Tipping Point: Have you got your carbs, fats and calories balanced?
The truth is, there is no such thing as the perfect diet, only the perfect diet FOR YOU. But what is true is that carbs, fats and calories are not your enemy, you just need to find your own ‘tipping point’. Tipping point? Keep reading and all will be revealed!
A diet that gets you sustainable results, whilst simultaneously keeping your hunger in check, your energy high and your cravings at bay, is the perfect diet.
There’s the Paleo diet, the Ketogenic diet, low fat diets, low carb diets…the list goes on. But essentially they are all aiming to achieve the same thing. They are all ways to achieve a calorie deficit. To lose fat, the body must be in a calorie deficit, there’s no doubt about that, but the way in which this is sustainably achieved is different for everyone.
The Goldilocks effect
A diet is only sustainable once you’ve got your metabolism balanced. Push it too hard by eating too little and it will push back against you even harder, making you hungry, with incessant cravings and making your fat loss efforts a real up-hill struggle.
To find your ‘tipping point’, what must be achieved is similar to Goldilocks and her bowl of porridge. You must eat just enough carbs, but not too much, and just enough fat, but not too much, and just enough calories, but not too much.
So how on earth do you to this? You use trial and error mindset and become a detective rather than a dieter.
You want to eat just enough fat, carbs and calories so that your hunger, energy and cravings are all in balance AND you’re losing fat at the same time. This will be different for everyone, which is why nutrition can never be a one-size-fits-all approach.
Where to start?
A good starting place is to base your meals on lean protein (like white fish or poultry) and low carb vegetables (lots of green stuff), then add small amounts of fat (like olive oil) and carbohydrates (like brown rice), adjusting the portions up and down, and assessing the whole time.
Hunger, energy and cravings in check but no fat loss? = Reduce carbs or fat a little.
Got cravings? = Increase your carbs a little.
Feeling hungry? = Add a little more fat (increase protein too)
Low on energy? = Add a little more fat or carbs, see what helps you more.
Hunger, energy and cravings in check AND losing weight? = You’ve found your tipping point!
This is how we teach our clients to approach nutrition at Empowered Fitness. They tell us it feels like a relief not to be given in rigid calorie controlled meal plan and be able to eat in a way, which works for them and their lifestyle. It’s called structured flexibility.
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