This is your Monday morning reminder that you have today, tomorrow, and Wednesday to clear your list of to-do's before the greatest sports weekend of the year. March Madness is here! So tighten up your diet the next couple of days, get your work done, and give yourself the bandwidth to sit back, relax, and enjoy the non-stop hoops for a few days. At least that’s where you will find me this week if I am needed - Let’s have ourselves one!

Brain - The Gut & The Brain’s Tumultuous Relationship

This week’s content consumption was heavily diet and nutrition focused. I listened to a couple of podcasts and Youtube videos that discussed the relationship between our guts and our brains. I think it’s a crucial topic to understand. We talk about will power all of the time, and it’s ability to influence our dieting. What we often ignore is the reverse signals of that relationship - AKA, what our gut is sending back to our brain that can influence said will power. Below are two key topics I took notes on through the week:

1. The Gut-Brain Axis

   1. Communication Pathways: Research shows that the gut and brain communicate bidirectionally through various pathways, including the vagus nerve and biochemical signaling. For example, gut microbiota can produce neurotransmitters like serotonin that influence mood and anxiety levels, demonstrating the impact of gut health on mental health.

   2. Impact on Mood and Behavior: Studies have found a correlation between gut health and emotional states. For instance, a review published in the journal Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience highlighted how gut microbiota imbalances are linked to depression, anxiety, and even cognitive function. This suggests that maintaining a healthy gut may improve mental health and reduce emotional eating triggers

2. Emotional Eating 

   1. Psychological Triggers: A study published in the journal Appetite indicated that emotional eating is often triggered by feelings of stress, sadness, or boredom, leading to overeating. Understanding these emotional triggers can help individuals to address their emotional states rather than turning to food for comfort.

   2. Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Evidence from studies supports the effectiveness of CBT in reducing emotional eating. By reshaping the thoughts and beliefs surrounding food and emotions, individuals can develop healthier coping strategies, emphasizing the role of the mind in managing eating behaviors.

   3. Mindfulness and Eating Awareness: Research in the field of mindfulness and eating suggests that mindfulness techniques can significantly reduce emotional eating. A few studies demonstrated that mindfulness practices help increase awareness of hunger and satiety cues, allowing individuals to distinguish between emotional and physical hunger effectively.

Here’s a great TedTalk on the subject if interested: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVYpigbij_c

Body - My Current Diet Template

I love to know the why and the how behind things, but sometimes I also simply want to be told “Eat exactly this - do exactly this - train exactly this way” - etc. I am sure many of you reading tend to think the same way.

Dieting, macronutrients, calories - the gambit - is a science worth understanding, but it still can be extremely confusing, and to some, overwhelming when attempting to put into practice.

Below I have outlined exactly what I am eating as I transition into a mini “cut” for the summer. I don’t want to lose a ton of weight, but I do want to get a little leaner, maintain all of the muscle mass put on this winter, and at the end find myself 5 - 10 pounds down to be lighter on my feet for my next race. I am a creature of habit, so any time I enter a cut phase, I like to identify some repeatable meals that take my mind out of the equation.

Meal prepping is an essential tool to losing weight. Your will power to control your calories simply is not enough. With that in mind, I like to eat the same, or similar, breakfast and lunch every day, focused around high-volume, high-protein, low-calorie meals. Dinner can then leave some room for flexibility, while I will plan 1 - 2 cheat meals a week to keep things fresh. Below is what my current protocol looks like, with some tips for prepping:

Macro Focus: 2400 Calories - 200g+ of Protein (Not particularly focused on carbs or fats)

• Breakfast:

  • Sweet Potato Breakfast Bowl: 73G Protein - 565 Calories

  • 1 Large Sweet Potato, 3 eggs, 4 ounces of Egg Whites, 4.5 Ounces of Ground Turkey

    • Cooking Tips:

      • I like to make a bed of sweet potatoes to lay under the eggs and ground turkey. The best way I have found is to dice the potato up into small cubes, spray with olive oil spray, add salt and pepper, then air fry on 400 degrees for 20 minutes, shaking halfway through. I never get tired of these

      • I will typically cook 2 pounds of ground turkey at a time and have it in a container to be prepped for the week

      • I am not a fan of day old eggs, so I do cook those fresh every morning. You could also prep a couple days worth of potatoes if you like

• Lunch:

  • Chicken & Rice (Old Trusty) - 58g Protein - 498 Calories

    • 1 Cup of Jasmine Rice, 8 oz of Chicken Breast, 1 cup of vegetables

      • Cooking Tips:

        • I prep all of my rice in an InstaPot. I cook 5 cups at a time, and divide them into containers. It is so simple. Rinse the rice, add water in the pot, and click the button. Come back in 25 minutes to fresh rice

        • For the chicken, if prepping for the whole week, I will cube it up, and then bake in the oven for 450 for 18 minutes. Do not be afraid to season the SHIT out of these. Chicken and rice can get old. Switch up the flavor each week

        • Steamable bags of veggies - sure there are better options, but I am looking for EASY. It doesn’t get easier

I love these two meals because it’s easy to change the spices and low-calorie sauces to keep it fresh. They also guarantee I get started with 131g of protein every day, and still have 1300 calories to play with, even though I am full as hell usually.

1300 calories often gets split into some sort of snack in the evening (Greek yogurt bowl, etc), but leaves plenty of calories to keep dinner fresh - which you married folks can relate to. I am pretty easy to please with food, but I get why Allison wouldn’t want chicken and rice every single meal, where I truly could.

If you are looking to cut, use this template as a starting guide. Remember you need to eat about 500 calories less than you burn each day to lose 1 pound a week. Dial it in so you can hit that deficit more frequently.

Book - The 3-Book Method: One for the Mind, One for the Body, One for the Soul

I used to only read one book at a time. I thought that to get the most out of a read, that I needed to solely dedicate my focus to one title. It’s of course good to focus this way if you are looking to really dive deep on a particular topic, but over the course of the year, it can actually be subtly damaging to your reading habit.

In my experience, this practice put a lot of pressure on my current read. If it wasn’t my favorite book in the world, it became too easy to simply not read at all. Having multiple books in the rotation has removed that pressure, and allows me to incorporate fun reads alongside the self-help, brain improving titles.

I came across the 3-Book Method in a podcast, and although I don’t follow this exact structure for the 3, I think it is a good rubric. Below is the example of my current rotation:

• One For the Mind: This is my personal development book, or one that is mentally stimulating. Biographies tend to fall in this bucket for me too.

  • Current Read: 48 Laws of Power by Robert Greene (Second read)

• One for the Body: This is simply some sort of short, daily-devotional style book that provides some positive mindset insights to set the tone for the day

  • Current Read: The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holliday 

    • Allison is reading "Pivot Year” by Brianna Wiest

• One for the Soul: This is the fun read, which for me, is typically a fantasy book, but can also be sports related

  • Current Read: Wind & Truth (Stormlight Archive Book 5) by Brandon Sanderson

I have a goal to read 36 books this year. This pacing is a key tool to help me get there.