Simple Nutrition Insights
Welcome to Simple Nutrition Insights, your practical guide to understanding nutrition in less than 30 minutes. Join us as we break down the science of healthy eating into digestible insights and actionable tips. Whether you're a busy parent or just short on time, our goal is to provide you with straightforward advice to enhance your well-being. Tune in for expert interviews, evidence-based advice, and quick, easy-to-implement strategies for nourishing your body and living your best life.
Simple Nutrition Insights
Unlock Body Recomposition: Achieve Your Ideal Physique Without Sacrificing Lifestyle
Ever wondered if you could achieve your ideal body without sacrificing your lifestyle or feeling like you're constantly dieting? Discover the empowering world of body recomposition with me, Leonila Campos, your trusted dietitian guide, as we unravel the secrets to losing fat and building muscle simultaneously. This episode of Simple Nutrition Insights tackles the myths around weightlifting, particularly the fear of becoming too bulky, especially for women. You'll learn why the scale shouldn't dictate your progress and how alternative methods like body scans and clothing fit can provide a clearer view of your transformation journey.
Protein takes center stage in our discussion as we explore its vital role in muscle preservation and energy sustainability. Learn how to integrate strength and resistance training seamlessly into your daily routine, even when on the go. Say goodbye to excuses and hello to achievable fitness goals with practical tips on hitting your protein targets and balancing your meals. Together, we'll debunk common misconceptions about nutrition and shed light on why eating more might just be your ticket to a healthier, stronger you.
As we wrap up, we'll shift focus to the importance of consistency, hydration, and the right blend of cardio and strength training for optimal results. Discover how sleep and recovery are crucial components of muscle development and why non-scale victories are worth celebrating. The episode culminates with an introduction to the groundbreaking Styku scanner, a tool available in my practice to revolutionize how we measure progress. With plans to make 2025 your strongest year yet, don't miss out on these valuable insights and resources that could redefine your approach to health and fitness.
Total Daily Energy Expenditure Formula
Body Recomposition Guide
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Hey, hey, everybody, welcome back to Simple Nutrition Insights. I am your host, leonida Campos, registered Dietitian, and today we're diving into one of the most asked about topics in nutrition and fitness, that is, body recomposition. So if you ever wonder how to lose body fat while building muscle mass at the same time, this episode is for you. We're breaking down the science behind it and how to use nutrition to achieve your goals. This isn't about quick fixes. It's about sustainable strategies that work for your body and lifestyle. So it's so important to remember that right. Sometimes I get clients that say you know, I want to lose weight and as we talk about more specific longevity goals and just long-term sustainable goals, it really comes down to understanding body recomposition, understanding body fat loss and muscle building. Now and I think I mentioned this in the past specifically for my female clients, right, I often get asked like would I get bulky, right, if I start lifting weights? Or I don't want to look manly, or my partner doesn't want me to lift weights because he doesn't want me to look manly. Now I want to break this down right. Biologically and physically, we're not really built to look manly when we start lifting weights, unless if that is our purpose, where we maybe need to increase our testosterone or whatever the case may be. Or we really have to hit the gym for hours, multiple times during the day, because our purpose is to build a high amount of muscle mass, not to mention that it requires massive amounts of calories and nutrition, because muscle mass is expensive, right, and so we have to be fueling often. So, no, lifting weights just for the purpose of health and body recomposition is not going to make you look manly, right? Otherwise, I'll probably look like that by now, because I lift weights five to six times a week, right, and I've been doing that for a long time. You know I am building lean mass, right, but it's not to a point where I can see that happening. So don't be afraid of lifting weights, and I'll go into more detail as to why in just a moment. But I wanted to really bust that myth per se. So let's get started here.
Speaker 1:My friends, what is exactly body recomposition? Body recomposition is a process of reducing body fat while building muscle mass or increasing muscle mass. Unlike traditional weight loss, the focus isn't on the number, on the scale, but on improving body composition, and I oftentimes, really, as we are working on this process. I encourage all my clients to not just look at the number on the scale, because that number is going to change from day to day, from morning to afternoon to evening, to evening to nighttime.
Speaker 1:So looking at the scale can be unmotivating right, can be triggering. So it is a data point that we can take a look right, but it shouldn't be a sole tool that we use to measure our progress. Otherwise we're always going to be disappointed and it's also not an accurate way to measure your progress. If we want to really truly see what our body is looking right, how our body is changing from a body recomposition standpoint, then we have to use either a body scan, a DEXA scan, right, or something that is going to show our muscle mass, our body fat, our bone mass right, because that is going to be essentially more accurate versus just looking at the number on the scale. So keep that in mind.
