Bad Snacking Habits

When I first set out to write this post I was thinking of directing it towards LATE NIGHT TV snacking...then I thought about it, it's not just late at night that I might find myself falling into the comfy oblivion of my couch, entranced by reality TV while my hand mindlessly dips into a bag of chips and then to my mouth.

So...here's the deal. Let's talk about TV snacking in general! 

How many times have you sat down in front of the TV or computer with a bag of chips, pint of ice cream, popcorn...whatever...and before you know it, you look down to realize you ate WAY more than you set out to eat! 

Did you even taste it? Was it good? Sometimes I literally find myself in disbelief because I would be eating something so mindlessly that I didn't even enjoy it. The very motion of hand, to bag, to mouth, was just a routine, involuntary motion..or so it seemed.  

I knew this had to stop! 
So, what can you do?I want you to first think about your WHY!  

1. WHY are you eating unhealthy in the first place?? 
2. Look at what's going on around you.  Are you going through a rough period, depressed, lonely or just BORED?
3. Lastly, I want you to take that snack and eat it alone at a dinner table... No, Not in front of the TV... Go to your table, put the food in front of you, and what this does is allows you to really focus on what you’re eating... When you’re more focused, you’re less likely to eat as much, if at all.... When you’re in front of the TV or pre occupied, you lose sight of how much you ate, and even how full you are. In a way, it can make you feel guilty, which also helps!! Soon enough, you will find it not important to waste the time to do this and will choose not to give into temptation!!

Here are some things you can do to fight off the urge to slip into the habit while watching TV...

1. Drink water! add lemon, mint, or cucumber for some flavor
2. Doodle- draw on a notepad to keep your hands busy
3. Chew gum
4. (my personal fave) Workout! do sit ups, push ups, or if you're daring challenge yourself to some burpees during commercials

Clean Eating Tips

Clean Eating has become a widely used term and many people are often intimidated by it and therefore, run and hide! Clean eating can be VERY SIMPLE. Think fresh and natural. The less ingredients, the better. Look for food in its most natural form!

First and foremost, if you do not own a copt of "Eat Clean Recharged" by Tosca Reno go out and get your copy now.  It not only tells you exactly how to get started eating clean but it really gives you the history behind why eating clean is the most beneficial for your body.  There are so many areas that Tosca touches upon in the book that were like "ah ha" moments for me!

Portion sizes- Tosca's strategy does not count calories or points.  Instead you are guided by simply following correct portion sizes and pairing the correct foods together.  So it is very easy to stick to the correct plan because you don't need any fancy sliders to figure out your calories or scales to measure your food.  A serving of protein is the palm of your hand.  A serving of complex carbohydrates such as apples, oranges, veggies is 2 cupped handfuls and a serving of starchy carbs is the size of 1 cupped handful.

If you follow the correct portion sizes you will stay on track and are less likely to over indulge.  I literally measure out my blueberries in the morning for my oatmeal by scooping out 2 hanfuls and tossing into the oatmeal.

Drink a large glass of warm lemon water when you first wake up before you eat breakfast.  Lemon water is a natural detox and it also jump starts your metabolism in the am.  I use a lemon squeezer and squeeze an entire lemon into my cup and fill to the top with warm tap water.  Then, I do not allow myself to eat breakfast until the entire glass of water is gone. 

Tip:  Lemons tend to go bad quickly so to get the most out of your lemons, squeeze all of the juice into ice cube trays and then just pop them out and go each morning!

 Get a lunch tote- 31 sells these great lunch totes that are perfect for packing healthy snacks and meals.  On Sunday I always sit down and plan out my meals for the week.  I make my grocery list and then I cut up fruits and veggies and portion into serving sizes for the week.  I measure out hummus, all natural PB and nuts as my proteins to pair with my fruits and veggies.  Then, if I am out doing errands I always pack a snack and even an extra one!  I always throw in my shaker cup and shakeology because you can always find water somewhere!  The, I am never stranded and starving!  I will never let myself get to the ravenous stage where I eat everything in sight!  This has been my saving grace when there were no healthy alternatives at a funtion as well.

Carry a refillable bottle with water everywhere you go.  You can add lime, lemon, cucumber and strawberries to your water to give it flavor.  NO SODA OR JUICE!  I'm telling you that it's full of empty calories and you are not going to lose the weight if you drink soda or juice!  Just WATER!
 
