DIET CHEAT SHEET
The only cheat sheet you need to hack the way you eat!
A diet and nutrition guide tailored to your specific goals:
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Muscle Gains (this includes the glutes!)
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Weight Loss
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Gut Health
GAINS
Aim for 3 meals per day.
For every meal, make sure you include one source of protein and one complex carb (rice, sweet potatoes, chickpeas, etc).
Especially when first starting your fitness journey, apps like MyFitnessPal are SUPER beneficial in helping you determine the calories/macros necessary for your unique body type and goals.
I also recommend just in the beginning, to use a food scale because it gives you a good general idea of what each portion size looks like so once you become familiar, you can go out to eat and look at something without a scale and just know how much it is by second nature.
Aim for 1-1.5g protein per lb of bodyweight for maximum muscle gains.
Simple carbs are beneficial after a workout! If there’s any time to indulge in all of the sweets they tell you to stay away from, the time would be now! If you're having an intense craving for a cosmic brownie or pint of Ben & Jerrys ice cream, THIS IS YOUR MOMENT.
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Simple sugars that convert directly into sugar play an important role in your recovery process because they go to the muscles immediately to restore glycogen stores
Remember that you don't have to restrict anything to meet your fitness goals! You can find a healthier alternative OR just enjoy your favorite indulgences in moderation so they fit into your daily caloric/macro intake.
WEIGHT LOSS
80% whole foods, 20% indulgent foods (snacks, desserts, anything packaged or processed).
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Snacks should not be a replacement for meals!
If you are looking to lose fat and gain muscle simultaneously, I recommend following a slight calorie deficit but keeping your protein intake high!
Know the difference between healthy and low calorie.
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Healthy isn't always low calorie and low calorie isn't always healthy.
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Example: An avocado is considered “healthy” because its nutrient rich and good for your health BUT it is extremely high in fat and calories so if your goal is weight loss and you want to be in a calorie deficit, you may want to choose something less calorie dense.
Two of the biggest hacks that made it easy for me to be in a calorie deficit when i wanted to lose weight were.
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Eating a HIGHER volume of LOWER calorie foods.
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Finding healthier alternatives to my favorite sweets.
GUT HEALTH
ALWAYS READ THE INGREDIENTS AND NUTRITION LABEL! Many of the food products labeled “healthy” are actually full of sh**. A good baseline to follow is avoid any seed oils, gums, and ingredients with words you don’t recognize or can’t pronounce.
If you’re deciding which foods to buy organic vs not, follow the dirty dozen rule! also, make sure you are ALWAYS getting organic oats (because they non-organic oats are highly processed and contaminated with a pesticide called glyphosate which is linked to disease and actually used as a weed killer!)
MAIN INGREDIENTS I AVOID:
Non organic oats
Corn syrup
Artificial and natural colors/flavors/sweeteners
Seed oils (in excess)
Gluten/Dairy
Soy
Acesulfame potassium
*This is personal to me, I am not suggesting you follow every single pointer! i am just a picky gal*