How do you lose weight in Crossfit?
This is a question we get asked a TON, and today we’re going to share the tips that Coach Shawna uses with her clients to help them achieve permanent weight loss while thriving in a sport they love.
Coach Shawna is Certified Nutrition Coach through Precision Nutrition, L-1 CrossFit Coach, has been working with nutrition clients for almost 5 years (primarily women) and is herself a competitive CrossFit athlete.
She teaches her clients to build sustainable habits with nutrition that help them fuel their training, have energy for life, and sleep and recover like bosses! What are sustainable habits? Things that are enjoyable, repeatable, and realistic!
What do sustainable habits around nutrition look like?
They look like :
- Eating mostly whole foods (80%)
- Eating enough protein (a protein source at every meal and most snacks)
- Eating 3-5 servings of veggies a day
- Getting adequate carbohydrates for your activity levels
- Minimizing alcohol
- Getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night
- Enjoying a TREAT meal once to twice a week
- No more “screw it” weekends
Whole foods are things that are unprocessed, and come in a “natural” state. Chicken, steak, eggs, milk, fruits, and veggies.
➡️ Eating mostly whole foods allows you to get fuller on less calories, manage hunger, blood sugar, and provides your body with the nutrients it needs to be healthy.
➡️ Getting enough protein and carbs in for your life, activities, and goals allows your body to crush sleep, recovery, training, build muscle, and live a long and healthy life.
➡️ Eating vegetables is crucial for gut health, healthy eyes, teeth, skin, and bones, as well as for optimizing energy levels.
Head here to learn how much of each macronutrient you need. You will implement this intake based on the hand method.
Coach Shawna also recommends watching alcohol intake- it decreases testosterone levels and HGH production (by up to 70%), impacts recovery, lowers inhibitions which can affect food choices, and contributes to fat storage. Shoot for 1 to 2 drinks per week and try sticking to clear alcohols (vodka, tequila, rum).
And then it’s time to stop dieting.
For good. Once and for all. Never again. If you were to implement these habits above you would find yourself losing weight as a consequence of these habits instead of focusing on caloric restriction and changes on the scale.
Even with Precision Nutrition’s hand method, it’s about consistency and awareness in your food choices rather than depriving yourself of food.
And no more restricting during the week and saying screw it on the weekends. Commit to one to two TREAT meals a week (they aren’t cheats because they aren’t BAD and you aren’t “cheating on anything!) and plan your weekend meals so you’re not left with a whole lot of time and want to eat as something to do.
Lastly, go to bed. Set yourself up for success in life, physique goals, and training. Shoot for 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night. Make a bedtime routine that allows you to downregulate, and stick to a similar bedtime each night. This is like your vegetables- you’re an adult, it’s something you just need to make yourself do!
And as promised, here are additional resources for you:
Recipes- https://www.precisionnutrition.com/encyclopedia/recipes
Sleep- https://www.precisionnutrition.com/how-to-sleep-better
Menstrual Cycle and Nutrition – https://littlebellas.com/womens-guide-nutrition-part-one/
In later videos we will break down understanding how much you need to eat for your goals, your menstrual cycle and nutrition, and nutrition around training.
Want help making all these nutrition recommendations into permanent habits? Head HERE for our nutrition coaching!