Nutrition is a fairly complex topic. There are many mechanisms that influence how your body is fueled by the food you eat, and while certain principles are overarching, the nuance for each individual can be overwhelming.
I see people reach for supplements as a way to fix their nutrition, without addressing the biggest pieces to the puzzle. Renaissance Periodization introduced me to the idea of the diet pyramid, which accurately summarizes the role of various pieces in the nutrition puzzle:
The Foundation: Calories
Calories dictate energy surplus or energy deficit. If you’re in a surplus, you’ll gain weight. If you’re in a deficit, you’ll lose weight. This is the simplest way to look at it, but there are many different factors that influence WHAT that number ends up being. The most important thing – there is no way around it.
The First Level: Macronutrients
The three macronutrients are Protein, Carbohydrates, and Fats. These are all processed by your body differently, and each has a role in your health. If you’re eating outside your calorie requirements based on your goal, the macros alone won’t get you to where you want to be. But they play a massive role in changing your body composition and overall body system health.
The Second Level: Timing
Timing your intake, and timing what macros you eat, relative to your workouts and their intensity plays an important role in your body’s ability to fuel itself during a workout and repair itself after a workout. This piece can make the difference for someone that trains to compete or perform at a certain level.
The Third Level: Composition
This refers to the source of your macronutrients. For health outcomes, this is very important, and why I encourage my coaching clients to eat a variety of food types that are minimally processed. However, for body composition goals this is only a small piece of the puzzle.
The Top: Supplements & Hydration
Drinking to thirst is adequate for most people, and having supplements can fill in the gaps for health or performance. But without the rest of the pyramid, these won’t make major changes.
The Backbone: Adherence
This is the most critical aspect that is so often overlooked. You can have the “perfect” diet plan, but without adherence, the whole thing is meaningless. You must adhere to SOMETHING in order for it to work.
My recommendation when beginning a diet plan: start with the heavy hitters – Calories and Macros – and find something that works for you at this stage of your life. As you develop consistency there, you can start to add additional layers to your diet to optimize it!
And if you’re ready to see what nutrition coaching can do for you, let’s talk.
Start here: book a No-Sweat Intro.