5 WAYS YOU MAY BE SABOTAGING YOUR RESULTS

It can be frustrating if you feel like you are working hard but still not seeing the results you desire. Human metabolism is complicated and it is not always as simple as the common advice to eat less and move more. Here are five common, easy-to-miss ways you may be sabotaging your fat loss results. 

5 ways you may be sabotaging your results. save to Pinterest for later.

Not getting enough quality sleep

It's sometimes seen as a badge of honor to function well on a little sleep, but sleep is an often overlooked factor for fat loss. Most of our body's recovery processes happen during sleep. Sleep plays a role in stress levels, recovery and regulation of hormones. Aim for 7-8 hours of high quality sleep each night for best results. If you are currently getting considerably less, start by adding 30 minutes to an hour each night. Create and follow a sleep ritual to help develop the habit of a good night's sleep. People are often looking for the supplement or diet that will help them reach their goal while completely overlooking the basics, like sleep, that can have a much bigger impact. 

Not managing stress

High stress can cause you to hold on unwanted weight, can inhibit recovery from workouts, can cause you feel hungrier and potentially overeat. Everything is connected. During high stress times make an effort to spend at least 15-30 minutes a day in stress-relieving activities. Read a book, take a bubble bath, meditate, pray, walk, stretch, foam roll, get a massage, listen to music or anything other healthy activity that puts you in a relaxed state. 

Not eating enough

You may be tempted to severely limit your calories in order to get faster results, but the body doesn't usually respond well to drastic changes. You don't turn up the temperature in the oven to cook your turkey faster and your body doesn't work that way either. If you eat too little for long periods your metabolism may slow down to compensate. With limited food intake you may not be getting the necessary vitamins and minerals, which can cause you to feel tired and foggy-brained. Lastly, if you are severely limiting your calorie intake, you're more likely to overindulge later which will eventually sabotage your efforts.

A better strategy is to eat about 500 calories under maintenance level for a moderate calorie deficit. 

Eating "Diet" foods

Food marketing is tricky. Foods are often marketed with misleading labels to make people think they are making a healthier choice. Labels like fat-free, sugar-free, gluten-free, fresh, natural and organic are often slapped on unhealthy, high calorie, processed foods. If you don't pay attention to the nutrition label and read the ingredient list you may be eating foods that aren't healthy at all. Flavored yogurt cups are one of the worst offenders of a junk food disguised as a health food. They are usually loaded with processed ingredients and can have as much sugar as a cup of ice cream. Read the labels and ignore the marketing to make sure you are eating mostly whole foods from nature for best results. 

Focusing on weight loss and not fat loss

It can be detrimental to get too attached to the number on the scale. The scale only tells a part of the story: your body weight. However if you are trying to lose weight, you should focus on losing fat, not weight. When the number goes down on the scale it could mean you lost fat (good outcome), it could mean you lost water (neutral outcome, neither good or bad) or it could mean you lost muscle (bad outcome). A lower number on the scale is not always a good result. In order to maintain muscle as we lose weight we need to consume adequate amounts of protein and perform some sort of resistance training on a regular basis. Losing muscle can hurt your ability to keep the weight off, which can sabotage your long term results. Focus on non-scale victories like body measurements, sleep quality, performance and how your clothes fit. When we are training properly, we sometimes shrink in size while maintaining the same scale weight. 

Losing weight usually requires a lifestyle changes. Take it slow, be patient and learn to enjoy the journey. Focus on developing the healthy habits that will help you reach your goals. Here are 10 daily healthy habits that can change your life. Need help? My nutrition habits coaching program has three openings. See if you are a good fit. 

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What's the Best Diet? 5 Qualities of a Healthy Diet

When I tell people that I am a nutrition habits coach they often ask, what's the best diet? They must assume that I hold all the dieting secrets, and have the inside scoop of the top secret magic diet that will melt all their fat and therefore, all their problems away. Not so fast.

Let's first talk about the word diet. It has a negative connotation. It is becoming a dirty word in the industry. When I mention striving to eat a healthy diet someone inevitability says, "It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle." I agree, the farther we can get away from food rules, the better off most of us will be. 

