Vigor Nutrition Part 1: 10 Rules To Nutrition

As a nutrition coach at Vigor Ground Fitness and Performance, I get asked a ton of questions on dieting. One of these questions is, “Where should my macronutrients be on a daily basis?” or “How many calories should I take in daily?”The problem with this question is first being that everyone is different, not just in body weight and activity either! People forget that previous dieting history, hormonal functions and metabolism come into play tremendously when it comes to starting a specifically mapped out dietary plan. So its extremely difficulty for me to just throw out some numbers and it wouldn’t be the right thing to do because I know it wouldn’t get them where they want to be, in the LONG RUN.So with todays post I want you to think about just that, the long run.It comes down to asking yourself the simple question of, “Where do you want to be in 1 year from now? 2 years? 10 years?”

You see, people always forget about this because they are in such a rush to see quick results and eliminate the belly fat. Which trust me, I completely understand!But we also must realize that in order to do this we need to take the right steps at the very beginning of our journey to ensure that we can stick to the specific details of the plan later down the road.In this 4 part series of nutrition articles I am going to start with the basics, a guideline approach to create a habitual lifestyle change which will set you on the right track to long term results and adherence.Next, in part 2, I will start to introduce how we should look at calories and the importance they have on the results we achieve.Then, in part 3, I will break down the macronutrient equation for a daily approach that can help you achieve a more specific diet plan customized to you and the goals you wish to achieve.And finally, in part 4, I will show you how you can adjust your nutrients and calories along the way to make sure you see constant progress, break through any plateaus that come your way and also a slightly different approach to look at if things seem to slow down or you get stuck to frequently.So now, without further ado, here are your 10 Rules to a Dietary Habitual and Lifestyle Change!

1. Eat Every 2-4 Hours.

A lot of people will read this and think, “But I thought meal timing was a myth?!” and my response is simple. This is a guideline made to achieve habitual changes that lead to long-term results and adherence to future dieting. So if you ask me whether it matters if you had one meal 2 hours apart and another 5 hours, I would say “Of course not just eat!” But when creating a habitual improvement in your relationship with dieting, it is important to practice this for a few reasons. It will make sure you are not over indulging, it will make sure that you meet your caloric intake by the days end, it will make sure you are meeting nutrient requirements (if you follow the steps below in these meals), and it will get you used to meal preparation.

2. Eat Complete, Lean Proteins at Each Meal.

If your meal doesn’t consist of something that either had a face or comes from something that did have a face, make the change! This rule still applies to vegetarians, it will be harder to do so but it is crucial to accomplish daily. Adequate protein consumption is important when looking to achieve improved body composition, for many reasons but I will save that for a follow up article.

3. Eat Veggies at EVERY Meal.

Along with the protein, you must have veggies at every single meal. This is HUGE for vitamins, minerals, fiber and so much more! Fruit is important as well for the same reasons, so you can also add those in but not as often. Rule of thumb for fruits and veggies is keeping it at a 4:1 ratio daily. This means eat 4x as many greens as you do fruits!

4. Eat Carbs ONLY When You’ve Earned Them ;)

When I say carbs, I don’t mean all carbs… I mean the starchy, tasty, sugary, doughy ones that we seem to crave a lot! So don’t worry about the fruits and veggies with this rule. This one can be difficult because breads, pastas, rice’s and all the other starchy foods are huge staples in the culture we live in. But remember that heart disease, diabetes, cancer and many other dietary related diseases are staples as well! So skip out on the starchy foods until AFTER you’ve exercised. This will be like a reward to yourself for making the positive choice to train, plus your body seems to tolerate carbohydrates best directly after working out.

5. Eat Healthy Fats.

Even though the word fat is associated with the type of fat that we want to lose, you’ll need to get fats into your diet from the right sources if you want to lose fat. There are three main types of fats- saturated, monounsaturated, and polyunsaturated. Eating all three kinds of fats in a good balance is important, especially when losing body fat is our goal. For your saturated fat intake you should aim to get this from your animal products and cooking in coconut oil or grass fed butter on occasion. Your monounsaturated fats should be coming from mixed tree nuts and olives/olive oils. And your polyunsaturated fats should be coming from flaxseed oil, fish oil and more mixed tree nuts.

6. Stop Drinking Calories!

When it comes to beverages, you really should only be consuming ones that don’t contain any calories. Things like sodas, alcoholic drinks, mochas, and even “natural” juices should all be removed from your daily diet when trying to make a positive change towards results. Its best to stick to water, green teas and black coffee.

7. Aim For The Whole Foods.

There are exceptions to this rule, like when you’re on the run or need a quick shake after a workout because you wont be in a kitchen for a good amount of time. But other than those situations, it is best to stick to whole foods as often as possible to make sure you’re constantly getting nutritionally dense foods.

8. Practice The 90/10 Rule.

This will be your favorite guideline; it is everyone’s favorite. This means that 90% of the time you should be following your diet plan and these guidelines as closely on point as possible… But 10% of the time you need to enjoy yourself! Go have a drink, a cheat meal or an outing with some friends. This is important not only because you deserve it after all the hard work you will be putting forth, but also because it will help long term adherence to a diet plan. Studies haven proven this time and time again, that if you follow a diet with absolutely no breaks what so ever you will sooner or later slip up and this can cause much more damage then little enjoyments here and there will. So rather than never bending the rules at all and then ending up partaking in a food binge, enjoy yourself 10% of the time.

9. Prepare for Success.

The most difficult part about dieting isn’t figuring out what needs to be done, it’s doing so consistently. This is where preparation comes in and needs to be a staple in your weekly schedule. You can know everything you need to eat today, but if isn’t ready and available you’re bound to fall off the wagon. So plan a prep day where you can cook in bulk, separate meals and delegate your daily diet plan!

10. Learn To Use Variety.

When it comes down to prepping meals day in and day out, things are going to be very gourmet unfortunately. But this is why variety is so important! Many times people fail diets simply because of boredom and lack of flavor, but there are ways around this ensure success. Start utilizing spices, hot sauces and other zero calorie condiments that can shake things up a bit. Another way around this is to utilize whole foods to create creative recipes, such as mixing in some garlic and peppers with your stir fry chicken meal this week and plan to change them up next week.So now you’re probably wondering, “Well, what about calories? Macronutrient ratios? Workout nutrition?”I know that this explained the basics and will get your prepared for success but until you’ve consistently practiced these guidelines and built a good habit of them all, you’re not ready for macro ratios and caloric restrictions.So for now, print this out or write them down and practice them religiously so you can start to create a healthier lifestyle towards a more fit you!And next time we will introduce calories and how to program them into your diet for better results.