Speaker 1:Some other ways that we can measure that too right is body measurements right, or calipers. Using calipers, if you have someone that knows how to do them, that you can use that to you. Sometimes even you can see it yourself right, how your body, how your clothes is fitting, so you might not be seeing that on the scale, right, but you're seeing how your clothes is fitting, how in certain areas is looking different, and that is just an indication that body recomposition is happening. Right, you're losing body fat, but simultaneously you are gaining muscle mass, and that is okay. Oftentimes we have to kind of like steer away from that thought of, okay, if I am working on losing body fat, right, that this number on the scale should change all the time, and that is not the case. I think really understanding that is going to help with not being disappointed. Right, and again, the number on the scale shouldn't be the only way to measure your progress.
Speaker 1:So let's dig deep more into the science behind this body recomposition, right. So let's take into consideration fat loss, right, like that fat loss phase. So to lose fat, right, body fat loss phase. So to lose fat, right, body fat we need to create, essentially a calorie deficit, so burning more energy than what we consume. For the most part, right, this can be achieved through a combination of nutrition and exercise. Now, in order for that to happen, we have to be aware, right, we have to either somehow know how many calories we're consuming, right, and how many calories are needing we are needing, right, to create that calorie deficit.
Speaker 1:If we are already and we have been for a long time in a calorie deficit for however many, whatever many reasons, meaning that maybe we are consuming less of what our basal metabolic rate is, meaning the calories that we need for survival, right, the calories that we need to digest our food, right to breathe, to stay alive. If that is the case, right, then we have to first work on giving our metabolism a break, right? Otherwise, I, reducing your calories even more is not going to help, because you're already eating below your basal metabolic rate and that has lowered your metabolism, which, by lowering your calories even more, is not going to help. Right, because now your body is like, okay, you're not giving me enough energy here to do the functions that I need to keep you alive, right? So it is so important to know this number firsthand, right? Okay, I know some people hate calorie tracking, right, or knowing how much they eat. Essentially, that is one of the accurate ways to really know where we're at and what we can do from there, right? So, first thing, that's what we have to do and then, right, we can decide okay, we either need to increase our calories to get us to the basal metabolic rate, stay there for a period of time and then play with the numbers, right, to achieve some of that fat loss.
Speaker 1:When it comes to muscle building, right, to build muscle, our body needs enough protein, right, and a proper stimulus from strength training. So it's not only about, oh, let's just eat whatever amount of calories, right. The same thing, specifically, we need to focus on protein, right? Um, and again, the awareness has to come into place. How much protein are we really consuming, right? Right, sometimes we think that we might be eating enough protein and maybe we are not, or maybe we are consuming a higher amount. So awareness is where we need to work on and then, based on that, we can make changes right Now.
Speaker 1:Not only eating protein is going to magically create muscle mass, right. No, protein is essentially a building block, right. And so that building block is going to be used by your muscles when you are doing strength training, right, and you are breaking down and rebuilding those muscles. But you have to stimulate them. So, if that is not happening, don't expect just eating protein and like well, I ate my protein, hopefully I build muscle. No, it might help you, right, to maintain your muscle mass, as you're losing body fat. But to create muscle mass, right, we have to stimulate those muscles. We have to add strength training.
Speaker 1:Now I've talked about the huge benefits of adding strength training right, not only from the standpoint of building muscle but specifically for longevity purposes. There's a lot of research out there that shows that adding strength training, resistance training, some kind of training that creates that resistance that builds muscle mass, helps with just longevity in general, right, adding life, adding years to your life. But it also helps with strengthening our bones. As we get older, we lose bone density, right, and we are more prone to getting an injury as we get older. But also as women, right going into menopause, we are also going to be losing more bone density and muscle mass, which is essentially going to affect our metabolism, which is going to be losing more bone density and muscle mass, which is essentially going to affect our metabolism, which is going to affect our ability to either maintain our weight or lose weight.
