When to stop counting

To count or not to count? That is the question...well, in the high carb community it is! What are we counting? Calories, and hopefully lots of them! Here's a little background on this. The high carb community consists of many, many fruit bats, but some are more influential than others! Some claim counting calories to make sure you eat enough is extremely important and the key to long term success. Others say to just trust your body and eat until you are full. So what is the best? Should you count or not? Here's a little background on both sides.

High carbers, mainly Raw Till 4 followers, love to smash in the calories, while allowing their bodies to heal and their metabolism to reboot! New comers are often coming from a past of major damage, like eating disorders and obesity, most also come from a sedentary lifestyle. The guidelines are very strict and promise amazing results...eventually. It is not a program which promises quick results. Some gain weight in the first year or two, before beginning to lose. The calorie suggestion is 2000+ for women and 2500+ for men. Sounds like a lot if you are coming from a 1200 calorie starvation diet! But, in all honesty not only is it easy to do, but you all feel really good! No more light headedness, no more cravings, no more need for caffiene, and so much energy! The down side for many...and the reason why many women quit, is the initial weight gain. Going from a past of dieting and calorie restricting to a lifestyle of abundance can lead to weight gain. The body for the first time is being fueled with the proper amount of food. It will store a bit before it begins to shed! From what I have experienced is a bit of weight gain, especially after giving up caffiene, but it eventually came off. Others struggle with this. It truly leads them to question the lifestyle and look for quick fixes, like caffiene, protein shakes, pre and post workout drinks, and eating much less. When they see the weight begins to come off, they swear that Raw Till 4 does not work and some begin to sell all sorts of gimmics to 'help' you shed those pesky pounds and listen to your body.

These former Raw Till 4 followers, end up leaving the movement. They are so happy with their quick weight loss from cutting the calories, supplementing, and drinking caffiene, they have actually
convinced themselves that this is 'listening to your body' or 'intuitive eating'. Since when does your body tell you it needs caffiene? Or a pre workout? That's the thing, your body does not tell you much, you are programmed by your past bad habits, and unfortuantely until you can heal your body and reprogram it, it will continue to lead you down a path of self sabotage!

So, let's get back to the original question. When should you count and when should you stop? When you begin this lifestyle, you need to count calories. You MUST!!! This is extremely important in the beginning especially since 99% of us are coming from a calorie restrictive diet. It has been ingrained in our heads, a programmed behavior! So, trusting yourself to eat enough can be difficult, and most just cannot rely on their body & mind to make the correct decision. The goal is to split up the daily calorie suggestion into 3 meals and 2 snacks. The reason for counting is strictly to prevent UNDER eating, which later leads to binge eating and massive cravings. High carb low fat vegan foods are very low in calories, eating more than ever can be difficult. It takes practice and patience. Learning how to divide up the calories through out the day can help lead you to great success.

My recommendation for clients is to count until your appetite regulates and you have stimulated it enough to actually eat 2000+ calories a day. This can takes months or even years. What I find is those who stop counting too early, begin their bad habits all over again. Behaviors like skipping breakfast for coffee, eating only when starving instead of fueling consistantly to avoid hunger spikes, and craving junk food! Working with a health coach to get to a comfortable eating schedule is very helpful. It may sound crazy, I often hear people say...'animals don't have health coaches or eating schedules, they just listen to their bodies' well, animals also have something called instinct and they trust it. Us humans have lost touch of our instinctual eating habits. We have been poisoned for 1000s of years with meat, dairy, and procesesed junk food. We cannot count on our bodies to eat intuitively. We must LEARN first what that is and how to do it properly. This means how much to eat as well. Unfortuanelty when weight loss is the motivator, majority of people will under eat, because it is a learned behavior.

