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Hey team, welcome to week three. So we've covered a lot of ground in the first two weeks. We've talked about your metabolism, how it works, what drives it, and why building it up matters so much more than trying to shrink it down. We've talked about movement, the right type of exercise, why less is sometimes more, and why strength training is the single most important investment you can make for your body as you age. And this week we're bringing in the third pillar, and actually it's the one that changes everything. This week we're going to chat about food, about nourishment, about understanding what your body actually needs and why giving it is one of the most powerful things that you can do for yourself. So let's get into it. So for your health track this week, we're looking at macronutrients, what they are, why they matter, and how to start building meals that work for your body rather than against it. So your health track lesson is in the app, so make sure you jump into that where you'll have everything laid out clearly and you'll be able to refer back to it across the program. You'll also find some handy resources in your booklet and saved in the resources folder. Some of the ones this week might even be handy to pop up on the fridge so that you can start to really bring what you're learning into the kitchen. But before we get into the science, let's address the elephant in the room, and that is what actually stops us from applying the knowledge we already have? Because here's the thing, we all know how to eat healthy. At some level, we already know, right? Vegetables, protein, whole foods, water, we know this. So why is it hard? That question is actually at the heart of everything we do at Legacy, and it's something I understand personally, not just as a coach, but from my own experience. So some of you may already know, in 2019 I competed in a bodybuilding competition. And even leading up to that, I look back now and I can see how I'd had a very controlling relationship with food because I was always trying to be the best role model that I could be as a trainer, and I felt that that meant I had to present in a certain way, which caused me to have to restrict food in certain ways that weren't necessarily healthy, under eating calories significantly in order to achieve that body composition that I needed to step on stage. And what that did was actually really cause some uh havoc in my gut health. And what followed was a lot of mental health challenges that suffered, and a lot of people don't realize, but that gut microbiome connection with your brain is really um significant, and when that gut microbiome gets disturbed due to foods that we're eating that just aren't in alignment with what the body really truly needs, it can cause you to have all sorts of trouble with your gut health, and then your mental health will also suffer. I eventually came to understand that what my body was simply needing, it just wasn't getting. And because I'd spent so much time restricting my calories and only eating certain foods, I was a really out of balance. Um the turning point for me was learning to rebuild it slowly and to trust myself again to add more colour back into my plate, to add more carbs, more variety, more real food, um, more nourishment. And over time, not overnight, but over about the course of six months to a year, my body started to respond and my energy came back, and I wasn't thinking about food all the time. I allowed myself to eat to my appetite and I started to trust my relationship with food. And I then started to really crave the nutritious food. The more colour and variety and protein sources that were on my plate, the more I began to love food again, and not from a place of constantly thinking about it, but just um probably less emotional about what I was eating, less controlling about what I was eating, and just more free to make choices on the go. And while I understand that when you're doing a 12-week challenge, you're actually trying to learn some new habits and behaviors. So right now it might feel like it's a little controlling and that you're having to think about things a lot, but over time our goal is that you will feel more in line with your habits and more intuitive with your eating. So the goal really becomes that your habits start to be the thing that we rely on to create an environment where you have access to good food. And when we're eating good nourishing food, more often than not, our body comes back into balance and we're not thinking about food all the time and we're not experiencing the cravings as much. And therefore, we're not going into that binge restrict cycle because we're feeling we're feeling good in our body, um, and those cravings have dropped away. So that's really what this program is all about. It's about empowering you to think about uh nourishment rather than restriction, and it's why I coach the way that I do, um, because I don't want anyone to ever go through that poor relationship with food. And if you do find that you know you are triggered by some of the ways that we are asking you to be accountable, then always speak up because there's always another way to work together and for me to coach you. Um and I think it's just really important to remember that uh that these tools that we're using while you're learning and educating and uh challenging yourself to create these new habits, they're not going to necessarily be required forever. They are just tools. So taking photos of your food, um using MyFitnessPal, monitoring your macros, your calories. It's an education process which is aimed at empowering you with the knowledge so that you've got it for life, but also so that you know how to bring yourself back into balance when you need it with the tools, and then you let the tools go. The idea is that we create a stage where your body is in homeostasis and you're balanced, and you can actually rely on your habits to create that environment where you're constantly getting a good amount of protein, fibre, vegetables, and therefore when you're balanced and in homeostasis and at your optimal weight, you you won't be thinking about food all the time, and you can let go of some of those tools. And actually trust your body's signals and trust your hunger and fullness cues, which in turn then allows you to rely on your intuitive eating because you've got a healthy relationship with food and a healthy relationship with your body, you're not being overly controlling, and that allows you to for life be able to maintain your weight