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7 Top Nutrition and Wellness Book Recommendations
As nutrition coaches, we are often asked - by both clients and non-clients - if we have any nutrition book recommendations. In this post we’re sharing the most impactful nutrition books we rely on. You’ll find that they’re far less about diets and more about other aspects of our health, nutrition, and behaviors. They teach us how to build and maintain long-term habits and how to eat food we enjoy so that our nutrition is sustainable.
Balancing Nutrition Goals with an Active Social Life
Over the past week we have had some great questions come in about how to approach social situations when you have nutrition goals, so today we’re answering the big question: CAN I HAVE NUTRITION GOALS AND A SOCIAL LIFE?
Why We Stress Eat: Strategies to Stop Emotional Eating
I believe it can be really helpful to understand what our body’s physiological response to stress looks like and how it relates to food (including digging into why stress eating can feel so good). From there, we can get into a few practical exercises to help manage our physiological response to stress to help interrupt the physical urge to stress eat.
Nutrition Q&A: Reverse Diets, Macro Tracking, and Are Carbs Bad?
I had an overwhelming response to my call for your nutrition questions, so here are some of those great questions answered in part 2 of this Q&A series. Nutrition can be confusing and overwhelming, and I hope some of these responses help clear up some questions you’ve been wondering about as well!
Nutrition Q&A: Can You Spot Reduce Fat and More
I had an overwhelming response to my call for your nutrition questions, so here are some of those great questions answered in part 1 of this Q&A series. Nutrition can be confusing and overwhelming, and I hope some of these responses help clear up some questions you’ve been wondering about as well!
Developing a Winter Action Plan for Health and Fitness
Saying goodbye to the longer, sunnier days can cause many of us a bit of seasonal gloom. So what do we do? I take this as an annual opportunity to really dig into my best self care practices. We can’t change the seasons, but we can lean into the things that we know will help us feel our best during these months when we’ll be missing out on a bit of sunlight each day. Enter: The Winter Action Plan.
The Importance of Maintenance Phases in Fat Loss Progress
When considering fat loss, the number one thing we talk about is energy balance. In order to lose fat, it’s necessary to eat a calorie deficit (eating less calories than you expend). However, our bodies aren’t made to exist in a calorie deficit forever.
Top 5 Macro-Friendly Sweet Treats: Healthful Dessert Recipes
If you’re anything like me, you have a pretty strong sweet tooth and dinner doesn’t feel complete without capping it off with a nice little sweet treat. Here are a few of our favorite go-to macro-friendly treats and desserts. Some can be thrown together in a few minutes at home, others are ready to eat right away; some are great for an evening dessert, and others make great sweet midday snacks. Enjoy!
Navigating Fast Food: Making Macro-Friendly Choices When Eating Out
We’re sharing a few of our favorites options that can help you still hit your macros while eating out - whether you’re on the road traveling or just need a quick bite while navigating your busy day.
Evaluating the Role of the Scale in Your Fat Loss Journey
This fixation with the scale is a pattern we see with clients often. It’s natural, but it’s also preventable. Rather than just suggesting that you don’t let the number on the scale bother you, today’s post dives a little deeper into how you can make the most of this (often inaccurate) measure of progress and other ways to determine the true changes you are experiencing on your fat loss journey.
Taking Action: The Key to Motivation in Your Nutrition Journey
If you have some goals you want to accomplish but haven’t been feeling particularly motivated lately, here are a few strategies that may help you create some motivation if it’s been lacking
Mindful Eating: The Importance of Intentional Meals
When it comes to addressing challenges we may face with feeling in control of our nutrition - overcoming a cycle of restricting and binging, being able to enjoy foods we love without overdoing it, removing guilt and the idea of “good” and “bad” foods, etc. Developing intentional eating habits is about as close as we can get to a magic solution.