Speaker 1:Yes, strength plays a huge role in so many areas of our lives beyond just building muscle. So I want you to really understand that, because I sometimes do get clients that say I hate going to the gym or I hate lifting weights Oftentimes might be because we don't know how to do it or we don't have the resources to do it. Getting a certified personal trainer might be a really good idea, because that person can show you proper ways to do exercises or, if you're injured, speaking to an exercise physiologist or a physical therapist, right To show you healthy and safe ways to move your body and still be able to add strength training. Now you don't have to go to the gym if you don't want to. You can absolutely do some kind of strength training at home. My goodness, you can use your body right. You start and just, even if you just't want to, you can absolutely do some kind of strength training at home. My goodness, you can use your body right. You start and just. Even if you just do like body squats, or if you do curls with just your hands nothing right and slowly increase the weight by adding food cans or canned food, right, or water bottles, or if you're like, okay, maybe I'll try resistance bands right, you can do those resistance bands and do some training.
Speaker 1:It really is like there shouldn't be an excuse as not to add this type of strength training and resistance training. Right, because literally we can do it anywhere. You're traveling all the time, okay, you go to your hotel, you can carry your resistance bands, you can get a nice workout done in like 15, 20 minutes. Bam, you did it. So I think it really comes down to figuring out what the challenges are, what the obstacles are, maybe even what are the excuses that you're having right as to why you're not doing that. So, so really think about that, because, as we get into, as we are finishing the year, as we go into the new year, one of your goals should be adding strength training Because, again, it's not only going to help you with muscle building, with improving your metabolism, because even after you're done exercising, your body is going to continue to burn calories as you are building more muscle mass, hence why it increases your metabolism, right? So you want to add some kind of strength training.
Speaker 1:If you are needing more support, more guidance, let me know, right? I have a list of personal trainers, certified personal trainers, that I can provide you, and they also work online, they work virtually. My sister, maria, is also a certified personal trainer and that you know she would be more than happy to talk to you and figure out a plan. I know a few physical therapists. So there are resources out there for you. You just have to want to do it and you have to make that decision. Invest in your health, right? Invest in your longevity right, adding lives, adding years to your life. So it went off track here for a moment, but I'm passionate about that.
Speaker 1:So, as we think about, okay, how can I increase that protein? Right, and this comes to, even though we're emphasizing protein here, I want you to also understand that it's not all about protein. It's about making these meals balanced, with the focus on protein, of course, if you don't know what a balanced meal is right, I've done several episodes on macronutrients, balanced meals, my three-to-one method as to how to make these balanced meals. Check out those episodes to get those resources that you need to know what that means. But when we think about prioritizing protein, right, protein, again, it's a, it's a building block, right. It helps preserve muscle mass during fat loss and supports muscle growth.
Speaker 1:So, as you are losing weight, right, and this is a concern when there is, when there is rapid weight loss, meaning that we're losing over two pounds a week of weight Because there is going to be body fat loss, but most likely there's also going to be muscle mass loss, even more so if we're not adding enough protein and we're not doing strength training. And that's a problem, because we don't want to lose our muscle mass, especially if we haven't been able to build our muscle mass. We don't want to lose what we have already. Right, because that is going to decrease your metabolism, which at one point you are going to plateau. Right, because your body gets to a point where it either is going to decide if it's going to keep you alive or continue to lose weight. And weight loss, you know, to some extent, is also seen as a danger in a way.
Speaker 1:Right when it gets to that point of like okay, we're not eating enough here. Right, we're using our muscle mass to fuel our body and we have to make that decision. So our metabolism slows down because it's a survival mechanism. So think about that as well. Now you might ask yourself okay, well, how much protein should I have? It really depends, again, on your goals. It depends on your age, your height, your weight, it depends on your activity level. But for what most research shows right, is that aiming for about 30 grams of protein a meal, that aiming for about 30 grams of protein.
Speaker 1:A meal right has a positive effect, especially in maintaining our muscle mass and helping with that body recomposition. It's still on the lower side and we do have to also keep in mind that if you're only eating one or two meals, you're not getting enough protein. You're not getting enough calories most likely Maybe you do right, depending on how your meals are composed right but oftentimes we're not going enough calories. Most likely Maybe you do right, depending on how your meals are composed right, but oftentimes we're not going to get enough protein, because protein creates satiety, right. We're going to feel full longer and we're going to stay full for a longer period of time. So if we're only eating two meals, most likely we're not getting enough protein. So we have to remember those things and decide what we want to do right when it comes to including our protein.
