We’re starting with some tough love right off the bat. Stop fighting yourself and start taking a good look at what you’re eating because nutrition is 90% of results in my opinion. When potential clients come to me with "I want to reach my goals but have no time," we STOP that EXCUSE in its tracks. STOP delaying your TRANSFORMATION. All you need is TIME MANAGEMENT which is prioritizing your choices and setting time to accomplish them.
I compare this to DATING. If someone asked you out that you're not totally into, you make the excuse of, I'm so busy or blow them off. BUT if someone you like asks you out, it doesn't matter how busy you are, you find a window in your calendar and YOU MAKE THE TIME. Without them knowing you're scrambling. Am I right?
So, what I'm saying is PRIORITIZE time for YOU and YOUR GOALS. Learning how to effectively manage your time will only help you improve your quality of life and health. The benefits of regular balanced eating habits/exercise include: more energy, higher productivity, confidence boost, etc. WINS ALL AROUND.
I have some healthy nutrition time management tips for you…
Pack easy snacks for on the go
Cook and freeze
Find healthy to go spots
When eating out or heading to a party, have a plan. Look ahead at menu or scout options on the fly and search for a lean protein option (chicken, white fish, lean steak), healthy complex carb (jasmine rice, brown rice, sweet potato, red potato), fruit and/or veggie and a healthy fat (avocado, mixed nuts, nut butters, coconut oil, olive oil, etc.). Always remember your goals. You want to make the best decisions you can eating wise to support those goals.
Also be mindful of serving sizes. A good rule of thumb is to eyeball a palm size worth of protein, fist size worth of fruits or vegetables, a ¼-½ cup complex carbs and a thumbprint of healthy fat (like drizzled olive oil).
Look for the freshest options, not soaked in butter, uncontrolled oils or overly salted or seasoned. If you order a salad, ask to void the croutons and cheese and order the dressing on the side and drizzle it over your salad using a fork. Another dressing alternative is squeezing fresh lemon juice on top and a couple dashes of salt/pepper!
When searching for proteins, it's best to steer away from sauteed/seared/crispy/fried and go for options that say: grilled, baked, broiled, roasted, braised. These cooking methods don't require much added fat, so the dishes that are prepared this way may be healthier. Ask for any added sauces on the side so you can control the amount you use.
Regarding alcohol, it really depends on how aggressive your goals are. If you're super strict, I would say cut it out completely, however if your goals are more lifestyle based, 1-2x per week is fine, however I recommend the 1-2 drink at a time rule.
As a disclaimer: alcohol has zero nutritional value and has been shown to hinder protein synthesis. Plus, alcohol is empty calories, which can add up to total caloric intake. So please keep that in mind!
To put things in perspective, a shot of vodka is 25 grams of carbs. That's for a pure shot of alcohol - not a mixed drink, which will be even more.
For beer, it helps if you know how many calories there are in the particular beer you drink. Let's say for example, there's 145 calories in this particular beer.
From there, take the 145 calories and divide it by 4 (because there's 4 calories per gram of carbs). That gives us about 36. That's equivalent to a whole serving of oatmeal or sweet potatoes! It adds up.
If you plan on drinking, the best options are wine, vodka, tequila, low carb beer!
Check out my YouTube video with more eating tips by clicking HERE!
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