As we all know, there’s a world of information out there regarding nutrition and diets. It can be an absolute minefield of facts, partial facts and complete misinformation. It’s confusing for even us fitness professionals, let alone the average customer.

Commonly, a lot of weight-loss companies don’t seek to actually educate their customers on how to eat properly for weight loss. Why?? Because they want to keep you retuning and paying them money time after time! Along with this, some companies like to confuse you by over complicating things or coming up with completely radical ideas with no scientific backing.

So look, here’s the truth… losing weight (on paper) is actually simple. In nearly all cases, if you move more than you currently do and eat less calories than you currently do, you will lose weight.

But, it’s not what people want to hear. Most want a quick fix or magic pill to make all the excess weight just vanish. Unfortunately the reality is that no cosmetic treatment or medication will make you lose and keep off unwanted body fat. True story. On a positive note, the real way to lose weight, (although more effort) is cheaper, safer and actually works!!

So above we have the crux of it, however there are some things you can do to make this journey a lot easier.

Here are 3 tips suitable for anyone who is starting out and looking to get on top of their nutrition.

1. Keep a Food Diary.

Once you make the decision that you want to lose weight, it often helps to first keep a food diary before starting your a new plan. This doesn’t have to be permanent, it can be just for a few day or a week before. This will allow you or your coach to get a good overview of your current diet. You will be able to identify which types of foods you possible eat too much or not enough off. You will also be able to see a patterns such as times of day/ days of the week where your food is at it’s worse.

Another benefit of keeping a food diary is that you will already start to be more mindful of the food you are eating since you’re having to write it all down. It can actually be quite eye opening seeing it all on paper! Some people quite like keeping a food diary however and continue to track their nutrition this way or via an app.

2. Try Intermittent Fasting.

This is where you go for periods of time without eating. The length of time depends on which fast you choose but one of the popular ones is 16:8. This is where you will fast for 16 hours and then have an 8 hour window where you can eat normally. This sounds like a lot of hours, but bare in mind that you will be asleep for around half of these! The benefits of this kind of intermittent fasting are;

• Less hours of the day to eat, therefore you will usually eat less calories.

• Better digestive health, less bloating etc

• More mindful about your food as you will be planning your meals for each window, rather than grazing.

• Research has shown it has positive effects on brain and heart health. As well as improving the symptoms of diabetes.

This kind of fasting is more effective for those who are exercising when compared to some other types. For example 5:2 which is where you eat for 5 days and then fast for 2 day, which means your energy levels will really struggle on your fasting days.

3. Eat more Protein.

When embarking on a new weight-loss journey, more often than not people are not eating enough protein in their daily diets. Protein is essential for muscle repair and growth. For anyone wanting to lose weight and get in a good shape, we need to look at not just fat loss but also developing lean muscle on our bodies. And no, this doesn’t mean you will grow huge muscles by accident! The lean muscle just helps our physiques look firmer ad more ‘Toned”.

On average you should be aiming to eat 1.5-2g of protein per Kg of bodyweight everyday. You can work these out easily online or by using a calorie tracking app. Aiming for a protein target is a very simple and effective thing to start focussing on if you are just starting out; You will have to think more about what foods to eat and as a bonus, most foods high in protein are usually low in sugar and pretty good for you.

So there we have it, 3 easy tips for nutrition that anyone can try and cost little to nothing. There are many other things out there that can help you, just be wary of fads or questionable diets. If you are looking to get in depth support with your nutrition, it is advised to research a little and look for professionals with specific Nutrition qualifications.