How to Grocery Shop Like a Nutrition Coach

This post was almost called how to grocery shop like a boss, but I'm not the boss, (don't even get me started on the whole girl-boss, boss-babe trend). I'm a nutrition coach. Let me show you how to grocery shop like I do. We make healthy choices most of the time and enjoy indulgences as part of as balanced lifestyle. We are smart about how we shop and spend our money. We make educated choices. Here are a few tricks of the trade to get you started on the right foot. 

Make a Grocery List/Meal Plan

Go to the grocery store with a list of the items you need to buy for your meals next week. If you do the majority of your shopping in one day you'll save time and money. Stick to your list to limit impulse purchases. Try to never go the grocery store hungry...or else you may end up with cookies and ice cream in your cart (any resemblance to actual events in my life is purely coincidental).

If when you think of meal planning you conjure up images of stacks of tupperware with chicken and broccoli, then you have the wrong idea. Sure that's how some people do it, but meal planning can just consist of taking time once a week to decide what you will eat. How does the saying go? If you fail to plan you are planning to fail. 

Jot down what you will eat for the upcoming week. Having your meals decided ahead of time takes the guesswork out during the week. You're more likely to stick to healthy eating when you have a plan. Make a meal plan and a grocery list. Write it all down.

I grill (or hubby does) enough chicken in one day for two weeks (refrigerate what I will need for the week and freeze the rest). I may prep my salads for the week. Everything else, we cook as we go.

Shop the Perimeter

The outside lanes of the grocery store is probably where you will spend most of your time when shopping for healthy foods. This is where you usually find the produce section, the meat deli, the dairy section and the beer aisle. Just kidding about that last one. Stock up on water! Of course you may need to stumble down some of the inner isles for 100% whole wheat bread or tortillas (see next point), frozen veggies and fruits, tea and coffee. 

Read the Ingredient List and Nutrition Labels

I read the nutritional label of every item that goes in my cart. I start with the ingredient list to make sure that I can recognize most and aim to choose items with five or less ingredients. Once a food passes the ingredient test, I check to make sure the calories, fat and sugar content are inline with my eating goals.

Ingredients are listed from highest amount to lowest, so if sugar is the first ingredient, it has more sugar than anything else. The ingredients will tell you if the package marketing is misleading. If it is labeled as 'wheat bread' then 100% whole wheat should be the #1 ingredient listed on the package. If it says 'whole grains' and grains are listed towards the bottom of the ingredient list it means there are not many whole grains included (just enough to add the whole grains marketing label!).

I make note of the serving size, because often times food manufacturers will make the serving size unreasonably small to make the calorie content seems less. Who ever ate a 3/4 cup of cereal? No one. That's who. 

Ignore Marketing Labels

Food labels are tricky. Food marketers are getting sneakier. They slap labels like all-natural, low fat, low carb, GMO-free, organic, sugar-free, Gluten-free, whole grain and healthy onto all kinds of processed foods that are not healthy at all. 

I am not saying that foods with these labels are never healthy, I'm just saying that because it has one of these labels does not automatically make it healthy. Organic Oreos are still junk food (sorry). Gluten free cupcakes are still...well, cupcakes. Organic vegetable chips often aren't even made from vegetables. Yogurt cups are one of the worst offenders, marketed as a health food but often full of sugar and other unhealthy ingredients. Vitamin water? Loaded with sugar. You can eat these foods in moderation if you want to as part of a healthy lifestyle, just as long as eat them with full knowledge that they are not health foods. 

When fat is removed they usually add a lot of sugar and hydrogenated oils to make it taste delicious and slap a low fat label on it. When sugar is removed, they usually load it up with artificial sweeteners and market it as low sugar. You can almost never trust the food marketing labels alone. 

Pro Tip: If a packaged food has a healthy-sounding label it is usually a red flag that it might not be healthy at all. Always read the ingredients and nutrition label to verify.

It's not that I don't ever buy unhealthy foods, it is just that I buy them with my eyes wide open. I am not fooled by marketing labels into thinking that unhealthy foods are healthy for me. 

