Creating A Successful Nutritional Plan (Part 2)
It’s time to get started, you have made that commitment to change, we promised we would show you how to plan so here it is:
Whether its fat loss, weight gain or just to feel better and have more energy, now is the time to get that plan written down and make those changes you want to leave you satisfied and confident.
Imagine now hitting the pool parties or beach shirtless and feeling supremely confident, or finally squeezing into those jeans or that dress knowing you have earned every step. So where do you start?
It’s always worth having a “check in” before you do anything else.
How do you feel?
How is your energy?
How do you sleep?
How do you recover from training?
How do you feel when you look in the mirror?
How is your mood?
Now write all of this down. There’s a good reason for this: Throughout your journey there will be times where you don’t feel the change, or see the weight dropping and when you look back at how you “felt” at the start you’ll realise you are still on track .
Next let’s just see where we are at: Work out what your calories should be “roughly” based on your goals
You can calculate these here: https://www.precisionnutrition.com/weight-loss-calculator
When you have those calories, set DON’T CHANGE A THING. Track what you eat for a few days or a week and you will start to see on paper where you are going wrong and what could be added or shaved off.
Are you getting enough protein, fibre, water etc or are you way off?
Now you have the base level of information you can get started. Tracking isn’t for everybody but it’s always a good idea even for the short term until you start to learn more about what’s going into your body, what 1500 or 2500 calories a day really looks like, how you feel and recover on X amount of calories.
An app like My Fitness Pal will help you keep track of what you are eating and drinking and mean you can add in some of what you like and still get great results
Yes, food quality is important but remember the two key factors in your nutrition plan? Consistency and Sustainability.
So, throwing a bit of what you like in there will keep you on track for the long haul. Try it – just for a week or so, and see how you “feel”. It’s important to resist the urge to make dramatic changes here.
If your weight isn’t dropping shave off 50-100 calories a day and do that for a week If you are trying to add some muscle then add 50-100 a day and see what happens over some time, but be patient.
It’s not a sexy, quick fix approach but doing things in small steps will mean you are way easier to be around, compliance will be easier, and you can stay the course longer term.
Then when holiday time comes around, or that work Christmas party you usually dread you’ll be in top shape and ready to enjoy life to the fullest.
Good luck, and let us know what your goals are for 2021