Food for Fuel

When we are trying to lose weight and take charge of our health, what we eat REALLY matters.

Food is fuel. Just like a car needs gas to run, our bodies need fuel to function properly.

Would you put less than sub-par gas in your car?  We all know what happens when we put bad gas in our car. Yes, our car will still run but there will be problems. Problems that we will eventually have to fix. Problems that could shorten the life of our vehicle. Problems that will cost MORE money to fix than if we had just put a good quality gas in our car.

So if we wouldn't put bad gas in our car why would we put bad foods into our bodies? We have ONE body. We can not trade it in for another one. Why are we treating our cars with better care than we are our bodies?

Are you ready to take responsibility for your health?

Our food choices will make a big difference in how our bodies feel, function, and how our weight is maintained.

Let me give you an example of a poor nutritional choice versus a great nutrition choice...

Here we have a Raspberry filled Krispy Cream Doughnut:

Any one who has had one knows that they are oh so tasty. But that doughtnut is watered-down gas. At 340 calories and 21 grams of fat it is not only going to go straight to our waistline, it is nutritionally void. The doughnut has 36 grams of carbohydrates-all refined and highly processed which will cause your blood sugar to spike, cause you to "crash" later, and will mostly go straight to your waistline to be stored as fat. 

Not only is the doughnut high in calories, fat and carbs, it is not very filling leaving you looking for more food later.

The only nutritional benefits from this doughnut is 2 grams of fiber and three grams of protein-not a lot of bang for your buck!

Here we have a bowl of oatmeal flavored with a little milk, berries, and cinnamon + a low fat egg omelet:

The breakfast above is loaded with nutrition. It would be considered premium fuel. At just over 300 calories it has 25+ grams of protein, 4 grams of fiber and only has 8 grams of fat. This meal provides you with vitamins and antioxidants. It is a good source of fiber, complex carbs, and protein. It will keep you full and satisfied and give you energy that lasts. And with less than 2 grams of sugar, there will be no insulin spike or "crash" later.

The hot sauce added to the omelet will help boost metabolism (thermogenic effect).

The cinnamon added to the oatmeal will aid in weight loss, digestion, and will help lower blood pressure.

Not only is this breakfast loaded in nutrients, it is made mostly of real and natural ingredients. Ingredients that our bodies recognize and can easily digest. Our bodies can easily process "clean" foods causing us to use and burn up to 50% more calories than if we consumed refined and/or highly processed food (doughnuts).

That is a lot of bang for your buck!

Whether we are trying to lose weight, take better care of our health, or both the food choices we make matter. The more "clean" and natural we eat the more energy we will have, the healthier we will be, and the easier it will be to lose weight and keep it off.

Weigh-in Week 5

The results are in & I love them! Down THREE POUNDS :-) Woo-hoo!!! 

I've started exercising 30 minutes a day, 6 days a week. It's a bit early to see results from that on the scale, but I have been sleeping more soundly & my blood sugar has been a little better. 

I'm trying P90X3 for a few reasons. First, it came recommended by my fitness instructor (& on sale). Second, it only runs for half an hour. I'm a busy girl & 30 minutes is nice for my schedule. Third, it's something I can do at home even when I'm snowed in & since I live in the icy tundra of Indiana that seems to happen a lot lately. 

So far I'm enjoying it. I'm not an athlete by any means, but with modifications I've been able to keep up. It is challenging & I've definitely had soreness which is a good sign. 

All in all I've had a pretty good week. 

Weigh-In Week Four

Finally FINALLY I lost another pound!! That makes four pounds so far. 

Woo-hoo! 

Now that nutrition (80% of weight loss is diet -as my friend Jenny says, you can't out exercise a bad diet) is in a good place & I've spent a month building that good habit, I'm turning my attention to exercise. 

I work out at Faith Family Community Center in Lafayette. There are some GREAT fitness classes there. (Circuit training, Insanity, & yoga to name a few.) Unfortunately, with this RIDICULOUSLY COLD WEATHER (I'm not being dramatic.) is completely destroying my ability to get to the gym. 