What do I do when I start to gain weight? This is the hardest part of the lifestyle. I recommend you keep counting and eating enough calories. Begin to exercise regularly, and don't stress over the number. Look for other signs of healing. Are you feeling energized? Does your skin glow? Are you eating in abundance? Are you no longer starving yourself? These are all positive results, weight loss is not the only result you should be focused on! One recommendation I give my clients is just a simple change of foods, for example, changing from bananas to potatoes or rice. Eating less fruit more starches, and adding in more greens, and vise versa. The goal is to stay in the proper calorie count and stay high carb low fat, but there are ways to adjust the food to help promote weight loss. This would be something I work one on one with my clients! It can truly make a huge difference!

Can I stop counting eventually? YES! You will eventually know how much food equals a certain amount of calories! You will be able to recognize what full feels like and how to fuel through out the day to avoid getting too hungry. The goal is to consistantly fuel and feel energized all day. Lack of
calories will drain you quickly! Here are some tips for success:

-food journal and record how your energy was for that day. Record your activity as well. This will help you determine if you need to increase calories on fitness days.
-don't be affraid to mix things up! Try a fully raw day, a raw till 4 day, and a starch solution day. All these lifestyles are high carb low fat vegan and will help keep meals exciting!
-avoid drinking caffiene, as it is an appetite suppressant and will prevent you from reaching your caloric goal for the day.
-don't eat until you get sick! Some people come to this lifestyle and think they must down a 10 banana smoothie in one shot, which leaves them feeling sick and bloated. Be smart with your calories. Split them up, so maybe a 500 cal smoothie, and a 500 cal snack a bit later will help you consume enough food without getting sick.
-use Cronometer to help you keep track of your macronutrients, you want to stay in the 80/10/10 ratio.
-enjoy food!!! For the first time in your adult life you are eating in abundance! No longer panicking about having an extra potato or another plate of pasta! Remember, as long as the food is high carb, low fat vegan, you can eat it!!

Why Salad Is Keeping You FAT

Salad, the ultimate diet food! The first sign someone is on a diet is their salad for lunch, definitely a healthier swap from the usual fast food or pizza, but is it going to help? Though the answer should be an obvious YES, it is a bit more complicated than that.

Salad is a beautiful thing, one of my favorites actually! The delicious blend of vegetables, fruit, seeds, nuts, dressing, and herbs can make salad the perfect choice for a healthy meal. I know, you're thinking 'so what's the problem here?' There are two major problems that arise from salad being a 'diet fail'.

The first major problem is turning this amazing powerhouse meal into a high fat and high calorie disaster! In order for a salad to be healthy and assist in weight loss, it needs to be loaded with veggies and the fat content needs to be LOW! The entire point of salad is to fill up on high fiber, high water content foods, but the average person goes out to lunch and comes back with this:

http://www.1familymeal.com/chicken-cobb-salad-with-buttermilk-chive-dressing/

 

 

This salad is loaded with pretty much every thing that makes salad UNHEALTHY! It contains numerous high fat foods, high cholesterol, loaded with oil and sodium and really, there are barely any veggies! Though the blog does not give calorie and fat content, I imagine this is easily over 1000 cals with majority of those calories coming from FAT! This is a very high fat food which will leave you sluggish all day and craving SUGAR or coffee to stay awake! Hold up, since when do I care about calories??? When they come from fat, that is when you need to be concerned! Remember, all you need is about 10% of your calories to come from fat! This type of 'meal' is not only a weight loss disaster, but it is also loaded with animal products which I would never recommend, let's leave our friends off the menu! I see this type of salad being eaten often by women who are fooled by the diet industry claiming a 'salad' is always a healthy choice! This is not any healthier than a Big Mac!
Let's create a healthy cobb salad with lots of goodies that will keep you feeling alive and energized all day:
Your base needs to be a blend of greens, any kind you like! Toppings should include a lovely row of chick peas, sliced cherry tomatoes, chopped celery, red onion, steamed baby potatoes (cooled), steamed corn (cooled), chopped mushrooms, and a row of peas! To dress it up, grab a whole lemon, juice it over the salad, sprinkle with your favorite herbs like dill and season to taste with pepper and garlic powder! Not only have you eliminated ALL animal products, but you have also cut out unnecessary saturated fat, sodium, and cholesterol! You now can eat as much as you want and not worry about your waistline!

