by Trish Adams | Mar 20, 2014 | Fat Loss / Cutting, Nutrition, Stress
Several years ago when I decided I wanted to live a healthier lifestyle, I thought of all the things I would change. Things like never eating sugar, actually anything white got the axe, except for egg whites and cauliflower. I subscribed to Clean Eating magazine and vowed that I would cook all my meals and never step foot in my company cafeteria again. For the most part, I decided eating out basically had no place in my new lifestyle.
Eventually I stopped going out to eat altogether or, when I did, I smuggled in my own food. Yep, I brought my Rubbermaid to restaurants. I even started turning my nose up at going to dinner at friends’ homes. After all, they didn’t eat like I did, or heaven forbid, steam their vegetables.
Looking back, you might say I was a bit neurotic and I would wholeheartedly agree. The truth is, I was trying to control every aspect of my diet, but it was a joy-sucking chore and the worst part was that it was unnecessary. I tried to control every element of my diet and it was depressing.
Oh, I felt accomplished, but now I realize that I really was deprived. I missed out on sharing good times and meals with friends and family and even potential professional opportunities as I especially steered clear of work outings. I must admit, I’m still not too fond of the office cafeteria, but when the odds of you getting food poisoning aren’t in your favor, you would be too.
When you decide that you’re going to adopt a healthier lifestyle, you may think you need to forgo eating out, because staying at home gives you more control over what you eat.
But dining out is about so much more than just the food. Don’t miss out on socializing with friends, panicking over what to eat when you’re traveling or just enjoying a night off from cooking.
Pull up a chair. Take a taste. Come join us. Life is so endlessly delicious.
― Ruth Reichl
Stress free eating out is enjoyable, and with a few tips, it becomes no big deal.
Plan ahead
Save room for the good stuff!
When dining at a new restaurant, go online to check out the menu. This will help set you up for success. Knowing what you’re going to eat when you walk in the door or having narrowed down the selection to a few choices ensures that you have thought through your meal and it will be more balanced than, say if you just ate on a whim. Figure out where your protein, fat and carbs will come from. If there’s a dessert that you really want to try, you’ll know not to dive into the bread basket or load up on a side of mash.
Mind Your Portions and Macros
If you are an avid calorie counter and tend to weigh your food regularly, you probably have a good sense of what your portion sizes are. This can get a bit trickier as you move away from calorie counting, but it’s nothing to worry about. Take notice of the portion size of food you eat when at home and simply eat to the same scale when eating out and take the rest home for lunch the next day.
For the intuitive eater, you probably already have a system in place for managing your portion sizes and macros. As a general rule I eat about 1-1/2 palm size of protein, ½ palm of fat, a fist of starchy carbs and as many veggies as I want. This can be adjusted depending on current goals, but in general, this is what I do. Over time this just becomes a habit and pretty much effortless whether eating at home or away. It’s also portable!
Another great tip whether eating at home or out on the town is to eat your food slowly. It takes about 20 minutes for your brain to send out satiety signals. Slowing down your eating will allow you to stop eating before getting over full. Plus, if you’re enjoying a splurge, why not savor each and every bite?
Chicken Tikka Masala – Yummm!
Watch Out for Sneaky Calories
What sounds like a pretty healthy meal can actually turn out to be a calorie bomb. Stay on the lookout for dishes that have sauces or are creamed, crispy, breaded…you get the idea. Not that you have to steer clear all the time, but know what you are eating. Of course beverages like soda, juices, lemonades, etc., unless they have a sugar substitute, are usually packed with calories as well and probably should be avoided in general. Opt for sparkling water or unsweetened tea instead.
Eating Out Mindfully and Stress-free
To sum things up, if you eat out regularly or travel a lot, aim to eat a bit closer to what you would normally eat at home most of the time. Over indulging on the regular won’t help you reach your goals and will probably just lead to a lot of frustration.
If you eat out a bit less frequently and want to splurge, go for it. If you happen to be going to the restaurant that makes the best vodka sauce in town, enjoy! I am a sucker for chicken tikka masala and make a point to get to my favorite Indian restaurant every now and again. It is definitely a splurge as not only do I eat the tikka masala, but I sop up the sauce with naan as well!
