It feels like, now more than ever, so many women are focused on their “diets.” They are searching for that magic diet that will bring them happiness and contentedness with their health and body. Are you?Maybe it’s because you are steps away from your refrigerator all day? Maybe you are looking for a reward for your even busier days? Maybe you are simply still so confused about all of the information out there about what to eat?Are you feeling better after practicing mindful eating and “three squares” from last week’s article? (Click here if you missed it.)This week, I will wrap up this series with my last two nutrition tips and a bonus tip that I hope will help you navigate your food choices for good.Here are the last two tips…1) Plan by the week

• a. By far, the women who find the most success in my program plan their meals weekly. Not only do they plan them, they grocery shop once each week and leave little mystery about what is “for dinner.”
• b. Not only should you plan what you will be eating, plan where you will be eating. Instead of eating while driving, on-the-go, or reading emails at your desk, make a plan to sit down and enjoy your food, undistracted.
• c. Your meals are an important part of your day and should be on your calendar. Plan your meals, the groceries, and where you’ll eat them.
• d. Dinner leftovers are your lunch. Why re-create the wheel, ladies? When you plan your meals and choose delicious food that you love and also fuel your body for your amazing life, you will want more of them! So why not make plenty for the following day? In fact, freeze it as a backup for that occasional week when the planning didn’t happen.

   2) No guilt

• a. The punishment we send to ourselves after choosing a food that isn’t contributing to our wellness (or workouts!) backfires and is even worse than the actual “mistake” we made.
• b. The effects of the guilt we feel are even worse than the actual impact of the junk (or whatever mistake you perceive you’ve made) food you’ve eaten. Your stress hormone, cortisol, raises sending your body into a “fight or flight” pattern. Your body holds onto fat. Your mood becomes edgy. All because of just one small mistake.
• c. In the grand scheme, it is one meal or one snack, that when viewed in the big picture, amounts to very little.
• d. Last time I checked, no one is perfect. Aiming for a perfect diet is simply unreasonable. Be human. Choose what you love that leads you closer to your total wellness and plan those snacks, cheats when you hanker for a little something decadent. We all deserve a little decadence right now!

 BONUS TIP: Stop obsessing over calories.There are so many ways to “measure your food.” I am not saying calories are unimportant, yet they are not what we have blown them up to be. We have made calories like rock star status in the food world. They are simply one way to measure. Portion, color, and “did it grow that way” are also faves of mine.  Next week I plan to show you how calorie counting has gone over the top in terms of how food manufacturers market to us. It has a lot to do with calories. So, stay tuned!My online wellness program will go further in-depth about the myriad of nutrition myths in the marketplace and also how to navigate what is best for you. Sign up for my newsletter so you can learn the details.