Starting Your Losing Path 03/21/14

Recently, a friend of mine who is working on getting her life to a healthier place asked me how I got started on my journey. After thinking for a while, I actually had a hard time remembering… it literally feels like an entire lifetime has passed between the ‘old’ me and the ‘now’ me! So, I went back and re-read some of my very first blog entries and wow – I don’t even know that person anymore! I found a person full of excuses and complaining about having to ‘dance around the meatheads’ in the gym… ha! And now, I’m one of those meatheads! Lol Anywho….

The first step to changing your life is probably the hardest – making the decision to change and committing to that decision. Before finally committing to my decision, I made quite a few failed attempts at changing my life… failed attempts because I never fully committed to the changes and I always regressed. While it may seem like an easy thing to do, this is one of the most difficult aspects because you are committing to changing everything. Your eating habits, your lifestyle/activity habits, your mindset etc – and those are big things! I hear a lot of people saying that they are ‘making healthier choices’ and while that is commendable and definitely a step in the right direction, keep this in mind: if you want to see a big change, you have to MAKE a big change!

Once you’ve made the decision, you just have to honestly evaluate your life as it is… what are you eating? How often are you moving? Why have you not made any changes up to this point? Once you figure out the honest answers to these questions, make a plan of attack to decide how you’re going to approach your new life! It takes some work – do the math to figure out how many calories you need per day and how you’re going to get those calories in the most nutrient-dense way. What kind of workouts do you want to do? It’s important to stay positive and re-train your brain to think positively and proactively. Don’t make excuses to skip workouts or cheat on your diet – remind yourself of reasons why it’s important to stay disciplined to those changes!

Food:

Food has always been the hardest part for me, as it is for many people. The majority of the population looks at food as this beautiful romanticized thing that can bring you so much pleasure through your taste buds and blah blah… (which is good considering I’m a chef and my career depends on this lol). BUT as a person on a plan to improve their health, your mindset has to change. Remember this: FOOD IS FUEL. Your body is a machine and the food that you eat must fuel your body appropriately to give your machine the power that it needs to achieve your goals. This may sound asinine to some, but it is a necessary way of thinking. Now, just because we are now using food as a fuel source doesn’t mean that it has to be bland and taste like crap! There is certainly a way to eat healthy and still enjoy what you are eating.

My nutritional habits have changed many times over the years. While I have had a relatively stable nutritional personality for the last year or so, it took a lot of experimenting to get to this point! When I started my Losing Path, I was mostly just watching the labels… trying to keep my calories, fat, sugar, protein and sodium in check. While I still keep all of these things in mind when I choose my foods, I also take into account the QUALITY of food that I am eating. While a Lean Cuisine meal may be in line with my calorie/fat goals, the food is shit and I’m not adding anything to my health by eating processed stuff. I can get the same amount of calories/fat etc by making the food myself using whole, natural ingredients... so I’m benefiting my overall health while still adhering to my goals.

So, what to eat? In order to help your metabolism speed up, it is important to let go of the ‘3 Meals a Day’ standard mentality. Split your meals into 5-6 smaller meals throughout the day. Eating on this schedule will help jump-start your metabolism and get to burning that fat! Personally, I eat 5 meals per day, spaced 3 hours apart. Currently weighing roughly 235lbs, I shoot for around 1,600 calories per day. Each meal has a lean protein source and a complex carb. I get my carbs from vegetables, brown rice (½ c per day), black beans (1/2 c per day) and oats (1/2 c per day). Your lean protein source can be boneless/skinless chicken breasts, lean turkey, lean ground beef (although I am never a fan of red meat), lean fish, eggs or protein powder. As I said, I use mostly vegetables for my carbs but it is important to use low-glycemic veggies. For instance: broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, leafy greens, green beans etc. It is super important to measure your portions when doing your meals as well! There’s no sense in spending the time to calculate everything just to approximate on the actual amount you’re putting in your body!

Something else to consider is what you are drinking! For me, my only options are water, black coffee, organic unsweetened green tea or my supplements (protein, glutamine etc). Stay away from juices, soda etc... So many hidden calories/sugars/sodium! Shoot for 1 gallon of water per day… you’ll be peeing a lot but that will help to keep you hydrated, keep your belly full and flush out some bad stuff!

Exercise:

Frankly, this is the easy part. Its pretty simple- just move! When you’re starting your journey, you have to decide what is right for you. Although I wasn’t in good shape when I started, I have always been a relatively active and athletic person and always really enjoyed working out, so it wasn’t a big deal for me to get back into the gym. Some people just aren’t gym people, though! Figure out something you can do to get your heart rate up that you will enjoy! Take a walk, ride a bike, go to zumba etc… Just start somewhere. When I started, I got on a treadmill and could only run 2 minutes before I had to stop. So I would get on that treadmill a few times a week and continue to push myself and eventually I got to the point where I could run 5 miles. Consistency and persistency is so important when it comes to fitness! Also – keep in mind that while cardio workouts are important, strength training is super important as well! Lean muscle mass helps to burn fat… so the more muscle you have, the more fat it is going to burn! I’m not recommending that everyone jump into the weight room and start bench pressing – just doing some sort of strength training (which includes body weight resistance training) should always be a portion of your fitness plan.