Your diet is what you eat. You may consume a diet of mostly Cheetos and fast food. While that certainly is not a weight loss diet, it's still a diet. People who have Celiac disease may be on a Gluten-free diet under their doctor's supervision. A weightlifter may be on a high protein diet and an endurance athlete may be on a high carbohydrate diet. Someone who is passionate about animal rights may be on a Vegan diet. Everyone is different and has different dietary needs based on personal preferences, goals and their own body.

There are a lot of weight loss diets circling around. There's the Ketogenic diet, The Atkins diet, the Mediterranean diet. There's Paleo and the Daniel Diet. You may remember once popular diets like Zone diet or the South Beach diet, and while not technically diets per se, concepts like intermittent fasting and Whole 30 have gained popularity. They all follow different protocols but they all promise weight loss results. How can that be? 

How do you know which is the best diet? What is actually healthy for your body? Which diet will cause you to lose those extra pounds once and for all? If you've tried everything from Weight Watchers to the Slim Fast diet of the 90s, you may be a little fed up with the whole process of dieting. The only way to tell what is the best diet for you is to try it, and if you tried them all (like I have) you probably have discovered that diets that severely restrict calories, food groups or entire macronutrients are hard to adhere to, and a diet you don't stick with will never work. 

The truth is almost any diet will be effective if you can stick to it over the long term. It depends on your lifestyle, your preferences and you own body. Some people thrive on a low carb diet, some people turn into a scarier version of the wicked witch of the west (raises hand!). There is no one best diet for everyone, but there may be a best diet for you. 

What's the best diet? 5 qualities of a healthy diet. save to pinterest for later.

THE BEST DIET HAS THE FOLLOWING QUALITIES

1. It's sustainable over the long term.

I would advise my nutrition clients not to waste their time with the cabbage soup diet, unless they plan on only eating cabbage soup for the rest of their lives. The problem with short term diets is they provide short term results. Even if you lost the weight on the "magic" cabbage soup diet, you will likely gain it back once you go off the diet. The best diet is one that works with your lifestyle and you can sustain it for life. Don't bother going on and off diets. Experiment to find something you like and that works for you and stick with it. 

2. Makes you look, feel and perform your best

There is nothing inherently wrong with trying a new way of eating to see if it will work for you. In fact, experimenting with nutrition is encouraged, how else can you learn what your body prefers and needs? The most important thing is to keep note of how this new way of eating makes you look, feel and perform. Don't try to force something that is not working for you. If you feel terrible all the time, your hair is falling out and you don't have the energy to exercise, then it may be time to reevaluate your diet and make adjustments accordingly. Just because something is working for your gym buddy, doesn't mean it will work for you. Everyone will react a little differently.

With that being said, I will also advise you to give it time, because dietary changes can cause temporary reactions that will pass once your body adjusts. It's like giving up caffeine. You will probably deal with terrible headaches for a few days, but it's just your body adapting to the change. Give any new diet adequate time and evaluate how it makes you look, feel and perform. Always be willing to adjust when necessary. 

3. Is well-rounded and it is not severely restrictive.

As humans, we naturally want what we can't have. Any diet that severely restricts calories or macronutrients (like fats or carbs) will be harder to stick to over the long haul for most people. A well-rounded diet will ensure that you are getting the macro and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) that your body needs to feel its best. When you severely restrict your intake, the body reacts with strong hunger signals and most people will eventually cave in to the cravings and overindulge in response. Instead of a restrict/hunger/overindulge cycle, most people do best with a more moderate approach to nutrition by eating a wide variety of mostly whole foods from nature, while allowing some room for treats. Everyone is different and should experiment to find the ideal protein, fat and carb balance. 

4. Allows for indulgences and life balance

Your diet does not exist in a bubble. You have a life to live and your nutrition is a part of your life, not a separate entity. Maybe you could quit your job and live on a weight loss ranch for six months to achieve results, but most of us have lives, friends, careers and families. We have parties, business meetings and holiday celebrations. Spending time with other people and enjoying yourself is a big part of a healthy lifestyle and if you lock yourself in your room in fear of being exposed to a glass of wine or a carbohydrate, then that's not healthy either. The best diet gives you some breathing room to enjoy life. 

