I’m not going to do much for an introduction to this one, I’m just going to say that this article is heavily influenced by the coaching and practices of precision nutrition and all the wonderful things that nutrition company has been doing over the past. So without further ado here is the article. Enjoy.
Pre-Requisite principles to life long nutrition
Before you begin your anti diet nutrition program which should serve as the corner stone of a life long healthy and results producing way of eating, you must first learn and understand a few key principles to eating.
Principle 1: The Complete Nutrition Principle
– Your nutrition should serve to improve your body composition
– Your nutrition should serve to improve your health
– Your nutrition should serve to improve your performance
– Your nutrition should serve you for you lifestyle
If your nutrition is void of any one of these, then it’s not complete and therefore will at some point fail you. Compromise health in the sake of getting skinny fast and you will pay the price. Sacrifice eating and supplementation for performance and disregarding body composition or health and you just might raise your risk of a heart attack. Try to follow a program that won’t suit your lifestyle and won’t be sustainable for life without knowing or practicing the basics and you will be doomed to be the “yo-yo” dieter.
Principle 2: The 90/10 Principle
Striving to be 100% perfect on obtaining a clean and healthy eating lifestyle is a sure fire way to set yourself up for failure. Make your goal to be 90% compliant and let 10% of the time be whatever it needs to be. Heck if you have a lot of body fat to lose, and health to gain you can get away with 80/20 but dropping farther than that becomes a slippery slope. So when you are going through the A.D.N. Program don’t level up until you are satisfied with being 90/10 or at least 80/20 on board.
Principle 3: Rome Wasn’t Built In A Day Principle
There is an 85% success rate with making one change at a time, and only a 35% success rate when trying to do 2 changes at a time and under a 10% success rate when trying to make any more changes than that at once. Give yourself the best chance to succeed and follow the program from level 1 onwards. Some levels might be easier for you and some might be harder, we estimate 2-3weeks of solid focus on each level can give you the best chance at making the change and leveling up. There may be some levels you are already doing and that’s great you can move faster through the program if that’s the case. However you might find that some levels you have to do twice over or maybe even three times over before you feel confident to continue on and that’s ok. Rome wasn’t built in a day and neither will your new body, new energy levels, new outlook on eating. Enjoy the process and the direction you are going because the end result isn’t to complete this program like a “dieter” the end results is to learn sustainable habits so you don’t have to ever feel like “dieting” again.
Principle 4: The proactive principle
It’s a little cliché but if you fail to plan you really are planning to fail. Instead of reacting to your eating and stressing out about what to do take the proactive approach and plan your meals in advance. There are many strategies that you can use and it doesn’t really matter which strategy you do weather it be planning and prepping for an entire week or just for one day at a time. Plan for how many meals you like to eat each day, some of you might work best on 5-6 meals a day others 3 square meals a day, you might find that eating only twice a day works best, or maybe you want to try intermittent fasting, in the end you have to find what’s best for you and your lifestyle and that can sometimes take trial and error and it can sometimes change and evolve through life but as long you have a plan of action you will do well.
Principle 5: The Whole Food Principle
Simply put when you are making your food choices, opt for whole natural foods over supplements or processed versions whenever possible. For example, don’t choose deep fried chicken nuggets, choose grilled chicken breast, choose strawberries and not strawberry jam etc. It’s easy to assume because some package says “natural” or something that makes you feel it’s healthy that it is. But more often than not it’s a lie, pre packaged foods are generally a poor choice for health and nutrition. Learn to read food labels, typically if sugar or high fructose corn syrup or something you can’t pronounce is in the first half the ingredients list, it’s not going to help you get healthy, or look good naked. Take peanut butter for example, take a look at the ingredients – does it contain just peanuts or does it contain added sugars and hydrogenated oils? It’s obvious which one is more natural.
Let’s take this whole foods even further. If you can afford to here is how you choose the best quality whole foods.
Grade A+ Foods
Choose locally grown/produced fresh organic fruits and veggies and free range naturally fed meats
Grade A Foods
Choose locally grown/produced and fresh fruits and veggies and free range naturally fed meats
Grade B Foods
Choose Organic fruit and veggies and all natural meats
Grade C Foods
Choose fruits and veggies and lean cuts of meat hormone free
In short, high quality foods give you more bang for your buck. But don’t stress out about your groceries if you can’t afford the best all of the time. Just because you are getting grade C fruits and veggies doesn’t mean you won’t get benefits, it just means you may have to supplement or simply pick a few grade A foods when you can afford to.
Ok now that’s you’ve learned the principles and understand them… you do understand them right? if not no worries just contact us and we can help coach you to your success. Now on to the habits of the Anti Diet Program.
Level 1 (1-3 weeks) Awareness Part 1
Log your nutrition in a journal, notepad, smart phone app, or on computer or take photo’s of everything you eat. Simply become aware of what you are putting into your mouth.
