Unless you have a medical reason to restrict fluids, such as heart failure or severe kidney disease, you should aim for drinking about 64oz per day. Drink more if you are active. This is literally the only thing I want you to count on a daily basis. 

Your fluid intake should be mostly water, sparkling unsweetened water, unsweetened coffee and unsweetened tea. This is the first step to improve your body’s functions and help regulate your hunger signals.

Drinking sweetened beverages, such as sweet tea, soda, diet soda, and juices, is the fastest way to gain weight or get in the way of weight loss. It is concentrated sugar that you can take down fast. Address this first and foremost. 

We are starting with protein because I want you to prioritize it.

Prioritizing a high protein diet will ensure you maintain your bone and muscle strength as you lose weight and it will keep you full longer in between meals to help prevent snacking and overeating.

Protein is made up of amino acids which are the building blocks for your body, including bone and muscle. 

With the goal of decreasing excess weight the recommended intake is 1.2-1.6g/kg of protein per day. This will be calculated for you based on your body composition here in the office.

Thoughtfully prioritize protein when you are eating. Then periodically roughly estimate how much protein you are getting.  

Healthy plant-based proteins include beans, lentils, nuts, seeds, quinoa, and whole grains such as oatmeal. Beans have about 40g of protein per cup, peanuts have about 10g per ¼ cup, pumpkin seeds have about 8g per ¼ cup, quinoa has 8g per cup.

Healthy animal sources of protein include fish, eggs, dairy, chicken, turkey, and unprocessed red meat. Salmon, beef and pork have over 40g of protein per 6oz, chicken and turkey have about 40g of protein as well in 1 cup, cheese has about 30g of protein per cup, regular yogurt has about 8g per cup and greek yogurt can have about 20g protein per cup.

Harmful proteins include ultra-processed red meats such as bacon, sausage, hot dogs, ham and pastrami. This is due to the way that they are processed with excessive amounts of salts, nitrates and nitrites. Processed nitrites and nitrates are known to increase cancer risk, especially colon cancer. If you do consume them in moderation, purchase the ones that are uncured.

Dietary fat is not the same as fat stored on your body.

The medical terms for dietary fat are ‘lipids’ or ‘fatty acids’ and fat on your body is ‘adipose tissue.’

Making this distinction is important because the diet industry really got things wrong with pushing low-fat diets to lose adipose tissue on the body.

Dietary fats are used as an energy source and for many metabolic processes such as the immune response, cell membrane structure, brain tissue, insulation, making steroid hormones, and vitamin D.

Healthy fats include seeds, nuts, and cold-water fish, such as salmon and tuna. This is amazing because these foods are also high in protein. Again, too easy.

Minimally processed oils, such as olive oil and canola oil, are a good source of fat. Buy them as first-cold pressed so they are not processed with high heats or chemicals.

Saturated fats have long been controversial, however new evidence shows us that they do not cause heart disease or stroke like we once thought.

Carbohydrates are non-essential macronutrients.

This means that you do not have to eat carbohydrates because your body can make them in the liver and other places through a process called gluconeogenesis (this means making new glucose). 

Together we will create your individualized plan starting with your yearly goals, breaking them down into quarterly goals.