How to bring your nutrition back to normal without stress: coach Mikhail Prygunov explains

How to understand when it’s time to change your diet

Proper nutrition is something that many strive for. But not everyone understands why it is really needed. If your health is not a concern and there are no medical indications for a diet, then it seems that there is no point in limiting yourself in food, because it brings joy and pleasure.

This is how bad eating habits penetrate our lives, which here and now seem harmless, but in the long term have a detrimental effect on the body.

A poor diet affects both the condition of the figure and skin, and well-being. Extra pounds come gradually, lethargy and drowsiness occur not only after lunch, but become chronic.

If you have at least one of these eating habits, then you have something to work on now:

• different number of meals per day;
• different meal times;
• frequent snacking;
• long breaks between meals (8–10 hours);
• eating fast food more than twice a week;
• the presence of semi-finished products in the diet – dumplings, cutlets, pancakes and the like;
• drinking tea and coffee with sugar;
• excessive love for confectionery products – cookies, waffles, cakes, buns and other sweets.

Why change your diet

Healthy food will help:

• Get rid of excess weight. By eliminating the “wrong” foods from the menu, you will reduce the amount of calories you consume, and fat will gradually begin to disappear.
• To keep healthy. According to Center for Disease Control and Prevention in the United States, proper nutrition reduces the risk of diabetes, some types of cancer, cardiovascular and skin diseases, atherosclerosis, and allergies. And WHO experts believethat proper nutrition is as important as quitting smoking and alcohol.
• Improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. Some foods can cause heartburn, bloating, and diarrhea, while others will only help improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract. For example, the UK National Health Service advises fill your diet with fiber, drink plenty of fluids and reduce your fat intake to aid digestion.
• Maintain hormonal balance. The diet directly affects hormonal levels, which, in turn, controls the functioning of organs, immunity, mood, and the reproductive system. For example, research showed that pomegranate, rich in polyphenols, as well as dark chocolate and green coffee, can reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol, thereby improving mood.
• Improve sleep quality. Heavy food at night or, conversely, severe hunger can harm a restful and sound sleep. Moreover, as recent studies have shown researcha large amount of fast carbohydrates in the diet shortens the deep sleep phase.

How to get your nutrition back on track

The plan consists of five sequential steps. Take your time and move from one stage to another only when you feel ready for it.

1. Recognize the problem

And sincerely want to bring your nutrition back to normal. It’s better to get rid of bad habits in the position of “I love myself and want to do this for my own sake,” instead of “this is how it should be.”

Also, before changing your diet, it is important to break the “food = pleasure” link. Yes, junk food brings momentary joy, but since you are reading this text, then, most likely, maintaining a healthy body for many years is more important to you.

Let food give us energy and microelements, and leave the function of replenishing joy to your favorite hobby or sport. The latter, by the way, promotes the production of serotonin and dopamine – even home workouts help with this.

2. Set a specific goal

Your future nutrition plan will depend on this.

Understand whether you want to stay at your weight or lose weight. How many kilograms? Or maybe you need to gain muscle mass or just maintain your health? A clear understanding of the goal will make it easier to integrate into the process and maintain discipline.

3. Learn the principles of proper nutrition

Healthy eating standards are individual for everyone. However, there are general principles on which individual indicators are determined, such as the number of calories needed per day and the optimal balance of proteins, fats and carbohydrates.

Choose your caloric intake

WHO recommends consume as many calories as you expend. You can determine the approximate figure experimentally. For seven days, record the calorie content of all the foods you eat, and also calculate how many calories you burned through physical activity – a smart watch will help you with this. If your weight by the end of the week has not changed even by 100 g, then you have found your calorie intake.

It can be changed depending on the purpose. If you want to lose weight, reduce this volume; if you want to gain weight, increase it. I recommend deviating from the norm by no more than 20% in order to feel good and not break down.

Consume adequate amounts of protein, fat and carbohydrates

The ratio of nutrients in your diet will also depend on your goal. Rospotrebnadzor declaresthat proteins, fats and carbohydrates should be present in a ratio of 15/30/55. To lose weight, you can change the proportions to 30/35/35.

Choose the right products

You should reduce your consumption and then completely eliminate:

• sugar;
• soda and energy drinks;
• fast food;
• semi-finished products;
• snacks;
• sausages;
• alcohol;
• bakery products.

Wherein turn on In your daily diet you need:

• fruits;
• vegetables;
• nuts;
• whole grains – brown rice, oats, wheat;
• legumes – beans, chickpeas, lentils.

4. Create an individual nutrition plan

Determine your needs: how many calories and what nutrients you need each day based on your age, gender, height, weight, activity level and goals.

You don’t have to count every calorie to eat healthy. At first, applications will help you control their volume. YAZIO, FatSecret or Lifesumand then you will begin to intuitively understand how many calories are in the serving of food in front of you.

Develop a menu that suits your needs. You should make it varied to get all the necessary nutrients. Include meat, fish, different types of side dishes, vegetables, fruits, herbs. Prepare different dishes so that proper nutrition does not turn into “boiled breast with buckwheat” on an ongoing basis.

5. Start moving forward in small steps

Set goals for the short, medium and long term. For example, in the next month you can start eating more vegetables and fruits, within six months you can reduce your intake of fatty foods, and within a year you can maintain a healthy weight.

Monitor your progress and make adjustments to your nutrition plan if necessary. For example, if you don’t get enough protein, you can add more eggs, meat, and legumes to your diet.

I always monitor changes in my shape in conjunction with changes in nutrition. Over 18 years in sports, I have carefully studied my body through trial and error. I gave up meat for eight months and realized that it was not for me. I brought the protein to 3.5–4 g per 1 kg of body weight and began to feel worse – I realized that 2 g was enough for me.

But this is for me – a man 190 cm tall and weighing 100 kg. These numbers will be different for each person; the main thing is to find the nutrient norm and stick to it on an ongoing basis.

What else is worth considering

Here are some important tips to help you get on track with your diet and not fall through the cracks in the process.

• Don’t punish yourself if you give in to the temptation to eat something harmful. Say: “It’s okay, it happens, this is rare for me.” And continue to follow your own plan.
• Reward yourself for achievements and efforts. But remember that the rewards should not be food. Instead of eating pizza, you can go for a massage or buy yourself new sneakers.
• Keep track of your individual needs and consult your doctor if you have a medical problem or need to follow a special diet.