How I Fuel For My Workouts And For My HEALTH.

The most frustrating thing I see is when women (especially) are trying to lose fat and they automatically begin to cut foods out of their diet. They go on some crazy 900 calorie diets in an effort to obtain that ideal physique because of some article they read on the internet or in the latest fitness magazine. I wonder why they are eating like a bird in an effort to achieve this ‘look’ and ask what they think its doing for their body internally. No Answer. What will most likely happen while following this plan is that this person will follow a crazy ‘diet’ feeling hungry, edgy, fatigued, weak and sad. She may or may not get that ‘look’ she is so yearning for but after a few months of insanity, she will go gorge herself on a Carvel Ice Cream cake, and maybe see the weight slowly creep back up. This person has entered the danger zone.  Messing with metabolism is one of the scariest health issues I see and typically it comes from a ‘health coach’

If you are seeing a ‘health coach’ or ‘professional where you are told to cut out entire food groups, drastically cut down on total caloric intake, perform endless amounts of cardio or do any sort of crazy fat burners and/or other supplements…you better check yourself. You are putting your life in their hands and slowly damaging your body. Cut the crap. Seriously.

On more than one occasion I have heard stories from women about their crazy health coaches telling them what and how to eat without giving a single thought to their energy levels, stress levels, sleep levels, digestive issues, fatigue, recovery and other internal health issues. It makes me wonder…do these people really CARE about their clients? Or do they just want to get them the leanest they can all while disregarding the most important thing of all…THEIR HEALTH.

If you are taking advice from a friend, coach, trainer or someone else who completely disregards these components when creating a meal plan or lifestyle change, I highly suggest you think twice about hiring them.  I talked about my experience as a coach at my first CSF camp this past March where I heard some serious horror stories that brought tears to my eyes. These ladies were being told the most ludaris things all with the a goal of extreme leanness. Health, happiness, body image was put on the back burner throughout the whole process. These girls broke down crying while sharing their stories realizing what they were doing to themselves. The most common question we got was “can I heal and fix my body or have I screwed up my health and metabolism forever” We can all get so caught up in Aesthetics  that no one even thinks about the importance of HEALTH. Aesthetics means nothing if you aren’t in optimal health. The answer is–you can ALWAYS heal yourself. The first step is to gain knowledge and respect for your body 

This whole situation is extremely personal as I had my own very serious health scare last March, 2012 where I landed myself in a hospital bed hooked to IV’s, out of commision for 2 months wondering WHY I suffered this perforated peptic ulcer caused by a number of things (some which we, to this day do not know) I encourage you to read my experience and truly think about how you view and treat your body.  

If you are not experiencing any sort of ‘major’ event, of course you are going to continue what you are doing. It is similar to people who go indoor tanning or smoke cigarettes. “Well, I still do it and haven’t gotton cancer yet so I am going to keep doing it!” Let me  help you out…stop the crazy talk. If you are restricting yourself with food, overexercising, putting stress to the body, messing with your metabolism. STOP. NOW. Before its too late. 

sometimes it does takes a striking event or situation to make us realize how precious our bodies are. So many times we can take small things for granted until one day, something stops working or goes wrong. Within a matter of 24 hours, we can completely re-evaluate our health and it can cause us to look at food, health, stress, life and our bodies in a different way.  Check out my other post on FLAWED DIET AND BODY IMAGE THINKING  To see some key points I try to advocate for when one is trying to change their physique or just to know about for the future. 

Food is FUEL. It provides the backbone for everything. Life, work, play, workouts, sleep and even sitting. Yeah sitting on your butt requires fuel. The idea of eating 900 calories a day not only sounds extremely sad and difficult, but also upsetting! Who doesn’t want to eat nutritious, delicious foods and in turn see results with their workouts, improved health and beautiful glowing skin?

I don’t know about you but a life without dark chocolate, avocado, ice cream, almond butter, fresh bread dipped in olive oil, oysters, sushi, turkey meatloaf and meatballs sounds awful to me.

Whenever I am going for a meal, especially pre or post workout, I always think ahead and prioritize.

• What I am eating
• When I am eating it
• How much I am eating

What I am eating depends on the activity I am doing. If you want a sneak peek into how I typically eat you can check out a post I wrote HERE Keep in mind that every single person is different and will react and respond to food differently. Some will do fine with fats pre workout, others will get an upset stomach. You may need to play around and see what works for you best!

PRE WORKOUT 

I always try to take in 20-30 grams of protein pre workout (this is about 3-4oz and I am 5’2″ so you will have to adjust for your height and weight) But certainly taking in protein is a MUST in order to preserve hard earned muscle during your upcoming working along with energy and to prevent muscle loss.

