Build a diet you don’t want to cheat on

• “you’re in a good place”
• “you’re close enough”
• “you can relax now”
• “this is good enough”

Can you relate? Have you ever stopped 5 feet before the goal, or quit 5 minutes before the miracle? Have you ever stopped at the same ole “good enough” when you knew it wasn’t enough for what you wanted?

I realized this was rather common (thanks social media) so it wasn’t just me. I wasn’t flawed. I would get THIS close, then do something to mess it up. WHY? Fear of failure or fear of success? I never did figure out why I did that over and over, but I did learn how to stop it. Read on for some ideas that may help you, too, and a favorite recipe at the end.

That time in 2020

The last time was in 2020 when I dropped 30 pounds of leftover weight from when I got well. To get well I couldn’t focus on my weight because body composition was not the goal, but getting in enough nutrition to undo all of the damage and squelch the inflammation was the goal. I lost a lot of muscle, and put on body fat from the fact that I was sedentary during those dark unhealthy years. As awful as 30 extra pounds feels, I was fine with it. My chronic migraines were gone. Anyway, that is how I ended up with an extra 30 pounds.

That time in 2020 I did not stop even though that voice inside me kept telling me “this is good enough.” No, it wasn’t. I think digging myself out of the migraine hell was a true lesson in how to stay the course. There was zero cheating on my protocols when I was working to get well because that would mean more migraines. Excellent deterrent, right? That mindset stayed with me as I kept my focus on my body composition goals for a couple of reasons: 1) the pandemic was still going strong and it was nice to have something to focus on other than that, and 2) there was a wedding coming up and I wanted to be lean and fit for. It is always good to have a WHY, and those were mine at the time.

However, about a year later, I stopped tracking and we moved which messed up my protocols and social circles, and I started focusing on creating recipes and pretty meals as a hobby. I was still eating whole unprocessed foods, but a lot more fruit, squashes, pumpkins, sweet potatoes with the idea that it would help me with the stress of moving and it did. BUT I wasn’t tracking and my intuition on what was enough was way off. And I put back on a few pounds, not a lot but enough to wake me up. I wasn’t self sabotaging this time, but hadn’t quite put it all together yet since I didn’t have the strong cue like I did before. But I was learning.

The WHY can change

First, let’s stop to look at how my WHY switched there. I wanted to get well so I focused my eating and lifestyle to do that and never cheated on that protocol. Then I wanted to be fit and lean for the wedding so my WHY switched again as did my eating. Then with the move I modified things again with the focus on stress reduction. My weight shifted with each one. That’s about the time I discovered protein (I wanted to write “That’s about the time I discovered the MAGIC of protein” because it really was magic to me)

If this is you, if your weight seems to yo-yo depending on what is going on in your life like it was with me, then transitioning to a protein-focused diet can be a positive step toward stabilizing weight and avoiding the yo-yo effect just like it did with me.

This is what I did to stop the yo-yo:

