Nutrition Module
A. What Is Flexible Dieting?
B. Water Intake
Water intake is going to be a little different for everyone, depending on your age, activity level, and whether or not you’re pregnant. But a general rule for drinking water is similar to eating - if you’re thirsty, drink something. If you’re not, then don’t.
Your body is more than 60% water.
It uses that fluid for things like sweat, tears, and yes, even blood, but fluid also helps regulate body temperature, helps your body make hormones, and keeps your brain from smashing into your skull when you’re doing things.
Humans need about 3 liters (101 ounces) of fluid per day, though the exact amount will vary from person to person. *
Depending on your diet, about 34 ounces (1 liter) of that will probably come from food, especially if you’re eating watery foods like veggies, fruit, prepared oatmeal, or yogurt.
That leaves about 2 liters (67 ounces) to get from beverages.
So that general advice of 8x8 - meaning 8 glasses of 8 ounces of water every day - is actually a good place to start.
*This information comes from an article by Precision Nutrition. Click here to read the entire piece.
C. Kitchen Refresh
If you truly want to overhaul your nutrition, it’s important to start by combing through your kitchen and removing as much of the unwanted food as possible. I realize that you probably don’t live alone, and that someone in your house is either a deliberate or, more often, well-meaning saboteur.
There are any number of strategies to decide which foods stay and which go, but I’m a fan of the traffic light system:
Red Light Foods - If I leave a can of Pringles or bag of Doritos at my house, all bets are off. Actually, just about any kind of chip is a red light food for me. They are too tempting for me to leave alone when they’re in the house. These also might be foods that you can’t resist, but that make you feel awful after you eat them. For some people this might be ice cream or soda.
Take a look around your kitchen, in your pantry and your freezer and identify the red light foods. If you can’t eat it in moderation, it’s a red light food.
Yellow Light Foods - I looooooove me some chocolate and peanut butter, and also those little Andes Candies mints. But I can be satisfied with two of those mints or two Reese’s cups at the end of the night. I’ll eat them, but I don’t eat them in excess.
Identify the foods that might not be the healthiest choice, but that you are comfortable keeping around.
Green Light Foods - These are the items that you probably should all over yourself about eating. Items that make you feel great and help you reach your health and wellness goals (generally all whole/fresh foods, fruits and veggies, etc.).
In the interest of keeping as much of this process as doable as possible, one of my favorite strategies is to set up your refrigerator your green light items, and maybe a few yellow light foods. I keep some staples around: cottage cheese, turkey burgers, sugar snap peas, peppers, carrots and other veggies, as well as cheese sticks, hard boiled eggs, and different meat sources like ham or roast beef.
Keeping your fridge stocked like definitely takes a little prep work, but it makes the rest of the week just a little bit easier.
The bottom line with this strategy is that you eliminate foods that are tempting you, and give yourself only options that are in line with your nutrition goals. Now I realize that most of you live with people who might not follow the same nutrition plan as you - if that’s the case, set up a shelf in the fridge that is just for you.
D. Supplements: Getting Your Nutrients
When it comes to questions about whether or not clients need to take supplements, my answer is always the same:
Supplements are just that, a supplement to your current diet.
Ideally, you want to get as many of the nutrients that your body needs from whole foods in your diet. But because that can often prove difficult, especially when it comes to things like your Omega 3s, and various amino acids, there are some base supplements that I like to recommend to clients.
We often start nutrition by placing the focus on elimination, and while that’s certainly part of the process, many of us are lacking in some of the basic nutrients in our bodies. When we start to feed our bodies those nutrients, we start feeling better.
And change happens when we’re feeling good.
Recommended supplements:
Fish Oil
Vitamin D (amounts vary depending on where you live and how much natural Vitamin D you get)
Greens supplement
Protein Powder
Zinc
E. Eating More Veggies-Get Your Five Veggies In
F. Why Calorie Counting Doesn't Always Work
H. Understanding Macros
When it comes to fat loss and body recomposition, most people begin by tracking and limiting calories.
And while that’s a great place to start, it’s also helpful to dial in to where your calories are coming from. Not only in regards to eating whole, unprocessed foods, but also in terms of understanding how many of your calories are coming from which macronutrients.
What is a macronutrient?
So glad you asked :-)
“An essential nutrient that has a large minimal daily requirement.” I mean, that’s the dictionary definition.
There are three macros: protein, fat, and carbohydrates.
You’re familiar with all of them, and perhaps you’ve tried to go one route over the other.
High protein! Paleo, yes! I'm in. Why do I have the meat sweats??
Low carb! I’m in! Yes, no carbs. Why am I so punchy?
Low fat! That tastes awful! Forget it, I’m out.
If you’re curious and like math, both protein and carbohydrates contain 4 calories per gram, while fat provides 9 calories per gram.