5. Puts you in a calorie deficit

I saved the most important point for last. You lose weight when you're in a calorie deficit. That means you lose weight when you consume less calories than you burn. No matter what diet you choose to follow, if you are in a calorie deficit, you will likely lose weight. Of course, it is not always all that simple, because our bodies are complicated, but the first place to start is with a calorie deficit.

If you eat a perfectly organic, grass-fed "clean" diet but still consume more calories than you are burning then you can't expect to lose weight.

One of the reasons that people lose weight on low carb diets is that they stop eating bread, pasta and processed carbohydrates, which cuts out a large amount of calories. One of the reasons people lose weight on low fat diets is because fats have higher calories that carbs and protein, so when you restrict fats, you naturally cut calories. There's no magic in any particular diet. If you work to reduce your calories about 500 a day below what you burn, you should see a 1-2 pound of weight loss per week. (but keep in mind that weight loss is rarely linear. It would be rare to lose two pounds weeks every single week over a long period of time. The two pound a week rule is an average over time.)

If you restrict too much it can have negative consequences. Most people with thrive on a moderate cutback of calories to lose weight. If you are reasonably active, you sleep well, work to keep stress levels low and eat in calorie deficit most of the time, you will likely lose weight. Don't underestimate the importance of sleep and stress management when it comes to fat loss. However, if you seem to be doing everything right but still not losing weight, a doctor or Registered Dietitian can help you run tests to see where there might be other issues preventing fat loss. 

WHAT'S THE BEST DIET?

You see, there is no magic shake, drink, pill or food combination that causes weight loss. The most effective diet is one that you will stick to, that makes you look, feel and perform your best, that is well-rounded and allows for indulgences and most importantly, puts you in a calorie deficit. 

As a nutrition habits coach, it is not my job to tell my clients what to eat. I help educate them on reading nutrition labels and making healthier choices. I provide them with accountability for the choices they make and help them learn to listen to their bodies so they can eat in a way the works best for them. I have clients on different types of diets that they chose based on their lifestyle, preferences and interests. I don't discourage experimenting with healthy nutrition and I certainly don't tell my clients what they should or shouldn't do. I help them figure out for themselves what version of healthy living works best for their own body. If something they are trying is not working, I help them figure out the next steps. 

If you are tired of going on and off diets, yo-yoing in weight or feeling frustrated with the conflicting nutrition information out there, my nutrition habits coaching may be a great fit for you. We build solid healthy habits over time for a sustainable approach to fat loss. Interested? Take this survey to see if you would be a good fit. Try the first month at 75% off. 

There is no magic diet, the magic is inside YOU.

Still have questions? I'd love to help. 

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5 Healthy High Protein Smoothie Recipes

Happy Friday, friends! We made it through another week and it's time to relax and recover for the weekend, unless you're anything like me and you have family to attend to, friends to see, chores to get done and a race that's not going to train for itself! Weekends may offer a change from the routine but they often can be busier than the work week!

While weekends may be our chance to unwind a bit, don't let the freedom of the weekend derail all your health and fitness goals. While it is perfectly acceptable (and encouraged) to indulge once in a while to stay sane and happy, I try to keep my diet and exercise plan on track throughout the weekend, despite the craziness. 

One way to start your weekend off on the right foot is with a high protein breakfast. Consuming protein helps us stay feeling full and satisfied longer after we finish our meals. It is also necessary in order to breakdown, build and preserve lean muscle mass. If you are trying to lose weight adequate protein intake is essential. When you lose weight, you want to make sure you are losing fat and not muscle. Preserve muscle while you lose weight by Including resistance training in your workouts and consuming enough protein. Depending on your goals, aim for .5 to .8 grams of protein per pound of body weight. 150 lb person may aim for 75 grams (to preserve lean muscle) to 120 grams (to build muscle) per day. If you are getting considerably less than this now, start on the low end. 

Protein shakes don't have to be boring. I wrote a post over on my other blog and since I know all my readers don't subscribe to both blogs (but please do!) I thought I would share these healthy high-protein recipes for you. These are all personally taste-tested and delicious. 

