Clean
Eating
When it comes to reaching your fitness goal you must
always remember the 80/20 rule. Losing weight and becoming fit is 80% nutrition
and 20% exercise. Working out and eating healthy go hand in hand. You can still
eat your favorite pizza and ice cream, you just need to watch your portions and
only indulge once in a while. There are many heathy alternatives to the foods
we crave, and they are just as tasty!
What
is clean eating?
The soul of clean eating is
consuming food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible. It is
not a diet; it’s a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to
an improved life.
Eat Clean Principals
ü Eat more- eat 6 small meals a day.
Three standard meals and 3 snacks. This keeps your body energized and burning calories
efficiently all day long.
ü Eat breakfast EVERYDAY, within an
hour of rising.
ü Eat a combination of lean proteins
and complex carbs with every meal.
ü Eat sufficient (2-3) servings of
healthy fats every day.
ü
Drink
2-3 liters of water every day.
ü
Carry
a cooler packed with clean foods each day.
ü
Depend
on fresh fruit and veggies for fiber, vitamins, and enzymes. Shakeology is
great for digestion J
ü
Adhere
to proper portion size.
ü
Get
label savvy. Clean
foods usually contain just one or two ingredients. It’s always good to know
what you are putting into your body.
ü
Avoid
processed and refined foods.
This includes white flour, sugar, bread and pasta. Enjoy complex carbs such as
whole grains instead. You can substitute brown sugar and whole grain pastas as
well.
Portion Sizing
Protein:
6 servings each day (size of the palm of your hand).
Starchy Complex Carbs: 2-4 servings per day from whole grains or other starchy carb source (1 cupped handful).
Carbs from fruits and veggies: 4-6 servings a day (2 cupped handfuls).
Healthy Fats: 2-3 servings a day (one scant handful of nuts or 1-2 tablespoons of healthy oil).
What to Avoid
Ø
Over
processed foods, especially white flour and sugar
Ø
Chemically
charged foods
Ø
Foods
containing preservatives
Ø
Artificial
sugars
Ø
Artificial
foods such as processed cheese slices
Ø
Saturated
and trans fats
Ø
Sugar
loaded beverages like soda and juice
Ø
Limit
alcohol
Ø
All
“calorie dense” foods containing little or no nutritional value
Ø
Super
sizing meals
Why Breakfast?
Breakfast
is the most important meal of the day. Studies show that people who eat
breakfast are more likely to lose weight and keep it off opposed to those who
skip breakfast. You are also more likely to overeat during the day if you skip
this meal. Oatmeal is a great option for breakfast. Oatmeal stabilizes blood
sugar levels and keeps you fuller for longer. It is also a great source of
protein.
Why it’s important to be drinking 2-3 liters of water a day
o
Increases
your metabolism
o
Hunger
can be confused as thirst
o
Helps
with mid-afternoon slumps
o
Aids
in weight loss
o
Try
adding fruits or mint to your water to spice it up J
Breakfast Ideas
v
1/2
cup of greek yogurt with granola and fresh berries
v
Ezekiel
bread with hummus and hardboiled egg whites
v
Protein
smoothie
v
Egg
white omelet made with unlimited veggies
v
Ezekiel
cereal with low fat milk or almond milk
Want to speed up your Metabolism?
o
Drink
lots of water
o
Lean
proteins
o
Fiber
o
Black
coffee or green tea
o
Spices
o
Healthy
fats
o
Tomatoes
o
Low
fat plain yogurt
o
Garlic
and onions
o
Greens
Helpful Tips to get you started!
Use the following equation to calculate your daily calorie intake:
A)
Your current weight in lbs X 11
=________________ this is your caloric baseline
B)
Then take your caloric baseline and add 400
=__________ this is your maintenance
calories
C)
Subtract 600 from your maintenance baseline-
this is your calorie target
___________
If your calorie target is less than
1200 round up to 1200. Anything less than 1200 calories is not healthy or safe.
When
you reach your calorie target you will either add 200 or subtract 200 depending
on if you want to lose or gain weight.
Breakfast: Shakeology (is my #1 go to for breakfast just because of time); Oatmeal, raw honey, and fruit; almond milk; Greek yogurt; and granola.
Snacks: Cottage cheese; Oatmeal with raw honey; Kroger Simple Truth Nutrition Bars; String cheese; Vanilla sugar-free pudding; Bananas ; Chobani Greek Yogurt- Lime Flavor; Hummus and Celery; Gala Apples.
Lunch: Spinach, strawberries, walnuts, and chicken. Whole wheat wraps. Low fat mozzarella cheese, tomatoes.
Dinners: Salmon; whole what pasta; brown rice; mixed veggies (Meijer organics).
Once you have your meals planned you can make your shopping list J
Tip 3: Water, water, water!! I drink about 120-160 ounces a day. I would not recommend drinking more than your weight in ounces. For every ½ hour of intense activity I would add 20-30 ounces. I add lemon, lime, and mint leaves to add flavoring.
Tip 4: Get on a routine. My day is planned from wake up to sleepy time. I wake up 45 minutes earlier than what I used to. I use the first 15 minutes for self-awareness (stretch, read from the Bible, meditate, etc.), I also get breakfast ready- Shakeology. After that I will do 30 minutes of cardio, shower, and start my day.
Tip 5: Food prep on Sunday! Having meals planned out and ready to go is very convenient and takes away the stress of worrying if you have enough time to prepare meals.
Tip 6: Don’t stress or get overwhelmed. I mess up all of the time. I cheat, late night snacking has been the hardest for me to resist. Always remember that tomorrow is a new day! Don’t give up on yourself! Clean eating is NOT a diet, it’s a lifestyle. Also don’t forget to reward yourself. Reward systems work great wonders! If you make it all week without cheating then give yourself a treat to a tasty pizza or slice of cake! You deserve!
No comments:
Post a Comment