You’ve downloaded a copy of the 5-day transformation guidebook. Yesterday we covered building a stronger mindset.
Today I wanted to talk to you about setting up your diet and nutrition. So you can start looking and feeling you best, now and forever.
MISSION #1: CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Planning and knowledge don’t always work. I’ve laid out detailed nutrition plans for myself and for others. Outlining exactly what to eat and when to eat it. However, they only ever work if the environment was changed.
Make doing the good things easier and the not so good things not so easy.
Let’s say you’re really stoked about trying to eat healthier and improve your fitness. You’re totally motivated and committed to making some big changes but have you made these changes easier to implement?
I have a rule, if there is food in my house, desk/work, etc… then it will eventually be eaten. Remove temptation by performing a kitchen makeover.
You might not feel comfortable, be willing, or have the ability to toss some things out. Instead, you can try a simple redesign.
- Place highly processed foods behind less processed foods
- Make highly processed or less healthy foods harder to get to by placing them higher on shelves, in drawers so they are not as visible, in Tupperware that is not translucent. Out of sight, out of mind.
- Take snack foods or trigger foods and pre-serving size them out into ziplock bags. Throw away the box. This way they are calorie controlled when you reach for them.
- You can also start using smaller plates or Tupperware. Research has shown that we will eat what’s put in front of us.
MISSION #2: CREATE CALORIE AWARENESS (BECAUSE THEY MATTER)
What most diets agree on…
- Eating fewer processed foods is a good idea
- Eating veggies is a good idea
- Eating protein is good for our health and physical performance. Animal or plant-based is a personal preference.
- Understanding hunger and fullness is important
- Learning about calorie balance and energy balance helps too
Get good at these things and you’ll be very successful.
There is room for all types of foods in your diet. The super “clean” ones and the “not so clean” ones – I see you pizza ?. Simply understanding that calories play a role in this is important.
If your goal is to lose body fat and weight every single diet can help you do this, provided it helps you create a calorie deficit.
A calorie deficit is created by taking in fewer calories than your body needs over an extended period of time. If you do this one thing consistently you will lose body fat and weight.
This can be done by creating a slight deficit every day
This can be done by creating a slight deficit over an extended period of time. Some days you’re under your calorie needs and other days you’re over.
You can do this by weighing food portions and tracking your calories in an app like MyFitnesPal.
You could also follow a specific diet like keto, paleo, intermittent fasting, or vegan and eliminate entire food groups (or macronutrients like carbs or animal protein) to do this.
You can also do this by improving the quality of foods you eat, eating less calorie-dense foods, and controlling portion sizes by using your hands.
As you can see, there are a number of ways (and many more) to go about doing this one thing. Hell, you may find that a combination of a few works well, or that using different approaches at different times based on your goals and needs works best.
NOTE: In your 5-day body transformation guidebook I cover how to determine how many calories you may need per day. If you decide to track calories you WILL need a food scale to weigh portions.
What does this NOT mean?
It does NOT mean calories are the only thing that matter.
- Quality of food still matters
- Sleep matters
- Managing stress matters
- Exercises matters
- Your relationship with food matters
- Building healthy habits and skills matters
Many things matter and play a role in whether you lose or gain fat. Hell, the things above matter to more than just that. They matter to life.
But in the grand scheme of things calories matter most when it comes to fat loss. The things listed above can make doing that one thing easier or harder.
To long dude, didn’t read…
- F*ck calories. But be calorie aware. While you don’t have to count calories or follow a diet to successfully lose fat and weight, calories do matter. If you’re not losing it’s most likely because you’re eating too much over an extended period of time – even if you think you’re not.
- Build a diet that allows you to reach your goals and enjoy all kinds of foods. Without being overly restrictive is important for long term success.
- All diets work. Provided they do one thing – create a calorie deficit (or surplus if you want to get on the gainz train)
- A lot of other stuff matters too. Sleep, stress, and relationship with food.
MISSION #3: DOMINATE 1 MEAL PER DAY
When you wanted to improve your diet in the past what have you done? If you’re like most people you tried to completely overhaul it overnight.
You decided to go Paleo, Vegan, Vegetarian, Low Carb, Low fat, South Beach. Or you found a fat loss meal plan online and tried to follow it.
What happened?
A week or two go by and things fell apart and you quit.
- You forgot to prepare one of the meals.
- You didn’t have enough time to go grocery shopping this week.
- You were having a rough day and decided that ice cream was a good solution.
Trying to change everything at once is TOUGH!
In his book The Power of Less, author Leo Babauta describes the strategy of doing less to achieve more.
This has helped him to quit smoking, lose 65 pounds, run a marathon, triple his income, write multiple books, completely eliminate his debt, and create multiple online courses.
Oh yeah, and he’s a father to 6 kids, a husband, and a full-time writer. Below is what he noticed about making a change in his life.
- When he tried to change only one small thing in his life, he succeeded at doing so about 85% of the time.
- When he tried to change two things simultaneously, he succeeded only about one-third of the time.
- When he tried to change three or more things simultaneously, he almost never succeeded.
Today you’re going to take a page from Leo. Using your guidebook, make 1 healthy meal per day for the next 7 days.
Reference your guidebook to help with:
- What foods to eat
- How much to eat
- How to shop for what you like
- How to make meal prep easy
- And more…
Simplicity is your friend. There’s plenty of time later to get creative with your meals. You’re a busy person and the less you have to think about what you’re going to eat the better.
- Level 1: Create 1 healthy meal for yourself and eat it every day this week
- Level 2: Create 2 to 3 different healthy meals for yourself and eat them every day this week.
WHAT’S TO COME TOMORROW: YOUR TRAINING PLAN
I’m a firm believer that most people over-train in the gym. They end up doing too much, too fast and burning themselves out. They neglect their nutrition and fall into the trap of doing more equals doing better. I’ll share my minimalist approach to fitness that when combined with the eating strategies, will have you making progress and actually enjoying fitness again.
LIVE LEAN STRENGTH AND WEIGHT LOSS COACHING
Most of the principles you’re learning are the same ones I teach to my personal coaching clients.
Transform your body and take back control of your health. Even if you lack time and motivation. 
You’ll discover how to:
- Lose the weight and fat you haven’t been able to shed for years
- Build physical strength and confidence in your body
- Gain mental confidence and no longer hide your gifts and talents
- Let go of food confusion. Learn what to do and how to do it
- Get off the diet roller coaster once and for all, and never look back
- Own your day, diet, and training – Taking back control of your health forever