A splurge once in a while will have minimal impact on your progress when looking at the bigger picture, but may do wonders for your soul! Don’t miss out on the simple yet fulfilling things by limiting your diet to only what is prepared by you. Get out and enjoy life!
Photo credit: stockimages, kimberlykv, preppybyday
by Trish Adams | Mar 14, 2014 | Fat Loss / Cutting, Nutrition, TDEE/BMR, Troubleshooting
With the onset of your cut, it’s important to remember that it is just another phase of your fitness journey. Another step along a journey of many steps. As fat starts to shed it may be tempting to stay in this phase for the fat loss benefits. But rest assured, you’ll find that over time if you cut too long or too deep, it will work against you rather than in your favor. So, what to do? Cue the diet break.
As the name suggests, a diet break is just that, a break from your diet and a return to maintenance or eating at TDEE. Diet breaks can come in several forms, from simply a cheat meal or a refeed day to a full diet break which can last for a couple of weeks.
WHY ARE DIET BREAKS NECESSARY
During your cut phase, cals are adjusted slightly below TDEE with a 5-15% deficit. When cals are reduced, your metabolic rate slows to accommodate the decreased intake. Similarly when fat loss or weight loss occurs, your metabolic rate can also be impacted. This slowing of the metabolic rate can, in turn, slow your fat loss. Quite the vicious cycle, I know. To add further insult to injury, if you stay too long in a deficit, your body will start to adjust and think your deficit is actually your new maintenance. When fat loss stalls you may instinctively want to decrease calories further, however, this could potentially do more harm than good. By taking a diet break, you help return your metabolic rate to normal as well as your hormone levels, all of which will aid the fat loss process once you return to eating at cut. Additionally, a diet break can also serve as a psychological break if you struggle with sticking with your plan.
WHEN TO TAKE A DIET BREAK
Diet breaks should be planned anywhere from 4-12 weeks of your cut phase and should last for 1-2 weeks. If you have a vacation, special occasion or even a stressful time ahead, this would be the perfect time to write a diet break into your schedule. After all, if you’re vacationing you’ll probably want to kick back, loosen up the diet strings a bit and enjoy a little indulgence. Why fight it? The same can be said for times of stress. Scheduling a diet break might lessen the load slightly.
HOW TO DO A DIET BREAK
As already mentioned, a diet break is a return to maintenance calorie intake. If you’ve adjusted your macros during your cut, you’ll want to return these to maintenance levels as well. Carbs are generally the most manipulated macro during cut, so be sure to bring this back to normal. As usual, your protein shouldn’t change much and should be at least 1g/lb bodyweight. Although cut phases should never be overly restrictive, if you are cutting back on any foods or macro groups, this is a great time for a comeback! Now, a diet break should not be confused with a free for all or an excuse to visit your local all-you-can-eat buffet. Stick to your maintenance cals and macros and you’ll do fine.
BONUS
Interestingly you may find that as you increase your cals for your diet break you may experience a whoosh or drop on the scale. This whooshing affect may be the result of water being released from fat cells which previously stored fat. You may also find that during your cut phase you weren’t able to perform as well with some lifts due to the reduced cals and possibly lower carbs. If that was the case, you should find your strength return to normal during the diet break and return to maintenance cals and macros.
There are many reasons to incorporate planned diet breaks into your nutrition plan. From a physiological perspective, the full diet break is recommended as it allows your body to return to normal levels, which in turn can aid your fat loss efforts. From a psychological perspective, it’s just nice to return to maintenance eating for a little while. With that said, it is strongly recommended for anyone doing a cut phase to include a full diet break at least every 12 weeks, if not more frequently, into your plan. While it seems counter-intuitive, trust that it will work in your favor in the long run.
Photo credit: stuart miles, Serge Bertasias Photography, stockimages
by Trish Adams | Mar 12, 2014 | Main Dish, Recipes
Team EM2WL would like to extend a warm welcome to our newest guest blogger, Kellie, from The Suburban Soapbox! Today Kellie shares a healthy and delicious stir-fry recipe the whole family will enjoy!
