When Life Shuts You Down (damage control included)

I haven’t worked out in 4 weeks, or if I did workout, it wasn’t a full session.

I haven’t cooked or meal prepped for 3 weeks and my dishwasher didn’t get ran once.

And I ate two miniature birthday cakes over the past 2 weeks.

The miniature cake….

My life got crazy; my house is sold and I have to move in 30 days.  My long time boyfriend and I are going our separate ways…..(some of you are familiar with him, as I referenced his expertise a lot).  Much of what I knew and loved in my simple but comfortable life is now gone.

So what did I do to overcome this devastation and hurt?  I slept.  Well, I went to work and then slept when I got home.  Sleep is great in the sense that you temporarily can’t feel any emotional pain AND your brain can turn off for a bit.  My brain doesn’t turn off in general, so throw some negative life events at it and WHOAH.  Give me some melatonin and let’s put me outta my misery!

What happened to my fitness level and body composition over the past month?  NOTHING.

Yes, that’s right.  I actually am still as strong as I was (tested out some strict pressing and chin ups yesterday and was pleasantly surprised).  I likely lost a few pounds because I wasn’t taking part in my mindless pleasureful snacking (because I was asleep a lot and not in a pleasure-zone).

Whew, I look the same! Damage averted.

Although this “life lesson” is not what I wanted to happen, I want to share it with you.  I’m sharing it only because I want you to know is that as much as some of you panic when you miss a workout or have ONE bad week  — when you think that you will gain fat, lose strength and ruin all of your goals — that is nonsense.  Not even the fitness professionals we look up to can keep up the perfect routine and diet 365 days per year.  You have to allow yourself to go through life events, good and bad.  Live, relax and simply allow your fitness/food routine to complement your life, not be your life.

I care very much about my health but my emotions and energy levels were drained.  And that was okay.  I had a faint voice saying “Get up!  Go unleash on a workout, do it!  Go throw some weights around!”  But that voice was too faint.  I’m not that person.  That’s not how I deal with being upset.

However, I’m back at it now, getting into a new groove!

A Few Helpful Things To Do When You Are Drained and Off-Course:

1. Take your supplements.  My meals (if you can call them that) were lacking nutritional value, so I made an effort to take my multi-vitamins, fish oil and powdered greens (in almond milk).
2. Get sleep.  Yes, I slept a lot.  But if you have a fighting chance to make it to work, take care of your kids, pack your home for a move, etc….you need real, 8 hours a night sleep.  Not just that “I’m so upset I’m going to lay on the couch after work” sleep.
3. Walk.  If you can’t visualize killing a high intensity conditioning session or going for a PR in your deadlift, at least try to get in some walking.
4. Yoga/stretch.  It was nice to get a good stretch on and work on some mobility.  Even if it was only for 5 or 10 minutes.

I write with a message to give yourself permission to go through stress and adversity with or without your fitness and diet regime in tact.  I want you to be fine with the fact that you missed a class or workout.  Be fine with the fact that you ate some less than nutritious foods.  As long as you don’t forever lose site of your health routine, do what you are feeling during adverse times, not what you THINK you should be doing.

Life is definitely a journey — I feel fortunate for each and every day — so I really want to get back to it.  It’s been an eventful past 4 weeks but life can’t be a ball of fun everyday — it definitely is a box of chocolates though.  You never know what you’re gonna get!  (Couldn’t help myself).

Enjoy the journey and have fun when you can!

Hoping you all have a ball of fun on most days —— cheers.  xoxo

~Melissa

Opinion: IIFYM

My macros

My boyfriend’s macros

A few weeks ago on my Facebook page, I asked what people would like to know more about in regards to nutrition.  One of my very disciplined and fit friends threw out the topic of IIFYM (If It Fits Your Macros).  As an excited and newly certified nutrition coach, I welcomed researching this topic and comparing it my current knowledge and practices.

As a disclaimer, I will say that I’m very much from the school of different nutrition plans work for different people.  We all have different physiological traits, activity levels, lifestyles and food preferences/tolerances.  How could I ever beat the drum on just one plan?  With that being said, this piece is simply an opinion and overview of how this may or may not work for certain people.

IIFYM Summary

For those not familiar with IIFYM, this nutrition plan works within a certain number of calories per person each day based on BMR (basal metabolic rate) and activity level.  It then takes those calories and gives a universal guideline of breaking down each macronutrient into grams (or calories), factoring in no nutrient timing or micronutrients.  Macronutrients (macros) are your proteins, carbohydrates and fats.  Micronutrients are vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.

Once you have your calorie total, you break into macro categories in the form of grams.  The IIFYM’s calculator helps you figure all of this out (link to calculator found in next section).

The appeal of this plan is giving you a basic guideline but allowing for FLEXIBLE food choices.  And flexible here means choosing ANYTHING you want to eat…if it fits into YOUR macros. The theory is that less restriction and stress, usually leads to success when it comes to sticking with a long-term diet plan.  Because let’s face it, it’s ridiculously hard to adhere to a strict food choice guideline when you are on vacation, have a pot-luck lunch day at work, go to the movies or attend holiday gatherings.  IIFYM planning allows for eating basically whatever you want in those settings.