A brief explanation of each:
Protein
Protein is the single most important macronutrient as it helps to build muscle, burn fat, boost recovery and immune health and improve digestion. The Precision Nutrition recommendation* for protein consumption for muscle gain is 135grams for a 180 pound man and 110 grams for a 150 pound woman.
As I’ve written in the past, higher protein consumption promotes fat loss in part because it’s the most satiating macro - eat a serving of cottage cheese and then eat a serving of two crackers and see which one fills you up more. When you’re satiated, you consume less calories over all.
Protein also ensures that most of the weight you lose is actually fat, and when consumed after a workout, can help to build lean muscle.
Carbohydrates
We know carbs. We have friends who do low carb diets, we’ve done low carb diets (I’ve done low carb diets), we’ve seen the Atkins diet and watched people wrestle over a doughnut hole or worse yet, a piece of baking chocolate. (True story. Ask Sheila. Actually don’t, because she won).
As a result of many of these popular diets, carbs have become vilified.
They’re not.
Carbs help ensure that our stress hormones stay low, that our thyroid functions well, that our sex hormones stay healthy and that we sleep and recover well. Have you ever tried to go super low carb? Like less than 10 grams per meal? I have.
And I was an a***hole.
There’s science behind that. A low carb approach can elevate your cortisol (the stress hormone) levels which can affect your over all stress response, mood digestion and energy levels.
A low carb diet is often appealing because of the rapid weight loss that can happen. In the beginning you're primarily losing water and glycogen - but if you are going low carb, you’re probably increasing your protein - because those calories have to come from somewhere - so is it the decreased carbs or the increase in protein that’s helping your weight loss?
Probably a combination, but it depends on how much you are getting of each.
Fat
We know low fat. I’ve never been grocery shopping that low fat wasn’t an option; cottage cheese, milk, ice cream (that’s just wrong) - but the thinking was that consuming a lot of fat made you fat.
Also that too much fat caused heart disease.
Then you wondered how your great-grandfather lived to be 95 and ate bacon and eggs every day.
Well, because nutrition isn't black and white.
Without going too far down the rabbit hole on fats, it's important to understand that you need an appropriate amount of healthy fats. (We'll get to the healthy part in a second). The appropriate amount can help your cells to work properly, build a strong immune system, and even help provide some satiation between meals.
Because we are only scratching the surface on macros in this post, I think what's most important to understand about fats, and all of the macros, is which sources are healthy fats. Nuts and seeds, whole foods like avocados, all natural peanut butter (yes, the kind with oil in it), and olive oil are just a few sources of healthy fats that you can incorporate into your diet.
In terms of a recommendation of how you much of any one macro you should consume in a day, it depends on your goals. As mentioned above regarding protein consumption, if you're looking to build more muscle, (or tone, which is a post for another day), then higher protein is a good place to start. But if you're just trying to get a handle on the types of calories to consume, the breakdown of the screen shot above is a place to start. 40 percent protein, 30 percent carbs, and 30 percent fats.
I. The Importance Of Protein As You Age-High Protein Recipes
Close to half of older adults get less than the amount of protein suggested by the National Academy of Medicine, according to a 2019 study in The Journal of Nutrition, Health & Aging. The Recommended Dietary Allowance is 0.36 grams per pound of body weight daily, or 54 grams for a 150-pound person.
For weight loss AND strength training purposes, I often recommend shooting for at least 100 grams of protein per day (depending on recommendations from your doctor, specifically relating to issues with kidney function), and there are several reasons for doing so:
Protein, specifically consumed before and especially AFTER a strength workout, can help you build lean muscle.
Protein is satiating, and tends to keep us fuller, faster.
Protein has a thermogenic effect, meaning that our body has to work harder to break the protein day.
As we age, our bodies don’t use protein as efficiently
Download the High Protein Recipe Pack Here (Working on making this downloadable, so in the meantime, email me at kim@kimlloydfitness.com and I’ll send it to you.)
J. The Effect Of Stress On Fat Loss
Information coming.
K. The Effect Of Sleep On Fat Loss
Information coming.
L. How To Negotiate Alcohol
Information coming.
M. How To Negotiate Special Occasions
Information coming.
N. Learning To Eat On The Go
Information coming.
O. Sample Meal Plans
Most of us live incredibly busy lives. Between work-life, family demands, and coming out of a two-year pandemic, it can feel like finding time to eat healthy is almost impossible.
Which is why I’m a huge fan of this five-ingredient recipe guide. Yes it takes a little time to prep, but less ingredients keeps the process a little simpler. And I love that.
Because simple works.
Download the recipe guide here. (Working on making this downloadable, so in the meantime, email me at kim@kimlloydfitness.com and I’ll send it to you.)
Q. Living By The 80/20 Rule-What Does It Mean And Why Is It Important?
Information coming.