5 Hills I Will Die On(Nutrition Edition)

 

Hey hey beautiful human!

Nutrition advice can get real loud, real fast.

One person is telling you to eat more fat. Someone else is telling you to fast. Then there is another rule about what time to stop eating, which foods are “bad,” how little you should eat, or why your progress is not happening fast enough.

And suddenly, feeding yourself starts to feel way more complicated than it needs to be.

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we are talking about five nutrition hills I will absolutely die on. These are the things I come back to over and over again after years of counting macros, working with women, and watching so many people bounce from one nutrition trend to the next.

My hope is that this episode helps you stop chasing every random rule and start feeling a whole lot more confident about what your body actually needs.

What’s Discussed:

  • Why fat matters, but more fat does not automatically mean better nutrition

  • Why an eating window is not required for weight loss

  • How labeling foods as “good” or “bad” can make your relationship with food harder

  • Why protein is one of the biggest things I want women to prioritize

  • How eating too little at meals can make the rest of your day feel harder

  • Why balanced meals can help you feel more satisfied and less snacky

  • How macro counting can take the guesswork out of your nutrition

  • Why understanding your own numbers can make food feel so much simpler

If you listened to this episode and thought, “Okay, but I still do not know how much protein, carbs, and fat I should personally be eating,” that is exactly why I created Macro Counting Made Simple. Inside, I teach you how to calculate your macros based on your body and your goals, then show you how to make those numbers work in real life without cutting out your favorite foods or following random rules from the internet. Head to macrocountingmadesimple.com to get started.

If you loved this episode, you will also love Episode 357: 7 Ways to Simplify Your Weekly Meal Planning. It is the perfect next listen if you want to make eating well feel easier, more realistic, and less dependent on having the perfect plan every week.

If you want more from me, be sure to check out…

Transcript

(0:00) Hey there, beautiful human. You're listening to Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter, (0:05) a podcast where I empower you to just be you. With each episode, I give you a dose of real talk (0:11) and actionable advice for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your (0:17) authentic self.

Stay tuned if you're ready to Embrace Your Real. Let's get it, let's go. (0:28) Hello and welcome back to another episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast.

Okay, so there are a (0:33) handful of things when it comes to nutrition that I feel very strongly about. And I think (0:38) part of the reason that I feel so strongly about them is because I see women making nutrition so (0:42) much harder than it needs to be. There's always some new rule telling us what we should eat, (0:47) what we should avoid, when we should eat, how long we should go without eating, (0:51) which macronutrient is suddenly more important than the other, which food is supposedly going (0:56) to ruin our progress.

And after years with working with women and personally counting my (1:01) own macronutrients and just watching people bounce from one nutrition trend to another, (1:06) there are a few things that I keep coming back to over and over again. And so today, (1:11) I want to share five nutrition hills that I will absolutely die on because I think (1:16) understanding these five things can really make eating for your goals so much simpler. (1:22) And that's what it should be about.

Because if it's simple, you probably hear this all the time (1:27) from an account. I heard it all the time from an accountant and he said, Julie, just keep it (1:32) kiss. And I'm like, okay, I don't know what that is.

He could keep it simple, surely. Or he said, (1:38) keep it stupid, simple. And I was like, okay, yeah, actually, that's so true.

And so I want to (1:43) ingrain that in you because I really, really, really think that nutrition can be kissed. It (1:48) can be very, very simple. But first I want to share this super sweet review.

She gave a five (1:57) year review. She's got out for over three years. She's real and keeps things simple and true.

No (2:01) crazy diet talk, no fluff, just real and super helpful. As a 49 year old woman in (2:07) paramedic pause, I highly recommend. I'm so grateful that you think that.

And that's honestly (2:12) what my goal is. Every time I turn this microphone on to record a podcast, I just say, you know, (2:17) Lord, I pray that I reach the right people. I pray that I would encourage them, educate them, (2:22) empower them in some way, shape or form.

And so thank you for taking time out of your day to (2:26) send in this review. They really do keep us going and just know how the podcast in general is helping (2:31) you or maybe a specific episode. All right, we're going to dive right into the five nutrition hills (2:37) that I will absolutely die on.

Number one, you need fat, but you probably don't need as much as (2:43) social media is telling you to eat. I feel like everything right now is high fat this high fat (2:48) that add more avocado, add more nut butter, put olive oil on everything, put avocado oil on (2:52) everything, throw some nuts on top. And suddenly every single meal needs to have like five (2:58) different sources of fat because fat is good for you.

