Be Mindful of Snacking

Whenever we talk about snacks, we talk about purpose.

What is the purpose of the snack?

Are you hungry?

Are you aiming to stay satisfied until your next planned meal?

Just be aware of your snacking and why you are eating what you are eating.

If you are truly hungry, having numerous small snacks to stave off hunger might not be as effective as having a full, satisfying meal which takes food off your mind.

Also notice where your thoughts go when you think of a snack.
Do you think of a small meal?

Protein and plants?

Or do you associate snacks with indulgences?

If your mind goes straight to chips, chocolate etc, it might be best to use the term “small meal” rather than snack.

Snack Ideas

If your purpose is to stay satisfied in between meals, or to have something to keep you satisfied until your next possible meal, then fruit is an ideal choice. Popcorn is a rare savoury option that also provides food volume, eg it takes up space. Pistachios in the shell offer the benefit of a natural barrier to mindless, fast snacking. Protein and fibre are typically filling so should also be considerations if having regular snacks and fullness is a key part of your purpose. Adding volume to snacks can also help hit the spot, with a bit more food and a bit more protein. Adding a lean protein like cottage cheese to hommus works a treat.

Savoury snacks can be tricky, they are typically calorie dense, easy to overeat and hard to replace.

If you love a packet of chips, trying to replace them with something crunchy like carrot sticks might sound like a good suggestion from someone who doesn't love chips, but to you it might sound ridiculous.

Whilst there's nothing wrong with enjoying some savoury snacks from time to time, if you have identified that area as something you want to change, consider controlled portions of savoury snacks that are filling, with some fibre.

Be wary with snacks and marketing, we explain more in the “reading labels” article but just be aware that if your purpose is enjoyment, that allowing yourself a small, controlled portion of the food your truly want might be better than looking for a “healthier” option.

Write out your meals in advance

Regularly writing down your goals can be a useful tool and a constant reminder of what you want to achieve.

We also promote writing down a list of behaviours that match those goals.
Behaviour goals linked to the outcome goal.

Another extremely useful and underrated tool is to simply write down the meals you plan on consuming ahead of time.

This could be done one day to even a week in advance.

Writing your meals out ahead of time will:

• Take the guesswork out. You won’t need to think about what you’re going to prepare, cook or create.

• Reduces the amount of decisions you need to make, especially when hungry.

This saves you time but also requires less effort each day as you have a plan already set out.

Don’t want to write the meals out? At least plan the day in your mind. Think about when, where and what you might eat. If you are going to buy a meal, consider where you might be, what options you may have and what you will choose.

Coming up with ideas on the spot, cooking, preparing, battling with temptations, etc all requires energy. Energy that you could focus on other areas of your life.

Making food decisions on the spot, when already hungry can make it difficult to make decisions that are aligned with our goal.

Practical application:⠀
Meal 1: Eggs, veggies, salmon⠀
Meal 2: Chicken, Rice, Broccoli, Cabbage⠀
Pre Training: FNC Banana Bread and Banana⠀
Meal 3: Pork, Apple, Sweet Potato Veg⠀
Dessert: Yogurt, Berries and Peanut Butter⠀

Easy done. Plus it provides you with accountability to stick to the list you’re written out.

PS: Ensure that the list includes meals and foods you enjoy

Tracking your calories?

Track ahead - track your day in advance. It doesn’t mean you have to stick to it 100% if your appetite changes, however having that plan in MFP or the FNC Diet Builder can help you manage your calories across the day. No surprises, no sudden hunger - tracking in advance is a great tool.

Reading Labels

There is a lot of information on labels, some of it very helpful, some of it not.

The helpful stuff is the:

• Nutrition table with information on calories, protein, carbs, fats, fibre

• Ingredients list

The unhelpful stuff is the:

• Marketing buzz words (low carb, low fat, healthy, etc)

Somewhere in the middle of that we have serving sizes.

Serving Sizes are not official portions, they are just suggestions from the food manufacturer. That being said, they can give us an idea - a starting point when it comes to a controlled portion of packaged foods.

We recommend starting with the suggested serving sizes and adjusting according to what suits you, your goals and the purpose of your food choice.

The Tricky Stuff - The Marketing

Both of the products below use sugar alcohols, which are a non-sugar sweetener (yes the name is confusing, it’s neither sugar or alcohol). Anyway, sugar alcohols don’t have to be listed as carbs which allow the food manufactures to slap a “low sugar” or “low carb” label on their product despite the calories being basically the same as other products.

You can read more about sugar alcohols here - Sugar Alcohols Blog

The products below use slightly different marketing tricks. The wrap states “low carb” but in reality, it’s just a smaller size! And the “lower carb” bread, has more fat which means that the calories are fairly similar to the original version.

Finally here we have a “health halo” product. The manufacturer wants us to believe their product is a healthier version. This often leads us to eat more as we perceive it to be healthy. In reality, remembering the purpose of a choc biscuit is enjoyment, we should really ignore the healthy label and choose what we really enjoy and this can actually mean we eat less calories!

The helpful stuff

The nutrition labels are great for comparing similar products. In Australia we always get the values per 100grams which gives us that nice, easy, consistent number to compare products.

If we want to compare foods that don’t have labels, Food Standard Australia have a searchable database called NUTTAB which can help us make comparisons like these:

When comparing foods, don’t fall into the trap of getting too numbers focussed. Just because something is lower calorie, doesn’t necessarily make it better. We also need to factor in protein, plants, fibre, overall health and what’s going to keep us fuller for longer.

As we get better at reading labels, finding nutritional information and comparing similar products, we can make some easy switches which help progress us towards our goals with minimal effort. Either reducing total calories for similar foods, or increasing our protein and plant intake for similar calories.

We’ve got a blog going through more helpful stuff on labels:

Reading Labels and Tracking a Meal Blog

The Health Halo

Gluten-free, low-fat, sugar-free, raw, paleo, organic, high-protein…

These are all buzzwords that food marketers use to lead a consumer to believe that they are purchasing a healthier product.

These foods can be categorised into what we call: The Health Halo.

 Often we don’t perceive ‘health’ foods as having a caloric value. Have you ever heard anyone say: “I can’t lose weight but I eat healthy?”

 Researchers found that when health-conscious people consumed food products labelled with the aforementioned buzzwords, not only did they eat more, but they also reduced their physical activity.

More calories in, less calories out. Not ideal if trying to move towards an energy balance that achieves a calorie deficit for fat loss.

A study compared M&Ms and granola. Most of us would label granola as the healthier and less indulgent option, yet both foods are similar in caloric density. Researchers found that the participants underestimated the calorie content of the granola by 28% and actually overestimated the calorie content of the M&Ms by 9%. This led to an overconsumption of calories with granola.  

It can be difficult to tell the difference between healthier products and false claims. This is why it’s more important than ever to be aware, so that you can make choices that are aligned with you and your goals.

This is where reading labels comes in handy.

Don’t fall victim to the Health Halo.

Make it Satisfying, Make it Rewarding

The cardinal rule of behaviour change. 

What is immediately rewarded is repeated, what is immediately punished is avoided.

Reward yourself immediately after completing new habits. “If the puppy does a trick, it gets a treat” - yes you are a puppy in the metaphor.

And no, we aren’t saying to have some chocolate after you eat some Protein and NDFs. 

Our goals are delayed rewards that obviously take time, so we need an immediate reward to stay on track. We need some reinforcement to keep practicing healthy eating behaviours. 