5 healthy high protein smoothie recipes - save to Pinterest for later!

CLASSIC GREEN SMOOTHIE

Sneak in a serving of spinach, you can't even taste it in this classic green smoothie.

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1 small banana
1/3 cup plain Greek Yogurt
1 handful of fresh spinach
1 cup of milk or almond milk

COCOA MINT SMOOTHIE

Don't let the Girl Scouts have all the fun. Try this healthy high protein twist on the classic Thin Mint.

1 scoop of chocolate protein powder
1 banana
1 tablespoon of cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract
1 cup of milk or almond milk

TROPICAL DELIGHT SMOOTHIE

Close your eyes and imagine a tropical vacation complete with little umbrellas in your pineapple flavored drinks.

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1 handful of fresh spinach
1/3 cup of frozen pineapples
a pinch of coconut
a pinch of sliced almonds
1 cup of milk or almond milk

APPLE PIE SMOOTHIE

While it is almost never appropriate to eat apple pie for breakfast, you can have this healthy, high protein alternative any meal of the day. 

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1 sliced apple
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 cup of milk or almond milk

ORANGE CREAMSICLE SMOOTHIE

Reminisce about the summers of our youth and the beloved ice cream truck while you sip on this delicious orange creamsicle smoothie. 

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1 medium orange, peeled
1/3 cup of plain Greek nonfat yogurt
 cup of milk or almond milk
 

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How to Eat Healthy When You Don't (or Won't) Cook

You want to eat more healthfully, you just have this one limiting factor, you don't cook...or you don't want to cook. Who has the time anyway? It's just so much easier to order takeout, go out to a restaurant, or hit the drive-through. Right? Not so fast. Eating healthfully doesn't have to be complicated or time-consuming.

I get it. Unless you have your own personal chef or are married to one (or a wannabe one, like me), then preparing healthy meals can seem like a huge undertaking. I am not a cook. My husband likes to joke that I could burn cereal. He thinks that since I am part Italian, I should have inherited amazing cooking skills passed down genetically from the generations. Not so much. It's not unusual that I call my more domesticated sister and ask her a random cooking question that leaves her laughing on the floor. "What does it mean when the recipe says to ...."

I'm no cook, but I learned how to get around my handicap years ago. You can eat healthfully, even when you don't know how or want to know how to cook. It doesn't even take a lot of time, just a little planning. If you stick to the basics, you can eat healthfully, even when you don't (or won't) cook. 

I used to have a friend who would go all-out and make these extravagant healthy meals for her family that would take hours to prepare, but when she didn't have the time or energy to prepare those meals, she would resort to ordering pizza because it was easy. It's fine to have an occasional indulgent meal, but there is no need to use time or energy as an excuse to eat unhealthy foods. There are plenty of choices in-between that extravagantly prepared healthy meal and pizza delivery. It's not a choice between eating perfectly or terribly, we have a lot of healthy, easy to prepare choices in the middle. 
 

MEAL PREP

Meal prep is a great way for people who don't have a lot of time to prepare their meals for the week. When you put in the effort upfront, it is easier to make a healthy decision during the week. I know what you are thinking. "Lea, I just told you I don't cook and now you're telling me to meal prep? What part of 'I don't cook' didn't you understand?" Hear me out.

If you make your food upfront you only have to cook once and you're set for the week. Bake your lean protein in bulk. I buy two pounds of chicken at a time and bake it in the oven (at 350 for 30-35 minutes, add dab of butter so they don't dry out) or I ask hubs to cook on the outdoor grill. Freeze the leftovers. You can add cooked chicken to salads, to whole wheat wraps or pair with a side of healthy carbs or vegetables.

Cook your chicken in advance then prepare and serve it different ways to avoid boredom (see below for ideas). 

CROCKPOT MEALS

I don't watch 'This is Us' but even I heard about the Crock-Pot story. Don't throw away your Crock-Pot just yet. Slow cookers are an easy way to meal prep because you add lean meat (healthy. check.) and veggies (healthy. check.) in a pot, turn it on, walk away and it cooks all by itself. A quick Pinterest search will give you tons on recipes (i.e. ingredients to add to the slow cooker). Make more than you need and freeze the leftovers for a quick meal for the future. 

