The Secret To A Perfectly Balanced Meal

    When I first started my fitness journey I didn't know much about healthy eating or how to make a balanced meal. In fact, I pretty much thought if it wasn't a fruit or a vegetable - it was bad. Whoops! Luckily I've learned a lot since then I know better than to restrict myself to fruits and veggies. 

    The secret to a properly balanced meal? Carbs, proteins, and fats. You need to have 1 at every meal. What most people miss out on is the protein. It's easy to have fats and carbs, but unless you make a conscious effort to include protein into your day, it's not natural for most to have chicken, tuna, shrimp, eggs ETC with every meal! 


Some high quality carbs

1. Vegetables
2. Fruits
3. Oatmeal
4. Brown Rice
5. Beans
6. Potatoes
7. Whole Grains

High quality fats 

1. Nuts
2. Avocado
3. Oils
4. Fish like salmon, tuna, or sardines (lol, ew)
5. Peanut Butter
6. Tofu
7. Soymilk

High Quality Proteins

1. Chicken
2. Flank
3. Tuna, Halinut, Tilapia
4. Shrimp
5. Eggs
6. Turkey
7. Cheese

Here are some example meals (or snacks) that'll give you the perfect balance of all 3 nutrients.

Whole-grain crackers, grapes, and cottage cheese!
Apples and sliced cheese
Salad with black beans
Veggies and fresh yogurt dip
Chicken stir-fry with cashews (yum)
Salmon, green beans, and cous-cous

    The possibilities are endless! Make an effort to eat a protein, carb, and fat with each meal and not only will this keep you full for longer but your body will thank you for the proper nutrients and start shedding that hard-to-lose weight.

Sample Day Of Eating

    Hey loves! I've been getting a few questions as to how I get all my calories and nutrients in in a day so I wanted to give a current sample of what a typical day looks like for me. This is not 100% "clean" since I'm all about a sustainable and flexible lifestyle. Here ya go! 

Breakfast
2 eggs
1 piece of 10 grain toast with 1 tbsp of peanut butter or cookie butter spread on top

First Snack
8oz water
6 ice cubes
1 scoop of Chocolate Vegan Shakeology
1 tbsp of PB2
1/2 a banana
I make all of this in a blender, def not individually haha

Lunch
1/2 flour tortilla
1/2 can of tuna

1 tbsp mayonnaise 

I put the tuna and mayo in the tortilla and toast it with some seasoning on top, SOO yummy!
Grande Skinny Vanilla Latte

Second Snack
4 oz Shrimp
1 tbsp Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette
1 oz of South African style Potato Chips (LOL)

Dinner
3 oz of balsamic vinegar and rosemary chicken
1 cup of purple cabbage (seriously loving cabbage these days)

Last meal
3 oz of Shrimp
1 tbsp of Spicy Peanut Vinaigrette
Handful of sliced Bell Pepper

This varies day by day, sometimes I have cottage cheese in there instead of the latte, sometime's I'll have chicken twice instead of shrimp but lately I've been on a serious shrimp kick... More meal plans to come! PS. My calorie target is 1550 so this might seem like a lot or a little depending on your goals, but this plan above is 1541 calories with 52g of fat, 141g of carbs and 134g of protein.

Voila! 

Potato & Cauliflower Casserole Recipe

INGREDIENTS
5-6 Red Potatoes, peeled and sliced to be 1/2 inch thick
1 tbsp of Coconut Oil (or butter)
1 small head of cauliflower sliced 1/2 inch thick
1tbsp thyme leaves (fresh or dried)
6oz shredded sharp cheddar
1/3 cup vegetable broth

INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat your oven to 375F. In a large pot of boiling water, cook potatoes for 15 minutes and cauliflower for 10 minutes, so that both are a crisp tender. Drain potatoes and cauliflower then set aside. Spread half the coconut oil in a baking dish then create 2-3 layers of potatoes, cauliflower, thyme, cheese, and salt and pepper. Pour the vegetable broth on top, in addition to remaining coconut oil and cheese. Bake for 20 minutes until cheese is golden and bubbly! Enjoy :)

Did you know? Potatoes are rich in complex carbs that supply tons of ENERGY! YAY!

Your Guide To IIFYM For Women

This post wasn't originally scheduled for today but it came about really randomly since all of a sudden I found myself obsessing over IIFYM and wanting to know every possible thing about it. Does it work? Is it real? Is it easy to follow? I joined an IIFYM Women's group on Facebook a couple months ago to connect with other fitness conscious friends and the results I've seen are staggering. Like jaw dropping, ab popping, staggering. I immediately gained an interest in this way of eating and looked into it. From what I can see it's basically this:

Eating a certain, exact amount of macronutrients each day... protein, carbs, and fat. 

If you already use a calorie tracking site like myfitnesspal then you'll be somewhat familiar with protein, carbs, and fat. If not, you already understand the basics of counting calories which means you're half way there and the rest of the counting will be simple! The hard part is making sure you get enough of the right "macros." 

If you want to start, the first thing to do is to download a calorie counting app. My fave is myfitnesspal (add me here). The next thing you need to do is figure out your caloric and macro needs. I found a few sites and this one had the best calculator (calculate!)

Once you figure out your caloric & macro needs, start thinking about foods you can eat to help you reach your goals. When I entered my own info my results were:

Tips:

1. Use the Athletes Formula! Unless you've gotten your body fat measured via bod pod, dexa, or hydrostatic methods most often it isn't accurate, so don't use it. 

