The BEST Diet Out There

 I get messages literally every single day from people asking me to tell them what diet is the best to follow. With so many options out there (i.e., paleo, Weight Watchers, 8 Hour Diet, Dukan, etc), it is not surprising to me that people get overwhelmed when it comes to proper nutrition. Each of these diets uses a different method that promises fast weight loss but how on Earth do you know which diet to follow when there’s so many to choose from?

  

I’ll let you in on an industry secret. The best diet out there is finding one that is sustainable, not restrictive and satisfying. You cannot fully and honestly expect to go through life eating only raw foods or only eating carbohydrates at certain times of the day or only eating salads for every meal (when you hate salads). When you make a decision to eat healthfully, you need to toss out the diet mentality that so many of us are used to prescribing to. You need to switch out those negative thoughts to empowering, positive thoughts. For example, instead of saying, “I can’t have pizza” you could say, “I could have pizza but I choose not to.” BUT, that said, if it is a treat day, by all means, eat that pizza but just remember to be smart about it. Don’t eat an entire large size pizza to yourself.

 A well-balanced diet is absolutely ESSENTIAL to the healthy lifestyle equation. You can go to the gym and work your butt off for an hour every day but if your nutrition doesn’t reflect your goals, you just won’t progress. Believe me on this one. I spent 3.5 years working out hard, but it wasn’t until I really dialled in my nutrition and starting eating the right foods and the “bad” foods in moderation, my body didn’t really make a lot of huge changes. Or, I shouldn’t say that. My body did make changes but my mind didn’t. I have been a chronic yo-yo dieter for almost my whole life. When I started my weight loss journey in 2008, I thought that if I exercised often, I’d be okay to eat the Pilsbury cookie dough in our fridge for snacks every day. This, obviously, isn’t the answer. I would workout hard and eat well probably 60% of the time but the other 40% of the time, I would eat unhealthier foods in excess and then be angry that I wasn’t losing weight. Or I would commit to eating clean but then never let myself have treats which only lead me to binge eventually. It wasn’t until last year when I finally realized that I can still see progress with my fitness journey if I balance eating healthfully with eating the less nutritionally dense foods (i.e., pizza, French fries). 

                A well-balanced diet:

-          Has no restrictions, especially whole food groups or macronutrients

-          Allows everything (YES, even pizza & chocolate), in moderation

-          Is varied as well as flexible (Planned on chicken breasts for supper but feeling more like having eggs? Do it!)

-          Contains foods that you LIKE to eat, not foods you FEEL you HAVE to eat (don’t make yourself eat spinach if you hate spinach!)

-          Includes a lot of water

-          Is imperfect

-          Creates feelings of positivity towards foods

-          Is fulfilling

So, I’m sorry I cannot give you an exact diet plan to follow but I will tell you this: eat healthfully (whole grains, lean protein, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats) 80% of the time and use that 20% to eat those less-nutrient dense foods (see how I didn’t call them ‘junk’ foods or ‘unhealthy’ foods? That creates a negative relationship and we want to AVOID that). I don’t expect you to eat like a fitness model and you don’t have to. You just need to become more aware of what are more nutritionally sound food choices. Do not ever follow a diet that makes you feel like you're missing out on the foods you love. Doing so sets you up for a negative experience and implementing a healthy lifestyle change should be one of the most positive and empowering decisions you make.

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10 Tips For Staying Healthy Over The Holidays

(source: Burlington Convention Centre)

It's that time of the year, where our mailboxes are inundated with invite after invite for family get togethers, corporate parties and dinners out with friends. It's also that time of the year where our nutrition and fitness plans tend to sit on the back burner due to the busyness of the season. Between shopping and all those aforementioned holiday gathering, it can be hard to find time to fit in exercise and even harder to think about eating right. But it doesn't have to be hard, you don't have to undo your months of hard work in just a few short weeks. I have gathered a number of holiday survival tips to help you make this your healthiest holiday season ever.

1) PLAN AHEAD
You typically know well in advance when you have a holiday party to attend. If you are going to an evening get together where you know dinner will be served, make sure you eat a snack an hour or two beforehand. This snack should have some type of tummy-filling protein in it, like a protein shake or an apple or celery with natural peanut butter. If you have a protein-fueled snack prior to a get together, you will be less likely to splurge at dinner because your stomach will still be full from your protein snack.

2) LIMIT BOOZE
Tis' the season for plentiful servings of alcohol but it's important to realize that alcohol has absolutely zero nutritional content at all. While a glass of wine is okay, it's not okay to drink the whole bottle (or two or three). Alcohol lowers your inhibitions and also tends to make the drinker think they're hungrier than they are which can lead to binge eating and poor food choices.

