I talked yesterday with one of my Friends who got amazing results. Lost six kilos of weight within the first couple weeks. Like, it's like, I think, six weeks now. So amazing results. And what she, what he has been doing is just following a simple meal plan and a little bit background. He's not doing it the first time, and he have always had a had a history of getting into a diet, following a meal plan, losing ton of weight, and then at some point, when he feels that he can't follow it, or something happens, life is getting busy and or just a mental tiredness, you He have been giving up and not being able to follow the plan, gaining all the weight back and then often it have, it have took a lot longer than he would like to start the game, because he knows what he should be doing. He knows what he should be eating, but it feels mentally so hard to get back into it and getting started, especially when life is busy. Work is very, very busy. And this came to my mind I was, I was talking with him the other day and and we talked that I like, if you like, obviously, I make a happy. I'm super happy about his results and his efforts, because that is, that is ultimately what matters. But the question always is that even you get some results, if you can't maintain your results, maybe there is something wrong with your methods. And with this episode I'm going to go into an exact plan, what you need to know to lose weight and how you can actually also maintain it, because we have all different opinions about meal plans, but that's my opinion, is that they are not for everyone. It might be beneficial for someone in the beginning, like very, very short time, and then trying to implement into a real life. Because unless you are some fitness competitor or someone who enjoys to wake every single meal, being prepared, knowing exactly what to do, so it's kind of that it's probably good way to get started with things. But I think it's still, in my opinion, what I have seen working with the clients. There are so many people who are doing it getting, like some Registered nutritionist or who is promising results like this, losing six kilos in a six weeks. And wow, you are amazed about results. But then, if you think like, what is going to happen six months from now, year from now, where those people are who are maybe taking a little bit slower approach to do things that might not give you as quick results as you would like, or you see in social media in the beginning, but then in 12 months, six months from now, they those results they have you have, you are able to maintain them and and You You never had a feeling being on diet because i i reviewed his meal plan. And obviously this is, this is what most of nutritionists, how most of nutritionists work, and this is nothing. First of all, about my background. I'm, I'm nutrition coach. I have done some I'm not a doctor. I'm not even allowed to give meal plan, what to eat and exact foods, because that is not my I don't have, especially here in Italy, we are not allowed to give meal plans, and that that's why I'm not giving them. But also, I don't think that they are the best way I'm going to thank you. Reviewing this meal plan like what I have in my coaching options, I do have meal plan examples. So if you if this is something that you think that you need meal plan. So let's talk first about benefits of having a meal plan. So benefits, it's very simple. You don't have to think, you don't have to think anything. So, you know, often those meal plans, there is not, they don't tell you how many calories you are eating. So I took a review from this my friend's meal plan, and he makes around 90 kilos. He's a male, 35 years and cylinder lifestyle. So I take his maintenance calories are 2002 2300 without exercising and meal plan he have got was 1400 calories. So it's minus 800 calories per day. So it is almost like if you do some extra activity a bit more, you are minus 1000 calories. So it's exactly those results, what he have got in the beginning, so losing one kilo per week. But the problem becomes that it's not very sustainable, like energy levels. You it might be okay in the beginning, but energy levels are going to going to drop. You are not going to have a lot of energy in your workouts. It's not going to be sustainable with this feed. And I assume they are going to raise his calories, or I hope they are doing with the nutritionist he's working with. But to me, plan is there is obviously options. Like, you know, you have 120 grams of pasta, or you can add some other source of carbs. It could be potatoes, it could be rice. It really doesn't matter. And there is indicated exact amount of grams. Like, for example, it's 120 grams of pasta, 512 grams of potatoes. So it gives you exact with insane calories, exact same amount of carbs and and that is, that is up to you, how you are going to do it, and there is also going to be source of protein. So it could be it could be chicken, it could be Turkey, it could be ham, it could be fish. It doesn't matter. And there is indicated exact amount what you you could have. There is indicated some vegetables, 200 grams of vegetables. There is indicated source of oil, so you have 15 grams of olive oil. And this repeated the same principles for dinner, for lunch, for breakfast, so you have also flexible and but this is where the problem comes that with these kind of meat plants, like, obviously, everything is counted for you, but, but the problem becomes that, what are you going to do when you you are not cooking all your meals, or you don't have foods, what you should