With nutrition, we can increase the satisfaction of a meal by making it taste good. WHAT? A healthy meal that tastes good? It can’t be true! But it is!! 

Using flavours, herbs, spices, seasonings, and low calorie sauces can reward us to make this a repeated behaviour. In the background, our delayed reward of health and body composition are accumulating.

We can also give ourselves a reward each time we practice a new habit or after we’ve reached our weekly target.

Each time you practice your habit, celebrate (remember the ABC strategy). Tick it off your list. Share your win with a group or accountability partner.

If you’ve hit your weekly target, how can you reward yourself? (Try not to make it food related though). 

Example: When I have Protein at Breakfast, I’ll take a photo of it and share it with my coach to get feedback.

When I complete my tasks for the day I’ll go for a walk and listen to a new podcast.

When I’ve hit my plant target 5 times a week for 4 weeks I’ll by myself a new book. 

Find a positive, goal aligned way to reward yourself so you look forward to repeating the habit.

Remember the earlier lesson the habit loop. The reward is the reinforcer.

Meal Prep

Meal prep: preparing or planning meals in advance. It doesn't have to be preparing all meals for an entire week.

Doing some sort of meal prep can help you out in the future by saving you time, effort and money.

Having something pre-prepared means when you are busy and hungry during the week you don’t have to think about it, prepare it, or purchase it.

When you are cooking one meal, it doesn’t take a lot of effort to increase the size and cook a few more portions at the same time. 

In the time it takes to cook 1 meal, you could cook 5 and set yourself up to save some time later in the week. 

For the same price as buying 1 meal out, you could cook 5 and save yourself some cash. 

Not only can it save money, it also means you need to make less food decisions later in the week. Less decisions about food when tired and hungry. 

If you buy your lunch everyday, it might be easy to buy something like a chicken salad on Monday but by the time Friday rolls around, you’re a bit tired and in the moment something a bit higher calorie, less nourishing is too hard to say no to for the 5th day in a row.

Meal prep doesn’t have to mean spending hours on a Sunday having the whole week organised. A little extra effort when you are already in the kitchen and you’ll really thank yourself.

Need Inspiration?

There are some great social media accounts to get some inspiration for what to cook. Our favourites are:

• @mason_woodruff

• @seriouseats

Not Into Meal Prep?

You don’t need to prepare the whole meal, you could keep some veggies cut up in containers in the fridge. Using time when you have it to get the veggies chopped, could be all you need later in the week to motivate you to stir fry those chopped veggies with a protein option, rather than getting a pizza delivered.

Keep in mind that meal prep is not a necessity and there are plenty of “grab and go” meal options to help you towards your goal, without great expense or a lot of time.

The food court is not the only option when you step out of the office to grab lunch. There are many 'zero cook' options available at supermarkets. 

Understand Calories, Kilojoules and Energy Balance

Calories & Kilojoules

These are both measures of energy. That's it, different measures for the same thing. Kind of like how kilometres and miles are both measurements of distance. Calories and kilojoules simply represent an amount on energy. Whilst kilojoules are the official standard of measure in Australia, we find calories much easier as the numbers are smaller, so, we'll use calories as our measurement in this book.

• 1 Calorie = 4.184 Kilojoules

• We can make things easier by rounding that to 1 Calorie = 4 Kilojoules

Energy Balance

We consume calories through food and drinks and we burn calories through a combination of general movement, exercise, digestion and functions of the body.

• When our weight is stable - energy in and energy out is basically the same - this is known as maintenance.

• When we are gaining weight, we are consuming a surplus of energy.

• When we are losing weight, we are in an energy deficit.

In simple terms, if we have fat we want to lose from our bodies - it is stored energy.

So if our goal is fat loss, we need to use that stored energy and not replace it. This doesn't mean that we need to do hours of exercise to burn more, we actually burn plenty of energy just staying alive. 

‘Calories in’ refers to the energy we consume from food and drinks. 

‘Calories out’ refers to the energy we burn in a day.

Macronutrients (macros)

Macronutrients are groups of foods that we need is large amounts.

There are 3 macronutrients, plus a category that we added to make things a little more simple.

We need macronutrients in large amounts, hence the prefix - macro

• Protein

• Carbohydrates

• Fats

• NDF (Nutrient Dense Foods - the one we added)

As we said earlier, a calorie is a form of measurement for energy. Each macronutrient has energy:

• 1 gram of protein = 4 calories

• 1 gram of carbohydrate = 4 calories

• 1 gram of fat = 9 calories

• 1 gram of alcohol = 7 calories (yeah sort of another macronutrient but unfortunately, not necessary)

Calories In

The amount of calories we need to consume for maintenance (staying the same weight) will depend on our size, age, activity, genetics and health. 

You don’t need to count the calorie content of everything you consume, however it is important to understand the concept and realise the difference between high calorie options and lower calorie options.

If you are reasonably consistent with your food and drink intake and are measuring your progress, you should be able to determine after a couple of weeks if you are in a calorie deficit, surplus or at maintenance:

• Deficit - losing weight

• Surplus - gaining weight

• Maintenance - generally stable weight 

Early on with resistance training (strength training), it is possible to gain muscle whilst losing fat, so the scale weight may stay stable whilst your body composition changes. This is why it’s great to check more than one measure of progress, scale weight, hip and waist measurements and progress photos.

Some things we consume won’t have calories, or basically none:

• water

• zero / extremely low calorie drinks like sugar free soft drinks, sugar free cordial

• tea and coffee (until you add milk, sugar, syrups etc) 

There are different types of fibre but in general we do not absorb much energy from fibre. It's great for keeping us full without having a big impact on ‘calories in’.

Non-starchy vegetables, salads and berries (NDF) are extremely low in calorie content, generally high in fibre, and are a great option for adding volume (size) to a meal, without increasing calories much. 

Added carbs and fats, especially in more processed foods, can quickly turn a low calorie meal into a high calorie meal.

Calories Out

The “calories out” side of the energy balance equation is more complicated. We've simplified it here but you can see a more 'sciency' explanation right at the bottom.

“Calories out” consists of 4 basic components:

• Energy needed to keep you alive

• Day to day movement

• Planned exercise

• Digestion and absorption of food and drinks

When we talk about our metabolism, we are really talking about the amount of energy your body requires to run basic processes and “keep the lights on,” so to speak. A more simple name might be “existence calories.” The body just keeping itself running is about 70% of your calories burned each day.

Day to day movement is the amount of energy you burn doing unconscious little movements throughout the day that aren’t planned exercise. These include typing on the keyboard, talking, fidgeting, wiggling your toes, walking, standing. These movements account for about 15% of your calories burned each day.

Day to day movement is an area that can be manipulated through extra movement like walking home instead of driving, moving around the house in between Netflix episodes. This is also an area that can drop when dieting, often without you noticing. Your day to day movement can reduce when you diet, therefore reducing your total calories burned each day. Activity trackers can be great ways of noting how many steps you normally walk in a day, then trying to be consistent with that number whilst dieting.

Exercise - Yep, this is exactly what it sounds like. When you exercise, you burn calories. How many you burn depends on the duration and intensity of the exercise, however this generally accounts for about 5-10% of your total calories burned each day. Much less than most people predict. Exercise does add to the calories burned but thinking of exercise in terms of the benefits on overall health including mood, well-being, stress reduction etc is a better idea than trying to make weight loss all about increasing calories burned through exercise.