Speaker 1:Now, sometimes I get this question as well, you know, when we are looking into body recomposition, and that is because we are increasing our protein intake. Right, oftentimes we have to increase the number of meals that we get just so that way we get more of that sustainable energy throughout the day. And I do get clients that say how am I going to lose weight, if you're asking me to eat more, right, so you have to trust the process, it works and you just have to believe in it. I know because of, maybe, previous diets where it's all about eating less, you know, cutting out calories and not thinking about where the calories are coming from, then we are afraid, right, that we are going to gain weight. So in this case, we would be afraid of increasing our body fat, right, if our goal is to do a body recomposition, then the idea is to decrease our body fat, increase our muscle mass. So, yeah, there might be some weight changes there, but it's most likely related to the increase in muscle mass, which is what we want, as I have discussed previously.
Speaker 1:So the other you know some examples, I guess, to help with increasing protein, right, again, it becomes to knowing where your calories, where your protein, is coming from and based on that, you can increase slowly, right? So, for example, if you skip breakfast, okay, when do you start to get hungry? Right? Maybe you start to get hungry around 10 in the morning. Then add something high in protein at that time A protein shake, greek yogurt, right, with some fruit, some ground flaxseed for that fiber. Or maybe two hard-boiled eggs with some fruit or two hard-boiled eggs and an ounce of nuts or seeds, so you can add these high-protein meals, these high-protein snacks. You just have to be strategic about it, right, and you have to know again, where are the challenges and where are the obstacles to be able to make those changes and have that plan for you.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about calorie balance, right, because it also matters. While it is important to be in a slight calorie deficit for fat loss, we want to avoid extreme dieting. Too large of a deficit can actually hinder muscle growth, again, because muscle is expensive, right? And so if we're not fueling ourselves properly, if we're not eating enough calories, enough protein, then we don't have those building blocks right to sustain that muscle mass, to even grow our muscles, because it does require a little bit more calories. Not going into an extreme dieting, okay.
Speaker 1:So for some people, eating at maintenance calories right, this is where you're. Maybe you're counting your basal metabolic rate plus your activity level, right, while focusing on high protein and adding strength training can work wonders, right? Could be, maybe that we need to increase a little bit more. Or if we've been eating over our maintenance, right, then maybe coming down to our maintenance. So, and then the way to know that right is you want to take into account your base of metabolic weight, which is this is something that is not hidden information.
Speaker 1:You can find these on Google. Make sure to add the um, the formula right, the website on my show notes, so you can go and look at that. Look at that. I want you to take it with a grain of salt, right, because it's not 100% accurate. You would have to do something that is called indirect calorimetry to really know what your calories are, right, what your base of metabolic rate is and how many calories you need, right. So these are just estimations, right? This is not 100%. Again, you will have to do an indirect calorimetry test to be able to know that information. But this, again, this is just our estimations to give you an idea, right, and to give you a starting point.
Speaker 1:So make sure to add that calculation in the show notes, where you can find your base metabolic rate, which is essentially why you need, why your body needs to survive, to do its daily activities, and then you add your activity level, right? Let's say, if you exercise twice a week or three times a week, right, you can add that factor and then that's going to give you your calories that you need to maintain your weight, right? Then what you need to do is track your calories. Don't change anything, right, because you need to know where you're at before you start making changes. So track your calories for about a week, monday through Sunday, because sometimes the weekends are different.
Speaker 1:So calculate or track your calories Monday through Sunday, either using an application my fitness spell chronometer, a loggy, you know, whatever it is, whatever application you want to use, or pen and paper, right? If you know exactly how to do that, you can also do that. Once you have that information right, what you want to do is add it up you know those seven days and divide it by the seven days. That's going to give you your average right, and based on that, you can compare it to what your maintenance calories are and decide okay, I am eating, I'm on maintenance, so maybe I can decrease it by 100, 200 calories a day. See how my body responds. Or I'm hardly eating to my maintenance, right? Okay, maybe I'll increase my calories to my maintenance to give my body a break, maybe because I've been restricting for so long. So that's how you can find that out in terms of calories, right? I know it can be a bit confusing. So if you're actually needing help with that, figuring that out, just let me know, shoot me a text 559-512-404,. Or send me an email and we can work together on that. I can do it for you. So just let me know and I can help you with that.