be giving So how you are going to respond? Are you going to say that? Okay, today I missed one meal, so today I couldn't follow my plan. That is where, where you go off track. And also, same thing happens often during the weekends, if you want to have some drinks, you want to have some sweets and and this is, this is often what puts people off their track and then getting back. It feels always mentally so hard and challenging because, because it's not that you have a plan, there's even variations. But if you are not able to follow them, or you want something else, you don't want to eat solely, some clean foods. Even amounts you can eat are pretty high. So this is the disadvantage with these meal plans, that they don't teach you anything you are not learning anything. A bit more flexible. It takes little bit more time, probably, or you have to think about what your what foods you are actually enjoying to eat. But I trust I trust me. It's long term results and it removes that kind of guilt and shame when you can follow the plan, and it gives you different options. So in my opinion, meal plans are not the best way to do any few your goal is to improve your health, your nutrition for life. And so why? Why these plans are working. So, like I said, even they don't often, like, especially, especially in this plan, they didn't indicate how many calories you are eating, how much protein you are eating, but I was counting those calories, checking and and I liked it. Research. How big your deficit is for weight loss. The only way it's not about foods, what you are eating. The only thing what matters is energy balance, that you create negative energy balance. So this is being in a calorie deficit. So you can always estimate how much calories you are burning. So this is not and this has nothing to do with the calories you burn during exercise. So those calories, they are maybe 5% of your total calories. So if you think that you need to go to run, you burn 500 calories or whatever. That's not the amount of what. Obviously it helps to create that calorie speaker, but it's so small amount of calories, so very, your very your calories, how many calories your body needs is first of all, It's your tender, it's your activity, your weight. I'm not going to into a details, but then just just the principle, it doesn't matter. All weight loss plans or diets works because they create calorie deficit. And how you are going to create it. It's totally up to you. You can count calories. You don't. You can decide to not count calories, or you can follow a meal plan. You don't have to follow a meal plan until you are in a calorie deficit, you are losing weight. And if you are not creating negative energy balance, you are not going to lose weight. And what happens like now, what I see a lot of in social media is about flu, so car, there is a lot of for your hormones, cortisol, things like that. Both are also stress, sleep. They are all affecting, but they are affecting like, for example, cortisol, they are that you might burn less calories than you should, and when you fix them, your body burns a little bit more calories. But in the end, it's the always that calorie deficit, what is the indicator of if you are losing weight or not, and if you are not, if, even if you think you are in a calorie deficit or you should be regarding all calculators. Calorie calculators are only estimates of how many calories you are burning. So so they they are never it's they are as accurate as much information you give to them, but they don't ask you questions like, What is your dieting history? So if you have done many your diets in the past, obviously your metabolism is going to be probably slower. It's going to be you are going to need less calories more often. You repeat the same cycle over and over again, less calories you need and harder it becomes every single time you are going to a new diet and and it's same thing with the hormones. So it might impact like your stress hormones, it might impact on that calories out balance. So it means that you are your body needs less calories. And if you are eating same amount, even it might be very low amount, it just means that you are not simply not in a calorie deficit. And that's why you are not losing weight. So there is no way going out of this. And obviously, all fixing, all these things are impacting into weight loss, how much you are going to lose and and the first thing, first thing, like, what I what I teach for my clients, is to become prepared what you are currently doing. So a few options of doing it. What I recommend for all my clients in the beginning is to take at least three, four days of normal eating, including at least one day in a weekend of write down. First step is to write down. You don't need to count calories, you don't need to put them into a food tracking app or or anything, but just simply writing it down what you are eating, so that creates awareness, and when you add them, maybe at some point, like, for example, I have my food tracking app, I'm able to see everything my clients are doing so foods they have been eating, how many calories they are eating, how much protein they are eating, how many carbs, how much fats, and so on. So that is awareness, like for me as a coach, more information I have better I can help, because often, if somebody is coming, I'm eating relatively healthy and telling me foods, but if you don't know your portion sizes, how much you are eating, even those foods, they sound relatively healthy, but if you don't know amounts, how much you are eating, it's really hard to tell