You Overate... Now What?

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

With the drinks and the sweets, you'll for sure overeat,

It's the most wonderful time of the year!

That's how the song goes... right?

I hate how every time I go to a party and I see all the amazing appetizers and desserts and drinks, I act like this is the last time in my life I'll ever see food again.  Not only do I regret it in the short term with the stomach ache and the bloat, making stuffing my face a habit over the holiday season means I'm also going to regret what my body looks like in the mirror over the long term.

What's a food lover and binger to do?

Tip 1:  All is not lost!  Personally, I do really good when I don't have any slip ups.  The second I eat that unplanned treat, I figure, well I've had one cookie, I might as well have the other 11 in the pack.  WRONG.  That's like saying it doesn't matter whether you choose a 200 calorie piece of pie or a 2000 calorie piece of pie!  Enjoy your treat, and continue on with your day and your healthy choices.

Tip 2:  Forgive yourself!  Stop being so hard on yourself!  It may actually be a whole year before you get to have your favorite Christmas cookies again!  So just have one!  No one is perfect, even the people you see on social media.  So forgive yourself and move on.

Tip 3:  After you forgive yourself, make a plan!  So you had a few treats and maybe things got out of hand.  Tomorrow is a new day.  Grab a pen and a piece of paper and meal plan for tomorrow.  When can you fit in a workout?  What do you have to do tomorrow to make sure you get back and stay on track?  Do you need to tell a friend to keep you accountable?

Tip 4:  Take action!  Implement that plan from yesterday.  To make yourself feel better, sweat it out for about 45 minutes.  Finish with 10-15 minutes of stretching.  It's the best way to start your day off on the right foot and continue with a meal plan full of veggies, healthy fats and whole grain carbs.  Increase digestion by increasing your fiber, limiting your meat intake, and drinking lot of water!

Tip 5:  Stop eating an hour earlier than you normally do.  Brush your teeth, drink more water, and even go to bed earlier!  Whatever you have to do!

A Food Dilemma: Poison or Pleasure?

I've been struggling lately.  I feel like a lot of people have.  I can feel it in the air.  I don't know if it the changing of the seasons or the start of school, but it seems like everyone around me is fighting their own personal battles.

I would've never been able to resist at Hogwarts

Mine, is food.

Last year, I got a real handle on my eating.  I wasn't heavy by any means, but I lost a good amount of fat that I was carrying around my middle and in my thighs.  I was eating more, eating cleaner, and lifting heavy.  I was drinking very little alcohol because I was exhausted every night from renovating my new home.  I felt strong both mentally and physically.

This year is proving to be a different story.  I have started training for my first marathon, a HUGE bucket list item that I never thought would be possible after my knee surgery.  And I know that one of the main struggles for runners can be eating TOO much... especially too much carbs.

So, I've been watching what I eat... at least, I think I have.  And I've been working out, hard, every day.  And yet, the pounds, and the fat, have been creeping back.

This makes me angry and frustrated!  Meanwhile, my good friend Bethany over at Living Between Labels is struggling with her own autoimmune issues.  She has been forced to cut out MAJOR foods, like tomatoes and wheat, because they cause her body to, essentially, attack itself.  The two of us, along with many of our other friends in the health and fitness world, talk daily about what we should be eating, what we shouldn't be eating, how much to eat, when to eat it.  And then we have to help our challengers navigate these same questions and struggles.  And that just goes for people with no food allergies or health issues!

It's exhausting.  And the struggle to constantly make the right choices is real for a lot of people.  My friend and coach Kristin can't eat gluten or dairy, and for her, she says it's simple:  these foods are poison.  If you think about it like you're eating poison, it's very easy to say no.

But then, food is an addiction for many.  Just like cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana and cocaine are all poisons, people still put them in their bodies every day.  And while many people die from them, many don't.

Food gives me joy.  Pizza and chocolate and ice cream and pasta and chips and grapes and cheese and wine.  I feel good when I drink my Shakeology and eat my salad for lunch and my lightly sweetened greek yogurt and my cauliflower and my turkey meatballs for dinner.  But those are not what I want.  But even when I do eat those consistently, sometimes it's not enough.  I want a treat.  Those are healthy in moderation.  But what is moderation?  One small portion a day?  One large portion a week?  You only live once, you know... what's wrong with having a glass of wine at dinner.

So here I sit, fighting with myself and my desires.  Do I want wine or do I want rock hard abs?  Do I want the guilt of eating a piece of chocolate or the agony of turning it down?  What is REALLY going to make me happy?  Food or 5% body fat?

You know what?  I'm not sure yet.  Whenever I think I know, I change my mind.

I want to live a long, happy, healthy life.  What's the recipe for that?

Chocolate Shakeology Protein Bar

I'm back for Tasty Tuesday!

Nothing new on the dinner front for me and Rachel.  We've both been very busy, and on my end, I've been prepping dinners in advance and doing a lot of leftovers, without a lot of pretty pictures to show you.  Today I've got something even better for you though.

Dessert.

About 13 days ago, I made a pledge on Facebook that I would go 24 days without sweets, salty snacks, soda or more that 1-2 glasses of wine in a week.  I've been doing pretty well, and more on that when I've finally finished (11 more days to go!).  HOWEVER, two ways that I've been able to get through this time of struggle is a) my morning chocolate Shakeology and b) these Chocolate Shakeology Protein Bars.  Ermygod guys.

I'll tell you I was really skeptical at first because they had almond butter in them.  I really detest nuts and peanut butter, so I figured my feelings would be the same for almond butter.  While I can tell you I'm definitely not a fan of almond butter, you can't even taste it in these bars.  And as someone who can smell peanut butter from two rooms away, believe me when I say you really can't taste it.

As a 21 Day Fix Extreme recipe, 8 servings is 1/2 Red, 1/2 Blue and 1/2 Yellow.  However, I find that just a small sliver is satisfying enough for me, so I don't even really count it.

Chocolate Shakeology Protein Bars

Prep time:  10 minutes

Refrigerate time:  2 hours
Total time:  2 hours 10 minutes
Yield: 8 1x1 inch pieces

Ingredients:
2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
4 scoops of Chocolate Shakeology (or Vanilla or Strawberry!)
1/2 cup of all-natural smooth almond butter
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk


Instructions:
Place the oats and Shakeology in a food processor, cover, and blend for 1 minute.  Add almond butter and almond milk, cover, and blend for 1 minute.  Next, place wet, sticky "dough" into an 8x8 inch baking sheet and press evenly to distribute.  Refrigerate for 2 hours until firm

I wish I could've taken a picture of how messy this stuff is on your fingers.  Seriously.  Of course, I was flying solo for these so I had no one to take pictures of said fingers.  Such is life.

You will not be disappointed with these bad boys.  They hit the spot when you need an extra sweet hit or a little snack to hold you over until your next meal!