Speaker 1:So let's talk about just the balance of the macronutrients that. So let's talk about just the balance of the macronutrients, right? First of all, macronutrients is just a word for proteins, carbohydrates and fats. That's pretty much what it means. You know, if you hear the word macros, that's what it means Carbohydrates, proteins and fats. So when we think about our macros, right, our nutrition should include carbohydrates for energy and our fats, right, for hormone health. So all the macronutrients hence the name macro, which is a big molecule we need, right, and they need to be balanced out. When we eliminate one of those, essentially we're eliminating a whole group and we can be deficient, but that could also not be so healthy.
Speaker 1:So, again, thinking about, you know your carbs provide fuel for your workouts, right? You know, if it's a fruit, if it's a piece of toast, if it's a sweet potato, they provide fuel for your workouts, right? So oftentimes, you know, I have lots of clients that work out fasted. If that works out for them, great. Sometimes because they're afraid of eating a lot of the times because, whatever reason, and they're usually struggling with their workouts because they don't have enough fuel to to power their workout, right? So sometimes even just adding half of a half a banana is going to give them that fuel that they need to power their workouts. Now, you're gonna need, you're gonna use that fuel right away. Right, it's not going to have time to be stored, you're going to use it right away to power your workout. So don't be afraid of adding some carbohydrates when you're needing them for your workouts. So think about that Now.
Speaker 1:If you want to do some healthy fats after your workouts, right, or with your meals like avocado, nuts or seeds, that also helps with satiety. So, again, as I mentioned, right, just don't think about that. Oh, I just need protein, right, and forget about everything. Forget about the other two macronutrients. No, you have to have that balance. Yeah, we're focusing a lot on protein, right, because we want to make sure that you get enough protein to help with that muscle building and preservation of your muscle mass, but also for satiety reasons, and adding the other components for overall health right and for powering your workouts, for satiety and for maintaining your blood sugars. So we need all of them.
Speaker 1:Let's not forget hydration right. Our bodies and our muscles need that water right for recovering and performance. So if we're dehydrated, we cannot perform at our best. Right? Specifically, if you're doing cardio and you're doing cardio dehydrated, that can also lead to cramps, right? So you need to make sure that you're hydrating yourself before, during and after your workouts and throughout the day. The amount of hydration that you need it really depends, again, on what you're doing, your age, your body composition, but you do need at least 64 ounces of water a day, right? If you're highly active, you probably need more. Again, maybe you can do the pee test, your urine test, right, and see what the color is. If it's mostly yellow, dark yellow, that's an indication that you need more water. So, yeah, think about those things. If you are exercising for longer than 60 minutes or if you're exercising in a humid environment, you'll probably need to add an electrolyte supplement to keep you hydrated and to keep those electrolytes in balance. Make sure that you talk to your regular dietitian about that or your healthcare provider before you add one to make sure that they're taking into consideration any health issues that you might have.
Speaker 1:Okay, let's pivot here a moment into exercise right, the role of exercise in body composition or body recomposition. We talked a little bit about strength training, but strength training is a non-negotiable for body weight composition. So we have to focus on compound movements right, like squats, deadlifts and bench presses, to maximize our muscle engagement. But again, if you've never done strength training right, or if you've never done anything with, like, weight training, I highly recommend working with a certified personal trainer because you can do all the research. You can spend hours and hours on YouTube and trying to figure out how to do it, but if you've never done it, you know your form is not going to be the best and you want to make sure that you prevent injuries because you're doing it wrong, right. So invest on that right. Invest on working with a personal trainer, learning how to do these movements, and have a goal in mind. If you just want to work with a personal trainer to learn how to safely do these movements, talk to that personal trainer and say, hey, you know what? These are my goals. I want to be able to learn how to do these movements in a safe way, right, bam, and that is it. You have to. You have to have a goal right, and you have to be able to communicate that goal too. So strength training right, it's one of them.
Speaker 1:You can also add some some cardio, any type of cardio that you enjoy. I have a client that said you know, I hate running, and when you don't like doing something, right, it's really going to be difficult to want to do it. You're going to find a million excuses for not doing it Because it's something that you just don't want to do, as opposed to maybe finding something that you can tolerate, right, and say, okay, I might not like doing that, but I can tolerate doing it once or twice a week, right, and that's okay. So a cardio can help and can be useful in creating a calorie deficit, but it shouldn't be the main focus, right? Overdoing it can interfere with muscle gain, muscle growth, right? So if your goal is to do body recomposition, losing body fat, increasing muscle mass, you have to understand that adding tons of cardio is not going to help with that, right, because essentially they're like almost two opposite things. You can add it right, for cardiovascular purposes that you can do jogging right or walking at a faster pace or even running, but for a shorter period of time, maybe 10, 15 minutes, and the rest of the time you want to use it for your strength training, so you don't want to overdo it.
