Nutrition
The Best Nutrition
1.Make sure level of protein in your diet is 1.3-1.6g per kg of body weight and try to have some with every meal / snack. if you do this your blood sugar will be more level & will help prevent cravings - I make sure I have plenty of protein at breakfast. Do not have more than 30g at any one time and leave 90 minutes before having more protein as the body does not easily digest more than 30g at a time. My protein was at 1.42g per kg during weight loss and now in fitness performance track with Lumen, it is 2.2g per kg of bodyweight so 150g per day.
Consider purchasing a good quality, clean [no added sugar or artificial sweeteners, organic] protein powder which you can use to supplement your regular food with for snacks. I have this daily from a great company in the USA, Biotrust. They ship fairly quickly and are really economical if you buy a good quantity. Their low carb lite only has 2g carbs per 20g protein and their low carb protein powder has 24g protein 4g net carbs. I often mix in metabogreens, another supplement from biotust and chia or flax seeds and mornflake oat bran or a combo!
2. Drink plenty of water and eat foods with water in to get more hydrated - the more hydrated you are the easier your body will burn fat. My hydration levels were at 45% when I started - it is 55 % now.
3. Have a handful of nuts (NO MORE than 30g) as a healthy snack - preferably including almonds, walnuts, Brazil nuts, pistachios,
4. Find some fruit you like - if possible some berries - raspberries, strawberries are all good, lower in sugar / net carbs but are a good source of dietary fibre. Try not to eat fruit "naked" - ie eat it with protein and / fat.
5. Eat low glycemic carbs if possible [WHOLEMEAL pasta, oats, rice] and plenty of green veg- slow release as this will also help to even blood sugar out & give slower release energy. Try to eat the majority of your carbs earlier in the day and avoid refined carbs, sugar laden food [check labels for the “of which sugars” and try to avoid food with added sugar].
6. Replace sugar/artificial sweeteners with Erythritol or Stevia but try not to eat too much of any of these replacements for sweetening.
No cal artificial sweeteners vs erythritol, stevia, monk fruit, is that they cause a response in the brain which doesn’t aid weigh loss. Artificial sweeteners sometimes have negative effects on the body and brain that sugars do not. Our brains, stomach microbes, and pancreases process artificial and real sugars differently—which can cause us to eat more, gain more weight, and have a harder time digesting the real sugars that our bodies need. Click here for more information on this
7. Identify a more healthy sweet treat for the evening - Keto bombs from no sugar company are a great treat [available on line or costco] - only 0.8g net carbs and plenty of good fats. FAT is not bad - processed and trans fats and refined carbs are bad! Dark chocolate keto nuggest by inno foods are also greaat
9. Try to finish your eating by 730pm if you can and leave 12-14 hours before you eat again if you can.
10. Eat your carbs strategically around your workouts [if you are doing workouts/walks] 1 portion before and 1 after is often what I have done - 30 mins after and 30 mins ahead of it or just before as suits. 1 portion = 15g net carbs - I often have fruit [raspberries, banana, blueberries] and afterwards a protein shake with 33g of cornflake Oat bran - as that is a slower release carb but you have to find what works for you. I throw chia seeds into one of my shakes in the day and also flax, goji berries, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, usuallyl just tablespoon.
11. Lumen to help you hack your metabolism is a great choice - it provides in the moment feedback regarding what you are burning for energy through a breath measurement - only carbs, mainly carbs, fats and carbs, mainly fat, only fat. In the morning you take a measurement linked to the lumen app and it provides you with a bespoke nutrition plan based on your measurements, your goals, your age, gender and current height/weight. Protein is fairly constant each day but the carbs and fats ratio vary dependant on your morning measurement. It uses a principle of macronutrient manipulation to help your metabolism burn the best fuel for the given requirements and over time you become more metabolically flexible and good at burning both energy sources vs storing them as far. Lumen has 3 tracks to choose from and when you complete your goals on one you can switch to another which also ensures that post any weight loss you have a great daily plan to keep you healthy and on track. See the Lumen page for more information.
12. Use an app like My Fitness Pal/Cronometer/Carb manager to track your intake - don’t adjust your calories/intake just because of your exercise levels - you need to eat enough but you also need to create calorie deficit but not put the body into “starvation” mode or it will hold on to fat to protect you - it is a stress response. One reason why a lot of women don’t lose weight is because they are eating the wrong things and not enough protein, they aren’t sleeping enough, they have too much stress in their bodies, they are training/exercising too hard !! You need higher protein intake when your goal is weight loss.
13. If you haven’t eliminated alcohol try to eliminate it; it contains 7 cals per 1g which is nearer to what fat contains @9 cals per g. Other carbs are 4 cal per g. The body will use it for fuel but spends a lot of time having to deal with its toxicity so it is really empty calories. It messes up/disrupts your metabolic process so it is best out of the equation whilst you are trying to lose weight.
14. Buy some good scales that are quick and easy for weighing food - you will then get used to “quantities’.
15. I eat a lot of green vegetables/legumes - edamame beans, spinach, green beans, broccoli, sprouts … also mushrooms.
16. If you are struggling in the evening with cravings, have a protein shake [consider mixing with some good fats in - chia or flax seed mix] or have a couple of keto bombs, keto nuggets, keto bar [available from costco or online via Amazon - nosugar company make the bombs and bars].
17. I use almond milk for porridge and protein shakes. Unsweetened and with added calcium.
So if you cannot afford lumen, I recommend that you calculate your protein consumption and then split remaining calorie intake between good fats and carbs. Then have 2-3 lower carb higher fat days [try to stick with good fats eg olives, avocado, oily fish, natural nuts, some cheese] and 2-3 medium carb days and one high carb low fat day.
Lumen determines the ratios for you and during weight loss I stuck to around 1650 cals, 130g [520 cals] was protein - my daily intake - my base metabolic rate is 1498. I didn't add more for exercise though occasionally on a boost day I had Chinese food but with my own wholegrain rice. The problem with dropping your cals too low when losing weight is that it can work against your metabolic rate and slow it down and then you are more likely to regain after loss and also it can cause your body to feel in “starvation” and then it just holds on to fat so it is about finding the right balance for you.
I always feel as though I eat plenty each day. - the unique code for LUMEN which will always work is FOX but if there is a better code, shop via my unique URL and enter that code. It has been worth every penny for me ! It has helped retrain me to eat well and eat the right things.
