Moderation Tips

Losing weight has to be one of the hardest, most confusing processes ever! I can tell you from experience that I felt like there were so many different influences that it was difficult to decide which diet I'd choose. It wasn't until I stopped the dieting that i successfully lost weight and kept it off even years after. What were some of the changes I started making? I developed a plan for myself and within the plan were rewards, it was something I was able to stick to and maintain. Here are some tips  I've assembled that helped me lose weight and keep it off. Enjoy!

1. Make a plan that works for you personally and stick to it.

 Whether it's having a cheat day every week, going to the gym 3 times a week, walking 10 min every day, drinking 3 bottles of water daily. Just don't overdo it! Slow and Steady wins.

2. Cook meals at home with basic ingredients. 

There's nothing you can't re-create at home, google is your friend! Want tacos? or pasta? so many healthy recipes out there to cook at home that taste just as good as your local taqueria or italian restaurant!

3. Always eat fruits and veggies at every meal.

Let me emphasize, ALWAYS eat fruits and veggies. Fresh fruit and veggies are great, they keep you full, they're full of nutrients and will help bulk up any meal! I really enjoy going to the farmers market every week to pick up fresh fruits and vegetables, it makes it  really easy to get creative and add spinach to meatloaf or broccoli to a baked potato with cheese. Stick to things you like, don't force yourself to eat a vegetable you won't like or eat. 

3. 86 Soda and Juice 

The sugar in soft drinks and juice can creep up on you and be an influx of wasted calories. I know soda can be hard to cut so I'd suggest cutting back slowly and incorporating more water as opposed to stopping cold turkey. I had a game where I'd have a water goal for example drinking 3 bottles of water, daily so it was harder to drink soda when I put this game into effect.

4. Bring water with you everywhere. 

 I always carry water with me, it keeps me hydrated, gives me energy and also keeps me away from impulsively drinking a soda or junk food. I use water as a device to think before I eat. Take a couple sips of water before you make any impulsive food decisions (snickers at the gas station, extra donut at work) and then decide if you really want it.

5. Don't fear anything. 

 Your body is a fully functioning machine that doesn't fear anything so why should you? Carbs are your friend, so is fat and so is protein, a fully balanced meal contains all three of these components. (and fruits and veggies ALWAYS) 

Be Aware

You're out with friends mindlessly walking around downtown and your friend decides to grab a cupcake from the bakery at the corner of the street. Make a connection with your thoughts, do you really want a cupcake or are you being impulsive? Have a couple sips of water, are you really hungry or is it an impulse? If your answer is yes you really want a cupcake, have it, enjoy it, be aware and keep with your plan!

6. Make a snack time.

In between meals is that area for snacks, snacks help to not overeat at meals and also keep my metabolism moving in terms of giving me more energy to burn more calories. In a less serious way snack's also help me make friends, offering a hungry coworker some nuts or cheese and crackers is a great way to bond.  Some of my favorite snacks are ; nuts, cheese and whole wheat crackers, dark chocolate and dried fruit, popcorn, hummus and carrots .  Choose a snack that you like and works for you, just try to avoid non-nutritious snacks (chips, candy bars etc) save those for your splurge!

7.  Take a break.

Give yourself a pat on the back, you deserve it. Are you craving a burger with cheese and bacon and a side of fries? Have one, not everyday but have a treat. For me it's having a weekly splurge of a meal that I know isn't so healthy but it's worth it and I deserve it. My splurge also helps me stay with my plan, and it's fun to try to plan what my next splurge will be (I love food) . Being bad isn't always so bad and remember food is supposed to be enjoyable so you shouldn't live in a dietary dungeon, that just ain't right! 

Cheers to Health and Moderation!

Trish

Diets and my refusal of them

Diet, How many of you guys can think of a specific diet off the top of your head?  We’re all pretty familiar with some sort of diet, but is diet necessarily the way to go for weight loss? yes and no. Diet comes from the old latin word “Dieta”  meaning daily allowance, unfortunately many diet’s are far from that, with extreme calorie cutting, avoiding specific nutrients altogether, which can then contribute to health problems (sleep loss, irritability, digestive issues and headaches). We all have different dietary patterns, but overall moderation is the best for optimal health and long term weight loss.