if you are actually in a deficit or not. And you at first, like, without trying to change, like too many things, when you add those foods what you are, when you see what you are feeling of portion sizes, you learn about your current nutrition. You become more aware. And then it becomes almost automatically, because my job as a coach is not to tell you what to eat, what not to eat, but it it gives you to gives you that those decisions, what you make, they are coming kind of from you. I'm kind of guiding the way to tell you that, that I'm helping you to see yourself, what you are actually doing at the moment, and how to become what are the goals? How many calories, how much protein? Those are, by the way, the only Macron trends I'm checking. I'm not interested about carbs or fats, though, because for titles, they are and obviously, if you are a performer, like athlete or something, then amount of carbs matters and and obviously for general health, fats are very, very important. But the main principles, if you are like of course, you could be tracking everything, but for me, for most and for most people, it's getting too complicated, trying to get everything right. So less things you are focusing better results you will get. So if you focus on number one total calories and then aiming to hit your protein goal, which should be, by the way, if you, if you wait 100 kilos, it's 1.5 times your whole body weight in kilograms. So if your whole body weight is 100 kilos, it would be 150 grams of protein. And it could be higher. It could be up to 222.2 times your call that result usually, what are like per goal, per body weight, what you make at the moment, it's 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilo pad weight. But there are so many different kind of things, and I think they are highly overestimated nowadays, that even if, even if you eat a bit less, you will be still okay and seeing amazing results. And why then that protein is most important is that it makes you feel fuller. So when you start to focus on adding things. So adding things like protein, fiber, fiber and protein. Why they are so important. So they are the most satiating Macron twins. So when you eat them more, you will have less cravings, especially sweet cravings. And those are usually feelings that I'm not going to tell you to my clients, that what most likely you are going to feel, but that is the point. What often comes when we talk like that, what kind of feelings they have and already, within a short period, I have sweet cravings, or I'm not snacking as much as I used to be, and focusing on having maybe, for some people, it's having a bigger meals and not trying to kind of skip the meals, because that is leading that you are kind of it feels like you are eating very little throughout the day, but and always, you feel always hungry, but when you start to focus on adding things like protein and fiber, you are those cravings are suddenly going away. And this is something where I personally, I I didn't, I wasn't aware. I had no idea. I knew, of course, like what was like healthy, what was not that healthy. But I had no idea about my calories, about my protein. And now I can tell that my body, if I'm just listening it. And now, as I'm more aware what I'm eating, I feel right away if I start to have cravings, first question what I asked for myself, or look back and think, did I eat enough protein? Did I have some fiber? And more often than not, I'm able to recognize that, wow. Okay, I actually I didn't have any any protein in my lungs, or I'm lacking of fiber. So the reason is there why I'm having those cravings and I then solution is often just simply adding more protein. And of course, there are days that we just have those cravings and which is totally fine, but it's just becoming aware, and those patterns, why they are leading to these kind of feelings. And that is that awareness is the biggest key of for everything so, so this is, that's why that taking time to track your food and it's, it's, it's, it's, it might feel harder, a little bit more time to think about it, but if you really think this is kind of education you do for like, everything in life, if you go to university, you have to study. You are studying years, and then maybe at later in life, you are, you know, you have got these skills, and now then you can use them in your work or in your life. So you have learned, you have got that education, but in your own nutrition. Most of us, we don't take time to actually study, and then we feel frustrated when you don't know things. And it's, it's, it's kind of same thing. If you are having a job where you need expertise in some area, and what you are going to do to gain that expertise, of course, you take time, you learn it, and then you are implementing it. And of course, there's all the time you are learning something new. So that's the same thing with nutrition. So you take time to learn about foods, what you are currently, and then those skills, what you are learning, they will benefit you the rest of your life. So so then this is, this is, this was the the kind of principles why meal plans are working, how to actually do it without so if, then, if you are, if you want to create your own meal plan, how you are going, going to create it? So what is the most important thing is probably for me and for most people, I would say that 90% of people who are starting working with me, they don't get, not even close enough protein. So protein is crucial, like I mentioned earlier. It's for satiety, maintaining muscle like because that is the most