224: 5 Things I Wish I Knew While Trying to Lose Weight | Nutrition and Weight Loss

The Power Foods Lifestyle Podcast | Nutrition | Fitness | Mindset

There is so much misinformation out there, including information that is hard to understand for specific nuance! In this podcast episode, I share 5 things I WISH I would have known back when I was trying to lose weight in my 15 years of disordered eating and exercise.

Though I could lecture for an hour on each topic, I'll keep my remarks concise and focused on the most critical take-aways. 1. Meal Timing is nearly irrelevant to success. What matters most is that calories, macros (protein, carbs, and fats) are consistent from day to day and in a SLIGHT deficit. This means for most people eating 300-400 calories fewer than your baseline intake is best. This helps you not be TOO hungry so you can sustain your efforts long enough to realize the weight loss. 2. Reduced Fat and Low Fat foods are Terrible for Health. This myth has been eradicated in research. Full fat foods are essential for hair, skin, nails, and hormones. As I look at how I used to use these foods, the foods I liked became my staple foods which meant I was UNDER-NOURISHED with energy. In a caloric deficit I should have been getting as nutrient-dense foods as possible or else I would turn to bingeing. It's hard to sustain being HUNGRY. As a coach, I never allow women to eat fewer than 35 grams of fats in a day. And that's an EXTREME low. Most women I prefer to see around 60-70 grams fat per day where we THRIVE (and TOTALLY lose weight ;)). 3. Too much Cardio creates Weight Loss Plateaus, Burnout, and Injury I used to spend 1-2 hours on the treadmill, elliptical and bike at the gym. I subtracted the calories burned from my food eaten. If I didn't see a 0 balance, I felt guilty and worthless. Hello, body breakdown and life-destroying mindset! The right type of cardio is key for building the metabolism, training the cardiovascular system, etc. But if we're trying to "burn off unwanted calories," our focus is in the wrong area. We should be working in emotions and mindset to get the food intake and coping mechanisms in check. This takes time, but is the only way to approach this without destroying the body early. 4. Tracking Macros can be THE most Freeing Tool for Success I used to keep a food diary of the portions and foods I ate, along with what time, but this did nothing to help me become more data-driven and academic in my approach. The old way kept me grounded in irrational thoughts and beliefs to lead my habits. Though I do not recommend regularly tracking as a lifestyle, using an app like MyFitnessPal to learn what is actually in the food you eat (protein, carbs, and fats) can be freeing! Of course, this requires you to have some baseline macros goals. I can help you out with that in my Master Book of Nutrition Meal Plans and Challenges. 5. Leveraging Carbs and Fats for their Energy Needs helps Control Calories without Sabotaging Energy I had no idea that Carbs and Fats were both energy macronutrients back then. Now, I look at their different roles. Fats are for feeling full, fueling the brain and hormones, and helping absorb important vitamins. Carbs are for high intensity exercise. When we pair foods wisely (PV+ C, PV+ F, or PV+ CF) keeping calories and macros under control while maximizing their roles is easy!

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