Rate each habit commitment before finalizing on a scale of 1 to 10. Meaning on a scale of 1 to 10 how likely are you able to follow through with it? So we might ask our clients this, “On a scale of 1 to 10, how likely are you going to be able to eat vegetables at every single meal?” If the answer is less than a 9, pick another habit. It must be a 9 to move on.

7) Focus on 1 habit per 30 day period and begin to work on these afterwards with the same steps above:

- Eat vegetables at every single meal

- Eat every 2 to 4 hours

- Eat protein at every single meal

- Eat healthy fats (avocado, fish oils, nuts, etc.) every day. About 20-40% of everyone’s diet should come from fats.

- Eat until 80% full

If fat loss is the goal, only eat fruits and vegetable as carbohydrates in all of your meals unless its post workout. Save all non-fruit carbohydrates for after the workout. So your day could look like...

- breakfast: eggs, vegetables, berries

- lunch: chicken, vegetables, an apple

- dinner after your workout: ¼ of your plate rice, half vegetables, and ¼ protein

- Drink only zero calorie beverages, preferably only water or beverages that do not contain aspartame.

- Eat as wide a variety of foods as possible (eat the rainbow)

- Females strive to eat 1 palm of protein, 2 fist of vegetables, 1 cupped handful of carbohydrates at each meal. Males strive to eat 2 palm of protein, 2 fist of vegetables, 1 to 2 cupped handful of carbohydrates at each meal.

8) Follow the 80/10/10 rule. 80% of your eating needs to come from whole foods that are minimally processed/packaged. This would be foods that you like but are not processed. These foods will be found on the perimeter of the supermarket not the aisles. 10% of your diet must contain healthy items that you know you should eat but these foods might not be on your like list. For instance, everyone knows salmon has many great benefits but not everyone eats it. This might be a 10% item. The last 10% would be foods that you absolutely love. Anything goes but it must only be 10%! This ensures you are not depriving yourself along the way.

LEVEL 2*

*You should have all the habits listed above under control before moving on to this part.

1) Start tracking calories. We figure out the amount in our program by utilizing body typing. This number will be dictated by how often you exercise as well.

2) Figure out your macros aka what percentage of your diet should come from carbohydrates, protein, and fats. This is also based on body type and can change as you progress to your goals.

3) For advanced: once you hit a plateau and have accomplished everything above it may be time to start cycling carbohydrates throughout the day or even having some lower carb days and higher carb days throughout the week but this would be for someone who is advanced in terms of dietary habits.

That concludes the basic step by step guide to eating for long term weight loss success! Of course these are just guidelines. If you feel you need accountability and guidance through each step in detail it would be best to hire a coach! For a free nutrition strategy session click here!

By: Ray Cattaneo, NASM – CPT,CES and Owner of Infinity Personal Training in Allen