The other problem that arises with salad is NOT ENOUGH CALORIES! Say what????? It sounds confusing, but please just keep reading! As I mentioned above, the only time calories become a problem is when they come from fat, or sometimes protein. The key to eating a healthy meal, is sticking to the 80/10/10 macro-nutrient ratio, 80% carbs, 10% fat and 10% protein! This allows you to eat a substantial about of calories without additional weight gain or sugar cravings!
This is a typical salad people order at restaurants or fast food joints. Nothing appetizing here!!

Not only only is this salad BORING but it will leave you STARVING and looking for junk food all day long! There is not enough food to keep a grown adult fueled for even an hour, lol! Your salad should be loaded with plant food and enough calories to keep you energized all day long! When I see people eat this as their meal, I know they will be hungry immediately after and ultimately turn to high fat snack foods like cookies, chips, etc. Most will end up dousing this teeny tiny salad with a high fat dressing trying desperately to make it appetizing! This problem is easily fixed by making salad at home and bringing it with you to work! This allows you to make it big enough and full of the proper plant foods to get enough calories without the added fat and sodium! You really cannot find a salad at a restaurant that is big enough to fill you up, but also NOT loaded with fattening foods like eggs, chicken, oil and cream dressings. Below are examples of my salad creations that are made to be MEALS in a bowl!

Salad can be a healthy option for any meal as long as it is made with HEALTH in mind! Low calorie salads will leave you starving all day without enough fuel to keep your brain fuctiioning, and high fat salads will leave you sluggish, bloated, and craving sugar! Neither option is going to be a success, both will contribute to weigh gain! Here is how you can build a perfect salad to keep you feeling ALIVE and healthy all day long and on track with your weight loss goals!

My food & workout journal!

Many people ask me what my day is like. What I eat, what I do for exercise, and if I snack in between meals. For the most part my food intake is very similar day to day. I really love to eat simple meals, I could eat pretty much the same foods everyday and never get board. I drink water all day long!!! If I am hungry, I will eat. I never deprive myself food!  As far as exercise goes, it does depend on my teaching schedule and the weather. If it is nice outside, I prefer to go running, walking, hiking, or recently, cross country skiing, but I exercise indoors as well.
Here is a typical day~

Wake up around 5:30 or 6am
Water or orange juice, followed by hot tea, decaf, herbal
I have my first mono meal around 8am, I like to have a whole melon!

I eat a second mono meal or salad around 11:30 or noon. A mango meal like this is about 4 or 5 mangoes!

Between noon and dinner I snack on raisins or dates, and more fruit. This is a whole pineapple and I usually eat about a cup or 2 of raisins.

Dinner is sometime between 5:30 and 6:30pm depending on my work schedule. It is always some sort of salad, raw dinner, or low fat vegan cooked dinner. Salad is HUGE, I eat out of a serving bowl, not even kidding. It contains about 2 or 3 hearts of romaine or an entire head of iceberg.

 For my weekly workouts, I do 100 squats and crunches daily, if I miss a day, I will do 200 the next day. I spin in class twice a week, I do some kind of walking or outdoor activity twice a week, teach bootcamp once a week, and do a workout at home once a week. To make it easier, this is how it breaks down daily:

Monday: rest day, squats and crunches

Tuesday: squats and crunches, sometimes leg day at the gym (45 minutes)

Wednesday: ride my bike for 90 minutes or do body weight workout, then go walking or hiking for about 2 hours, squats & crunches

Thursday: spinning class for 45 mins, bootcamp for 1 hour, squats & crunches

Friday: spinning class for 1 hour, squats & crunches

Saturday: walking outside, or rest day if weather is bad, but still do squats & crunches