1. Prioritize Protein at Every Meal:
   • I make sure that when I eat, each meal is focused on protein. For me this meant beef, eggs, chicken, salmon, dairy and bison. These are the proteins that work best for my biology. Protein helps with satiety, keeping me fuller for a longer time, and because I was satiated I didn’t have the need to snack. Protein crushes cravings.
2. Balance Macronutrients:
   • While focusing on protein, I did not neglect the need for healthy fats. Egg yolks are a staple in my diet and I use them as a “sauce” over my meals. The choline in egg yolks is a brain food, and it makes a big difference. For me, a well balanced diet is protein and healthy fats first and foremost, and my diet is extremely low carb. As I’ve aged, carbs have become less “friendly” and tend to cause cravings, more bloating than not, and weight gain. But dialing this in, I have a more comprehensive and sustainable approach that keeps my weight stable. Your results with carbs may be different and that’s okay. The protein part of the diet is the important part, imo. Protein is the macronutrient that does the building and repairing. Fats and carbs are the energy macronutrients. What I’ve learned is that the protein part will stay stable and you can use fats and carbs as levers to get you to your goals. That discussion is beyond the scope of this article, but I do discuss that at other times, and will be in my upcoming class.
3. Plan and Prep Meals:
   • Always have a plan. I work from home and keep my fridge and freezer stocked with proper foods. I realize that does not work for everyone who may work away from home, have children in the home and other circumstances. I do plan and prepare so I am making more intentional and nutritious choices. That means I don’t HOPE that the train station will have a nutritious snack for me. I don’t HOPE that the buffet at the party will have a protein option. Even if I’m going into town to take care of my grandson I have something in my bag because I may be delayed in getting home, or find I need a bit extra. I don’t leave this to chance.
   • Things I do are batch cooking so I have easy to go to meals when the days get away from me. This reduces the temptation to resort to something quick or grabbing a few protein snack bars at the kiosk. Tips and tricks on this at the end.
4. Listen to Your Body:
   • Pay attention to your body’s hunger and fullness cues, and LORDY, was this hard for me at first. While I was sick I didn’t get hungry, never really felt hunger, so I would eat because I was supposed to. Once those hunger signals came back, I had already learned to ignore my body and eat anyway. How I fixed this was tracking. I know. I know. Tracking is not fun, but it really helps if you know what to eat, how much to eat and how it all fits together. It really does. Also, you don’t have to do it forever. Listen to your body, but always track at least at the beginning. Then there are the emotional triggers and stress that can derail me at times. Tracking kept me in the right place during those times and I learned how to eat for me in spite of those things. Tracking made it so I could withstand those hard times and not get derailed only to yo yo again. Plus protein-rich foods can contribute to a sense of fullness, and help avoid overeating. Trust me. This works. I may write an article just on this point since it was such a huge shift for me, and mastering this was key.
5. Stop Snacking:
   • I know this is unpopular, but think about it: Do you really need to be eating (grazing) all day long? Do you really want your insulin running at a higher level a chunk of the day? Do you really need to be snacking when you know there is a protein packed meal in 2 hours? Insulin is really important for a lot of things, but it is also known as the fat storage hormone (which is a super healthy thing – but the standard American Diet has wrecked that signal for a lot of us) Hey, I have an idea – let’s trigger that insulin with some wisdom. Let’s eat in a way that doesn’t abuse it so that we remain sensitive to it. In my opinion, we should not be ringing that insulin bell all day. To help with this, if you want a snack just have it with your next meal after you’ve had your protein. Protein first, then if you are still hungry have the rest of your meal.
   • A friend of mine could not lose those last stubborn pounds. She asked me to help. One look at her diet and I saw the problem: she was having nuts as her afternoon snack. I asked why she was having a snack and she answered “because I always have a snack. It’s my break time.” I asked if she was hungry and she wasn’t, but it was her break so she ate the nuts because she thought they were a healthy protein. First, they are not a protein rich food. They are a fat-rich, high calorie food. So if body composition is your goal, if weight loss is your goal, then nuts are probably not a good addition to your diet. (See the graphic below) When I showed her how many calories she was getting from her snack, she was shocked. She wasn’t tracking so had no idea.

Remember, any dietary changes should be sustainable and aligned with your overall health goals. For me that is a meat based diet, focused on getting optimal protein, healthy fats, and a modicum of carbs. What will this look like for you? A lot depends on your biology, but focusing on protein is a good place to start. We all have that Goldilocks zone. When protein is the first component, it is easier to find that zone.

The Goldilocks Zone

How do I know how much protein to eat? Well, the general rule is to aim for 1 gram of protein per pound of ideal/healthy body weight. What that means is if you weigh 175 pounds but your healthy body weight is 125, then aim for 125 grams of protein per day divided equally-ish per meal BUT that may be too much for you and you need .8 grams per pound of ideal/healthy body weight. Most of the older women I see tend to need more like 1.2 grams per pound of ideal body weight. Only you will know how to dial that in and it can change over time as your body heals, healthy status and depending on your goals.

Remember that you need to do what it right for your body and I don’t know what that is. Nobody on the internet knows what that is for YOU, but I can tell you what I’ve learned and how it worked in my life. As always, it’s also a good idea to consult with a healthcare provider, especially if you have any underlying health conditions.

A few tips and a meal prep recipe to get you started!

These few tips shifting toward a more protein-focused diet gave me that foundation that stopped any yo-yo dieting tendencies no matter the reason.