the day, a few more in some Greek yogurt, and so on, you can rack up an extra 15 to 20 grams of carbs and close to 100 calories.
The same goes for calorie-free sauces, spray butter, sugar-free jello, and similar items. The suggested serving sizes are often so small that even though the label says ‘calorie-free,’ but the actual amount you have is closer to 15 or 20 calories. While there’s no need to ban these items, you need to realize that they do still have calories. If you eat a lot of them (as many dieters do in an attempt to combat cravings) then your calorie count will start to add up.
Be on the lookout for sugar-free gum, diet drinks, and even some protein bars too, as these can often list ‘net carbs’ which is the total carb content minus the fiber. To hit macros precisely, you should be tracking the total carb content, fiber and all.
4. Drinking Your Calories
Coffee doesn’t need to be counted in your macros if it’s black. If not, you’ve got to count it.
We’ll leave out coffees like cappuccinos, mochas, and frappuccinos that obviously have calories in them for the moment, but did you know your plain old coffee made at home can increase your calorie intake without you realizing it?
When you add anything to your coffee, be it milk, half-and-half, or other assorted varieties of creamer, that’s calories you’re adding in. These macros should be counted.
5. Mindless Snacking
When people mindlessly snack, they really do not even pay attention how much they are eating. They eat 2 oreoes here and a handful of popcorn there and so on. This causes a massive amount of calories because everything adds up (not too mention, "snacks" are usually not that healthy). Here at Strive Fitness and Performance we do not use the word "snack". Most people think of "snacks" as an apple or a piece of cheese.
Instead we want to think of each moment we eat as a meal.
How would you make the "snack" into a meal?
By counting the macros in the meal. Take the apple. It is a carb. So what is missing? Fats and proteins are the missing component in the equation. In order to make this "snack" into a more nutritious meal, we could add some peanut butter (fat) and a protein shake (protein). Now not only are we getting enough food, but we are also more full, which eliminates cravings in the long run.
6. You Are Eating From A Bag
We’re all guilty of this one:
You eat a handful of trail mix, nuts, chips etc. No measuring, no portion control. This may sound harmless, but
A. You have no idea how much you actually just put into your mouth
B. You never really stop with just one handful
C. Think about how many mindless calories the many handfuls throughout the day will add up to.
So what are we saying? That you can never eat out? That you have to weigh your veggies to the precise gram? That you must enter every single packet of Sweet n’ Low into your tracking app?
No, not at all…unless you’ve hit a plateau.
Plateaus are going to happen during any fat loss diet, and the go-to step is generally to either reduce calories or add cardio so you stay in a deficit and carry on progressing.
However, if you’re already on low macros and struggling to see why your body isn’t changing in the way you want it to, the first step should be to make sure you’re being honest with yourself and not eating any hidden calories that aren’t being accounted for.
Nutrition is awful. It is confusing, frustrating and it is beyond annoying on how many different diets and nutritional theories there are out there.
As a nutritional coach, it is very hard to talk about nutrition here at Strive Fitness and Performance. Why? Because of all the new diets and fads coming out every other day. The media has made it so hard for people to figure what to believe, people are willing to believe literally anything....See waist trainers...That is all.
Even though it is such a controversial issue in the world today, I actually love talking about nutrition with clients. The main reason I love it, is because I can help people open their eyes a little at a time.
Below are the top 5 questions that I always get here at Strive.
Well first let’s define “that much” because it is generally different on who is consuming it. But more than likely the answer is yes, you do need a little bit more than what you probably had expected.
I would say about 75% of the people that come to Strive Fitness and Performance tend to be low on protein and high either in carbs or fats or both.
That being said, you do not need to be stuffing your face with protein every waking moment like a pro bodybuilder going through a prep. A good recommendation from us here at Strive is anywhere between .7-1 gram per pound of body weight. The more weight you want to lose, the lower you should be on the ratio.
Protein is huge when it comes to body composition change. It helps us stay full while dieting, it has low calories, it helps us build lean muscle and it has the highest TEF (Thermic Effect of Food), which means it burns more calories during digestion (burn more calories by just eating).
Say it with me…Carbs are not the enemy. They help with recovery and help you have kick ass workouts in the gym.
Here are my tips to follow with carbs…
How many meals fit into your life? Perfect, eat that many meals and be happy. Just make sure you are getting enough nutrients in.
The whole “you have to eat 6 small meals a day to keep your metabolism going strong” is very false. It turns out that the calorie intake a main factor in how your metabolism works.
This means you can help your metabolism go by eating 2 large meals, 3 medium meals or 5 smalls meals. The biggest thing is consistency. Whatever you can do consistently over the long run is what is going to matter for YOU.
Sadly, this is a very hard question to answer over a blog, phone or email. I would be a horrible coach if I said I had the perfect answer for you without taking the right steps. Everyone we work with here at Strive is different. They live different lives and they are coming to us at different states of mind and food intake.
If we are looking for a general approach on what should work in a perfect world, someone with a healthy metabolism would look like this.
Weight loss= 10-12x Bodyweight in calories
Muscle Gain = 14-16x Bodyweight in calories
In most cases, however, we do not live in a perfect world and many people have terrible metabolisms.
So most will tend to be at the 8-10x bodyweight range. The important thing to remember is that we want to be at the highest range possible, while still losing weight.
This allows for more flexibility, better performance, better sustainability and of course better health.
The preferred option for us here at Strive is to start recording your intake either via food log or an app like myfitnesspal. Do this for about a week but at very least 3 days. After that time, you can get the average intake and see what your weight is doing during that time. If you are losing weight, you are good, if you are gaining weight….eat less.
It is important to note, that with any REAL nutrition weight loss plan, it is a work in progress. We will always need to make nutrition adjustments along the way. One of the many reasons having a coach is so important. Give use a call by clicking HERE and we can set up a free consultation.
To put it bluntly…If calories are in check, you do not need to eat breakfast technically.
There are some things to consider however,
If you have gone through the roller coaster of yo-yo dieting, if you “eat clean” but have plateaued and are starting to not see results. Take control of your eating, nutrition and lifestyle and set up a free consultation with one of our nutrition coaches. No strings attached…Let’s get you started on the right path.
