The approach to eating is very simple and it doesn’t require that you change much about the way you eat. In fact, you’ll probably like it get because I ask you to eat more and change a few things about the way you currently eat.
Knowledge, Nutrition, Protein, Timing, Hydration, Recovery
Step one – keep a detailed food journal for 7 days. It should include the time of each feeding, what the meal consisted of, the number of hours of sleep you get each night and the amount and type of fluids you drink.
The purpose of this is to give you and your coach a good idea of what you are eating and your eating habits.
Step two – eat 3 green leafy salads each day before your larger meals. This will be made up of LOTS of dark green vegetables such as spinach, green and red leaf lettuce, asparagus, broccoli along with other garden vegetables like mushrooms, peppers, celery, etc… Avoid carrots and other root vegetables and corn and other field vegetables. Eat these salads at least 15 minutes before you eat your meal along with a 1-2 glasses of water.
The purpose of this is to make sure you are getting sufficient vitamins and nutrients in your diet as poor nutrition is NOT just about eating the wrong things and is often about not eating some of the right things. Also, the vegetables and water before your meal will decrease the amount of food that you eat.
Step three – eat more protein at each feeding – around 0.65-1 gram per pound of body weight each day.
The purpose of eating more protein stems from the fact that protein is used in almost every body process, it requires more energy to process, and it supplies very little energy to the body.
Step four – eat smaller meals every 2.5-3 hours.
The purpose of eating small meals more consistently is to supply your body with nutrient and energy BEFORE the body runs out of them as this promotes fat metabolism.
Step five – drink 2-4 liters of water per day and more when you are exercising / sweating.
The purpose of drinking this much water is that it is somewhat filling and it helps the body function at an optimal level.
Step six – reduce the amount of stress you experience and get sufficient amounts of deep sleep each night.
The purpose of reducing stress and getting enough sleep each night is that they allow the body to recover more completely as stress impairs recovery and a lack of sleep is very stressful to the body.
That’s it, that is all there is to it. I have come up with this approach through years of working with hundreds of people and seeing / hearing most of them claim that it is too hard to eat for optimal health. While I haven’t found this to be the case, the fact remains that many do so the approach needed to change. Frankly, it someone has a tough time eating a few salads before they eat their normal food they don’t really want to change. The same goes for not eating a little more protein and eating more consistently throughout the day. If these things seem like too much work are you really all that unhappy with the way you look and feel?