(Another) Daily Food Log

I figured it was time to share another day of eating with y’all, so here we go!

This was a basic day for me during the week. I typically stick to my usual foods (random bowls, proffles, proats, toast, etc.) during the week and then have a meal out Friday night (it’s our little family tradition) and brunch after church with my in-laws on Sunday. I find that having that consistency really helps me stay on track, feel my best, and then truly enjoy those “untracked”, unplanned meals!

BREAKFAST (~7:30-8am):

• 1/2 C rolled oats (cooked in water) with 1 scoop Nuzest clean lean (pea) protein* mixed in after cooking + topped with 1 Tbsp nut butter, 1/4 C blueberries, and a few pinches of sliced almonds

• a matcha-collagen latte (16 oz hot water, 1 tsp matcha powder, 2 scoops Ancient Nutrition vanilla multi collagen, + a splash of coconut milk, all blended together for about 60 seconds)

MID-MORNING (~9:30-10am):

• grande iced decaf americano from Starbucks, unsweetened with coconut milk

LUNCH (~11:30-12pm)

• 4 oz extra lean ground chicken seasoned with McCormick Japanese seven spice (sooo good!)

• 1/2 C cooked jasmine rice

• 1 C steamed mixed veggies (broccoli, snap peas, carrots, and water chestnuts are some of my favorites!)

• 1/2 tsp coconut aminos (you can find these at most grocery stores now)

• a good drizzle of sriracha hot sauce

AFTERNOON (~3:30-4pm):

• 3 GG’s fiber crackers (which I talked about in my last post) topped with 2 Tbsp PB Fit (mixed with a tiny bit of water), a little Nu Naturals chocolate syrup, + a sprinkling of Salba Chia dark chocolate chia seeds

DINNER (~6:30-7pm):

• 4 oz air-fried cod (sprayed with cooking spray, seasoned with Primal Palate new bae seasoning*, and air-fried at 390 for 15 min)

• 2 large handfuls Nature’s Greens organic kale (cooked in a pan sprayed with cooking spray and seasoned with just a little pepper + pink salt)

• 1 C steamed green beans, reheated in the pan after the kale

• small square of Honey Mama’s chocolate for a sweet post-dinner treat

*Use code FITNCLEAN for a discount

See? Nothing too fancy, but totally delicious AND filling! I find that by spacing my meals out like that (and having enough fiber and protein with each meal), I don’t go into my next meal ravenous and eat everything in sight. Just a little tip for ya!

I hope you guys have an amazing week!

XO

How a High Fiber Diet Can Actually Help You LOSE Weight

…and keep it off!

Yep, we’re gonna talk about fiber - and POOP - today, y’all.

As an endoscopy nurse, I could chat about this topic all day long. People often get grossed out talking about “doin’ the doo”, but getting enough fiber and having regular bowel movements are seriously SO important for both overall health AND weight loss/management.

Yep, you read that right. You can actually lose weight by eating a high-fiber diet.

Now, let me clarify. This doesn’t mean eat a “whatever I want as long as I add some fiber” diet. It means eating a diet high in fiber, low in added sugars, high in protein, and with a balanced amount of heart healthy fats.

So WHY is fiber so beneficial?

Fiber is the indigestible part of carbs that bulks up our stools and helps the digested food pass through our colon. Read: It helps us poop. This is important because it keeps our digestive tract clean, drastically lessening the growth of certain cancers and the development of diverticulosis (“pockets” that form in the intestines over time). Not having stool just sitting in our colon also reduces inflammation and helps regulate the amount of good bacteria in the gut.

Fiber also slows the absorption of carbs, which in turn slows the release of sugar into the bloodstream. This means less blood sugar spikes and crashes. And since it takes longer to digest, it keeps up feeling full longer.

Bonus: Regular bowel movements also help improve our overall mood, since around 90% of our serotonin is found in our gut. Who would’ve thought pooping could boost your mood?! I’ll take it!

But what about the losing weight/weight management part?

Studies have shown that people who eat a high-fiber diet lost significantly more weight than people who ate a lower amount of calories with a lower amount of fiber. This is partly because fiber helps us fill up/stay feeling full longer (as I mentioned before), but it’s also because fiber takes more energy to digest, which means your body is burning calories just by eating! Not only that, but research shows it also binds to fat and sugar molecule as they go through your digestive tract and help reduce the amount your body is actually absorbing, meaning you actually digest less calories than you ingest. Crazy, right?!

"Fiber binds with fat and sugar molecules as they travel through your digestive tract, which reduces the number of calories you actually get.”

- Tanya Zuckerbrot, R.D., author of The F-Factor Diet

Now that we know how important fiber is, let’s talk about how you can increase your intake of it.

Below are some of my personal favorite fiber-rich foods. Most of them are gluten-free, except for the ones I’ve flagged (with an *). While I do avoid gluten most of the time (due to a sensitivity), I have found that eating these foods does not mess with my stomach. Probably because they’re essentially just fiber! However, if you have a gluten allergy/Celiac Disease, I would obviously stick to the gluten-free options.

• GG’s crackers* (4g per cracker!)