Digestion and absorption of food and drinks — as weird as it sounds, the body burns calories in order to digest food and absorb nutrients. Different macronutrients require varying amounts of energy to be processed and digested. Calories burned through digestion and absorption accounts for about 10% of your total Calories burned each day.

• Protein - we burn about 20-30% of the calorie content of protein we eat just through digestion and absorption

• Carbs - about 5-15%

• Fats - about 0-5%

You might have heard about calories before and have even been told that weight loss is simply about calories in versus calories out. However now you know there is a bit more to it than that. Just because something is lower calorie, doesn’t necessarily make it better. We also need to factor in protein, plants, fibre, overall health and what’s going to keep us fuller for longer.

As promised, here is the version of "Calories Out" with the standard scientific terms.

The “calories out” side of the energy balance equation is more complicated.

“Calories out” is also known as your “Total Daily Energy Expenditure” (TDEE) and consists of 4 basic components:

• Basal Metabolic Rate

• Non Exercise Adaptive Thermogenesis (NEAT) and Non Exercise Physical Activity (NEPA)

• Exercise activity (EA)

• Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — The amount of energy your body requires to run basic processes and “keep the lights on,” so to speak. A more simple name might be “existence calories”. The major component of your TDEE is your BMR. Your BMR accounts for approximately 70% of your TDEE

Non exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) and Non exercise physical activity (NEPA) — NEAT is the amount of energy you spend doing unconscious little movements throughout the day that aren’t actually exercise. These include typing on the keyboard, talking, fidgeting, wiggling your toes, etc. NEPA refers to walking, standing, and any voluntary, non-exercise activity.Most commonly, NEAT and NEPA are referred to under the NEAT umbrella. NEAT/NEPA accounts for about 15% of your TDEE but is an area which can be manipulated. 

Exercise Activity (EA) - This is exactly what it sounds like. When you exercise, you burn calories. How many you expend depends on the duration and intensity of the exercise performed.EA accounts for about 5% of your TDEE, much less than most people predict. 

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) — As weird as it sounds, there is also a thermic effect of food, meaning that it costs you energy to digest food and absorb nutrients. Different foods require varying amounts of energy to be processed and digested. Foods higher in fibre and protein have a higher TEF. TEF accounts for about 10% of your TDEE

• Protein - we burn about 20-30% of the calorie content of consumed protein just through digestion

• Carbs - about 5-15%

• Fats - about 0-5%

So when we get to the point where it’s time to calculate these equations, you have to take all of these into account. If all this looked like an equation, it would be:

TDEE = BMR + NEAT + TEF +EA

Rate Your Hunger

Hunger...
We've been programmed to fear it. 
Fear that rumble in the tummy. Feed it every time we feel or hear it.

Hunger is perfectly ok to feel.  There can also be so many factors that influence our hunger, and also different types/stages of hunger.
 

It’s a great skill to learn to differentiate between different hunger signals and cues.

Start asking yourself:

Do you need to eat right now?

Do you want to eat right now?

Do you feel like you should eat right now?
 

If you're having trouble with this, you're not alone. Most of us have forgotten what it's like to feel truly physically hungry (or satisfied).
 

So make a game of it as you practice.

Imagine this. You've just been shipwrecked on a desert island. (Not a dessert island, that would be a dream.... hmmmm Messina.... Damn, now I'm hungry!)
 

Would you be the person who starts to freak out once their stomach starts rumbling?

Or would you be the person who shrugs, gets to work making some pointy sticks, and hangs in there until they can spear a wild pig for dinner? That person knows that hunger isn't an emergency.
 

Yeah, being hungry kinda sucks. But you'll survive.
 

Your muscles won't dissolve if you don't get dinner by 6 pm.
 

Hunger comes and goes in waves.

Most of the time it's just a little uncomfortable. Nothing you can't handle.

Use your observation skills.

Pause. Observe it for a few minutes.

Try playing the hunger game.
 

When you notice yourself wanting food, pause for a moment.

• Are you physically hungry?

• What are the body cues that would tell you?
  
   

Signs of ACTUAL hunger may be: lack of performance for daily tasks, trouble thinking clearly, getting HANGRY, irritability, feeling weak or faint, low energy levels. 

We don't want you to starve. We simply want you to pause, observe and reflect.

Rate Your Hunger

1. Imagine a physical hunger scale from 1 to 10.

   • 1 is not hungry at all.

   • 10 is the hungriest you've ever been, like "My vision is going black and I will eat the next person I see" kind of hunger.

2. Before each meal, pause. Ask yourself: Am I physically hungry?

3. Rank your physical hunger on a scale from 1 to 10.

   • If you're somewhere around a 7 or higher, go ahead and eat.

   • If you're not there yet, wait a little longer. Remember that physical hunger comes in waves. So if you feel a wave of hunger, wait for a few minutes and see what happens. It might just be a small urge.

4. Eat slowly, and pause after each bite. Check in. Notice your body signals. How would you rank your hunger now?

   • If you're somewhere around a 2 to 3 or lower (which is more or less 80% full), stop. Pause. Again, notice what this stopping point feels like. Or what thoughts come up.

   • If you're not yet down to a 2 to 3, take another bite. Repeat until you get to something that seems like 80% full. Then stop. Again, this doesn't have to be precise. You're just getting the hang of where this stopping point occurs.

5. Notice what 80% full looks and feels like for you. For example:

   • What was an 80% full portion size?

   • What sensations told you that you were at 80%?

   • What foods seem to help you feel fuller for longer?

   • How fast or slow did you eat? 

Tip! Unprocessed foods (such as fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, beans and legumes, etc.) will help you feel fuller for longer.

Hunger Signals

Need, want, or should?

Of course we need to eat, to keep your body alive.
 

But often we don't need to eat (right now). We want to eat. We feel like we should eat.

Our bodies' natural hunger and fullness signals can get drowned out by "noise" from:

1. What we feel. “It's been a tough day. I've earned some pizza and beer.”

2. What's around us. "Damn, that steak smells good!"

3. What we think. “It’s 1 pm. I’m not really hungry, but I should eat. I mean, it is lunch time.”

4. What other people think or want. "Another serving? Well I shouldn't... ah, what the hell."

Differentiate between true signals and just noise.

The signals are meaningful information from your body. 

Tip! When you use or hear the word "should", that's probably noise. 


FEELINGS AND THOUGHTS

• What you're feeling, physically (e.g. shaky, lightheaded, tense)

• What you're feeling, emotionally (e.g. pissed off, relaxed, "hangry")

• What you're thinking (e.g. "I can't pass up this biscuit! It reminds me of my Nan")

WHAT'S AROUND YOU

• What situations make it easier or harder to make good choices

• What foods make it easier or harder to make good choices

• What environments make it easier or harder to make good choices 

Right now, just observe. Don't judge or feel like you have to "fix" anything.

Awareness leads to change. 
 

Keep doing what is working so far.


What signals tell you that you NEED to eat today?

What signals tell you that you WANT to eat today?

What signals tell you that you SHOULD eat today?

Walk 10 000 Steps Daily

To work towards building healthy habits, why not try to implement a daily step goal

10 000 steps is widely talked about as a great aim for daily movement.

Though it may seem like 10,000 steps is high, it's pretty doable.

The typical person walks < 5000 steps a day.