And yes, that is absolutely good for you. (3:03) Fat is a macronutrient that I absolutely prioritize. And I personally make sure that I hit my (3:08) fat goals because I know that my body needs it.

Dietary fat helps us absorb fat soluble (3:14) vitamins. It can support your hormone production and it just helps meals feel more satisfying. (3:20) It can also slow down digestion, which when it's paired with carbohydrates can help you to (3:26) overcome feeling so, so dang hungry that you just go ravenous.

But there is still such a thing (3:31) as eating more fat than your body needs. And I think that this is something that gets lost (3:37) when a nutrient becomes trendy because people hear that something is healthy and they assume (3:42) more of it is automatically healthier, but that's not how nutrition works. Fat is also more calorie (3:48) dense than protein and carbohydrates.

So it's going to add up really quickly without you even (3:53) realizing it. Like you can have a meal that looks incredibly healthy with avocado, olive oil, (4:00) nuts, seeds, and some kind of higher fat protein source, but that does not automatically mean (4:04) that your body needed all of those things in the same meal. And this is where I feel (4:08) like a lot of women get frustrated because they feel like they're eating really well.

(4:13) They're choosing all of these foods that they've been told are really healthy. And yet they're (4:16) still not seeing the progress that they expected. Sometimes the problem is just simply that they (4:22) are eating more energy than your body needs.

And fat is one of the easiest macronutrients to (4:27) accidentally overdue just because it is so calorie dense. So yes, I absolutely want you (4:33) eating fat and I absolutely want you prioritizing healthy fat sources. I just want you eating the (4:39) amount of fat that your body actually needs.

And this is one of the reasons I personally (4:44) think macrocounting can be such a helpful tool because it takes you out of the guessing game. (4:50) You don't have to wonder whether you're eating too much fat or too little fat because you (4:53) have an actual target based on your body and your goals. Inside my macrocounting made simple, (4:58) I teach you how to figure that out along with your protein, your carb, your fat, (5:02) intakes.

So you can stop letting nutrition trends determine how much of something that you eat. (5:07) If you want to learn more, I will leave the link for that in the show notes below. (5:11) Number two, you do not need an eating window to lose weight.

And this is another one that I feel (5:15) very strongly about because there's so much pressure right now to eat within a specific (5:19) window. Like people are told that they need to stop eating by a certain time. They need to (5:23) wait until a certain time in the morning before eating again or fast for a specific number of (5:28) hours if they really want to lose weight.

And I want you to understand why eating windows, (5:32) yes, can work for some people. An eating window can absolutely make it easier for someone to eat (5:38) less over the course of the day because there's just simply fewer hours available to eat. Like (5:43) if someone usually snacks all night and they decide that they're done eating after dinner, (5:47) they may naturally consume fewer calories that can absolutely help them create a calorie deficit.

(5:53) But the eating window itself is not magic. You can eat within an eight hour window and still eat (5:59) more than your body needs. And you can eat over a longer period of the day and still consume exactly (6:04) what your body needs for your goals.

The bigger picture is how much you're eating throughout the (6:08) entire day. So if you love having an eating window because it gives your day structure and (6:13) it makes nutrition easier, that's completely fine. But if you're forcing yourself to skip (6:17) breakfast, even though you wake up starving and you're staring at the clock waiting until (6:21) you're finally quote unquote allowed to eat because you think that fasting is required for (6:26) weight loss, I want you to know that you don't have to do that.

Like you can absolutely eat (6:30) breakfast. You can eat later at night. You can eat at times that actually work for your (6:34) schedule and your body.

The goal is to consistently give your body the amount of food that it needs (6:39) rather than relying on a clock to control how much you eat. And again, this is where counting (6:44) macros can make nutrition feel so much more freeing because you know what your body needs (6:50) for the entire day. And then you get to decide how you want to distribute that over your day (6:55) based on your hunger, your schedule, and your preferences.

Number three, there are no good or (7:01) bad foods. I will die on this hill forever because I genuinely think that labeling foods (7:05) as good and bad has done so much damage to women's relationship with food. I would much (7:11) rather talk about foods as being more nutrient dense or less nutrient dense.

Obviously we need (7:16) nutrients, right? We need protein. We need carbohydrates. We need fats, fiber, vitamin, (7:21) minerals, and all the things that our body need to function well, which means the majority of (7:26) what we eat should probably come from foods that provide us with those things.

But I also think (7:31) that food contributes to our lives in ways that goes beyond nutrients. Like food is part of (7:37) birthdays and vacations and holidays and dinners with friends and dates, date nights and family (7:42) and nutrition and just the moments in general that make us happy. And I genuinely believe that (7:47) the healthiest version of yourself also involves being a happy version of yourself.

