Fat is Good and here's Why

When I originally got into personal training, 5 years ago, I thought low-fat was the best way to eat. I mean, eating fat makes you fat, right? All the butter people put butter on their rolls, the cheese and sour cream on potatoes, the fried food, too many nuts in your snacks, cooking with olive oil, it's all fat and it's making us fat! Well, my stance has changed after massive amounts of proven research over the last few years.

So what's the deal? Should we watch our fat like a hawk and eat 20-30 grams a day? What about those carbs? Can people sustain themselves on low carb diets and low fat diets? No. Not possible long term. Not healthy long term. When the low fat diet craze took full effect in the 1990's, Americans didn't get thinner. There was no drop in cancer, diabetes, or heart disease (read here).

Now I'm not advocating a loaded baked potato or fried chicken and biscuits; don't hear what I'm NOT saying. A calorie is a calorie and if you eat too many you will gain weight, plus we know there's nothing healthy about fried food in crappy oil. But let's get back to the basics of eating real food instead of processed substitutes. It is important to look at what type of fats you're getting (read study). Are saturated fats the devil of all fats like we thought? Nope. Take a look at coconut oil, very high in saturated fat but extremely healthy for you. So let's take a look at healthy fats we should be eating plenty of. 

- Coconut Oil

-Olive Oil

- Avocados

- Walnuts

- Almonds

- Cashews

- Peanuts

- Butter
- Eggs

Things like coconut oil and olive oil contain medium chain triglycerides which are actually proven to reduce triglycerides and promote healthy cholesterol (read here). Plus an oil like coconut contains many other properties that provide a host of health benefits and the healthiest people in the world eat a diet high in coconut oil. 

Fats are very important for our bodies. Fat is important for brain health, hair growth, nail growth, skin, and it is important for our organs*. There are certain fats that are extremely unhealthy of course. Such as trans fats which don't technically make you fat, but far worse. Trans fats actually lowers your good cholesterol, which filters bad fats to your liver to be disposed, promoting heart disease, diabetes, inflammation, and makes you susceptible to weight gain. 

So what causes us to gain weight if it's not the fat? White flour, sugar, processed foods, lack of fruits and vegetables, soda, sugar substitutes and chemicals. We all see the research and hear repeatedly that these things only cause harm to our bodies and for good reasons. Our bodies are working machines that need whole foods to function properly and to THRIVE.

So next time you're afraid to eat a handful of almonds and avocado in your salad because of the fat content remember that they will actually help you maintain a healthy weight! Plus they are full of other important nutrients our bodies need. Don't be afraid to eat fat anymore :)



*ISSA Sports Nutrition Edition

Paleo-ish Dinner

I made this awesome dinner last night and it is pretty much Paleo (have you heard of that?). I am a supporter of Paleo for the most part. I do believe that everyone is different, though, and it may not fit every person's lifestyle to be paleo. I also am not Paleo because, well, I have a husband and kids who love dairy and bread...yeah 2 problems right there. But I try to make meals more on the paleo side because it really has tons of health benefits.

I made baked chicken nuggets, glazed carrots, steamed peas, grapes, and raspberries (picked from the garden of course!).

For the carrots I got a recipe off Whole Foods Recipe App (love it)

Glazed carrots

Steam 1 pound carrots 7-10 minutes. In a skillet put 2 tbsp butter, 2 tbsp honey, 1 1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar on medium heat and melt together. Add carrots and cook till slightly browning. Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot. YUM.

For the chicken I have a recipe I use regularly but this time I was out of butter and parmesan cheese (double whammy). So I substituted. 

Cut your chicken into pieces and dip in olive oil. Roll in Panko Italian breadcrumbs. Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Steam peas and finish carrots while cooking. 

Enjoy a satisfying and healthy meal!

Work Those Abs While Already Working Out

Did you know that a secret to a flat belly is not just in doing specific ab exercises at the end of a workout? It is working your abs while doing other exercises. Of course you can do specific ones to target different parts of the abdominal a but it's not limited to those. Might as well get more in at once if possible! Let me show you what I mean. 

Overhead press with kneeling crunch. 

I could just stand and do overhead presses but by combining these I'm burning more calories and changing my core even more because I have 15 pound weights in my hands!