With a little focus and determination, it's easy to bump that number up to 10,000 .

A recent study actually indicated that those who averaged 12 000 steps actually benefited even more. However this was an association and the researchers pointed out that realistically, just aiming to stay active is a benefit and if you are currently tracking steps aiming to increase your average over time is a great idea.

4000 per day is better than 2000

8000 per day is better than 4000

10 000 per day is better and 8000

12 000 per day along with great nutrition, fun and stimulating planned exercise, good sleep and stress reduction is probably the ultimate goal.

Make your goals realistic and achievable

It’s probably not realistic to go from 4000 steps per day to 12 000 steps per day consistently. Set small, realistic goals and tick them off. If you’ve gone from 4000 to 6000 consistently, then aim for 8000.

Be Mindful with Indulgences

What are indulgences?

• Higher calorie, lower nutrient type foods.

• Typically more processed combinations of fats and carbs.

• Alcohol, cakes, cookies, chips, chocolate etc

We don’t think complete restriction is a positive, sustainable step. Reduction of these foods can certainly help with a weight reduction goal, however complete restriction can lead to binge-restrict type behaviours.

How to enjoy indulgences

1. Stop labelling food as good or bad. No one food will make you gain body fat. No one food will help you lose body fat. Everything in context. All foods can play a role.

2. Give yourself permission - you can indulge in foods you love. You don't have to restrict yourself completely.

3. Make sure it will satisfy you. If you are going to indulge, make sure it's going to hit the spot. There's no point going for a low Calorie or "diet" alternative if it doesn't satisfy you.

4. Make it an experience. Can you make it part of a social event, a family outing? Eg, a walk to the pub with a loved one or a family trip to the ice cream place.

5. Enjoy it slowly and mindfully. Don't rush it, it still counts if you make it disappear quickly. Make it a highlight, notice the flavours, the texture and how you feel.

6. When satisfied, stop eating. You don't need to finish it or have more once you've found your ideal enjoyment level. More may not bring more enjoyment. Know that you have permission to indulge again, so you don't need to make the most of the opportunity and over-consume.

Consider regular, planned and controlled indulgences

If healthy eating & weight management is important to you. Enjoying some regular indulgences can make your diet and life more enjoyable, keeping things realistic and therefore sustainable. This can boost the chances of progress and success.

Food is more than fuel, food is an experience, an art form that should be enjoyed and a vehicle to build important social connections.

Indulgences are worth it and a good idea. Just remember they’re the ‘icing on the cake’, and fit them into a well rounded whole food-focused diet, in moderation.

Regular indulgences can prevent the build-up of powerful excitement and anticipation driven cravings that can become uncontrollable. Leading to excessive consumption, binge eating, and potentially the development of a binge restricted mindset.

If you don’t make allowances and room for regular indulgences, they’ll probably make their way into your diet anyway probably against your will. When this happens you might attempt to “give it an inch”, but end up “taking a mile”.

Excessive deprivation and restriction can be the root of future excess! Keep your indulgences regular, controlled, planned, in moderation, and enjoy them mindfully.

How much is too much?

“Everything in Moderation” is possibly one of the most overused and overrated sayings in the nutrition world and it’s about as useful as a screen door on a submarine.

The idea of everything in moderation is great but it’s extremely ambiguous and subjective.

The interpretation of “moderation” differs from person to person.

We generally hear this term used in regards to indulgences, and it leaves decisions about serving size and frequency of consumption up to the individual.

This can be a dangerous move because people are pretty poor judges of portion sizes, the calorie content of foods, the amount of food they’ve eaten; so making estimations are unlikely to be accurate.

Who determines what moderation is?

Well, our own ideas of moderation are influenced by our own consumption and the consumption of others around us.

Personal bias affects definitions of moderation

The more of an item a person typically consumes, the greater amount of that item would be considered moderate consumption.

Eg. if I drink 10 beers a week, I might think that moderate is 15 beers, especially if my friends drink 20.

When people don't consume much of an item their idea of moderation is relatively low.

Eg. I don’t really like chocolate so my idea of moderation might be half a block a week compared to someone who loves chocolate might think moderation is 2 blocks a week.

The more you like a food, the bigger your definition of a “moderate” serving will be.

Instead of saying "Everything in moderation".... maybe it could be “some things in controlled portions”.

Nutrition Australia advises limiting your intake of discretionary choices (indulgences) to a maximum of one serve per day (approximately 150 Calories). You could also use a percentage of your daily calories if tracking, say 10-20% of your calories could be indulgences when you are ticking off the protein, plants and whole foods boxes for 80-90% of your nutrition.

Drink 2 Litres of Water Daily

Drinking water and maintaining hydration has a range of positive effects on the body such as transporting vitamins, minerals and nutrients around the body, regulating body temperature, improving digestion, immunity and lubricating tissues.

Dehydration can lead to reduced blood volume and blood pressure, increased heart rate, increased RPE (rate of perceived exertion, reduced skin blood flow, increased core body temperature during exercise, whilst affecting physical and cognitive performance.

How do you know if you are maintaining hydration?

Infographic courtesy of Healthdirect Australia.

Here are some tips for making water and easy habit:

• Carry a bottle with you at all time

• Add some flavour (diet cordial)

• Set a reminder to drink

• Keep a jug of water on your desk so you can see when you have or haven’t been drinking

• Use the habit-stacking technique, maybe each time you have a coffee, also drink a glass of water

When choosing something to drink with a bit of flavour, just be aware that liquid calories do count and are not very filling.

Eat Until 80% Full

Why “80% full”?

First: The exact number isn’t important. “80% full” is an idea of eating until you're satisfied, not completely stuffed

If eating until you're completely stuffed is a current habit for you, this strategy could be beneficial for you.
This is also more a strategy if you're learning how to build your meals OR in particular to be used when our at social meals when you don't have control of portion sizes.

80% full is about two things:

1. How much you eat.

2. How it feels to eat that much.

So by doing this habit, you’ll learn:

1. What portion sizes work for you.

2. What it feels like to be physically hungry, satisfied, and/or full.
    

In the beginning, you may not know what 80% full is for you.

That’s OK.
 

Experiment. 

Here are techniques to get you started.
 

Eat slowly to help find 80% full

They work together.

The better you are at slow eating, the easier 80% full will be due to the time it takes for the brain to receive signals of satiety. 

You may even try to stop eating sooner than you normally would

You probably have a sense of how much you normally eat — what size of plate you use.
So you can start with what you’d normally eat and then just shrink that a little bit. Or stop eating just a little sooner than you normally would.

For instance, try:

• Purposely leaving a couple extra bites of your meal on your plate.

• Ordering one size smaller than normal.

• Using a smaller dish than normal.

Eat Slowly

If you find that you’re a fast eater and it leaves you feeling hungry, try to slow your rate of eating down.

It takes approximately 15-20 minutes for the digestive system to let your brain know that you're satisfied.
You can imagine if we eat a meal in 5 minutes, what happens in the remaining 10-15 minutes? We could over-eat to perhaps 110% full. Completely stuffed

Can you stretch it out to 15-20 minutes by putting your cutlery down in between bites, swapping hands, using chopsticks, etc.

When we eat slowly, we actually feel more satisfied with less food.
When we eat slowly, we can learn to listen to what our body is saying to us.

