When it comes to nutrition, we have these feelings of always wanting to be perfect.

 

We want to know what foods we should should eat and what foods we shouldn’t.  We start putting labels and rules on our food, like “X food” is good, and “Y food” is terrible—and from my experience of watching and helping people with their nutrition choices, rules and restrictions do not work in the long term.

 

The other week I was asked by a client how to make “healthy ice cream.”  I informed them I don’t know how, nor do I worry about such things.  I told them when I want ice cream I go to Baskin-Robbins and I get myself some ice cream.

 

This conversation got me thinking about the questions I’m asked on a regular basis from new clients or people curious about their nutrition.

 

“What foods should I not eat as a menopausal woman?”

“I heard dairy is bad and I shouldn’t eat it. Is that true? I love cheese!”

“I had four slices of gluten-free bread. It’s ok because it’s gluten-free right?”

“I need to stop having my one glass of wine a week. It’s making me fat, right?”

“What supplements should I be taking?”

“Should I start a juicing detox?”

“I heard intermittent fasting is the answer to my weight loss. Is that the key to fat loss I’ve been missing?”

 

Here’s the thing, these are all small details in the whole package of nutrition. Ninety percent of the population does not need to worry about these details. Precision Nutrition explains that worrying about these small things is like mowing your lawn when the house is on fire.

 

 

It’s very easy to get lost in the noise when we have celebrities and tabloids pushing information, promising to be the one end-all-be-all thing you must do to make your dreams become a reality.

 

These things lead you to try something like a 21-day transformation, where for a short period of time (uhhh, 21 days) you are “perfect,” only to then find yourself having “fallen off the wagon” on day 22, suddenly surrounded by a pile of Swiss Roll boxes, pizza, and cans of beer—all while rocking a severe tummy ache.

You jump from one diet to the next thinking that this next diet, fad, or “way of life” is finally going to be the answer.  But it only leads to frustration, stress, self-criticism, and of course, poor results.

 

You get lost in the wilderness of blogs, news media, and the next 20-year-old health and fitness celebrity that has been graced with a lifestyle of being paid to workout and model their young body all over your social media accounts.

 

 

 

So, how can you combat this in your lifestyle? What do you focus on?

 

You put the big rocks in first, and then fill the rest of the space with pebbles and sand.  But, you have to get those big rocks in first.  They are the biggest bang for your buck.  The big rocks are what makes the most significant difference.  The big rocks are your house—you know, the  thing that provides structure and protects you from the elements.

 

 

To be successful with your nutrition, you simply focus on the big rocks.  You get consistent with the fundamentals 80-90% of the time before we focus on the smaller pebbles and sand.  You focus on having a sturdy structure for a house before you worry about the lawn.

 

What are those big rocks?

 

1. Consistency – pick one thing you want to focus on, and focus on that single thing until you are consistent 80-90% of the time with it.
2. Eating mindfully – Be aware of what you are eating and your behaviors around food. You can become more aware by recording your food intake without judgment so that you can collect some data. If you don’t have data on your behaviors, you will not have a clear path (or data) for changing your behaviors.
3. Food Quantity – Are you eating 1-2 palm size portions of protein, 1-2 fist-size servings of veggies, 1-2 cupped handfuls of smart carbs and 1-2 thumbs of fat at each meal?
4. Food Quality – are you eating mostly whole, unprocessed, local/fair/grass-fed/free range foods?
5. Consistency – Yes, it’s that important
6. Sleep – are you getting 7-8 hours of sleep a night?
7. Stress – Do you have an outlet and strategy for promoting relaxation and decreasing stress?
8. Action – Are you focused on something you can act on?
9. Consistency – did I say that already?

 

These are the things that build a sturdy house and help you live a long, healthy life. Until you have a sturdy home; don’t worry about mowing the grass.

 

 

Anytime you are feeling pulled in a direction to try out the next new thing, hit the brakes and look at your house.

 

Is it on fire?

 

If so, put out the fire first by focusing on the big rocks.