• Alyssa’s vegan bites/healthy oatmeal bites (5g per cookie)

• Wasa Crisps Flax Seed Crackers (4g per serving)

• Beans (lentils being the highest, with 10-15g per cup cooked)

• Whole Grains (such as brown rice, with 3.5g per cup cooked)

• Raspberries (8g per cup)

• Blackberries (8g per cup)

• Oatmeal (4g per 1/2 C dry)

• Green beans (3-4g per serving)

• Chia seeds (10g per 2 Tbsp)

• Almonds (3g per 1 oz)

Now I’m sure you’re wondering how much fiber is enough?

Most sources say women should get between 25-30g per day (although I personally aim for the higher end of that - if not a little more), while men need between 30-38g per day. Most Americans only get around 11-15g each day (!!), which makes sense because of how many products out nowadays are processed to death and stripped of all nutrients - including fiber. Sooo basically we’re all walking around full of crap. (Sorry, couldn’t help myself.)

Ok, I’m so glad we had this little chat. Now go eat some fiber (making sure to drink lots of water, too!), get yo’ poop on, and SEE THE HEALTH BENEFITS! I expect a full report back in a week or so. Kidding! Well…sort of. Ha!

XO

How to Train + Eat for YOUR Body

With so many nutritional and fitness trends out there now, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed by it all.

Should you go paleo? Is the Keto approach really the best for burning fat, or intermittent fasting? What about Whole30?

Then there’s the workouts. Spin classes, HIIT classes like Orange Theory or Barry’s Bootcamp, pilates, yoga, hot yoga, online programs….whew. I get it, y’all. It’s A LOT.

You know what I say about it all?

YOU DO YOU, boo.

That’s right. Even though I’m a personal trainer and sell my own programs/nutritional guides, I am 100% for you finding what works for YOU. Workouts you don’t completely dread. The kind of nutritional lifestyle that allows you to enjoy your life.

Because what it all boils down to is ADHERENCE. What will you be able to actually keep doing for the long run? What will keep motivating you to keep going instead of feeling burnt out and fed up after the first two weeks. Whatever that is, DO THAT.

How do you find what that is? Experiment with different things!

I personally have tried a variety of nutritional approaches + workout routines. Now, let me say this: I am NOT knocking ANY of these approaches/workouts. They all have their benefits and their place in some people’s lives! I am just speaking from personal experience so that you can see how I found what works for ME. And this is what I found:

• Intermittent Fasting: This has been found to be great for increasing insulin sensitivity and helping people burn fat more efficiently. Personally, I’ve found I can’t go more than 12 hours without feeling shaky, dizzy, and anxious, especially on days when I work at the hospital and am up at 4:30am. So I choose to eat my last meal around 6-6:30 and then have my first meal of the day around 6-6:30 the next day. That gives my body enough time to fully digest/utilize my last meal, do some “housekeeping”, and recover.

• Paleo/Whole30: Again, these are also great approaches to nutrition. I have seen amazing transformations using them! But my body thrives off carbs. Omitting grains (especially brown rice/oats) drastically reduces my carb intake, which leads to poor performance in the gym, feeling more tired throughout the day, more restless sleep, and appearing “flat” (muscles aren’t filled out). Instead, I eat a moderate amount of carbs most days and sometimes increase it around heavy training days. This gives me more sustained energy, nutrients to replenish glycogen stores, and not make me so dang hangry. Ha!

• Plant-Based: Some people have found that by omitting animal products, they improved digestion, reduced inflammation, and lost fat. That’s awesome! You think this would be a great fit for me because I love my grains, legumes, and veggies. But since I cannot eat soy (due to an intolerance), my protein choices are more limited. And getting an adequate amount of protein is crucial for building lean muscle - which, in turn, burns more fat. So I still eat chicken, turkey, and fish almost daily, but do give myself a “meatless day” to let my digestive tract have a rest from breaking down animal products.

• Keto: Obviously this isn’t even an option for me because of the no/extremely low carb intake. But I also can’t consistently eat that much fat without having digestive distress. And digestive distress is your body’s way of saying “no thank you!”.

• Barry’s Bootcamp: We don’t have one around here, but there are a few gyms that offer this style of training. While I enjoy the challenge of it, my body can’t handle that intense of a workout more than a few days a week. Instead, I like to mix it up with strength training 3-4 days a week (think true sets/reps with short pauses in between), sprints or a run 2-3 days a week (usually after lifting), and then HIIT sessions thrown in there when I need a quicker workout. This doesn’t make my CNS go crazy (which can happen with intense workouts too often), allows for proper recovery of muscle groups, and also keeps things interesting.

• Spin classes: Same deal as above. While it’s great for cardio, my body just can’t handle it more than a few days a week. I’ve gotta have my weights!

• Yoga: I love yoga for relaxation, deep stretching, and strengthening my core. But I will never be a diehard yogi - my brain just won’t allow me to sit still for that long! Ha! I do throw a few “flows” in my routine once a week or so to help my body relax and recover.

How about you? Have you found what works for your body, or are you still experimenting? If you need any help at all, you know I’m here for you! I am also accepting more “Customized Training Program” and “Macro Coaching” clients, which is a great option for helping you find that sweet spot. (You can learn more about this under the “train with me” tab.)

Have a great week, babes - and happy September!

XO