The Most Basic Nutrition Mistake Most Women Are Making

 

Hey hey beautiful human!

Feeding yourself every day should not feel like a full-time job.

But somehow, it can start to feel that way.

The Pinterest search starts. Instagram gets opened. Another recipe gets saved. The grocery list keeps growing. And suddenly, every meal feels like it has to be new, exciting, flavorful, balanced, and cute enough to belong on the internet.

Then Wednesday rolls around.

Life is busy, nobody feels like cooking, and the meal you planned suddenly feels like way too much work.

That is the kind of thing that can make eating well feel way more complicated than it needs to be.

In this episode of Embrace Your Real, we are talking about one of the most basic nutrition mistakes I see women making and the small mindset shift that made feeding myself feel so much easier.

After this, I hope you stop looking at a basic meal and thinking it is not “enough.” I hope you stop feeling like every meal needs to be new, exciting, or recipe-worthy to support your goals. And I hope this gives you permission to make feeding yourself feel a whole lot less dramatic.

What’s Discussed:

  • Why feeding yourself can start to feel harder than it needs to be

  • The mistake that makes meal planning feel overwhelming

  • Why some meals create more pressure than they need to

  • What to remember when there is no recipe planned

  • How to make a meal feel easier without making it too small

  • Why repeat meals can help during busy weeks

  • How to stop treating shortcuts like a failure

  • Why macros can make basic meals feel less confusing

If nutrition feels harder than it needs to, Macro Counting Made Simple can help you bring it back to the basics. Inside, I teach you how to figure out the protein, carbs, and fat your body needs, then show you how to use those numbers with meals that actually fit your life. 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, hey beautiful human. Can I steal five minutes of your time? I have something super important to share with you (0:06) but I promise I'll be really quick. You're listening to my weekly bonus episode of Embrace Your Real with me, Julie Ledbetter.

(0:13) I'm about to give you a quick tip for building your confidence, honoring your body, and unconditionally loving your authentic self. (0:19) Stay tuned if you're ready to Embrace Your Real. Let's get it, let's go! (0:33) Hello and welcome back to another bonus episode on the Embrace Your Real podcast.

(0:36) Okay, so if feeding yourself every single day feels like way more work than it should be, (0:41) I want you to listen to this episode because I think that there is one really basic nutrition mistake (0:46) that is making eating well feel so much more complicated than it needs to be. (0:51) I see women spending so much time like searching Pinterest for recipes, scrolling through Instagram, (0:56) trying to figure out what to make for dinner, creating these massive grocery lists, (0:59) and feeling like they need to have completely different meals every day of the week. (1:03) Like then Wednesday rolls around, life gets busy, nobody feels like cooking, (1:07) and suddenly the entire plan falls apart because making the meal that you planned feels like way too much work (1:14) and you just don't have the patience or the time or the capacity for that.

(1:17) I think we need to simplify this conversation because eating in a way that supports your body (1:22) should not require you to spend half of your day thinking about food. (1:25) So today I want to share one of the simplest mindset shifts I have made around nutrition (1:30) and something personally that has made feeding myself so much easier. (1:35) Before I get in though, I want to share this review.

(1:37) She gave a five-star review and said, (1:39) Favorite podcast ever? (1:40) The Holy Spirit speaks directly to my heart through Julie. (1:43) Whether I receive understanding the moment I hear the episode or days later, (1:47) I always get something. (1:48) Thank you Julie for the practical advice and help in learning how to become self-disciplined.

(1:53) You have challenged my discipline both physically and spiritually and I am up for it. (1:58) This will always be my favorite podcast because I'm never not refreshed after listening. (2:02) I'm so grateful for you.

(2:03) Thank you so much for taking time out of your day to send in this review. (2:07) That is always my hope, always my prayer. (2:09) Every time I turn on this podcast and turn on the microphone to start recording is, (2:13) Lord, I just pray that you would use this podcast in some way, shape, or form (2:17) to encourage, educate, empower them, and let your spirit speak.

(2:21) That is literally what I ask every single time right before I turn on this microphone. (2:26) And so thank you for taking time out of your day to send in this review. (2:29) I'm just going to dive right into the bonus episode.

(2:32) So here's the mistake that I see women making all the time. (2:35) We have started treating every single meal like it needs to be an experience. (2:39) Like we think every meal needs to taste incredible and look amazing and have a recipe (2:44) attached to it and include a bunch of different ingredients that somehow turn (2:48) a random Tuesday lunch into something that we would order at a restaurant.

(2:52) And listen, I love good food. (2:54) I love going out to eat. (2:55) I love having an amazing meal.

(2:57) And there are definitely times when I want food to be an experience, (3:00) but every single meal does not need to serve that purpose. (3:05) Sometimes food can simply just get the job done. (3:07) Sometimes my meals do not need to be gourmet, (3:10) full of thousands of flavors and look really sexy.

(3:13) Sometimes I'm eating because my body needs protein, carbohydrates, (3:17) fats, energy, and nutrients. (3:18) And I need to give it those things so that I can feel good and move on with my day. (3:22) I think that we have gotten so far away from looking at food as fuel (3:27) that we forget how simple a meal can actually be.

(3:30) Like one of my meals can literally be ground beef with garlic salt, (3:35) rice, broccoli, store-bought teriyaki sauce on top. (3:39) Like I'm not following a recipe. (3:40) I'm not making my own sauce.

(3:42) I'm not spending an hour in the kitchen trying to make it exciting. (3:45) I have protein from the beef. (3:47) I have carbohydrates from the rice.

