It's Monday morning, you told yourself you would start TODAY. 

     Who are you kidding? You know pretty well that you will start the day motivated but allow yourself to fall back into comfort, and just like that it dominos into the rest of your week. Another week gone, another week wasted. 

      You know it's not because you don't want the results, you're tired of staying the same and that's why its frustrating. You crave the change but the reality is you don't execute because you don't know where or how to start. Over the years you have probably heard, "Try low carb""Go Keto"Do Intermediate Fasting""Try Paleo"and you've listened, tried, and failed. You've moved on so quickly from one diet trend to the next without remembering one thing: In order for something to work you must do it long enough to gather real data. How can you determine something doesn't work if you don't allow yourself to see it through? 

     Hopping on diet trends can seem desirable because all of your friends have spoke so highly of how fast they got results following them, but the truth is they make a little progress then revert back to the same spot where they started. Don't get me wrong it's not that the diet strategies don't work or produce results that's not why your friends failed. They failed because extreme dieting does not work long term. Better nutrition shouldn't be a seasonal trend then fall back to old ways, Better nutrition cascades into a sustainable long term lifestyle that adds to your quality of life not take away from it. 

       If you were to ask me, a nutrition professional for over 10 years and having worked with over 30,000 clients what the best way to improve your nutritional habits I would say this: Begin with choosing higher quality whole foods first, don't try to get it all right at once, start by training your consciousness that eating better foods equals a better mood. From that foundation start setting clear goals for yourself, how much weight do you want to lose? Put a clear figure on it. What kind of body composition would you like to see in the mirror? Put a clear figure on it. Is your goal to look better, feel better, perform better? whatever it may be, get clear on it. Once you know what you really want to achieve begin by seeking & understanding caloric intake. What I mean by caloric intake is, energy consumption vs energy exertion. For weight loss eating less calories than you consume, for mass gain eating more calories than your burn. Once you understand how to manage calories you've identified a solid foundation to build off of.     

     Secondly, you can begin to be mindful on where your calories are coming from. Following a well balanced intake of Protein, Carbohydrates, and Healthy Fats will help keep you fueled and feeling satisfied throughout the day. Although starting out with integrating whole foods in general without any strict restriction will always be the best place to start. 

"The journey of one thousand miles begins with a single step"- Lao Tzu 

Still having doubts on where to start? Join the My Vision Nutrition community & let our team of culinary and nutrition professionals handle the kick start to eating healthier today: www.mvnmealprep.com