valuable tissue you have, because you might think that if you eat less, you're losing weight, but if you're if you're not paying attention for your problem, there it takes, like as you create energy, Negative energy balance your body is going to take that energy, missing energy from some tissue. So obviously you think that if I'm eating less calories, then I should, I'm losing automatic effect. But that is, unfortunately not true, because your body doesn't care. Your body is if I say stupid, it doesn't, it doesn't your part for your body. It doesn't matter if it's from that tissue is from muscle, or if it's from fat. And actually muscle is easier source of dating. That missing energy, what you have if you don't give enough energy, then that your body is remaining. That function that you know you can walk. You have energy. You are sleeping. You are that your body keeps you alive, all organs and so on. And if that energy is coming from your muscles, and you are losing your muscle mass, actually, that is that is going to because that, again, you are losing muscle, you become weaker, and your maintenance calories cause muscle needs more energy to maintaining. So when more muscle mass, if you think that some kind of like you don't probably want to become body builder. But let's say that. Let's take an example body builder who have a who's very lean, don't have a lot of excessive body fat, they need a lot of calories, just even if they don't do any workouts or anything, because that muscle needs so much more energy than that, and if you start to lose that muscle mass, then your body needs less energy. So that's the most common reason. What I see when, especially like older people, because that is a process. You start to lose muscle mass at the age of 35 Anyways, if you don't fight against it. So some woman who never done exercise or maze also, but I menopause and things like that happen. Hormone changes, but if you think that form also for males, if you don't fight against it, you are losing muscle mass. Your body needs your maintenance calories, they are lower than usually. You are aging, so you are losing muscle mass. And then what it means? It means that even if you are doing the same things than before, you are still you are gaining weight. You are eating same weight, and you have always been. But then it becomes year. It's often, it's like couple kilos per year, and then five years, 10 years, it becomes 1015, kilos, so it's not a lot, but in over years, if you don't do these tips, it becomes a problem. And then you start to see that well, now at this age, you know you are getting in your 40s, 50s, 60s, uh, 60s. Suddenly see that? Well, I have gained a lot of unwanted extra weight. So Protein helps you to maintain your muscle mass, and that is the step number one, how to start planning your meals. So how to get started, like if you first you have to determine your protein goals, or how much protein you should be eating. And if you don't know how many calories you're speeding, how much protein you're speeding. I have a calorie calculator with the with the protein calculator, and I put it into the show notes, so if you use it, I will send you email with exact calories your body needs, how much you need to eat to lose weight, and about your protein goals. Plus you will get the bonus for my best tips, practical tips, what I have used for my one on one clients in and with all those tips, it's kind of kick start for your journey. So feel free to use it. It's totally for free, and only what I'm asking is your email address to exchange, because I'm sending emails couple times per week just for tips and something and that my goal is very simple. I'm not want, I don't need that you buy my services, but if at some point, selfishly, at some point, I'm selling and some people, maybe you are interested for my services. And if not, you can unsubscribe at any time you want, if you don't want to get any more emails. So there is you have nothing to lose. So feel free to use it. So then next tip or your meal plan is having vegetables and fruits, and those are the best sources of fiber. So why it's important? So fruits, in general, two, three fruits per day, it's giving you already good amount of fiber. So how much fiber you should be eating? There are different kind of studies, but usually it's that 26 grams per 1000 calories you are consuming. So so for example, if your calorie coal is 1500 it would be around 40 grams of protein or somewhere there. And it obviously, it depends on how many calories you are needing, but, and it don't have to be that, you know, you have to hit those numbers, but if you follow these principles, having two three fruits per day and having one big salad per day, so vegetables and and having that, those are the most important things to make sure that you have enough fiber, and plus, what is the other benefit? It's high volume, low calorie food, so it keeps you fuller. You have the feeling of satiety, and it's it's lot easier to focus on adding things as these are leading to same result that you are going to eat something else less. Instead of that, I have to take something away. I have to eat less carbs. I have to eat less this or that. If you focus on adding things like protein and fiber, you will automatically eat something else less, because you are going to feel so full that those you don't have those cravings, you will snack lot less. And that is, that is, you get same results, but just the difference is that it's mentally so much easier focusing on adding things than dealing things away. Then number three, what