Okay, so what are YOUR macros?

Great question, right?  I asked the same one — so to figure it out, I used two different IIFYM calculators (one very basic and one more customized).  The first result is what I would call irresponsible recommendations (www.dailyburn.com’s version).  It does a strict breakdown of 40% carbs, 40% proteins and 20% fats.  This yielded the following macro requirements, based on my current activity level of moderate and at 35 years old, 5’4″ and 138 pounds (I don’t weigh myself, so this is a guestimate on my weight):

• Total Daily Calories: 2088
• Protein: 208.8 grams
• Carbohydrates: 208.8 grams
• Fats: 46.4 grams

My first thought – Cool!  I can eat over 2000 calories everyday, that’s new (according to everything I’ve ever calculated in the recent past).

My second thought – Holy protein and carbohydrates, that can’t be right.  And that fat recommendation seems a bit low.

I did then go back and use the IIFYM calculator on the iifym.com site (http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/).  This has better customization settings, brought my protein requirements down but had my carbohydrates still quite high, at first glance.  However, I then realized that carbohydrates are not necessarily only the stereotypical “starchy carbs” — vegetables and fruits are technically carbohydrates.  So perhaps the carbohydrate recommendation isn’t so terrible.

IFFYM.com Results for a Goal of Fat Loss:

	CARBS	PROTEIN	FAT	FIBER	CALORIES
GRAMS per day	195.2	110.4	55.2	28 – 35	1719

How It Applies and Why People Kinda Sorta Love It

Now that I know my macros, I can feel wild and free — no more stressful food options, just keep those macros at the forefront………………

Protein – so this one is hard to really “mess up” — there are few “bad” protein options out there.  For me though, lunch meat vs. steak — steak wins that nutritional battle.  But according to this plan, you can eat the fattier protein types (because you just calculate the fat into your daily macro-fat category).  So if you eat 8 oz. of pulled pork that will take up 11 grams of the fat your are “allowed” each day — but it’s okay, it’s part of your protein/fats choice.  And choices is what this is all about.

Fats – IIFYM encourages eating healthy fats but doesn’t make this a strict guideline.  Therefore, if you really wanted to, all of your fat can be saturated or trans fat.  Which makes me cringe.  Your body needs all fat types and specifically needs omega-3 fats, which we get less easily from our everyday food sources.

Carbohydrates – oh this is where it gets a wee bit tricky.  On this plan, I can eat sweet potatoes, french fries, donuts, rice, ice cream, quinoa, lentils, cake, brocoli, licorice, fruit……………………..and the list goes on and on.  Does that list seem to make total sense?  To me, as a nutrition coach, it does not.  Primarily because I find micronutrients to be very, very important to the overall balance and health of our bodies.  Your body is an amazing machine that constantly seeks balance in it’s energy and PH levels, as well as needs maximum cellular health.  To achieve this, we must feed it the proper energy amounts (calories) and also proper nutrition (micronutrients).  So often you hear of people that have deficiencies that affect their overall health and they are asked to take supplements or eat more of certain nutrient dense foods.  And for those of you interested in “keeping your metabolism high”, your body needs to be in balance.  IIFYM really doesn’t encourage this, but does leave room to incorporate it, if you make solid choices.

What I Like About IIFYM 

1. Flexibilty.  (gasp) Yes, the whole premise is what I like.  Where I see myself incorporating the IIFYM plan into my daily life is what I already do now…if I know it’s “popcorn night” with my boyfriend, I am mindful of my caloric intake leading up to this.  I also know that on a day I eat my dark chocolate bar or eat my weekly post-volleyball ice cream, that I need to account for that into my daily intake — they aren’t “freebies” and I don’t do “cheat meals.”  So in this case, IIFYM works for me on those days I have extra foods that aren’t part of my normal nutritional intake.

2.  Food Guilt Destroyer – IIFYM can lessen that evil “food guilt” feeling, as well.  So many of us suffer from feeling food guilt and IIFYM basically tells us that there is no such thing.  #winning

3.  Psychology with Fat Loss Clients –  may have a place for a person who is overweight and seeking fat loss as the major first goal towards a healthy lifestyle.  From a psychological standpoint, in the first phase of coaching someone that has a lack of will power with food choices — namely in difficult settings (weddings, parties, restaurants), this can work for them.  AT FIRST.  As a coach, I’d phase them into making overall nutrient dense food choices, as opposed to just any food choices that fit their macros.

