10 Tactics That Make Me Feel My Best-Cookies Included ;)

The other day I had two Girl Scout Cookies. Two. A caramel delight and a thin mint; my two favorite varieties. I ate them and moved on. Whoa. I blinked an eye for a second at the thought of that feeling afterwards-you know what I’m talking about-that ‘food guilt’ feeling after “OMG I ate two cookies–Well I just added 20 more minutes of cardio tomorrow” If you’re like me-you still are dealing with or have dealt with these thoughts after eating something so unimportant but delicious such as these two GS cookies.

Were they delicious? You bet

Was I hesitant to take them after I was in a situation that would have been hard to turn them away, yet totally doable? NOPE! I was taking them!

Do I regret it? Heeeecccck no. GS cookies come around only once a year and theres nothing like a frozen Thin mint. If you haven’t tried it-go. now.

I remember when I lived and breathed the “perfect” fitness mindset, eating clean 90% of the time and basing my week around my 1 ‘cheat’ meal which wasn’t even a cheat-it was something like a whole wheat pizza loaded with veggies or turkey sandwich on whole grain bread. Thinking of these meals as ‘cheats’ nowadays makes me laugh. Once I began seeing my body transform, I always had that desire to be perfect from my eating to my workouts. Nothing went outside the lines. Everything I did was planned from my pre portioned meals I would bring to everywhere to not skipping a single workout-ever.

Social life took somewhat of a backseat because I couldn’t go out and drink AND be put in a situation where I would have to eat something that wasn’t in my plan!

One mistake would ruin my day and make me feel like a failure. Food Guilt slowly would set in.

I remember being at restaurants with my family and thinking how much I ‘wish’ I could have that. My brother once ordered a hamburger (Which I love) with avocado (love even more), sprouts, romaine, caramelized onions on a seeded grilled bun served with sweet potato fries. uhhhhh….My turn came. I got the house salad, dressing on the side, no croutons, no cheese and grilled chicken with balsamic vinegar and mustard.

Bleh.

Now, there is nothing wrong with what I ordered if it was what I truly wanted and what made me happy. We all can be entitled to eating a really healthy meal if thats what we want so I am not saying there is anything wrong with that, but the truth is, I was depriving myself. I didn’t want what I ordered in the least. I was actually sad.

My food made me sad.

In this scenario, that is not okay. I looked at my brother with sad eyes and I remember looking at him and saying “I wish I could get that” 

“You can” he said.

“no, I can’t. I just can’t. I’ll be fine.” And turned away.

I think I was even more confused than him when I said “I can’t” have what he ordered. I mean he gave me a cockeyed look, the kind that a dog gives a human when they realize they aren’t getting any food from the table. Like “whhhhhhhaaaa?!”

But it was me that was in more disbelief. I was denying myself a meal I reallllly wanted because I ‘couldn’t eat it. This is no way to live life, depriving and depleting what made me happy.

I knew if I ate this burger meal that I would punish myself emotionally in the gym the next day. I couldn’t just. be.

I have come a long way since that very moment because I saw my food guilt for what it was: An unhealthy obsession. This is no way to live and I knew that. I had the mentality that I had to maintain my leanness and strictness with food and exercise because this was WHO I WAS!

I will say that the moment that I came to terms with the fact that I could eat what I wanted while still maintaining a healthy, happy life filled with social events, friends, parties, wine, family and food, I was able to enjoy every important aspect of life.

Along the way, I have learned some tactics that I stick to to this day that help me keep my mind under control. I have come to a place where I am so happy and content with my body and where I stand that I can trust myself. I find this is the biggest hurdle to get over- TRUST.

If you were like me, there was a time that you wouldn’t trust your body and mind to eat something that was ‘out of the ordinary’ If I eat that slice of pizza I am going to gain 10lbs and lose all of the muscle I have worked hard to get. Uhhh no-that won’t happen by eating 1 slice of pizza. It takes a while to gain food trust. Trust that you can eat and enjoy foods to their fullest extent knowing that if anything-this will have a positive effect on your mind, body and life.

I want to share some food/fitness tactics with you that helped me along the way come to the happiest relationship with food and my body that I have every had before because, life is so much more important and precious than protein shakes and eating cold chicken and asparagus out of a bag 5x a day.

