Category: Weight Gain

Snack Your Way To A Healthy Weight And Lifestyle

 

Snack your way to a healthy weight

Your body needs food to function properly.  If it doesn’t get enough calories, your metabolism can actually slow down.  Most people get hungry between regular meals and need extra food throughout the day.  Including snacks in your daily diet helps to keep your metabolism working properly, avoid binging, and keep your mind alert.  It also gives you the energy you need for lifestyle activities and exercise.

Snacking Wisely

Studies continue to show us that counting calories is not very effective when it comes to weight loss and or weight management.  Not only does counting calories mess with you psychologically, constantly stressing about calories can cause you to focus more on numbers than what your body wants and needs.  Instead of counting calories, I recommend focusing on eating foods that will satisfy you.  Pairing a carbohydrate and a protein at snack time will give your body the short and long term fuel it needs to sustain you until your next meal.  For an extra bonus, I recommend including some fresh veggies at snack time as well.

Ten healthy snacks to help you Feel full

1)  Fruit.  Fruit can be a healthy and long lasting snack when paired with foods like cheese, nuts,  or peanut butter.  It’s always good by itself, however you will stay full longer if the fruit is paired with a protein source.

2)  Tortilla Chips and Salsa. Chips and salsa is one of my most favorite snacks.  For protein, add some yoghurt to your salsa.  Add some avocado for an extra twist.  🙂

3)  Cheese and crackers.  Sounds indulgent?  Not really.  Your body needs fat.  Pre-sliced cheese is a great snack for on the go..  Break it into pieces and eat it with whole grain crackers.  Add some of your favorite cold cuts for a little variety.  Uncured salami is a big hit at our house.  🙂

4)  Yogurt.  Yoghurt with fruit or a small amount of honey makes a great snack that tastes great.

5)  Whole grain toast and peanut butter or a piece of cheese.

6)  Leftovers.  A 1/2 serving of leftovers will tie you over until your next meal.

7)  Frozen Yoghurt.  Add some fruit and you are good to go.

8)  Shakes.  I don’t recommend a diet that includes meal replacement shakes because it  can be less satisfying than solid food and backfire like most diets do.  However, for people on the go, shakes and smoothies can be a great way to drink a well balanced snack.  I recommend testing out different recipes and stick to the ones that keep you feeling energized and full.

9)  Hummus.  Whole grain pita chips and hummus is another one of my go to snacks.  Hummus is great for satisfying hunger, and a good whole grain pita chip will give you the complex carbs you need for energy.  Try adding some slices of cucumber for more variety.

10)  Cottage Cheese.  Pair  1/2 cup cottage cheese with fruit or crackers.

Your body likes to be nourished.  When it’s fed properly, your metabolism can operate at a better pace and settle at it’s natural weight.

Here’s to a happy and healthy week!

Shared with love,

Jennifer

 

Should You Weigh Yourself? Or Ditch The Scale For Good?

Should you weigh yourself? Or ditch the scale for good?

Scales are an interesting object.  They have no heart beat but can have a tremendous amount of power over people.  These intimidating devices can cause so much anxiety that Facebook will not even approve ads that include pictures of scales due to “the negative feelings that the image can cause.”  Scales rarely tell the whole story and can send you on an unnecessary roller coaster of emotions.

There was a time when I was obsessed with my weight and weighed myself daily.  I was really thin, however I wasn’t very healthy mentally or physically. My philosophy was the lower the number and the smaller the pants size, the better.  I’ll be the first to admit that my quest had very little to do with my health and a lot more to do with caring about what others thought about my body.

Fast forward to now and I rarely weigh myself these days.  I no longer measure my self worth based on a number on a scale.  I’ve learned to look at a scale as a tool that provides information.  It has lost it’s power over me.

Hopefully, the scale is not something you struggle with. But if you are someone who does and are tired of it, you may be wondering how I have become so comfortable weighing myself. Let me share some secrets with you.

Ditch the daily weigh ins. I have nothing against weighing yourself periodically, but this day and night weighing in can drive you insane.  Weight fluctuates for many reasons. If you are someone who looks at those numbers as simply data and do not get emotional about it, I see no issue with weighing yourself regularly.   Even if the scale has no emotional power over you I still recommend limiting your weigh ins to once per week, or even monthly, and would totally avoid Mondays.

However, if you get all worked up or even depressed, then I suggest you toss your scale into the recycle bin or whatever is the best way to dispose of one these days.  We haven’t owned a scale for years.

