"Dieting" is a made up concept...

  

Diet: the kinds of food that a person, animal, 

or community habitually eats.

Everyone has this misconception that a diet is a restriction or limitation of foods.

A deficit of calories or cutting out food groups.
                                                         

No. No. No!

My diet is my lifestyle. I choose to eat healthy, but it’s a maintainable consistent diet. 

I don’t deprive myself of calories, I don’t miss out on social gatherings 

because I’m “dieting” and I definitely don’t cut out food groups!

Additionally, I don’t go more than 3 hours without eating.  This is especially important if you are trying to lose weight, and feel free to disagree with me on this.

​When you go hours without eating, to the point where your stomach is aching, maybe you have a headache or your energy levels are low, your body is in catabolic status. Meaning it thinks it’s in starvation mode. If you are in this status once every day, or more than once a day your body starts to store all the fat it can, making it impossible for weight loss! If you’re familiar with this, you may even be having a hard time building muscle. Yes, this is because your body is utilizing the proteins as an energy source because that’s its last option!

Eating every hour and half, allows my metabolism to be turned on all the time. I’m burning the energy I’m eating and constantly keeping my system active.

So if you’re someone whose been trying to lose weight, going to the gym every day, maybe twice a day, and eating 1000-1200 calories but not seeing any weight loss, maybe even weight gain, that’s because you’re not eating enough! If you’re on a workout routine and you’re highly active, eat AT LEAST every two hours.

FUEL YOUR BODY!

Meeting #2 with the Nutritionalist...

Since the last time I met with my nutritionalist, I've found out that I have Hashimoto Disease. And because I am who I am, I began instantly researching the shit out of it. I kept reading about people going gluten free and eliminating eggs from their diets. So that's what I had planned on doing but of course wanted to hear the nutritionalists point before I went too hard core.

She was very helpful and gave me loads of info. Based on my symptoms and where my bloat is (top of the belly, not below) she doesn't believe its a gluten issue at all. She said "gluten free" is such a fad that EVERYONE is quick to jump on it but gluten isn't always the issue. She said really the only people who really should go gluten free are people with Celiac Disease.

We already know that lactose is a huge trigger for me, so I limit any dairy. I drink Almond Milk in my shakes instead of regular or lactose free because its less calories and just as good. I rarely eat cheese and I'm not a yogurt fan. I get my calcium by eating other whole foods, shakeology and a women's multi-vitamin.

Because she believes my stomach issues are IBS related she's having me increase my fiber by taking a fiber supplement for now. I'm also going to start adding a probiotics vitamin too because my system tends to just flush everything out that I eat.

She also gave me a FODMAP (see below an example)...

That she wants me to experiment around with and see if we can figure out what exactly my triggers are. The big triggers on it are: lactose, fructose, fructans, galactans, and polyols. I'm not suppose to cut all of them out but to start food journaling what I eat and how I feel afterwards and the next day. 

Its a process but I'm all about healing my gut and getting to the bottom issue. I love that my nutritionalist is all about teaching me and not just saying "don't eat this or that". She actually listens, which is what I need. She's also excited that I'm going to see an endocrinologist because they will run more tests and see if anything else pops up that my regular dr hasn't caught. 

2017 will be my year...I just know it!

How to shake a funk...

Have you ever woken up and from the second you open your eyes there’s this FUNK following you around that you just can’t seem to shake.

That’s been me. For the last FIVE days. I thought I’d wake up this morning feeling more like myself again. In fact yesterday I was betting on it so I didn’t take any action towards fixing it. I trusted it would go away on it’s own.

It didn’t.

So today I knew I needed to do something about it before I wasted another precious day not feeling like “me”.

This is my tried and true recipe for shaking the funk and getting back to your normal kick ass self:

1: Flood your body with endorphins. This doesn’t have to be traditional exercise. Have a freakin dance party in your living room. Or better yet…get OUTSIDE into the glorious sun and soak up some vitamin D. For me music, singing on top of my lungs and dancing really helps. So this morning after my lifting session the lil boys and I cranked up so 90's music and danced and sung our hearts out. I started to feel a LITTLE better but I knew my work wasn’t done.

2: Flood your brain with positive voices. While making the boys and myself some lunch I turned on some of my fav podcasts that are teaching me to be better at the things I love. So while I was cooking and cleaning, I was learning and turning on my creative juices. And cooking leads me to #3.

3: Eat a wholesome meal. Todays lunch was eggs with some delicious red grapes!

4: Gratitude – flood your mind with ALL the things you’re thankful for…no matter how small. I like to write a random list in the mornings during my miracle morning time. I have a whole notebook full of gratitude.

5: Shut down technology and don’t let others put demands on your time if you have that option. Take care of you first! I kind of did this over the weekend. I choose to hangout with the family instead of working my normal work hours. Sometimes you just need a few hours, few days (no more then 2 is my rule) away.

6:This is the final and VITAL tip that I use to pull me out of a funk…Meditate.

(Doesn’t have to be a spiritual thing if that turns you off.)

I only started doing this regularly for the last 2 months and it’s been life changing. I’ve struggled with ups and downs and anxiety my whole life but I’ve always looked for natural ways to cope.

Meditation has been a total cure all for my mood swings and my anxiousness! I can tell when I skip a day that I just feel off balance. And guess who didn't meditate Saturday and Sunday...yep this girl. No wonder my funk has lasted for 5 day. I meditated Monday, Tuesday and this morning and I could defiantly feel myself slowly coming out of this funk. 

