HOW TO: sustainably diet

last week i wrote about WHY you should sustainably diet... this week i'm gonna give you the HOW. 

what exactly is a sustainable diet? 

under my definition, it is a diet that you are able to do for a long duration without burning out and without feeling restricted. 

and it will look different for everyone. for some people that will be a paleo diet, for some people a lower carb diet, and for others its just general portion control.

 so here's how you figure out what a sustainable diet looks like for you: 

1. figure out how you're currently eating and what needs to change. the easiest way to do that is to totally track your food for a few days (being sure to track at least one weekend day). maybe (most likely) you need to reduce your intake or maybe you snack more than you realized or drink high calorie juices or coffees and things you wouldn't usually think of. so knowing what you currently eat can help you to see the issues that may be causing the weight gain. 

2. figure out what is most important for you to keep in your diet for you to stick with it. is that getting to eat hella pasta or other carbs? or do you need your chocolate fix every night? know what is important to you so you can plan how you eat around those requirements to not feel restricted. 

3. which brings me to part 3... plan, plan, plan. at least at first make sure you are planning as much as you can so you don't go off track due to laziness. make yourself a menu, have your snacks portioned out, meal prep if that's something you need to do. make sure you have your plan in place so you can enjoy the foods you want to while also staying within whatever goals you've set for yourself successfully

4. have goals. clear cut, written, achievable goals. that could be staying within a calorie range or no sodas or no eating out during the week or no chips with lunch or eat a veggie at dinner or try a new fruit/veggie every couple of weeks. have set goals for each month that you can achieve and stick with them. 

5. and finally...if you slip up (and you will) don't let that run you off the rails. change takes time and you will make mistakes. and that is OKAY! but do not let that mistake turn into a whole day or week or whatever of going off track. 

so that's how you do it! make your plan and stick with it. eat your healthy foods and protein and enjoy your treats in moderation. 

you can do it! 

but if you need help/have questions/want some ideas follow me on facebook and instagram! send me a message or leave a comment with any questions! 

HOW TO: break a weight loss plateau

it happens to the best of us... you're working out and eating well and losing weight consistently and then all of a sudden a week goes by with no loss... and another...and another with no losses and you're sitting there like wtf am i doing wrong?? 

well let's figure that out. plateaus are THE WORST and can feel like they're never ending but they'll end! you just gotta step back, re-evaluate, and be patient.

first things first... is this really a plateau?

if you haven't had a loss in a week or two...this may not be a plateau. sometimes you just don't get losses every week. it sucks but it happens. stay consistent and if you continue to stay at the same weight (or even slight gains) for like 3-4 weeks that's when you should take a look at the following things. 

weight is effected by SO MANY things. so take a look at these things: 

1. are you eating more salt than usual? salt will cause you to hold water which means it will look like you're not losing weight. so take a look at your salt intake!

2. did you start eating more carbs lately? carbs hold more water than any other macro so, once again, it will look like you aren't losing when really you could just be retaining water. don't cut your carbs though! give it a little more time and allow your body to adjust to the additional carbs. 

3. how much are you sleeping? sleep is wayyy more important than people give it credit for during weight loss. make sure you are getting a full night's sleep and that helps the weight come off. your body NEEDS sleep for it to function properly...make sure you are giving it the rest it needs.

4. how stressed are you? stress physically effects your body in a lot of ways... one of those ways is holding onto weight and water retention. so 1) stressing out about your weight loss will 100% not help you lose weight and 2) if you have external life stressors (we all do!) take a step back and try to make adjustments so that stress does not effect you as much. 

5. are you weighing yourself at a different time of day? keep your weigh in days/time of day consistent so you can see if your weight is ACTUALLY fluctuating. your weight will vary several pounds throughout a single day... so keep it consistent!

6. how is your fiber intake? real talk, if you're constipated you are holding onto extra weight! eat the right amount of fiber for a few days then see if you still have a plateau.

7. are you accurately tracking your intake? as people continue to lose weight, they can get lazier with tracking. it has happened to all of us. so take a few days to track your intake properly and see if maybe you're just eating more than your calorie deficit allows for.

8. drink more water! seriously. water is SO important for all around health and absolutely critical for weight loss. drink enough water!

9. ladies, is your period about to start? or are you on your period? that'll cause bloating and it'll look and feel like you aren't losing/you are gaining weight. (personally i do not weight myself the week before or on my period just to keep myself sane)

OKAY

so you've checked that all out...and you're STILL in a plateau... there are options, friend! 

here's what you gotta do: 

1. stay consistent! don't throw everything out the window because you haven't lost the weight you wanted to. take a deep breath, remember why you want to lose the weight, and keep pushing forward.

2. workout more/more intensely. maybe you're working out 3 days a week for 45 mins... add another workout day into your routine or add more time into your workout. 3 days at 60 mins or 4 days at 45 mins. OR if you are not able to spend more time at the gym... work out at a higher intensity. add hiit (high intensity interval training) into your routine. do your reps faster or run/walk at a faster pace. or maybe you need a total revamp of your workout routine! try out a whole new workout routine and that could break the plateau! 