What I Don’t Like About IIFYM

1.  Assumes all calories are equal.  Okay, so a calorie is simply a unit of energy, but the make up of that energy does matter in the long run.  IIFYM does not incorporate micronutrients to the level that I would prefer.  On the iifym.com website, they encourage healthy choices in some of the forum/FAQ sections but definitely don’t embrace it.  This is to keep that “flexibility” that is so popular about their plan.
2. Carbohydrates are in one big box.  Ahhhhh, maybe the worst thing of this plan in my opinion.  Yes, again, calories are simply an energy source and if you don’t put more calories into your body than your body needs, you should either maintain body composition or lose fat.  However, there is a big difference in digesting a high fiber, nutrient dense vegetable versus a plate of pasta.  That pasta is pure fuel for either an intense work out/endurance event or it’s assisting in fueling the body’s muscle repair after a heavy workout session.  Otherwise, that amount of pure starchy carb energy entering the body on a daily basis can end up being stored as fat.  Unless you are that controlled with calorie/macro counting and hit your activity level/intensity entered into the IIFYM calculator with such precision…….which leads me to my next “dislike.”
3. Activity Intensity/Timeframe & Nutrient Timing – activity type is not taken into account, which may be a bit more minor, but in my experience, it matters.  An endurance athlete has a much more different nutrition protocol surrounding their activity as opposed to a weight lifter.  For example, I often do my strength workouts on a fast (have not eaten for past 12-16 hours).  My workouts are typically a total of 45-60 minutes.  I do not feel faint or weak and my body has a long caloric burn period post-workout.  A person running a 10K will definitely need to eat proper energy prior to setting out on their run, which may take them 40 – 60 minutes.  They would likely feel faint at some point had they set out on that run on a 16 hour fast; they will also not continue to burn as many calories post-run as I would post-lifting.  So when you calculate activity level AND nutrient timing – activity type can be very indicative of calories used and needed.
4. Macro/Calorie Tracking.  Personally, this is where I can’t be bothered in my real life in the long run.  A diet should be maintained for the long term.  Tracking calories is not something I see myself doing everyday for the next 20 years of my life.  However, I am VERY mindful of the basic caloric value of what I’m eating.  I do not calculate or count.  It’s merely impossible to know.  Especially at work events — you go to lunch with a client, do you ask the waiter for the caloric breakdown of your meal?  No, no you do not.  And unless you are in the state of New York, where they are required to put calories on the menu……you may be out of luck.  Oh but wait, the calories alone don’t help you understand the macro breakdown of your food, anyhow.  Nonetheless, I do get the feeling that IIFYM plan assumes that the person has a basic overall knowledge of food composition.  Which now leads me to my last point…….
5. Lack of Knowledge.  IF you have a solid knowledge base of foods/macros, you can probably be very successful with IIFYM.  You can adjust on weeks you miss some workouts and have a basic idea of the macro breakdown of most foods.  However, if you don’t fall into the aforementioned category, you do not have a nutrition coach, do not have a background in nutrition/exercise education and are getting your advice from magazines and your friends (that are not educated)……this plan can go very wrong for you.  It encourages food choices being a free-for-all when that is just simply dangerous, in my opinion.

My Conclusion

IIFYM can be a successful diet to follow if you are educated in the field of nutrition, have a nutrition coach or have the basic understanding that the carbohydrate portion of IIFYM is not a daily eat cake/pizza/french fries plan.

The “original” IIFYM experiment might just be the 2004 documentary “Super Size Me”.  This is the experiment where a science teacher only ate McDonald’s for 90 days and loses 37 pounds.  However, he actually ate oatmeal, salads and one value meal everyday.  He made smart choices within the many poor menu options he was faced with.

The official IIFYM macros website is a source of SOME information but withholds a lot of guidance in an attempt to have you sign up for their coaching.  Which hey, that’s a good business move, I’m not hating — and that could help with navigating some of my above “dislikes” of the plan.

In conclusion, if YOU are comfortable with what you know about nutrition and/or have someone to help coach and guide you — then go with IIFYM.  It truly is a guilt-free plan, which is pretty awesome.  Life is too short to be restricted and stressed about food.  Food is fuel AND a source of essential nutrition — but it is also supposed to be enjoyed!

Cheers to a great week!

~Meliss

References: 

http://dailyburn.com/life/health/if-it-fits-your-macros-iifym-diet/

The Original IIFYM • If It Fits Your Macros • The IIFYM Macro Diet

Precision Nutrition: The Essentials of Sport and Exercise Nutrition: Certification Manual, 2nd Ed.

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/super-slim-mcdonald-diet-leads-weight-loss-man-article-1.1566465

Simple Recipes for the Grill

Good Morning!

As it is Saturday, almost summertime and you may be hosting picnics and BBQs soon, it seems only appropriate to write about grilling today.  Tis the season!  Not that you can’t grill year round, as my boyfriend will put on snow boots just to grill a steak in the winter, but I’m admittedly not that dedicated.  Nonetheless, grilling is a great cooking technique that is healthy in the sense that you aren’t adding a lot of extra calories through cooking oils and sauces, etc.  It also just brings a new and unique taste to some of our common food choices.

I always thought grilling was difficult and tended to stay away from it.  My parents both would grill quite a bit in the summertime, but I never cared to learn, just wanted to eat.  Then I started to get a little more ambitious and purchased a small propane grill for my back deck one year.  And I discovered grilling was for the most part REALLY EASY and SUPER TASTY.

