Worried About Holiday Weight? Don’t! Just Do This One Thing…

Education, Lifestyle, Uncategorized · November 18, 2016

For a lot of people, the holidays seem to be a pitfall of bad foods, too many drinks and no time to workout. So it’s not a surprise that people start saying that “it’s bulking season” or that they are ready to put on the holiday weight. If you are someone who has conceded to let this happen and dread the long road back, there is no cause for alarm. If you are someone who stresses out and still tries to stay on diet and in the gym, there is a little relief coming your way.

While you might be making a mental list of all of the things you need to do to stay healthy, eat well and stay active, there is an easier way. Instead of ramping up, try focusing on one thing.

Getting enough sleep.

Does that seem to easy? Well maybe because it is. Sleep might be the single more important key to you staying on track during the holidays. When we are sleep deprived a plethora of issues arise and even our best efforts to eat well and work out might be in futile.

Why is sleep so important?

Sleep regulates our hormones which in turn regulate nearly every essential function of our bodies. There are several that directly pertain to weight loss. Knowing the damaging effects from not getting enough sleep, might just be what you need to help you stay on track.

1. Sleep regulates the production of Human Growth Hormone – Your body produces the most HGH at night during your sleep cycle. Studies show that shortened periods of sleep are inefficient in allowing the body to produce HGH. [1] Human Growth Hormone plays a significant role in the utilization of fat in the body.[2] For people who do not get enough sleep, the process is interrupted in the body and fat may not be utilized at an efficient rate.
2. Sleep deprivation disrupts the balance of hormones released into the body [3] – Some of these hormones are extremely important to weight management. The hormones Leptin and Ghrelin are both responsible for inciting and controlling hunger, appetite. [4] An imbalance in these hormones can lead to overeating because your body is not getting the correct signals for when you are full. Even worse your body can be getting signals that you are hungry when you truly are not. Both of these can lead to overeating.
3. Loss of sleep can lead to an increase in your stress – sleep deprivation leads to higher levels of cortisol the following morning. [5] Cortisol has negative effects in the body in both metabolic and cognitive functions of the body. That means not only does it affect how you metabolize the foods you eat and the fat you store, it also leads to added mental stress. And if you’re a srtess eater, this can be a double whammy.

So let’s recap.

Less sleep = lessened ability to repair your body and use fat efficiently.

Lack of sleep = unbalanced hormones and uncontrolled hunger and cravings.

Inefficient sleep = stress on the body, metabolism and brain which can lead to weight gain.

So before you worry about avoiding the holiday cookie table, you should be working on getting a good quality, full nights sleep. Then you don’t have to fear the holidays. You’ll be better equipped to portion control, stop eating when you’re full and be able to burn off calories more efficiently. With adequate sleep, even the best efforts around the table and at the gym may be in vain if your body can’t utilize all the hard work you’re doing.

Do you self a favor and stop dreading the holidays and your waistline, and start looking forward to getting enough ZZZs!

[P.S. If you can get to work on time, you can get to bed on time. Set your alarm at night to start winding down and getting to sleep. It’s THAT important. Make it a priority and you’ll find a considerable increase in the quality of your health.]

 

What I Learned When I Stepped Off the Scale for 30 Days

Education, Lifestyle, Uncategorized · November 15, 2016

What did I learn in the 30 days when I stepped off the scale?

That’s a great question. And even though I thought I found the answers as I was going, I found the most important answer when I stepped back on.

1. I stopped dreading the morning routine of getting undressed and on the scale. (Am I the only person who weighs themselves naked?)

2. I was addicted to weighing myself. I did it every day and would worry if I forgot.

3. I was obsessed with the number on the scale. I set a number that I thought I should be at, and despite not knowing if it was really best for me, was set on getting there.

The most important thing I learned happened after I stepped back on the scale. I had finally made it the entire 30 days without weighing myself. It forced me to focus on how food was making me feel, how my body was responding to the foods I was eating, and what life decisions were making differences in my goals. The scale wasn’t there as a “victory marker” and I paid closer attention to the choices I was making day to day.

