By Zak Nothling - CrossFit East Tamaki & Renegade Performance Coach
Nutrition challenges are a great way to kick-start change. We have all seen people achieve amazing
results on nutrition challenges, but then again we have also seen some people regain that lost weight straight back.
A good nutrition challenge or programme should have less focus on quick weight loss and more focus on developing good sustainable habits that can be maintained well after the programme is over.
As nutrition coaches, there are a few things we like clients to take away from our programmes:
1) The CrossFit Nutrition Prescription
"Eat meat and vegetables, nuts and seeds, some fruit, little starch and no sugar. Keep intake to levels that will support exercise but not body fat."
If you take on board, just this one quote, and this is what you base most of your nutrition decisions on, you will find yourself dropping body fat and being full of energy.
2) Having one bad meal isn't the end of the world
I see it all too frequently when looking through clients nutrition recordings; they have a slip-up or eat a bad meal, then think that the whole day or week is ruined and that they might as well continue to eat rubbish. This is a very self-sabotaging mindset. One bad meal is not going to undo the effects of the 30 good meals you've had this week. As long as you recognise that it wasn't ideal and get back on the bandwagon you will be setting yourself up for far greater success.
3) There is no one size fits all
There are so many different schools of thought around nutrition. Everyone's an expert on Instagram for instance and most of it is conflicting advice. What might be great for a 22-year-old competitive CrossFitter training 3 hours per day could be detrimental to the 40-year-old mother of 3 training 3 times per week. Try not to get caught up in fad diets and seek expert advice first.
4) Have a support network & accountability
This is in my opinion one of the most important things to have; A group of people around you who
So many factors come into play with this; If they are trying to eat well, you will be less inclined to have crap food in the house which will reduce temptation and if one of you are having a day where your motivation is wavering, then you can help one another to refocus on your goals.
Food recording is a great tool to hold you accountable for if you know someone is going to be checking in on what you have been eating on a daily basis, you will be far less tempted to put that caramel slice in your mouth.
5) Have a realistic understanding of how hard it is to be shredded
Having a 6 pack involves a lot of hard work for 99% of the population and this is why 99% of the population do not have abs.
It involves a lot of sacrifice 95% of the time, like eliminating the things that we have programmed our minds to love; Alcohol, desserts, processed foods and eating out with friends. You ideally need to be training with high intensity 5-6 times per week and getting a solid 8 hours sleep per night.
Understanding what it takes is important because then you can decide whether that is the lifestyle that you really want. You will get a better idea of what it takes - are you willing to spend Sunday doing food prep? Are you willing to skip on the meals out 4 times per week?
Or would you rather have a healthy balance?
6) Measuring your intake
In a perfect world you would have time to weigh and measure every meal. The reality is that this
takes time, the most valuable commodity on earth.
After a challenge or programme you should have grasped a good understanding of portion control. This is roughly how much you should be eating to ensure you’re on track with achieving your goal(s).
A very basic way for general health to keep your portions controlled is via hand-size estimating...
- Palm = your protein portions
- Fist = your veggie portions
- Cupped hand = your carb portions
- Thumb = your fat portions
7) Are you eating for performance?
Knowing what your goal is will determine how you eat, if you are trying to get stronger and fitter this will be quite tough if you are in a calorie deficit all the time. It is very tough to drop fat and improving your performance drastically at the same time . We highly recommend that you talk to a coach to help you calculate your needs to make sure they are inline with your goals.
The fact you are thinking about what is going in your mouth is a massive step in the right direction. If your programme has come to an end it doesn't mean you have to revert to old habits. Take what you have learned and apply it for the rest of your life.
If you are interested in Renegade Performance Nutrition Coaching give us an email to get more information
Zak@crossfiteasttamaki.co.nz or 0212425438
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