3) DRINK WATER
This goes hand-in-hand with #2, but it's important to note, regardless. You need to continue to drink your water throughout the holidays. If you know you're going to be out of the house shopping all day, takke a refillable water bottle with you and make sure you rink and refill it. You should be aiming for at least eight 8oz glasses of water a day to stave off dehydration and control hunger.

(source: GamerFitNation)

4) SHIFT FOCUS FROM FOOD
Many holiday parties tend to revolve around food. Or the main part of the socializing revolves around a buffet table or in the kitchen where devilicious little dainties and sinful sweets are displayed. Instead of focusing on these areas of the party and lingering near the food tables, try to shift your focus away from these areas of the party. If there are children at the party, start a game or craft with them or walk around and visit with those people you haven't seen or spoken to in a while. Holiday parties don't have to revolve around food but, all too often, they do.

5) CHOOSE ONE TREAT
If you have a sweet tooth like me and must have a portion of sweets at a holiday party, limit yourself to onne small serving of dessert or dainty and don't have ny more after that serving. OioThis way, you can enjoy your splurge without feeling guilty because it was just one small serving. If you do this at every holiday party you attend, you'll be able to sample one sweet from each gathering without risking weight gain from overdoing it. The key, however, is in the portion size.

6) DON'T SKIP MEALS
I am guilty of this but I'm going to work at not doing this this year. Sometimes when we know we have a big dinner coming up in the evening, we will skip our other meals of the day to "make up" for the calories we'll be consuming in the evening. This is asking for a binge to occur. Keep eating your normal meals and refer to tip #1 (stock up on protein before the big gathering) to help keep binges at bay. Eat as you normally would during the day and then stick to normal portion sizes during the big dinner.

7) DON'T STOP EXERCISING.
If you currently are in the middle of a fitness regimen (like my Insanity Challenge Groups!), keep on keeping on with the program. Yes, it might be hard to get your workout in during the busy holiday season but the more you stick to the program, the more successful you'll be and the less likely you'll fall off the wagon. Is your schedule just so jampacked that you don't think you can fit in a workout? Commit yourself to just ten minutes a few times a day. Tony Horton's 10 Minute Trainer is a great DVD set to have in times like this. All it takes is ten minutes 3-4 x a day to get in a great workout. Fit in 10 mis before the kids get up, 10 mins after they've gone to bed, 10 minutes before your favorite TV show starts and 10 minutes while supper cook and you're well on your way to maintaining (or even gaining, if you're folllowing my other tips) fitness during the holidys.

8) BRING FOOD TO GATHERINGS
No host will turn down your offer to bring a tray of goodies to a holiday party. Except make your tray of goodies contain food that are nutritionally good for you instead of treats that'll blow your nutrition. Buy (or make) a fruit tray. Or, better yet, bring a vegetable tray with homemade greek yogurt dip. Stock up your appetizier plate with fruit and vegetables and you'll be set to avoid those tempting treats come dessert time because you'll be so full of veggies and fiber!

(source: QuickenLoans)

9) KEEP TO YOUR REGULAR FOOD SCHEDULE
This one goes hand-in-hand with #6 but it's really important so I'll reiterate it. When you know you have an evening gathering to attend, keep eating breakfast, lunch and your snacks at regular times throughout the day. Dont starve all day thinking you'll "save" your calories for later because, if you're anything like me, you'll allow yourselves more treats that evening than you usually would because you allowed yourself to skip the other meals of your day. Skipping breakfast, lunch and snacks doesn't allow you a "free pass" to eat everything in site!

10) ALLOW AND PREPARE FOR MISTAKES
We aren't perfect. I'm far from perfect. I've allowed my sweet tooth to take over during the holidays year after year (NOT THIS YEAR, THOUGH). You may indulge a little too much in alcohol or sweets at one or two parties this holiday season but don't let it get you down. One bad day of eating is not going to ruin your progress. One week of bad eating will, though. So accept that the bad day of eating not-so-nutritionally-sound meals happened and move on. Spend the next day eating properly and getting in your workout.



Equipped with these ten tips, your holiday season is sure to be a happy, fun and healthy one. Don't let your months of hard work be undone (or partially undone) by a few weeks of holiday parties. Stay on track and see continued success through the new year!

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Chocolate Peanut Butter Coffee Supreme

I love my daily Shakeology meal. It's something I look forward to everyday. I also love playing around with the add-ins to make a different and unique shake when I feel it's time for a change.

This is my current addiction.

1 scoop chocolate Shakeology
1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk
4 ice cubes
1 tbsp natural peanut butter
1 tsp instant coffee granules (I used French vanilla flavored)
1 tsp whipped topping (optional)

Put all ingredients in the blender and mix for 30-60 seconds. The longer you blend it, the thicker it gets.

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