Level 2 (1-3 weeks) Awareness Part 2
Eat until you are only 80% full. Focus on eating more slowly, enjoy the taste of your foods and instead of “stuffing” yourself eat only until you are 80% full. Try not to allow yourself to drop below 20% either. This takes practice often more than just 3 weeks but if you can start learning the signs and changing the way you are eating you might be surprised to see and feel the positive changes this makes.
Level 3 (2-3 weeks) Starch Timing
Only eat starchy foods for breakfast and after an intense workout. This practice is a great way to give your body the best chance and eating more healthy foods throughout the day and using starch for fueling your muscles and performance rather than fueling that waistline girth.
Starchy foods include:
Whole grains (in the form of flour, breads, pasta, crackers, wraps, cereals etc.) Rice, corn, and potato. You could even say sugary foods like juices and some sauces act like starches in your body.
1 serving of starch = Women 1 cupped handful & Men 1-2 cupped handfuls
(Tip: If your goal is fat loss aim for being strict with the lower end of the portion sizes, if your goal is to gain weight be more liberal with the higher end of the portion sizes)
Level 4 (2-3 weeks) Fruits & Veggies
In every meal (yes snacks are meals too) consume at least a serving of fruit or veggies. Try to mix it up so that you aren’t opting for fruit every time, but rather a mix of either or even both. These foods are high in nutrition, and fiber so they keep you fuller for longer.
1 Veggie serving = Women 1 fist full & Men 1-2 fist full
1 Fruit serving = Women 1 cupped handful & Men 1-2 cupped handfuls
Store bought juices, fruit flavored drinks, and yogurts, cereals etc. do not count. Opt for whole natural fruits and veggies as nature intended. If you “juice” them yourself and drink it right away that’s ok too.
Highly recommended supplement
Super Greens taken daily
Level 5 (2-3 weeks) Eat Protein in every meal
Eat at least 1 serving of complete lean protein in every meal. Protein helps build and maintain tissue and muscle and it’s a natural appetite suppressant.
Basic Protein sources include:
Lean Meats – Eggs – Tofu – High Quality Protein Powder Supplements.
1 serving = Women 1 palm size & Men 1-2 palm sizes
(Tip: If your goal is fat loss aim for being strict with the lower end of the portion sizes, if your goal is to gain weight be more liberal with the higher end of the portion sizes)
Other sources of protein but are mostly healthy fats are cheese and nuts, if these are your only choices in a pinch then use them but use them sparingly.
Recommended supplements:
Whey protein isolate powder
Egg Protein powder
Vegan Protein powder
Level 6 (1-3 weeks) Eat Healthy Fats
Time to rid your fear of fats. There are healthy fats in the form of plyunsaturated, monounsaturated and saturated fats and there are unhealthy fats like hydrogenated and trans fats. You are going to want to learn to consume healthy fats daily while eliminating unhealthy fats from your diet. Fats are essential for a healthy body, brain and if you want to lose weight you’re going to need to eat healthy fat. Fats help you to absorb essential vitamins A D E & K and help with thyroid and hormonal function in your body. They are also important in cellular structure. Keep in mind that although now you know that eating fat is good for you, it’s also very calorie dense so a little goes a long way.
1 serving of fat = Women 1 thumb size & Men 1-2thumb size
Healthy sources of fat include:
Nuts, seeds, fish, Olives, ground flax, avocado & coconuts all of these foods in their natural state and in oil form such as extra virgin olive oil.
(Tip: If your goal is fat loss aim for being strict with the lower end of the portion sizes, if your goal is to gain weight be more liberal with the higher end of the portion sizes)
Highly recommended supplements:
Omega 3 Fish Oils or Krill Oil taken daily in the morning
Level 7 (1-3 weeks) Drink Zero Calories
This habit is simple but might just be the most effective one at helping you to drop body fat if calorie-laden beverages are your vice. In exception to super shakes drink beverages that contain no calories. Your best choices are water and green tea. I know, I know what about you coffee drinkers with your cream and sugar? Well it really depends on how much coffee you drink and how much cream or sugar you put in. If it’s a morning 1-2 cups of coffee initially that’s not really going to make or break you so go ahead, but if it’s more and you want to lose weight try exchanging your cups of coffee for water or green tea. Since we are on the subject of beverages, in regards to diet sodas and “energy” drinks remember these things are not whole foods and studies have linked these drinks to obesity and inflammation so opt to stay away from these.
Hate water? Try adding citrus, berries, cucumber, mint or a mixture of these for extra flavor.
(Tip: If your goal is fat loss aim for being strict with the zero calories habit. If your goal is to gain weight be more liberal and add healthy calories in such as a pre-workout drinks, home made veggies and fruit smoothies with added juice or a cup of hot cocoa for bed each night)
How much fluid you need to take in a day is dependent on many factors including bodyweight, climate, gender, activity levels and alcohol consumption. It’s safe to say that the old 8-12 cups of water is still pretty close to your needs on the low end. So aim for 8-12 as the absolute minimum, aim for more if you are more active, sweat more, live in higher climates, or have consumed alcohol.