I could just go & workout when there isn't class. I have access to a lot of equipment & a pool. I am however, a normal human woman, so unless someone (I'm not naming names, Kelly, Danae, Jenny... ;-) is yellin at me, I lack motivation.

That's where the accountability of the cyber world comes in. It never hurts to have a workout partner, even if it's over cyberspace. We all need someone to encourage us to work hard.

So ask yourself:

What healthy exercise habits can you add to your routine? 

And who can partner with you to help you achieve your goals?

A Neglected Weight Loss Tool - DESSERT

If I asked you, what are the most important things to include in a weight loss plan, what would you say? 

Exercise

Fruits & Veggies

Whole grains

High Fiber

Lean proteins

Healthy Fats

These are just a few things that might come to mind.  However, one thing that never makes the list and DEFINITELY should be there –TREATS!!

Yes, you read it right.  Believe it or not, treats are something that shouldn’t be neglected.  I know what you’re thinking – that’s how I ended up needing to lose weight in the first place.  I understand – that’s me, too.  But having no treats at all is a mistake.  Why?  Because deprivation does not work.  Let me repeat that – DEPRIVATION DOES NOT WORK.  It’s a bad idea.  No matter how much willpower you have, no matter how determined you are, no matter how great your motivation is, no one can deprive themselves forever.  Eventually, you will break, and instead of a nice well-proportioned treats, that are fun and harmless in moderation, you open a floodgate for junk food.  Somehow we feel that one small slip-up is a reason to just throw all our healthy habits out the window and succumb to all the poor ones that leave us feeling guilty and bloated. 

We need to allow for treats in our diets.  I believe that you shouldn’t plan a diet for something that you can keep up with for a few weeks.  Instead, make changes you can do for a lifetime.  As we age, our metabolism slows and gets easier and easier to put weight on, but harder and harder to take it off.  Healthy eating can be our “norm”, as long as we aren’t depriving ourselves of treats.  

Here’s one of my favorites.  It’s super easy & better than any popsicle I’ve ever tried.

Chocolate Dipped Bananas

Simply cut a slightly ripe banana into pieces (about 1” – 2”).  Melt 2-3 tablespoons of dark chocolate chips in the microwave.  Insert a toothpick into the banana chunks and dip in the chocolate. 

Place in the freezer for about 20 minutes.  Take out and enjoy! 

Bananas are very sweet already, so they contrast well with the dark chocolate.  & because the chocolate is cold & hardened, it reminds me of eating a chocolate dipped cone from Dairy Queen.  The flavor is better, because it isn’t overly sweet.  Sugar is not meant to be tasted as a separate ingredient all by itself.  In theory it sounds good – but it’s really not.  Ask a dentist.

Why Clean Eating Isn't Enough

Have you determined to make 2014 your year to lose weight and take charge of your health? Clean eating is a great start to reaching your goals!  But did you know clean eating isn't enough? A healthy, nutritious diet is a large part of weight loss success, but every weightloss plan should also include exercise.  Exercise will speed up your weight loss goals and provide you with many other health benefits. Studies show that those who were the most successful with their weightloss goals AND kept the weight off long term included exercise as a part of their routine.

How often should you exercise?
-30 minutes 3 times a week is a great start.

The AHA (American Heart Assosiation) reccomend adults get a minimum of 150 minutes, or 30 minutes 5 times a week, of moderate intensity exercise per week.

What kind of exercise should you do?
-Both cardiovascular (cardio) and muscle strengthening exercises.

The AHA recommend adults do a minimum of 30 minutes of strengthening exercises two times a week.

Do you include exercise as part of your weight loss plan? If not, get up and get moving!

*note from Mary Elizabeth - Special thanks to fitness instructor, Jenny Badillo, for guest authoring the above!! Hopefully we'll see many more posts from her. Click here to visit Jenny's site.