It was only a few weeks, but I started to really see day to day changes based on foods and drinks I was consuming. My clothes felt a little more comfortable. I thought about my weight here and there, but it wasn’t able to ruin my day if I didn’t make the progress I wanted to. But instead of thinking about the number on the scale every single time I ate, I just started thinking “is this making me feel good?”

And then I stepped back on the scale. I don’t know I was expecting, but with how good I felt, and how much bloating I had lost, I assumed I had dropped a significant amount of weight. But I didn’t. And all those good feelings were over powered by the negative thoughts that came flooding back. For the rest of the day, I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I weighed, and how much I thought I should weigh.

I was letting a number determine how I feel, instead of letting how I feel speak for itself.

This has always been the problem between me and the scale. And not everyone has this relationship with the scale. In fact, some people can use the scale to their advantage to gauge what’s working and what’s not and adjust faster. But I do not have that relationship with the scale.

So what now?

Well now knowing how it felt to be free of the scale, I think I will put it away for a few more weeks. I’ll be continuing to eat well and make choices on how I feel, instead of what I think the scale is telling me. I am a healthy weight, and I need to continue building a healthy relationship to that.

I will continue to eat well, and get more meaningful fitness in. And I will use the scale not as a mood marker for the day. Every few weeks I will step back on, because I don’t want to fear it, I want to learn to embrace the numbers where my feelings are and not let the numbers determine what my feelings should be.

Week 3 and 4 with major fail and major victory [Back on the Wagon Part 6]

Education, Lifestyle, Uncategorized · November 1, 2016

Welcome back to the On the Wagon Series. This has been my journey as I get “back on the wagon” after what seems to be almost a year of ups and real downs on my fitness journey.

So last week I almost did a one week recap of week 3 and was all ready to write about how healthy I ate that week. It was Saturday. I was feeling on top of the world. I had made so many good meals, I ate so many great new recipes, and I had avoided fast food.

And then someone mentioned drive through. And at first I resisted, but then, as we drove closer for them to grab food, I began to talk my self down. I could go home and have a smoothie later. I could eat healthy after. So I also go drive through. But then it happened. The guilt. And instead of putting things into perspective, I lost it.

I cried the whole way home. I mean like sobbing, deep chest tightening sadness crying. All over some drive through take out. And I felt humiliated. For crying, for being “such a baby” and for letting myself down and at the same time looking like a lunatic.

And by the time I got home I realized something. It’s not my relationship with food that sabotages me. It’s me endless pursuit of perfection, with no room for error. I make my week a failure on one meal. It’s a slippery hill once I feel like I’ve failed because then I feel like nothing matters after. The week is shot.

So instead of keeping on that slippery slope, I ate the take out. And I forgave myself. And then I had a green smoothie for lunch because I still wanted it.

I started last week the same. I was doing very well. And of course it goes without saying that I had another rough spot this week, one time leaving the store. Cried in the car. But then went home and ate the ice cream and decided that one thing does not determine my whole week.

And my first real victory. I didn’t feel bad about eating ice cream, and I didn’t feel bad about having some pizza and a cocktail. Change starts with forgiving yourself for the mistakes you made before, and allowing yourself to have balance.

And finding balance doesn’t mean I automatically accept every single thing and it’s all of a sudden ok. It’s working through it – and continuing to love myself and working on balance. It’s being so happy with all the choices that make me feel good, but still being ok and learning from the times that I make choices that don’t make me feel well.

The one big victory? After all the small steps I’ve been adopting, including not stepping on the scale…I fit back into pants that were too tight 4 weeks ago. So I don’t know how much weight I’ve lost, or if I lost any at all. But I know this…I’m less bloated, I have better digestion, and I’m learning to love myself. I choose to eat foods because they make me feel good and I know they are good for me – and that makes me happy. And I still eat ice cream. Because I’m finding balance.

So what’s the next step?

I think I’m going to add in drinking tea every single day. That should help with my water consumption as well which I will still be working on this coming week.

