Nutrition For Beginners

Are you just starting out? Trying to maintain your weight, lose some weight, shed some fat and/or feel healthier with the correct nutrition? It can be so overwhelming when you’re just starting out- from everyone trying to sell you ‘must have’ supplements, protein powders and weight loss pills to getting different, conflicting advice from people. How do you know who to trust or who is just trying to make a dollar out of you? A fail safe approach when it comes to the rows upon rows of supplements you'll find at the store, is to do your own research. Most of the time, you can find product reviews which will give you a better idea whether you'll find a product useful.. More IMPORTANTLY, you don't necessarily need any supplements to get your nutrition on track! I will sometimes have a shot of espresso, or rarely have some pre-workout for an extra boost of energy, but I take minimal to no supplements depending on my training. At the end of the day - I prefer to source all my nutrients from FOOD. Here is a free blog that I have written to give you all a little more confidence and education for your own journey. As always, this is not sponsored and you will note that in no way am I trying to encourage you to spend money- in fact I will help you save some extra money! These are my thoughts and like anything, they’ll differ from one coach to another. So, as I always say- ‘take on what works for you, and forget the rest!’

When it comes to nutrition, you have 3 key macronutrients that make up any diet:

Carbohydrates Protein Fats

All are essential in your nutrition, and you should never completely cut out any macronutrient from your meal plan. Trust me, you can't avoid any of these categories forever without it affecting your health and wellbeing. I tend to find that in most of my clients who have never done any form of structured nutrition, when they give me their food diary, generally they are overeating in fats, under eating in protein and are over in carbohydrates. For those who have been conscious of their diets, they are usually OVER eating in protein, under eating in carbohydrates and over eating in fats. I find this interesting! Usually fats are easier to over indulge in, as per gram they contain 9 calories. As a generic (again, this is a rough guide for most people- not custom and everyone is different) - around a handful of almonds or half an avocado is enough fats for your entire day. Those who over eat in protein usually have the belief that because it’s healthy, you cannot gain fat from it. This is false.

How can you manage your nutrition when starting out?

Always fill your plate up with salad or vegetables. Don’t be afraid to be generous with your veggie servings and stock up on different kinds and colours. Eat about a handful of nuts per day. Have 2-3 serves of protein per day (around the size of your fist).  

My next key tip is: WATER.

Sounds easy right? This is probably my BIGGEST tip and I am almost sure you would have heard this before. A lot of people unfortunately don’t understand the importance of water and the weight loss effects it can create. So, for 1 month I would LOVE for you to try and keep your ONLY fluid intake to water. It honestly was one of the first changes and steps that I took in changing my lifestyle and has to be the biggest change I felt. There are SO many empty calories in other fluids- juices, cordials, milks, alcohol and other fluids. It’s amazing that companies can cram so much sugar into one drink! Sometimes we don’t even realize that what we are drinking is actually equivalent to some chocolate bars! (CRAZY!) Don't forget that portion is everything! What may be a meal to some could be a snack to another. Not everyone has access to a coach or fitness professional that can find the exact amount of protein, fats and carbohydrates you need in your diet. But you can make the conscious decision to eat when you're hungry, stop when you're full, try and keep the majority of foods going into your mouth clean and whole, never snack out of boredom and eat a variety of nutrition dense foods. The average woman requires 1600-1900 calories of food per day when performing moderate exercise, but this number is broad and will vary, especially if you start to exercise more on your journey. When you learn to love healthy, whole foods, I promise you won't simply see a change in your appearance, but a dramatic change in your mood and energy. I hope that helps a few of you who are just starting out on your nutrition journey and helps you to understand a bit more. Sophie x