Sunday: rest day, squats & crunches

~Frequently Asked Questions~

~Frequently Asked Questions~

Do I get sick of eating so much fruit? Absolutely not! The amazing thing about eating fruit is that you actually want it, need it, and crave it. The more you eat the more you want! It is the most natural & perfect food for humans. Once you clean up your taste palate you will enjoy fruit, and eat it in abundance! I thought the same thing when I first read 80-10-10, who can eat so many bananas or mangoes?? Then I began my journey and discovered I CAN, lol!

eat fruit :)

Where do you get your protein? Every time I hear this question a part of me dies, lol! Not because it is a bad question, but because we have been taught to only view protein as an animal product! Hmmm....wonder why?!?! Fruits/veggies/grains all contain some protein, it may not all be complete, but as long as I eat a variety of food I will ALWAYS eat all the essential amino acids I need! There is no such thing as a protein deficiency. It does not exist! Even if you eat only bananas or oranges, you are eating some protein...making a deficiency very difficult to come by!

Do I eat raw food all day? I eat a high raw diet. That means I eat raw fruit all day until dinner. I enjoy eating mono meals. For example, I will have 6-8 bananas for breakfast, then in about 2-3 hrs have a fruit snack like 4 apples or whatever fruit is in season. For lunch I like to eat another fruit mono meal, mangoes are awesome, or cherries (when in season). Dinner usually is a large salad with kale/spinach/romaine or any other green, and a high carb/starch cooked meal. I love potatoes, brown rice, couscous, or Quinoa (though it is a protein so I need to add more carbs to the meal). I also make soups, and pizza! I ALWAYS eat vegan and high carb! 

why do people gain weight eating carbs on the S.A.D (Standard American Diet)? People don't actually gain weight from carbs. They gain weight on the standard American diet because they add a lot of fat, sugar, and animal protein to their carbs. I make pizza for dinner often, we use no cheese, no oil, no meat...just veggies! There is a huge difference, though both pizzas would be categorized as carbs. Also, on top of eating a high fat diet, many people think carbs are doughnuts, cookies, chips, snacks, etc., but those are really fats & sugars, highly processed. They should not be called carbs. If people would reduce their fat intake to 10% of their calories they would lose weight, if they decrease their protein intake as well to 10% of their calories they would lose weight. 

Do I supplement to make up for not eating meat & dairy? No way! I believe my diet is very high in nutrients so vitamins are not necessary. I didn't take supplements on the S.A.D. so I definitely don't need them now! If I wasn't feeling well I would get blood work done, maybe it would give me an idea of what I am missing from my diet. Chances are if I am not absorbing nutrients well, it means I need to increase my raw food intake and reduce my cooked food intake. Keep in mind the vitamin/supplement industry is a HUGE money maker...yet no one taking supplements is actually healthy! If we could take supplements and be healthy, we would have far fewer sick people in this country. Supplements are also acid forming in the body...so unless you can get a raw food organic supplement, I would skip it! 

Why vegan? I get this question a lot...even though there are millions of vegans in this world. It is not so uncommon any more. I chose this lifestyle because it made the most sense to me. I don't feel good about the way we treat the animals we eat or the dairy we eat/drink. Not only are these foods not necessary, but they come with all sorts of health problems, pollution, and cruel behavior. I do believe in karma, so eating meat of an animal that has been through these horrible living conditions, tortured, listened to the screams of it's own species being murdered, or milked to death, does not still well with me. They say you are what you eat...I don't want to have tortured, sick, unhealthy food in my body. Karma. Maybe that is way so much disease has come from animal products. A vegan diet can provide me with everything I need and it is yummy :) 

How does my family feel about my lifestyle? I am VERY lucky because my husband also eats a vegan diet! He use to love meat...a lot. Once he tasted some of my cooking he decided he was ok with eating vegan at home, and after doing dome research and a bad reaction to a meat dinner over the holidays, he decided to go vegan 100%! My son struggles with it, as I imagine any 9 yr old would after eating the S.A.D. He has issues with dairy already. so we were limiting his intake before we went vegan. At home he eats vegan, when he is out of the home he does not :( 

