Are you cutting back on food intake and calories and still not losing fat?
You might be depriving your body of key nutrients…

As I have said before in “Don’t Make Me Cry About Carbs,” our bodies are finely-made machines that we need to keep well-oiled, fueled, tuned up, and clean.

We accomplish all of this through the foods we eat. There are six nutrients that we need to sustain life–carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. These nutrients WORK TOGETHER to keep you healthy and thriving. It’s a team effort and you cannot take away key players. Our bodies trust us to treat them right and give them what they need to function properly. If we do not get enough of any one of these nutrients, we start to break that trust.

When it comes to our food, quality matters! There is plenty of misinformation out there, but there are also guides that can help you change how you eat, like My Healthy Goals!

Examples of misinformation:
“Enjoy your margaritas and pizza…as long as you stay within your daily calorie goal.”

“I saw on Pinterest that at my height and weight I can eat whatever and whenever and lose weight as long as I stay between 1198-1498 calories a day!”

TRUTH: When you have upwards of 200-800 EMPTY calories in a day, that doesn’t leave enough left for the nutrients your body needs. QUALITY DOES MATTER! Counting calories and/or points is not what is going to take you to a lean/healthy body. What matters MOST is WHAT those calories are made up of! Making NUTRITION your priority will help ensure you’re losing FAT.

Weight Loss: Muscle, Fat & Water Loss

Decreased Fitness
Decreased Strength
Poor Performance
Early Aging
Reduced Immunity

Fat Loss: Losing Stored Body Fat

Improved Fitness
Greater Strength
Peak Performance
Delayed Aging
Reduced Risk of Illness

Choose Nutrient-Dense Foods! Nutrient-dense foods are those foods that provide the most vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients for the fewest calories. They are the exact opposite of “empty calories.” Choosing the highest quality foods helps make the most of your daily caloric intake, and should provide the majority of calories in any healthful diet. Different sources define what constitutes a nutrient-dense food differently, but most experts would agree that nutrient-dense foods are wholesome and additive-free.

When you are lowering your calories in order to lose fat, you have minimal to no room for “empty” calories. You must stick to nutrient-dense foods. If not, your body will not allow you to get rid of excess fat storages. OR it will only allow you to do so for a short amount of time before you WILL gain it all back (and likely add more).

When I give my clients the following analogy, it really sinks in:
When money is flowing into your checking account at a good and steady pace, you are OK with money leaving/spending money. Right? But what happens when the income flow slows? You immediately go into protection mode and stop the spending! No money in means no money out.

It is the same with nutrients in translating to fat-shedding. If you are not giving your body adequate nutrients, it is NOT going to allow fat to leave. This is unfortunately why you see many people cut calories down low but not see any results. But if all the nutrients are going in, your body is ok with fat leaving. We have to develop a metabolism that trusts you. And that starts with nutrients.

Here are a couple quick and easy nutrient-dense breakfasts from my My Healthy Goals plans to get your day started off right!

Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

1 cup raw quick oats

½ cup cottage cheese

1 cup egg whites

2 eggs

1 ripe banana

Directions:
Blend all the ingredients in a blender until a batter forms. Preheat griddle or pan to medium heat. Pour 1/3 cup of mix onto heated skillet. Flip pancakes once they start to bubble. Makes 3-4 pancakes.