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN

Buy a fully-cooked rotisserie chicken from the grocery store for already prepared protein to add to your meals. No cooking required.

BUFFET/SALAD BARS

My friend at work gave me this idea. She buys her cooked meats from buffets and salad bars from stores like Whole Foods or Central Market. If you don't want to or don't have time to cook it is a quick (albeit, more expensive) way to grab some healthy protein for your meals.

BUY FROZEN FOODS

OK, fine. You really don't want to do anything that even resembles cooking. Frozen foods from the grocery store may be the answer. Make sure you check the ingredient list that there are not a lot of added ingredients and preservatives, but food manufacturers are making frozen food more natural now due to customer demand! Don't trust the packaging marketing though, the words "all-natural" on the front of the package means next-to-nothing. Read the ingredient list on the back of the package and choose products with just a few ingredients that you can recognize. Again, it's not all-or-nothing, a frozen meal is still usually a healthier option than a fast food meal. We are not striving for perfection, just better. 

FROZEN VEGETABLES

Frozen vegetables are picked at their peak ripeness and are just as healthy as fresh. Buy the microwavable steamable veggies for a quick and healthy side dish. Don't be afraid to add seasonings, butter or cheese for flavor. Remember it's not a choice between steamed no-flavored vegetables or no vegetables at all. Eat your veggies. How can you make it work for you? 

FROZEN MEAT

I buy all-natural frozen turkey or chicken patties that can be cooked on a frying pan in 8-15 minutes, no actual cooking skills required. You can also buy the precooked chicken breasts that just need to be defrosted. 

EAT FRESH

The good news is that you don't have to cook in order to eat one of the healthiest meals out there, salads! Chop a variety of colorful veggies and add to spinach leaves for a nutrient-dense meal.

FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES

If you really don't want to cook you can have healthy meals delivered or make meal prep easy by using one of those services that send all the ingredients and the recipe card for an easy to follow dinner with no grocery shopping required, like Hello Fresh or Blue Apron. These may be a little more expensive, but a great choice for people who are just too busy to research and shop for their own meals.

EASY LOW-PREP IDEAS FOR EVERY MEAL

BREAKFAST

Eggs can be cooked on a frying pan in just a few minutes, hard-boiled in 12 minutes, or microwaved (make sure you completely break up the yolk to avoid an egg-plosion before microwaving) in about a minute.

Protein shakes are an easy option when you don't have time to cook. Add protein powder, fruits, and veggies (try spinach!) to a blender for a quick and healthy breakfast on the go, here are some protein shake ideas from my Running with Ollie blog.

Old-fashioned oatmeal can be cooked on the stovetop or in the microwave. Buy the plain old-fashioned oatmeal in the canister and add fruit, berries, and/or cinnamon for natural flavoring. You can prep delicious oatmeal in advance with overnight oats.

LUNCH

Whole wheat wraps with prepared chicken or pouch tuna.

Add chicken to fresh spinach and chopped veggies for a delicious salad. Premake salads for the week in mason jars for a quick healthy lunch on the go.

Use a whole-wheat pita as a pizza crust, add sauce, cheese, chicken, and load up with veggies for a healthier pizza lunch. 

DINNER

Frozen turkey burgers cooked and served on a whole-wheat flat bun is a delicious high-protein healthy meal in about 10 minutes.

Add chicken to brown rice, vegetables, cheese, and salsa for a Mexican-style burrito bowl. You can buy microwavable brown rice for a quick meal. 

Add low-sugar red pasta sauce to chicken for an Italian-style meal. Try a spiralizer to make noodles out of vegetables (no cooking skills required!).

Add chicken to a big bowl of fresh spinach and colorful chopped veggies for a delicious nutrient-dense meal. 

SNACKS

Cottage cheese, plain Greek yogurt (flavored with fresh fruit or berries), nuts, seeds, and fruits all make quick and healthy snacks.