2. How many times a week do you work out? This means lifting with weights. Not cardio! Cardio is fantastic and I LOVE it, but for this method of eating it needs to know weight lifting. Do not enter cardio days in here! Don't be afraid to put down 2 days if thats the truth! Thats what I put.

3. Fat loss range is 10-12 times your body weight, generally speaking. If you're looking to lose weight start with the highest amount of calories possible. You want to be able to eat as much as you can while still losing weight because it will prevent you from falling off track and binging (HELLO! Please tell me I'm not the only one who does that LOL) Also, if you start at the higher end of the range than you have some calories to take from if your weightless begins to stall. Summary: Always start with "Suggested"

4. If you have quite a bit of weight to lose you mat choose aggressive or reckless but please keep in mind this is meant for people who have more than 50lbs to lose! Choosing aggressive or reckless are not sustainable so it's not the best choice for long term :) 

I'm starting my own IIFYM journey today, and my weight has slid back up to 130lbs as of yesterday afternoon (boo). I'm excited to show you guys my results after 5 weeks of this, then 10 weeks. Here are some pictures of the gals from the facebook group I'm apart of. Results = INSANE!

Kait Cavers

Marisa Roper

These are just a FEW examples of the women who have followed IIFYM and had incredible success! It's science. Eat what your body needs and you WILL have results. 

Here's a little chart to help you get started on picking the right foods for your macro needs.

Try this out and let me know what you think! I'm excited to experience my own IIFYM journey. This just makes SO much sense to me, and I genuinely think it'll work for anyone who does this. Take care lovelies!! 

The Best Foods to Eat Before & After Your Workout

When you're on a mission to lose belly fat, tone the thighs, and slim those triceps, nutrition is HALF the battle! Working out is so important, but if you're not fuelling your body properly your efforts will not be maximized. To make the most out of your workouts, pre and post foods are SO key!


Pre-Workout 
While it's true that working out on an empty stomach will help you burn fat stores during your workout, that doesnt automatically translate into a reduction of body fat. When you're burning fat during exercise you're working out at a lower intensity and burning fewer calories. SO, eating a pre workout meal or snack will gee you energy, stamina, and help blast your fat stores and build muscle!

Options
1. Eat a nutritionally balanced meal 1-2 hours before training
        (If you want to burn 600 calories, aim for a 300 calorie meal)
   - Hearty Salad
   - Lettuce Wraps
   - Smoothie
   - Veggie Omelet
   - Banana and Chia Seed Custard

OR

2. Eat a snack 60-90 minutes before training 
       (Aim for 100-200 calories and a combination of lean protein and slow acting carbs)
   - Fruit & Yogurt
   - Protein Shake
   - Peanut Butter and Apple
   - Fruit & Cottage Cheese
   - Banana & Almonds



Post-Workout 
It's so important to refuel and recover with meals that combine the right balance of protein and carbohydrates post workout. For best results, eat within 30-60 minutes after exercise muscles are most receptive. This ensures that the body has the fuel it needs to recover, adapt, and improve.

Options
1. Snack immediately following a workout
   - Protein Shake
   - Kefir
   - Banana
   - Dried Fruits & Nuts

OR

2. Meal immediately following a workout
   - Quinoa & Salmon
   - Black Bean & Rice Soup
   - Tofu Stir Fry & Brown Rice
   - Sweet Potato & Chicken

Don't forget to hydrate before, during (small sips), and after!

The 3 Day Diet

Am I the last girl on earth to hear about the 3 day/military diet? Perhaps. In case if you haven't, it's a 3 day meal plan that supposedly can help you lose 5-10lbs in the first 3 days. Most of the time, claims like that, when true, are simply water weight. While thats perfectly fine, I checked out the meal plan and it actually looked pretty legit! Basically, it's a healthy meal plan (minus the ice cream, but I'm also a firm believer in moderation with 80% healthy & 20% treat.)

The diet is low in calories (around 1000-1200 per day), and I haven't tried it yet. When I do I'll definitely be adding in my shakeology to make sure I get my daily nutrient requirements.

Day 1
Breakfast: 1/2 Grapefruit, 1 slice of toast, 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, and coffee or tea
Lunch: 1/2 cup of tuna, 1 slice of toast, and 1 cup of tea
Dinner: 3 oz of any meat or protein, 1 cup of green beans, 1/2 banana, 1 small apple, and 1 cup of vanilla ice cream
Tips:

• Warm the apple and/or banana and eat them over the ice-cream (YUM!)
• Cook the green beans with the meat and simmer them in the broth

Day 2
Breakfast: 1 egg, 1 slice of toast, and 1/2 banana
Lunch: 1 cup of cottage cheese, 1 hard boiled egg, and 5 saltine crackers (lol)
Dinner: 2 hot dogs (no buns), 1 cup of broccoli, 1/2 cup of carrots, 1/2 banana, 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream

Day 3
Breakfast: 5 saltine crackers, 1 slice of cheddar cheese, and 1 small apple
Lunch: 1 hard boiled egg, and 1 slice of toast
Dinner: 1 cup of tuna, 1/2 a banana, and 1 cup of vanilla ice cream

This meal plan is meant to be temporary, NOT a permanent diet since the calories are low! Try doing this on a Tuesday-Thursday to give yourself a boost for the weekend, similar to the 5 day Inferno Plan from TurboFire. You could do 3 days of this eating, then 4 days of regular eating. But don't overdue it on your "off" days, keep your foods clean & exercise!

What do you think? Have you tried the military diet before?