1. 2. 3. on how I have been eating...

After my last health update I received several e-mails, facebook messages, and comments wanting to know what I have been eating! Like I mentioned in my last post I feel like getting into shape and being healthy is 80% diet and 20% fitness.

The getting more active part doesn't seem to be as challenging for people as eating healthy. I have tried to eat really healthy in the past but always end up back to where I started. I feel like I have always eaten more healthy then the average person, but what I will do is eat healthy and then at some point go on a binge eating quest for a week!

I realized that I needed to be REALISTIC! I was not going to eat healthy food consistently if I didn't like the food I was eating. If I didn't think it tasted good, or I didn't look forward to eating it, it just wasn't going to stick.

So that was my number one rule...

1. Find food that is healthy and good for my body, but that I also can love.

This requires research on your part. Learn about nutrition, learn about what you should be putting into your body. Use the wonderful free resource called the internet. Use apps such as My Fitness Pal or the Jillian Michaels App so that you can see exactly what your putting into your body so that you know it is healthy and doing something for your body. Look up creative recipes and discover meals that you can love and look forward to eating. If you are going out to a restaurant, look up what is on their menu before hand if you can. These days you can find a lot of the nutritional value online for restaurants, use those resources. This research leads into our next rule. Counting calories.

 2. Count Calories.

The next rule I apply is the simple logic that to lose weight you have to burn more calories then you intake. Simple math. There are several apps, and places online that will help you calculate what you should be eating calorically to be hitting your goals. Even if you do not want to be losing weight, it is a good idea to generally know how many calories you are putting into your body so you are at least maintaining your healthy weight.

If you have never counted calories before, you would be shocked to learn just how much we misjudge how much is in our food. There have been times where I swore something was healthier for me that ended up being the total opposite. If you do this long enough, you will get to the point where you can almost just "know" about what you are eating. Obviously beware of processed and fast food, these can contain an entire days worth of calories, or sometimes two days of calories in one meal!

Please note that no one should be eating under 1,200 calories a day (men have a higher minimum). Anything less then this you are doing more damage then good. Again, turn to all the many resources that will help you determine what is a healthy caloric goal for you daily based on your age, sex, height, and weight. Based on my criteria and goals, I try and eat between 1,200-1,500 calories a day. I also workout about 5 days a week, for 1-2 hours.

3. Cheat Day.

I have found that it is nearly impossible to cut out ALL bad food. Sure, some people can do it, but like I said, if we aren't realistic, this isn't going to be successful. I have come up with two different ways to incorporate a "cheat day."

Trevor and I will sometimes have a "cheat day" usually a Saturday or a Friday where we don't go crazy, but we eat normally without really thinking too much about it. For example, we go out to a restaurant and I don't really look at what meal I am craving has in it. Be careful with this though, some people have a whole "cheat weekend" and that adds up! Think about it, that could be 10-12 days in a month if you eat bad Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Another way to incorporate a cheat day is to only use it when it comes up. For example, I found that I go out with friends a lot, or with co-workers at lunch. While it is good to look for healthy options while we are out, I have always found it hard to go to a restaurant I love and not get my favorite probably not so healthy dish on the menu. So I decided if I cut out the cheat day, I will myself a few cheat meals randomly throughout the week that in the end would total a day. So I eat healthy every meal of the week, except say maybe two or three. Make sense?

And if you are really trying to lose weight and get some muscle, plan for your cheat day. If I know I am going to be eating some not so great things at my girl's night, I make sure I hit a higher calorie burn at the gym the night before, or that day, or the next. I do this ALL the time. It is a way to be able to eat a little more, which we all want  ;)

Here are some of the different foods that I have been loving...

BREAKFAST: Don't skip breakfast! Most important meal of the day. I like to have some oatmeal, or some of my new favorite cereal I discovered in the natural food aisle, called Coconut Chia Granola. Protein pancakes, eggs, fruit are some other great options! I try to get myself a really full meal to start of my day.

SNACKS: I make sure to eat snacks in between breakfast and lunch as well as in between lunch and dinner. Some of my favorite snacks are apples, oranges, clementines, almonds, string cheese, greek yogurt, peanut butter, almond butter. I also like to make myself some green smoothies, or even the yoplait smoothies they have are super quick when your in a bind!

LUNCH: I like to grill up chicken and use it throughout the week to put in salads etc. I also like to cook up turkey meat and cut up some tomatoes and put it in a whole wheat tortilla with some cheese on top, or some egg whites. I also like to make sandwiches with whole wheat bread, avocado, tomatoes, cheese and whatever fresh ingredients I can put together that I think will taste good!

DINNER: I love the organic food line from Amy's, her chili is one of my favorites! I also like to make fish with lots of veggies. Soups are always a good choice, I just make sure there isn't too much sodium. Salads with steak or chicken. I also try and look up creative meals, I once made us some turkey meatballs with a great side of mexican caviar. Be creative and find stuff that you can look forward to eating that also tastes great! I have found really learning about seasoning can make a huge difference in taking a bland healthy meal to the next level!

Last but not least, DRINK TONS OF WATER! I drink over 100 ounces a day. To be properly hydrated your pee should be clear. Also make sure you are taking your vitamins :)

Hope that answered some of your questions!!! :) And if you have any great healthy recipes you love, PLEASE share them in the comment section, I am always on the hunt for new things to spice up the routine!