Your weight is very personal.   Most people have a natural set point or weight that our body feels comfortable.  Your natural set point is usually a weight that you are able to sustain long-term without feeling deprived or compromising your health.  There are no two bodies that are the same so your set point is going to be very personal.  Avoid focusing on only numbers and pay attention to things like: how your clothes fit, the results of your most recent physical, your energy levels, and your ability to function on a daily basis.

Embrace your body type.   It’s way more peaceful and fun to be satisfied with a weight you can realistically maintain than suffer the emotional roller coaster that is attached to chronic dieting and constantly weighing yourself.  Avoid comparing yourself to others. Some are long and lanky, some are curvy. Some build bulk and some do not. I am not suggesting you accept being unhealthy or uncomfortable. My desire for you is that you achieve your personal best–not what the media tells you is best for you.

My weight would be considered heavy or overweight by many of the decision makers in Hollywood. But walking down the street, I am considered slender. Once I stopped comparing myself to the models in the magazines and focused on self care, I stopped obsessing about my weight.

Remember–there is only one you! You are uniquely designed.  Don’t let anyone set your goals for you—not the media, the medical community, your friends, or your family! When you are living your own life, you can achieve anything!

Blessings to you and yours,
Jennifer

 

Start The New Year Off Right With Realistic Goals

Realistic New Years Goals

Happy New Year!

Traditionally, this is the time of the year when many of us reflect on the last year and our lives in general.

We think about what we want to see happen in the new year and what we want our life to look like.  All of this reflection usually leads to goal setting.  While setting new goals is usually exciting, it can also be a little intimidating.  Adding new things to our lives means we need to make space for them and that’s usually easier said then done.

One of the main reasons people have a hard time keeping their resolutions after the new year is that the goals they’ve set are usually unrealistic.  Even the most disciplined person on the planet is going to have a hard time meeting a goal that is so lofty, the odds of winning the lottery are better than achieving the goals they’ve set.

For example, if you only have thirty minutes a day to exercise and it takes twenty minutes to drive to the gym, setting a goal of going to the gym five days per week is a recipe for failure.

No matter how good you are at setting realistic goals life can cause us to get off course or make necessary changes.  Last July, my husband and I packed up our house, put most of our things in storage, and moved into temporary housing while we sold our home.  We have been living in a a 600 square foot house with our three dogs for about five months.  I am happy to share that we will be moving into our new forever home at the end of this January.  And yes, our dogs will finally have a nice big yard!

We are very happy with our decision to move and have zero regrets.  However, the past six months have reminded me that different seasons in our lives can require us to spend our time differently.  It’s not a bad thing, it just means that we may have to give ourselves a break and not get upset if we aren’t meeting all of our goals exactly the way we planned them on our calendars.

When we first moved into our tiny and low maintenance beach house, I had it all laid out in my mind that I was going to write my book, finish my on line classes, and launch a new product for my business.  What I didn’t take into account was that I was in charge of over seeing the sale of our home, settling us in our new area, house hunting, doing all of the paperwork, and working with the consultants.  Needless to say, I was much busier than I anticipated and had set unrealistic goals for myself.  There were moments I felt like a complete failure in my business.

Fortunately, I coach people on how to set realistic goals as part of my personal training business so I was able to give myself permission to put some things on hold.  I didn’t give up on the goals, I simply reset the timeline.

I reminded myself that we were moving, house hunting, and purchasing a new home so I needed to stop focusing on the things I was unable to do and should focus on the things I could do instead.  For example Instead of finishing all of my classes sitting in front of my laptop, I listened to them while driving and doing other things like exercising.  Will I need to go back and watch them to pick up things I missed? Yes. However, do I have more knowledge than I did before?  Yes!

This year, I’ve decided that when it comes to my goals I’m going to focus on what I know I can do and I’m not going to stress or beat myself up about the things I can’t do right now.  I’ve decided to give myself a break and I recommend you do the same.  Focusing on what you can’t do can paralyze you.  However, when you focus on what you are able to do momentum begins to occur.

Maybe you aren’t able to devote six days a week  to your exercise routine just yet, but you know you can start with twenty minutes three times per week.  Those three days per week are going to take you way further than doing nothing at all or waiting until you have more time.  It’s really important to take care of your health.  It’s also important to remember  that doing what you can stress free is way better than feeling guilty about a workout you aren’t able to fit into your day.

None of us can or should neglect our current responsibilities so if we want to add something new I believe it’s important we do so with thought and care.  I also believe we should prioritize things based on our values, self care,  and what we want our life to look like.  Those are very important things to think about  when setting new goals.

Here’s to a healthy, happy, and super productive 2018!

With Love,

Jennifer