FUEL for FAT LOSS

This morning I stir fried together some cabbage, mushrooms, orange pepper, onion, zucchini, asparagus tips and spinach. I put half of it in my omelet and saved the other half which I am eating right now for lunch. This is a very common meal for me. If I'm cooking, I'll usually make enough for one or two meals more.

I'll tell you now, there's not a ton of variety in my diet but I like it that way. It keeps it simple and I always enjoy my food. It's not that I'm a picky eater, I actually do like a variety of foods but maybe you can relate when I say that if I eat certain foods, there's a psychological deficit that goes along with it. I'm guilty of feeling guilty if I stray too far off the beaten path of a fat loss diet. Here's the thing: I do follow a fat loss diet, not necessarily to lose fat since I did that in a big way 7 years ago, but so I can keep it off. And besides, I feel better. Once in a while I'll give myself permission to have a box of hot and salty sweet potato fries or an ice cream cone which are my two fav go-to "day off" treats. But that's really not that often...it's more of a social outing so I can share them with a friend and chat. It's more fun that way anyway.

When I eat outside of the norm my body knows it and my energy levels drop the next day. It stands to reason that because our bodies are one continuous energy current (your heart beats on an electrical signal) that when we eat foods on the low end of the energy scale (of little nutritional value a.k.a. processed) our body energy lowers too. Intuitively, our bodies know when they are getting  fed high energy fuel, and they respond in kind. From here, the math isn't so tough: high energy foods + 30 minutes exercise = high energy and feeling great all day, every day. That's hard to beat!

I'm going shopping tomorrow. My grocery list consists of things that can be used for multiple recipes such as the kale will appear in my omelets, soup base and salad as will the turkey chops and burger because they come in larger quantities.

Groceries:
bananas
pears
apples
oranges
grapefruit
spinach
broccoli
cabbage
lettuce
collard greens
kale
zucchini
mushrooms
brussel sprouts
asparagus
sweet peas
red and orange peppers
tomatoes
carrots
celery
fresh garlic
onions
bulk chicken breasts
turkey breast
turkey breast chops
shrimp
tilapia
salmon
lean ground burger
stew meat
canned stewed tomatoes
almonds
cranberry sauce
split peas
flax milk
deli meat
part-skim mozzerela slices
eggs
cottage cheese
Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing powder


Meals:
Meat, carrot, onion and zucchini stew
Egg and veggie omelet
Salmon and asparagus
Tilapia and broccolia
Grilled turkey chops and split pea soup
Chef salad with grilled chicken and hard boiled eggs Dressing: cottage cheese creamed smooth with HV Ranch dressing packet mixed in.
Spicey green soup base with turkey bites, mushrooms, carrots, garlic and broccoli
Grilled shrimp and oven-roasted garlic brussel sprouts
Turkey and steamed sweet peas with cranberry sauce
Lemon peppered grilled chicken and zucchini spears.
Grilled chicken w/marinara sauce and grilled asparagus.
Lettuce wrapped deli meat and cheese, pickle, tomato sandwich.

There are more than two weeks worth of meals here if you count the leftovers and other combinations you can make with the remaining fish, chicken, turkey, deli meat and veggies. My point is that even though my grocery list doesn't very often stray from this (unless I toss in a rare bag of Salt and Vinegar chips cuz I'm a salt-a-holic, popcorn kernels or root beer barrels.) I can still keep variety in my diet by how I prepare the various combinations of foods. I believe in flavor so I use all kinds of spices and flavorings with the exception of mayo. I mean, a sandwich just wouldn't be a sandwich without golden mustard! And still, it remains a fat loss diet because it's dense with nutritional value, very low on carbs, (no starchy carbs...uh, well bananas are but you know...and very few grains like oatmeal and quinoa which I still have in my cupboard so they didn't make it on the list). The other key that makes this a fat loss diet is that I never allow myself to get hungry or to over stuff myself. If I'm never hungry, I always have my wits about me when I'm sitting down to eat so I'm not wolfing down my food or binging on the chips before I get real food prepared.

Ultimately the best thing you can do for yourself is eat highly nutritionally dense foods that resemble a fresh harvest.

Feel free to share any of your fat loss cooking tips in the comment box.

It's a bit embarrassing but it has to be addressed....

It’s not a pleasant subject and one we either whisper, giggle or reprimand the boys over (it’s not THAT funny, guys!). You can read this post with a second screen at the ready in case you need to flip back and forth so no one catches you reading about gas but the bottom line is if your "gas line" has a leak and you can’t turn it off, it’s time to know why and how to fix it.