Most of these seemingly healthy drinks are not healthy at all. (shakes fist at food marketers)

Buy According to The Arms Reach Rule

I would never claim that I don't buy or eat unhealthy foods. I do it all the time, because I am a big believer in balance. However, I make a point to not buy and store unhealthy foods in the house. I'll tell you right now, if there is a bag of sea salt and vinegar potato chips on the counter I will eat the whole bag. Every time. Hubby sometimes buys candy and puts it in the freezer. I would never go to the store and buy candy, but when it is in my house I usually will eat it. What can I say? I'm human.

I try to avoid this issue by limiting the packaged unhealthy foods in my house. If I only have healthy choices within arms reach, most of the time I will eat those healthy foods. Let laziness work in your favor. It takes a lot of effort to put on pants, get in car, drive to the store, deal with people, buy unhealthy snacks and drive home. It's less hassle to just eat that apple on the counter. 

Only keep healthy foods within arm's reach. Yes, I know this is harder when you have kids and family members with different priorities. I suggest that you continue to hold yourself up as being the healthy example in your family. Once they see first hand the benefits of your healthy living, they may come around.

Need help with your nutrition strategy? Tired of dieting? Want help developing healthy habits while staying sane and balanced? My nutrition and lifestyle coaching program begins in June, get on the list for a big pre-sale discount. 

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52 Healthy Habits: 52 Healthy Snack Ideas, How to Avoid the Vending Machine

Welcome to the latest edition of 52 healthy habits, where each week we tackle a new healthy habit. Living a healthy lifestyle is not about willpower or motivation. It's all about your habits day in and day out. Establish healthy habits then you'll live a healthy lifestyle.

It doesn't matter if you are starting your journey this week or have been living healthfully for the last ten years, there is always room for incremental improvements. Small steps lead to big changes over time. 

This week we are talking about snacking. The secret to success with snacking is planning ahead. A daily trip to the vending machine can turn into an unhealthy habit if you're not prepared. 

I love snacking. I prefer to eat slightly smaller meals and then spread out the calories over a morning and afternoon snack. I usually prepare and bring my lunch to work and add a variety of healthy snacks to my bag.

Here are 52 reasons to avoid the vending machine. You'll never succumb to the pull of the quarter machine when you have healthy snacks in your back pocket (literally or figuratively). Here are some ideas to get you started. 

52 Healthy Snack Ideas

1. Pistachios

2. Cashews

3. String cheese

4. Plain Greek yogurt with berries

5. Cottage cheese with berries 

6. Cottage cheese with pineapples

7. Fruit salad

8. Baby carrots and hummus

9. Apple slices and natural peanut butter

10. Celery and natural peanut butter

11. Cherry tomatoes with mozzarella 

12. Grapes

13. Protein bites

14. Almonds

15. Orange or clementines

16. Raisins

17. Mini peppers

18. Banana and natural peanut butter

19. Hard boiled eggs

20. Cherries

21. Protein shake

I am a Premier Protein ambassador. All opinions are my own. 

Or mix your own protein shake. Click image for recipe.

22. Raw veggies with guacamole

23. Sunflower seeds

24. Sugar snap peas

25. Tuna lettuce wraps

26. Natural turkey roll ups

27. Edamame

28. Natural peanut butter on whole wheat toast

29. Avocado on whole wheat toast

30 Cucumber slices with tuna

31. Small garden salad

32. Shrimp with cocktail sauce

33. Natural turkey jerky

34. Homemade protein bars, click image for recipe

35. Unsweetened applesauce

36. Fruit skewers

37. Strawberries

38. Old fashion oatmeal (add berries and cinnamon to flavor)

39. Nut butters on a spoon

40. Natural granola

41. Raw veggies with Greek yogurt dip

42. Flavored tuna packs

43. Sardines

44. Sliced tomatoes with feta cheese

45. Marinated mushrooms

46. Air popped popcorn

47. Powdered peanut butter mixed with plain yogurt

48. Watermelon

49. Peach

50. Pumpkin seeds

51. Deviled eggs

52. Black beans and corn

My brain kind of hurts from thinking of 52 healthy snacks. hah. Did I miss any of your favorites? What's your favorite healthy snack? 

