Top 10 Nutrition Tips for Weight Loss (Practical Advice for Chattanooga Locals)

Looking for realistic, doable nutrition tips that actually help with fat loss — without giving up everything you love? As a nutrition coach in Chattanooga who helps clients shift from feeling stuck to finally seeing results, I’ve put together 10 powerful tips you can actually follow — starting today.

These are the same strategies I teach my clients to lose fat, feel strong, and keep the results.

Your Plan Has to Work for You

One thing that I often hear from new clients is, “This is easier than I thought it would be.” You see, your nutrition plan needs to work for you. There is nothing inherently wrong with 75 Hard, Keto, and Whole 30—but they’re pretty strict challenges/plans. You can achieve results, but it’s hard to keep up with these plans long-term.

That’s why I focus on nutrition plans that are effective and sustainable. If your fat loss plan is too strict and leaves you feeling hungry, tired, and desperate for it to be over, it’s not the right plan for you. Plain and simple.

Not sure where to start with knowing what’s right for you and your body? Let me do a free personalized nutrition assessment for you. Just fill out this application and I will get you set up.

Focus on Protein

When I begin working with new clients, the first thing we typically address is incorporating more protein into their diet. Protein keeps you full, supports muscle, and makes fat loss easier. If you’re not sure where to start, begin by making sure that each meal has 30+ grams of protein. This will help you to feel satiated, maintain muscle mass, and feel good while achieving your fat loss goals.

Stop Undereating During the Week

Many women looking to achieve fat loss goals actually need to eat more. WHAT?! How could that be true?

You see, many women who are trying to lose weight will eat as little as they can during the week. They’ll survive off of black coffee for breakfast, a salad for lunch, and a small portion of whatever dinner they’ve prepped for their family. They don’t feel great, but they’ve convinced themselves that this is what is needed in order to lose weight. Then come the weekend they find themselves eating out multiple times, having a few glasses of wine, and snacking. This cycle keeps them at their current weight or slowly gaining weight over time.

There is a better way.

When you eat more during the week and aim to give your body a consistent amount of food all week long, you’ll find that you’re full, have more energy, and can achieve your fat loss goals.

Not sure how much you should be eating? Let me give you personalized guidance for free. Start by filling out this application for a free nutrition review.

Prep Ingredients, Not Meals

We’ve all seen the Instagram influencers that show you how to prepare beautiful meals for the week using their recipes. I don’t know about you, but I get overwhelmed thinking about prepping breakfast, lunches, and dinners for the entire week. You may be able to keep up meal prepping for a week or two, but that routine will likely not be sustainable long-term.

So what’s a girl to do?

I encourage my clients to do ingredient prepping instead. For ingredient prepping, you prepare a couple of protein sources (think: chicken breast, ground turkey, shrimp, etc), veggies, and carb sources for the week. You can then mix and match these during the week to make meals that you and your family love.

Struggling with finding time to prepare meals? Click here to learn about restaurants and meal prep services in Chattanooga that will prep meals that help you hit your goals.

Move More Throughout the Day

You don’t have to be a cardio queen to lose weight. One of the easiest, high-impact changes? Walk more. Increasing your daily step count accelerates fat loss, improves mood, and helps regulate emotions. My clients often share with me that their walks become one of their favorite parts of the day.

So what should your step goal be? First take a look at where you’re starting from. If you’re currently getting 2,000 steps a day, start with aiming for 3,500. Once you are consistently able to crush this goal, increase it by 1,000-1,500.

Stay in the Work (Even When Motivation Fades)

You won’t feel motivated every day — and that’s okay. The key is staying in the work. My clients check in weekly not just to track progress, but to stay focused. Accountability is what keeps momentum going.

Want to learn more about the coaching process? Read more here.

Eat with Intention

Our bodies are incredible and they are designed to give us feedback while we are eating. Leaving a family dinner or a date night out uncomfortably full is super common, but it’s not enjoyable. I teach my clients how to listen to their hunger cues, eat mindfully, and eat intentionally even when they’re not tracking their food.

If you’re not sure where to start with learning to listen to your body while eating, do this: Commit to putting away your phone/the TV while eating for the next week. Set down your fork between bites and pay attention to the taste and texture of the food. While you’re eating, check in with your body to see where you’re at on this hunger scale.

Image Credit: sarahraedn.com

Handle Emotional Eating by Regulating

For so many women, food becomes a tool for emotional regulation. You may find yourself eating when you feel lonely/upset/tired/angry/resentful/etc. Oftentimes your body needs help regulating and food typically is not the most effective tool. So what would help? Your body often needs movement, rest, or connection.

If you’re looking for support in learning how to help your body regulate through difficult circumstances, MOMSET membership is one of the best places to be. Tessa Romero helps women learn how to regulate their bodies so that they can show up as the women they want to be even when hard emotions arise.

Want to check it out? Click here for a 7 day free trial. Learning how to regulate your emotions in effective ways will help you to reach your fat loss goals and keep the weight off.

Cravings Get Easier With Nourishment

Cravings don’t mean you’re weak — they often mean you’re under-fueled. Once you start eating enough protein and overall calories consistently, cravings often get quieter.

Fall in Love with the Process

My most successful clients are the ones that fall in love with the journey. When you fall in love with intentionally fueling your body, eating foods that help you feel good, incorporating more movement into your day, and becoming the strongest version of you—you’ll keep up the habits and rhythms even once you reach your weight loss goal. When you love the journey and continually set new goals to become the healthiest version of you, maintaining your fat loss becomes natural.

Ready to Take the First Step?

If you’re tired of starting over and want a fat loss plan that finally fits your life — I can help. Shoot me a message about what you’re struggling with and what goals you’d like to achieve! I provide 1:1 nutrition coaching that is high support and high accountability. This structure is highly effective (even for women that have never successfully stuck to a plan).

You can also read more about my coaching process here.