Q1) I am not losing any weight. What do I do?
A1) First, go back and review your meal compliance tracking
sheets to determine if you are meeting your daily food requirements. Do a quick
self-assessment. Are you being honest with the portion sizes? Have you hit your
targets 90% of the time? Are you consuming less than 4 alcoholic beverages a
week?
If you can answer yes to all of those questions, you can
move on to the next solutions. If you answered no to any of those questions,
you need to get back to the basics.
If you are hitting your targets, it might be time to make a
few changes. If you are hitting the upper ranges, then start to work your way
to do the lower ranges by adjusting carbohydrates first, then fats, and finally
only if needed proteins.
Q2) I am hungry all the time. What can I do?
A2) There are a few things that will help, and it all starts
with your daily requirements. Make sure you are hitting the upper limit of your
vegetables. This will help you feel fuller without impacting fat loss. You can
also make sure you are drinking plenty of water. Often, thirst and hunger can
be confused by the body.
Q3) I am having trouble eating all of my food, what can I do?
A3) Slowly work your way up. You don’t need to stuff
yourself, but make sure you are not grazing throughout the day and not noticing
it. Be cautious of candy jars at work, food that is left out for people to
nibble on when they get hungry, and mindless eating throughout the day. It can
add up and lead to you not being hungry when you should be and when you have
access to good foods.
Q4) How do you track foods that aren’t easily measured using your hands—things
like eggs, protein powder, etc.
A4) This can be tricky, but it doesn’t need to cause you a
lot of worry! Think in terms of grams of protein, carbs, or fats, and then use
estimates. Typically, you want to think of a serving of protein as 25-30g,
carbs as the same and fats as 10-15g. So for eggs you are looking at 3 eggs
being a serving or usually 1 scoop of protein powder equaling a serving. Use
your best judgment when it comes to these foods and assess the outcome. If you
aren’t losing weight and you are consuming a lot of these foods try cutting
them back a bit.
Q5) Won’t carbs make you fat? Won’t fat make you fat?
A5) The short answer to this is no for both questions. In
our experience it is best to start you out on the highest amount of food and
macronutrients (protein, carbs and fat) that gets the desired result. This way
you have a bit of room to adjust things if weight loss slows down for you
later. Often, you won’t get faster progress by cutting these things out, and
even if you do get faster progress, you are much more likely to stall out
sooner. We would rather get the best possible results changing the fewest
things.
That being said, it is quite possible that you will have to
adjust some of your food and eat a lower carbohydrate (not a no-carbohydrate)
diet for a period of time. You can work with your coach to make some
adjustments.
Q6) What if I want really fast results?
A6) You can get them! However, we recommend that you try out
the baseline food recommendations first to see what kind of results you get
before making any drastic changes. There is some validity though of eating for
your body type and we know that you want results fast. So, follow the
recommendations below:
Q7) I think I need a meal plan. What does a normal week look like?
A7) Meal plans are great…when all the stars align and life
doesn’t get in the way. However, the second that something comes up or you are
forced to eat a meal that isn’t on the meal plan it can throw you into a
spiral.
Meal plans also don’t factor in your budget, your food
preferences, or meal timing preferences.
They simply don’t work, but we do understand that it is nice
to see some guidelines.
Q8) What about recipes that don’t fit the exact portion sizes? Like soups
and other recipes?
A8) These can seem a little tricky at first, but they don’t
have to throw you off completely. First, look at the ingredients and use your
best judgment. If the recipe has protein in it, then make sure you account for
at least 1 serving of protein. The same goes for the other ingredients
including carbs, vegetables, and fats. Use your best judgment on these and
adjust as needed. Pay close attention to the oils and other fats being used as
those ingredients can throw things off quickly, but can be easily identified if
needed.
Q9) How do I make good food choices when I eat at restaurants?
A9) Dining out can be tricky. The first step is to not go in
unprepared. Take a look at the menu ahead of time and if possible volunteer to
plan the event for your group, whether it is for work of for fun. This allows
you to control where you are eating!
When you look at the menu ahead of time (most places have
online menus now), breeze through and check out what options you should
consider that fit your plan. Watch out for fried, breaded, blackened, etc.,
which indicate that the protein may be cooked in a lot of extra fats or oils.
Anytime you can opt for the leaner cuts of meat so that you
account for the additional fats that the chef will inevitably use to prepare
your food. It is recommended that you start off with a salad with an olive oil
or vinaigrette dressing. There have been studies shown that you eat less if you
start the meal off with a soup or salad. This also make sure you get some green
vegetables in before the meal starts.
Do you best to avoid the breads and chips that might come
out ahead of time. This is where having a salad come out early can help you
out.
When ordering your meal, opt for the lean cuts of meat such
as chicken breast, white fish, or sirloin, lean ground beef, etc. Order a side
of vegetables or even get a double side of veggies.
The main thing you should remember is that it is okay to ask
the server questions about your food and how it is prepared. Don’t be afraid to
ask for substitutions and offer to pay extra if needed to make them. Most
restaurants are used to these requests and as long as you are polite and ask
nicely they will accommodate your needs.