So if you spend (7:53) your entire life forcing yourself to avoid every food you love because somebody told you that those (7:59) foods are bad, how sustainable is that really going to feel? Like maybe you can do it for a (8:03) couple of weeks, maybe you can even do it for a couple of months, but eventually most people are (8:08) going to get tired of feeling deprived. And that's when the pendulum usually swings, but in the (8:14) complete opposite direction. I want you to have room for both.

I want you eating foods that both (8:19) fuel your body and give you the nutrients that you need, but I also want you to be able to (8:24) eat the cookie, go out for pizza, have dessert with your family, enjoy a food simply because (8:29) you love it. And this is yet another reason why macro counting is such a valuable tool because (8:36) it can teach you how to create that balance. You can absolutely prioritize protein and (8:42) nutrient dense foods throughout the day while still intentionally making rooms for food that (8:47) you enjoy in the evening or for a date night out or for a holiday or a family tradition.

And you can (8:53) do all of that while staying within the amount of your food that your body needs. That is so much (8:58) different than constantly telling yourself that you're eating good or bad. Number four, (9:03) protein is king and I want women eating more of it.

If there is one macronutrient that I see women (9:10) constantly under eating, it's protein. And I cannot tell you how many women tell me that (9:15) they're eating healthy. And then when we actually look at their meals and we break it down, (9:20) breakfast barely has any protein, lunch maybe has a little bit, and then you're trying to (9:25) somehow make up for the rest of it at dinner.

And then they wonder why they're hungry all day. (9:29) Protein is incredibly satiating, which means that it can help you stay fuller longer between meals. (9:35) It also gives your body the amino acids.

It needs to repair and maintain muscle, (9:40) which becomes especially important when you are resistance training or trying to lose fat while (9:45) maintaining lean muscle. And no, eating more protein is not going to suddenly make you bulky. (9:50) I hear women worry about this all the time.

And I promise you that accidentally waking up with (9:55) massive muscles because you started prioritizing protein is not something that you need to be (10:00) worried about. What I would love for you to do is look at every meal and ask yourself whether you (10:05) actually have a meaningful source of protein on your plate for breakfast, for lunch, and for (10:11) dinner. So instead of having a breakfast that is almost entirely carbohydrates and then wondering (10:15) why you're hungry an hour later, I want you to add more protein.

Think about how you can add (10:20) more protein in that meal. Instead of having a tiny salad at lunch and then spending the entire (10:25) afternoon looking for snacks, I need you to make sure that the meal that you're having for lunch (10:29) contains enough protein to satisfy you. Protein is one of the first things I think about when I'm (10:34) building my meals because I know how much easier it makes everything else.

If you have no idea (10:40) how much protein your body actually needs, this is another thing that we calculate inside (10:44) my macrokinemeed simple. So you're not just randomly trying to just eat more protein (10:48) without knowing what more actually means for you, your body, and your goals. (10:54) Last but not least, number five, stop trying to eat as little as possible and start eating the right (11:00) amount at your meals.

This one makes me crazy because I see women doing it constantly. They (11:06) think the smaller the meal, the better they are doing. So breakfast is tiny, lunch is tiny, (11:11) and then they're trying to prove to themselves all day long that they barely need to eat because (11:16) they think that's how weight loss is supposed to work.

And then what happens? By afternoon, (11:20) they're hungry, they start grabbing little snacks, they have handfuls of something here, (11:25) they have a bite of something there, maybe they grab something while they're cooking dinner, (11:29) and then after dinner they're still hungry so they're looking for another snack. By the end of (11:32) the night, they may have eaten more than they would have if they just sat down and ate (11:37) three balanced meals that actually satisfied them in the first place. And this is why I want women (11:42) to stop thinking that successful weight loss means seeing how little food they can survive on.

(11:48) I would much rather you sit down for a meal that has an appropriate amount of protein, (11:53) carbohydrates, and fat so that you can actually feel satisfied when you finish eating. If you (11:59) build your meals correctly, you should be able to go several hours without feeling like you (12:04) need to raid the pantry. And I'm not saying that you can ever snack because there's absolutely (12:08) people who enjoy snacks or have schedules that make snacks useful, but there's a very big (12:14) difference between intentionally having a snack because it fits your day and constantly snacking (12:19) because none of your meals are actually satisfying you.

