Food

Let's start with number one. Food.

It is really easy to overcomplicate things when it comes to food. Everyone will have an opinion, including you. What to do? Break this down into a few easy steps.

1. Estimate your daily caloric requirement.
There are an awful lot of internet based calculators that can help you here. Make a realistic assumption about your activity level. If you're trying to lose weight, assume your activity level to be one notch lower than you think it will be. Now, you have a daily caloric target.

2. Estimate your daily nutrient breakout between carbs, protein and fats.
Personally, I run about 40% protein, 30% carbs, and 30% fat. At times, I'm probably a little lighter on the carbs and a bit higher on the protein. Years ago, I followed the Body for Life program, which was a 40/40/20 split. That could be a good starting point, but I think it's a bit low in fat. When considering this, think about what kind of exercise you'll be doing, and how much/often. Endurance athletes may consider going higher on carbs and a bit lower on fats. Those looking to add strength and muscle mass will want to go high on protein.

3. Figure out how many meals and snacks you'd like to eat each day.
Some people recommend eating five to six times per day, some say it makes no difference. Whatever you decide, make sure it makes sense for your schedule and lifestyle. The last thing you need is to be stressed out because you're missing a meal.

4. Divide up your daily calories among your meals and snacks.
This will give you an approximate number of calories for each meal and snack. If you try to keep the carb/protein/fat ratio pretty much the same for each meal, you make the process much easier.

5. Think about the foods you will eat. Do some homework and figure out what a serving size is for each of those foods. Calculate the calories and nutrient breakdowns of those servings.

6. Plot out a menu for a few days or a week.
Shop accordingly. It may make sense to cook only once or twice per week and reheat as needed. Make sure your daily caloric intake an nutrient breakouts are in line. It's okay to go a little high one day and a little low another. You don't want to be counting peanuts in an effort to make an inexact science exact.

7. Keep a log of what you're eating, and compare it to your plan.

8. Monitor results.

9. Adjust behavior as needed.
Try to wait at least a month before tinkering, unless you are having tremendous difficulty. You need to give your body time to adjust before changing things. Tinker a bit if you need to. Remember that all of this was based upon estimates. You may need to change it a bit as you monitor your results. If you hit a plateau, change something up. Change your nutrient breakdown a bit. Raise calories a bit. Lower them a bit.

10. Think about this as a lifestyle change, not a temporary change.
The objective is to remake your habits and the way you live. Proper nutrition is something you should just do, not do until some event occurs. The only event that should end proper nutrition is the big D...death!

At some point, you'll be able to go onto autopilot here. Getting started is the hard part. Once you gain knowledge and awareness, you really shouldn't have to constantly monitor and measure every single thing. One of my thoughts on health and fitness relates to sustainability, along with the desire to sustain something. If eating right is a big pain in the neck project, you will be much more inclined to drift away from it and back into your old habits. In all honesty, I no longer count calories or nutrient breakouts or anything. I've got a very good feel for how to assemble meals properly, so it takes little effort for me to just pull them together.

That being said, It may not be a bad idea to track your food for a couple weeks twice a year. It becomes quite easy to underestimate serving sizes as time goes on.

Next post I'll write a bit more about what I do, and ramble on about food in general.