If you have made it this far, congratulations! You are now done with the nutrition and weight management course. If you have any feedback on this course as a whole, please send me a message as I’m always eager to make improvements. If at any point you would like a relatively quick recap, consider looking at the condensed version of the course.
We have discussed metabolism, calories, an overall strategy for weight management, protein, fat, carbohydrates, fiber, alcohol, micronutrients, the food groups, chrononutrition, various named diets, and several of the common barriers people face when attempting to eat healthily while working to obtain a healthy body composition and maintain progress long term. That is a lot of information, and if this was new to you it may take some time to sink in. This is especially true for any information that I have presented that goes against any myths you have been exposed to and believed in previously. Feel free to read through the lessons again to further clarify any potential misunderstanding, and then you should be in a good position to implement what you have learned.
When you are ready to attempt to apply this knowledge to your own situation, if this seems like a drastic departure from what you have done previously, then take it slow. Run things by your healthcare provider first if you have any concerns about the safety of anything you wish to do differently. Plan things out well rather than jumping in head first. For example, feel free to go up and down the aisles at a local supermarket, look at all of the nutrition labels, and see what food choices seem like better options for you. If you intend to eat the same things repeatedly, make only 1 or 2 meals first, test out your storage options, and make sure this all works well for you prior to preparing a large number of meals at once. If you want to track calories, download different calorie tracking apps, see which one you like the best, and then use it for a couple of days to see how this works out for you. Have an open and honest discussion with anyone you live with to see in what ways you can feasibly alter your home food environment to work in your favor. If you can find a buddy to undergo this journey with you, share ideas and talk about how you will support each other and hold each other accountable.
After the planning is done, then start doing it. Track progress carefully and then adjust as needed. Remember not to overreact to a single bad day; if you fall out of your new habits for one day and binge on something, do not let it get you down. Pretty much nobody does this perfectly, there will always be ups and downs with any lifestyle journey, and the best thing you can do if you fall off the horse is to get right back on and move on. If at any point your progress stalls, attempt to track things more carefully to identify what you can do differently to start moving forward again.
Good luck!