No time to post...

My AMAZING job as a wellness consultant is keeping me more than occupied.  Ironic that I work with health and wellness all day, yet it is the last thing that I want to write about when I am home.

I am also remodeling almost every single surface of our new house, all by myself.  I totally enjoy the process and it is all that I want to focus on now other than my family.

I am perusing PhD programs and have a 2 picked out.  My only fear about going back to school is PhD level statistics.  Makes my head hurt!

Someday I will be back online!

And I am still available for personal training and nutrition education in the evening and on weekends.

Plantar Fasciitis, a pain in the...

FOOT!

I have talked to 3 different people this last week about foot issues.  You never really realize how much you take walking for granted until your feet encounter some kind dysfunction!  I had a massive flare of Plantar Fasciitis and a torn plantar ligament in early 2011.  Not like any foot pain I had felt before!  It feels like someone has caned the crap out of the bottoms of your feet, especially horrible in the morning.  Nothing that I did seemed to bring any sense of long-term relief.  After experimenting with a bunch of different things, I came up with a combo of options that helped.  Although being lazy, wearing a boot AND using crutches for 6+ weeks was the final “fix”.

Some different things that I tried:

1)      I cycled through multiple night splints.  One splint would often get uncomfortable during the night so I would switch to another.  There are dorsal styles that fit on the top of your foot and boot styles that fit under your foot.  I found that alternating both kept my irritation factor down.

2)      I rolled a frozen bottle of water on the floor with the underside my foot.  I also bought a gel ice pack that came with a cover and velcro strap.  It could be strapped to my foot if I propped it up.

3)      Compression socks!  Not comfortable but they help squeeze out excess fluid if swelling is an issue.

4)      Compression band to wear when you are around the house.  Amazing little device.

5)      Taping!  Yay for being an athletic trainer in college and taking Cramer Workshops.  I found arch taping to help.  I also just got into the habit of wrapping coban around my arch 4 to 5 times to support it if needed.

6)      The dreaded boot and crutches.  Awkward, slows you down, not so stylin’ but it did get me to the front of the airport security line 4 times…BONUS!  

7)      Cortisone shots.  You kind of need a podiatrist for this but the 3 shots that I had helped a lot for immediate relief.  Of course, as you feel better you start moving more thinking “everything is better”.  Don’t!  Be lazy until you have at least a week or more of pain-free walking.

8)      Note - I am not a Dr.  I do play Dr. Google on a daily basis though.  I took Ibuprofen 800 mg (3 times a day) OR Naproxen as per prescribed.  Both were what my podiatrist recommended to me.

If you know anyone that suffers from Plantar Fasciitis, feel free to forward this on to them.  Hope that my experience can help someone experience a little less pain.

Awesome app to try!

Maybe I am a late adopter, but the Fooducate app is AMAZING!  

I had to go to Detroit today for work.  We stopped at Trader Joes on the way home.  My awesome co-worker told me to check out the app.  I spent a chunk of the trip home scanning some of items that we bought.  Addictive!  Fooducate rates your item on an A-F scale and also give recommendations of healthier versions of whatever you have scanned.  It also includes positive or negative information about different ingredients.  As a bonus, it is a wonderful way to get your kids involved in making healthier food choices.  Check it out!

Add this to your fitness toolbox - interval training

Looking for something to add to your workout routine? Try interval training. You can use it with walking, running, elliptical machines, stair stepping, swimming, biking, dancing – almost any cardiovascular exercise.

Interval training combines short, high intensity bursts of exercise with slower, recovery periods. This cycle of high and low intensity is repeated several times in one exercise session.

How do you do it?

1. Maintain a pace that you feel challenges you but does not exhaust you for a period of 1-4 minutes. On a 1-10 intensity scale, think 6. You can talk but it requires a bit of work to carry on a conversation.
2. Then for 15-60 seconds (you choose, start lower and increase as you feel comfortable), ramp up your speed to an 8 on a 10 scale. You should not be able to talk. I personally do not ever aim for a 10 as that drains my energy level quickly and I cannot keep up the intervals for as long.
3. Repeat.

