Some of you might find this blog post very annoying.
This blog post won't be giving you "hacks" that you've never heard before.
In fact, the tips in today's blog post are things you've heard me say a million times.
And that's because they work.
These tips work so consistently well that it has been the cornerstone for thousands of men and women's weight loss and wellness journeys (just check out some of their stories HERE).
In fact, these are the tips I used throughout my 20 pound postpartum weight loss journey to consistently and reliably achieve my body recomposition goals without having to count calories or feel hungery.
And this blog post might seem annoying because you HAVE heard me say this information before in my youtube videos, blog posts and Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle programs.
These are science-backed tools that help the body burn fat while minimizing muscle loss and therefore making it much easier to maintain the weight loss progress you've achieved.
But sometimes we just need a reminder or even to hear something said 20 times or so before we're ready to make a change (we've all been there).
So today, I'm sharing the nutrition tips that WORK.
No hacks. No gimmicks.
Just science-backed tools.
Let's dive into it.
1: Remove Ultra Processed Carbs and Fats
In our body, we have natural hormones that are released in response to foods rich in protein, fat and fiber. When these hormones are raised, it tells our brain that we're full and don't need to keep eating.
This internal system helps us to naturally achieve and maintain fat loss goals without feeling hungry.
However, Ultra processed (UP) carbs and fats have been found to have addictive properties.(1)
These addictive properties bypass our natural satiety cues and trigger our body into eating more than what it needs, making it difficult or impossible to achieve a weight loss goal.
Foods made with UP carbs and fats include most baked goods, crackers, chips, cookies, candy, many breads and bagels, fried food, soda, sweetened coffees and more.
By avoiding these UP carbs and fats, it becomes much easier to eat until satisfied while still achieving a body recomposition goal.
I've found the easiest way to eliminate UP carbs and fats is by focusing on eating low to medium glycemic load carbohydrates.
These carbs are nutrient dense, tend to be rich in fiber and are great ingredients to eat while focusing on a body recomposition goal.
2: Eat At Home
Research has known for a while now that eating meals at home tends to result in lower body fat and a lower likelihood of gaining weight.(2)
Eating meals at home helps to avoid many of the UP fats and carbs that are often found at restaurants.
Plus, prepping or cooking meals at home gives you more control over the ingredients you're adding into your meals.
Many restaurant meals tend to be low in protein, which is not conducive for a body recomposition goal (as we'll get into in just a second).
So by eating home cooked meals, you can make sure you're eating enough of the right types of foods to support your goals.
This also doesn't have to be a difficult task if you don't love to cook.
Leaning on easy meals like cottage cheese bowls, rotisserie chicken, greek yogurt parfaits and tuna salad is an easy way to make simple home "cooked" meals.
But you can also find plenty of simple and delicious protein, fat and fiber focused recipes on my blog and in my Complete Intermittent Fasting Bundle programs.
3: Eat Enough (High Quality) Protein
High quality protein is a requirement for achieving a body recomposition goal.
It helps to prevent muscle loss while primarily burning fat as fuel. This combination therefore helps to keep the metabolism from slowing down while losing weight.
Unfortunately, a lot of people are not eating anywhere close to their protein needs and they are not getting a lot of it from high quality sources.
Current research suggests that to maximize body recomposition benefits, we need to eat about .73 grams of protein per pound of body weight every day.(3)
So for women, this usually ranges from 100-120 grams of protein per day. For men, it often ranges from 120-150 grams per day. Although this can be much higher, depending on the individual.
A good place to start is to aim for 30 grams of complete protein per meal from high quality sources.
Checkout my blog post below for a complete list of high quality protein foods.
4: Stop Snacking
If you eat enough protein at your meal, you shouldn't feel hungry enough to snack.
So if you do find yourself needing a snack, you likely didn't eat enough protein (which is problematic, as we discussed with the last tip).
Plus, typical snacks are loaded with UP carbs and fats that work against a body recomposition goal.
I like to view the urge to snack as a sign that I didn't eat enough protein (or perhaps fat or fiber) at my last meal.
If I find that I accidentally under-ate at my last meal and I need some type of snack to hold me over, I focus on those that are rich in high quality proteins.
5: Drink Water
Water is obviously important because it helps to keep us hydrated.
But when we replace water with sugar sweetened drinks to quench our thirst, this can significantly work against our weight loss or wellness goals.
Sugar sweetened drinks, like sweetened coffees, sodas and energy drinks, fall into that category of UP carbs.
And as we noted with the first tip, UP carbs have addictive qualities.
Instead of drinking sweetened sodas, coffees and energy drinks, it's important to focus on water, sparkling water, tea and coffee.
You can even feel free to add some heavy cream or half and half to your coffee or tea (as long as it doesn't contain any sugar).
Looking for other ways to sneak protein into your diet?
Checkout my pasture-raised, zero sugar protein powder!
My protein powder was specifically designed to taste amazing in recipes such as smoothies, chia pudding, protein waffles and more.
In fact, every bag of my protein powder comes with a free download of 10 high protein recipes using my protein powder!