Push-up with side planks

We all know planks do a lot for the abs, not to mention push-ups. Combine them and wow!

Row with leg Extension

This is major core work. Your core is the foundation of every move, and there's a lot of moves going on here!

By combining upper and lower body you're working on your abs. Make sure you tighten your stomach for each exercise to ensure no damage to your back/core. When you tuck in your stomach you also tighten important muscles that will help you achieve a flat tummy. Happy exercising!

Postpartum - 10 Months Update

10 Months ago I had just given birth to a wonderful, laid-back, sweet, and happy little girl. I have been on this journey of going back to my pre-pregnancy body and I am getting so close. Breastfeeding has not allowed me to lose all my weight yet because it would take my body fat lower than what it needs to supply enough milk. But with Hannah being 10 months now she eats a lot of regular food and breastfeeds less. So my body is still going back to normal. There are SO MANY hormonal fluctuations postpartum and that affects everything in your body. You are not back to normal overnight or even a few months later. I feel like I am more completely "normal" after a year and I am obviously a couple months away from it but I do feel good. Here's my progress. My last update was at 6 months so it's been a while (HERE)

This was Week 1 picture of me.....

Current...

This is a BIG difference. Week 1....

Current at 10 months...

My weight is 128-129 which is only a pound or so less than what it has been but HEAVY WEIGHTS continue to re-shape my body the way it was before. They work! 

So keep pushing...it's a journey and it's NEVER over. I have so many goals that I will reach eventually but it's making the habits everyday. You can do it. I am not blessed with wonderful genes, I work so HARD. 

Stay tuned in the next couple months for posts on a detox I will be doing! This will be a legitimate detox for helping cleanse my colon and it will not involve starving yourself but nourishing your body with so many vitamins, minerals, getting rid of inflammation, and boosting your immune system with probiotics and all the junk you'll cut out to cleanse. It's going to be awesome but a little difficult.  

And here is my wonderful baby girl who is already 10 months :)

3 Crucial Ingredients to Being Fit

Do you struggle with losing weight and staying in shape? Have you attempted weight loss over and over with only a little success? Well I have 3 things to share that can help you get the changes you are looking for! 

1. Foundation

What's are your priorities? God? Your happiness? Family? Work? Figuring out your priorities is key to your weight loss efforts. If God is your priority then seeking Him for help in the area of fitness is essential so He can help you accomplish what you don't always have the strength to do on your own. But if your happiness is number one then after working all day you might feel entitled to lounge on the couch the rest of the night and not exercise because you won't enjoy it. If family is number one then you are running around serving every family member and pushing aside important responsibilities and not focusing on yourself. Your life flows out of the foundation you set. Your priorities are seen by the choices you make.

2. Intensity

If you want to be fit and lose weight, intensity is key. Our bodies are well-constructed machines and work very efficiently. If you have plateaued then look at what you're doing. Are you lifting the same amount of weights? Are you running the same pace/distance you were 3 months ago? Your body won't change if you don't change what you're doing! Athletes have amazing bodies because they are always pushing themselves. If you want to be fit then do what fit people do! That does NOT include walking on the treadmill every night for 30 minutes while reading a book. You can do that but don't count it as your workout or expect to see a change in your body. 

3. Habits

Fit people have formed healthy habits. It's not grueling work, annoying, a diet, or a wagon to get on and off. Healthy habits become a part of who you are. They become second nature. Once you push passed the hardest part of "making it through" your workouts, it really can become fun. Your body will crave these healthy habits. It takes about 21 to 30 days to break a habit, which would hopefully be a bad habit. But if you're breaking a bad habit then hopefully you're replacing it with a healthy habit. So maybe you eat a Snickers bar every afternoon at 3:00 but you change the habit by eating a mix of almonds, dark chocolate and a piece of fruit or veggie. You're not only removing one bad habit but you're adding a great one. Maybe you commit to exercising several days a week. Next thing you know you're doing random exercises at any given moment. You get hit with the "bug" for working out!

So how do we make these things happen? To develop your foundation you need to sit down and spend time figuring it out. Clear your head, write/journal, pray, meditate, and talk with someone who can give advice and help you sort this out. 