Benefits:

• Fat stores are used for energy
• It burns more calories than a long, slow endurance exercise at one pace.
• It improves heart and lung functioning.
• It increases your endurance.

I love using intervals in my fitness “toolbox”. Adding this into a mix videos, classes, hill work, recumbent biking, long distance walking, rowing, lifting weights, doing body weight exercises and walking stairs helps to keep me from getting bored with any one of the activities. I also try to mix things up so that I do not repeat activities within the same week.

New way to shave - check it out!

I tried THIS thinking it would not be majorly impressive.  However, it is awesome!  My legs are super soft.  More than they have been in a long time.  Amy of New Nostalgia has all kinds of natural health, beauty and nutrition stuff on her website too.  I just mixed up 2 tablespoons of coconut oil and 1 packet of regular sugar.  I will mix up a big batch once I am not living in a hotel!

I have been using coconut oil on my skin instead of lotion and also using using this scrub on my face.  I love to put coconut oil on my feet with socks at bedtime.  Such an amazing multipurpose item!

This is a great list with 50 uses for coconut oil.

My Top 10 Rules for Healthy Living

A reader asked me for a list of “rules” to follow.  That sounds easy, right!?  Do as I say…If I could only learn to stick to my own rules a little bit more.

1.  Pay more attention to your body fat more than your weight in pounds.  Invest in a scale that can track body fat.  I am happy with this one from Amazon.com.

2.  Drink a huge amount of water.  You should be annoyed that you have to pee all of the time.  That means you are drinking enough water.  If you need to, add lemon, Mio, Crystal Light, brew it into tea…go ahead!  It is still better than not drinking enough water.

3.  Eat huge amounts of fiber.  You should have at least one bowel movement a day, every day of the week.  If you are not doing that, you need more fiber.  And you can get it from supplements so no excuses.

4.  Avoid drinks with calories UNLESS those calories are largely protein-based.  My favorite example of this exception is Muscle Milk Light 100 calorie shakes.  No frappes, milk shakes, juice etc. 

5.  Try to eat 5-6 small meals a day.  The first one should be high in protein.  Six 250-calorie meals throughout the day will seem more filling than three 500-calorie meals.

6.  Learn about which carbohydrates to eat and when to eat them.  The whole concept of no or low-carb is so misleading.  You want to eliminate refined grains and sugar, not all carbohydrates!  To eliminate all carbs would mean that you are avoiding fruits and vegetables and other things essential to balanced and healthy living.  I do think it is ideal to limit high-glycemic carbohydrate based foods in your diet.  If you want to eat them (HGC), eat them early in the day.  Pick a cut-off time, maybe two pm.  Aim for eating high-glycemic carbs (fruits and anything grain based) before 2pm, and feel free to eat low-glycemic carbs (vegetables) anytime before or after 2pm.

7.  Train with weights.  They will not bulk you up or make you look un-feminine.  Weight training will help your metabolism much more than time spent running or walking.  Cardio effects our metabolism for a few hours after a workout.  Weight lifting can elevate your metabolism for more than two days!

8.  Stagger your caloric intake every day.  An example would be following a pattern like this:

Mon:  1,300 calories

Tue:  1,700 calories

Wed:  1,200 calories

Thu:  1,600 calories

Fri:  1,300 calories

Why?  It confuses our metabolism.  Our metabolism always strives for efficiency and balance.  Our body tries to become more efficient with less energy.  By always adjusting the amount of energy (calories) you input, it keeps your body guessing.

9.  Consider a cheat day.  Try to eat as healthy as possible six days a week.  If you really want something, write it down on your cheat day list.  On your cheat day, enjoy as much as you want for a meal or two, not a full 24 hours!  Many people find that eating such indulgent, fatty and heavy foods will actually make you feel blah.  It can make you realize that you feel better eating healthy.  Or it can be enough to control your urges for junk for another six days. 

10.  Add vegetables to every meal if possible.  Pile them on your sandwich, add a bunch of chopped up veggies to your macaroni salad, and add them to your breakfast omelet.  Adding low-calorie veggies to every meal will bulk up the meal’s volume without changing the total calories.  It will also leave you satisfied for a longer period of time.