Drink green tea when you are hungry, I noticed that it helps with my cravings especially in the late afternoon or evening!

Are you the type of person that needs something sweet after dinner?  I always grew up needing to have dessert following my meal.  For dinner I will cut up a bowel of fruit and leave it on the table for something sweet after dinner for the rest of the family.  I usually don’t eat it unless I can’t resist.

 Buy in bulk, Buy a 10lb bag of chicken and cut it up into palm size pieces and freeze.  It is better to buy fresh produce than frozen.  Especially in chicken they infuse it with salt water as a preservative.  So instead, buy the 10lbs bags when they are on sale and then portion out palm size pieces for your entire family freeze and voila you have no additives chicken for later!

Another thing that I do all the time is cook extra chicken for your lunches on Sunday or whatever day you are going to use as your prep day.  That way you can slice it up and put it in a tupperware and pull out for salads or wraps for the rest of the week.
 
Also, cook extra for dinner and place in containers for lunches throughout the week.

You can replace any foods so long as you replace a complex carb with another complex carb ect.  So if you don't like banana's replace them with an apple.  If you don't like almonds replace with all natural pb!

BODY BEAUTIFUL/BODY HEALTH FORMULA

80% nutrition + 10% exercise + 10% genetics = body beautiful/body health

EAT CLEAN PRINCIPLES

1.      Eat six small meals a day.  Eat every two-and-a-half to three hours.  I literally set the timer on my phone to remind me when to eat!  Now that I have been doing it for so 7weeks and my body just tells me that its time to eat!  

2.      Eat breakfast everyday, within an hour of rising.  So give or take when you exercise.  I exercise first thing in the morning and I don't eat before hand.  I workout, grab a shower and then make breakfast, which is usually shakeology.  I always have a warm glass of lemon water each morning as my wake up and detox!  I squeeze 1/2 or a whole lemon into a glass of warm water.  I make it a rule that I cannot eat my breakfast until I drink the entire glass of water.

3.      Eat a combination of lean protein and complex carbohydrates at each meal.  A lean protein would be your plain unsalted nuts, almond butter, all natural peanut butter, white meat such as chicken and fish.  A complex carb is your fruits and veggies such as bananas, apples, oranges, cucumbers, carrots, tomoatoes just to name a few.  

4.      Eat sufficient (two or three servings) of healthy fats every day (evoo, avocado)

5.      Drink at least half your body weight in ounces of water each day.  I make this a MUST!  Water is the SECRET SAUCE! If you want to lose weight then you must drink a lot of water each and everyday.  If you do not drink enough water you body actually holds onto water weight.  Drinking water speeds up your metabolism and helps you lose weight.

6.      Carry a cooler packed with clean foods.  I seriously cannot leave the house without my 31 cooler bag.  Even if I am pretty certain that I am going to be home before my next snack or meal I still throw in an apple and a handful of unsalted almonds and a bottle of water.  It is super easy to throw in a packet of shakeology and your shaker cup.  Then you are never left scrounging for a meal or a drive through to go to.  You should always have a healthy snack or meal to hold you over!  

7.      Depend on fresh fruits and vegetables for fiber, vitamins, nutrients and enzymes.  Limit your starchy complex carbs to two to four servings each day.  I suggest not relying to heavily on juices.  I would aim to get your servings of fruits and veggies each day from actulaly eating them.  This way you get the added fiber from the skins of the fruits!  Juices more often than not have added sugars and additives that our bodies do not need.

8.      Adhere to proper portion sizes.

PORTION SIZES

Protein:  Palm of one hand
Starchy complex carbohydrates:  What can fit into one cupped hand

Complex Carbohydrates from fruits and vegetables:  What can fit into two cupped hands together
Healthy Fats:  One scant handful of nuts, 1 to 2 tbsp of oil.

TOP 10 THINGS TO AVOID

1.       Sugar, white flour and over processed foods.  Bread at the bread table when you are out to eat.  Especially when I was trying to lose the weight I would avoid bread at all costs.  I even avoided ezekiel bread or most starchy carbs.