Boosting Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) for Fat Loss
Most of the calories we burn in a given day aren’t during our workouts, and the majority of the differences in most people’s activity levels are unlikely to be just from that hour or so most of us are used to spending in the gym.
Maintaining Your Leanest Body Composition: Understanding Seasons of Nutrition
Most people have some time in their life when they think they performed or looked their absolute best, and then wonder why they weren’t able to hold onto that forever. But, if you take a moment to reflect on all of the pieces of the puzzle that had to come together for that brief moment, it’s unlikely that everything can stay aligned that way for long.
Navigating Your Fat Loss Journey: Tips for Sustainable Progress
We already know that a calorie deficit is the most important factor at play when it comes to pursuing fat loss goals. But, for most, staying in a consistent calorie deficit is a lot more challenging than “just eating less and moving more.”
6 Quick and Easy Post-Workout Recipes
If you’re looking to optimize performance and recovery, it is beneficial to plan your meals around your training sessions. Whether your preferred activity is weightlifting, running, or yoga, your body will perform better and recover faster if you fuel it properly.
Essential Nutrition Strategies for Effective Fat Loss
If your goals are geared towards changing your body weight, body shape, or body composition, your focus should be on fat loss and eating in a calorie deficit.
Becoming Consistent in a Calorie Deficit: Why Weekends Matter
If your focus begins on Monday and ends on Thursday, you’re really only working toward your goal 4 out of 7 days per week. Even if you only loosen up on Saturday and Sunday, you can still cause your progress to lag or even stall out, depending on what your weekend intake looks like.
8 REASONS TO CHOOSE MACROSFIRST AS YOUR MACRO TRACKING APP
Choosing the right tracking app can make or break your nutrition goals, and MacrosFirst stands out for all the right reasons. Let's jump into why MacrosFirst is superior to popular options like MyFitnessPal (MFP) and Cronometer and why it best fits your tracking needs.
SOBER CURIOUS FOR THE HOLIDAYS: HOW ALCOHOL IMPACTS OUR MACROS, BODY COMPOSITION, AND OVERALL PROGRESS
The holiday season often conjures images of festive gatherings, joyous celebrations, and, inevitably, alcohol. For many, these moments include a glass of wine, a cocktail, or a beer to toast the occasion. However, an increasing number of people are becoming "sober curious," re-evaluating their relationship with alcohol. This movement isn't about outright abstinence but about mindfulness and understanding how alcohol impacts our bodies, especially concerning health and fitness goals. Let's explore how alcohol affects our health, particularly in the realms of fat loss, sleep, and overall wellness.
EMBRACE FLEXIBILITY AND ENJOY SOME PIZZA: TIPS FOR MACRO-FRIENDLY PIZZA NIGHT
When I start working with a client, they typically believe that they can't enjoy pizza AND eat “healthy” at the same time. Their experience tells them that pizza is a “bad” food, it’s a cheat meal, and it will definitely make them gain body fat. But often, that’s a fear of food and diet culture talking. By embracing a flexible approach to eating and incorporating some macro-friendly strategies, pizza can be part of a balanced approach to nutrition. Grab a slice, and let’s dig in!
CHANGE TAKES TIME: WHY WORK WITH A NUTRITION COACH FOR 6 MONTHS?
At KLN, we require a six-month commitment from our clients, and there's a good reason for it. When you first join us, we take the time to get to know YOU – your habits, history, and what makes your daily life tick. This isn't something we can rush through-- it takes TIME! Time need to see how you live, how you interact with food, and how different factors affect your eating patterns. Getting to know you as an individual - your lifestyle, your needs, and what keeps you motivated - is crucial for providing the absolute best guidance and support from your coach.