Need help with your nutrition strategy? Tired of dieting? Want help developing healthy habits while staying sane and balanced? My nutrition and lifestyle coaching program begins in June, get on the list for a big pre-sale discount. 

Need to catch up on the 52 healthy habits series? 

52 HEALTHY HABITS SERIES

week 1: Early to Rise
week 2: Track calories
week 3: Macro cycling
week 4: Morning pages (journaling)
week 5: Stop the scrolling (reading instead of social media)
week 6: Be a good student (take time for learning) 
week 7: Strength Training 15 minutes per day   
week 8: Eat more protein
week 9: Take a coffee break (break from caffeine)
week 10: Mindful eating
week 11: Create and follow a sleep ritual
week 12: 10 Easy ways to eat more vegetables 
week 13: A rant 
week 14: 10K steps a day
week 15: Drink more water
week 16: How to self-assess your food journal

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52 Healthy Habits: How to Self-Assess Your Food Journal

Welcome to the latest edition of 52 healthy habits, where we tackle a new habit each week in order to make incremental improvements to our lifestyle, week after week. You can follow along with my habits or do your own, the most important thing is that you are evaluating ways to improve your habits for an overall healthy lifestyle.

It's not about changing everything all at once, we already know that doesn't work. Choose one small thing and spend a week (or two) working on that new habit. After 52 weeks you won't believe the massive improvements to your life. 

If you've already tried the 'eat, workout and live perfectly' approach and that didn't work (hint: it hardly ever does) try the 'small habit' approach instead. It is a sustainable and healthy way to improve your healthy lifestyle. The truth is no matter how well you live there is always room for small improvements. What habit can you tackle next? This week we are talking about food journals. It's not enough to just keep a food journal, for the best results you need to learn how to self-assess your food journal. 

KEEP A FOOD JOURNAL

I recently wrote about how you don't need to count calories (if you don't want to). There are other ways to monitor intake that are just as effective and less hair-pull-out-y (that's a word, right?).

I do believe that keeping a temporary food journal can be very helpful in evaluating ways to improve your eating habits. If you write down everything you eat for three days you can get a pretty good idea of your regular eating habits. I would recommend Thursday through Saturday to start depending on your work or school schedule. Then do it once a month to monitor your progress.

This isn't about counting calories. In fact, you don't even need to record the calories (if you don't want to). Record what you eat and how much of each food (bonus points for how you were feeling when you ate). You could fill out a written journal, use Myfitnesspal (or other app) or, if you're a nerd like me, type it into a spreadsheet. The method or recording the data isn't as important as the evaluation of it. 

Just keeping track isn't enough. You want to keep track, then evaluate your journal for ways to make incremental improvements. This isn't about a whole diet overhaul. Choose one small thing and work to improve it. Practice your new habit for a week or two, then choose something else to improve. It's a slower process than you're probably used to, but it much more effective. How many times have you started a strict diet but eventually fell off the wagon after a few weeks or even days? I know I have. I just doesn't work. Even when it does work it's usually not sustainable, you eventually go back to your old habits and the weight comes back. 

Just for fun. Hah. Good thing is that you don't have to choose. Everthing in moderation, my friends.

Play the long game for long term results.

HOW TO SELF-ASSESS YOUR FOOD JOURNAL

One of the benefits of keeping a food journal is that you can review your eating habits and see what patterns emerge. If you determine that the pattern is not a healthy one, you can start to work to change it. Be as honest as you can be when keeping your journal. Don't try to eat "better" than usual on your journal days. It's not about judgement, it is just gathering data. Be sure to record everything, especially those hidden calories, like the sugar or cream in your coffee, that handful of chocolate from your co-worker's desk, any drinks or snacks. We often forget about these things, but at the end of the day or the end of the week, they can add up. 