I’m so excited to be a guest blogger here at EM2WL! We share the same philosophy about food and understand that being healthy and losing weight doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice on flavor. I live to eat…I mean, I think about food constantly during the day…sort of obsessively so every move, every exercise, every step I take is so I can enjoy eating the things I love! But…I also believe everything is good in moderation and that’s why I, also, take some of my favorite recipes and make them a bit healthier. A little ying and yang of food, if you will.
Here is a family favorite in my house and a little story to go along with it. Thank you, Trish, for inviting me to be a part of your happy family here at EM2WL! I look forward to sharing more of my tasty favorites in the very near future!
This is the easiest recipe I ever made. Originally made with the help of a bottled stir-fry sauce, one look at the sodium content and I knew I needed to make some modifications. And as much as I love white rice, quinoa is just a better option when you’re trying to pack in some nutrients.
Plus…I really only love white rice that’s swimming in butter. Or in a sushi roll, but even then I could really just do without. It’s a thing with me…I know it’s weird.
You can cut the beef up in advance, as well as, the broccoli to save time. And leftover quinoa is definitely the way to go with this recipe. So, if you’re making something with quinoa for dinner earlier in the week…always make a little extra to throw into a stir-fry.
Another thing I did a little differently, I threw the quinoa into the stir-fry pan at the end. To get it a little crispy. And to make sure it was all mixed up with the other ingredients. Most places throw the mixture onto of the rice but I felt like that method left the quinoa too bland. Plus, I love that it gets all mixed into the broccoli florets
Leftovers keep well for lunch the next day. So you won’t need to hit up McDonald’s. Like I did today. (Yes, I regret my choices. Moving on.)
Beef, Broccoli and Quinoa Stir-Fry
A new take on an old favorite, this nutrient packed Beef Broccoli and Quinoa Stir-fry from www.TheSuburbanSoapBox.com will be a hit with the whole family!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons chili paste
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1-1/2 cup cooked quinoa (I use Bob’s Red Mill)
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons ginger (minced)
- 1/4 cup honey
- 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1lb flank steak (cut across the grain into 2 inch x 1/4 inch pieces)
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (I use Clabber Girl)
- salt and pepper
- 3 tablespoons canola oil
- 3 cups fresh broccoli (chopped)
- 3 cloves garlic (minced)
Directions
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| In a large bowl, toss the steak with the cornstarch to coat and season lightly with salt and pepper. |
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| In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, chili paste and sesame oil. Set aside. |
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| Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large wok, stir-fry pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add the steak to the pan. Working in batches if necessary, cook the steak until brown and no longer pink. Move the steak to the sides of the pan and add the broccoli. |
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Cook the broccoli until bright green and then move to the sides of the pan with the steak. Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the ginger and garlic, cooking for 1 minute.
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| Add the quinoa and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring occasionally and then mix all the ingredients together in the pan. Add the sauce mixture and stir to combine thoroughly. Continue cooking for 2-3 minutes and then serve immediately. |
by Trish Adams | Feb 28, 2014 | Cardio, Former Fitness Competitors, Interviews/Guest Posts, Testimonials
After working with a personal trainer for 2 years and competing in her first competition, Stephanie realized that under-eating and doing excessive cardio may not have been the best advice. Now she has put competing on hold to focus on building healthy habits. 
Five years ago I was going through many things in my life that most of my closest friends and family weren’t even aware of. I was depressed and had blown up to 220 pounds. I hated exercise and loved food (still love food). I was embarrassed to even leave my house in fear I would run into someone I knew. A friend asked me to start walking with her. “Ugh!! Really??”..was likely my response. She continued to nag me until I finally gave in. We started walking the track a few times a week. Just a mile. Felt pretty good though. I decided that I hated the way I looked and felt and I was the only person that could fix it. So I started watching my portions and started exercising at home for 20 minutes 6 times a week. Then my friend asked me to do a bootcamp with her. “Ugh!!!!” Yep, again. After assuring me it was suitable for all fitness levels (it wasn’t….at all) I again gave in and went. Longest, hardest and most miserable 60 minutes of my life. But I did it and continued to do it for several weeks a few nights a week until the camp was over. After losing 30 pounds on my own, I was introduced to a personal trainer. I asked his price and hired him on the spot. This was a huge turning point. I trained 3 times a week and took spin 3 times a week. My trainer mentioned the possibility of me competing in fitness competitions. It sounded very intriguing and what a goal!!!! I trained with my trainer 3 times a week for 2 years. In that time I did compete in my first fitness competition. It was probably the most rewarding thing I’ve ever done…and the most physically, mentally and emotionally wrecking.
