How to pick the most-nutrient dense foods
Posted on June 27, 2017 Leave a Comment
We’ve been told to select a rainbow of foods to get a variety of nutrients, but the produce and vegetables that have the most antioxidants are those that have the boldest colors like red. So choose red grapes, red apples and red cabbage over green, red onions over yellow or white onions, and yellow corn over white corn.
I blend frozen red grapes with coconut milk in smoothies, or just eat frozen red grapes as a snack to cool me down in the summer. For steak or ground turkey tacos, I add sautéed red onions with sliced red cabbage, yellow corn, and hot sauce as toppers on corn tortillas (yum!).
Source: Greger, M.D., Michael. How Not to Die. Book. New York: Flatiron Books. 2015 pg. 289.
Low-Calorie Dairy-Free Cookbook
Posted on June 22, 2017 Leave a Comment
All the recipes are dairy-free, 90% of which are gluten-free, and all the desserts are vegan. This is not your typical diet book. You will learn:
- everything you need to know about nutrition
- what it’s like living with food allergies
- the mindset of an anorexic
- proven techniques to stop over-eating
- which fat-loss products/treatments work & which don’t
- which ingredients to avoid that cause weight gain
- what food combinations aid in fat loss
- the benefits and problems of popular diets
- how to lose weight without starving, counting carbs or calories
The High-Five Diet is easy to follow and can meet everyone’s fitness and weight loss goals. Whether you are extremely overweight, just need to lose a few pounds, or want to clean up your eating habits, this book is your solution. I provide worksheets to follow this unique program to keep you accountable daily, which is the key to your success.
You’ll also get healthy, dairy-free recipes, as well as vegan and gluten-free ones, designed to fill you up and lose body fat. It doesn’t matter what allergies or food restrictions you have or what foods you avoid, because this diet can fit every person, every lifestyle, and every budget.
Order your copy today from www.TheHighFiveDiet.com
Sit at work; it’s better for you
Posted on June 20, 2017 Leave a Comment
At my job, I spend the entire time on my butt at the computer. Standing does burn more calories than sitting so I placed my computer screen and keyboard higher, and tried it out. After a week, my back, neck, and feet hurt, so went back to sitting in front of my computer at work, and good thing I did. It turns out that standing in front of the computer is worse “according to numerous studies…” and “…increases the progression of carotid artery disease…” (1).
- source: vos Savant, Marilyn. Parade Magazine, May 21, 2017 issue. Pg 8.
Clarification on fats: good vs. bad
Posted on June 13, 2017 Leave a Comment
All fat is not bad, but there are diets that will encourage you to eat high-fat meats, like many on the Paleo or Whole 30 diet. I saw a post on Instagram from a woman who follows a Paleo diet, who wrote that lard is good for you and to eat bacon and cook your food in lard. Pork fat never was, and never will be a good fat.
There are fans on the Butter Coffee train who add butter to their coffee and claim it gives them energy. Candy gives me energy after a workout, but that’s not a healthy item either. “Foods high in saturated fat (such as butter, full-fat dairy products, fatty beef, pork, poultry with skin, lamb and baked goods made with palm oils… promote inflammation and contribute to clogged arteries, increasing one’s risk for heart attacks and heart disease and forcing the body to work less efficiently. This puts a strain on all systems in the body, including metabolism. Chronic inflammation leads to diabetes, cancer and obesity and worsens insulin resistance, which alters metabolism and encourages fat storage (1).
So, don’t eat lard or bacon, butter, or chicken skin with the misconceived notion that these are good for you. They’re not! Eat small portions of avocado, nuts, seeds and fish to get your healthy fats.
- Source: Lakatos, Tammy and Elysse. “Metabolism-Damaging Foods.” Blog Post Type. Ace. May 26, 2017. Web. June 7, 2017.
why calories and macros aren’t everything
Posted on June 8, 2017 Leave a Comment
If I’m eating a certain number of calories and keeping my macronutrients (carbs, protein and fats) in line with what is ideal for me, does it really matter if I eat two cookies and white rice, instead of oatmeal and quinoa if the calories and macros are exactly the same? It turns out that it does matter when it comes to weight loss and good health. It’s really easy for our bodies to break down simple carbs like cookies and stripped grains, like white rice, so that takes little effort. When we eat whole grains, it takes much more work to break down, so we burn more calories eating oatmeal instead of cookies, even if they have the same number of calories and/or carbs.