Once you have your three day journal complete, it's time to evaluate it and look for ways to improve. 

LOOK FOR THE LOW HANGING FRUIT

Look for the low hanging fruit in your journal. These are the things that would be very easy for you to change. Sometimes we have habits that we aren't that attached to, they are just mindless habits. Maybe you eat pretzels with your lunch everyday, but you don't really enjoy them or even care. It would be easy to just stop eating the pretzels and eat an apple instead. You added a nutrient-dense food and removed a serving of processed carbs in one change.

Look for the easy changes, the easy wins. Some things may be harder to change and you can tackle those things when you're ready, start with the easy stuff. 

EVALUATE YOUR MACRONUTRIENTS

The macronutrients in foods are the protein, fats and carbohydrates. Most people need a balance of all three in order to eat a healthy sustainable diet. Look at each meal in your journal to make sure you have maximized your macro intake.

PROTEIN

Make sure you have a serving of protein at each meal. Protein can help you feel satiated and less hungry between meals. It is essential to build and maintain muscle. Look for ways to add lean proteins to each meal and snack. Check out this article I wrote on protein for some ideas.

CARBOHYDRATES

Carbs may have gotten a bad rap in the fitness industry, but the truth is carbs don't make your fat. Repeat after me: carbs don't make you fat. Evaluate if the carbs in your food journal are whole food choices in proper portions.

Evaluate your food journal for ways to improve your carb intake. Don't be afraid to add whole food or minimally-processed carbs, especially if you workout. Most people get enough carbs, that's not usually the problem. Work on improving the quality and portion sizes of your carbs. I wrote an article called How to cut carbs without cutting your sanity for more ideas. 

HEALTHY FATS

Carbs (and sugar) may be the villain these days, but when I was growing up fat was the bad guy. Fat makes you fat. Makes sense, right? Except it is not true. Consuming dietary fat does not increase body fat directly. Sometimes these beliefs are ingrained because that is what we were taught growing up. Look in your food journal and see where you can add proper portions of healthy fats like avocados, nuts, olive oil, dairy and fish or fish oils.

CONSIDER HOW YOU CAN MAKE HEALTHY SWAPS

Review your food journal for ways to make healthy swaps. Maybe you can add cinnamon to your coffee instead of sugar, maybe swap a processed snack for nuts, cheese or fruit. Evaluate your food journal for ways to improve the quality of the foods you eat by making healthy swaps..

• Replace processed carbs with natural carbs
• Replace processed fats with healthy fats
• Replace processed sugars with natural sugars

CONSIDER WHAT YOU CAN ADD 

People often look at their food journals and stress about what they have to remove in order to be healthier. I advise my clients to focus on what they can add in order to be healthier. If you love your morning waffles, then take a tip from one of my nutrition clients, she adds protein powder to the waffle mix. She still gets her morning waffles, which she loves, but she added protein powder to improve the macronutrient intake of the meal. Is it the most perfect thing to eat? Probably not. Is it a big improvement to the meal to add protein? Absolutely. We are not striving for perfect, we are striving for better than before. 

Don't focus on what to take away. Look for ways to add protein to each meal. Look for ways to add colorful vegetables and/or fruit to each meal. Look for ways to add healthy fats. Take it slow and sometimes the less-than-healthy stuff falls away naturally because you are filling up on the good stuff. 

ASK YOURSELF, HOW CAN I MAKE THIS A LITTLE BIT BETTER?

It's not about perfection. Look at the foods you eat and ask yourself, how can I make this meal a little bit better? Maybe you are at a burger restaurant with friends. How can you make it a little bit better? Ask for a whole wheat bun? Remove the bun all together? Share the fries with a friend? Order a side salad instead of fries? Order water instead of soda. Your aim isn't perfection, just to be a little bit better. Every meal offers an opportunity to evaluate. Maybe it's replacing your soda with iced tea. Or your diet coke with water. Maybe it's eating plain yogurt with berries instead of flavored yogurt with a lot of added sugar. Make it a game with every meal. What can I do to make this just a little bit better? Not perfect. Not even a lot better. Just a little bit better.

