Evaluating our current lifestyle and physical activity levels is crucial for estimating energy balance in your body. We recommend that you measure the actual physical activity levels during the last 2-3 weeks and work your way to improve those levels.
By workout we mean sessions that last at least 40 minutes and are comprised of exercises that elevate your heartbeat moderately, making you sweat moderately.
All other physical activity that is mild in intensity should be accounted as non-fitness activity, which is great for overall health benefits, but doesn’t really count as workout.
The ideal weight does not exist, though there is a weight range that is recommended for overall health benefits and fitness. We use Creff’s formula to determine the weight by which bodily functions appear to be optimal from this statistical perspective, but feel free to choose your goal weight according to your own desires and body type.
Start by evaluating your weight in the last 5 years – the weight range you have managed to maintain the longest time, with the least amount of effort should be your first goal weight.
Instead of setting an overly ambitious objective, aim for reaching a sequence of gradual objectives instead – it’s a better strategy to stay motivated and to learn to trust yourself better throughout the process.
We strongly advice against adhering to unrealistic beauty standards – the ideal weight should be the one you can maintain with a minimal effort while still enjoying your lifestyle choices, without pressure or guilt associated with occasional food craves that you decide to honor.
Ok, we agree that diet food is not necessarily people’s food fantasy, but we need to state that learning to enjoy eating according to your dietary recommendations is an achievable process outcome.
Start by eliminating those ingredients you absolutely dislike or that are difficult to find with minimal effort. It is easier to organize the shopping list if you effortlessly find everything you need for your diet menu at your local farmers’ market or supermarket. And avoiding those ingredients you dislike, as “healthy” as they might be, is a good start to build your new eating patterns according to your weight goals.
Add natural spices and herbs for increased palatability. If you’re used to highly processed foods, allow yourself 3 weeks to adjust your taste buds to the lower taste intensity that natural products offer. Remember, processed foods are engineered to offer high taste intensity, so be patient. In 3-4 weeks you can start appreciating natural ingredients for their more subtle flavor and texture.
When in doubt, ask your nutritionist for guidance on how to prepare diet food that’s tasty yet still follows dietary recommendations. We’re here to help and we love simple, tasty recipes. We promise you we won’t make you spend hours in the kitchen.
You may have read that low carb diets work faster, or the Mediterranean diet is healthier…. truth is that when measured for long term efficiency (>12 months intervals), ALL diets perform exactly similarly.
Our recommendation is to go for those diet plans that are closest to your natural eating pattern – are you a carb lover? Avoid low carb diets to reduce food cravings that can become frustrating, to say the least. Do you love meat and animal products? Avoid vegan meal plans.
It’s easier to stick to a meal plan that you don’t have to force yourself to eat, remember that the diet should fit YOU, not vice versa.
We always encourage our members to contact and discuss the suitable menus according to their food preferences with our nutritionists, in order to build sustainable eating patterns that are equally efficient and pleasant.
When it comes to weight loss, the “losing” part of the process is always the easier one to manage. Most people report finding difficulty in maintaining long term results and the lifestyle changes necessary for weight management.
While the mechanism that seem to favor relapse after weight loss is not entirely clear nor completely understood, some things are already known and here’s how you can be proactive about them.
Weight loss reduces your metabolism by a variable percentage. To counteract this consequence, the best solution is to focus on becoming more active, daily. Increase walking minutes, outdoor recreative activities, improve your fitness levels by participating in various workout programs, reduce screen time. These measures are proven techniques to “activate” your metabolism and will improve your chances for long term success.
Weight loss increases your appetite perception and food cravings. Being mindful of this reality means to accept the fact that portion control should guide your food choices even after you will have achieved your desired weight goal. It’s ok to enjoy your favorite food treats in moderation, while keeping an eye on overall energy intake, for long term weight success. The good news is that after the first 3 months most cravers get a clear image of what recommended portion size is for various foods without needing to use the food scale every time.
Sleep and stress have a great influence on our relationship with food. Prioritize good sleep and stress management routines as part of your everyday lifestyle to maximize emotional resilience and thus maximize your long-term success.
Your hormones matter, a lot. Aging and hormonal imbalances are crucial to lifestyle management, so we encourage you to address those aspects with your doctor. Eating according to your weight goal is important and improving fitness levels as well as overall physical activity will improve your chances to effectively manage lifestyle changes, but you should also consult with your doctor regarding menopause, PCOS, thyroid imbalances and all hormone-related problems. Our app is not meant for medical advice, and we encourage our members to seek proper medical advice whenever needed.
Ditch “diet culture” – most people completely overestimate what they can achieve on short term, drastic interventions and grossly underestimate the long-term achievements of moderate programs. Motivation is important, but it should not be mistaken for rigid behavior and severe restrictions. Most current diets aim for a drastic reduction of energy intake, for short periods of time, followed by inevitable relapse and weight gain. Break the restrict – indulge cycle by forging a lifestyle that accommodates both your food craves and dietary requirements.
Perfectionism is associated with a rigid and artificial behavior, that is unrealistic for long term intervals. Simply put, nobody can be (nor should aim to be) perfect the whole time. Our behavior and aspirations should remain authentic, empowering, and pleasant, and this accounts for cultivating a learning, progressing mindset, rather than a perfectionistic approach.
As perfection means falling under some external standards and doing things for what they look like, a learning mindset means growing into authentic behaviors, understanding what works FOR YOU and how YOU feel living the process.
Aim to gradually improve fitness levels with workouts you enjoy, discover new recipes and lifestyle changes that feel good and interesting for you, discover your new, authentic self, according to your objectives and feel free to adjust your objectives to best fit your overall wellbeing.
Nutrition plans should be compatible with your lifestyle, not the other way around. Family dinners, festive occasions and other events can and should be incorporated in weight management programs and restricting your social life for diet purposes is not something we promote nor believe in.
The most efficient way to manage these special occasions is to contact your nutritionist and work with them a dietary approach that best serves your lifestyle and weight goals, in a flexible, personalized approach.
Crave is a software nutrition generator with a human heart, as we like to put it. We use technology to create nutritionally optimized food combinations and our nutritionists help adapt those menus for long-term success.
We rely on our members to cultivate a sustainable mindset and we promote consistency as the key to long-term success.
Moderate, long term lifestyle interventions offer way better results than intense bursts of effort that only offer short-term, drastic changes in the lifestyle pattern, followed by violent relapses of sedentarism and overeating.
The best way to learn how to change your lifestyle is when you’re doing it with your closed ones.
In the nutrition world we often say that obesity runs in families, and by that we mean that people tend to perpetuate in the close group of dear ones (family and close friends) their behaviors, good or bad. Mentoring close ones to improve their lifestyle helps you better understand what the effective changes are and how to manage them, as well as helps them feel less discouraged to embark on the journey.
When entire groups are following similar dietary patterns helps everyone maintain motivation and reduces cooking time and budget, as well as food waste.
Belonging to a group of like-minded people improves motivation and process results, as supportive communities offer better chances for lifestyle interventions.
So, bring your close ones and inspire them to manage their lifestyle according to your goals.
We all have lows in our motivation, energy levels and desire to put in the effort. We know that from our own journeys and form working with thousands of members. It’s ok to change your mind, sometimes you may need a break from your meal plan, or you may need some days to just reconsider your objectives.
Remember, your process should fit YOU. We encourage you to discuss especially these lows with your nutritionist, to find a way to manage these intervals in a way that is beneficial to you, guilt free and empowering for YOU. We’re here to support you and to help you better understand your impulses and objectives.
HEALTHY EATING
MADE PERSONAL.
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