Diets are one of the biggest money making industries out there, unfortunate for consumers studies have shown that diets work for weight loss but not long term weight loss, meaning the pounds probably won’t stay off. One of the main reasons is commitment, we’re unable to commit to a restrictive diet for the rest of our lives. What happens when you go out to dinner or to a party or on vacation? The foods on your restrictive diet may not be available to you, which can make it difficult not to pile your plate up with junk. This is where moderation steps in and allows you to enjoy a meal that isn’t within guidelines. Moderation also teaches you how to make healthy choices on the occasion that you might not be in your home kitchen and have to compromise. 

When considering moderation it’s important to remember the three main nutrients; Protein, Fat and Carbs. Protein helps your muscles and bones , Fat cushions your organs, provides energy and is also the way your body absorbs fat soluble vitamins, Carbohydrates are important because they supply energy to the cells in your blood, brain and nervous system, they also provide energy that your muscles use during high intensity exercise, ever heard an athlete use the term carbo-load before a sporting event?  These three nutrients work in harmony together to keep you feeling full longer, provide you with energy and an overall good mood. As you see leaving any of these three nutrients out of the equation can be consequential to your health and body function. 

Moderation, a term meaning having limits but not extremes. The idea of moderation is not to go over your daily caloric limit, eat balanced meals with protein, fat and carbs, fruits and veggies and be mindful when you’re eating. Being mindful can mean a couple different things from savoring flavor, texture, smell and taking your time eating.It's important to be mindful when you're eating, food provides fuel and enjoyment and should not be a chore. Mindfulness can also mean being aware when you’re eating something that’s a treat and not just doing it out of stress. Will you really enjoy that snicker's bar because you've had a bad day or would you rather have it on a day you can fully enjoy it at 100%?  Another important key to moderation is keeping meals balanced with fruits and veggies as well as your three main nutrients, this will help keep you full and satisfied. 

Eating in moderation has many benefits which include; better mood,  good health, lots of energy, long term weight loss and also peace of mind. Peace of mind when you’re in the store walking away from a cookie because you know you’d rather have it another day instead of being impulsive right now. Moderation is also being at a party and not saying no to dessert or wine because you know that one meal won’t break you just as one healthy meal won’t make you. So like Goldlocks said “not too little, not too much, just right".

Roastin, Toastin, Delicious Lentils (and i ain't boastin)Recipe

When I was growing up, beans were a pretty regular staple at every meal. Yes my family favored the not so healthy refried pinto beans, but they were delicious and I really think I owe my grandma the credit to loving beans so much! I never realized until I became interested in the nutrition field that beans were such great nutrient dense foods full of protein and fiber that provide you with so much energy along with many other health benefits (Beans:The Undervalued superfood) and also a great alternative to meat for those nights when you want to go vegetarian (try it sometimes).

Yes, Beans have an infamous taboo of being the magical fruit but thats easily avoided by a pre-soak, before cooking! There really are no limits whether it's canned, dry or frozen and with so many types to choose from (lentil, kidney, chickpea, pinto,peanuts,lima, edamame, black) it's easy to get carried away so I've decided to take my favorite and run with it! The Lentil Bean, so smooth, nutty, great in soups, with curry or even in salads. Lentils are one of the easiest to prepare beans, they are legumes (ike peanuts) and and nutritional powerhouses in which one cup packs a whooping 60% of your daily fiber needs and 35% of your daily protein needs and if that's not enough for you they give you tons of energy without making your blood sugar go out of whack!

Behold the best, nutritious, crunchy (better than potato chips) snack!

Curry Roasted, Toasted Lentils

2 cups of cooked lentils (How to cook raw lentils) canned lentils work as well, just presoak before

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon curry powder

salt and pepper to taste 

1. Preheat your oven to 400*F

2. In a small bowl combine olive oil, salt+pepper and curry powder and mix

3. On a foil lined cookie sheet spread out the cooked lentils and coat in olive oil mix

4. Keep the lentils as spread out as you can and bake for 15 minutes

5. Stir and roast for 8-10 more minutes

6.Taste then add more salt+pepper or curry powder

Enjoy and don't mind me while I sit here and polish off this bag of roasted lentils!

Cheers to Health and Moderation

Trish