and have optimal health and be in control when it comes to your nutrition. Which ultimately is what we all want, right? We want to feel empowered with our nutrition, we want to know that what we're eating is supporting our life goals, but also our training goals, and so that we can feel the best we can possibly feel in our skin and make the most of the life we have. Okay, so let's get into it. With all that in mind, let's start chatting about what those macronutrients are. What is it that your body needs in order to be at optimal health and wellness? Protein, carbohydrates, and fat. And none of these are the enemy, none of them are things we need to avoid or fear. They're all information that your body runs on every day. And when you get the balance right, consistently over time, your body will reward you for it. So let's start with protein because if there's one macro we really want to get right, it's this one. Protein is essential for growth, muscle repair, cell generation, and immune function. It's the building block of everything. Your skin, your blood, your bones, your cartilage. And unlike carbohydrates, which have uh the ability to be stored in the body, protein isn't stored in the same way. Which means your body needs a fresh supply at every meal. And another really interesting fact about protein is that it's thermogenic, meaning your body actually uses energy to break it down. Around 30% of the calories in protein are actually used in the process of digesting it. So one gram of protein technically provides four calories. But when we consider the thermic effect of food, the process of breaking it down, your body only nets around 2.6 calories. So that makes protein one of the smartest investments you can make when it comes to calories and your body composition. Protein also keeps us fuller for longer. It's slower to digest than carbs or fat, which means it has better satiety, fewer cravings later in the day, and a much easier time making good choices at three in the afternoon when the wheels usually fall off. So, how much protein do we actually need? We recommend that you aim for 1.5 to 2 grams of protein per kilogram of lean body mass per day. And your coach will help you with that. But in practical terms, it's around 25 to 35 grams at your main meals and around 10 to 20 grams at your snacks. A really great starting point for most women is aiming for at least 100 grams a day and then building up from there based on your personal requirements. So your health track lesson has a table of protein sources and the amounts to make this easy. So if you're not quite sure where to start, make sure you check out that protein table in your health track lesson. It's also in your reference book, and you'll also find it in the resources. And here's another hot little tip that'll make it much easier than it used to be when it comes to knowing what how much protein is in your meals. Uh, there are some brilliant AI tools available to help you with this now, where they can estimate the protein in a meal in just seconds. Things like Claude, ChatGPT, Google Gemini, they're all great options and they're all free to use. Just describe your meal in as much detail as you can, the protein source, roughly how you cooked it, how much, and ask it to estimate the protein content. Just remember that the more detail you give it, the more accurate the answer. It's genuinely a really useful tool for building awareness without having to weigh and measure everything at the beginning. Okay, now let's move on to carbohydrates because there's so much confusion and fear around carbs, and I really want to help clear this up. So, carbohydrates are your body's preferred fuel source. Your brain actually runs on carbs, it runs on glucose. Your muscles run on glycogen, which also comes from carbs. If you ever felt a little foggy, flat, exhausted on a low carb diet, that's your body telling you that it's running on empty. So it's really important to remember that carbs are not the enemy. They do not make you gain fat. Excess calories make you gain fat. The research is really clear on this. When protein intake and calories are matched, there is no meaningful difference in body composition outcomes between higher carb and higher fat approaches. What matters is the total picture, how many calories you're consuming, how much protein you're consuming. What does matter with carbs is the type and the timing. When we are looking at carbohydrates in this program, we split it into two broad categories: high energy carbs, low energy carbs. Low energy carbs are your vegetables, most fruits, legumes, lentils. They are the nutrient dense, fibre-rich, and they are very hard to overeat. These should make up the majority of your carbohydrate intake across the day. Aim to fill up at least half your plate with these at every meal. And the more colour and variety across the week, the better you will feel for it. So high energy carbs are breads, pastas, rice, oats, potato, banana, and they're not necessarily off-limits, but they are more energy dense. The smart time to eat them is in the hour or two around your training sessions when your muscles are primed to use that fuel for recovery and repair rather than storing it. So outside of training, try leaning more towards lower energy carb options, and that will naturally keep your overall energy intake in a good place without even having to count anything. So make sure you have a good look at know your carbohydrates sheet from your booklet and from the resources as it lays it all out nice and clearly there. And then, of course, there's fat. And a lot of people don't realize that fat is actually really essential, and we should never be dipping below 40 grams of fat for a woman every day. Fat is important for hormone production, for brain health, cellular function, and it's actually required to absorb some of the fat-soluble vitamins from our diet. So we absolutely need it. But it's also important to remember that fat has a higher energy density than any of the other macronutrients. So there's actually nine calories that come from a gram of fat compared to four calories that come from a gram of protein and a gram of carbohydrate. So it's really easy to consume more fat than we need without even realizing it. So the goal isn't to avoid fat, but it is to be mindful of it and to prioritize the healthy fat sources: oily fish, avocado, olive oil, nuts and seeds, flax seeds. And when you're building a meal, lead with your protein and your vegetables first, and then add fat in smarter but smaller supporting amounts rather than touch quickly