Intuitive Eating for Ideal Body Composition
Our cultural messaging to women is that “leaner is always better” and that is emphatically not the case. Studies of ancestral groups suggest that women eating an ideal diet have body fat levels of roughly 20-25%. That is neither overweight nor the “ripped” images we so often see on the cover of fitness magazines. We all want to feel good in our skin, have great energy and show up for life feeling like our most confident selves. I believe that there is an intuitive way to eat that will get you to your goals when they are aligned with your health.
1. Eat adequate protein: Women often under consume protein. Protein helps to preserve lean body mass (muscle) and promotes satiety. Aim for 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per lbs. of ideal body weight. I recommend tracking for a while to understand what hitting your protein goal really looks like. Also you should try to spread your intake out throughout the day. Even if you are intermittent fasting, try keeping your window wide enough that you can consume protein two or 3 times per day.
2. Stay hydrated: Dehydration leads to fatigue, excess hunger, and cravings. Furthermore hydration helps all your hormonal systems run more efficiently which leads to natural weight regulation.
3. Stick to whole foods carbohydrates. Colorful fruits and vegetables bring so many benefits! Namely, fiber to promote gut health and bacterial diversity, phytonutrients to provide protection against inflammatory degenerative conditions, as well as diversity of flavor and food volume which can help with feeling your satiety cues. There’s no doubt that different people have different carb tolerances but for the average person I like to aim at or under your ideal body weight. For instance, if you are at a healthy weight at 130 lbs. eating 80-130 grams of carbohydrates would allow the flexibility to get nutrient dense carbohydrates into your diet without hitting a range that could lead to blood sugar control problems.
4. Consuming MODERATE amounts of health fats. Fats found in fish, butter, olive oil, nuts, and coconut provide important fatty acids that fuel your energy, keep you insulin sensitivity high as well as create the building blocks for all the hormones that keep you at a healthy weight naturally.
5. Add resistance training to your routine! Weight lifting, kettlebells, Pilates, CrossFit…the list goes on. You don’t just want to lose weight. You want to lose BODY FAT. There’s a difference. Severe calorie restriction accompanied by endless cardio is a recipe for losing muscle and suppressing your metabolism. Instead, you want to fuel you body and focus on building up your muscle stores.
So those are 5 of my favorite tips to help you naturally find your ideal weight and do it in a way that honors your health and vitality. You can always dial it in with additional tracking if you feel the need but I think it’s best to start with the lowest hanging fruits that will give you the most gains.