2.      Artificial sugars-  Did you know that  STEVIA,  EQUAL and SWEET N LOW ARE NOT GOOD FOR YOU!  I recommend Agave nectar and honey if you need to sweeten something.  Even then I still think you should use it sparingly.  Again, sugar is addictive and the more you have the more your body will crave it!

3.      Sugar-loaded beverages such as soda and juice- NONE, ZILCH ZERO!!

4.      Super sizing your  meals or portions- If you are at a restaurant always ask for a box and take half of it home!  Restaurants are known for their oversized portions.  Even if it's a healthy meal that does not give you permission to throw your rules out the window!  You can eat the right kinds of foods and have to much and still not see results.

5.      Alcohol, try your best to limit.  My rule of thumb is for every alcoholic drink that you consume you must have 1 full glass of water!  
Alcohol is full of sugar and empty calories so you need to ask yourself,  is this short term sacrifice of drinking worth the long term results of me feeling amazing in my body and having the confidence to put myself out there!

6.      Chemically charged foods- So this mean smart ones, lean cuisines or any other processed meals.  Take a look at the labels on your food.  If there are more than 3 ingredients and you don't understand what they are then you probally shouldn't buy it!

7.      Foods containing preservatives

8.      Artificial foods such as processed cheese slices- I very rarely eat a piece of cheese.  I tend to choose feta cheese if I go that route!  Once again your body holds onto bad fats!

9.      Saturated and trans fats
10.  Anti foods, calorie dense foods with no nutritional value.

TOP 5 WAYS TO MAKE EATING CLEAN EASIER FOR YOU

1.       Pack a cooler everyday

2.      Carry a water bottle everywhere

3.      Make a shopping list and stick to it.  I sit down with my notebook, laptop, grocery list and recipes and plan out my meals so that my entire family can follow the same eating schedule.  It works and we are all happy!

4.      Prepare planned leftovers

5.      Keep your pantry stocked with staples.  Staples in my pantry are plain unsalted rice cakes, all natural peanut butter, almonds, cashews, raisins, flaxseed, and olive oil!  If I run out of fresh fruits and veggies I turn to rice cakes with peanut butter and raisins! I also freeze bananas and other fruits to have on hand. 

TOP FIVE EXERCISE TIPS

1.       Set realistic goals for yourself-weekly, monthly and yearly.

2.      Train all of your major muscle groups, arms shoulders, chest, back, legs and abs.

3.      Challenge yourself-vary your routine every few weeks.

4.      Keep cardio fun-try new activities

5.      Stay focused-put your mind into your muscle.

21 Day Fix

21 DAY FIX

One of the biggest issues with people not being able to reach their health and fitness goals is lack of control... both portion control and self control.  We go out to eat at restaurants and most places have fried, greasy, and food loaded with butter, plus are loaded on your plate and enough for a family to eat. But, since its sitting in front of us, why waste it right? Lets finish it all! NO, this is the problem... we need to find the strong in us and focus on what and how much we are eating so we know when to stop. We are full before we even realize, so when we continue eating, those calories add up fast.

We also have a huge issues with emotional eating. We eat when we are sad, happy, mad, scared, etc. but that affects us in so many ways both mentally and physically. Snacking is sometimes taken to a new level and by learning how to eat properly and how to "snack right", our bodies can make some amazing changes!


What will you do to reach your goals?A little commitment and effort can get you a long way!   I do 1:1 online coaching every single day to help you stay accountable and motivated to help you reach your overall health and fitness goals!

READY FOR A 21 DAY PROGRAM TO HELP YOU REACH YOUR GOALS??!!

 

This is a 21 day program that focuses on portion control, clean eating, and also incorporates exercise into your regimen to help you maximize your results!
Many people think if they workout every day, they can eat whatever they want, but are confused on why they are unable to reach their goal weight/body.
This program is designed to help you balance each important area that is needed to help you achieve your overall goals.
This is like having the best of both worlds... You will get a nutrition guide to help tell you what to eat and when, an exercise program along with a schedule that tells you when to do each workout, and you even get the containers for your food! In the 21 day Fix Challenge Pack, you will also get an entire month of Shakeology in home direct (HD)!