The key thing to remember is that healthy cooking (and healthy living in general) is not all-or-nothing. Do the best you can what is reasonably available to you at the moment. You don't have to eat or cook perfectly to see results. Be mindful of your choices and try to choose 'just a little bit better and you'll do fine overall. The choice is never just between the perfect healthiest choice or the nutritionally worst choice possible, there are a whole lot of options in the middle. Be mindful. Do the best you can and it will always be enough. When you mess up (we all do, we're human after all) pick back up and try again at your next meal. 

Coach Lea

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10 Daily Healthy Habits that will Change Your Life

The truth is that most people know what they should be eating in order to lose weight. Most of us know that if we limit processed foods, avoid excess calories and focus our diets around whole foods from nature that weight loss will follow.

It's not about what you know, it's what you do. Most people know. Most people don't do. 

Why? Because behavior change is hard. Over time the foods we choose, prefer and consume become ingrained habits that are difficult to change. We order pizza on Friday night because that's just what we do. We hit the drive through on the way to work in the morning because we don't have time to cook breakfast. Two glasses of wine with dinner? It's our habit. We choose what is easy, what is convenient and what feels good. It's human nature. 

The key to sustainable weight loss is to change your habits, so that what is easy, convenient and what feels good is the healthy choice. It's not a quick fix. In fact, it is a slow process. It takes time and work, but when you develop new habits you change your brain and body from the inside out for sustainable fat loss. 

The mistake most people make is that they get fed up with feeling sluggish and overweight and they wake up one morning and decide to change their whole life in one day. No more processed foods, no more sugar, no more alcohol and while we're at it, no more carbohydrates. That should do it. Except it rarely works that way. After a few weeks or a few days (or few hours, let's be honest) we get overwhelmed with all the changes, we crave our old favorites or we face a temptation and we go back to what feels easy, what is convenient and what feels good. 

What if instead of severely limiting your calories or cutting out entire macronutrients (like fats or carbohydrates) you worked on changing your daily habits so that you became more mindful of your choices? What if you didn't try to change everything at once for rapid weight loss that isn't sustainable?

It's not sexy. It takes time. It takes work, but would you rather lose 20 pounds in 12 weeks and put it back on (plus more) 12 weeks after that because you lost it too fast and lost muscle too? (Been there, done that. Not fun.) Or would you rather lose 20 pounds over 20 weeks (or 50 pounds over 50 weeks) and have it stay off for life? You win when you play the long game. 

Throw away your scale (it only tells a portion of the story anyway) focus on your daily habits and the results will follow. 

What kind of habits am I talking about? 

10 HEALTHY HABITS THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE

1. The habit of daily movement

2. The habit of eating vegetables with every meal

3. The habit of eating lean protein with every meal and snack

4. The habit of packing your lunch for work or school

5. The habit of weekly meal prep

6. The habit of cooking/eating meals at home

7. The habit of eating slowly

8. The habit of replacing highly processed snacks with healthy snacks

9. The habit of eating until satisfied (then stopping)

10. The habit of sleeping well

Don't try to develop all these habits at once. Start at the top of the list and work your way down. They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit, I just gave you 210 days of habits to work on. Just image the changes that will follow if you master the above habits. It's not easy, but it's worth it.

I created this worksheet to help you track your new habits. The idea is that for week one and two you work on the first habit and check off every day that you complete it. On week three and four you add in a new habit while continuing your week one and two habit. Every two weeks you add in a new habit while continuing to work on existing habits. Will you check off every single day? Probably not. The idea is to bring awareness to the new behaviours you are trying to learn. By the end of 30 weeks you will have worked on establishing 10 new habits that can change your life. 

Do it yourself and watch what happens. Need help? Need accountability? My online nutrition habits program from Precision Nutrition is a year long curriculum that walks you through habit change step by step, day by day. Spend 15-20 minutes a day working on habit change for long term sustainable results. Interested? See if you would be a good fit for the program by filling out this questionnaire. Like what you see? The first month is 75% off to try. No contracts, no long term commitment, except your own commitment to give it your best effort. It's not easy, but it is life changing.  

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COACH LEA