OK now we know that exercise isn’t going to help much with weight loss. It is time to dig on that nutrition part of the puzzle! But where do I start??

I want you to think of this like you think of finances!! We need data and information!! The more the better! When you see your financial planner or your accountant you don’t just sit in his/her chair and say, “Well I think I did this” “I might have spent that” “I’m guessing on this” They want numbers and facts! The more you have the better picture they see, the more they can help. Nutrition is that same way if we want to dig in and take a look around we need data and facts. We need a picture.

For the next 7 to 14 days log and track all your nutrition...EVERYTHING. There are tons of free apps out there that work well or old school pencil and paper is fine. You can log macros, caloric density, calories, points..honestly pick what is most important to you and do that. If you can log hunger levels and emotion along with your food that is a HUGE bonus and will give us an even more accurate picture of your relationship with food. The hardest part is going to be NOT CHANGING YOUR EATING HABITS, PORTIONS, AND BEHAVIORS FOR THE next 7-14 DAYS. Be brutally honest with yourself, eat a Cheeto off your kids plate you better log that Cheeto! This is going to be tough to do but true change starts with acceptance and awareness. What this also does is gives you an accurate window into your normal routines and habits when it comes to food. We want to see this! Next Wednesday we will start to take a deeper dive into what your logs are telling you and what changes can be made.

Part 2

Congrats you logged your 7 days..Let’s dig in and become critical thinkers!

First we are going to look at the big picture. What patterns come out at you?
🔬Look at the week:
--Calorie ups and downs on certain days of the week (Friday, Saturday) What is your highest calorie day in the 7 day window? What was your lowest calorie day in that window? Why are they different?

🔬Look at individual days:
--Calories ups and downs during certain times of day (Snacks? Dinner? Late night?)
--Macro changes ups or down (more carbs as the day goes on?)
--Do you tend to eat sweets at certain times of the day? Why?
--Is there a daily pattern to your snacking? Or Overeating?

🔬Look at meals/snacks/beverages:
--Portion sizes (Do they change from breakfast to lunch to dinner). Are there certain foods you struggle with more portion size wise?
--Do you skip meals?
--Are there more snacks at a certain time of day?
--Does the healthiness of your choices change? How do they change? When do they change?
--How many veggies do I get in?
--How much water do you drink?
--Are meals balanced well with the style of eating you follow?

It is like being a detective. You get to the crime scene and you first look at the big picture. You are taking everything in then slowly you move closer and closer just identifying....analyzing what you see....thinking critically

🎯 From this viewpoint I want you to list out 3 main areas that you see in your food logs that could be improved on and you want to work on. Feel free to list them in the comments below this post and I can also help you further
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From those 3 you are going to pick 1 (yes just one) area to focus on and I want that area of focus to be the most realistic for you. For instance if you have been a soda drinker for 30 years and have never gone a day without soda let’s not start there. Let’s instead work on something more realistic and doable, gain some confidence and self efficacy, set the habit, keep the routine going, then slowly build on the next change you want to make, etc…. So if you know Soda is on your list but eating a healthier breakfast just feels more realistic for you start there! Often people just go out too fast/hard with habit change and it blows up so they give up everything. Rome wasn’t built in a day, change takes time so start small and realistic for you!