1. Honor Your Hunger. 

If you are hungry. Eat. Listen to your body when it is giving you hunger cues. Maybe it is not at a ‘normal’ time that you usually eat one day, maybe you are about to get your period and you are ravenous–whatever the case may be–have a little something when your body is telling you it needs some food. If you ignore these signals, it can just create a vicsious cycle of overeating the next day and then having that ‘food guilt’ I usually stick to food that I know will tide me over until my next meal usually in the form of fats-10-16 almonds or an egg, turkey jerky or piece of sweet potato with nut butter.

2. Sit Down and Enjoy

I really try as hard as I can not to eat food from a package (unless its something like a protein bar etc- I won’t lay that out on a plate) I really want to ensure that when I eat, I know what I am eating and honoring my hunger as I mentioned in point 1. When I eat from a package or container, I have no idea how much I’m eating and don’t even really know if I am hungry or just eating to eat. When I can’t see how much I’m eating (like sticking a spoon into a container of ice cream) I’m way more likely to lose track and go a little overboard when I didn’t even want or mean to.  I grab a bowl or plate, put what I want on it and also make sure to SIT. Eating while standing is a pet peeve, don’t know why, but I always find it’s so much more enjoyable to sit and eat my food.

3. Stop Reading

I came across two articles the other day. One was entitled, “Don’t eat like a caveman”and the other was “Long Term Scientific Verification of the Paleo Diet”

Interesting.

So we have one article that is speaking of the negative effects of the ‘Paleo Diet’ and the other one is praising it’s practice with scientific evidence. What the heck are we supposed to do with that? This is exactly why this point made my list. How are you supposed to follow a specific diet that is written for the general population when  you have NO idea if it is good for you or not? Sure, you may see some benefits and swear by eating a certain way-trust me, I hear this ALL the time but the reason its called a diet is because it is not a way of eating for life. LIfe is about challenges and flexibility and enjoyment and following 1 specific diet that you don’t even know how its effecting your body or if its good for you can only lead to detrimental effects such as disease, food intolerances, bingeing, weight gain, depression, mood swings amongst others.  Cut out the chatter about certain ‘diets’ and focus on yourself for once.

 

4. Eating Clean 100% of the time Doesn’t Work

 

There was a time I weighed, measure, portioned out, packed baggies, food prepped ALL of the time. I am not exaggerating. When I wasn’t doing these things, I was thinking about it. It took over my life. It became an obsession without me even knowing. When I look back on that time in my life, it’s no wonder I had hit plateau’s and suffered extreme stress on my body. Not only that but I was constantly fatigued and also unhappy. I was depriving myself things that I wanted to eat but put in the off limits category-because god forbid I eat a whole wheat pizza or white potato. Seriously. I was crazy. I look at some feeds on Instagram and posts on Facebook of those preaching eating broccoli, chicken and brown rice 5x a day and saying phrases like “eat clean, train dirty” and “train insane or remain the same” Guys-you don’t have to train insane to see results nor should you eat clean 100% of the time.  Clean eating in general can mean different things for different people. For some, it means no artificial crap or chemicals and for others such as vegans or vegetarians it could mean meat, fish, eggs or dairy. The term itself doesn’t make sense!  Eating too strict for too long will cause you to rebound fast

Don’t misconstrue what I am saying here. I am not saying to eat junk and you can still get shredded. I myself stick to whole foods and generally artificial free foods the majority of the time, but what I am saying is that I leave wiggle room to eat whatever I want for that other 20-30%.

You don’t need to cut out food to lose fat. The most important thing is controlling your calorie and macronutrient intake, without freaking out if you eat two Girl Scout cookies or a slice of pizza. You don’t have to throw your hands up in the air and say ‘screw it’

Moderation with food choices is everything. Cookies here, french fries there, and lots of greens, fruits, veggies, good fats and proteins!

 

5. Step off the Scale

OMG, if I hear another person complain because they lost OR gained 1lb I will scream.  The scale is a number and nonetheless it is a number that takes nothing into account. Think about a number controlling how you feel about your body? Its ridiculous. We can gain weight around our periods (ladies) we can gain weight from eating a big meal and we can also lose weight from going to the bathroom. It is just a number. You just started a weight training program? Well you may be putting on some lean muscle and may not see the scale move. Just because you don’t see the scale move right away doesn’t mean a thing. Get off of it. Use a better measure such as a pair of pants, shorts or a skirt you own that you want to get back into.

