People don’t see how many hungry nights you spent fighting off cravings.
They don’t see the mountains of salads you shoveled down.
And yet, nothing’s changing.
When you’re trying to feel confident in your body, it’s so frustrating to put in the work and not see it pay off. This is something we see constantly in our free consultations at TENRA.
And I get it, because I’ve been there too.
Here’s the good news though. After working with a lot of people on their diets, we know exactly where most people go wrong. And it has almost nothing to do with eating more salad.
In this blog, I’m going to walk you through the five diet priorities.
The things that actually move the needle when you’re trying to lose fat and feel better in your body.
I’ll tell you why each one matters and give you some practical tips we use with our clients so this stuff actually fits into a real life.
Before We Dive In…
There’s one thing we need to get out of the way first. And that’s consistency.
No matter how dialed in your plan is, if you only follow it half the time, you can only expect half the results.
Adherence, actually sticking with the plan, is the single most important factor behind all five of these priorities.
Keep that in mind as we go through this.
The Five Diet Priorities
Here’s the list, ranked from most impactful to least:
- Calorie Balance — How much you’re taking in vs. how much your body is using
- Macronutrients — The protein, carbs, and fats that make up what you eat
- Meal Timing — When throughout the day you’re getting your nutrients
- Food Quality — The actual quality and density of the food you’re eating
- Supplements & Hydration — The extras that can help round things out
Now here’s the thing most people don’t realize. These aren’t equal. Not even close.
The top two on this list do the heavy lifting. The bottom ones matter, but they’re not where your focus should be, especially if you haven’t nailed the first couple yet.
1. Calorie Balance
Calorie balance accounts for roughly 50% of your results. Let that sink in for a second.
If you did nothing else right, no perfect meal timing, no supplements, no obsessing over whether your chicken is organic, but you simply ate the right number of calories for your goal, you’d see a lot of progress.
It won’t be perfect progress, but it’ll get you moving in the right direction faster than almost anything else you could do.
So how do we figure out what that number actually is?
We start by finding out what your body burns in a day on its own, that’s called your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).
From there, we adjust based on your activity level, your timeline, and what you’re trying to accomplish.
At TENRA, we use our InBody scanner to get a precise number for each client.
But if you want a solid estimate on your own, this calculator works well: https://www.calculator.net/bmr-calculator.html
Basically, your BMR is the number of calories your body needs just to keep running on a normal day, before you factor in any exercise or extra movement.
Some people call this your “Maintenance Calories.”
Which is how many calories you need to eat to maintain your current weight.
2. Macronutrients
Getting your macronutrient split right can account for roughly 30% of your total results.
So if you combine a solid calorie goal with a good macro breakdown, you’re looking at about 80% of your possible progress from just those two things alone.
That’s why we put so much emphasis on these targets with our clients.
To put it in real terms, say you’re trying to lose 20 lbs.
If you nail your calories and your macros and do nothing else perfectly, you could expect to lose around 16 of those pounds.
Just from those two priorities!
That’s a lot of progress to leave on the table if you’re only focused on eating “clean.”
The big one in your macros is protein.
It’s the building block your body uses to hold onto muscle while you’re losing fat, and it also keeps you fuller longer.
Getting enough of it is one of the first things we work on with every client.
3. Meal Timing
When you eat throughout the day has roughly a 10% impact on your progress.
And no, I’m not talking about the old “don’t eat after 8pm” rule.
That’s not really where the value is.
What actually matters is how spread out your meals are.
If your body is getting a steady flow of nutrients throughout the day, it’s going to use that food more efficiently.
If you’re cramming everything into one meal and then going 18 hours without eating, your body’s just going to have long stretches where it’s running on empty. That’s not ideal.
But here’s the reassuring part, the impact of meal timing is pretty small compared to the first two priorities.
In that same 20 lb example, even if you completely ignored when you eat and just nailed your calories and macros, you could still lose around 18 lbs.
Meal timing isn’t going to make or break your progress. It’s just a nice add-on once the bigger things are in place.
We actually have a couple of our clients currently who practice intermittent fasting.
It’s not our favorite practice by any means, but they enjoy it and it fits their schedule perfectly.
You just need to understand how to do it safely, and know the tradeoffs you are making.
4. Food Quality
Now here’s where it gets interesting, because this is probably the one most people are already focused on.
And it’s actually only responsible for about 5% of your results.
Food quality is about what else you’re getting along with your calories and macros.
Things like vitamins, minerals, fiber, and how well your body can actually digest and use the food.
Chicken breast vs. processed deli meat. Brown rice vs. white rice. These kinds of differences.
And honestly, for body composition, the difference between eating all whole foods and eating a mix of whole and processed foods is pretty small.
You can absolutely see great results without being perfect about this one.
That said, and this is important, food quality matters a lot for your long-term health.
It’s just not the lever that’s going to get you the dramatic change you’re looking for in the near term.
So don’t throw out everything you know about eating well.
Just stop letting it be the only thing you’re focused on while the bigger levers aren’t being pulled.
A good rule of thumb: aim to get about 75-80% of your food from quality sources, lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, whole grains. The rest doesn’t need to be perfect. That’s enough to cover most of what your body needs without driving yourself crazy.
5. Supplements & Hydration
The last piece of the puzzle makes up the final 5%, and it’s a combination of supplements and staying hydrated.
Let’s start with hydration, because you’ve probably heard that one a lot.
The reality is that most people stay pretty well hydrated just by drinking when they’re thirsty.
You don’t need to be counting ounces and timing it out to the minute.
If your urine is a light yellow color, you’re in a good spot. It’s only when you’re consistently seeing dark yellow that you need to pay more attention.
As for supplements, the fitness industry would love for you to think you need a cabinet full of them.
You don’t.
Most supplements on the market do essentially nothing for body composition.
But there are a handful that are actually backed by solid research:
- Creatine is probably the most well-studied supplement out there. It supports muscle strength and recovery, and it’s one we recommend to most of our clients.
- Protein powder (whey is the most effective) is just a convenient way to hit your protein targets. It’s not magic, it’s just protein in an easy-to-use form.
- A basic multivitamin can act as a safety net, especially if you’re eating in a calorie deficit and not getting everything you need from food alone.
- Omega-3 fish oil is worth considering if you’re not eating fatty fish a couple times a week.
That’s really it. You don’t need the latest pre-workout stack or some expensive powder that promises to “melt fat.”
Just nail the basics first, and if you want to add these in later, they can help round things out.
Most people who aren’t seeing results from their diet aren’t doing it because they’re lazy or lack willpower.
It’s because they’ve been putting their energy into the wrong places.
Obsessing over food quality and supplements while ignoring calories and protein is like fine-tuning the radio while the car isn’t even running. The big levers, calorie balance and macronutrients, are where your focus needs to start.
Everything else builds on top of that.
If you start paying attention to just the top two priorities on this list and stay consistent with them, you’re going to see more progress than you probably have in a long time. And you’ll get there without starving yourself or living off rabbit food.
Want Help Getting Started?
If this resonated with you and you want a place to ask questions, get real answers, and actually move forward with your goals come join our Facebook group!
It’s a small community right now, and that’s kind of the point. You get direct access to me to ask about your specific situation whether it’s figuring out your calories, dialing in your macros, or just knowing where to start.
No gatekeeping, no sales pitch. Just straightforward help.
Click here to join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1CoJavVdxM/
We’d love to have you in there!