Maintain your GAINS

 

I know for certain you worked your ass off to lose the calories or gain some muscle, and I am extremely proud of you for the discipline you had through your journey.

 

I am super delighted that you have chosen to maintain your new fit lifestyle!

 

Fit doesn’t always mean skinny or muscular looking; Fit begins with how you look at yourself in the mirror, the words you speak to yourself, or how you think about yourself.

Fit is very emotional, it is also very hungry hahaha! and so I will explain the plate method and how it will help you stay on track without being paranoid about numbers.

 

PLATE METHOD

The Plate Method is a wonderful and effective tool that allows for simple visualization of how to organize food groups. The Plate Method below simplifies the portion sizes and outlines general food groups to include in a nutritionally balanced meal:

 

 

One approach to eating a healthy, well-balanced diet is the plate method. The plate method involves dividing a dinner plate into imaginary sections and using each section for a specific group of food.

A version of the plate method is MyPlate from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). With MyPlate, the plate is divided into four different sections, plus an added serving of dairy.

Half of the plate should contain fruits and vegetables, with vegetables covering approximately two-thirds and fruit covering the other one-third. The other half of the plate should contain grains and proteins in equal amounts. At least half of the grains consumed in a day should be whole grains. Proteins should focus on lean meats, fish, and vegetarian protein options.

The following are examples of foods that can be used in each section:

• Vegetables — Non-starchy fresh, frozen, or low-sodium canned vegetables, such as broccoli, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, cauliflower, spinach
• Fruits — Fresh, frozen, or canned fruits (in water, not syrup) of all colors
• Grains — Whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, brown rice, whole-grain pasta (limit refined products, such as white bread and white rice)
• Protein — Lean beef, poultry, seafood, beans, soy products, eggs (avoid bacon and other processed meats)
• Dairy — Low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, calcium-fortified soy milk (limit to 1-2 servings a day)

The amount of food that should be in each section varies depending on age, sex, and level of physical activity.

 

In addition, the plate method focuses on fruit and vegetable intake, which can help reduce inflammation in the body. Because inflammation often contributes to chronic pain, increasing daily servings of fruits and vegetables may reduce pain levels.