If you’re not concerned about losing weight, your health should be #1 on your list. “Poor dietary choices can affect hormones, inflammation and gut bacteria…” Refined carbs also raise blood sugar and promote inflammation that is associated with chronic diseases, which can unfavorably alter the body’s metabolism.” “…Too much sugar can also cause insulin resistance” and managing diabetes is no easy task, and a serious condition, not to be taken lightly (1).
While cookies taste better than oatmeal, the oats are definitely the better choice. I’ll be doing a video on how to toast oats, making it into a healthy granola with added berries without any sugar, honey or syrup.
My next book, Slimming Dairy-Free Desserts and Smoothies will be available in July. These treats are all gluten-free too and have unprocessed ingredients to help you burn calories while enjoying something sweet and guilt-free.
Photo: The recipe for this savory dish, Pasta with Meat Sauce, is in the High-Five Diet. This time I used skinny spiralized zucchini noodles instead of the rotini pasta to make it gluten free and with even fewer calories. I cooked the zucchini noodles in the sauce to break it down so it actually tasted like spaghetti. You can order this diet book with over 40 dairy-free recipes from http://www.thehighfivediet.com
- Source: Lakatos, Tammy and Elysse. “Metabolism-Damaging Foods.” Blog Post Type. Ace. May 26, 2017. Web. June 7, 2017.
is a cheat meal a good thing?
Posted on June 1, 2017 Leave a Comment
A cheat meal is a high-calorie, high-fat entrée that is eaten once a week, usually on Saturdays. A cheat meal only works for weight loss if you are eating in a calorie deficit all other six days a week. A cheat meal may fail to lower your body fat if you’re adding a dessert, or a caloric beverage, or if the meal is extremely high in calories (like a large pizza with all the toppings).
I personally don’t eat cheat meals. I don’t like feeling stuffed, and high-fat foods upset my stomach. I’ve found that people call these foods cheat meals because they want to justify eating garbage.
Need a diet plan that’s easy, affordable and includes recipes? Go to http://www.thehighfivediet.com and order your copy today.
Carb fans will love this news!
Posted on May 30, 2017 Leave a Comment
I’d rather have a smoothie than a steak salad because I love carbs! Here’s some great news for carbs lovers who lift weights. You need to eat carbs to grow and repair muscle if you want to get stronger. “Following workouts, you may actually need more carbs than protein, with most studies showing that post-workout foods and drinks with a 3:1-to-4:1 ratio of carbs-to-protein are ideal for exercise recovery. That means, for every gram of protein you consume following a workout, you likely need three to four times as many grams of carbs” (1).
In other words, if you have 20 grams of protein, you should eat 60 to 80 grams of carbs after your workout. These carbs, in conjunction with insulin, pushes the amino acids from protein into the muscles (1). So don’t feel guilty eating extra carbs after lifting or a hard cardio session; you need it. On days you don’t lift heavy or do crazy cardio, keep your carbohydrate intake lower so you don’t grow your fat cells since extra carbs are additional calories.
Source: Fetters, K. Aleisha. “5 Things You should do after every workout.” Blog Post Type. My Fitness Pal. May 3, 2017 published. Web. May 29, 2017 accessed.
Photo: sushi. Too bad Japanese restaurants use white, bleached rice, otherwise, sushi would be a healthy meal with lean protein, good vegetable fat from avocado, and carbohydrates from grains.
you’re eating less, but not losing weight
Posted on May 23, 2017 Leave a Comment
If you’ve been eating 250-500 calories a week less than you used to, but you’re not losing weight or body fat, there’s five possible explanations I’ve come up with.
- You’ve dropped your calories too low.
- If I eat too few calories, my body thinks I’m starving and will actually hold onto fat. Don’t eat less than 1600 calories a day if you’re active.
- You’ve reduced your calories too much.
- Try reducing calories to 250. Our bodies don’t like big changes. More (or less) is not always better
- You were eating excessive calories that were making you gain weight.
- If you’ve reduced calories and have hit a plateau, that might not be such a bad thing if your weight kept going up. At least now, you’re not getting heavier. Try reducing the calories a bit more and add more exercise to start dropping those pounds.
- You’re not eating enough carbs.
- If you don’t eat 130 grams of carbs on average every day, you’re not allowing your muscles to grow. Muscles need protein and carbs to get stronger. The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn. People on low-carb diets tend to lose muscle, and their metabolism slows down, which means they have to eat even fewer calories. It’s okay to eat fewer carbs when you eat foods that are higher in fat a few days a week, just make sure to eat enough carbs when you’re exercising so you can build muscle instead of wasting it away.