Do you notice yourself loading up your fork or spoon with the next mouthful before you’ve even finished what’s in your mouth? Try putting your cutlery down in between bites and concentrate on chewing, how the food tastes and really enjoying the meal.

Chewing your food more can also significantly reduce hunger and promote satiety.

Listening to up-beat / fast music may actually make it difficult to eat slowly, try something a little slower. Who knows, maybe some yoga chill sounds will be your secret to eating slowly.

Manage Stress

When the demands of stress are too great and for too long, the body needs to work harder to recover from the stress. This can cause other areas of health to deteriorate.

Short term it can cause changes in our appetite, cause gastrointestinal upset, increase cravings for indulgences/comfort foods.

Long term it can cause impaired immune function, disrupted sleep, increased levels of fatigue, increased water retention, and potentially lead to weight gain.

Stress and Food Choices: 

Under stress, people tend to eat a more westernised dietary pattern with more emotional overeating, overconsumption of high-fat, high-salt, high-sugar foods and reduced intake of fruit and vegetables.

Now we have an understanding of the impact stress has on our health, our body composition, our goals and our sleep. The next step is to look at strategies to cope with stress in relation to your nutrition.

1. Identify if you are a stress eater 

2. Identify your stressors. What is causing you stress? 

3. Try your best to mitigate the stress. Can you control it, avoid it, reduce it, fix it? If it is uncontrollable, can you try your best to put a plan in place to control it. Making a plan can help you mitigate the stress and even if it doesn’t it will give you the sense of control. Try mindfulness meditation (See below for options)

4. Replace the stress eating with a positive behaviour. Enjoyable things you can do that are more constructive. Reading, catching up with friends, exercise, walking, writing, playing music? 

5. That old chestnut of controlling your environment. Remove the calorie dense items from your personal surroundings, home and work. In the absence of highly rewarding foods, there is less incentive to eat them to self-medicate your stress. You can’t eat what isn’t there.

Eat Mindfully, With Purpose and Reduce Boredom Eating

Food journaling can be a really powerful tool when it comes to eating mindfully. Imagine you are writing a description of your meal for another person. Imagine that they will never see the meal, so you want to describe it in detail. How does it look, smell, taste, what’s the texture like, how did you feel when eating it - cover all your senses and focus on enjoying the meal. Notice when you start feeling full.

This is eating mindfully.

Eating in front of the TV, or laptop, spooning in mouthful after mouthful without thought can lead us to eat well past satiety, without every stopping to think about how the meal tastes.

Make your meals the highlight of your day. Take your time, put your cutlery down and at least once - try to write a journal.

Purpose

Focus on WHAT YOU EAT but also WHY? This is to become mindful of your choices.

To further extend this theme we want you to ask yourself "What is the purpose of this meal?"

What benefit will this meal give me?
Why did I choose these foods?
Will I feel better about this choice tomorrow?
Does this choice move me closer to my health and fitness goals?

Just like random training brings random results, the same can be said for meals.

If you are journaling, try to make some notes on the purpose of your meals:
Was it to fuel you for training?
Was is for recovery?
Was it to keep you feeling satisfied through the day?
Was it because you were hungry?
Was it for enjoyment?
Was it a social function?

YES, sometimes we can eat certain meals for the pure enjoyment factor!

Look at your meal, find the purpose, find the meaning.
If there is a consistent theme of fuel, health, recovery, you're on the right track.

BOREDOM EATING

Have you ever noticed that your purpose for eating is boredom?

Are you trying to kill time, procrastinate from doing work or study?

Are you stressed, emotional, angry, lonely?

Is eating filling a void for you?

Here is a strategy to try and overcome boredom eating.

Note: Boredom in this activity can be replaced with stress and emotional-based eating.

1. List the habits, behaviours and activities you enjoy doing that have a positive effect on your health (mental, social, physical, emotional). OR habits you'd like to try and build that have a positive impact

2. Set an intention and write it down. Next time I feel bored, instead of eating I will ..... (insert positive behaviour)

Eg. Next time I feel bored, instead of eating I will: do 15 minutes of mobility

OR

Next time I feel lonely, instead of eating I will: call a friend or family member

OR

Next time I feel stressed, instead of eating I will: read 10 pages of my book

By keeping the cue and the reward the same and merely changing the routine you implement, it can go a long way towards habit change.

Also, you're killing 2 birds with 1 stone.

Building a new habit that has a positive impact on your life whilst breaking an old one.

Mindfulness Apps:

Waking Up - Sam Harris

Headspace

Smiling Mind

Calm

Unplug

Sleep 7-9 Hours

We all should be aiming to sleep for 7-9 hours a night. Under-sleeping can lead to cravings for sweet, sugary food, poor dietary decisions and overconsumption of food. Ever noticed that on the nights you sleep the least, it is harder to make good nutritional choices the next day?

When we under-sleep we are likely to eat more food than usual and make poor choices around food. A lack of sleep can have a big impact on our hormones and make us crave sugary, processed foods and make us less likely to choose protein, greens and healthy fats.

Under-sleeping is a particularly bad habit if you are trying to lose weight. Those who are in a calorie deficit and under-sleeping are likely to lose up to 70% of weight from lean body mass rather than fat stores. Our weight loss plans are realistically fat loss plans, so we want a higher percentage of our losses on the scales to be coming from body fat. Sleep, along with protein and exercise, help shift this percentage in our favour.

It’s not something we think about a lot but getting enough sleep also has a direct impact on our productivity. Many of us lead busy lives and assume that getting a few hours less of sleep means a few hours more of work. Prioritising work over sleep is actually counter-productive. Instead of allowing you to get more work done, you’ll find yourself burnt-out, stressed, slower and your creativity will suffer. Evidence suggests that you actually make 20% more mistakes when you are sleep deprived, only creating more work for you.

Sleep Tips:

1. Get sunshine during the day, particularly in the first couple of hours after waking.

2. Avoid screens 1 hour before bed.

3. Avoid caffeine 6-8 hours before bed, caffeine stays in our system a long time!

4. If you enjoy tea in the evening, consider switching to a caffeinated / herbal tea such as chamomile or peppermint.

5. Try to keep your bedroom cool, we tend to sleep better when slightly cool.

6. Try to make your bedroom as dark as possible.

7. Keep technology out of the bedroom as much as possible.

8. Exercise regularly, just not in the 1-2 hours before bed.

9. Avoid alcohol consumption before bed, it may help us lose consciousness but can reduce sleep quality.

10. Consider practicing meditation before bed as a strategy to “wind-down” and switch off.

11. Try to maintain a fairly regular schedule of when you wake up and go to bed.

12. Save your boring, easy jobs around the house for the last hour before bed to help you switch off.

13. Turn off some lights in the house as it get’s closer to bed time - the dimmer light may help you wind down.

Alcohol and Sleep

We feel like we have to bring this bad news to you - having a ‘nightcap’ drink might actually prevent you sleeping well.

Alcohol can help us lose consciousness but can reduce the quality of our sleep.

Alcohol can fragment sleep, meaning that without realising it we might be waking many times during the night which can lead to fatigue the following day. Alcohol can also block rapid eye movement (REM) sleep which helps us consolidate memories. If we are trying to learn and commit new things to our memory, an interruption of REM sleep can slow down or stop this process. 

It’s easy for us all to get into the mindset of ‘needing’ things. “I need a coffee to start the day” or “I need a drink to get me to sleep”. These needs are actually habits and a change of mindset and gradual behaviour change might be more beneficial than the quick fix.