3 WAYS TO MAKE YOUR MEALS MORE FILLING: MACRO-FRIENDLY TIPS FOR SATIETY
If you’re in a calorie deficit and working towards fat loss goals, a main goal should be minimizing any feelings of restriction or hunger so you can maximize adherence to your deficit. This is why we, as coaches, take a strong stance against aggressive and unsustainable deficits. If our hunger is through the roof each day, it’s not very likely that we’ll be able to adhere to that calorie deficit for long. Luckily, there are tools that can help us minimize hunger and, luckily, those same tools also keep us well-fueled and promote our overall health as well.
TRADER JOE’S: YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD PROTEIN PROVIDER - 30 HIGH PROTEIN FINDS
Navigating the aisles of Trader Joes to find high-protein options can be manageable, even with the vast array of calorie-dense novelties and goodies. You can easily incorporate more protein into your diet by focusing on items with lean meats, plant-based proteins, and convenient prepared foods. This guide should be handy to help you make informed choices that align with your nutrition goals. And soon enough, you might find yourself a Trader Joe's connoisseur.
WHY YOU SHOULD DITCH THE SCALE WHEN WORKING TOWARDS WEIGHT LOSS GOALS
I think we all technically know that our weight is just an arbitrary number on a device that doesn't mean that much, but it can still be difficult to let go of the anxiety and frustration that this number sometimes carries. It's easy to step on the scale and either feel proud when we see the number has decreased or hopeless when it hasn't. This is because we have this idea that the number on the scale equates to our self-worth. Rather than just suggesting that you don't let the number on the scale bother you, I want to delve deeper into how we can utilize the number on the scale as a measure of progress alongside other metrics, or how we can step away from the scale entirely -- and how to decide which option is best for us.
MACRO-FRIENDLY RESTAURANT SERIES: STARBUCKS
Let's face it, life often gets chaotic, leaving us little time to complete all of our errands, let alone cook all of our meals from scratch. Popping into Starbucks for a drink or a meal might seem like it will throw our nutrition goals “off track,” however if we understand the nutritional content of the food we're choosing, we can choose foods that help us work towards our nutrition goals. Believe it or not, Starbucks DOES have some food options that keep us fueled and feeling good, proving that even in the midst of a busy day, we can make choices that support our health.
MACRO-FRIENDLY AIRPORT TRAVEL SNACKS
Whether you’re a frequent flyer or only an occasional jet setter, staying goal-aligned with your nutrition during air travel can feel overwhelming with so many other aspects of your trip demanding your attention. Staying on top of your energy needs is a must though, so we’ve compiled a list of snacks you can grab at most major airports and ones you can source before your travel day and bring through TSA to help keep you fueled until you touch down at your final destination.
BREAKING THE CYCLE OF RESTRICTION: HOW TO CREATE A BETTER RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD AND YOUR NUTRITION
The cycle of perpetual restriction can look like throwing away the cookies your friend just brought over because you know that if you have just one, you'll spiral into eating every sweet treat in the pantry. It can look like not even keeping those “scary” foods in the house because you've labeled yourself as someone with no control. It can also look like an entire inner dialogue of categorizing “good” foods and “forbidden” foods and promising ourselves we'll only eat “clean” while also ignoring the fact we've never succeeded at this game in the past.
NUTRITION TIPS FOR YOUR NEXT CAMPING TRIP
Camping is one of my favorite ways to vacation/travel, even though it involves more meal planning than other vacations. That extra required planning also means it can be friendlier to your nutrition goals, especially if you take the time to pre-track some meals to ensure you’re hitting your protein and other targets.
SIGNS YOU NEED TO REVERSE DIET: NAVIGATING CALORIE DEFICITS, MAINTENANCE, AND MORE
As someone who reentered the dating world a few years ago, I never fully understood the concept of red flags. And then, suddenly, I understood the dialogue. It seemed like I was in a parade, and red flags were readily available and in abundance. But dating doesn't have the monopoly on red flags. Our bodies often wave a giant red flag in front of us, and we seem to be colorblind to it. But I want to draw your attention to calorie deficit red flags, how a reverse diet can address those red flags, and whether a reverse diet may be appropriate for you.