Once you figure out your foundation then your mind will be focused on what you need to do, which will translate to more intense workouts because a workout is more than half mental. If you tell yourself you can do it, you will. 

Finally, sit down and set goals. These goals will turn into habits. Successful people have goals and they go for them. Now I know you have the capability to do these things. Are you going to sit down and figure this out? Are you ready for a change? Time to get started. 

Inspired by Chalene Johnson's book, "Push"

Homemade White Cake

White, fluffy, tasty. Oh cake is my weakness. I don't care about candy (except Reese's), soda, chocolate, coffee, etc. I just love cake. And frosting. Yes. 

I enjoyed box cake mixes. The funfetti. You know. I was so proud when I started using yogurt instead of oil in it. Little did I realize it's filled with chemical junk and trans fat. 

So I make my own cake. Yes, you can make cake from scratch! 

Now I know what you're thinking. This is a healthy blog! Yes and it is a no-processed food blog. Do we still have birthdays? Yes. Do we still indulge in sweet treats at times? Yes. So if I can find something amazing to replace the processed junk then I will and I am not ashamed. Guess what? These are for my brother-in-law's birthday, ok?! :)

And sometimes you have to make your husband happy if he loves golden oreos ;)

I actually used the recipe on the back of this cake flour box, which I got at Whole Foods for a decent price. It's similar to another recipe I use but I like this one better. 

White Cake

2 3/4 cups cake flour (unbleached if possible)

1 2/3 cups sugar

3/4 tsp salt

1 tbsp baking powder

3/4 cup unsalted butter (or 12 tbsp)

4 egg whites and 1 whole egg (I just used 4 whole eggs)

1 cup plain yogurt or 1 cup whole milk (I used yogurt)

2 tsp vanilla

Directions:

1. Mix dry ingredients in mixer to blend.

2. Add butter and blend until dry bits form.

3. Add eggs and beat well until fluffy.

4. Whisk yogurt and vanila together. Add in 3 parts to scrape and let the mix get fluffy. 

5. Once fluffy put in cake pans or cupcake tins. Add sprinkles if you want funfetti.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes for regular cupcakes. I made 36 cupcakes out of one batch.

Buttercream Frosting

1 stick butter

4 cups powdered sugar

water or milk (about 1/3 cup)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp butter flavoring (this is the secret to amazing buttercream frosting)

Directions:

Mix all together and add water or milk slowly until frosting isn't dry or too heavy. It will be kind of whipped. 

Cookies 'n Cream Frosting

Mash up 10 golden oreos in a big ziplock bag with a rolling pin and then mix in buttercream frosting by hand. If you want to go golden crazy then mash up 10-12 and put in the cake batter....can you believe I'm telling you this?!

Now I know what you're thinking...Oreos?!! I got them from Whole Foods so at least we are doing better :)

I have 12 cupcakes out plus I am freezing the rest so we don't feel obligated to eat them all at once! Plus cake tastes better when you freeze it first (that's what a lot of cake places do). It locks in flavor. Happy birthday to my brother-in-law!

Homemade Tomato Sauce

My MIL, Laura, told me a quick and easy way to make tomato sauce so I thought I'd try it. She was right, it's super easy and you don't need anything special to do it. 

First quarter tomatoes. I used ones from my garden. Place in a pan like this. 

Cut up onion, fresh basil, and a few garlic cloves (I didn't have cloves on hand so I sprinkled garlic salt). Drizzle olive oil on top. I moved the pan around so it got underneath the veggies. 

Then bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. 

Let it cool and pull off the skins. They come off easily. 

Scoop everything out with a slotted spoon to leave juice in the pan so the sauce isn't watery. 

Summer low for 20-30 minutes and use a potato masher to mash up everything. Add any other spices you desire such as Italian seasoning, oregano, lemon juice, small dash of sugar, Parmesan cheese, etc. Then blend in good processor or leave a little chunkier. Sauce should be a good thicker sauce. If not then simmer longer and it will thicken. 

Let cool and then put in jars. My one pan gave me a jar of sauce so I stuck it in the fridge to use and didn't seal it. 

I can't wait to use it!