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It’s that time of year again that we all absolutely LOVE but maybe get a little anxious for because we know all of our favorite foods will be at our fingertips in the office, at parties and around the family table for the holidays. It sounds daunting, but really, there is no need to fret! I am a firm believer that food should be enjoyed and not stressed over. REALLY! We all have way too many things in life to stress over, and food should definitely NOT be one of them. I’m sure you are wondering how it’s possible to not stress and not sabotage your health and fitness goals all while enjoying more than a dry piece of turkey and corn kernels on your plate for the holidays- ha! Well, I have really good news for you – it’s 100% possible to enjoy some or all of your favorite foods this holiday season while keeping your goals in check.

Sounds too good to be true, right?! Or maybe like an ad for a diet pill, haha! Nope, neither one- not a pill to curb your appetite, or “speed up your metabolism” or God-forbid doing hours of cardio the days leading up to the holiday… it is a simple trick that I use with my clients and myself. They, nor I, hardly notice the change; however, you bet we notice the extra food and beverage enjoyment that comes with this trick! Are you ready to hear what it is?… Drumroll please….

The trick is a small daily calorie decrease leading up to the feast. That’s it! The way it works is by decreasing 50-75 calories daily for the 7 days leading up to the special feast day. Then, on that special day, you reap the rewards of the calories you “saved”! Mind blowing, right?! Nah, just a little bit of mental trickery and simple math, really. Here’s the breakdown: 50 less calories for 7 days = an extra 300 calories to spend (50 x 7 =300). It does add up to a pretty significant amount! Just think- it’s a decent slice of pumpkin pie (1/8th of the pie), or TWO 6 oz glasses of wine, or a 1/2 cup serving of that marshmallow goodness called sweet potato casserole, or your mama’s homemade creamy mashed potatoes…my stomach is rumbling just thinking of it all! Choose one, or if you’re like me, you can serve yourself a golf ball size portion of several things. Totally up to you!

If you feel like you can sustain a larger deficit the week leading up to that special day, then go for it. Just be sure to choose an amount that you can realistically adhere to for the week. I recommend trying not to exceed a daily decrease of 75 calories for a person consuming 1400 calories or less. If you have more daily calories to work with you can probably manage a bigger deficit, probably around 100-125 calories. Completely up to you- just be real with yourself!

The best part about this trick, is that it is flexible! If the week leading up to the holiday gets away with you, and maybe you remember only 3 days instead of 7 days before to decrease your calories, but you still want to have a little extra for the feast, you still can -not a problem! (Remember, I told you not to stress about food? ;)) The only thing that will change is that you will decrease your calories for the 3 days leading up to the holiday and then 4 days after the holiday, also. It yields the exact same results! One thing I would caution you about doing it this way, is that it is a bit harder to adhere to and be disciplined about AFTER the holiday. Simply because you already reaped the “saved” benefit. Don’t let that hold you back though. Remember, you can do anything you set your mind to!

Lastly, if you are not a calorie counter, this trick can still work for you, too. Instead of focusing on numbers, just cut a starch/carb portion in half that you normally eat for a meal or snack during the day for 7 days. Examples: 1/2 the amount of rice or pasta you normally eat with dinner, half the amount of pretzels/chips, or dessert, or skip the glass of wine a couple nights of the week leading up to the holiday… and there ya go, 300 extra calories you saved up to enjoy on Turkey day or any extra special day!

See, there isn’t any magic here, folks… just little tricks and tweaks! You might feel a tad hungry decreasing your calories, but shouldn’t feel much. This method is not drastic and very realistic, which is why it works! Try it and let me know what you think. Cheers to warm and cozy holidays filled with all of your favorite foods! XO

So you have heard time and time again – don’t eat after 7pm, or eating late at night will make you gain weight.  Is this really true?  Let’s briefly break it down.

Weight gain and weight loss is based on a simple equation of calories in and calories out.  Plain and simple.

