Don’t Make These Nutrition Mistakes in 2025
If I have learned anything in my decade of being in the fitness space and my own weight loss journey, it’s that the age-old cliché of "You can't outwork a bad diet" rings true.
I have made more mistakes learning about my nutrition than I can count. It was something I was never taught growing up. I still remember when I learned what a “carbohydrate” actually was.
I’ve built my nutrition knowledge from basically zero to using it as a tool not only to lose 100+ lbs and keep it off, but also to now use it as an integral part of building myself to hit the goals I have.
Maybe you are looking to build some muscle, lose weight, or train for a goal in 2025. If so, you’ve probably seen different “diets” that the internet or your favorite influencer says will get you closer to this goal.
As someone who has had experience with just about every “diet” in the book, I wanted to give my advice on some mistakes I see people making when trying to improve their nutrition.
But before we dive in, let's get one thing straight: there is no “best diet.” There is no one-size-fits-all approach when it comes to nutrition. Different things work for different people, and the number one factor in the success of any sort of diet or nutrition plan is adherence.
Your diet or nutrition plan should be something you can stick to long-term. It’s why diets with extreme restrictions or massive changes all at once have an 80% failure rate.
If your 2025 nutrition plan is not something that is easy to implement, aligns with your current lifestyle, and makes you feel strong and healthy, then I urge you to take a step back and reevaluate why you are looking to make a change in the first place.
Let’s get into it.
1. Diets That Massively Restrict an Entire Macronutrient
If your goal is to lose weight or body fat, one of the worst things you can do is adopt a diet that cuts out an entire macronutrient.
The three main macronutrients are protein, fats, and carbohydrates. Each is needed in our diet to ensure we are hitting adequate overall nutrition and the micronutrients they provide.
We often hear about extremely low-carb or low-fat diets for weight loss. While just cutting out an entire macronutrient can lower overall caloric intake, which may lead to weight loss, the problem is that most people eliminate this food group without ensuring they are still receiving the micronutrients that food group provides. This can lead to deficiencies in the micronutrients our bodies need to effectively function on a day-to-day basis.
If you are looking into a ketogenic, carnivore, or low-fat diet, you must ensure that by eliminating certain food groups, you are replacing the micronutrients they provide from other sources.
Regardless of the foods we choose to eat or not eat, our bodies must still be receiving a well-rounded and balanced profile of these essential micronutrients.
2. Not Prioritizing Protein
Protein is arguably the most important of the macronutrients. It's the basic building block of life. Our bodies use it to build and repair muscle, provide us with energy, and help with hormone and enzyme production.
The current RDA (Recommended Dietary Allowance) for daily protein is 0.8 grams per kilogram (0.36g per pound) of current body weight. This is entirely too low, especially for people who are actively looking to build muscle.
Aim for 0.8–1g per pound of body weight (or ideal body weight if you have more than 50 lbs to lose). This amount of protein is not something that just happens every day; it must be an active choice to prioritize protein in every meal.
If your goal is 150 grams of protein per day, it helped me to divide that by the number of meals I ate in a day. So, if you eat 3 meals a day, aim for 50 grams of protein per meal.
If you are not used to eating this amount of protein, it will be a change you must plan for. No one hits their protein goal by accident.
The easiest source of protein will always be animal protein like chicken, steak, eggs, or ground beef. It’s also the most satiating of the macronutrients, so you will feel fuller faster, which helps avoid overeating.
Regardless of diet or nutrition plan, protein must be a priority. It will help build the muscle we want, provide us with the energy to keep moving, and help us feel fuller, which can prevent us from reaching for calorie-dense, non-nutritious foods.
3. Making Too Many Big Changes at Once
Remember the most important factor in any diet? It’s adherence. The ability to stick with it and make it a part of your identity over the long term.
In the new year, motivation is at an all-time high, and most people try to make sweeping changes in their lives. The problem is that once this motivation fades (usually very quickly), the discipline needed to maintain these changes has not been built yet.
This is why the second Monday in January is called "Quitters Monday"—it’s the day most people fail their New Year's resolutions.
Lasting change comes from small steps taken in the right direction over a long period of time. So, if you are looking to make changes and improve your nutrition, start small and make one change at a time.
Start with one aspect of your diet you want to improve. If you want to eat more protein, start by eating more protein for breakfast. After some time, and once this change has been built into your identity, then make another change.
The goal is to make these changes a part of your new identity. It’s not something you have to do; it’s just something you do.
That is how lasting change is made.
Improving our nutrition isn’t easy, but it is simple. If these diet plans are promising “quick fixes” and feel too good to be true, they probably are. Nutrition should never be looked at as a quick fix or temporary solution. Real change comes from creating better habits that become a part of who we are on a daily basis.
So, if you are looking to make a positive change with your nutrition in 2025, stay away from elimination diets, prioritize your protein, and make small changes slowly, one at a time.
The rest will take care of itself.
Have a great week!
GTY
