One of the questions I get asked the most about my own diet is my lower carb, higher dietary fat approach. 

 

I post bunless burgers, charcuterie platters and BASes on my Instagram feed all the time. "Jill, where are your carbs? Do you just not eat them at all? What about eating too much fat? How do you bacon and stay thin?"

 

These are all great questions and one I absolutely love answering. The bottom line is that for me, it works. And I am actually NOT advocating you do this, necessarily. I am advocating that you find what works for you. My approach might work for you, or it might not.

 

 

This process of creating the right diet FOR YOU, depending on 2 things: what you can do sustainably + what will get you results. 

 

• Do these foods make me feel tired or energized? 
• Do I experience more hunger later? Or, do I stay fuller for longer?
• Do I feel satisfied by these foods? Or am I craving sweets and treats 30 minutes later?
• Could I see myself eating like this forever? Or do I dread my food? Am I disgusted by it?
• Is it a pain in the ass to prepare? Or do I enjoy prepping/cooking it? Is it easy to do?

For me, a higher fat/lower starch diet does all these things for me. I feel more satisfied, fuller for longer, have sustained, balanced energy throughout the day and don't feel deprived at all. I could eat like I do forever. I don't miss starch when I am eating enough dietary fat, and I also feel more lethargic, more hungry and less satisfied when I choose starch over fat.

 

 

Sustainability is all fine and well, but the bottom line is still, are you getting the results you desire? And contrary to what you might think, you don't have to be miserable to get results.

 

The unfortunate thing about results, though, is that your body doesn't care what you like. It only cares about what works. So, what you could eat sustainably might not be the same thing that get results. 

 

Take nuts or nut butters for example. I love them. And I could eat a daily jar of peanut butter sustainably :) But nuts can be easily overdone to the point that I won't get results. The serving size is 2 TB of peanut butter. Do you know how depressing that is?! It's tiny! Ha! So for me, it'd be easy to take in literally thousands of cals without really feeling satisfied. But for other people, they'll do a handful of nuts and be good. They won't need more and they will feel satisfied and it will help them stay on track even more.

 

So, your job, for example, would be to figure out how YOU do on nuts. Are you like me and easily overeat them? Maybe another food would be better there then. Or are you someone who has a few and they even add to your fat loss? 

 

Now do this with the handful of foods you eat every day. Do you eat cereal for breakfast? Does it make you feel more or less energized? Hungry? Crave more later? Should you do eggs instead? Or a protein shake? How do you feel on those?

 

How about a sandwich at lunch? Could you eat a salad instead, but make it more satisfying by adding a little bacon or a sprinkle of cheese? 

 

Your job when it comes to THE RIGHT MEAL PLAN FOR YOU is to find the foods that both make a) you feel satisfied and b) also get results. 

 

You'll know you're getting results if you're measuring regularly. Use a soft measuring tape to measure circumferences (chest, waist, belly button, hips, R thigh). If you have a Tanita scale or something similar that measures body fat %, that's ideal. They are not the most accurate devices, but the key is to use them to follow the trend. Always weigh on the same day at the same time, like Friday morning after waking, for example.

 

And of course, assess how your clothes fit. Are they getting looser in the right places? And maybe, if you're adding muscle, tighter in the right places?? Write down your measurements bi-weekly and compare.

 

If you're not seeing results, it's time to look again at what you're putting in your mouth. You may love protein bars and shakes and can eat them sustainably (besides, they're not "bad" per se), but maybe your body no likey. It's up to you to listen, watch, measure and readjust.

 

 

In general, you'll end up doing higher fat OR higher starch, but not both. 

 

For example, Jade does better on more clean starches (potatoes, rice, fruit, oats) and less dietary fat. I'm the opposite. If you're going to do higher fat, you have to do lower starch. And vice versa. Use the formula above to investigate which you might be and then tweak from there.

 

Lean protein and fibrous veggies should always be the cornerstone of any fat loss diet. The starch and dietary fat will most likely be the wild cards.

 

 

Many things in life--including nutrition--fall into the "you won't know unless you try" category. And though it can be scary to just "jump in" to a new way of eating, it's kinda sorta the only way to know what will work for you long term. And the good news is that nothing is irreversible and you can always adjust on the fly.

 

You can't control outcomes, but you can always control what goes in your mouth. 

 

Now, just take that one step further and assess how you feel after you eat whatever it is. How is energy? Hunger? Cravings? Are you getting results? If yes, keep on. If no, back to the cutting board :)

 

Want my help with this process? With finding the right foods for you? I only work with clients for nutrition and exercise in Metabolic Effect's 4 Week Fat Loss Jump Start, a program that launches ONLY 3 TIMES A YEAR. And it begins January 6th, and registration is now open. I'll be working with you directly on a daily basis for nutrition in the new year. Spots are limited so grab yours today and I look forward to your success :)

 

 

Let me know if you have any questions!