As with everything, pick and choose what works for YOU.  Find a few new strategies to add to your healthy “tool box” and try to experiment with them in your daily routine.

10 Favorite Portable Snacks

I was asked to list some of my favorite portable snacks.  Below are 10 things that I eat on a regular basis.

1) carrots
2) hummus and pita chips
3) hard boiled eggs (I admit to hating the taste of yolks and trash them)
4) atkins snack bars (only the ones under 140 cals)
5) 100 calorie muscle milk light drinks
6) a fuji apple
7) a banana
8) 100 calorie cocoa almond packs
9) Nut-thins rice crackers (almond and pecan)
10) Stonewall vegetarian jerquee packs

AND... one bonus snack that is not so portable but one of my current faves:  Fiber one cottage cheese (80 cal/serving and 20% of daily fiber) + a serving of no sugar added canned peaches (30 cals).

Thinking of going gluten or dairy free?

Question from a reader: What do you think of going gluten-free without knowing if you have sensitivities? What about dairy free?  I might want to try one or both, at least for a little while and decide if it helps. 

My answer: I think many anyone with chronic inflammation or any other illness/injury (beyond a few weeks) would definitely benefit from trying to eliminate different things from their diet.

Gluten (GF) and dairy (DF) are great things to begin with.

There are many differing opinions on how to best go about it.

Eliminate both at once VS. Eliminate one thing at a time

·         Some people claim that you can not get your body to a “clean” state if you do not eliminate ALL inflammatory foods at once.

·         Others say that you will never really know exactly what is bothering you if you eliminate multiple things at once.  I tend to fall into this camp.  Think back to the scientific method.  You can never test more than one variable at a time.

·         It can also be difficult to eliminate multiple things at once because you can feel totally deprived.

How long does it take to notice a difference?

·         For dairy, you will notice changes pretty quickly.  Within a week in many cases.

·         For gluten, it takes much longer.  Some people will feel some changes within a week or two but it takes 4-6 weeks (on average) to feel anything substantial.

Real food VS.  Substitutes

·         Some people on GF or DF diets try to focus on eating more whole foods, meat, vegetables, fruits or nuts, and try to avoid substitute foods.

·         Others do best by bringing in substitute foods like GF bread, GF pasta, DF cheese & milk.  I personally think it helps you feel a little less deprived to follow this route.

A different kind of challenge

The best way to figure out if you have a gluten or dairy sensitivity is to remove one or both foods for a specified time period.  That time period should be until you feel a sense of relief of some-to-most of your symptoms or issues.  A challenge can then be performed.  You consume something that contains a moderate amount of gluten (or dairy BUT not at the same time) and watch your body for the next 12 to 24 hours for your old signs or symptoms to return.

Other things to consider

·         If you want to be serious about an elimination diet, do your research!  Give yourself a few days to read as much as you can BEFORE you make any changes.

·         There are hidden traces of dairy and gluten in many things that you would never even think to check.  Make sure that you consider this before starting. 

Hidden gluten

Hidden dairy

Let me know if you have any questions.  I am not currently DF or GF but have tried both before. 

Fruits and Veggies - infographics to help you buy in season.

Take a minute or two to look at each of these charts.  Do you usually buy produce in season OR out of season?  Review these infographics on a monthly basis and find something in season and "new to you" to try.

Why should you always try to buy produce in season?
1)  The food is usually higher in nutrient value.
2)  It will contain fewer chemicals (if not buying organic).
2)  The cost per pound is greatly reduced.

 

Creamy Veggie & Crumble Casserole - bread, rice, pasta and potato free

I don’t know what else to call it!  However, I eat it at least twice a week.

No one in my family likes this but I LOVE it.  So I get it all to myself!  It makes enough to get 3 good sized meals.

Everyone loves starchy and high-carb ingredients but it is also nice to have meals to turn to that are protein and veggie based.  There are so many variations of this and I am not even going to give you an exact recipe as I never make it the same way.  I make my version with Morningstar Soy crumbles but you can also use ground turkey/extra lean ground beef or even shredded chicken breast.

