Three Levels of Nutrition

 

  Nutrition is hard. There are so many articles, books and people to stalk on social media that say this and that. It CAN be confusing. Who do you believe? Who do you trust? What plan works for you? What is possible for you? But I like pizza and margaritas. I get it. Its tough. I have a personal motto of “keep it simple”. When someone ask me to be their nutrition coach I keep that motto in mind. I like to talk about nutrition based on three different levels/styles. The very first thing you need to do is get really really in the know of where you are and where you want to go. This mean sitting down and writing some goals. Sometimes we want to be at X but X isn’t exactly possible RIGHT NOW…we have to build up to that. Switching from eating fast food every day to counting macros every time you put something in your mouth is going to be a rough transition…doable, but rough and I don’t want you to hate this clean eating lifestyle. The second thing, is look at your kitchen and/or pantry. Does it align with the goals you set? Do you need to go through and clean out some things? Do you have enough containers? Is your kitchen set up for success? Once you have those two things figured out, we can get started. Lets look at these three different levels.

LEVEL 1 – Eat. Real. Food.

Its that simple. Eat. Real. Food. Indulge in as many colorful veggies as you can. Pile your plate with as much leafy greens as it can hold. Pair these with a variety of clean meats. Shop the outside rim of the grocery stores. If it comes in a package, turn the other way. There is no limit to how much clean, unpackaged food you can have. If you are turning a new leaf and want to start living a healthier lifestyle this is a GREAT place to start. Eating real food is also a great rule of thumb to have when eating out or going to parties. Eat the things that come unpackaged. You will be amazed at how this habit CAN have great effects not just on your physical appearance, but how you sleep, your energy levels, how you feel in general…I could go on and on here. Just remember to keep it simple.

Level 2 – Hand Measurements 

So you have been in level 1 for a few weeks and you have finally developed a habit of eating good clean foods and you want to see what this “weigh and measure” thing is all about, but not exactly ready to whip out the measuring cups and scale. Precision Nutrition has created a wonderful way to tap into that “weigh and measure” lifestyle by using your hand as a measuring tool. This doesn’t mean you should pick up your meat at a restaurant and cut off all the excess, it just gives you an idea/ballpark of the amounts you should be eating. I still encourage you to follow the “real food” idea here. But this is a stellar way to get your feet wet. The pictures below show what it is like for men and women. This is something you would apply to every meal.

Level 3 – Weight & Measure

Bring out the pyrex containers, the measuring cups and spoons, dust off the food scale because you are going to be using it all at this level. At this level chances are you have a nutrition coach or have sat down with someone to help you figure out your macros. If you don’t have a coach there are many tools out there to help you calculate your macros based on a few things. I’m personally a fan of THIS one, but you can never go wrong with hiring a nutrition coach. At this level everything you consume gets weighed and measured. Everything is calculated down to the decimal (which is why I recommend a digital scale). There is also a timing element to this level. You eat at certain times, chances are your program is built around your workout time…which is why having a coach create a personal plan for you is ideal. This level is doable for all, but the key is in the meal prepping in advance so its a grab and go or grab and plate. There are many plans out there, just do your research and find out which one works best for you!

Nutrition takes time. You are not going to see results after just one clean meal. Be patient and never quit. I would recommend taking some before pictures and start a log this way you can track your progress or you can look back at your before picture when things get rough. There are so many benefits to eating clean. I’m a firm believer in the fact that we can improve many areas in our lives by observing what we eat. I encourage you to take the next step no matter where you are in your diet, you never know what awaits!