Develop a Sleep Routine

• Try a sleep routine. Make a decision on what time you want to go to sleep and an hour before start to unwind. Try to get away from screens - TV, laptops, mobile phones in that hour. Try turning off half the lights you normally have on. Save jobs you might have that aren’t on the laptop or phone for that last hour, like washing up, folding laundry, ironing etc.

• Try to get into bed at least 20-30 minutes before you’re aiming to sleep and read a book. Make sure the light on isn’t super bright. Choose a fiction book that isn’t too taxing mentally.

• Set your sleep environment. Get your bedroom nice and dark, try to remove any light or cover them. If you can keep your phone outside your bedroom.

• Find a routine that works for you and with your exercise, healthy eating and good sleep habits you will be on the path to fantastic health.

What if a short night is going to happen?

So when we know that we are going to under-sleep for a special event, how do we mitigate these issues?

• Meal preparation and reducing decisions.

Prepare your meals in advance or have a set plan which you will not change. Try to avoid having to buy food or make any decisions when you’ve under-slept.

Take your prepared lunch to work and if you start to feel cravings for something else remind yourself of the time, effort and money that went into preparing your lunch.
 Obviously try to get a good night's sleep every night but when a special event like this comes up a bit of planning and preparation will save your the next day.

Constant Low Energy?

Constantly fatigued, lethargic, low on energy, and reliant on stimulants to get through your day? Also can't seem to achieve restful sleep? You may have heard about something termed 'adrenal fatigue' and think that's your issue. You might have also heard about supplements and special treatments which could be your saviour.

The idea behind 'adrenal fatigue' is related to an inability to produce sufficient levels of hormones that keep us energised, resulting from an overly stressful lifestyle and potentially excessive intake of stimulants. "Don't drink too much coffee, you'll fatigue your adrenal glands"...

'Adrenal fatigue' is NOT a legitimately recognised and diagnosed medical term, and the rationale behind it has been debunked in the scientific literature. In short, adrenal fatigue is not a thing.

However, none of this means that your symptoms don’t actually exist.

If you're experiencing the symptoms commonly associated with 'adrenal fatigue' chances are these will hit home:

• Sleep is poor in quality & duration (potentially for other reasons)

• Not managing and coping with the stressors in your life.

• Potentially training beyond your capacity to recover

• Maybe not eating enough Calories.

• Potentially deficient in 1 or more vitamins and/or minerals namely Vitamin D, iodine, iron & B12.

When seeking a solution to your fatigue-related symptoms. Please understand...

1. You don't have adrenal fatigue.

2. Supplements won't help (unless you're deficient in something as diagnosed by a medical professional, and supplementation has been advised over a food first approach)

3. Your lifestyle needs strong consideration, are you "burning the candle, at both ends", not sleeping enough, being overtrained, underfed, overworked, and... overstressed.

4. Talk to your GP, as they can run and interpret blood work to see if an inner, underlying issue might be present.

Understand Dietary Fats

Why do we need dietary fats?
We need adequate fat to support hormone regulation, cell signalling and the absorption of many nutrients (vitamins A D E K are fat soluble vitamins).

Fats are calorie dense, we get substantial amounts of energy from smaller portions of fats so just be mindful how many fat sources and how much you are including in your meals.

• Benefits

  • Our body needs healthy fats for brain cell formation, cells in our central nervous system, for absorbing a lot of vitamins and minerals.

• Portion sizes - Not tracking

  • Look at your thumb roughly from the tip to the base. Generally 1-2 thumbs sized portions of dietary fats at meals, however the thumb size can be more generous for whole foods (avo, nuts, seeds, fish) when compared to liquids (oils).

• Portion sizes - Tracking

  • We recommend setting fats at a minimum of 20% of your calories. If you are using the FNC Diet Builder you will see how to make sure of this. Otherwise, take your daily calorie aim and multiply by 0.2. That gives you your minimum calorie aim from fats. Divide that number by 9 and you have your minimum grams of fats per day for health. Going above this minimum is not an issue, provided you are keeping an eye on total calories. This means that if you are focussing on your total calories and protein, then your fats and carbs can be dictated by your personal preferences and individual goal.

• Ideal sources

  • Plant based: nuts, seeds, avocado, olives, olive oil

    Marine based: cold water fish, salmon, mackerel, sardines

    Some animal sources: some fats from meat, eggs and dairy

• Timing

  • Try to consume healthy fats with meals that are at least 2 hours before your training. Fats are fairly slow to digest, can sit in the stomach for longer than carbs. This can be useful at times, however before training when we want to feel comfort, fats might not be the best choice.

• How to prepare it

  • Most fats don’t need much preparation but can enhance the taste of meals. This can be useful when expanding your plant intake, using some olive oil for salad dressings, avo, nuts and seeds for salads, some cheese sauce for veggies, however just be mindful of how much you are adding.

Q: If I eat more fat will I burn more fat?

Yes, it’s true! If you increase the amount of fats within your diet your body will indeed increase the amount of fat you burn. 'You burn what you eat'!

BUT! Fat loss and fat burning are NOT the same thing. 

For body fat loss, a calorie deficit needs to be present over time. After calories and protein have been matched, the ratio of carbs and fats doesn't really matter. If you are eating a lot of fats, you may be eating too many calories to reduce your body fat and may even increase it. So whilst you might be burning more fat, keep the perspective that it’s all relative to how much you are eating overall and energy balance.

Nuts and nut butters have a lot more fats than protein. Fat dense foods are also Calorie dense foods. 1 gram of fat = 9 Calories.

We need to eat fats for our health but portion sizes have a big impact in weight loss.

It might be easier to use spoons and cups to measure, however it's more accurate to use a kitchen scale. That little extra effort whilst dieting could be the difference between progress and no progress.

Bacon is another popular food which is often actually higher in fats than protein.

For a fat loss / weight maintenance goal, consider how often you are eating bacon:

Eating often > choose something leaner

Eating rarely > move up the spectrum to the point where you will enjoy the taste/experience the most

Understand Carbohydrates

• Benefits

  • Carbs are our primary fuel source for strength training and high intensity exercise. Anything above 60% effort will be primarily fuelled by carbs and the higher the intensity, the more carbs are used for fuel compared to fats.

• Portion sizes - Not Tracking

  • Cup your hand and imagine it full of a chosen carb source. Aim for 1-2 cupped handfuls at most meals, particularly those around exercise.

  • You should scale your carb intake depending on your training. If you're training more than usual, eat more carbs. If you increase carbs for training but then start training less than usual, consider reducing carbs a little.  

  • Looks closely at your meals, how many carb options are on your plate? Think about if you have a sandwich, wrap or burger. The bread is your carbs, do you also have breadcrumbs on your protein, high carb sauces like sweet chilli or bbq, a side of chips?

• Portion sizes - Tracking

  • For fat loss and weight maintenance, we aim to hit a minimum of 1 gram per kg of body weight, then let personal preference dictate how high this number goes depending on your total calories.

  • For fat loss, 1-3 grams per kg of body weight is probably good for most.

  • Weight maintenance might be 1-4 grams per kg of body weight, however it will be individual and depending on lifestyle and preferences.

• Ideal sources

  • Most of the time, try to choose whole grains and whole food sources of carbs:

    Potatoes, Sweet potatoes, rice, quinoa, oats, buckwheat, beans and legumes, fruit, bread, noodles.