What you see pictured:

·         1/2 bag of Morningstar Soy crumbles (warm up in microwave or on stove top)

·         1 chopped bell peppers

·         1 chopped onion

·         1 chopped zucchini

·         2 chopped celery stalks

·         ¼ cup roasted garlic

·         6 cups of spinach or spinach/arugula mix

·         1 container of sliced mushrooms

·         1 cup chopped carrots

·         ½  cup of Prego Light Smart Tomato sauce (50 calories per ½ cup)

·         ¼ cup Classico Roasted Red Pepper Alfredo Sauce (60 calories ¼ cup)

·         Trader Joes Seasoning Blend and Sea Salt

·         You can always add in other things like peas or beans.  Pick whatever you like.  You can also easily hide chopped up veggies if your kids do not like to eat them.  Evil moms and dads.

How to make it:

·         Chop up the veggies.

·         Steam them for 5 minutes to soften them up a little bit.

·         Saute the veggies with a ½ tsp olive oil for a few minutes.

·         Season with spices to your liking.  

·         Add the tomato sauce and Roasted Red Pepper sauce.

Enjoy!

The Skinny Rules by Bob Harper

Just read through Bob Harper's new book, The Skinny Rules.  Good read.  I wish he would have used the word healthy or fit vs skinny but he really does not focus on "skinny" in the book.  A lot of little tips and tweaks to share.  The list of "rules" is really nothing new but still a great refresher of things to consider.  If you want to read the list of his rules, you can go to Amazon.com and click on "search inside this book".  Like every other nutrition book, take away what can work for you and ignore the rest.  

Detox and Fiber - something that applies to everyone

Is detox necessary?
I get asked on a regular basis about "detox" and if I think it is necessary.
For the average person:  NO.  You do not need to fast (stop eating), do a juice cleanse or add drastic dietary modifications.
YES, you should focus on eating cleanly (veggies, fruits, nuts, whole grains, lean organic meats etc).  Those changes can be made over time.  You need to reduce or eliminate (as much as possible) all of the things that are not good for our bodies like sugar, hydrogenated fats, refined grains, food coloring and preservatives (just to name a few).

What about colon cleanse supplements?
If you are feeding your body heaps of junk food and trying to take colon cleanse/detox supplements, you are not accomplishing anything positive.  You are creating a vicious cycle of diarrhea, dehydration and reducing the ability of your gastro-intestinal system to help your immune system (the two are very connected in function).  Given sufficient amount of water, our bodies have an amazing ability to clean themselves via the function of our kidneys and liver.  If you consume a lot of water, that only helps the process along.  If you do not like water, try iced or hot tea sweetened with stevia.

So what should I do?
In my opinion, the most beneficial thing that anyone can do to help naturally detox is to greatly increase their consumption of fiber.

How much?
Do not add huge amounts all at once.  Start small (2-3x a day) and increase your intake until you find the right amount that your digestive tract can handle.

Most Americans get only about 5-10 grams of fiber per day in their diet.  But the 2005 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends:

• 25 grams for women and teenage girls
• 30-38 grams for men and teenage boys (as they usually consume more calories than women)

Different types
There are two different types of fiber and they both help clean our bodies in different ways.

Soluble Fiber	Insoluble Fiber
slows down digestion	prevents constipation
makes you feel full	speeds up the passage of waste through your gut
helps control weight
helps blood sugar levels
helps lower LDL “bad” cholesterol

My favorite supplements
I try to get as much fiber as I can from real food sources but I also have a few staples that I use on a regular basis.

1) VitaFusion Fiber Gummies.  Target has a generic that is exactly the same.  Walmart has a generic that is lower in fiber with a few more calories.  It essentially has 0 net calories because the only calories that it contains are not readily absorbed by your body.  And it packs the largest amount of fiber in a small serving.  Two fiber chews have 10 calories and 5 grams of fiber.  That is 20% of what you should be consuming each day.  If you had no other sources of fiber in your diet (BAD), you could eat 10 fiber chews each day, which contain 100 calories, to get 25 grams of fiber (remember men need a little bit more than women).

2)  For someone who does not eat gluten, wheat, soy, dairy or animal products (are vegan/vegetarian), Fiber 35 Diet chews are a great option.  188 calories to get 25 grams of fiber.

