Common Nutrition Failures (and ways to succeed)

By Coach Maria - Salus Nutritionist & Food Expert

Are you or someone you know overweight, don't eat much and are dieting?

There's a good chance that your (or their) metabolism  is being damaged by the yo-yo dieting mentality and execution.

The key to losing weight and keeping it off is actually rather simple, but it's not what you think it might be.

The first is appetite control, but not by starving yourself and depending on will power alone, but by fixing the out-of-control hormones and brain signals that are misfiring the hunger cues.

The second is to increase the metabolism so more calories are burned throughout the day (something that most starvation diets could never do).

Following are the common nutrition failures and ways to fix them.

1.  Relying Solely On Willpower

There truly is some science behind what triggers our hunger signals.  We can only use our willpower for so long before our relationship with food becomes an obsessive compulsive problem.  The same goes for starving ourselves (skipping meals on purpose) - our hunger increases dramatically, our cravings kick up a few notches and our metabolism slows way down in order to preserve energy.  What else increases our hunger and slows metabolism?  Low fat, high carb and sugary foods. 

The Fix:

• Eat enough to satisfy your hunger (with real whole fresh food, not junk)
• Include plenty of protein for breakfast and avoid eating right before bedtime
• Construct your meals that will encourage a balance in blood sugar and keeps insulin levels low. By including protein, fat and low-starch carb (vegetables, fruit) in each meal.  Fat, protein and fiber keep insulin levels low!

   
    2.    You Focus Purely On Calories

The calories in/calories out motto is finally headed to the trash bin.  All calories are simply not created equal.  Some calories make you fat, some calories make you/keep you thin.  Foods that trigger a spike in insulin levels (sugar, refined flours, excessive grain consumption), also trigger a change in metabolism.

The Fix:

• Make lower glycemic foods and veggies the focal point (chicken, fish, nuts, grass fed meats, seeds, fish, greens, salad favs)
• Put grains and beans on the bottom list of priority (if you keep them to 1/2 cup each per day, you will notice huge improvements)
• Sugar wreaks havoc - keep it to an absolute minimum. 
• Avoid artificial sweeteners at all costs!  They absolutely trigger hunger, cravings for sweets and messes up the metabolism; which leads to type 2 diabetes and obesity.

    3.    You Eat a Low Fat Diet

Probably one of the most misunderstood concepts, most people believe eating low fat will help them lose weight.
In the past 30 years, we've low-fatted every possible food out there and where has this placed us in terms of health and weight? 
We are fatter than we have ever been, 70% of us are overweight, 1 in 8 Americans have type 2 Diabetes and they predict 1 in 3 Americans will have it by the year 2050!
Fat does not make us fat (here)

The Fix:

• Fat is not your enemy, it is satiating, speeds up metabolism and helps with weight loss
• Eat good  fats at every meal (avocado, nuts, seeds, coconut/olive oil)
• Eat clean animal fats (organic eggs with yolk, organic free range chickens, grass fed meats)
• Eat fish with omega 3 fats (sardines, herring, wild caught salmon, black cod)

    4.  You Don't Have a Plan

Good health, optimal body composition, healthy weight and fantastic energy levels don't just happen.  You have to have a plan just like you plan a vacation or plan your retirement.  Most people fall short in this area because we don't give it the attention it deserves.
Having a plan is a necessity and having a friend or a group that have the same health goals, can make the journey all that much easier and, often times, creates life changing habits that can be inspiring to others.

The Fix:

• Commit to planning your health - do it every Sunday by creating a menu for the week and going shopping for the ingredients
• Find a friend, family member, coworker to join you on your quest
• Initiate a nutrition challenge at your place of work and include prizes - 3 weeks of no sugar! This idea has been quite successful and companies encourage anything that will promote good health for their employees.

By getting out of the old-nutrition-guidelines mind-set, and following the simple guidelines above, you will create habits that will be life changing!

I challenge you to try it!