DON'T BE TOO CRITICAL OF YOURSELF

The food journal is not intended to be about self-criticism or judgement. You should never feel bad about your journal, only use it as a tool to improve. 

My client likes to eat ice cream at night. I mean Loves with a capital L. Not willing to give up. You know what? That's ok. You know why? Because if you are not ready to change, you won't change. We start with eating the icecream s-l-o-w-l-y. Then we reduce the portion of ice cream. Then reduce the numbers of days eaten each week. Slowly over time. We focus on other ways to improve his diet throughout the day. I know someday he will be ready to swap that ice cream for a healthier option (how about cottage cheese with fruit and berries?) but today is not that day. We'll get there. We are taking a long term approach and it takes time. Do what you can do today. You'll experience a mental shift over time and what seemed impossible or too uncomfortable to change last week, maybe be something you are ready to tackle next week. 

Ready to get started? Download my three day food journal. Remember, it's not about changing everything all at once. Choose one thing to improve upon and work on it for a week or two. Then choose something else. Rinse and repeat. Over time you'll be a nutritional rock star. 

If you are already subscribed, adding your email in order to download the 3 day food journal will not add you to the list twice. 

Need more personalized direction with your food journal? Need help with your nutrition strategy? Tired of dieting? Want help developing healthy habits while staying sane and balanced? My nutrition and lifestyle coaching program begins in June, get on the list for a big pre-sale discount. 

Need to catch up on the 52 healthy habits series? 

52 HEALTHY HABITS SERIES

week 1: Early to Rise
week 2: Track calories
week 3: Macro cycling
week 4: Morning pages (journaling)
week 5: Stop the scrolling (reading instead of social media)
week 6: Be a good student (take time for learning) 
week 7: Strength Training 15 minutes per day   
week 8: Eat more protein
week 9: Take a coffee break (break from caffeine)
week 10: Mindful eating
week 11: Create and follow a sleep ritual
week 12: 10 Easy ways to eat more vegetables 
week 13: A rant 
week 14: 10K steps a day
week 15: Drink more water

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Unicorn Protein Shake

Starbucks took over my social media feed the last couple of weeks with their Unicorn Frappuccino. 

I'll be the first to advise you that it's perfectly ok to eat (or drink) everything in moderation. If you really want that high-sugar limited-edition drink then I don't see a problem with it as an one-time treat. Yes, I know it has 79 grams of sugar. It's a lot. You probably shouldn't drink 79 grams sugar in one sitting every day, but every once in awhile a unicorn comes along and you may want to enjoy the treat with friends. 

The recommendation for health is to keep your added sugars to 25 grams a day or less. If you follow this guideline most of the time, then breaking the rule occasionally won't break your overall health. 

I don't see a problem as long as you go into it with your eyes wide open. You know what you are consuming is less-than-healthy. You know it's just an occasional treat. You enjoy it. You pay attention to how it makes you feel. You stop when you feel full. (You don't have to drink every last drop just because you bought it.) You move on to your next healthy meal. Consider it your indulgence for the week and move on with your life. 

Except it's too late. The unicorn has already come and gone. (Don't worry, given the success of the unicorn, I'm sure there is another magical mystical character drink waiting in the shadows.)

I personally wasn't drawn to the sugary drink. When you don't consume a lot of added sugar, then things like fruits and berries taste very sweet and delicious. I set out to make my own healthy version of the unicorn drink. 

When you are trying to live a healthy lifestyle, you don't have to give up all that tastes good. Sometimes you can make healthy swaps and find that same joy in a healthy version. I combined fruit, berries and protein powder for a delicious, filling...and pretty treat.

This post contains affiliate links, which means if you click on a link in this post and make a purchase, I make a small percentage of the sale with no additional cost to you. No one is getting rich here, it just helps with the running (pun intended) of this blog. 