3) Another great vegetarian product from GNC.  250 calories to to get 25 grams of fiber.

Other favorites in our household

Some of my other favorite fiber containing foods:

Quaker High Fiber Oatmeal - 1 packet has 40% of daily fiber for a woman

Fiber One 50 calorie yogurts - one container has 20% of daily fiber for a woman.

My husband and kids could live on Fiber One Chocolate, Caramel & Pretzel 90-calorie bars.  We buy them by the case.  They provide 20% of daily fiber needs for a woman.

At the metaphorical end
Try increasing your fiber intake for a week and let me know what you think.  I won't even mind the dirty details.

Waldorf Salad - my lower-calorie recipe

My mom used to make this all of the time when I was younger.  I got a craving for it last night.

Crunchy, sweet, creamy, nutty - delicious!

Ingredient                               Calories

1 chopped Fuji Apple                70

¼ cup Celery                             4

1 tbsp raisins                             30

5 sliced grapes                          20

1 tbsp crushed walnuts              40

1 tbsp hellmans low fat mayo     15

2 tbsp low fat cool whip            25

1 packet splenda or stevia          0

Throw all of the ingredients in a container, put the lid on and shake. 

Makes 2 larger servings about 100 calories each or 3 smaller servings about 70 calories each.

*I have made this with vegan mayo, fat free-mayo, fat-free cool whip, vegan whipped cream (coconut milk based) etc.  It pretty much always tastes the same, regardless of what I use. 

Favorite new snack

A new snack that I have been enjoying - only 67 calories!  Odd, as I usually avoid calorie-laden bagels and most dairy.  But this is kind of yum!  Nothing original, but the mix of flavors is still a great combo.

Update: 
I forgot to add that I love adding Eggbeaters to this too.
I cook eight (1/4 cup) Eggbeater/egg white omelets at a time.  I keep the extra stored in the fridge and warm them up as I want a snack.  Each 1/4 cup omelet adds 5 grams of protein and 25 calories.  So Egg beaters added to the 1/2 bagel and spreadable cheese = 92 calories.

Other flavor combinations:
My son loves the cinnamon raisin bagel thins with reduced calorie plain cream cheese.
My daughter loves the plain bagel thins with the reduced calorie plain cream cheese.

I have also tried the Laughing Cow Light Garlic & Herb spread (love it) and the Laughing Cow Mozzarella, Sun-Dried Tomato & Basil spread.  I really like it too but it has a strong basil taste.  If you like basil you will love it.  If you typically do not like basil, I'd skip it.     

What are your non-negotiables?

Lesson learned (yet again);  Deprivation does not work for me.

I already eat a diet that is pretty limited compared to most people.  I do not eat meat (poultry and seafood included).  I try to avoid dairy aside from a slice of light cheese every now and then.  I eat egg whites but avoid eating egg yolks.  I avoid sugar in terms of chocolate, candy, cake, cookies, etc.  I do not eat rice because I don't like it.  I avoid white bread and eating bread in general except for a few servings of reduced calorie bread a day.  You get the point.  However, it is a balance that I have personally struck between having mostly all healthy stuff with the right mix of indulgence thrown in to keep me appeased. 

Every now and then I get this extreme inclination to try to modify my diet to give up something else.  It pretty much results in me hyper-planning, initially executing successfully and then crashing when I realize that I feel deprived.  This week I decided that I was going to try an Atkins-ish induction type of plan.  I was not going to consume more than 20 net grams of carbohydrate per day to see how my body responded.  I tracked everything meticulously.  The first day went very well.  I was proud that I stuck with it.  Same with the 2nd and 3rd days.  I realized on the evening of day 3, I was starting to get slightly annoyed.  I wanted bread.  I wanted pasta.  I wanted vegetables!  I eat 5-15 servings of vegetables on any given day.  I love eating them.  But they did not fit in with the crazy plan that I had devised.  I could only have a small amount here and there to stay on plan.  