So here are the steps so far:

This weeks goals:

Step 1: Set a small achievable goal – eating out only a few times a week [2-3]

Step 2: Step off the scale

Step 3: Dump the bad foods, stock up on the good ones

Step 4: Meal plan and meal prep

Step 5: Drink more water/herbal teas, everyday [including 1 lemon water in the morning]

I decided to just add that to step 5. <– Hydration is something I would like to

Oh and I wanted to share something else. I have stopped calorie tracking and counting. That doesn’t mean I’m not aware of portion sizes. It just means that now, I’m not obsessing and logging 4 oz of grapes and a rice cake. I try to let my stomach tell me when I’m full and I’m still working on loading up on veggies before anything else. I just realized that today, that it’s been almost 3 weeks since I’ve logged calories. [Again, I’m aware of the portion sizing of my meals and know an estimate of what I’m eating – but its not consuming my life like before.]

And I count that, as a MAJOR victory. 🙂

Reflecting on Weeks 1 and 2 [The Wagon – Part 5]

Education, Lifestyle, Uncategorized · October 18, 2016

So here is my review of the first week on the “back on the wagon” model. First lets start here, with a little back ground of why I’m doing it.

And a few of the guidelines I’ve set for myself:

Step 1: Set a small achievable goal – eating out only 1 time a week

Step 2: Step off the scale

Step 3: Dump the bad foods, stock up on the good ones

Step 4: Meal plan and meal prep

So here’s how I did…Number 1: Eat out only 1 time per week: That didn’t happen. I ate take out 3 times week 1. Although it wasn’t just the one time I set up, it’s a lot less than normal so it’s a step in the right direction. Last week (week 2) I was beyond stressed so I ended up eating take out almost every single day.

Here’s how I paid for that: My skin broke out last week, and I was tired and sluggish on top of being stressed. And, to top it all off, I had a recurring stomach ache that seemed days long. That’s what happens when you eat take out like that. So, as for this week…I’ll be avoiding take out – the thought alone makes me cringe. (I will reevaluate how often is realistic for me to eat out as well after this week…1 time might be too drastic of a change.)

Number 2: Step off the scale: I am really proud of myself about this one. I have no stepped on the scale. Not once. In fact the longer I stay off of it, the less I want to be on it. I know that a few weeks from now as I become more grounded in the habits I’m developing and trusting the process.

Number 3: Dump the bad foods, stock up on the good ones. This one I did a lot better on. Week 1 was fantastic with eating in. Week 2 I got the healthy food and then spent a lot of time eating food I bought elsewhere. However, yesterday (the end of week 2) I decided enough was enough with the take out. I was doing myself no favors and had a fridge full of good foods. \

So yesterday I meal prepped in anticipation of week 3. And I feel so good about it. I used all the foods I had left from the week and turned them into about three different meals that should last over three days with leftovers.

That was such a big moment for me. I was feeling like I failed because stress had taken over and I had spent the week making poor food choices. But right at the end I decided I wanted back on track and now have a fridge full of delicious meals waiting for me. In fact, today I ate several meals and spent almost no time cooking. It was so glorious!

Number 4: Meal plan and meal prep: Well that last one answered that. Even though week 1 I did a little of that, and week 2 I didn’t, technically at the end I made a big save by using all my good food and turning it into meals.

I think that as I’m getting back on track, there are going to be missteps. There will be times when I feel too stressed to cook (but not right now cause I got’s meals readddddyyy! lol) and I go get take out. As long as I keep finding myself and pulling myself back to where I want to be, I feel good about growing on this journey.

So what’s next? Well this is day 1 of week 3. I will be sticking to these four goals again this week, and adding one more. And I struggled for a little while deciding on what that was going to be. In fact, I almost was just going to try and do meal prepping and planning as a goal again and try to focus. But after bring myself back around and getting back on track I think I’m ready for another step.

Step 5: Drink more water, every day.

This seems so simple to some people. And occasionally it’s easy for me. For example, summer time I find myself carrying around 2-3 water bottles in my purse and drinking constantly. However, as fall approaches I sometimes will have a big water first thing, and then at dinner time realize I haven’t had another drink since then! NOT GOOD! Just because I’m not feeling hot, doesn’t mean my body doesn’t need hydration.