Eating the proper amount at meals can make (12:25) your entire day feel so much easier because you're no longer spending every waking hour (12:29) thinking about food. And this is, again, one of my favorite parts about understanding your (12:34) own macronutrients. You stop trying to win some imaginary award for eating the least (12:40) amount possible and instead you start learning how to actually fuel your body appropriately.

(12:46) So let me quickly recap what we talked about in today's episode. Number one, (12:50) your body absolutely needs fat, but more fat does not automatically mean better nutrition. (12:57) Fat, yes, is an important macronutrient and I want you eating enough to support your body, (13:01) but I also want you to remember that it's easy to consume more than you need when every meal (13:06) suddenly becomes loaded with high fat foods.

Number two, you do not need an eating window to (13:12) lose weight. Eating windows, yes, can help some people naturally eat less throughout the day, (13:17) but you can also manage how you eat without restricting yourself to certain hours. What (13:21) matters is consistently eating an amount that supports your goals and where you're at.

Number (13:26) three, I do not believe in good foods or bad foods. I want you to prioritize nutrient-dense (13:32) foods because your body needs those nutrients while still leaving room for less nutrient-dense (13:37) foods that you genuinely enjoy because food is also a part of living a happy and sustainable life. (13:44) Number four, protein is king and I want women prioritizing it throughout the day.

Protein can (13:49) absolutely help make you feel more satisfied between meals and supports the muscle that (13:55) you're working so hard to build and maintain in your workouts. And last but not least, number five, (13:59) I need you to stop trying to eat as little as possible at every meal. Eating balanced meals (14:05) with enough protein, carbohydrates, and fat is going to help you feel satisfied for hours and (14:09) make it much easier to avoid constantly grazing throughout the day.

If you listen to all five of (14:15) those and was like, okay, this makes so much sense, but I still have absolutely no idea how (14:19) much protein, carbs, or fat I personally need to be eating. Again, that is exactly why I created (14:25) my macrokinemade simple. I do not want you guessing how much fat is too much or randomly (14:30) trying to eat more protein, cutting your eating window shorter because someone online told you (14:34) to, or just eating tiny meals because you think that less food automatically means better results.

(14:39) Inside macrokinemade simple, I teach you how to determine the amount of protein, (14:45) the amount of carbohydrates, and fat that your body needs based on your goals, (14:49) and then show you how to actually make those numbers work in real life. You can absolutely (14:53) still eat your favorite foods. You can eat at the times that work for you and you can build (14:57) meals that actually leave you feeling satisfied while knowing that you're giving your body what (15:01) it needs.

If you're ready to stop guessing and finally understand how to fuel your body (15:06) for your goals, you can head over to macrokinemadesimple.com. I will also have the (15:11) link waiting for you in the show notes because the more you understand nutrition, (15:15) the less power all of these random rules and trends have over you. You can hear somebody (15:20) tell you to eat more fat or start fasting or eliminate a certain food or eat as little as (15:24) possible and actually know whether that advice makes sense for your body and your goals. (15:29) And that is the kind of confidence that I personally want every single woman to have (15:34) with food.

If you love this episode, I know you will also love episode 251, (15:39) eight ways to make macro counting actually simple because we're going to continue this (15:44) conversation around building habits that actually work in your real life instead of expecting (15:48) yourself to follow a perfect routine every day. I will link that for you in the show notes below. (15:54) And if this episode helped you in any way, I just want to encourage you to follow the show so that (15:58) you never miss one.

Leave a review to let me know kind of what landed for you in this episode (16:03) and also send it to a friend who might need to hear that nutrition does not have to be this (16:07) hard. All right, that is all that I have for today's episode. Thank you so much for spending (16:12) time with me.

Nutrition does not have to be this complicated. Remember, keep it simple, (16:17) sweetie. The fewer rules you're chasing, the more room you have to actually enjoy your food (16:22) and trust your body again.

I love you so much. I mean it, and I'll talk to you in the next one. (16:35) All right, sister, that's all I got for you today.

But I have two things that I need you to do. (16:41) First thing, if you're not already following me on the gram, be sure to do so. Julie A. (16:46) Ledbetter.

Yes, it's with an A in the middle for that daily post-workout real talk, (16:50) healthy tips and tricks, and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. (16:55) The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts to never miss an episode. (17:00) Thank you so much for joining me.

It means the absolute world, and I'm going to leave you with (17:06) one last thought. The most beautiful women that I have met in my life are the ones who are (17:10) completely confident and secure in being authentically themselves. Remember that (17:16) beauty goes so much deeper than the surface, so go out there and embrace your real, (17:21) because you're worth it.

 
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