 Some FAQ about the 21 Day fix:
What is 21 Day Fix?
21 Day Fix is a nutrition and fitness program that makes losing weight so simple,
anyone can do it. Easy-to-follow portion control and 30-minute workouts take
the guesswork out of losing weight to help you see results fast—up to 15 pounds
in just 21 days!
Whether you want to lose a few pounds before your next vacation or jump-start a
bigger weight-loss goal, 21 Day Fix is the program for you. It’s simple, it’s fast, and
it works. If you’re ready to get serious, 21 Day Fix can help you lose the weight.

Why is 21 Day Fix effective?
Because it’s so simple! You don’t have to count calories, points, or log your food
into diet software. With 21 Day Fix, everything is laid out for you. All you have to
do is use the specially designed portion-control containers and do one 30-minute
workout per day. Commit to it for 21 days, and you’re going to love your results.

What makes 21 Day Fix unique?
It’s the only fitness and nutrition program that combines portion-control
containers and world-class workouts. By placing equal emphasis on fitness and
healthy portion control, 21 Day Fix can help anyone lose weight—and keep it
off—in a way that’s simple and sustainable. Whether you want to lose 10 pounds
or 100 pounds, you can do it with this program.

How does 21 Day Fix work?
With the 21 Day Fix container system,
you’ll learn how to create healthy portions
simply and intuitively. It shows you how
to eat whatever you want, in the right
amounts, so you can reach your goals fast.

No guesswork, and no calorie counting!

The 21 Day Fix workouts are designed
to burn a lot of calories in only 30 minutes.
Any fitness level can do them. If you’re a
beginner, follow the on-screen modifier.
And if you’re an advanced exerciser looking
to shed those last few pounds, dial up
the intensity and challenge yourself to push harder.

Autumn Calabrese is your personal trainer:
Autumn Calabrese is a celebrity fitness trainer, busy mom, and national-level bikini
competitor. She came up with the idea of a portion-control container system
after watching a client eat an entire 1,300-calorie salad in one sitting because it
was “healthy.” Autumn realized that supersized portions were hurting her clients’
weight-loss success because they were eating too much without knowing it. So she
developed portion-control containers to help people see how simple it is to eat the
right amounts and lose weight easily. And as a single mother, Autumn understands
how hard it can be to fit exercise and healthy eating into a jam-packed schedule.
So she created short but effective workouts that take only 30 minutes a day, along
with a simple eating plan that doesn’t require you to spend hours in the kitchen.


What kind of equipment do you need with these workouts:
You can use dumb bells or you can use a band which can be purchased on your beach body account when ordering your program. Since I said nutrition is so important with reaching your ultimate health and fitness goals, you may ask.

 

Why incorporate Shakeology??
You get:
-Get 8 servings of veggies in 1 shake
-All-natural
-Whole foods
-No chemicals or processed foods
-Health benefits: helps heart health, prevents heart disease, lowers blood pressure, lowers cholesterol, controls blood sugar (YES, even great for diabetics), improves immune system
-Helps increase energy levels (Naturally)
-Helps decrease cravings (your finally getting the nutrition your body needs, so no longer craves the bad food with lack of nutrients!)
-Includes your daily Multi-Vitamin

Want to join my CHALLENGE GROUP??

Join my closed group on face book where I coach you and give you health and fitness tips, recipes, meal plans, and provide you with the support you need to follow through with your fitness goals!

I post every morning and throughout the day to help you stay on track, but you as a challenger would be required to check in at least 1 time daily to report how your day went. So if you did your daily workout, drank your shake, and rate your food from 1-5, 5 being the best and 1 being the worst.. You also can share what you ate so I can give you feedback and advice or maybe other healthy choices if you need assistance with clean eating.

In the Challenge Group, we also do before and after pictures and measurements to help you keep track of your progress. Although you may think the scale is important, your inches lost and physical appearance are more important, along with your change in health, energy levels, cravings, etc. I help you with thinking in a different way, along with building the self confidence you may have never had at one point in time.

If you are skeptical or if this will work for you , I want you to take a moment and think about what has, what has not, and what is or is not working for you. If what you are doing is not working for you now, what will hurt to try something new for 21 days?? The worst that can happen is your in the same spot you were at this very moment, but I can assure you, if you follow the tips and tools I give you, you will make some amazing changes!

I focus on living a healthy and fulfilling lifestyle and gear away from the diet scene. If you are interested in joining my 21 DAY FIX challenge starting August 4th, please contact me at one-moore@hotmail.com  :)