  • More dense forms of carbs and liquids are great when you need to consume more energy but your appetite is limiting you (think athletic and muscle gain goals):

  • Honey, jam, juice, sports drinks, lollies, pretzels.

• Timing

  • You don’t need to have carbs at every meal, however we’d really encourage a serving at the meals and any snacks before training. Having some carbs available in the blood stream after digestion is a great idea to increase performance.

  • Pre-Workout: If eating something within about 30-60 minutes of intense training, your comfort is an important consideration and in these cases, leaning more towards liquid and low fibre carbs can be beneficial

• How to prepare

  • A rice cooker will save plenty of time and it’s possible to bulk prep carbs and freeze them in portions for easy use later. Roasting potatoes or sweet potato in big batches and portioning out as needed. Overnight oats are an easy option to have a high carb, high fibre breakfast ready to grab and go.

• How to shop, keep prices down

  • Carb sources are generally very cheap. It’s a good idea to eat a variety of sources so buying whichever option is on sale when you need to restock will help you add variety.

 Carbs from whole foods and whole grains are health-promoting, slow-digesting, and nutrient-rich. They provide us with energy and a range of health benefits, can be filling and satisfying and eating a variety over time can really help us get a wide range of micronutrients.

Carbs get a bad wrap (lol) from some people, however often it’s just the type of carbs that we can switch to help us feel fuller from less carbs. For fat loss and weight management, try to switch from liquid carbs to whole food carbs. Also, many higher calorie sources of carbs are actually combinations of fats and carbs.

For fat loss and weight management, try to reduce your choices from this list:

• pastries, such as cakes, cupcakes, and muffins

• cookies and bars, including muesli & nut bars

• lollies, chocolate, etc.

• sweet drinks: juices, soft drink, and other sweetened drinks

• sweetened dried fruits: raisins, dried cranberries, banana chips, dried dates or figs, etc.

Refined carbohydrates provide almost no fibre.

So, what is a whole food carb choice again?
Keep it simple.
More fibre and nutrients + whole foods = more value.
Less fibre and fewer nutrients + processing = less value. 
Always look to add more value to your diet.

Now it’s not about saying NO to some of the more refined carbs if you enjoy them, just LESS.

Athletes: if your goal is athletic performance, your energy demands will likely be very high and eating only whole food carbs and whole grains will likely mean you appetite will stop you from consuming enough calories to maintain performance and health. In your case, the base of nutrition should stay the same, however including more refined and liquid carbohydrates to make up the difference between appetite and ideal energy will be an important consideration. See below for some graphics on carbs for athletes.

Q: Should I stop eating carbs at a certain time?

Carbs and athletic goals.

If you are trying to take your athletic pursuits to the next level, it may help testing higher carb intakes.

You might start with 3-5 grams per kg of your bodyweight for a few weeks and then bump it up to 5-6 grams per kg of your body weight and see if you notice any differences.

When aiming for higher carb intakes it will likely be necessary to include some more refined options. These are like the sprinkles on top of a solid foundation and if they are needed for you to consume enough energy for your activity, then they are health promoting in your individual situation.

Make it Attractive

Make It Attractive, Fun Gets It Done

Let’s be honest, if good habits were fun you’d already be doing them. When we find a task boring or monotonous, we may not want to practice it. However we know that we need to practice them to get in the successful reps in order to form new habits. Healthy nutrition habits are perceived to be pretty boring - meal prep, shopping, boring meals - but that doesn’t have to be the case.

There was an engineer who loved Netflix and wanted to exercise more, so he created an exercise bike that was powered by Netflix if he cycled at a certain speed. 

What we can learn from this is that if we combine the fun stuff with the not so fun stuff, the latter is more likely to be completed. 

This is known as “Temptation Bundling”.

 

Pairing an action you want to do with an action that you need to do.

Pair something you love with a habit you want to build and you may find yourself doing it more, and even enjoying it. When we enjoy things, we do them more often - successful reps!

Josh loves music and podcasts. He likes to pair that with his more boring tasks like cooking or shopping. 

How do you create a temptation bundle?

Create 2 columns. 

In the first column, write down a list of pleasures and temptations you enjoy doing. 

In the second, write a list of tasks and behaviours that you should be doing, that you want to start doing and that are aligned with your desired identity.

Then, pair them up.

Eg. Taking your headphones to listen to music while doing the shopping

Listening to music/podcasts/audio-books while walking to get your steps up

Watching Netflix while chopping the veggies or cooking dinner. 

You’re more likely to find a behaviour attractive if you get to do one of your favorite things at the same time.

How are you going to pair something you’re trying to practice with something you already enjoy doing?

The focus strategy for this week is to make it attractive, make it enjoyable, or at least a little less painful

Make a Plan

Make it Obvious, Make a Plan 

We all have goals but a common misconception is that we lack motivation. What we actually lack is a plan. 

In studies, people who actually wrote down a plan of when and where they intended to practice a new behaviour, such as exercise, were more likely to follow through with that intention compared to groups who simply said they wanted to exercise more. 

This process is effective for sticking to goals. It increases the odds of sticking to a new behaviour such as studying, exercising, recycling, quitting smoking, going to bed earlier, etc.

People who make a specific plan for when and where they will perform a new habit are more likely to follow through. Often we are too vague with our goals and intentions. “I want to exercise more” or “I want to eat healthier”, but we never say where or when these habits will happen OR even what we intend to do. 

This process creates CLARITY in the actions you intend to implement.

Here is an example:

I will [BEHAVIOUR] at [TIME] in [LOCATION]

I wanted to start reading more and be on my phone less to start the day so mine was.

I will READ MY BOOK at 530am in the LOUNGEROOM, after I shower every morning.

Want to get to the gym more? 

I will GO TO THE GYM at 5pm at CROSSFIT GEO.

Want to meditate?

I will MEDITATE at 8pm in my BEDROOM

For your nutrition, writing a plan of what you intend to eat can be how you implement this strategy. 

Want to add more PROTEIN to your diet?

I will add PROTEIN POWDER to my oats and berries for BREAKFAST at 8am.

I will eat CHICKEN with rice and veggies for LUNCH at 12pm.

I will eat YOGURT and fruit for my SNACK at 4pm

I will eat FISH with salad for my DINNER at 8pm. 

If you don’t plan out your actions, you rely on willpower or motivation. If you plan out when and where you will practice your desired behaviours, your goal is real.

This week we will be focusing on the MAKE A PLAN step for habit building. 

Think about the habit you want to focus on this week and make a plan for it. Make it obvious. Schedule it in and stick to it.

Things are easy when life runs to a plan or schedule. We can plan our day, plan our meals, plan our training, even plan our sleep.

But how often in this life we live do plans get turned on their head and chaos happens. 

When chaos happens, our intentions and rhythm are thrown out of order. Chaos creates a barrier, and with barriers come excuses. 

So how can we stay on track or at least do our best when we experience chaos?

 Forming if-then plans can improve your rate of achieving your goal. 

An if-then plan is essentially a Plan B.

This strategy can prevent you from straying off course, by giving you a plan of action on how to stay on track if you do sway slightly from the plan.

“If-then” planning acts as a safeguard in case you need to use the “break glass procedure.” It requires a realistic view of the future, by assessing potential critical situations. By thinking ahead and devising a Plan B you are prepared to react right away, minimizing the possible damage.