6. Don’t go HARD In the Gym Everyday.

In fact, take a step back. Well, at least this worked for me. The second, I stopped obsessing about my workouts and freaking out over a missed session, realizing it was OKAY to miss two days in a row of working out, my whole outlook changed. I love taking two days off in a row. My workouts are better, my intensity is higher and my focus is way more spot on. Have you ever found yourself pushing through a workout when you just feel like crap. Then you still push through it but at the end when someone asks you how it went, you say “really crappy. I wasn’t feeling it today” Yeah, thats when you know you need to take a step back. Imagine how an AMAZING workout feels. Imagine having that reaction and feeling every single time you stepped foot in the gym. Honoring my body and its signals has been the greatest discovery. It takes time and trust for you to realize the significant mental and physical changes that will happen, but it will. Trust me.

7. Don’t Be Scared

I went swimming last week. Speedo, swim cap, goggles. Guys-I looked ridiculous. I was having a hard time even looking at myself in the mirror once I had my whole get-up on. My co-worker has been going swimming once a week and she asked me to join her. At first I was SO excited “YES!!” of course I would go! Swimming is such a good workout and I haven’t been ‘swimming’ as in- for exercise in, I can’t even remember how long. Then I let the reality set in. Uhhh, I was going to get on a speedo and swim cap and goggles and go to another gym and swim?! WHAT!? I freaked out for a moment. I like my routine, I like not having to be in a bathing suit. I’m comfortable. 

Then I literally had a “screw it” moment. I thought about all the times that I have the freedom to do whatever I want for my workouts. I had spent YEARS being so rigid in my routine that if someone were to suggest something else such as swimming or tennis or anything that wasn’t in my schedule, I would laugh and go about my merry way. 

Life is about challenging yourself and exposing yourself to everything and anything. Truth is-the act of swimming terrified me. Who would see me? Would I suck? I can’t suck! I’m a personal trainer and ‘in shape’ so I can’t let anyone see me struggle. You know what? Thats the beauty of trying something new and embracing the act of being scared. With my whole ‘get up’ on, we looked in the mirror briefly before going into the pool deck and laughed. We looked RIDIC but totally didn’t care. I made light of it and swam my heart out. WHOA what a challenge. This is hard work and really exhausting. I definitely did not excel at swimming and you know what? I felt awesome about it. I loved finding something where I kinda needed some work and guidance at. I realized I don’t have to be the best at everything surrounding physical activity just because ‘I’m a trainer’ I can suck and be scared and find something to work towards. 

I went swimming again yesterday.

 I will go swimming again next week. 

What a relief that I’m not scared anymore. I love it. 

8. Experiment with Different Food Choices

Chicken and broccoli. Egg whites and oats. Chicken and asparagus. Tilapia and green beans. Brown rice and chicken. Oh Em Geeeee. If I had to eat like this all day everyday, I think I would be miserable. I am not saying to eat like crap because some of these foods, I do have in some form most days, BUT to be on such a rigid schedule of eating the same foods, the same way every single day without any wiggle room-THAT would make me miserable. I love to cook, you all know that. It’s extremely therapeutic for me and beyond that, I love mixing new foods and new ingredients to see what I can come up with. Sometimes I succeed and sometimes I fail, but in the process I allow my body to expose itself to some wonderful new foods, nutrients, vitamins and minerals.  I challenge you to rotate foods that you are so used to eating at the same time, cooked the same way and replace it with something else. Who says you can’t have chicken for breakfast? If you eat eggs every single morning, try something new! Give eggs a rest for the AM and instead maybe have them for dinner. A simple change like this will shock the body and ensure that you won’t become intolerant or stop seeing physique changes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9. Eat Veggies At All Meals

This one is simple. I aim to eat some sort of veggie at all meals. Pretty simple, right? Fiber and nutrients helps you stay satiated. Never eat veggies at breakfast or last meal of the day? Start with baby steps and add them into at least one of those meals first. See how you feel! 

10. Make Sleep a Priority

Sleep helps with fat loss? YOU BET! Lack of sleep can lead to all sorts of hormone imbalances and increases in cortisol (your stress hormone) that forces your body to hold onto excess fat. A successful 7-8 hours of sleep can help you stay more focused, see increases in energy levels, keep productivity high and is an extremely integral part of the recovery process from your hard earned workouts. Lack of sleep can also decrease insulin sensitivity. Sleep is just as important as eating right and moving often. I always ensure that I am getting at least 7 hours of sleep. DVR your favorite late night show. Shut off at night and your body with thank you!

XOXOXOXOX

NAOMI

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