Unicorn Protein Shake

Frozen raspberries
Frozen blueberries
Frozen pineapples
Small banana
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

I made my shake in layers.
To start I mixed the frozen raspberries, 1/3 of the protein powder scoop and water in my Nutribullet.
I poured into a separate glass and placed in the freezer to set.

I rinsed the cup and made my second layer.
Frozen pineapples, small banana, 1/3 protein powder scoop and water to mix.

I rinsed the cup and made my third layer.
Frozen blueberries, 1/3 protein powder scoop and water to mix.

I let it all sit in the freezer for about 20 minutes, then I combined the layers and gently stirred them up with a straw.

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Are You Confused About Calories? Join the Club

Calories in, calories out. Right? 

Well, sort of.

It's more than a math problem. Despite the popular adage, fueling our bodies is not exactly like filling a gas tank. It's a little more complicated than that. 

When you take in more calories/energy than you expend you gain weight and when you take in fewer calories/energy than you expend, you lose weight. This is the law of thermodynamics. We just don't always know exactly how much we are taking in and how much we are burning.

Are calories important? Yes. If you have never tracked your calories before, it can be helpful to track for a few days to get an estimate of what you are taking in. It's a good starting point. Do most people need to track every morsel they consume for the rest of their lives? I say no. 

Why not? 

First of all, it is all a guessing game. Well, a guess-timate game. 

HOW MANY CALORIES DO I NEED?

How many calories should you eat to lose weight? Again, it depends. There are formulas and online calculators that can help you get in the ballpark. This is a great weight loss calorie calculator from Precision Nutrition. It considers all the important factors like current weight, age, height, sex, activity level. It is still an estimate. 

And if you tell the calculator you want to lose 40 pounds in 2 months it will probably give you some unrealistic number of calories to consume, because it is an internet calculator and not a real coach. An online calculator doesn't know what a realistic, sustainable weight loss goal looks like, it just calculates the numbers. Numbers in, numbers out. 

Let's assume you have a realistic, sustainable weight loss goal to lose two pounds a week over the next 15 weeks. You want to lose 30-40 pounds over the next four to five months. You plug in your numbers and get a calorie goal for each day. Great, you're on the right track. 

DO I NEED TO WEIGH AND MEASURE FOOD?

You open up a MyFitnessPal account and start entering in the foods you eat. There is another issue. Are you weighing everything? Are you measuring out the serving sizes? Was that banana a small banana or a medium banana? How many ounces of chicken was in that salad? Was it cooked in oil or butter? How much? Did you enter that coffee creamer? What were the ingredients in that 1/2 cupcake you ate at your co-worker's party?

Now, you can get close if you weigh and measure, which I think is a fine solution for a short-term. Is it sustainable to weigh and measure everything you eat for the rest of your life? Probably not. You might just drive yourself crazy first. 

Once you weigh and measure for a few days you might start to get an idea what a 1/2 cup looks like, what 4 oz of chicken is and what a tablespoon of peanut butter look like (Wait? It's not a heaping oversized spoon? Darn it.). This is great. You are starting to educate yourself on what proper portions look like and it can be a long term tool that will serve you for years to come.

AM I CALCULATING AN EXACT CALORIE COUNT?

Unfortunately, still no. The calories listed on packages can legally be up to 20% inaccurate. So even if the package says 100 calories, it may be 120. Why is that? Well it is hard for food producers and restaurants to know the exact calorie count in foods. There are so many factors that can affect it: soil and growing conditions, ripeness at time of harvest, animals' diets and storage length. Different batches of of both natural and processed foods can vary in their exact contents. One test can't accurately predict all future lots. Calories for natural foods listed in databases are averages. 

So, in short, it's complicated. But wait...there's more.

DO I ABSORB ALL THE CALORIES I EAT?

We don't necessarily absorb all the calories we consume. Preparation and cooking time can change the nutrient content and individuals absorb calories uniquely and not necessarily the same each time. 

And the metabolism is adaptive. Your body adapts and your calorie needs change. 