So you can either turn on the Food Network right now and get some extremely advanced grilling advice and recipes — or you can keep on reading and I’ll bring you some simplified but favorite grilling recipes so far this grilling season:

Grilled Romaine

• 2 Hearts of Romaine
• Light dressing of your choice (caesar or any vinaigrette)
• Parmesan or Asiago cheese shreds
• Salt/pepper to taste

Slice the romaine hearts in half (long ways); drizzle dressing on them.  Place on grill for a few minutes, up to 5-6 at the most.  Remove from the grill, sprinkle with cheese and salt/pepper.  Serve.

Note:  I like to chop up my romaine after grilling so that it is like a warm salad.  Many serve it halved and cut it as they go.  

Pork Tenderloin

• Pork tenderloin
• Marinade of choice

Marinade your pork tenderloin for up to 24 hours, however a few hours will do.

Use the 7-6-5 technique.  You will need some sort of stopwatch or timer.  I use the stopwatch function on my phone:

• Place the tenderloin on the grill, fat side up, over high heat.  Do not place directly in the flame area of the grill.  Leave for 7 minutes.
• Turn the tenderloin to the other side (fatty side) and leave for 6 minutes.
• Turn the heat off of the grill and let it rest inside the hot grill, for 5 more minutes.
• Slice and serve
• Note:  If your tenderloin is larger than usual or very thick at one end, you may want to add a minute to each of the above steps.  

Tuna Steak

• 1 filet of tuna
• 1/4 cup Liquid aminos
• 1 tbsp Minced garlic
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Black pepper (a few dashes)

Marinade – mix all above ingredients (not the tuna though, doh); pour into a ziplock baggie and add in the tuna filet.  Refridgerate for 1 hour.

Grilling it – I prefer my tuna fairly rare, therefore I place it on high heat on the grill for 90 seconds – 2 minutes per side.

Grill to your liking but know that if you grill it 5-7 minutes like a red meat steak, it will become dry and somewhat chewy.  

Sweet or Baked Potato

• 1 baked or sweet potato
• Olive Oil
• Salt/Pepper

When grilling a potato, you can either cut into it but not the whole way through, long ways, then put another 2 slices going the other direction.  This opens up the potato in order to lightly coat with some olive oil, salt and pepper (I do not pepper sweet potatoes, btw).

OR

Slice the potato into wedges, spray/coat with olive oil, salt/pepper.

Place your potato onto the center of a sheet of foil that will be large enough to wrap the entire potato in.  Wrap it around the the potato, loose or tightly, doesn’t matter.

Place on grill for 25-35 minutes or until fully cooked.

BONUS Recipe: Cucumber-Corn Salad

• 1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
• 5 cooked ears of corn (or 3 cups of cooked sweet corn)
• 1/2 cup fresh, chopped basil
• 1/4 cup snipped chives
• 2 tbsp light mayo (recommend Sir Kensingtons)
• Dash of salt to taste

Mix all the above together and serve; or chill until ready to serve.

And that is it, a few very simple but very yummy items to throw on your grill this weekend.  Have an active but relaxing weekend!

~Melissa*

Calming the Calorie Count

Last year, my friend asked me to ask my boyfriend Matt, how many calories she should be eating every day.  Matt is my main squeeze but he also has his degree in Exercise Science and is a seasoned personal trainer…so I asked him.  And he basically told me that he can’t make a recommendation without knowing a lot more information, blah blah blah.  Well, I thought it was blah, blah, blah at the time.  I couldn’t understand why he couldn’t give a faster, more clear answer.

However, now that I’m studying for my nutrition certification, I get it.  There are so many variables for each individual person.  Different types of workout programming can impact your RMR (resting metabolic rate), genetic variables, etc.  I learned that more or less, each human expends somewhere around 1100 calories each day just to stay alive — yah, to consume oxygen and keep you alive, you use around that many calories.  Again, that is an estimated number (because we all have different variables in regards to our energy needs, remember).  But isn’t the human body amazing?!

Furthermore, the coursework I am studying indicates that diet is NOT the majority to your success, namely for fat loss.  They say it truly is 100% diet, 100% exercise; both are equally important to a healthy life.  Understanding how diet and exercise work together is becoming increasingly helpful to my outlook on wellness and fitness.  I’m excited to share my learning with you, but I need to put in some more work before I’m comfortable making any real recommendations.

BUT, let me put it this way.  I will be adding in some additional cardio work to my programming and eating a lot less processed foods.  I have always been saying I won’t snack as much and will eat more “clean”, however with new knowledge, I should make better conscious and consistent decisions moving forward.  Here is what turned a light bulb on for me —  processed foods that lack nutrients (which are a lot of snack foods), do not typically trigger satiety, therefore not suppressing our appetites.  We don’t get satisfied and end up eating more food later.  Essentially, these non-nutrient rich foods are wasted calories and likely cause many of us to be in a positive body balance state (which is when energy storage happens, which leads to fat gain, not loss).

The cardio (aerobic) work I mentioned is something I have not been doing much of over the past year, focusing primarily on strength training.  Strength will still be my priority, but I can see how the body can benefit from a mixed program and utilizes different types of energy during each type.  So weights, walking, HIIT and perhaps some spin classes are on the menu for me in 2015.

