Nutrition Challenge Week 1

New Habits 

I know you may be very keen to really hit the ground running and throw everything at this challenge Enthusiasm is great and I want to keep that up, but in order to keep the enthusiasm up we need to make sure this is not a complete overhaul overnight. I want this to be sustainable. Over the next few days, our big focus is on getting used to tracking food whether it's your first time ever using MyFitnessPal or you're just getting back to using MyFitnessPal. 

I would recommend, if you don't have one already, in investing in an digital kitchen scales. This will help you be as accurate as possible. Over the next few weeks we're going to learn how to incorporate eating out into a healthy lifestyle so if you are eating out and not able to track your food, fear not! There will be some easy tips we can use.  

When cooking, it is best to weigh food raw before cooking and measure it that way, as cooking can alter the weight in an unpredictable manner. Weighing vegetables Please do not weigh green leafy veg, life's too short for that Most vegetables probably don't need to be tracked and weighed, the more the merrier here! Vegetables such as potatoes and root vegetables would be an exception to the rule  

Protein, Carbohydrates & Fat 

The most important macronutrient to keep consistent is protein. I would recommend initially sticking to the carbohydrate and fat targets that I set also, however regardless of your goal, the ratio does not matter a huge amount. For example, let's say your targets are 30% protein, 45% carbohydrates and 25% fat. Then keeping the protein at 30% is important, but if you tend to prefer more fat in your diet, you could go with 30% fat and 40% carbohydrates. 

It's important to keep in mind though, carbohydrates are our body's main fuel source during exercise so I had this in mind when setting your targets but that doesn't mean they can't be changed. If you have any questions about anything, please reach out and let me know! 

Week 1 FAQ: 

Q) Those calories are quite high, should they not be lower? (If my goal is fat loss)

A) Have you accurately tracked calories before? I assume, for most people, if you actually consume the assigned calories with accurate tracking, they are probably in and around where we want to start. Have you consumed this amount of (or less) calories before and gained weight? It is important to note, these assigned calories are based on scientific studies and calculations however, no equation will directly demonstrate what goes on in our bodies, so yes, there could be error. As mentioned previously, slow and steady wins the race, we need to first find out what calories are actually appropriate for you. This may take some trial and error. 

This is an 8-week (and longer) process, once we find our start point, changes will be made over the 8 weeks depending on numerous different factors, to ensure you are still progressing towards your goal. I would rather start you on relatively high calories and manipulate them downwards over time, than start them super low, make you feel crap within a week or two and have to bring them up. If you genuinely think your calories are too high for your goal, and you have experience tracking calories previously and have an idea of what a suitable target is for you, for weight loss, please do tell me! 

Q) Why is my carbohydrate target so high?

A) There are 3 main reasons for this Most people eat a relatively high-carbohydrate diet habitually. I want to implement sustainable habits, so taking away all the carbs from the get-go is not going to help that! Carbohydrates fuel most of the exercise you do. Regardless of your goal for this challenge, you should always be aiming to get the absolute most out of each training session you do. Keeping carbohydrates high will help do that. Once the total number of calories are in check, then the ratio carbohydrates to fat will not dictate the change in body composition. As mentioned before, if you prefer to consume less carbohydrates, and more fat then you can manipulate these ratios to suit you - you can ask me if you want more guidance.