I try to avoid sugary or overly starchy foods pre workout because they have a tendency to increase insulin, decreasing the fat burning effect during a workout

I also make SURE I am taking in some sort of carbohydrate source pre workout, as this provides my body energy I need. I love sweet potatoes, Ezekial bread,  oats or quinoa for pre workout carbs for the most part. Protein is broken down by the muscles and used. As you can see my pre workout carbs tend to be lower GI, rather than higher GI carbs such as white rice, rice cakes, white potato, honey, bananas.

Here are some of my favorite Pre workout meals

• 3oz chicken, 1 small sweet potato, green beans with 1/4 avocado
• 1 slice ezekial toast with 1T almond butter, 1/4C blueberries and some green beans
• Protein Pancake (recipe at the bottom of this post!)
• 2 eggs cooked with spinach and peppers, 1/4C cooked oatmeal with a few almonds
• 1/4C cooked quinoa with 3oz chicken breast, asparagus and udo’s oil

POST WORKOUT

Post workout, I Typically I like to get food in my system within 30-45 minutes This is called the “window” where  I am looking to maximize on my muscle growth without compromising the hard work I just put in with my workout.  I tend to keep carbs higher GI (rice cakes, potato, rice, banana with honey) During a workout, blood glucose levels drop because your muscles use the glucose for energy. In order to replenish those loss glycogen stores, and a quick carbohydrate such as honey gets into your system FAST,  replenishing the muscles. You will set your body up for quicker recovery and muscle growth! I really try to take advantage of my post workout window to get in those carbs while my body is still in a high fat burning mode.

I tend to avoid fats directly post workout as they can interfere with the muscle building process and slow the digestion process. Again, this is what I FOLLOW. If you eat fats post workout and see results or enjoy it–stick with that!

I would recommend 20-30 grams of protein and 20-30 grams of carbs post workout  ( of course depending on your size) post workout.

Here are some of my favorite post workout meals

• Protein shake
• 8oz coconut water with 1 scoop whey protein, 1/4C quick oats
• Quest Bar
• 1/2 banana, plain Greek Yogurt, 1/4C quick oats
• 2 rice cakes, 1/2 banana, 3 egg whites
• fresh pineapple with 1/2C cottage cheese drizzled with 1tsp agave nectar
• 3oz grilled chicken, 1 small potato, 1/2 orange

What happens when we undereat?

When we avoid food the hormone, cortisol increases in your body, causing the body to store fat. The “eat less” approach will not get your body where you want it to be if fat loss is your main concern. When you drastically cut down calories or skip meals, this will lead to a loss in muscle, slowing of metabolism and possible weight gain in the long run. Of course, you want to be aware of your body, listen to its hunger signals and cues. Personally, I  aim to eat every 2-3 hours  (combination of complex carbs, protein, fibrous veggies and healthy fats. Low sugar fruits as well) I find that this works for me–This is not to say it will work for everyone, but eating smaller portions more often keeps my blood sugar levels stable and keeps my metabolism going. EAT. You need to. Stop Fearing it and stop listening to those crazy myths! 

What are some MORE of my favorite Meals?

BLUEBERRY PROTEIN PANCAKES!

Blueberry Protein Pancakes!

 

Print

Prep time

5 mins

Cook time

8 mins

Total time

13 mins

 

These pancakes are so easy to make with ingredients you most likely have already in your kitchen! They are loaded with protein and moderate carbs which is perfect to replenish and refuel your body PRE or POST workout! You can add some healthy fats to these pancakes if you are choosing to eat them before!

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• ⅓ C rolled oats
• ½ C Vanilla whey protein (I used Isagenix Isapro)
• 3 large egg whites
• ½tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• ¼C bluerries

Instructions

1. Place a medium sized skillet over low-medium heat.
2. Spray with non stick cooking spray
3. Mix oats, eggwhites, vanilla and spices in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
4. Once the skillet is hot, pour the batter into the skillet.
5. After the mixture begins to bubble, place the blueberries directly on the pancake
6. Flip after about 3-4 minutes.
7. Cook until golden brown
8. Top with anything else you would like such as nut butter, walnuts, extra fruit, maple syrup and ENJOY!

Nutrition Information

Serving size: 1 Calories: 254 Fat: 2 Carbohydrates: 26 Sugar: 6 Sodium: 281 Fiber: 6 Protein: 31

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SO there you have some of my favorite dishes just to give you a sample of what and how I eat! I also wrote a post not too long ago entitled “10 NEW MOUTHWATERING PROTEIN SHAKE RECIPES” where you can find some delicious ‘on the go’ meals for pre or post workout

 Now…go eat some Dark Chocolate or steak or some mint chocolate chip ice cream. The real stuff. Enjoy it.  Love to Love you all.