PS – I use the word “energy”  a lot, because this is referencing calorie intake (in a very broad sense) — nutrition/caloric intake fuels the body, providing it with the energy it needs.

Therefore, what all of this means is when it comes to counting calories, perhaps we don’t need to obsess on counting as much as I would have thought.  Granted, being in a caloric deficit is often needed for fat loss goals, but sometimes you can under eat based on your activity level.  That can stall your RMR and make you feel sluggish.  I’ve learned that keeping your body in balance with nutrition can be a bit tricky, if you over think it.

So let us stop over thinking.  Today let’s commit to eating more natural foods, cook more meals and avoid grabbing a worthless processed snack to “hold you over” until you get real food into your stomach.  That’s one simple rule we can start with.  Again, try to cook more meals, eat more unprocessed foods and not grab for the bag of Chex mix at the gas station when you are hungry.  Try it — commit to this new habit and don’t obsessively food log.

HOWEVER, I will say that if food logging or using a calorie counting app has helped you achieve body composition goals, I am not saying for you, personally, to stop doing this.  But I am recommending to make a sustainable life habit, as well as relaxing about counting every last calorie going into your body (most of the labels are inaccurate with error up to 25%).

Do note that I am aware of a roundabout calorie intake on a daily basis, but I do not obsess on it.  And now that I know what I know — I’d rather “overeat” on proteins and vegetables, as opposed to pretzels, rice cakes and cookies.

For example, I applied this yesterday when I landed at JFK from a fasted morning of rushing to the rental car return, check-in and flying.  I was hungry and my ride home was about 20 minutes away.  The express snack shop was staring at me and my stomach said, “Do it!  You can’t wait to get home!”  So I scanned the options for a good 5 minutes, annoying those trying to get around me with their suitcases…..and I chose a Justin’s Honey Almond Butter packet.  In the past, I would have said, “Oh no, 200 calories for that little bit of almond butter?!”  I would have grabbed a bag of popcorn or pretzels instead.  But applying my new learning, I knew that almond butter had some positive nutritional benefits and would help suppress my appetite better than any pretzels would, regardless of the calorie count.

And there you have it.  I was fine with that choice — got home and hour later, heated up homemade chili and felt good about my food decisions.

I wish for us all happiness first and foremost — one key to being happy means to have balance in all aspects of life.  If you are obsessing on counting calories, getting in a certain number of minutes of workout time each day…suddenly being healthy is a stressful chore.  Therefore, I hope by sharing some insight on calorie counting and starting with one little change, I can bring some peace of mind to you.

Have a Happy & Healthy Weekend,

~Melissa

I Dare You To Be Food Weird

Good Morning!

It has been a LONG time since I’ve sat down to write.  I have been off the map, the radar system, the whole shabam.  I’ve been absent from my blog, BUT — not absent from working out and eating well.

I’ve simply been adjusting.  And I only write when I’m inspired and feel I have something of value to share.  So in this time of adjustment, I was bee-bopping in and out of a workout program and continue to work on gaining a nutrition certification.  It was too chaotic to bore you with.

Anyhow, this brings us all the way to now, December, and the holidays!

This is where I dare you to be food-weird.  And when I say weird, I mean I dare you to make something healthy that others will think is weird (but tasty).  For example, I made mushroom gravy for a past Thanksgiving as an alternative to real gravy.  My family members wrinkled their nose as they hovered over the bowl, inspected it and made a face that implied how super weird having mushroom gravy to them was.  Yet when they very cautiously taste tested it before pouring over potatoes, they were pleasantly surprised at how yummy it actually was.

For my boyfriend’s family dinner I made protein-almond bread as a dessert item.  Some of them didn’t get it nor want to try it, but his Mom appreciated it and found it filling for an afternoon snack.  Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose.  BUT I will keep pushing my “weird” nutritious dishes and desserts.  I want to be a good influence and show that eating healthy is not boring or bland.

With that, I leave you with the dare to be weird.  To take or make something a bit different for your family or friends during your holiday outings.

Bonus!  If you are in charge of hors d’oeuvres or snacks for any outing, here are a few ideas —

• Tortilla chips made from whole wheat wraps with:
  • homemade guacamole
  • nacho-like ingredients (seasoned ground beef, salsa and shredded cheese)
  • sprinkle with coconut sugar and cinnamon for a sweeter version
• Bacon wrapped scallops or asparagus
• Large pot of turkey chili (can also be paired with tortillas)
• Mini-meatballs (made with meat of your choice) and coconut-cilantro dipping sauce
• Veggie platter (healthy-boring but always a hit anyhow)

Oh did you want that coconut-cilantro dipping sauce recipe?  Okay here you go:

Coconut Cilantro Dipping Sauce

1. 6- 8 oz tomato sauce
2. 10 sprigs of cilantro
3. 2-3 cloves of garlic (or 2-3 spoonfuls of pre-minced garlic)
4. 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
5. Chop up cilantro in a mini-food processor
6. Mince the garlic cloves
7. Heat up the sauce in a sauce pan (medium heat); add in the coconut oil once warm and stir.
8. Add in cilantro and garlic; stir.
9. That’s it, you are done.  And it is amazing!  **recipe was originally shared by Neghar Fonooni

I truly wish each and every one of you a very, very Happy Holiday and a fantastic New Year!!!!!!!!!  I’ll be back with much more in 2015 (including some solid nutritional info and recipes)……..until then……CHEERS!