The temperature here has dropped quite a few degrees in the last two weeks, and I all of sudden find myself leaving my water bottle at the house more. I also noticed my skin in becoming exceptionally dry. Listen to your body! I know I need more water, so that is why it’s my goal number 5.

Also – Just a quick side note – It’s amazing what just 48 hours of eating healthy again and hydrating properly will do to clear your skin. For years I struggled with adult acne, and couldn’t find the right creme, wash or mask. I’ll have to get more into that another time. Until then, enjoy your week 3 as well!

Keep your eyes on the goals. One thing that helps me is writing out the goals and putting them as reminders in my phone. That seriously works!

This weeks goals:

Step 1: Set a small achievable goal – eating out only 1 time a week

Step 2: Step off the scale

Step 3: Dump the bad foods, stock up on the good ones

Step 4: Meal plan and meal prep

Step 5: Drink more water, everyday.

Meal Prep and Meal Planning for the Win [The Wagon – Part 4]

Education, Lifestyle, Uncategorized · October 5, 2016

Welcome back to The Wagon Series. Today’s blog is on step four of meal planning and meal prepping that makes it easy, fast, and helps you stay on track and accomplish your health goals. Check out part 1, 2, and 3 here.

Now that I am a few days into the back on the wagon challenge, I am ready to really start preparing to be successful through being prepared.

One of the reasons I was eating out so much was because when I got busy, I made excuses that I was too tired to make my own food. I also blamed not having enough food, or knowing what to make as reasons not to eat at home.

Two ways to combat that and make sure you’re getting the best nutrition on this journey is to meal plan and meal prep. These will help you not only make sure you have the foods you need to be healthy available, but also that they are easy and fast to make or just grab and go when you need them.

Meal Planning

This one might seem simple, but for me it has not always been that simple. I started my health/wellness/fitness journey by just going to the store and wandering around grabbing what every spoke to me that day. Well let me tell you, that’s the fastest way to end up with 3X the grocery bill and a fridge full of potatoes and garlic at the end of the week with nothing else to pair them with.

You don’t have to plan out 7 days of elaborate dinners to be meal planning. Simply picking a few big meals to make that can be made into left over meals is a good place to start. Then pick a few “throw together meals” that are easy to make on the fly. Think a chicken breast, steamed veggie and rice. Or a green salad topped with tuna or beans.

Then write out a grocery list of the foods you need for the recipes and throw together meals. For two people, I can usually get away with four recipes a week and the rest being throw together meals. I also count oatmeal, smoothies, and all salads as throw together meals. You can find plenty of blank grocery lists online to print that you can fill out by department. Another great option to use is a pad of paper that you can take with you, or even just a list in your phone.

Meal Prepping

One of the biggest time savers I have found is making large batches of the carbohydrates and proteins at the beginning of the week, or right after you shop. Finding just an hour or so will really save you time. For example if you have beans, rice, and potatoes on the menu then use one whole hour to cook it all at once in the oven, in the slow cooker, or even the pressure (rice cooker) cooker.

The same goes with proteins like meat and beans. I have gotten in the habit of baking them all off or cooking on the stove with their seasonings and then packing it all up separate so they are just easy to grab and reward.

You can do the same for veggies or fruit that you need to do prep work on to eat. Put aside some time during you meal prep to chop, shave, dice, or cube and place in tupperware to grab and go later.

This saves times during the week when you might be busier and would like to save the prep work time when cooking.

What time saving tips do you have to get your meal planning and prep going for the week? Or are you someone who likes to fly creative all week?

Step 1: Set a small achievable goal – eating out only 1 time a week

Step 2: Step off the scale

Step 3: Dump the bad foods, stock up on the good ones

Step 4: Meal plan and meal prep

For more meal ideas and real health tips join us on Instagram: love.lean.life

Nutrition Reboot [The Wagon – Part 3]

Education, Lifestyle, Uncategorized · October 5, 2016

Welcome to part 3 of the The Wagon series where I log my journey to get back to real health and wellness. Check back for part 1 and part 2 of where I’ve started.