I spent a whole year being bloated and sluggish and tired. My joints hurt all the time, my abdomen was distended after every meal, I felt swollen, my clothes didn’t fit, I gained weight and I was so flippin’ gassy that I could barely do my job without my body pulling a fast one in front of my clients. It totally caused my FUN METER needle to drop WAAAAAYY below the “good times” line . Turns out, after testing, my digestive issues were due to a number of things such as recently developed allergies to foods like whey, soy, wheat and gluten, adrenal fatigue, hypothyroidism and lowered digestive enzymes in my system. I was a mess!

Good news!:
I rehabbed my body (and you can too!) in a year’s time with the right foods in the right combinations and with the help of some digestive enzymes and probiotics. Not everything can be remedied on your own so if you suspect other issues lurk deeper, go ask a professional. I went the Natureopathic route. http://www.nhcnc.com/

Rehab Lessons Learned: 

We lose digestive enzymes in our stomach the older we get. Supplements help a lot! You can buy them over the counter and your local health food store. Probiotics were instrumental in restoring the good flora and fauna to my intestinal tract after taking antibiotics for 15 years. (A little detail the doctors forgot to tell me…if you’re on antibiotics which do have a “killing” effect on your good bacteria as well as the bad, it can’t hurt to take a probiotic at the same time….if you’re unsure, ask your doc for a recommendation.)

The WHY: 
When carbohydrates (sugars and starches) in some foods are not completely digested in the small intestine and they reach the colon, the bacteria there ferments them which equals bloating. It’s like being the human version of Kimshi. Yummy. :/ 

Food Combining:
f you experience bloating after eating there’s a good chance it’s because you combined carbs and proteins together (which is just about EVERY meal you can think of…hamburger and fries, spaghetti and meatballs, tacos, meat and potatoes, etc.) which just says that your digestive juices don’t have enough enzymes to break it all down before it passes into your intestines. The other possibility is that you combined fruit and proteins or fruit and carbs together like trail mix or cereal with fruit on it. They are not friends.

Remedies:

I practice food combining and now I wake up with a flat stomach every morning. (It’s so worth it!) These are the guidelines I follow:

1.      Eat fruits separate. They are the loners in the food pyramid. Even more to the point, keep your sweet fruits away from your sour fruits. Also, they digest in the intestinal track not the stomach so eat them first and they slip right on through and will be long gone by the time you’re hungry again.

2.      Proteins (meats, nuts, *beans and dairy) are not friends with carbs (rice, oats, barley, wheat, potatoes, quinoa, flaxseed, corn, pasta, bread, *beans, etc). Don’t combine them in a meal. Eat them separately at least 2 hours apart. (Watch out for them beans--they're tricky little fellers.)

3.      Proteins and vegetables are friends. Eat them together.

4.      Carbs and vegetables are friends. Eat them together.

(Hint: notice that vegetables are friendly with proteins AND carbs…eat more veggies!)

Also, increase your physical activity. Of course, no surprise here, I’m going to recommend Metabolic Effect workouts http://metaboliceffect.com/. (Oh, what the heck, go here:  http://www.facebook.com/pages/Metabolic-Effect-Training-of-St-George/248104235235712 and LIKE my page – I know, I'm looking out for your best interests just as you suspected. :)) It’s 30 minutes, high intensity (meaning you work at your own perceived exertion level), rest-based (rest when you need to) and it’s not a gimmick…it gets results by speeding up your metabolism and engaging your hormones so that whatever fat is lurking after you control the bloating will be dissolved with the help of your healthy eating diet.

The final report: 
My hypothyroidism has corrected itself -- no meds required and I’m no longer experiencing adrenal fatigue due in large part to making a great effort to get at least 7 hours of sleep a night but 8-9 preferably. If I choose to eat a meal that combines incompatible foods together I have my digestive enzymes handy so I won’t pay such a high price for enjoying an "unfriendly" food combo.

Conclusion: 

Gas stinks. Eat healthy. :)

Do MORE with LESS

If you're having a sandwich for lunch, 

pile it HIGH with lean turkey breast, 

add all of your fav veggies and 

any condiment besides mayonnaise. 

Put it on wheat bread. 

Cut it in half. 

Eat half. 

Save the other half for your snack in two hours. 

If you really want to send your hormones into fat-burning overdrive 

leave out the bread during your snack. 

The goal is to put enough "gas" in the tank 

that it'll run clean for the next two hours 

but not so full that it overflows...you get what I'm saying? 