Speaker 1:Recovery we have to remember that the magic happens when your body recovers. So you can have these tough and, you know, really intentional training, but if your recovery is not good, then you're not allowing your body to have that muscle growth right. Muscles do grow during rest, so not during workouts. Again, remember I said that even after finishing your strength training session that your body's going to continue to work and your metabolism is going to continue to work because your body has to recover right. It has to allow that muscle building to happen and that happens at nighttime or when you sleep right. So if you don't have the best sleep, the best quality of sleep, then essentially that could also affect your muscle growth.
Speaker 1:And I did an episode last week right on sleep and some ways to help you get better quality sleep. So take, you know, take a listen to that episode, but you want to aim for about seven to nine hours of sleep and you have to make sure that it's good quality of sleep. Now, if you don't have a way to measure it in terms of like a clock or like a monitor, then that's okay, but you're going to know when you wake up. If you always are struggling to wake up, if you struggle to stay awake, or you're always finding yourself tired, even if you're getting like nine hours of sleep, then your deep sleep is not there. Right, you don't have good quality of sleep. So look into the reasons why. If it's more clinical, then have your doctor do a sleep test or work with a sleep specialist to figure out why that is happening. It could be different reasons, it could be hormonal imbalancing, it could be more like stress-related, right? Different reasons. So we have to figure out why that is, because that's where, essentially, the magic happens.
Speaker 1:All right, how are we going to measure progress? As I talked about the scale, right, we have to almost retrain ourselves to not only look at the scale as a way of measuring progress or as a way to see it while we're doing this working, because in body recomposition that is not going to be applicable, right, you're going to find yourself almost double thinking things, or hesitating, or thinking that this is really working Because, again, as you are maybe losing body fat and you're increasing your muscle mass, that scale might not change at all, but your body composition is changing, right, you are increasing your muscle mass, you are losing body fat, so that could balance out, right, so that you have to look at other non-scale victories Again. That could be doing a body composition test. That could be taking pictures, right, if you feel comfortable with, like, just snapping pictures every four to six weeks, right, just to see that progress, taking body measurements, using, again, a body composition scanner. Now I'm going to pause here for a moment because I have to tell you something really cool If you're in town, if you're in Fresno or surrounding areas, I just got a StiQ scanner and this scanner provides different data points and provides body composition information, right, so if you're interested, right, and again, if you're in town, let me know. Right, we can do a body scan, right, and we can talk about your numbers. So just let me know.
Speaker 1:I'm super excited to bring this new tool into my practice because it's something that I talk to my clients all the time. We need to do a body composition just to make sure that, just to see those changes. I do lots of meal plans, and my meal plans usually are based on targeted goals If it's increasing muscle mass or doing body recomposition, and so I oftentimes have to send my clients to do a body composition somewhere in town to be able to see that progression. But now I have that in my office, in my practice. So, again, I'm super excited to have that tool that I can use to measure non-scale victories.
Speaker 1:So some other ways to measure progress and I think this is amazing and I've had some female clients that get so excited about these and this is their ability to lift heavier right, or perform better, and that's a non-scale victory. Right, that's a qualitative measure and it measures your progress. It measures how strong you're getting right, because if you're able to lift heavier, you're getting stronger, you're building muscle right. Or if you are able to do more reps, right, you're increasing your performance and your endurance, and you cannot measure those on the scale, right? Those are, again, qualitative ways of measuring your progress and that is amazing, right, because who doesn't want to get stronger?
Speaker 1:I often think about getting stronger for long-term purposes, right, for when I get old and I want to be able to transform myself from one place to the next place, right, or I want to be able to continue to be independent and if I fall I don't break a bone. Right, because I have been able to essentially pun intended, right, I've been able to. I've been putting up the reps. Right, I've been lifting and strengthening my body. So now, as I get older, I think about those things even more. Right, I want to be able to keep my body strong, right and healthy, Because I want to be able to grow old and strong and healthy. So that's one of the ways that we can do it. Okay, we have to also be realistic, right, we have to set realistic expectations and understand that body recomposition takes time, unlike rapid weight loss programs. Right, this is a gradual process that yields long-term results. So, yeah, we might.