The Third Step

My third step was taking a closer look at my nutrition and creating a starting point of getting it back on track. My first rule of food that I know holds true for me is that if it’s in the house I will eat it.

So toss the majority of the processed foods in your cupboard. That’s the junk, candy, and packaged goods that you know you have no willpower against. Notice that I said majority. I don’t believe that going extreme always works. So for me, I know I won’t eat salads right now without ranch. Partly because I need to work on testing healthy dressings I actually like, and partly because I know I won’t go overboard on the ranch but I still really want it. So keep one or two things around that you know you’ll be able to portion control and not go crazy on, that way you don’t have to feel like you’re giving everything up at once.

Foods that are my Achilles heel

Oreos and tortilla chips are two things I will not bring in the house. I am obsessed with them. I cannot portion control myself when they are in front of me. I keep the ranch and caramel rice cakes because I know I can portion control them, and I love them both so I don’t toss those. Small steps.

You don’t have to get rid of everything

But I did have to get some thing. I went to the store and stocked up on plenty of fruits, veggies, and healthy starches plus spices and other condiments like salsa that I know I would love to eat. Part of being healthy when your fighting cravings is setting yourself up to win by having an abundance of plant based and healthy foods in your house.

So start by tossing the few things that you can’t control yourself around, and save a few that you can. And then go get yourself tons of healthy foods to fill your cupboards so that there are plenty of choices when you are hungry and need to reach for something to eat.

Good starters at the grocery store

Veggies: Asparagus, Lettuce, Tomatoes, Green Beans, Brussel Sprouts, Carrots, Parsnips, Cauliflower, Broccoli, Onion, Garlic, Frozen Veggie Bags with no sauce

Fruit: Berries, Bananas, Oranges, Apples, Pears, Melons, Frozen Fruit no sugar added

Carbohydrates: Potatoes, Rice, Quinoa, Sprouted Grain Products, Lentils, Beans, Oats

Fats; Unrefined Coconut Oil, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Avocado, Nuts

Dairy: Raw Cheese, Greek Yogurt, Almond Milk (not really dairy lol)

Meat: Grass fed Beef, Pastured Chicken and Eggs, Wild Caught Fish

Other: Salt free seasoning, Veggie or Chicken Stock, Liquid Aminos, Yellow Mustard, Vinegar, Salsa, Rice Cakes, Organic Popcorn

These are all just suggestions and how I usually start my lists. If you don’t eat some of this stuff, just stick to what you do. If you feel adventurous, then branch out! It’s up to you, just find the healthy foods you will eat (even if you have only a few you can stand) and work on eating lots of those and trying out some and getting to know how you like to eat them.

What is your weakness when it comes to portion controlling food? Is it the same as mine? Or are you an ice cream and deep friend wings fanatic?

Step 1: Set a small achievable goal – eating out only 1 time a week

Step 2: Step off the scale

Step 3: Dump the bad foods, stock up on the good ones

For more meal ideas and real health tips join us on Instagram: love.lean.life

Getting On the Wagon and Off the Scale [The Wagon – Part 2]

Education, Lifestyle, Uncategorized · October 5, 2016

Welcome back to getting back on the wagon series. This is the second installment of the series and it will be building on the first part where we talk about making your first small change.

Step Two

The second part of my getting back on the wagon journey is to ditch the scale. I wrote about how the scale was able to derail what was two weeks of good healthy choice. I was taken back by the number, and realized it hadn’t budged in the two weeks of eating in, and in turn made me feel like I had accomplished nothing.

I had accomplished something, I had accomplished eating better for two weeks and saving money and learning to cook better. But because I had expectations and they were dashed by the scales, I didn’t feel like it made any difference and fell off the wagon again.

I took a step back and looked at what I was telling myself. I was telling my self the only thing that mattered was the number on the scale.

I wasn’t telling myself good job for staying in a cooking your little heart out.

I wasn’t telling myself good job and two weeks of better digestion and clearing up and looking healthier.

