Apr-01

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Goals | Nutrition

POSTED BY: Alex Isaly in BLOG

Q. You’ve talked in depth about setting goals as it relates to fitness, but what is a good nutrition goal to set? What kind of timeline should I set for a nutrition goal vs a fitness goal?

A. I think the overlying principle is the same when it comes to setting nutrition and fitness goals. That being....focus on short term attainable goals all leading to one big the final goal. The key here is "short term and attainable".

Personally, I think it's more challenging in the beginning to stick to the nutrition goal vs the fitness goal. Fitness is about movement. If you are up and staying physically active you are making an effort to stick to your 'fitness' goal. Whereas, when it comes to changing how and what you eat it's a harder pattern to break. Consistency is the key when it comes to staying on track with nutrition. For example, you have more chances to go off plan with your meals than you do with your fitness. You have one opportunity to workout in a day versus several chances to go off plan with your meals throughout the day.

We eat for several reasons, which I have listed the below. I truly believe that #3 is the main culprit for disrupting the nutrition goal. Comfort eating typically leads to excess calorie intake and unbalanced meals.

1. For energy and fuel to function
2. Lose weight, gain weight
3. For comfort
4. To recover

Making big changes in a short period of time when it comes to eating, can create so many different emotions, from being irritable to frustrated. This is not the recipe for sustainability.

In order to stick to your nutrition goals, I would suggest making small, yet manageable, changes in the beginning then build to bigger ones. For example, start with purposely eating a healthy breakfast (ie, egg whites, 9 grain toast with a some peanut butter spread on the toast). A good blend of protein, carbs and fats. This is your first meal of the day after coming off an 8+ hour fast. Your body needs fuel. I know that so many people have a tendency to skip or eat unbalanced breakfast. You don't want to skip this one. So set your goal for the first week to eat a well balanced breakfast everyday. Then week two eat your breakfast and every 3-4 hours after. Keep the meals balanced with the right amount of macro-nutrients (protein, carbs and fats).

Staying on track with your nutrition goals will help you get to your ultimate goal much quicker. 80% of the results comes from eating clean and on plan.

#LiveHealthy