Don't stuff yourself. 

It's counter productive to losing fat. 

In a couple of hours you're ready for your snack 

(which you have handy cuz you're a ROCKSTAR like that), 

you didn't go hungry, 

you're not over-stuffed, 

the food is tasty and 

you're feeling pretty good about things. 

Less is more!

Think SOUPER GOOD SOUP to to balance out the goodie glut:

Put 1 whole orange pepper (well hey, it's Christmas, choose your fav color), a huge handful of kale, 1/2 a head of cabbage, 1/2 an onion and 1 clove of garlic in an olive-oiled casserole dish, pile it high and oven roast at 450 for 25 mins. (Put the kale on the bottom or it might burn)

In your blender put 2 cups hot water, 1 Tbs pureed ginger, 1 Tbs chicken boullion base, and oven-roasted veggies (if they don't all fit, make two batches...ya? See? I'm a thinker like that -- got loads good ideas just ooooozing out of my brain.) 
Whah-lah!!! Green drink a la soup! Bon Appetite!

"It's not that I'm fat but I don't feel 100%..."

Recently a friend contacted me about my diet. Here's how it all went down:
"Hi girl. Congrats on the new arrival. When you get a chance can you tell me what kind of diet you have? I saw your awesome ab pic. I am struggling to figure out what works for me. Its not that I am fat but don't feel 100% a lot of the time and have some fluid retension. What worked for me after 2 kids and being younger, hasn't worked for me after 3 kids. Just in case you look at the time for the post (when I should be sleeping), yes I know sleep is important for hormone levels and weight:)"

The pic she's referring to is this: http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150360226948250&set=a.430168943249.209839.536418249&type=3&theater

Hi ya girlie!
When I experienced water retention (accompanied by super uncomfortable bloating) I discovered I was allergic to soy, wheat, whey proteins and gluten. Make sure those aren't issues for you. I currently practice food combining because otherwise I don't have enough digestive enzymes in my digestive tract to property assimilate my food and it drops my energy level drastically when I combine the wrong foods together. Food combining basically says that you keep your fruits separate from other foods (never combine sweet fruits with sour fruits either), protein and veggies are good combinations and proteins and carbs are not compatible for complete digestion when eaten together. We have less digestive enzymes in our system as we age but there are digestive aids you can take to help increase the enzymatic breakdown of food which might help if you experience bloating after meals.

Essentially my diet looks like this on any given day:

8am after workout: a banana or a pear but not both (once in a while I'll eat steel cut oatmeal here)

10am: omlette (often with veggies)

noon: deli turkey rolled with a piece of low-fat mozz and wrapped in lettuce/toms

3pm: yellow pepper with hummus and a few salted almonds cuz I like the salty

6pm: turkey chops with grilled asparagus

8pm: small piece of salmon or left over turkey chop 

(something high in protein before bed helps me sleep)


I'll also substitute any given meal with a green drink that consists of seasonal vegetables such as zucchini, asparagus, kale, spinach, cabbage and collard greens.

Of course in all of this I watch portion sizes. I try to get about 80% full at each meal because I know I'm going to eat again in a couple of hours.

One more element you might want to think about is your workout and using heavier weights: You are familiar with the Metabolic Effect diet so I can tell you that I am a mixed-burner and that'll mean something to you.  Although I no longer eat for the purpose of fat-loss, I still maintain the same diet plan because it provides me with a ton of energy and the ability to retain my muscle. You know that muscle burns fat so essentially the fat I lost years ago stays off because I maintain an adequate amount of muscle by using heavier weights in my 30 minute workouts.

I hope this helps. I know you're super busy loving on those kids of yours and trying to make a living at the same time but none of that can be possible if you don't take care of you first. I know you know that or you wouldn't be asking me what I do. And for that, YOU ROCK because you're getting your priorities straight.


Wrapping things up, optimally I eat for energy and health. My abs are just a residual effect to working out ME style and eating for energy. ;)


Let me know how you feel in a couple of weeks or if there's anything else I can do for you.


XO T.

THEY'RE NOT GREEN EGGS AND HAM...BUT CLOSE.

BREAKFAST! 

The most important meal of the day. 

Choose a veggie and center your meal around it, k?

Steam the spinach.

Scramble your eggs (2 yolks, 4 whites).

Cook the eggs.

Pile them on your plate. 

10 mins. later you're off on the right foot. 

Now if you mix the greens in with the eggs 

and throw a little lean ham on the side....

....I would eat them in the rain, on plane or on a train.