Enjoy this guest post by Big Sky Coach Ryan Bourgeois.
Ryan is an NASM Certified Personal Trainer with certifications in Nutrition, Corrective exercise, Bodybuilding and Senior Fitness. He’s also has a Weight Loss Specialist through NASM and behavior modification certification through NESTA. Ryan is also a DYT (Defend Yourself Training) Coach at the Simsbury Big Sky location.
Simple ways to improve your approach to nutrition (without having to track calories).
A simple approach to nutrition when trying to reach your fitness goals is to follow the 80/20 rule:
Eat clean, whole, nutritious foods 80% of the time, and the remaining 20% can be for some of those “guilty pleasure” foods.
To do that, plan your meals in advance. Start by imagining that your fridge is completely empty, with nothing but condiments inside. Then think about how many meals you’ll be eating in a day (usually 3-4) and multiply that by the days of the week. Most people will come out with 21-28 total meals. So, if we do the math here for guilty pleasure meals, 4-5 per week is our sweet spot.
Building your shopping list in advance can help you stay on the right path. When building your shopping list. If your goal is weight loss or body fat loss, pick lower calorie options when shopping for the following items:
Pick 3-5 protein options (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, etc.) Protein needs to be the star of every meal/snack and cover 1/4-1/3 of the plate.
Pick 3-5 vegetables and try to pick a variety. Veggies should cover 1/3 – 1/2 the plate
Pick 3-5 fruits. Again, pick a variety and think of these as great snack ideas. Try to choose options that are high in fiber to aid in digestion.
Pick 3-5 carbohydrates (rice, quinoa, potatoes, whole grain bread, etc.) Carbs are needed to provide energy for workouts, and they help with mental focus. They’re typically best to consume around physical activities.
Once you’ve made your list and hopefully stuck to it (avoiding impulse purchases at the market) do some prep if possible. When things are prepped and ready to go, you’re way less likely to deviate from the plan!
Finally, I recommend planning out your guilty pleasure meals. This helps you maintain your healthy eating habits without the risk of wanting to overindulge on these foods.
If you’re going out to eat, assume the meal is going to be 2 or more servings, so if you’re only planning for 4-5 “guilty pleasure” meals, that just took out almost half!
Be aware that one serving of alcohol also counts as 1 entire guilty pleasure meal. And be careful here, because you’re more likely to want to reach for foods not on the plan when you’ve been drinking.
A few final thoughts… be sure to follow the portion sizes stated above and be aware of over consumption. Just because you choose some lower calorie options, doesn’t mean you should eat more than you normally would or what a serving size is.
For ideas like this and many more talk to one of our Big Sky Coaches, they’re here to work with you to help simplify and accelerate your progress!
Hope this helps!
If you’re looking for additional support in achieving your exercise and nutrition goals, we’re here to help! Sign up for our FREE 5 Session Personal Training Experience and start seeing results faster!
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