(3:48) I have fat from the beef or whatever I use to cook it in (3:52) and vegetables that give me additional nutrients and fiber. (3:55) That meal fills me up. (3:56) It satisfies me and gives my body what it needs.

(4:00) Another meal could be grilled chicken with a sweet potato (4:03) that I cook in a microwave and I top it with a little bit of butter. (4:07) And I add some vegetables or fruit on the side if I want them. (4:10) And I have a simple meal with protein, carbohydrates, and fats (4:14) that really almost takes no mental energy to put it together.

(4:18) I think this idea that every meal needs to be incredibly flavorful or exciting (4:23) creates so much unnecessary pressure in my opinion. (4:26) There are going to be meals that you remember because they are amazing. (4:29) And there are going to be meals that you barely remember (4:32) because you just simply fueled yourself on a random Tuesday afternoon.

(4:36) Both, in my opinion, have a place in your life. (4:38) The question that I care about on a normal day is whether the meal is balanced, (4:43) whether it gives my body the energy that it needs, (4:45) whether I feel full and satisfied when I'm finished. (4:47) If those things are happening, then the meal did its job.

(4:51) And I think that the last piece is really important (4:53) because simple does not mean that you should eat something tiny or boring (4:57) that leaves you hungry an hour later. (4:59) I still want you eating enough. (5:01) I want you to have a solid source of protein, (5:04) an appropriate amount of carbohydrates, (5:06) enough fat to help the meal feel satisfying.

(5:09) But when you build your meal around all three macronutrients, (5:12) it becomes easier to create something that actually holds you over (5:16) instead of having to search for snacks shortly afterwards. (5:19) And this is also personally why I repeat meals all of the time. (5:23) Once I know that something is easy, tastes good enough, (5:26) fits my macros, keeps me satisfied, I'm completely fine eating it again.

(5:30) I don't need seven different breakfasts every week (5:32) or brand new dinner recipe every night. (5:35) Having a few basic meals that I can make without thinking (5:39) makes eating well so much easier (5:41) because I've removed a huge amount of decision-making from the process. (5:46) And if you genuinely enjoy cooking elaborate meals every night, amazing.

(5:50) You have the time, you have the capacity, keep doing it. (5:53) I'm talking to the woman who feels like she should be doing that (5:56) and then feels like she's failing when she doesn't have the time, energy, (5:59) or desire to cook that way. (6:01) You are allowed to microwave the potato.

(6:03) You are allowed to use the store-bought sauce. (6:06) You are allowed to season your chicken the same seasoning (6:09) that you used yesterday and the day before. (6:11) And the day before, you are allowed to make the same exact lunch (6:14) three days in a row because it fills you up, (6:16) it satisfies you, and it works for your body.

(6:18) That is one of the reasons that macro counting (6:20) has made nutrition so simple for me is because I have a framework (6:24) for what my body actually needs. (6:27) I know the amount of protein, carbohydrates, and fat (6:30) that I'm working towards so I can build a basic meal around those needs (6:34) without wondering whether the meal is fancy enough or healthy enough. (6:38) If you want that same simplicity, this is exactly what I teach (6:42) inside my macro counting made simple.

(6:44) I help you figure out the macros that your body needs (6:46) and show you how to put them into practice with meals (6:49) that actually work into your actual life. (6:52) You can find that link if you want to learn more (6:54) by going to macrocountymadesimple.com or just in the show notes below. (6:59) But the next time that you're staring at your refrigerator (7:01) thinking that you have nothing to make (7:03) because you do not have a recipe planned, (7:06) please just go back to the basics.

(7:07) Choose your protein, choose your carbohydrate, add a fat, (7:10) and make sure the meal is satisfying enough to keep you full. (7:13) Some meals can be an experience and some meals (7:16) can simply fuel your body and get you through the day. (7:20) Simple is not the same as lazy and boring is not the same as bad.

(7:25) Giving yourself permission to let food be simple sometimes (7:28) can make staying consistent with nutrition so much easier. (7:32) All right, there you have it. (7:33) That is everything for today's bonus episode.

(7:35) If you love this episode, (7:37) I know you will also love episode 357, (7:40) seven ways to simplify your weekly meal planning. (7:42) I will link that in the show notes below (7:44) so that you can easily go check that out. (7:45) And if you're not already following the podcast on Apple and Spotify, (7:49) make sure that you're doing that (7:50) so you never miss an episode they release on Monday and Thursdays.

(7:54) That is all that I have. (7:56) Go make that boring meal. (7:57) Let it be enough.

(7:58) I love you so much. (7:59) I mean it and I'll talk to you in the next one. (8:08) All right, sister.

(8:10) That's all I got for you today. (8:11) But I have two things that I need you to do. (8:15) First thing, if you are not already following me on the Gram, (8:18) be sure to do so.

(8:19) Julie A. Ledbetter. (8:20) Yes, it's with an A in the middle (8:21) for that daily post-workout real talk, (8:25) healthy tips and tricks, (8:26) and honest accountability to keep your mind and heart in check. (8:29) The second thing, be sure to subscribe to Apple Podcasts (8:33) to never miss an episode.

(8:35) Thank you so much for joining me. (8:37) It means the absolute world. (8:39) And I'm going to leave you with one last thought.

(8:41) The most beautiful women that I have met in my life (8:44) are the ones who are completely confident and secure (8:47) in being authentically themselves. (8:51) Remember that beauty goes so much deeper than the surface. (8:54) So go out there and embrace your real.

(8:57) Because you're worth it.

 
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