Late on night 3, I told myself to have a serving of SOMETHING to try to quiet the crazy feeling.  I could not stop fixating on all of the food that I was trying to eliminate.  In my head, I agreed to 1 portion of whatever looked the most appealing.  I ate 1 package of my kids' microwave mac and cheese.  I think it was the best mac and cheese ever.  The next day I woke up and went carb crazy.  Four servings of pita chips with hummus.  Four servings of biscuits and gravy.  I had 3 diet cokes.  I had french fries from McDonald's.  I felt gross and bloated.  But I finally felt satisfied and reached a point where I felt back in balance.  The crazy cravings were gone.

Lesson learned - when you have found that sweet spot that works, don't rock the boat.  For me, that means that I need to listen to my body and know what I can realistically give up and what I will never be able to part with, even in the short-term.  I think when you look at your diet and figure out what your non-negotiables are, you can start planning everything else around those things.

So, what are your non-negotiables?   

My favorite way to cut calories when eating at a sit-down restaurant ...

When you eat at a sit-down restaurant, your best bet is to start by choosing the healthiest thing possible.  However, sometimes we want to indulge and enjoy something not so healthy.  A tip that works in either instance is to: 

Pack up half before you even start eating!

Have you ever thought, "I will eat half and take the rest home."?  That usually equals eating the first half and some or all of the rest!  Once we start the process of enjoying a meal, it is more difficult to emotionally disconnect and to realize when we are full or that it is time to stop.  So ask for a takeout box.  Pack away half of your food to take home and then eat the half that is left.  Bonus:  You have another small meal to enjoy at a later time.  

For a healthier breakfast, skip the drive-thru.

My favorite low-calorie, on-the-go meal is from Subway.  I get an egg white and mozzarella cheese (easy on the cheese) English muffin.  I add spinach, tomato, green pepper, onion and salt and pepper.  That is a whole serving of veggies there!  I also add just a few drops of fat-free honey mustard.  This sandwich comes in at right around 150 calories!  You can get TWO egg white and cheese melts at Subway for the same amount of calories of ONE egg and cheese muffin (300 calories) at McDonalds.  Um, not a difficult choice.

You can even add in a bag of baked Lays (130 calories) and still be under the calories you would consume at McDonalds.  280 calories at Subway vs 300 calories at McDonalds.

Not a fan of the vegetarian option?  The meat-based egg white muffin sandwiches at Subway are all under 220 calories each.

Remember:

• choose egg white, not egg.
• no condiments, sauces or dressings.  If you want them, get them on the side and add just a tiny amount.
• go easy on the cheese.

Subway serves breakfast food all day long.  YAY!  More fast food calorie hacks coming in the near future.  Send me some of your favorite fast food meals and I will help you find ways to make them as healthy as possible.

My "detox" from YAZ. The good, the sad and the ugly.

This post is related to health and wellness, so I consider it fair game.  If talk of things related to hormones makes you squeamish, you have been fairly warned!
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I have always been one to avoid medicines and things that I considered not medically necessary.  However, I as entered my late teens and early 20s, I started having problems with mild to moderate acne.  Not horribly disfiguring, just annoying enough to cause me stress and to force me to always wear a bit of concealer to cover up the spots.

I tried the following:  dietary changes, drinking more water, vitamins, naturopathic supplements, elimination diets, expensive cosmed skincare lines, chemical peels, microdermabrasion, Proactive and topical prescription medications (Differein, benzoyl peroxide and Retin-A).  Out of breath from reading that sentence?  Nothing really helped significantly.  I was seeing an awesome dermatologist and he said that based upon everything that I had tried, he thought I should consider trying YAZ for a few months.  I waited it out for a few months, not wanting to put additional hormones into my body.  After a crazy breakout cycle, I decided to give it 30 days.

From talking to many friends and family members, I have learned that YAZ (and its generics) is a love it or hate it kind of medicine.  It ended up being a LOVE IT medicine for me.  Within 2 weeks, my skin was the clearest that it had been in years.  I did start having headaches when I took the 4 inert pills in each pack.  I was told to skip those and take it 365 days a year.

I took it for almost 4 years and to the greatest extent, I never had any complaints.  However, I recently decided that I wanted to consider going off of it to see how my body would respond.  I have several friends or friends-of-friends that have estrogen-fed forms of breast cancer.  I started to get paranoid taking a medication that could increase my cancer risk.  This came along with another worry ... I hated the thought of dealing with my face breaking out.  I figured that I would once again give it 30 days to see how my body responded without the medication.