on fiber. Um, fiber is found in all fruits and vegetables and whole grains, and it's really the unsung hero of gut health. It's so important for digestion, it's really important for cholesterol management because fiber will draw cholesterol out of the bowels, out of the blood. It's also really important for fat loss because it allows our stomach to be full of fiber-rich food, which is slow to digest and keeps us fuller for longer. It balances our blood sugar. So, as uh a fat loss tool, fiber is really important. We should be aiming for around 30 to 40 grams a day, and the easiest way to get there is to eat a variety of plant foods. Think rainbows on the on your plate, as many colours as you can, dark leafy greens, oranges, reds, purples. The more colour on your plate, the more your body is getting everything it needs to thrive. So to finish off on our health track for today, just remember it's not a complicated system, it's not a set of rules, it's just learning to nourish yourself in a way that your body will benefit from, and to do that consistently and enjoyably for the long haul. So let's shift gears for a second and move into our mindset track for this week. And this one sits really close to everything else we've talked about as well, because understanding what you eat is one thing, but how we feel about food, the emotions, the stories, the patterns that we've built up over decades, that's what actually drives what ends up on our plate. And that's what your mindset lesson this week is all about. Desire, deprivation, and discomfort. Three powerful triggers that show up for almost every woman who's ever tried to change the way that she eats. And it's important to note that we have a complicated relationship with food. We all do. We don't just eat for food, we eat for comfort, for connection, for celebration, sometimes even stress relief. And there's really nothing wrong with that. Food is one of life's great joys and it should be celebrated. The problem only comes when those patterns start working against us in ways that we can't seem to interrupt. Here's what I see happen over and over again, and I have experienced it myself. Women decide they want to change, they set a goal, they're all motivated, they start eating well, and within a few days or weeks, they're white knuckling it, they're feeling deprived, they're fighting cravings, they're avoiding sugar, they're cutting out fat, they might even be avoiding carbs. And while all of that's happening, they're starting to get more and more resentful and even exhausted, and they're waiting for that moment when they can just go back to normal. And this is really honestly what we don't want to build here. So the difference between that experience and what we're aiming for you to do in this program is this restriction creates deprivation, nourishment creates abundance. It's a different mindset. When you're eating enough protein, enough vegetables, enough real food, you are genuinely full, you are genuinely satisfied. The cravings quite in, not because you're fighting them, but because your body is actually getting what it needs. Discomfort will still show up. Learning a new habit, shopping differently, cooking differently, planning ahead. That's all a bit of a stretch at first. So, you know, some level of discomfort is part of growth. And here's what I want you to remember that Rome wasn't built in a day, and neither is a healthy relationship with food. Every time you choose nourishment over restriction, you're laying down another brick. It doesn't always feel like progress in the moment, but it is. It really is. So remember, when discomfort hits, come back to your why. The one that we worked on in your worksheet. That is exactly what it's there for, to help give you leverage to push you through that discomfort to keep going. Now let's bring this all together with your action track for this week. Three things on your action track for the week, and they are a direct flow-on from everything we've just covered. First, start paying attention to protein at every meal. Doesn't have to be obsessively, just noticing. Does this meal have a good protein source and roughly how much? That awareness alone will start to shift things. Use your health trick lesson, know your proteins booklet, the sheet in the booklet, uh, all the AI tools that we've mentioned, describe your meal and ask AI to help you estimate and keep going with your food diary. Whether you're taking photos or using pen and paper or even My Fitness Bell, just keep recording. Consistency over time is where the real insight starts to come from. And it also gives your coach something to work with. Secondly, let's colour your plate with rainbows. This week, let's see how many different colours, fruits and vegetables you can include across the day. So when we're looking at your food diary, we're seeing rainbows across your week. And it's it's a really good enlightening way for you to look back through your photos and see how much colour and variety was there. Maybe you want to try a different vegetable this week. Try something new, or try a different way of cooking if you've never steamed, try steaming if you've never baked or roasted your vegetables. Try baking or roasting, try sauteing. So the more diversity in the different micronutrients within your vegetables, the more diverse your microbiome will be. And that has a flow-on effect for your mental health. So remember the work you're doing is helping you physically but also mentally and emotionally. Third, your journaling prompt for this week's journaling prompt for this week is to sit with this question and write honestly. What stories do you tell yourself around food? Now, not what you think you should say, what do you actually believe? Things like I have no willpower, I'm an emotional eater, I always mess up on the weekends, I can't help myself around certain foods. Write them down, all of them. Because once they're on paper, they stop being facts and they start being thoughts. And thoughts, as we've talked about last week, can be changed. Bring this to your check-in next week. Share it with your coach. That's exactly the conversation that we want to be having with you. What have you picked up? What have you learned about yourself? So that's a wrap for week three. You made it. Well done. Three weeks of showing up, three weeks of building, the foundation is being laid. Even if it doesn't feel dramatic right now, just know that it is and it's working. So keep nourishing yourself this week and get to your workouts. I'll see you in the gym and I'll see you at our next lesson.