• Calories in < Calories out = weight loss (500 calories less per day x 7 days = 1 lb loss per week)
• Calories in > Calories out = weight gain (500 more calories per day x 7 days = 1 lb gain per week)
• Calories in = Calories out = weight maintenance

So based on the facts above, it doesn’t matter what TIME of day you eat, the TOTAL amount of calories consumed in a 24 hour period is what matters.  Therefore, if you’ve had a crazy day and come up 400 calories short by the end of the night and decide to eat a 400 calorie bowl of ice cream (~1 cup full fat ice cream) you will NOT gain weight.  Now, I’m not saying this is a great daily plan, particularly if you are on “economy” calories/macros, meaning you are leaning out and have a smaller daily calorie and macro intake to work with.  You will end up very hangry by mid-afternoon and may say or do some things that make you look a little nuts.  However, it is ALWAYS a good idea to save approximately 100-200 calories (depending on your calorie needs) each evening for a bedtime snack.  And when I say “bedtime snack”, I mean for this snack to be consumed 45 min.- 2 hours before you go to bed.  Any closer to bedtime and you might experience a little acid reflux (AKA: heartburn).  So, if a 400 calorie bowl of ice cream isn’t the best bedtime snack, then what is?  Here are 3 things to look for in a bedtime snack.

1. It is a dairy food.  This is the most important thing to look for in a bedtime snack because dairy foods contain this magical long-lasting protein called casein.  This protein is digested more slowly and releases into the blood stream more slowly which may be better for protein synthesis or building muscle.  Therefore, a snack with casein protein may help maintain that muscle you bust your buns for during the long period of fasting that happens between your last meal/snack of the day and breakfast.  Casein is also magical because it digests more slowly than whey protein causing you to feel full for a longer period of time.  This “full” feeling may help decrease cravings to binge eat late at night, also.
2. It contains 15-30g protein.  Ideally you want 30g of protein to stimulate protein synthesis (building muscle).  If you have a hard and ambitious physique or performance goal, then this is the amount of protein you should try to consume before bed.  However, if your goals are more flexible, or you just need a snack to sustain blood sugars throughout the night, then 15g or more of protein will work.  This should satiate and stabilize your body enough until morning.
3. It should be lower in fat.  Fat takes a long time to digest.  Therefore, combining a slower digesting protein and a very slow digesting macronutritient, you may give yourself an upset stomach and a restless night’s sleep.  That’s a lot of stuff sitting in your gut for a long period of time..blah!  Even though some people do just fine with higher-fat bedtime snacks, I would try to keep the snack under 10g of fat, especially just starting out.

Now that we have all the facts.  What are some practical and yummy bedtime snacks?  Well, here is a list of some of my favorites:

• 8 oz. Fairlife Reduced-fat chocolate milk + 2 Tbs. PB Fit (powdered peanut butter) mixed in
  • 190 calories, 17g carbs, 6g fat, 19g protein
• 5 oz cup low-fat flavored Greek yogurt (I like Dannon Light and Fit or Chobani less sugar Greek yogurt)
  • 80-120 calories, 9-12g carbs, 0-2g fat, 12-15g protein
• 5 oz cup low-fat flavored greek yogurt + 2 Tbs PB Fit mixed in
  • 130-170 calories, 14-17g carbs, 1-3g fat, 18g protein
• 5 oz cup Light flavored Greek yogurt  + 1/2 serving protein powder mixed in
  • 150-190 calories, 11-15g carbs, 2-5g fat, 22-27g protein
• 1/2 cup cottage cheese + 1/3 cup berries mixed in
  • 150 calories, 10g carbs, 5g fat, 14g protein
• 8 oz. Fairlife (reduced fat or fat-free) plain or chocolate milk
  • 80-140 calories, 6-12g carbs, 0-5g fat, 13g protein

So there you have it, eating before bed isn’t so bad after all, in fact, it can be one of the best things you can do for your body!  I know from personal experience, when I am consistent with having a bedtime snack, I sleep better and my workouts feel so much better the next day!  Until next time, sweet dreams XOXO

So you went a little ham today? Maybe it was your birthday. Or you had a friend in town and wanted to wine and dine them at your favorite restaurant. Sure, you probably had good intentions to only eat half of your dinner or only have 1 glass of wine and a few small tastes of that dessert. But you got carried away in good conversation, laughing and enjoying the moment. At some point you decided to just throw your plan and will power out the window. And that is ok. It really is. It doesn’t mean you have failed. It doesn’t mean you have derailed all of your progress and hard work you have put in at the gym all week. One day of going over your calorie budget is not going to make a huge difference. If it becomes a habit and one day turns into two, two turns into a week, then we have a problem. So make a conscious decision to not let your splurge get the best of you! Take the good and fun memories you made and check the negative feelings of guilt and shame at the door when you get home. The best thing you can do is not beat yourself up and dwell on it. Instead, come up with a game plan to pick yourself up, and get right back on track the very next day. Here are a some tips to help launch you into your fresh start the very next day.