 

While I realize this information is all relatively vague, it kind of has to be. Every person is different and will require a different plan to achieve their goals… this is just a guideline! If anyone has specific questions, feel free to contact me! I’m always always happy to help and to answer any questions! My Facebook page is Ali’s Losing Path.

A before/after from before I began my journey to now :)

 

That’s all for today, folks! Keep it happy and healthy!

 

Meal Prep Party 03/19/14

Let’s talk meal prep! I had a question in regards to succeeding with meal prep on a budget and with limited time, so let’s discuss!

 

As most of you have probably noticed, I am a huge proponent of meal prep and here’s why:

1. Saving Time – Once you get your meal prep finished, you’re finished for the week! Each day for the rest of that week, meal time is nothing more than grab, reheat and eat. No prep/cook/cleanup time is needed.

2. Eliminating Temptation – I don’t know about you guys, but when I’m not sure what to eat and I’m just searching my fridge/pantry for something… it usually ends in a diet fail. At that point, I’m looking for what ‘sounds good’ rather than what I know I should be putting in my body for fuel. By preparing your meals ahead of time, this is never a question! Everything is ready, portioned and labeled so other foods really aren’t even an option in my brain.

3. Saving Money – When you plan your meals ahead of time and you are able to cook everything in bulk, it really cuts down on your grocery costs. Obviously, with my current injured situation, my meal prep is off right now because I can’t cook. BUT the last time I went to the grocery store to purchase my food for the week, I spent $40. For the week. Not too shabby. My costs are typically lower because I don’t eat animal proteins but you should still be able to stick to a tight budget if you plan it accordingly (more on that later).

4. Motivation – There is no better combination than having an awesome workout and surrounding it with awesome food to help fuel your fitness and everyday life. Staying on track and schedule with your meal prep helps to keep your mind in the right place. When you start going off of your diet, other parts of your healthy journey are easy to slip… missing workouts, sleeping patterns etc. I like to think of my food as an accountability partner… it holds me accountable to my goals and I always perform better in the gym when I have the appropriate fuel in my body. Because I workout so early in the morning, I can always tell a difference in my gym performance if I don’t eat appropriately for my last meal the night before.

 

So now we know WHY meal prep is awesome and important… now onto HOW to be successful:

I’m not going to lie, meal prep can take a bit of time for planning – especially when you’re starting out. You need to do some research and figure out the nutritional content of the foods you’re planning to eat. I personally keep a spreadsheet on my laptop of nutritional values of foods that I have used in my meal prep or in menus I have used for clients and as I add a new food to my meal prep menus, I just add it to my spreadsheet. At this point, planning a menu is much easier for me because I’ve done so much of the leg work over time.

Your menu should be planned according to your goals. I’m a big fan of 5 meals per day, spaced about 3 hours apart and with the final meal being about 2 hours before you go to bed. Obviously, if you have especially long days and need an extra meal, then go for 6. Your daily calorie intake is dependent on your body size, level of activity throughout the day and what you are trying to accomplish with your body. Because I am pretty well versed with food and nutrition, at this point in my meal planning the only math I do is counting calories (usually to ensure I’m getting enough). I know which foods are high in fat/carbs/protein and I keep that pretty balanced. Each meal should have a lean protein source and a good carb source.

Budget-Friendly Planning:

When planning your menu, keep in mind any crossover you can do with your foods. This will help keep your food costs down and also your prep time. Also, as much as possible, try to use produce that is in season. In-season produce will always be less expensive and more nutrient-dense. Feel free to use alternative shopping sources for produce as well! Farmers markets, organic markets etc… if you have a good source for produce that is less expensive, feel free to utilize. I do all of my shopping at Kroger and because I use my Kroger card, it tracks my purchases and I now get coupons in the mail for items similar to what I frequently buy. So I’ll receive coupons for a certain dollar amount off of fresh produce or coupons for free bags of frozen vegetables etc. Take advantage of these! And if you’re eating animal proteins, shop in bulk at places like Sam’s or Costco where your price/lb will be less.