Does everybody lose weight on a vegan diet? Yes and no. Most people will lose weight when they make a drastic change in their diet, but the weight will come back or you won't lose a lot if you keep the fat high. Many vegans eat a ton of nuts, olives, avocados, and oils. Not only is a high fat diet unhealthy, but it will not get you to your 'natural' weight. The closer you are to our natural diet, the closer you will be to your natural weight. This type of high fat diet requires calorie restricting...which is not healthy!

What food do I miss most? I don't miss anything! Honestly, I can make any meal taste amazing and keep the fat low, carbs high! I have made stuffed peppers, lasagna, spaghetti, 'meatballs', soups, pizzas, etc. I have also eaten this way for over 8 months so my taste has adjusted. I no longer enjoy dressings on my salad, just a squeeze of lemon/lime and seasonings. I don't crave cake or doughnuts, or ice cream. BUT if I want, I can create a version of these things and stay in the 80/10/10 range!

Vegan lasagna!

Will fruit make me fat? LOL!!! No. fat makes you fat, cookies make you fat, cheese makes you fat, steak makes you fat. Fruit makes you a lean bean :)

Me on a high fruit diet!!! No fat anywhere to be found :)

Any more questions?

Making Natural Health & Fitness Work For You!

Natural Fitness is slowly making a name for itself in the fitness world as more and more people adopt a plant based diet and less complicated lifestyles. We know what the fitness & diet world has to offer,
 but what does Natural Fitness have to offer?

-No Calorie Restricting
-Eating A Diet Full Of Fruits & Veggies
-Focus On Health vs Weight
-No Counting Carbs/Proteins/Calories
-Body Weight Exercises
-Stretching & Happy Workouts-you pick...Running, Yoga, Hooping, Zumba, Dance etc, HAVE FUN!!!
-Green Smoothies Or Juices

Where do you start? The most important part of changing your lifestyle is to let go of the old and embrace the new! So many people cannot truly let go of their old lifestyle, fear taking on a new approach, and end up going back to their old ways. Natural Health & Fitness has a proven method of weight loss, health, and living, but it has to be embraced without fear. Change is difficult, living a lifestyle which is not endorsed by society is difficult, but the health benefits are worth it!!! Find a Natural health Practitioner to guide you and support you along the way!

Who is this lifestyle for? EVERYONE!!! But...if you have struggled with weight, tried every diet out there, lose weight and gain it back, feel tired and have low energy, or health issues, then you MUST consider making the change! The reason why so many people have amazing results with Natural health & Fitness is because it is not carbohydrate restrictive, it does not focus on weight, and it does not about counting calories. Imagine waking up and being able to eat a large amount of fruit, topped with chopped dates, and nuts! Yum!! or a dinner full of amazing veggies, roasted, baked, and raw! The best part is how fueled and happy this kind of diet makes you feel! If you have ever been put on a low-carb diet, you know the terrible feeling of wanting to binge on carbs as soon as you can!

Exercise is very important, ALL exercise is important! Some trainers frown upon certain types of exercise like Zumba, hooping, pole-fitness, dance, or yoga, claiming it does not get the results that strength training does. BUT...if your workout makes you happy, isn't that the first step? If you start by doing a workout you enjoy, eventually it will lead you to other workouts...I have seen this happen! Feeling happy is a fantastic thing, being told a workout which makes you feel happy is not important is irresponsible! I believe if more trainers praised their clients in engaging in "happy" workouts, then their clients would be less stressed, more confident, and maybe have better weight loss results!

Discover how amazing you can feel and look! Sometimes it isn't about what you ARE doing, it's about what you are NOT doing? If you are NOT eating enough fruits and veggies, and NOT doing your "happy" workouts maybe you need to start and new program :)

Keep It Simple. Health, Beauty, & Fitness.