"Detox" has better than I expected in terms of breakouts!  In over 70 days, I have only had 2 real pimples on my face and 2 on my back (yuck).  Honestly, the biggest annoyance has been with my skin and scalp.  I feel like my skin and scalp are twice as oily as they were on YAZ.  I am always blotting with oil sheets and have to wash my hair more frequently.  The other annoyance is that I have to shave more often!  On YAZ, I shaved maybe once a week.  Now I need to shave every other day.  My chest size has also gone down a cup size (that is the SAD part!).  However, I can't pin that on YAZ alone, as I have been exercising like crazy so it is probably a mix of both things.  Funny how what you fail to consider as a negative outcome often ends up being more annoying than what you actually worried about.

At this point, I am going to take it month-by-month to see how my body continues to readjust.  I have talked with many of you about YAZ, acne, hormones and their effect on weight-loss or weigh-gain.  I thought you might gain something from my personal experience.

I'm not starving! How I eat 1,200 calories a day and feel satisfied.

If you would have told me 6 months ago that I would not only log all of the food I eat but also try to stay under 1,200 calories a day, I would have laughed.  I always had some excuse about why I did not need to keep track or count calories:

1)  I eat a plant-based diet, no meat or dairy.  I don't need to worry about it.
2)  I am eating gluten-free or nearly so and not really anything with sugar, so I should not have to worry about calories.
3)  I am focusing on protein shakes and eating a lot of egg-whites.  I can't be consuming many calories!
4)  I am staying within my Weight Watchers points for the day, so calories do not really matter!
5)  I worked out every night this week and burned thousands of calories.
6)  Blah blah blah ... some other similar excuse equal to those above.

NONE of those things worked.  It took a lot of frustration and wasted time on my part but I eventually figured out that tracking calories will probably always be a necessity for me.  I may get to a point where I do not track everything, everyday.  It would be nice to eventually use regular weigh-ins and how my clothes fit to assess if I am on track or need to cut down a bit.  I have heard that many reach a phase where they can intuitively know when to keep eating and when to stop each day.  I am nowhere near that point.

I aim to fall in the 1,100 to 1,300 range.  I have 1 day every week or two where my calories spike and another day or two when they go lower.  I very much believe in the concept of "caloric cycling," or trying to avoid eating the same amount of calories day after day.  If your metabolism knows what to expect, it goes into autopilot mode.  If you are always providing your body with a slightly different caloric intake, it removes the ability of your metabolism to adjust and become more efficient at a set caloric intake.

I LOVE to eat.  I am not someone that could eat three times a day and never snack.  Besides, that way of eating is not good for our bodies.  When you eat a lot and then go more than 3 hours without eating again, you create a huge spike and then subsequent crash in your blood sugar/glucose levels.  That makes you tired, agitated, irritable, etc.  You need to eat within an hour of getting up and every 2-3 hours throughout the day.  I have a whole list of 50, 100 and 150 snacks and mini-meals that I choose from.  This allows me to eat on a regular basis and to stay within my calorie range.  I went back through all of my food logs and found many of the non-fruit and non-vegetable snacks and put them together on a list at Pinterest.

You need to think of your calories like money:  put yourself on a daily budget.  If I know that I am going to have something higher in calories for dinner (usually a restaurant meal), I try to eat all low-calorie snacks earlier in the day.  If I have a high-calorie lunch, I know that I need to wisely budget the rest of my calories in the evening and also at night.  Some nutritionists believe that you should stop eating a few hours before bedtime.  I really enjoy a bedtime snack.  If a snack at night and its ensuing digestion bothers you, skip it.  If not, enjoy.

This exact plan will not work for all women but consider analyzing everything that you eat for a few days.  I think most of us underestimate exactly how much we consume.  Experiment with the amount of calories that you eat to find an amount that leaves you satisfied yet also allows your body to maintain your health weight.  And for men, I would not recommend anything under 1,500 calories a day.

What are your main obstacles to eating what you consider to be a healthy diet?  Share them with me below or via email and I can assist help you think of a few tips and tricks to try.