How is the scale holding me back?

I was just telling myself that all that mattered was my weight.

I don’t want to focus on that. I find that I don’t until I step on the scale. So I made the choice to stop derailing myself. I made the choice to step off the scale for some time, while I’m getting back to a healthy, consistent lifestyle again.

Different Relationships with the Scale

Don’t get me wrong, not every single person has a bad relationship with the scale. In fact, there are studies that show stepping on the scale while losing large amounts of weight can help keep you on track, and help you evaluate if what you are doing is working.

But in my case, I have recognized that the scale might actually be hurting me and often make me forget why I started this journey in the first place.

I want real health. 

So until I can stop putting my worth and health into just a number, I have decided to step off the scale.

Evaluating Your Relationship with the Scale

How do you feel when you step on the scale? Is it making you feel good, or bad? Do you feel that a number determines health, and only that determines happiness?

Let me know in the comments if you have the same problem with the scale and if you have anything in your life that makes you feel like that.

Step 1: Set a small achievable goal – eating out only 1 time a week

Step 2: Step off the scale

For more meal ideas and real health tips join us on Instagram: love.lean.life

When You’ve Fallen Off the Wagon [The Wagon Part 1]

Education, Lifestyle, Uncategorized · October 4, 2016

I have to admit, I’ve fallen off the wagon this year, and tried to get back on. I got frustrated, gave up all together and then tried to recoup, all while feeling like I went too far backwards to ever get back to where I want to be.

To be honest. That isn’t a real fear to have. You can do anything you want to, including get back on the wagon. AND, what you always need to remember, is that no matter where you are in your health journey, its never too bad to go back to getting healthy. Even if it feels that way sometimes.

So let’s start by saying when I was trying to get back on the wagon I was going to extremes. I wanted to get back to the happy place I was where I had a good relationship with food and exercise. I thought the only way to get back back on track was to hold myself to the highest standard I know I am capable of, without going slowly.

You can imagine why that didn’t work.

And every time I couldn’t be uphold my perfect standard I had in my head, I kept telling myself I didn’t want it enough. Or I was being weak. And instead of going slow I pushed harder. I have gained a lot of weight. Some muscle, some unneeded fat, but all with a lot of stress added.

So I decided two weeks ago to slow down.

I’m not going to lose all the weight I want to in a few days, I’m not going to feel my tip top in a week, I am not going to push myself to the limit and get injured because I used to be able to do something.

The First Step

Two weeks ago I decided to take one step. And that step was to eat take out less or at restaurants less. I average about 5-6 meals a week out. I cut that down to about 1-2. And just that small change made a huge difference.

The Set Back

Every where but the scale.

So instead of being happy for all the good feelings I was having from eating less take out, I was focused on the fact that I didn’t lose any weight. And of course when I went on vacation I left with the who cares mentality and ate everything that was processed, even though there were better options available. I gave into the hopeless mentality over a few (not lost) pounds. And it made me realize that my feelings were tied to a number. A number that means nothing compared to my real health and fitness goals.

Maybe you’re not going through the exact same thing, but maybe you’ve fallen off the journey you started for other reasons. And have other mental road blocks holding you back from getting back to being happy and healthy. It doesn’t matter what they are, it just matters that right now you tell yourself, those things are just that…blocks. And one block at a time you are going to get over them.

Starting with My One Small Step Again

So I started again yesterday with what I knew I could do. I could cut down eating out back to 1-2 days a week. I did it for two weeks before vacation, and I know I can go back to it again. That’s the first step for me. Making that commitment. And instead of putting any expectations on it (like the scale) I decided to just focus on that. Just focus on eating in more.

What’s Your First Step?

What’s your first commitment going to be? Make sure it’s a small achievable step that you know you can be proud of yourself for accomplishing. And it you don’t master it in one week, that ok, start again.

I’m going to break this down as I go into a series so you can follow my journey. And you can start your own!

Step 1: Set a small achievable goal – eating out only 1 time a week (taking it one week at a time)

For more meal ideas and real health tips join us on Instagram: love.lean.life