- Your body is stressed out from a new diet.
- What works for one person might be detrimental for another. Some diets stress my body out and make me gain weight. Start out by making a few changes, which is easier and leads to more permanent results.
P.S. You can also follow me on Instagram @FitGirlUSA for exercise motivation and videos. I have a certification in Fitness Nutrition. Make sure to order my diet book that explains nutrition from www.thehighfivediet.com
Photo: Fried chicken…the last thing you should eat if you’re trying to lose weight.
Why weight-lifting is best for fat loss
Posted on May 18, 2017 Leave a Comment
If you’ve been reading my blogs for a while you know that I used to do a lot of cardio, but, no matter how much time or energy I put in, I couldn’t lower by body-fat. I found that weight lifting allows me to reduce my time exercising, and gets rid of body fat much more effectively. I do heavy weight-lifting three times a week with a trainer, and do cardio/stretching 30 minutes a day. That’s it, nothing crazy.
Still not convinced? Here’s some facts:
- Too much cardiovascular exercise can lead to muscle loss; your body is eating muscle instead of fat, for fuel. This is why you see so many skinny runners. If you have less muscle, your metabolism slows down, which means you’re burning fewer calories. If you’ve heard of skinny-fat, this is why. These people need to weight-train, and cut back on cardio.
- The more muscle you have, the more calories you burn when you are resting, known as the basal metabolic rate. You want your body burning more calories around the clock if you want to lose body fat.
- Your body burns calories even after weight-lifting to repair the muscle fibers that have broken down. Yep, you’re burning calories AFTER your workout is over.
- Your quads, which are the muscles on the front of your legs, are the biggest calorie burners, so get those quads strong, and you’ll lose body-fat faster.
So now, I convinced you, right? If you don’t have access to a personal trainer, watch exercise videos to learn proper form and start with light weights. If you do enough reps, concentrate on the movements, and squeeze that working muscle, you’re going to see results and get toned fast.
Photo: me performing lat pull-downs at World Gym
P.S. I have a certification in Fitness Nutrition. Order my book today. The High-Five Diet is a book about nutrition. It includes a weight-loss plan, and when combined with specific food-combination and timing (I show you how), it revs up your metabolism. With this proprietary program, you can eat whatever you want,
and lose fat on your terms. Go to www.thehighfivediet.com
exercises & diets that people shouldn’t do
Posted on May 16, 2017 Leave a Comment
I hear people boasting about what they are doing in regards to diet and exercise, and it usually makes me cringe. Here’s my list of what many people are doing that they shouldn’t:
Working out seven days a week
While you might think this is good, your body needs rest and recovery. Take at least one full day off from intense exercise, or two if you need it (I need two full days of rest since I put in 90-minutes straight of hard training). This doesn’t mean you should be a couch potato. You still need to move. An easy walk, stretching, and/or relaxing yoga are perfect for your lazy days.
Exercising legs three times a week
You should take two full days off after you exercise a body part, especially if you’re lifting weights. This allows the muscles fibers that have broken down to re-build. There are only seven days in a week, so it makes sense to limit lower body training to twice a week. I recommend weight training lower body, Mondays and Thursdays. On your days you aren’t building leg and glute strength, walk, stretch, or pedal on a low setting on a bike, and/or try non-plyometric (no jumping) cardio.
Drinking pre-workout formula
Yep, people drink this stuff all the time, but people do all sorts of dumb stuff. Supplements are not regulated, and some are downright dangerous. If you need a pick-me-up, have some coffee or caffeinated tea before you train.
Working at the same intensity every time
If you work out hard every time you hit the gym, you’re going to burn out, and/or get injured. I work out hard three days a week, and the rest of the week, I take it down a few notches. I’ve found that if I work out hard for three days in a row, I get really tired, have trouble giving it my all, am more susceptible to getting sick, and am more apt to getting injured.
Eating the same foods every day
If you eat the same foods every day, which is typical of competition diets, you’re limiting variety and nutrients. We need to eat different proteins, vegetables, greens, fruits, and fats every single day to ensure we are getting the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals our body needs for optimal health.
photo: me, doing some balancing poses at the beach.
P.S. I have a Certification in Fitness Nutrition. Make sure to order my diet book that explains everything you need to know about nutrition to lose weight and be healthy from www.thehighfivediet.com
