Macro counting? Your 2 or 3 snack meals should be the easiest of the day.
A phrase we use often here at Max Muscle Davis County is, “don’t skip meals, replace them!” As you’ve tried to eat well to have optimal energy levels, feel your best and decrease body fat you’ve likely struggled with eating as frequently as you should. That’s right! One might think overeating is the problem. While it is true that it overeating often happens in the evenings, this also often seems to be the result of not eating enough during the day!
Think for a moment about the last purchased groceries, did you have the upcoming weekdays in mind? You know you want to eat well, but where do you purchasing foods that are conducive to your goals? Did you know what foods to buy or where to even start? What about the amounts of said foods? How much food do you really need? It can be easy to start feeling overwhelmed trying to answer all these questions. Even if you’ve been doing your Meal Planning for some time now, it can also be mundane purchasing, preparing and eating the same foods over and again. The point is, no matter our intent, it is easy to miss meals that our body needs for it to be fueled. Remember: when you are under-eating, you are storing more body fat!
Here are some ideas that we have found helpful to keep in mind. First, eat foods that work for you! Trying to follow a meal plan that a friend or relative or coworker follows might work for the short term but the reality is it just wasn’t made for you! We teach our clients to eat foods from our Food List that they enjoy eating, are easy to prepare and most importantly eat them in the correct amounts! It takes practice, but making nutrition work for you is key! Personalize it!
Second, persistence pays off. Let’s say you need to eat 4 meals/snacks per day over the next 7 days. 4 meals/snacks over a week timeframe means you should be eating 28 times during the week! Simply put, you need to follow your Macros for 24 of those 28 times you eat in order to see noticeable progress. In other words, don’t get stuck in the habit of counting “empty calories” as part of your daily Macros. 30 grams of carbohydrates from brown rice or wheat thins, for example, are more valuable to your body than 30 grams of carbohydrates coming from ice cream. Count the valuable nutrients you put in your body and, if you have a slice of cake at a party, don’t feel you’ve “given up” and need to start over again. We encourage the mindset of the next meal you are eating is the most important! Stay persistent!
Third, don’t skip meals! Many people have the idea that a protein shake is something you consume only if you go to the gym. This is simply not true! Protein shakes exist to enable us to consume the amount of protein we need each day. You can exercise for hours per day but if your daily protein intake is sufficient one day, too high the next and too low the day after that, your body simply won’t burn as much fat as you’d like it to. So, is it okay to drink a couple protein shakes per day? Of course! If you don’t have the appetite to eat another chicken breast or tuna sandwich, don’t hesitate to mix up a protein shake to ensure you keep your daily protein intake right where you need it to be!
To review: eat foods that work for you! Eating them in the correct amount is the most important thing! Remember that persistence pays off. Don’t prioritize the workout over the meal! The meal is where your body obtains permission to burn unwanted body fat! Lastly, don’t skip meals! Utilize protein supplements to make achieving your goals attainable.
Stop by Max Muscle Davis County TODAY and mention this article. We will be happy to let you taste test any of our quality protein powders and we will coach you on how you can get maximum value out of them! Also, be sure to test on our InBody 570 machine so you can have an accurate body composition analysis. Measuring your progress can’t be done completely with a scale alone, so be sure to let us assist you in your goals!