~Melissa

Snackaholic Nutrition Tricks

My work bag snacks for today.

Hello.  My name is Melissa and I am a Snackaholic.

All jokes aside, this is true.  My nutrition sabotage always occurs within my snacking habits, as full meals are typically pristine from a nutritional standpoint.  Nonetheless, the lil’ wee in-between hours when I snack…that is where the damage occurs.

When I say damage, I mean from a physical, emotional and general fat loss perspective.  Yes, my goal is to get stronger and continue to lose body fat.  However, I notice that I feel really gross, lethargic and emotionally crabby when I eat junk.

Let me now define junk.  Junk to me is something I consume that has no nutritional value or purpose for my body.  For example, pretzels, baked Lays chips, white bread, cake and cereal bars.  There is not much in those items that can really assist my internal systems to improve functioning, they won’t help build muscle or recover from a workout well, are not the best energy source and will only assist with fat gain, not loss.

Why do I eat those things though?  Because I LOVE them.  LOVE.  Nothing is more satisfying than to sit down and watch a favorite show after a long day and SNACK.

And because I am a human who doesn’t want to deprive myself of being relaxed and refuse to obsess on being nutritionally perfect, I will keep my snacking habit but have chosen to replace my snacks with more nutritional yet satisfying choices.  Look, I’m not going to say that I eat carrot sticks and celery dipped in hummus.  That is a great choice and I encourage that, but I’m talking some real, down and dirty snacks that still taste like they are junk but really aren’t .  Let’s dive into my snack bowl and check out my latest favorites:

1. Artic Zero “ice cream” pints – with only 150 calories per pint, here’s what fun things you can do with this fun stuff:
   1. Make a sundae – take 1/2 the pint and place in a bowl; let it soften a bit.  Add PB2, oecans, carob chips, unsweetened coconut shreds and drizzle honey (all or a few of the aforementioned taste great).
   2. Make a float – recently, I filled a glass with scoops of Artic Zero chocolate and poured Diet Cherry Dr. Pepper on it.  YUM.
   3. Just eat it.  ***always let is soften for a while first — it’s not good unless it melts a bit*
2. Yogurt and Honey – PLAIN Greek yogurt with walnuts, honey dew (optional) and honey drizzled through it.  Double Yum.
3. Homemade Tortillas and Salsa – buy whole wheat or multi-grain (check the ingredients) tortillas; cut the whole pack into slices as if they were pizzas; spray with olive oil (Mr. Misto comes in handy here); salt them or season; bake for 7-9 minutes at 400 degrees.  The extras keep well in a tupperware container or gallon zip lock bag.
4. Chili – I have found that munching on chili throughout the day really is tasty and filling; a perfect weekend snack that you can keep warm in your kitchen all day.
5. Honeycrisp Apples – after much apple-exploration, I think this is my favorite snack apple.  They are generally a big apple, making it perfect to cut into big slices that will last you through an episode of The Real Housewives.
6. Popcorn (homemade) – I can’t give up my popcorn, but technically, it is a food, raised on a farm.  So it makes the list!  Just make sure it is air popped or homemade on the stove to avoid chemicals and trans fats found in microwave options.
7. “Real Foods” Brand Corn Thins – at 22 calories per thin, I enjoy drizzling honey only on them OR PB2 spread.
8. Snacks For Work — the traditional favorites still prevail for worktime snacking:
   1. Beef Jerky
   2. Ostrim Meat Sticks (my new favorite — found at GNC, Vitamin Shoppe and Amazon)
   3. Quest Bars
   4. Kind Bars
   5. Homemade tortillas — they travel well and if you season with garlic powder and sea salt, no salsa needed.

So perhaps the aforementioned aren’t as convenient as grabbing a bag of Chex Mix at the local 7-11, but they are doable, healthy changes.

Please share any healthy snack options you have, as well!

Have a great week,

~Melissa

15 Food & Prep Tips for Busy People

Hello!  

Leftover greens n bacon, marinated soyaki chicken & snack mix of apricots, coconut chips and almonds.

I’m known to preach meal prep and planning — slaving away for 2-3 hours in the kitchen on Sunday evenings, portioning my meals into Tupperware, etc.  However, lately, I have not been doing my full-boar Sunday prep routine.  I’ve been scurrying around, but am still making nutritious eating as a steady habit.  Here are 15 tips that work for me when I’m on the go OR just simply don’t feel like cooking:

1.  Purposely make leftovers.  Vegetables heat up well, so always make extra.  I often will saute 2 bags of greens into one pan, as they wilt anyhow.  This allows for guaranteed extras too.