We haven't even talked about calories out. Again, a giant guessing game. That calories burned number on your treadmill or your FitBit? Even when heart-rate is factored in it is a big fat guess that may be over-estimated. 

So calories in, calories out as a long term sustainable game plan may be an exercise in futility. 

DO I NEED TO TRACK CALORIES?

Am I telling you all of this to frustrate you? Should you throw your MyFitnessPal against the wall? We often want to try to control something that is simply out of our control. You can drive yourself crazy and still not get the results you want. The good news is that we don't have enter every calorie consumed into an app for the rest of our lives. 

Calorie counting, weighing and measuring at the beginning of your journey or when you want to get back on track can be a tool to give you an estimate of where you are starting. That can be beneficial.

Some people like tracking because it gives them accountability. They know that if they eat something they have to enter it in a food journal or app, so it helps them stop and consider what they are eating. Great. A food log can be a good thing when used properly, as a journal to review your daily food choices and how they make you feel.

Other people get obsessive about tracking and it takes over their lives (raises hand). Not great. Find the middle ground that works for you. 

If counting calories is not the solution, what is? How can I be mindful of what I eat? How can I make sure I am in a calorie deficit when trying to lose weight? Or get enough calories when I am trying to put on muscle?

PORTION SIZES

I like Precision Nutrition's method for determining portion sizes

FOR MEN

• 2 palms of protein dense foods with each meal
• 2 fists of vegetables with each meal
• 2 cupped hands of carb dense foods with most meals
• 2 entire thumbs of fat dense foods with most meals

FOR WOMEN

• 1 palm of protein dense foods with each meal
• 1 fist of vegetables with each meal;
• 1 cupped hand of carb dense foods with most meals
• 1 entire thumb of fat dense foods with most meals

It's a great starting point, but It's just that, a starting point. If you start to incorporate the hand method of portion sizes, you may need to adjust. If you find that you are very hungry 30 minutes after eating or if you are extremely active, you may need a little more. If you feel stuffed and haven't been as active, maybe a little less. Your needs will always be individual. Pay attention to results and adjust as needed. It's a common sense system that works and doesn't feel like punishment.

When you eat a casserole, obviously, the hand method doesn't work. You can easily eat a thumb-size portion of avocado or almonds (fats), but how do you eat two thumbs of eggs? Does bacon count as a protein or a fat? All good questions. Just remember that it is not meant to be another strict rule to follow, but a general guideline to give you an idea of where to start. You adjust in a way that makes sense to you, then monitor results. If you are lost, consider hiring a nutrition coach to help you on your path. 

GETTING STARTED

Eat slowly and pay attention to your your body's hunger and fullness cues. I wrote a post on mindful eating that may be helpful. (Spoiler alert: for one, put away your cell phone at the dinner table.) Keep a food journal if it helps you better evaluate what you are eating and how certain foods make you feel. 

We sometimes over complicate things. As a starting point, let's work to eat mostly whole, minimally processed foods from nature, while maintaining proper portions. Over time, once this becomes part of your daily habits, along with regular exercise and movement, your weight will most likely reflect your healthy lifestyle. 

I don't mean to oversimplify things either. Our bodies are complicated and each of us is different. We all have individual needs, preferences and lifestyles. Aim to find that sweet spot of sanity and sustainability. What habits can you sustain for the rest of your life? You can start by keeping paying attention to food quality, portion sizes and hunger cues and adjust as needed.

If you love counting calories and it works for you and your lifestyle, then great. I would not advise you to stop doing anything that benefits you as an individual.

It's just that if you are pulling out your hair counting calories, and you're not seeing the results you desire, just know it doesn't have to be that way. You can live a healthy, balanced life and never count a calorie again. 

Need help with your nutrition strategy? Tired of dieting? Want help developing healthy habits while staying sane and balanced? My nutrition and lifestyle coaching program begins in June, get on the list for a big pre-sale discount. 

Like this post? It helps me when you share. 

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Lea

Coach Lea