Align you Eating Habits with your Fat Loss Goals

Yesterday I was talking with one of the members at my studio. She was explaining to me that this was her last resort to lose the last 10 pounds she has been struggling with. While I know how effective our workouts are at incinerating body fat, I was curious to know what she was doing in the past that wasn’t working and what her current food consumption looks like (since I know that plays an HUGE part in one attaining a certain weight loss goal). As usual, the reply is “I have been eating really healthy”. What exactly is her definition of healthy and is she eating for her goal? So I proceeded to ask her what she ate that day. What people eat on a daily basis is like looking in the windows of their soul, especially when you catch them off guard. Here’s why, it doesn’t give them an opportunity to think and they end up telling you the truth as oppose to asking them to give you 3 days of food logs. When instructed to do that it gives them time to adjust their eating habits (usually for the better) which isn’t helpful either person. In addition, it will elicit their thought process in their decision making which is part of their psychology of behaviors. Eating is a behavior which needs to be changed if the results aren’t happening. Her response was exactly what I had imagined it would be. What stood out was what she had for lunch and how she, in her mind, was able to justify it even though it wasn’t conducive to her goal. She explained that she had a burger minus the bun to eliminate carbs but ate the fries because she knew she would be working out at OTF and she knew she needed some carbs to sustain the workout. This doesn’t make sense on all levels. First you eliminate the bun to avoid carbs but then eat fries loaded with fat for the carbs to sustain a workout? The bread would have been a far better decision than the fries. No wonder she is having trouble dropping the last 10 pounds. That type of thought process is exactly what is holding her back. She needs to change her frame of mind when it comes to fat loss. Like it has been said before “you can’t out exercise a crappy diet”

Interesting enough, she isn’t the only person I have come across that sabotages their goals with empty justifications. How many of you reading have done or said this “I just worked out so I can eat what I want this weekend” or “I ate like crap because I knew I was going to the gym later”? Yet you are sitting their wondering why you aren’t looking the way you want? My guess is most of you. And it’s not once in a while its probably happening more than you would like to admit. Each time you justify why you ate something you know you shouldn’t have, you are essentially sabotaging all the hard work you put in up until then. And the more you do it, the more you will accept defeat. If you have to make excuses or justify what you are doing it’s safe to say it probably isn’t the right choice. The good news for her and many of you is there is plenty of room for improvement. Making minor adjustments as you go along will open up the doors of progress. What’s important is that you educate yourself. And no I don’t mean pick up a next fad diet book which many resort to for the newest quick fix on the market. Books cannot hold you accountable and they are one persons view for an easy solution to a not so easy problem. My suggestion is to hire a coach or join a challenge group. A coach has already sifted through the bull crap and has a solid grasp on what works and what doesn’t. A coach also knows how to apply their knowledge and experience to fit the client not try to make the client fit the program. By attending a group, you will gain the support of the others participating in the program and learn from their best practices. Both options can hold you accountable and keep you motivate to push on. Both can talk you off a ledge when you feel like you might jump. And both will teach you things that will not only help you achieve your goal but sustain it. The bottom line is if you aren’t seeing the fruits of your labor then you probably aren’t eating a good as you think you are. So before heading to your doctor to get your Thyroid checked out and risk the chance of the Doc pumping you with steroids which will only increase your body fat, consult a fitness/nutrition specialist first to align your eating habits with your fat loss goals.

Why Reinvent the Wheel?

With the fast pace of life and all the conveniences that surround us, it’s no wonder that sticking to a “diet” is tough. But as they say…”when the going get tough the tough get going”. Why try to reinvent the wheel when you can learn from those that have already put their tricks to the test. And one trick that has worked time and time again is food prepping. What exactly is food prepping? Well for lack of a better term it’s exactly what it sounds like. Preparing your food for the week.

Sunday’s are usually the best days for me to prep my food for the week. I hit up the grocery store and select the items I will need to make different meals for Monday through Wed. I normally have to make a second trip during the week to gather up odds and ends for the meals I need to cook up later in the week but once I start off the week right it’s usually easier to follow suit.

Today’s Grocery Trip:

Meal 1 – Ground turkey lettuce wrap (ground turkey, red bell pepper, onion, iceberg lettuce )

Meal 2 – Quinoa fried rice (quinoa, onion, ginger, garlic, frozen peas and carrots, less sodium soy and teriyaki sauce, low sodium chicken stack, sesame oil)

Meal 3 – Simple spinach salad (apples, cucumber, baby spinach)

Snack – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, almonds,

Misc items – sweet potato, chicken cutlets, chicken thighs (for later meals)

Quinoa Fried Rice Recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cups water or low-sodium chicken stock
• 1 cup quinoa
• ¼ small onion, chopped
• 3 scallions, chopped and divided
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 eggs, lightly scrambled (still raw)
• ½ cup frozen peas and carrots, thawed
• Sauce:
• 1 ½ tablespoons teriyaki sauce
• 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• ¾ teaspoon sesame oil

Instructions

1. Rinse quinoa a few times in cold water.
2. Bring quinoa and water or chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan, and then reduce to a simmer. Season with salt.
3. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until quinoa is fluffy and cooked through. Remove from heat and let set for five minutes or so. Fluff with a fork.
4. Cool and store in the fridge, preferably overnight.
5. Mix teriyaki, soy sauce, and sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
6. Heat ½ tablespoon olive oil in a large sauté pan over a high heat. Add onion and carrot, cook about two minutes. Add 2 scallions, garlic and ginger to the pan. Cook another two minutes. Add in the rest of the olive oil and the quinoa. Stir-fry about two minutes. Add sauce and stir-fry until incorporated, about two minutes. Make a well in the center of the quinoa pour eggs in, scramble. Throw in peas, then toss everything together until the peas are warmed through, add remaining scallion and serve.