Weight Management for Life Series | Part Three: Nutrition
By Sarah Pflugradt, PhD, RDN, CSCS
Now that you know about metabolism, bioenergetics, and how to put your body into a fat-burning state, it’s time to talk food. We all have to eat, and your diet is essential to your weight loss success. Diet is a noun, not a verb; it’s not something you do; it is the food you eat. Let’s make some changes to get you healthier and reach your goals. You certainly won’t learn everything you need to know about nutrition in the next 800 words, but weight loss is not about making big changes all at once; it’s about micro-habit changes over a long period of time. Let’s get into focus.
Pay Attention to Your Diet
If you’ve ever been told to track your calories or track your “macros,” then you either love it or hate it. It’s not for everyone. Thankfully, if you’re in the “hate it” camp, you don’t need to track your food on an app to be successful at weight loss. However, keeping track of specific nutrients at each meal or snack can help you meet your daily goals. With anything you want to be successful at, it takes practice—eating healthy and weight management is the same. It is a lifelong practice.
Foods and Nutrients to Focus On
All nutrients are important, so it’s essential you get a variety of foods in your diet each day from each of the food groups. While that may sound elementary, there’s a reason why we learn that simple concept of nutrition so early in life. Each group: proteins, grains, fruits, vegetables, and dairy has essential nutrients you need to keep your body healthy.
It would be overwhelming to break down the importance of each nutrient you need for health, so to jump-start your weight management journey, start with the following two:
Protein: It gets the top spot because the research behind protein and weight loss is undeniable. You burn more energy, stay fuller longer, and have fewer blood sugar spikes with higher protein foods.
It’s up to you to figure out your magic protein number…and sorry, you have to convert your weight in pounds to kilograms. Weight loss is hard, but you can do this.
Step 1: Divide your weight in pounds by 2.2. That’s your weight in kilograms.
Step 2: Multiply your weight in kilograms by a factor of 1.2 to 1.6. Let that be your range, and do your best to stay within it each day. If you’re actively recovering from a good weight training session, get the higher amount that day.
Big Picture Focus: Work to get at least 20-40 grams of protein at each meal and at least 10 grams of protein with each snack.
You can get protein from both plant and animal foods. Animal foods, like salmon, chicken, eggs or beef, will give you more protein per calorie, but plant foods, such as beans, quinoa, or edamame, will also give you protein, plus fiber.
Speaking of fiber…
Fiber: Fiber should be considered as important as protein; it is equally essential on the weight-loss journey. For context, read this previous Performance Hub article about fiber. If you were to track your fiber, you’re probably not getting enough. Fiber is a carbohydrate, but it isn’t absorbed as energy. It benefits our digestive system and the health of our microbiome, which in turn benefits the entire body.
You’ll find fiber in fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, beans—every plant food. Decades' worth of research points to the conclusion that diets higher in fiber aid weight management, both in losing and maintaining weight. Not only because of the gut health benefits, but because fiber tends to fill you up faster. For example, you can eat a bag of chips for about 200 calories and no fiber, or you could eat two apples for 200 calories and 8 grams of fiber. You’ll probably be much fuller after eating two apples than you will after a bag of chips.
When increasing your fiber, go slow. Eat one new high-fiber food each day and move up from there.
Big Picture Focus: Aim for 25 grams of fiber for women and 38 grams of fiber for men, per day. This is under the general assumption that women consume fewer calories than men. A more specific recommendation is that you should be consuming 14 grams of fiber for every 1000 calories in your diet.
Staying the Course
There’s no secret to weight loss. What works for one person may not work for you. Focus on what you can control, and don’t change too much in your diet at once. Of course, limit your consumption of added sugars, especially from sugary drinks, and eat whole foods as much as possible. Here are 3 reminders as you work to reach your goals.
Start by eating 20-40 grams of protein at every meal and 10 grams of protein at every snack. Get 25-38 grams of fiber each day.
Remember that each food group has nutrients you need. At the end of each day, do a run-down of what you might have missed or what you need to get in tomorrow.
Follow an 80-20 approach with eating. Understand that to lose weight, it takes a little discipline with nutrition, but that doesn’t mean you can’t live your life to the fullest. Save that 20% each day for something you enjoy.
The Bottom Line
Nutrition is another pillar to master in the journey of weight management. Maintain a variety of foods in your diet to get all of the essential nutrients you need to support health. Eating enough protein and fiber is an excellent place to start to help you lose or maintain your weight. You’ve got this!
Want to level up your nutrition game?
Join the Nutrition Group in the Team RWB app to connect with service members from all branches and eras. They share recipes, tips, and information. They also provide support as you work to achieve your fitness goals.
Sarah Pflugradt is a registered dietitian with a specialization in human performance. She is an Air Force vet, a military spouse, and a health promotion professor at American University in Washington D.C. She spends her free time cooking, writing, and watching her 3 kids compete in sports.