3. adjust your calorie intake. as you begin to weigh less, you need less calories to function properly. so make sure you are tracking properly and then reduce your intake by 10% and keep on tracking and staying consistent. 

4. focus on protein! so maybe you're tracking your food and staying in a deficit and that works well for the first 40 lbs, but the last 10 are the hardest. so you may need to focus on what those calories are made up of more than before. so take a look at your protein intake and try to have protein make up 30-40% of you daily intake. 

5. take a break! seriously. take a week off of training and calorie counting. i know, it seems counter-productive. but sometimes you need to take several days off so your body can totally recover and then be ready to take on more training. fun story, when i had my wisdom teeth removed i was not allowed to workout for a week nor could i eat normal foods for several days. and i was eating just as many, if not more, calories as i was while i was recovering and i actually lost weight and then came back to training and hit PRs on my running and lifting the next week. 

here's what not to do: 

1. freak out and cut calories dramatically. 

2. weigh yourself every day/ several times a day

3. stress yourself out about it

4. give up

none of that will work y'all. promise. it may be a temporary fix... but it will not work long term. 

there ya have it. if you do all of that... the weight will start coming off again. it's hard to overcome a plateau, but it can be done. 

side note... over the past month and a half i have been stuck at a higher weight than i would like that i gained over a couple months while moving due to stress, eating out a lot, messed up workout schedule, and all sorts of fun stuff. and i followed these tips and this morning i broke that plateau! it was frustrating, but once i refocused... i took a few days off of lifting...started tracking accurately and being consistent... the weight came off! it works. it's an annoying and frustrating process but there are many ways to to make the progress come back again!

do you have questions or did i miss something that worked for you? let me know in the comments below or on my instagram or facebook! 

what are: macronutrients?

if you're looking up things about fitness and/or nutrition you've probably come across the term macronutrients or macros. macros are a hugely important part of strength training and fat loss but can seem pretty intimidating. you'll see it in reference to carb cycling, IIFYM, keto, zone diet, etc. there are a lot of ways to use macros to your benefit, but let's start with the basics! 

so what are macros? 

pretty simply, they are carbohydrates, fat, and protein. 

carbs:

basics: 4 calories per gram. the primary function of carbs are to fuel organ activity (brain, heart, and skeletal muscle). 

what you need to know: carbs give you energy, and are the primary source of energy in the body. they fuel your body functions.

they are NOT the reason you have gained weight or are overweight, that only has to do with the amount of calories you eat in a given day/week/etc. you can eat carbs late at night and still lose weight (promise), as long as you are staying in your given calorie range.

the general daily recommended intake is approximately 45 - 65% of your caloric intake. this does vary upon the activity of the person. the more active, the more carbs recommended. 

where you can find carbs: fruits, vegetables, potatoes, sweet potatoes, breads, beans, rice, granola, sugary sweets (limit these though)

fat:

basics: 9 calories per gram. primary function is fuel,but also helps with insulation, protection, and transportation in the body. very important for brain function. 

what you need to know: fats keep your body going. not the first choice for your body to use as energy, but will be used (especially if you do not consume a lot of carbs)

and fats do NOT make you fat. you NEED fat for your body to function properly. Fat fuels cell function, brain function & development, vitamin absorption, and protects the body's organs. Not to mention, fats keep you fuller longer, so you'll get less hungry. 

the general daily recommended intake is approximately 20-40% of your caloric intake. once again, this varies person to person, depending on their lifestyle. 

where you can find fats: nuts, seeds, coconuts, oils, avocados, olives, cheese, eggs. (avoid trans fats when possible)

protein:

basics: 4 calories per gram. two basic types of proteins - structural and regulatory. structural proteins work in your skin, cell membranes, muscle, and bone tissue, to help build and repair. regulatory proteins are enzymes, transportation, defense, contractile, hormones, and serums, which work to maintain fluid and electrolyte balance. 

what you need to know: protein is the big macro that you'll hear most any fitness person talking about, and for good reason. protein is the key element in muscle building and repair. when you weight lift or run or workout in general you are wearing down or creating tiny tears in your muscles... so you NEED protein to rebuild those muscles to make them stronger for the next time you do that workout. 

also, protein is the best macro to keep you full. so if you are cutting calories or just need help not overeating, protein is the way to go. 

the general daily recommended intake is approximately 10-35% of you caloric intake. however, if you're active or an athlete, you may need more. 

where you can find proteins: chicken, turkey, cheese, eggs, beans, lentils, beef, eggs, quinoa, tofu, soy or whey proteins. 

there you have it! this by no means is a complete overview of all of the ins and outs of macros but it is a pretty good overview, if i do say so myself. i will be doing complete posts on each macro at some point in the future along with a post on micro-nutrients, and on all the diets mentioned in the intro.

But if you have any questions right now...I would love to hear them! 

You can leave thoughts, comments, or questions below or ask me on facebook or instagram!