On a daily basis we are bombarded by things, products, constant advertising, someone always telling you to buy more, do more, look better, younger, and thinner. No one ever says, do nothing, relax, buy less, and feel better :) Why? My guess is that as we simplify our lives we start educating ourselves and we stop supporting companies who's practices are unethical and who's products don't live up to the hype.

About 3 years ago I gave up skin care products. I use to look for anything that would promise me beautiful, acne free, wrinkle free, glowing skin. Drug stores offer so many products, I bet I had tried 80%, NONE lived up to the promises, most dried out my skin, or made it even more sensitive. I had been working at a local spa and had access to professional skin care products. So I bought them, not impressed either. These were expensive (even with my discount) and to get the "promised results" I would need a "system" of products to follow each day...wash with this, tone with this, moisturize with this. Really??? When did our skin become so complicated??? There had to be a simple way.

I had been using coconut oil in my kitchen for a few years, and after a little reading online, I decided to go for it! This became my moisturizer! At first I felt a little awkward going to my kitchen for my new beauty regimen, but after a little while it just felt right. Face wash??? I know, we need to wash our skin, with a product made in a lab, by people wearing gloves and masks? I don't think so. I began using a warm wash cloth to remove make-up and dirt, and sometimes Witch Hazel (on a cotton ball) just to freshen up during the day.  I then apply a thin layer of coconut oil, wait a few minutes and then do my makeup (which is kept very minimal). I found in the winter months I needed an oil which wasn't so "dry", so I did some research and discovered Grape Seed Oil was recommended by bunch of natural health forums for skin use! So I went to my kitchen and grabbed my oil (which I had been using to cook with) and put some on my face! I love it! I have been using it all winter and it works great!

I realized that nature got it right and science is messing with us! I understand science is important, but I don't want to be a science experiment! There are so many ways to keep your skin looking and feeling great with products made from natural resources and minimally processed! Try it, why not :)

Next on my keep it simple list- Food!! I have to say, if you keep your food simple, you will NOT have to struggle with cravings, upset stomachs, mood swings, or restrict calories. Just last week I was eating my 4th banana at work and someone said "are you really going to eat 4 bananas today"? I answered, "no, I am going to eat 6".  She thought the idea of eating so many bananas was crazy, even unhealthy. I wanted to ask so badly, "would you prefer I eat a sandwich, a protein bar, or some sort of packaged snack promising weight-loss, or digestive health"? No thanks! I really think there is something wrong in this world when eating food provided by nature, in the MOST natural state is weird, crazy, and unhealthy...and processed food with an easy to read nutriton labels is the better option! Nature got it RIGHT so don't fear food which is created for human consumption without any tampering in a lab! Again...no thank you! Keep it simple! Bananas, apples, melons, grapes, carrots, cucumbers, etc. make great snack or meal options! EAT UP!!

Fitness, it is SO IMPORTANT!!! It is part of being a human! We are designed to move. The body and mind respond to movement, endorphins (happy hormones) get released, mind gets clear, stress relieved, we feel good. Ever sat around too long and when you get up you feel awful. Instantly want to stretch, your back hurts, neck is stiff, and you're tired? Exactly...those are the negative side effects of NOT MOVING. You don't need to buy a bunch of work out DVDs or learn some insane workout to be fit. There are simple moves you can do and see amazing results...fitness doesn't have to be complicated or boring. If you need some assistance make an appointment with a trainer and have an "at home" workout designed for you! A personal trainer will show you the correct form, fun exercises, and make a program for you to follow on your own and at home! Another good place to start is walking, running, or dancing!! Once you start moving, you will crave it. A simple thing like dancing can really get you in awesome shape...and its FUN! Don't over-think it...just move!

Simplifying your life can open your eyes to a new world. It can bring good health and a sense of calm! Get rid of things that are complicated, and embrace the simple life.