Speaker 1:If one of our goals and we almost have to really think about this, right, is this really my goal? Do I really want to just lose weight or do I want to lose body fat and increase or maintain my muscle mass? Because, if that is the case, that takes time, because you're doing two different things the two things that are going to help you long-term. And what maintaining or increasing muscle mass also helps is that it helps to maintain that body fat loss for a longer period of time versus just losing weight in general really fast, that it might be difficult to maintain, right, depending on, like, what restrictions we did, if we can maintain them for a long time. So, really thinking about that, right, like making that differentiation and deciding, okay, do I want to just do weight loss or do I want to do body recomposition, right when I am losing body fat and increasing my muscle mass, which, honestly, I think that should be the way to do it.
Speaker 1:So the other thing, too, is that we have to stay consistent and I talked about consistency time, time after time, right, because everything that we do, if we do it consistently right, it creates habits, and that's what we want to do. We want to be able to stay consistent to create healthy habits, habits that we can do forever and that we can feel comfortable. And it's like second nature, right, that, no matter what, no matter what happens, we come back to that habit, to that healthy habit. So, even if you're extremely busy and life happens that you prioritize your movement, whatever it is, you might not be able to exercise for 30 minutes, but you can exercise for 10 minutes and that is the consistency that you want to build that, no matter what right, you have built this really strong habit that you even make things happen or you move things around to make that happen. It is literally you're non-negotiable. That's where you want to get. Okay.
Speaker 1:So practical tips to start today. We talked about so many things, but how can we start today? Right, you can start by adding strength training at least three times a week, right. If you're like, how about, if can I just start with one time a week, that's fine, right, start somewhere, but the goal is to do at least three times a week, right? Most health organizations recommend strength training right, at least three times a week.
Speaker 1:The other thing that you can do now is increasing your protein. Right, by including a protein source at every single one of your meals. If you have some kind of medical condition, right. Again, speaking to your registered dietitian to make sure that the types of protein sources that you're adding align with those goals. Right. If you have high cholesterol, right, what to choose. Or if you have kidney problems, right, like what to focus on. Those are extremely important things to remember.
Speaker 1:Track your progress every few weeks Again, either with photos or body composition scans or body measurements. Non-scale victories right, non-scale ways to measure your progress, because you want to know where you're at. Right, if you've been consistent, you want to know where you're at in case you need to make changes or adjust things, so you have to have a way to track that Now. If you're unsure as to where to start again in terms of exercise, consider working with a certified personal trainer to make sure that that person guides you and shows you how to do things safely and properly, and working with a registered dietitian right, to make sure that your nutrition is where it needs to be, to make sure that things are changed. Right, if you need to change them them, because you are going to have to change things.
Speaker 1:You cannot just have one plan either exercise or nutrition for months and months and months on end, because then you are going to get to a plateau and then what's going to happen is you're going to be frustrated and you're going to stop doing everything that you were doing, because you're going to be like, well, this is not working anymore. What's the point? But it's not working, perhaps because you've been on that for a long time, right? So we have to change things a bit, and that's including exercise and nutrition, right? So you cannot be on those two things for months and months and months and years because you are going to plateau. So keep that in mind.
Speaker 1:Okay, my friend, we talked about just some recap key takeaways here. Body recomposition is about fat loss and muscle gain, not just weight loss. We have to focus on nutrition, strength training and recovery. If you're ready to start your body recomposition journey, I'd love to help so, whether through personalized meal plans, coaching or just doing a body scan to get you started right, let's work together to create a sustainable plan. I truly care about your goals, right, and I make sure that you get your highly customized and highly individualized plan. It takes me time, but I love what I do.
Speaker 1:And so, again, you can probably research all kinds of things, but you have to have to invest in yourself, right. You have to invest in your health. This should be a no-brainer right where, like hey, and I've had clients that say you know, we invest on useless things, things that we probably are not going to use forever, or things that you know don't bring value to my health investing in your health is going to bring value to your health and possibly add years to your life. So change the mindset.
Speaker 1:All right, don't forget to subscribe to the podcast for more nutrition tips, and if you found this episode helpful, share it with a friend who might benefit. Let's make 2025 your strongest year. Yet I have one more episode that I'll be airing before the end of the year, so stay tuned. I have a quick handout in the show notes, right in the base of metabolic rate and the calculation that I said I was going to link. So look into the show notes. Thank you for tuning in to Simple Nutrition Insights. Until next time, take care and stay fit and fueled. Bye-bye for now.