2.  Buy chicken as thin cut breasts, cutlets or tenders.  Unless you are stuffing or pulling your chicken breasts, these less thick versions are easier to cook in a flash.  

3.  Freeze meat in separate portions.  As a single person, I don’t want to freeze 5 turkey burgers together because I also don’t want to thaw and eat 5 of them in one sitting either.  You won’t waste meat and one portion is easy to grab and throw into the fridge before you go to bed at night or leave for work in the morning.

4.  Buy pre-cuts.  Only when I’m in a full-on Martha Stewart cooking mood am I into cooking, slicing and mincing my fresh veggies and herbs.  It may be less economical to do this, but if you are in a jam and find that you don’t “feel like” cutting up bell peppers and skinning carrots…swing by the grocery store on your way home and grab pre-cuts.

5.  Put “thawing” into your morning routine.  As you brew your coffee or tea, grab something out of the freezer that you will want for dinner and/or you want to cook for your lunch the next day.  A lot of times you are hungry in the evening and will reach for something less-nutritious if you don’t have meat thawed and ready to cook.

6.  Make Lean Ground-Beef-Saute.  Ground beef is a good base meat to mix everything but the kitchen sink with into a saute pan.  Personally, I love to season the beef with a hickory-bbq seasoning, adding in onions, a lil broccoli slaw mix and top with shredded cheese.  It tastes like it’s bad but really it’s good for you!

7.  Steam bag veggies.  These are good and even better for a quick fix.  I often throw a bag of veggies in the microwave while I finish up my makeup…then take ’em out, throw them in a to-go container and wah-lah, I have a nutritious side to go with my chicken, fish or pork, etc.

8.  Have these on your weekly grocery list, as they are versatile and healthy but can spoil if you buy too much ahead of time:

• plain greek yogurt 
• cottage cheese
• greens (kale, spinach, collards)
• brussel sprouts
• snap peas
• lemons
• limes
• fruit for snacks (apples, bananas, strawberries)

9.  Add bacon and garlic to your greens.  Yep, bacon.  In small doses, it’s not a caloric nightmare.  I take 2-3 strips of bacon, dice them up and put them in a pan first.  The fat from the bacon takes the place of an oil and adds a nice kick of flavor for sometimes boring greens.  If you are a garlic fan, some minced garlic is the icing on the cake to this dish.

10.   Make your own snack mix.  I try to keep my cupboards stocked with a variety of nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans) and different dried fruits (unsulfured and unsweetened).  You can throw a few nuts, handful of fruit and some carob chips into a sandwich bag.  This can be a satisfying snack mix to hold you over while you are out running errands or hit an afternoon slump.  **My favorite fruit for this is apricots.**

11.  Canned soups.  There are myriads of canned soup options out there.  Many times, when Matt claims starvation and mal-nutrition after we get home from the gym, I will throw a can of soup in pan, heat it up and serve before he passes out from food deprivation.  It buys me time to not have to actually cook something.  This is a great, low-calorie snack option (or meal, depending on your dietary needs).  It’s quick and can also be something to heat up at work too!

12.  Beef jerky.  I always have beef jerky on hand.  This tends to keep me busy, makes me feel fairly full and allows for me to snack on a protein very easily.

13.  Cut up your chicken and make it transform.  Look, I think we’ve all gotten extremely bored with chicken breast.  If you saute thin-cut chicken breasts in coconut oil and garlic, you can then cut it in chunks for multiple uses, such as:

• topping a greens for a grilled chicken salad
• dump guacamole and salsa on top 
• throw into an Ezekiel wrap with greens, tomato and honey mustard
• top on stir fry veggies
• spread greek yogurt and panko flakes (and a sprinkle of salt) before you saute/bake

14.  Pork Tenderloin.  This is by far is one of the easiest meats to prepare and it delivers multiple portions.  You can buy these pre-marinated.  When you do that, you literally plop it out of the bag, into a non-stick baking dish — then into the oven for 30-40 minutes.  I love this grilled in the summer. 

15.  Flip your yogurt.  Greek yogurt (plain), can be very versatile:

• Mix crushed garlic with some yogurt, and spread it on a turkey burger
• Chocolate protein powder + PB2 + yogurt = fulfilling, sweet, protein-filled treat 
• Yogurt + Parmesan cheese and/or panko flakes = delicious coating for baked chicken

If you are one of my vegetarian friends, I apologize — probably only about 7 of these apply!  But do share your own tips if you have them.

Life changes, our mood changes and routine is sometimes disrupted.  Adjusting to these constant changes is what is most important.  I’m beyond getting upset when I can’t cook on Sundays, and simply finding other ways to make sure I have nutritious and filling meals or snacks.  Truthfully, most of my lunches are cooked in the morning before I take my shower for work.

Take Care & Be Well!

~Melissa*

Make A List, You’ll Feel Better

Greetings!

I’ve been quiet and that is because I was recently on vacation. I arrived back on Wednesday evening, which is actually nice. It hurls me back into reality on a Thursday, not a Monday. Much easier for me to cope that way. But that may just be me.