Stephanie’s Transformation
After two years I felt I was outgrowing my trainer and wanted to go in a different direction. I felt the next natural step for me was to become certified to train (I was already a certified spin instructor by this time). I became certified and continued to compete…learning from my mistakes and really bad advice all along the way. Under-eating and over-doing cardio. This year I really changed my approach and decided to skip competing this season. I was developing healthier habits and was afraid my habits were so new that if I competed I would resort back to old ways. Will I compete again? Yes. Hopefully with a much more wise approach. Until then I will continue to search for my happy place while motivating and training others while helping them avoid the pitfalls I suffered. Exercise is the easy part…food…that’s tough. I have to remember to give myself credit (and a break) for how far I have come…even though I still have so far to go to become balanced.
Has eating more changed your life? Have an EM2WL transformation to share? We’d love to see it! Be featured on our Transformation/Journey page by submitting your story to Success@EM2WL.com
Spin photo credit: Photostock
by Trish Adams | Feb 12, 2014 | Motivation
With all the goal setting exercises, planning and strategizing you’ve done since the start of the year, there’s one tool in your arsenal that shouldn’t be overlooked. It’s the tool to beat all tools. Seriously, it’s the mac daddy of tools and we all have it! It is your mindset. Your mindset, or your way of thinking, will have a significant impact on how successful you are. To be successful with your goal, you first have to believe you can achieve it.
If you say you can or you can’t, you are right either way. ~Henry Ford
To reach your goals you must first believe that they are attainable. You would think that’s kind of a no-brainer,right. However, if you are wavering back-and-forth on whether it’s possible you’ve already opened up the door to self-doubt. During the goal setting process, you evaluated your goals and determined them to be realistic. Don’t waiver on your conviction. Stay committed and follow through.
Ever notice how one small negative thought leads to another and before you know it, it’s grown into some big hairy thing? Negative thoughts can suck the energy out of you and can even result in physical ailments. That’s right, your mind can make you sick!
When we’re rushing about, day to day, we may not stop to think of all the different thoughts that are running through our heads. How we think as we move about our day has an impact on everything from our bodies, to our relationships, to our goals, to our lives. These thoughts, whether positive or negative, have a tremendous influence on our behavior. Your mind will either work for you or against you in your effort to reach your goals.
In order to turn negative thoughts around you need to first become more aware of them. Try this exercise. Make a list of thoughts that run through your mind over a few days. Don’t censor them, just let them flow. Now, review your notes to see if you find any negative thought patterns. If you do, focus on these and begin to challenge them. Are they legit or are they based in fear? Are you being overly critical of yourself or the situation? Is your thought reasonable? Our thoughts are shaped by our perception of situations. Does your perception reflect reality?
Thoughts become things…choose the good ones! ~Mike Dooley
Now, let’s flip the script on negative self talk, the way you communicate with yourself, with positive self talk. For example, replace a negative thought such as “It will take forever for me to reach my goal.” with “I’m making progress.” Or “I just don’t have enough time to work out.” with “I am in control. Working out is good for my body.” And, one that seems to slip in far too easily, “I am fat.” Try out “I’m beautiful, inside and out.” and see how that makes you feel.
As much as possible, maintain a positive attitude. You committed to your goals, don’t let self-doubt creep in. Believe in yourself and your abilities. If you struggle with being positive, make an extra effort to identify negative thoughts and turn them around with positive self talk.
Your hard work can be undone simply for failing to believe fully in yourself and your abilities or with negative thinking. Stay positive and keep moving forward. Be grateful, each day, for where you are, acknowledge how far you’ve come and look forward to where you’re going.
Photo credit: Jennifer, Stuart Miles, jesadaphorn
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Looking back, you might say I was a bit neurotic and I would wholeheartedly agree. The truth is, I was trying to control every aspect of my diet, but it was a joy-sucking chore and the worst part was that it was unnecessary. I tried to control every element of my diet and it was depressing.
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