The “If-Then” technique forces you to create a strategy for when chaos strikes. It gives you a plan of attack before a barrier arises so you are prepared and can then stick to your schedule.

All you need to do is complete this phrase:
“If [something unexpected], then [your response].”

If I don’t wake up in time to go to the gym before work, then I’ll go after work.

If I eat a large indulgence meal tonight, then I’ll scale back my carbs and fats tomorrow.

If I forget my lunch at home, then I’ll get a bbq chicken and salad from the shops.

If I have a drink during the week, then I’ll have one less on the weekend.

Planning for chaos and using the “If-Then” technique can help find ways to stay on track even when life is pulling you off course. 

The “if–then” strategy gives you a clear plan for overcoming the unexpected stuff. You can't control when little emergencies happen to you, but you don't have to be a victim of them either.

Make it Easy

There is no set time frame for building habits. It is about getting in successful repetitions. How many times you practice that behaviour.
 

A way to ensure we get the successful repetition is is to: MAKE IT EASY

New habits require willpower and willpower is limited. Don’t bite off more than you can chew. Don’t make it harder than it needs to be. 

When Chinese weight-lifters first start learning their skill, they spend 12 months on a PVC pipe and 6 months on an empty barbell. Arguably the best in the world, spend 18 months practising a new skill the easiest possible way to ensure the movement patterns become engrained; a habit. That is how they get in the successful reps. If they added weight too early, their form may have faltered and the number of successful reps would be reduced.

Here are a few ways we can Make it Easy when it comes to Nutrition and Lifestyle Habits.

Create an environment where making the right choice is easy.
We want to remove the barriers of practising the desired behaviour whilst also making it more difficult to practice old behaviours. 

Make it easy to make Protein and Plants your first choice by having them visible and easy to consume. Have a variety of protein sources available in your fridge, freezer and pantry. Keep fresh and frozen fruits and veggies in an easily accessible area whilst reducing the ease at which you can choose more indulgent processed calorie-dense items.

Cook and prepare meals within your skill level. When Josh first started his nutrition journey, he began with Kangaroo burger patties, frozen veggies, tins of tuna and microwave rice. He built the habits of making healthier choices that were aligned with his goals and then built upon that skill of cooking. 

Look for ‘No Prep’ or ‘Easy Prep’ options that don’t require much time or effort so it is easy to get started. 

-Fruit and yoghurt

-Salad and tinned fish

-BBQ chicken and salad packets

A new habit shouldn’t feel like a challenge at the start. It should feel easy. 

Break it down. What is the simplest thing you can do today to help practice your new habits? 

Starting easy and small can also help you build self-confidence.

If you’re having trouble or finding it too difficult, ask yourself: 

Do you have enough time to do the behaviour?

Are you physically capable of doing the behaviour?

Does the behaviour require a lot of creative or mental energy?

Does the behaviour fit into your current routine, or does it require you to make adjustments?

For example, many people struggle with eating healthy. Not because they don’t have enough time or money. It’s because it doesn’t fit into their current routine or they are trying to change too many meals at once.

If they can find a way to break it down, to make it easier, they would feel more capable.

Other ways we can make it easy.

• Increase your skills. Learn more about the habit you’re building while you’re motivation is high. Learn from a coach, from someone you trust or research the skill.

• Get tools and resources. Buy tools that make preparing your meals easier. A sharp knife, chopping board, food processor, blender, non-stick pans, Tupperware, the FNC Recipe book. 

• Make the behaviour tiny. Focus on the lead domino - one small move toward the desired behaviour that creates momentum. 

• Shrink the Change. Take the behaviour you want and shrinking it. Protein at every meal becomes protein at breakfast. 2L of water a day become 1 glass to start the day. Go from 15 beers a week to 12.

Remember, when it comes to habit formation, simplicity trumps big leaps.

Consistently practising a simple behaviour is more effective than inconsistently practising a difficult one.

More easy nutrition tips:

- Find easy ways to add protein and plants to your meals including no prep or quick-prep options: tinned and frozen fish, pre-cooked meats, jerky, protein yoghurts, fruit, frozen berries, frozen vegetables.

- Try a slow cooker to prepare proteins in larger quantities. 

- We also want it to be easy to make a health aligned decision by having an environment that is full of cues and reminders about the choices you want to make.
- Cook within your skill level
- Keep protein and plants in your food environment. Make them the first things you see when you open the fridge/cupboard.

- Pre chop vegetables when you have time and store them in containers in the fridge.

- Pre-packaged salads can be easy options and good on the run.

- Frozen/Microwave vegetables are convenient and just as good as fresh.

- Pre-prepared meals are convenient, or you could make a couple of extra meals to keep in the freezer for busy times.

This week the focus is to MAKE IT EASY with your chosen habit.

Effort Barriers

Following the theme of MAKE IT EASY, we have the strategy of EFFORT BARRIERS.

Effort barriers can prevent us from practising a behaviour or make it more difficult to do something. It adds extra steps or effort.

Effort barriers can work for or against us.

We can REMOVE effort barriers to make habits EASIER.

We can ADD effort barriers to make habits more DIFFICULT

We can implement an effort barrier to prevent us from repeating an undesired behaviour.

Examples:

Leaving our phone in another room to avoid temptation to use it during work, study or even sleep.

Keeping tempting, red light, indulgent foods out of our environment.

Removing certain apps from our phone.

Having fewer pre prepared/packaged foods in the house.

We can remove effort barriers from desired behaviours that are aligned with our goals to make them easier to practice.

Examples:

Getting gym clothes ready the night before.

Placing a book beside the bed.

Having protein and plant meals prepared.

Having fresh fruit easy to consume.

Keeping a large water bottle filled in the fridge each night to drink in the morning.

We want to reduce the friction between desired behaviours so they are EASIER to practice.

We want to increase the number of steps needed to practice an undesired behaviour to make it more DIFFICULT to practice.

Example:

Easier: Protein and Plants are already prepped, easy to consume.

Difficult: You want an indulgence, you’ll have to leave the house to get it.

Ultimately, make desired behaviours easier and make undesired behaviours more difficult.

What barriers can you implement to make a behaviour more difficult?

2 Minute Rule

Another way to make it easy. The 2 Minute Rule!

When starting a new habit, scale it down to a 2 minute version. My scenario is going to be preparing veggies.

The idea is to make building new habits as easy as possible to start.

Anyone can do anything for 2 minutes. Meditate, read, stretch, run, even cut veggies.

This is a powerful strategy because once you've started, it is easy to continue doing it. A new habit shouldn't feel like a challenge. The first 2 minutes should feel easy and something you are 10/10 confident in doing.

Essentially this is a gateway habit that leads to a more productive path.

You may think it is strange to get motivated, excited and pumped up to do something for 2 minutes, but the point isn't to do the thing.

The point is to master that habit of showing up.

As you master the art of showing up, the first two minutes are basically the ritual of a larger routine. The more you ritualise the beginning of a process, the more likely it becomes that you can slip into the state of deep focus that is required to do great things.

By doing the same warm-up before every workout, an athlete makes it easier to get into a state of peak performance.

By getting everything reading to chop your veggies, you are creating a routine that can enforce your desire to keep going.

Basically saying, "well I've started now, I may as well keep going"

JUST GET STARTED and get into the habit of SHOWING UP.

Once you've shown up, you'll want to stay in the zone.