Anyhow, I was reflecting on my vacation in regards to fitness and nutrition. I had some poor decisions but I also had some decent ones. I also noted that many who are dedicated to their health and wellness, tend to practice perfectionism, along with regret, guilt and self-negativity. This is not ideal and we all should try to minimize these practices.

Nonetheless, I was practicing self-negativity and regret. I’m usually pretty good about not doing this, but that’s typically after one or two days of missing a workout or eating poorly. This was several days of family activities, visits, snack binges and weird sleep. I was bogged down and in a haze of sloth.

THEN. I thought, well, I’m being hard on myself. I didn’t just rot away on my days off. I DID go buy a guest pass at the local gym one day. I DID fast like I normally do everyday. I DID take a morning walk. So the next step was for me to make a list. Yes, a list — a list of Pros and Cons in regards to fitness, for each day I was away. In all reality, I had 14 PROS and 10 CONS. The cons were almost exclusively over-snacking. Two over-snacking days would have been fine, but I had four. Nothing I can’t fix next time I go away.

My pros were my daily fasts from bedtime through lunch, as well as actually going to the local gym one of the days. This was all bottled up into a 1200+ mile road trip, packed full of planned activities and family visits.

Last example on this list thing…a couple weeks ago, I had my first nutritional “binge” in a while. As I wallowed on the couch after it was over, I kept thinking about how I likely ate 5000 calories throughout the day. And I’m not a calorie counter, so to speak — I am mindful of calories throughout the day, however. Anyways, I was mad at myself, avoiding calculating my caloric intake for the day. But low and behold, I decided to list it out. At the end of my list, I took in around 2100 – 2300 calories for the day. It wasn’t ridiculously out of hand. More than I needed, but not out of hand. The list of foods I ate with the calories actually made me relax; I felt better.

So my friends, the next time you really are feeling bad about some of your choices or just simply need to get organized……..go to “The List” technique. It’s simple, old-school and can be helpful in managing your “perfectionist” desires.

“Nobody is perfect.” This is a phrase no one has yet to be able to duel with and win. I accept that and hope that you do too.

Enjoy your weekend! (and make a list — even a grocery list).

~Melissa*

Orange Brandy Strawberries

Good Morning!  I hope you have enjoyed your 4th of July weekend thus far!  This really is an amazing country, and we should certainly celebrate living here.  Not sure if you indulged, imbibed or decided to lay low, but I  hope it’s been great.  I was in charge of a dessert this weekend….and I was so pleased with how easy and healthy it turned out that I just had to share!  It’s perfect for the summer!

I would like to note that I purchased 5 pounds of strawberries so that I could test the first batch, as I wanted to substitute truvia for the granulated sugar and also add in a dash of orange extract.  That was not what the original recipe called for.  To my delight, the truvia worked perfectly in place of the sugar and the orange flavor was perfect:

ORANGE BRANDY STRAWBERRIES

2 pounds strawberries 

1/4 cup Truvia natural sweetener 

1/3 cup water

1.5 – 2 tablespoons cognac, brandy OR fruited brandy

1/2 tsp orange extract or orange oil

1 tub of Cool Whip

1. Cut strawberries into halves and place them in the serving bowl you wish to store them in.  I used a tupperware container, as I was taking these on the road with me.
2. In a small saucepan, simmer the 1/3 cup of water; add the Truvia and stir until is dissolves. 
3. Remove saucepan from heat, stir in the brandy and orange extract.
4. Pour the brandy syrup over the strawberries in its entirety.
5. Top with Cool Whip or make your own whipped topping if you are savvy like that.  

That’s all there is to it!  I was super pleased at how this added a lil’ zest to the ordinary bowl of strawberries and also sweetened them.

Okay, time for me to go to the gym and get ready for the final beach day of the weekend.  Enjoy your day and let me know if you try this recipe out!  It’s de-lish!

~Melissa*

Protein Bread! It’s Good!

The large majority of the human population loves bread.  White, floury, carbo-licious bread!  I’m not a huge bread lover, but I do enjoy a piece with nut butter here and there, or the traditional PB & J.  However, I was inspired to make the protein bread you see in the picture above, because my boyfriend devours bread.  In seconds.

When I post recipes, I typically just cut to the chase, so here you all go.  This was based loosely on a recipe from bodybuilding.com, as well:

• 4-5 egg whites (4 if using large eggs)
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk (can use any type of milk)
• 1/2 cup natural flavored whey protein
• 1/4 cup buckwheat flakes
• 1/4 cup sweet potato (cooked or pureed)
• 1 1/2 tbsp coconut flavor
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

Mix ingredients together with a hand mixer and/or any mixer until you have a smooth batter.  The batter will be fairly thin, not thick in nature.  Don’t panic, that’s okay!  Bake at 320 degrees for 40 minutes.  

The pieces don’t rise to a true loaf size, but are still great to use for anything you would with normal bread, other than making a big deli sandwich.  I took two slices with me to work to accompany my chicken salad.  Sopped up the dressing with it, as you would any other bread.