“If I eat less, I’ll lose weight”

That’s what the industry tells us, so it must be right…right?

First off, this statement is relative to how much you’re currently eating.

More importantly, you should be looking more at WHAT you’re eating and it’s specific breakdown of macro nutrients.

I took the approach to simply eat less food throughout the entirety of the day, cut out carbs as much as possible, and eat tons of protein. Because that’s what the industry tells us… so it MUST be right, right?

WRONG ❌

1. If you eat less but you’re still eating things with zero macro nutrient (protein, carbs, fats) & micro nutrients (vitamins & minerals from things like veggies/fruits), then you may still be eating the same or more in overall caloric intake.
2. If you are someone already eating pretty “healthy” aka lean meats, veggies, complex carbs, and avoid junk food, starchy carbs, things with a ton of empty calories and you decide to lower your overall eating: This could actually backtrack your progress especially if you’re active! I made this mistake and you actually end up more bloated, slowing your metabolism, and with overall less energy. It’s also dangerous because if you begin to eat to little then you could bring yourself to an unhealthy low weight.
3. The industry will also tell you have to restrict yourself and completely eliminate foods like: cookies, donuts, chocolate, pasta, pancakes, ice cream, etc. This is NOT true!

So, what’s the point? What SHOULD we be doing not only to lose weight but to also build a healthier, more sustainable LIFESTYLE?!

First off, eating less as I mentioned above does not necessarily equate to eating a lesser amount of calories. You should instead look at your macro nutrients which will equate to your total calories for the day.

The best place to start is by learning to read food labels and understanding the makeup of the foods you’re eating.

Understand that carbs and fats are NOT the enemy! These two macro nutrients are essential for healthy bodily functioning and excellent performance.

You should definitely incorporate a good variety of vegetables and fruits into your daily diet. These are important not only for the great nutrients found in them, but also because of the fiber you get from them. Fiber is essential for healthy digestion and uptake of nutrients found in all your foods.

While veggies are important, you still need to make sure you’re getting a balanced amount of lean protein, carbs, and healthy fats.

This doesn’t mean you have to completely cut out everything you love that is considered “bad,” though! You can still have pancakes for dinner, or a cookie for dessert, or ice cream even. The key to this is looking at serving sizes and enjoying those things in moderation. You don’t need a box of cookies, maybe just grab one as a dessert after lunch instead. There’s also so many healthier options to some of these, nowadays. For example, there are ice creams now that have more protein and a lower amount of carbs and fat. Not “fat free” or “low fat” or “low carb,” simply more balanced so you’re getting more out of this treat. They have options like Halo Top, Arctic Zero, Enlightened, and even more!

One last tidbit to remember is… drink your WATER! Water is so important and I can’t stress it enough. It helps everything function more efficiently, down to a cellular level. It revs your metabolism, prevents injury, helps your digestion running efficiently, prevents bloating, and so much more.

The key here is finding B A L A N C E.

Eat your veggies and make sure you’re getting all those great macro nutrients in, but you can also enjoy treats everyday in moderation!

There are so many other things that factor into this, but those were just some guiding principles to get you started.

I’ve learned to calculate my personal macro nutrients to determine how much I can eat in a typical day, while still maintaining a lean physique and healthy lifestyle.

So don’t let society and diet culture fool you into thinking you have to eat less or cut out carbs to improve your eating habits and improve your body composition!

Thanks for reading!

XOXO

Devon