to stay fuller is your hydration. So water is so important and that ideally, you drink at least two liters per day. It could be more, like, more. There is not such a thing. Like, I don't think that many people depending like, of course, if it's hot time of the year where you are living. How is temperatures outside, but too much water? Is that you don't have to be worried. It's often simple habit. What just takes a practice to drink more and how tips how to get more water into your diet is just to having your water bottle visible all the time, making sure like one of my favorite tricks is to when I start my day I have a half liter bottle. Or if it's at the moment, I have my bottle is 0.7 liters. So if my goal is to have four of those, so which would be almost three liters water per day. I would have four rubber bands in my bottle. And every time my bottle is empty, I remove one rubber band, and that is, that is, then I'm kind of aware how much I'm drinking, how much I need to be drinking. And then, you know, there are so many different tricks you can set reminders to your phone. But for me, what works, and for most of my clients, is just to having always visible so you don't forget it kind of rules how I do it, like things, what I'm already doing, if I'm eating first thing in the morning, big glass of water before my every single meal, big glass of water. So those kind of small things are making sure for habits, what I'm already doing, adding it there. And then I know that when I do this, I get pretty close already, without thinking all the time, or if I forget to drink water at some point. Then I know that with these habits I have, I get that bare minimum anyways. So those, those are kind of first things, how to get started. Then, if you talk about like, what are most common hurdles, like problems, what you might be facing. So of course, cravings are by far the most common thing, and see they in a weekend or one day per week where they allow to eat whatever they want. And this is, in my opinion, it's not the best strategy, because, of course, for some people, it works better that you know you are not eating anything. And I used to be that person, too, but I challenge you to try if you think that this is the best what works for you, but I challenge you to instead having kind of your seat budget or treat budget, I don't call it cheating or cheating eating foods you enjoy eating is not for me. I don't like to call it cheating. Cheating is if you cheat your spouse or or you do something illegal, and if you become once you eat something like more enjoyable. I don't call that cheating. It's kind of treat day, or enjoying life, or whatever you like to call it, but it's not sitting and what I what I strategies I have used for my some of my clients. Of course, these are these are just examples how to make it. And if you think that this is nothing for me, feel free to skip it. There are so many different options. How you get, how you can get into the same result without feeling depressed, without relying on your willpower. So this calorie budget or or seed or treat budget, what I'm talking is combined with kind of 8020 rule, and I'm sure maybe you have heard about 8020 rule. So it means that 80% of your foods are coming from nutritious Whole Foods, and 820 should be foods you are actually enjoying to eat. So it could be whatever you enjoy eating, if you enjoy eating chocolate, if you enjoy eating some candies. Let, let it be that, but it means that, let's say that a simple like your gallery goal is 2000 calories, 20,000 of that would be 400 calories. So that is 400 calories per day would be your cheat or treat budget per day. And it means that with that 400 calories, you are able to eat whatever you want, because there are one of my clients used to do this. We worked recently together, and she was having exactly this problem that she had a cheap day on every Saturday, and then she was kind of overdoing it because how she was thinking that that you now I have to finish everything, because tomorrow I'm not allowed to eat anymore those foods. And of course, that lead very quickly to situation that you are actually eating a lot more than you like in one day, even if it's only one day, but more than your kind of the treat budget, like which would be, if you think that 2000 calories, if it would be 400 per day, that would give you 2800 per day, per week. But in her case, she was going overboard, like a lot in a one day. And of course, that lead, that was leading to kind of guilt and shame, feeling not well after over reading. So how we changed it is that we took some number and of course, this is not that we created kind of the weekly budget. And like in this case, if your calorie goal would be 200 or 2000 it would be 400 per day. It would be 2800 per week, let's say. And within this numbers, you can move them around, but I encourage her to eat that but it is something. But at the same time, she was aware what she was eating, how many calories it was, and in this way, she said that those kind of cravings that she wanted to have, they were gone, because it was not that you were doing something, what you were not allowed, or it was not cheating. It was just simply enjoying life and enjoying foods she loved. And some days she didn't feel at all to have some trip. So then she was saying that, Okay, tomorrow, I want to have more. So then she skipped one day, didn't have anything. And then had those that stayed within that weekly budget and that and during one week, and that was kind of solution, what worked for her, and that reduced her