What is the best diet?

The best diet is the one you can follow consistently. Depending on your goals, you can achieve short term success with any number of eating methods. If you find yourself saying things like, "Oh I did great on the Keto diet - I just couldn't stick with it. I need to get back to that and be more disciplined.", you are not setting yourself up for long term success. What we're looking for is what you can do repeatedly, consistently, and sustainably. What is a way of eating that not only supports your goals, but also supports your lifestyle?

There are no shortcuts

So often we buy into the hype that is displayed in media or online and we want to find a quick fix. Unfortunately, there are not any quick fixes that actually fix anything at all. Showing up every day and doing the work can feel boring and hard, but that is the only true shortcut to your goals. This may not be what you, or anyone, wants to hear...but wouldn't you rather cut to the chase and get to work, instead of spending more time trying to game the system and find a way to beat the system?

Consistency is King

Any diet can work in the short term, but our bodies do best when we provide them with what they need, consistently. That is not to say you should be striving for perfection all of the time. Quite the opposite - the key to consistency is balance. You need to make sure that you are ENJOYING your life, or you will burn out on your lifestyle - no matter how successful it may feel. Aim for being on track with your goals 80% of the time. Allow yourself the other 20% to find the space to enjoy your life.

It's not just calories in, calories out

Our bodies are not machines. There is a common misconception that we all need to eat less and move more and we'll magically solve all of life's problems. The reality is, it depends on what your goals are. If you are looking to improve stretgth, increase muscle, ramp up metabolism, improve sleep...well you may actually be surprised to learn that you might need more fuel than you're getting.

Eat to support your training

You wouldn't embark upon a roadtrip with an empty tank of gas, right? See where I'm going with this? If you want to give it your all at the gym or during your workout, you need to have fuel in the tank. If you go into workouts with no energy available, they may not be doing you as much good as you think. There are people who enjoy training fasted, but I would say that the majority of us do best when we have some stored energy to use up and power us through. Even if you can't eat right before your workout, there are ways to make sure your body has what it needs for optimal performance. Likewise, you don't need to replenish your food stores within 30 mintues finishing up at the gym, but I would encourage you to get a solid meal of protein and carbs in your body wihin a couple of hours, tops. This will aid with recovery and help your muscles refuel after their hard work.

Your metabolism is not a fixed thing

Many people believe they have been born with or have somehow ended up with a slow metabolism. Metabolism can slow down, especially if it is not something we are actively working on improving. But that is a big secret - you CAN improve your metabolism. You can actually get your body to consume more food and burn it for fuel. Doesn't that sound more enjoyable than continually reducing the amount of food you eat for the rest of eternity?

Tune in to your body

One of the greatest benefits of working with a nutrition coach is that you can learn more about how your body works. What you respond well to, what you do not enjoy, what helps your thrive, etc. What works for a friend may not work for you, and vice versa. This is all an experiment, and you will be able to make progress faster if you treat it as such. Each item is a piece of data you are collecting to create a map of what works for you.