AN EASY DIET TO GET YOU STARTED!

Transition diets are the best Easy Diet to start your journey to better health and be a healthier eater. Of course when we say Easy Diet, what we really mean is a nutrition plan that is easy to implement and sets you up for a healthy eating lifestyle. The biggest goal when starting is to create a plan that  includes more natural, whole foods and less junk.  

That first step itself constitutes an Easy Diet. Why is this…? Because there are no secrets to healthy eating. Healthy nutrition is simply understanding that eating healthy means you have to minimize junk food. If 90% of your nutrition is real food (remember, the stuff nature makes?) your body will respond and your exercise efforts will pay off with better results.

AN EASY DIET TO GET YOU STARTED!

Take 2-4 weeks to start implementing some mainstays that are necessary for balanced nutrition. After you clean out the junk it is time to focus on what you can eat, rather than what you can’t eat. You will find that this list is a lot to chow down on. Small changes make healthy eating pretty easy and is the best way to get ready for a new nutrition plan and exercise program.

EASY DIET WEEK 1 – ELIMINATE, CHEAT DAYS, AND FOCUS

• Cheat Days: Since no one’s perfect, you get two days during this week to cheat. Yep, eat anything you want! Be sure to listen to your body, it will tell you it wants everything that you have cut out and over time, how you feel is a great indicator of what nutrients you are deficient in, rather than a cue to eat junk. Listen to your body. Example: Craving ice cream, you may be short on essential fatty acids. Craving a hamburger, your nutrition may lack protein. Listen to your body and learn what it really needs and then choose food items that can really give it those nutrients, versus giving in to the junk like ice cream or hamburgers. Being in tune with your body is a lifestyle benefit that will pay off for the rest of your life.

• Eliminate: No junk. Eliminate junk food from your diet. That’s it, just junk. The definition of junk is obvious stuff, like potato chips, candy, ice cream, cake, and other salt- and sugar-loaded foods.

• Focus: After you rid the junk, focus on the fact that in week one you can eat whatever and whenever you like. Also don’t forget to focus on water, 8-10 eight ounce glasses of water per day, or even better focus on a gallon. As much as 65-75% of us walk around dehydrated. Once you are hydrated you will notice changes in your body and how it craves food. Another focus should be on minimizing or eliminating other drinks such as juice, sodas (obviously), and alcohol.

AN EASY DIET TO GET YOU STARTED!

EASY DIET WEEK 2 – NO JUNK AND PROPER PORTIONS, CHEAT MEALS, AND FOCUS

• Yes still “no junk” and learning proper portion sizes. Remember that this is a process, and things need to be done over and over again for it to become a part of your life.Eat proper portions of food, and eat more often. Eat every 3-4 hours and try not to eat anything about two hours before you go to sleep. This helps keep your blood sugar levels more static and your energy level more consistent. The basic recommended times to eat are Breakfast, Mid-Morning Snack, Lunch, Mid-Afternoon Snack, and Dinner. Learn proper portions such as – ½ cup of high fiber grains, 1 cup of vegetables, 1 cup of fruit, 3-4 ounces of lean meat, and ¼ cup of healthy fats. Sticking to these portions and the proper numbers of each portion per day will keep your metabolism firing on all cylinders.

• Cheat Meals: Yes your full Cheat Days from week one are now Cheat Meals. You can have two Cheat Meals per week. You will notice that having an entire day to cheat is not necessary. Though you may be tempted  every now and again, you will see it is not necessary to cheat more often. When cravings come, you will find that having one cheat meal generally suffices. Plus more times than not, cravings are more mental than physical. Gradually decreasing your cheat meals and knowing it’s mostly in your head helps break those mental habits.

• Focus: Carbs are not the enemy. Your body needs them, just like it needs proteins and fats. The key is choosing the right style carbs. As a society, we eat too much refined sugar. Complex grain carbs, like whole-grain breads, whole-grain rice, sweet potatoes, and legumes are great choices. Keep in mind that vegetables and fruits are carbs as well. The right carbohydrates will maximize your body’s ability to function properly and participate in exercise and other daily activities.

EASY DIET WEEK 3 – SAME FOCUS, MORE VARIETY, AND SUPPLEMENTATION

• Focus: Stick to No Junk and Cheat Meals on two different days per week.

• Have more variety, eat more colorful foods, and try foods you have never had before. Try recipes that are easy to make and provide balanced nutrition. For great recipes be sure to check out the Fixate Cookbook by celebrity trainer Autumn Calabrese. Remember the richer the colors, the fresher the products tend to be. Try to eat a variety of colors in your diet. Be sure to have a variety of all food types, including proteins, grains, vegetables, and fruits. Be sure to vary meals as well. You don’t want your meals to be too heavy in one nutrient or another. Balance matters!

• Total Nutrition Supplementation: Starting to implement total nutritional supplements that are clean and artificial ingredient free is very important. This helps your body do a better job of utilizing the nutrients from the foods you eat, provides the nutrients you cannot get from food sources, and may help with many other aspects of your body function and efficiency. Shakeology and its Shakeology Boosts are some of the best and cleanest total nutrition supplements you can add to your diet.

Taking time to transition and use these easy diet suggestions to get started will make other changes a lot easier along the way. Following the steps of a process you are more likely to succeed than just random efforts. Start here and you will find getting into your nutrition and exercise plan will be easier and results will happen sooner!