cravings and feeling guilty and overeating. So. So this is, this is kind of the best way, in my opinion, what you can do for for your trainings. And then other thing is social events. So if you are going out, like there are so many tips, I see a couple here now for social events somewhere, if you go, if you especially if you live in USA or or somewhere where you know that portions are very big, one of the best tips is to already ask like and especially if you are struggling to leave food behind. So if you are someone like me, that my mom, by the way, I love my mom, but still funny, at the age of 42 still struggling to leave food behind, because I was teach that I can't leave I can't waste food, and I still feel very, very guilty if I leave something behind. But this way, if you go out and you know the portion sizes are good, you don't want to leave anything behind as already before they serve meal to your plate, to put half of the meal into a takeaway box so you can take it with you and it's not on your plate, so you don't need to finish it, or you don't need to think about it that I have to eat more. You eat more and take something. What is, what is? What? If you can't eat, I will take it with me, but do it before, before actually eating out. Take it already, so it's not in your plate. And that removes that kind of guilt and saying. And of course, it works also opposite. But I I've found this strategy very, very effective as as often, if it's on your plate, and then you eat anyways, like more than you would like. And, of course, then, and in the worst case, if you I think that if it's if I get you less, if I'm still hungry, you can still eat more. There is always that option. Is always there other things. Is to looking little bit what is available, thinking like I talked in the beginning, thinking about proteins. Is there some protein available? Are you do you want to have a side bread? Do you leave it away? All these kind of things when you make the decision what you want to do. And often, it's not that you can't eat out. It's just about making a little bit better, not perfect decisions, but a little bit better if you have two options. Other one is what you prefer to have, and other one has good source of protein, lean, good source of protein, some side vegetables. Source that over something else. If you don't mind, if you want to have your burger or pizza or whatever, go for it. But if you have two three options, think about proteins. What is there in and if you don't mind having that other option, go for that. And then also in social events, the best things, what I love to do is, is to make decisions going out, and now that's when you do make a decisions. For example, alcoholic beverages is how many you are going to have, or grows like having a glass of water after or before every alcoholic beverage, it helps you so much that actually, okay, you might go to toilet more often, but at least you Have a less time to drink that alcohol. And of course, like alcohol, how alcohol is affecting it's actually dehydrating your body, even it's kind of liquid, what you are putting into your body, but it's dehydrating your body. And when you drink water with alcohol, it makes day after lot easier. It keeps you hydrated, because alcohol is removing that water from your body, and that's those are just the simple strategies, how to make it these are, these are just the quick tweak tips, couple ideas for going out, eating out, and then, then, that's it. So this, these are our kind of for the best principles, starting your meal plan, and a lot more, if you are aware of your what you are currently doing, then starting to add things at things like protein, fiber, water, and then having these kind of little bit strategies, what to eat using 8020, approach. And other thing, what I've been mentioned is about meal timing. So meal timing, it basically doesn't matter. In the end, if you if you decide to eat for fat loss, it doesn't matter if you eat everything in one big meal, or you skip your breakfast. The only goal with all these kind of time restrictions is that it's simple way to reduce your total amount of calories. So if you skip your breakfast, it might help you a bit eating less later on. But if that is something, and for some people, it's simple way to reduce their calories, but if you, if it makes you that you are thinking food, you are starving, and you end up going into a lunch with the so hungry that you can't you could eat a whole cow so it it probably not. Is not worth of it. I need for fat loss. It really doesn't matter. So meal timing, it's totally up to your personal preferences and how you feel the best. And that is like some people enjoy eating like, for example, me, I'm I'm a person who enjoys eating a lot earlier in the day, in the morning, breakfast, before lunch, lunch, those are my biggest meals. And then later on the day, it's usually a bit less. Of course, it's not every day like this, but, but in my normal days, and this is, this is what, what is the best, best way to think about so this was episode about meal planning. I hope it helped. And if it, if this was helpful, I would really appreciate five star review, as those are so, so helpful and helping me to reach out more people so and obviously, no need to mention if you're interested for coaching, feel free to reach out. I will put that link for my website. You find coaching options there, and but goal is not to sell you some coaching. It's to help you, and that while you are listening, you are already doing it so thank you so much for listening, and talk to you soon.