Hopefully after tonights rest. I'll be completely back to normal. :)

Foodie Friday --- Orange & Parsley Chicken Cutlets served with Arugula

Makes one Serving

• 1 Chicken Breast
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1/4 cup Coconut Flour
• 3 tbsp. Golden Flax Meal
• 2 tbsp. Italian Parsley, finely chopped
• Zest of one orange
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 2 cups Spinach and Arugula mixed, or whatever greens you prefer
• 1 orange
• 2 tbsp. Yellow Onion, chopped
• Oil for frying
• Salt and Pepper, to taste

Combine the Parmesan cheese, golden flax meal, orange zest, and parsley in a shallow dish then set aside. 

Prep two more plates, one will have the flour and the other a beaten egg. Add about a 1/4 cup of vegetable oil to a non-stick skillet and place over medium heat. To pound out the chicken breast into a cutlet you will need to butterfly it (make sure you don't cut all the way through the breast, just enough to open it up) as well as wax paper or plastic wrap over your cutting board. Make a cut in your chicken, then place the chicken between two pieces of non-stick wrap and place on your cutting board. Pound the chicken out until it's very thin. Season the chicken with salt and pepper then dredge through the flour, egg, and finally the breadcrumbs. Fry in oil until golden brown, then flip and cook the other side. Meanwhile while the chicken is cooking, prepare your salad. I used a mixture of arugula and baby spinach that I garnished with chopped onion and a few chunks of the orange. Let the chicken drain over a cooling rack or between paper towels and serve warm on top of the salad. 

Enjoy!

Shakeology Saturday --- Snickers Blizzard

As a girl, there are just those times when you crave some decadent chocolate dessert. Instead of undoing all of my hard work, I will just whip up this Shakeology recipe :) 

It tastes like a Dairy Queen Blizzard....it's the perfect pick me up with 26 grams of protein and 28 carbs.  You can experiment with some of the ingredients to find what you like best, but here is my recipe:

I have sensitive teeth, so I start with a little ice and blend it up till it's like one of those icees! We have a ninja blender so it does the job perfectly. 

Then I add a little sliced almonds and chopped walnuts. I try to limit these because if you get carried away you could end up with too much fat.

Blend away! Sometime I will just pulse it a couple of times depending on what I want the texture to be like. 

Add half a cup of skim milk  or soy milk (for the dairy free people, like myself) for creaminess! I was out of Almond extract and vanilla extract, but you can experiment with those and add a little if you want! 

Add your scoop of Shakeology (chocolate obviously, I use our vegan chocolate because again, I'm dairy free) and tbsp of PB2 and blend up! 

Voila! You're finished! Enjoy the most delicious shake EVER!!!

Foodie Friday --- Dark Cocoa Raspberry Oatmeal

Dark Cocoa Raspberry Oatmeal 

(Makes 1 serving)

Ingredients

1 cup cooked oats

2 tbsp. flax seed (meal)

1-2 tsp. dark cocoa powder

1/2 cup raspberries

1/3 cup Greek yogurt (non fat)

1 tbsp. agave

1 scoop plain or vanilla whey protein powder

Directions

Step 1 – Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Stir well and serve.

Eat and Enjoy!

Nutritional Content

Calories: 334

Total Fat: 7 gm

Carbohydrates: 61 gm

Dietary fiber: 11 gm

Sugars: 21 gm

Protein: 16 gm

What is this magically 21 day program you speak of?

The 21 Day Fix is a REDONKULOUS new workout program that not only nails it with simple workouts that are over and done with in 30 minutes BUT it also comes with a perfect portion container system to ensure you’re getting a well rounded diet and not over or under eating.

This program is for you if you’ve ever said any of these things when trying to get physical results:

“I wish I could rock that dress — I just don’t have the body I used to.”

“I want to workout, but I’m just too tired by the time I get home.”

“I don’t have a problem starting a program, but if I don’t see results right away, I quit.”

“Diets leave me feeling bitchy. I just end up binge eating and gaining it all back. Why bother?”

Check out these results after just one week in our test group:

The best part, NO deprivation! If it fits in the container, you can eat it. Which means you don’t have to give up all your favorite foods. Because what kind of life would that be without CHOCOLATE AND WINE?! You get my point.

Check it the 21 Day Fix results my girl Chelsea got just before her wedding… 14 inches GONE!

But wait…there’s more! Still not sure if the 21 Day Fix works? Check out Ashley’s results after just 7 days!

Can I participate if I’m not already in shape?

This program is appropriate for any fitness level! The workouts includes modifications for beginners. Check out Dion’s story… Yes, he’s done SEVERAL rounds of the program but ANYONE can do this no matter the fitness level. This program is for men AND women so get your spouse in it with ya!

Shannon was so excited to share in our test group page that she lost 6 lbs in the first week!

Want your own 21 Day Fix success story?

I’ll be accepting TEN people into my virtual test group per month  and you’ll receive personal daily coaching with me.

What our test group will include:

• VIP Facebook accountability group
• Workout program – 30 min workouts!
• Nutrition plan & recipes
• Perfect portion containers
• Shaker cup
• 30 meals of Shakeology – My DUH high energy, flat belly meal of EVERY day!

Apply for Mandy Irizarry’s test group here. 

(If you are already working with another coach, you’ll need to apply with them directly. Thanks!)