Time-Friendly Prepping:

Multi-task! I always have more than one thing going at a time. Being a chef gives me a big advantage when it comes to prep because I’m used to cooking multiple things simultaneously. Take a minute before you actually start your prep and itemize everything that needs to be prepared. Then, list everything in order of cooking time. Start with the things that require the most time. For instance, if you’re going to bake chicken, start with prepping your chicken. I would do a dry rub or something on the chicken to help with flavor and while your dry rub rests, work on getting your rice cooking. Then go back to the chicken and get it in the oven. Then prep and steam your veggies, etc. Doing things this way should allow you to get everything cooked and finished in a shorter amount of time. My total prep time usually takes 2-3 hours and I typically do it on a Sunday afternoon.               

 

I hope this information helped! If anyone has any questions, feel free to contact me!

Happy Prepping my friends!

 

My Addiction 7/25/13

What makes a fat person fat? Why can't that person just stop eating bad things or large quantities of foods if they know it's bad for them? Well, they're obviously just lazy, right? Not necessarily. Far too many times have I heard this excuse/blame given to overweight people - that they are fat because they are lazy or they simply don't care about or respect themselves. Sure, some people don't give a shit and just like to eat food because it tastes good... and then there are people that DON'T want to eat the food, but have a huge struggle between what their brain knows and the power of what their brain wants, and don't always win the battle. I am one of those people. I am an addict.

Food addiction is a real thing, my friends. I have struggled with the beast my entire life - and will continue to do so for the rest of my existence. Science has proven that, in certain people, certain types of foods can cause the same brain reaction as a highly addictive drug like heroin or cocaine. As with the drugs, the foods trigger increased transmission of 'feel-good' chemicals such as dopamine in the brain, which gives the immediate urge to eat again. And again. And that urge is strong. I've spent my entire life over-eating and not understanding why. Not understanding why my brain would focus so hard on an item of food and not allow any thought to overcome the desire for that food until I ate it - and the feeling that happened in my brain once I ate whatever it was (and this is regardless of whether or not I was actually hungry). Not understanding why everyone else could just have "a bite" or "a taste" of a piece of cake, and my brain would almost hurt if I didn't finish the entire thing. I would cry myself to sleep at night because I hated who I was and what my body had become/was becoming, but I felt completely powerless over what was happening. Being a teenager sucked. As I grew older and I became more knowledgeable about this topic and started to understand more about myself and my addiction, I quickly realized how hard I was going to have to work for the rest of my life to overcome this obstacle.

Food addiction is a tricky thing in a few ways:
  - Food is the most widely available drug in the world. Unlike any other controlled substance, it is something that can be attained nearly anywhere, by anyone, in any quantity and is constantly pushed in your face by advertising. Especially in America, the land of plenty, it is often used as a marketing tool or incentive (complimentary meals/food items, etc), not to mention it is a means of celebration.
 - You have to have food to live. It's that simple. Unlike most of the other common addictions, to quit cold turkey is an option. To remove yourself from an enigmatic environment is an option. Not with food. This is the most tricky (and irritating) part of this addiction - for myself, at least.

My relationship with food is interesting, to say the least. I have learned that I must instill certain restrictions on myself in order to no longer allow the food to control me, but rather I control the food. Two years ago I transitioned into veganism. This choice wasn't made because I care about furry animals, it was made because I wanted to feel better. By going vegan, I kind of set a trap within my body. If I eat shit - I will feel like shit. If I give-in to the temptation of a cookie or unhealthy/conventional food, I will be punished for that poor decision almost immediately with a giant headache, nausea and sometimes even slight tightening in my throat. While this may sound extreme to some, it works for me.  True to my masochistic ways, I have chosen a career that challenges my addiction every. single. day. I have chosen to be a chef and surround myself by my drug. So often I'm asked the question, "how do you not eat everything you cook?!" Well, because I know I can't. Because I know I don't want the 'dairy hangover' that comes within 10 minutes, and follows through to the next morning.

Don't get me wrong - I don't have this thing all figured out. As with any addict, I have my good days and my bad days. Yesterday was a bad day. I was tired, I was upset, I was not in control of my mind. I ate a bunch of shit I shouldn't have eaten and then I woke up this morning feeling like I had been hit by a truck and couldn't remember WHY I did that to myself. I have accepted the fact that days like these may come, but I intend to be as prepared as possible.

Why did I write this? I didn't write this to provide an excuse for myself - or for anyone else, for that matter. I wrote this because I know there are people out there that have never even considered that this is an actual thing. That this addiction even exists. Because I have encountered so many times in my life when people very close to me have said "then just don't eat it." as if it were that simple. I have accepted and feel that I have a control over my addiction and have no problem speaking about it. I also wrote this because I know that there are people that struggle with the same issue, but are too embarrassed to speak.

Roughly two and a half years ago I began my Losing Path and through discipline and determination, have managed to lose around 110 pounds, despite this obstacle. Has it been easy? Hell no. Am I happy I'm doing it? Absolutely. I hope to some day spend my life helping other people do the same