Levels 1 – 7 Review (2-6 weeks)
Congratulations on leveling up this far. Becoming aware and making some solid nutritional changes to this point is reason to celebrate. So take some time to enjoy where you are at and review if you are able to be 90/10 on these first 7 levels. Review your meal planning strategy; are you following all of the first 7 habits at 90/10? Let’s prove it and follow the first 7 habits for 2-6 more solid weeks and if you can have your food analyzed by a professional or at least use an app or computer program like myfitnesspal or fitday to see if you are getting enough of all the vitamins and minerals you need. It’s important that you feel confident up to this point before moving on to individualization.
Remember the starting portion sizes during this review
| Food | Women | Men |
| Starch & Fruit | 1 cupped handful | 1-2 cupped handful |
| Veggies | 1 fist full | 1-2 fist full |
| Proteins | 1 palm size | 1-2 palm size |
| Fats | 1 thumb size | 1-2 thumb size |
Level 8 Individualization Part 1 (Body Types)
Determine which body type mostly resemble your body and start eating the portions accordingly. Once you have a general routine with your new portion sizes you can start to be more restrictive if your goal is fat loss or be more liberal if your goal is to gain weight.
Which Body Type are you?
Ectomorph – Small bone structures, thinner limbs, higher revving metabolisms and are often tall and skinny with narrow shoulders. Ectomorphs tend to fidget more because of their high revving metabolisms
Ectomorphs tend to tolerate carbs better than other body types and usually do better with higher carb moderate protein and lower fat diets.
If you are an Ectomorph begin eating this way in each meal
| Food | Women | Men |
| Starch & Fruit | 2 cupped handful | 3 cupped handful |
| Veggies | 1 fist full | 2 fist full |
| Proteins | 1 palm size | 2 palm size |
| Fats | ½ thumb size | 1 thumb size |
Mesomorph – Medium sized bone structure, typically an athletic body type; they gain muscle and stay lean easier than other body types. Mesomorphs usually do well with a solid mix of carbs, protein and fat.
If you are a Mesomorph being eating this way in each meal
| Food | Women | Men |
| Starch & Fruit | 1 cupped handful | 2 cupped handful |
| Veggies | 1 fist full | 2 fist full |
| Proteins | 1 palm size | 2 palm size |
| Fats | 1 thumb size | 2 thumb size |
Endomorph – larger boned with typically higher amounts of mass than other body types. Power lifters, throwers, linebackers are typically endomorphs. Endomorphs are typically less active and excess calories are typically stored as body fat. Endomorphs typically have slower metabolic rates than other body types and have low carb tolerance particularly if they are sedentary. Endomorphs typically do better on higher fat and low carb plans.
If you are an Endomorph begin eating this way in each meal
| Food | Women | Men |
| Starch & Fruit | ½ cupped handful | 1 cupped handful |
| Veggies | 1 fist full | 2 fist full |
| Proteins | 1 palm size | 2 palm size |
| Fats | 2 thumb size | 3 thumb size |
Review
So you’ve read through this article/program. Are you going to practice it from step one onward? I hope so because this will not only give you a basic level of nutrition for life it will give almost everyone who wants to look and feel better exactly what you want.
So here’s the summary of what to do
- Read and understand the 5 principles, review them all the time until it becomes common knowledge for you.
- “Level Up” your nutrition practice and become consistent with basically eating clean and ensuring you are getting a full spectrum of nutrients and aren’t nutrient deficient. Get good at learning to listen to your body.
- Individualize your portions based on your body type, start with the recommended portions and adjust based on goals.
- If you are doing all of these things and want further help or results or if you need some help doing this, let one of our qualified nutritionists help you get to the next level.
Note on Supplements:
There are a plethora of brand out there for you to choose from and really I think trying a few different brands our to find the one that you feel works for you is a good idea. However if you are looking for a brand that is easy to access just about anywhere, is well researched and good quality a good start would be to go with products from genuine health. Generally good to high quality items that are sold in local groceries stores and drug stores.
Here is a list of supplements you might want to start thinking of adding to your healthy nutrition program.
1. Omega 3 Fish Oils (Take daily in the mornings)
2. Vitamin D (Take daily in the mornings – It’s a fat soluble vitamin so goes well with the fish oil)
3. Vitamin K (Take daily in the mornings – it’s a fat soluble vitamin so goes well with fish oil and is good for your arteries)
4. Super Greens (Take daily any time)
5. Protein Powders (Optional if you are not getting enough from natural sources)
6. Creatine (Optional but beneficial in recovery from workouts among many other benefits beyond the scope of this article)
IMPORTANT
This article can be used to start building amazing life long habits to good nutrition, however don’t feel bad if even starting at level one seems daunting and too much for you. Everyone starts somewhere, if you need help my team of professionals and I can help coach and support you at whatever level you need to start from.