1. BE REALISTIC – I wouldn’t recommend weighing yourself the next day because that scale will most likely bump up at least a couple of pounds. I like to call this a “false” weight. The extra pounds are water weight. Restaurant food and any fast food is high in sodium which is going to make you retain water. So if you are the type of person that uses that weight bump as a reality check, then fine, but be realistic and know that you did not actually gain 2+ pounds over night. I’m pretty sure you did not eat 7000 extra calories at dinner the night before…well maybe you did – that’s for a whole other blog post. ha! Anyways, also be aware that you might feel swollen and bloated the next day from the water retention and slower digestion. Especially, if you ate a higher fat meal. Use this “gross” feeling as motivation to get back on track, and not make you give up on yourself.
2. PUT THOSE CALORIES TO GOOD USE – The best way to start the day after a splurge is to get a good workout in. Try to use up those glycogen stores now in your muscles from all of those carbs in that dinner and/or dessert and go beast mode on those weights! Or get a good sweaty cardio session in to release that extra water you are holding.
3. INCREASE YOUR WATER BY 1 LITER – With all of this talk about water retention from the salty food and getting a good sweat in, don’t forget to also increase your water. This will help your body rid all of that sodium instead of holding on to it. Don’t get discouraged if you still feel swollen the day after getting back on track. A lot of times it can take 2-3 days of increasing your water to flush out all of that sodium and get back to feeling “normal”.
4. FOCUS ON PROTEIN – Increasing your protein and decreasing your carbs and fat a bit will help make you feel more satiated throughout the day. This, in turn, will give you more will power to fight any cravings and desires to binge and fall back into the day you had before. I usually like to try to swap 20-40g of carbs for 20-40g protein. Everyone’s numbers are different depending on their calorie and macro goals so there is not one set number that works for everyone.
5. STAY FOCUSED – Remember the first day or two back on track is the most difficult. You are back to working out and sticking to your calorie and macro goals, but the scale is not budging and you still don’t feel great. I know it is discouraging, but keep in mind, there is always some lag time. Just keep doing what you’re doing and success will follow. Just like one bad day can turn into two etc. etc. One good day also breeds many more good days, especially once you start to feel better and look better. You just have to get over that hump!

So you are going on vacation and want to let your hair down a bit…in a nutrition and fitness kind of way.  You want to enjoy some of those meals and snacks you don’t have access to on a regular basis (insert Brownie Sundae at Ghirardelli).  I say go for it!  I’m all about enjoying the good things in life like gourmet food, wine and desserts.  However, I also know the feeling of being on track prior to vacation and actually feeling really good and not wanting to sabotage all of the hard work you put in at the gym and staying on track with your diet goals.  Well, here are a few tried and true tips to help you not feel gypped but also not sabotage your new toned physique!

1. TO TRACK OR NOT TO TRACK

I say, “you do you boo boo”!  Everyone is different, but I know for me, I tend to eat less when I don’t track on vacation.  I like to go off of my satiety.  I eat when I’m hungry, and I stop when I am full.  I use it as a mental and physical break from tracking.  I also tend to make more mindful choices when eating out, mostly because I have a sweet tooth and ALWAYS plan on having dessert… and I mean a dessert that is not on the lighter side.

Now on the flip side, there are people like my husband that do much better tracking while on vacation. It helps give him an idea of how calorie dense certain menu items are and gives him more of a plan of how much to eat rather than going off of satiety.  If you are a person that has a hard time leaving food on the plate or are a fast eater, it may be wise to continue tracking while on vacation.

2.   WHAT IS WORTH SAVING FOR?

Decide what you really want to spend your calories on.   Are you a “breakfast person” in which fluffy pancakes and thick cut bacon is your thing?  Or does a big juicy burger with fries call your name come lunch and dinner?  Hey, maybe you are just into touring the breweries and/or wineries and would rather skimp on the food to enjoy a few extra adult beverages? Better yet, maybe you are my kindred spirit and can’t make sense of why “real” food even exists so would rather opt for that salad with grilled chicken and dressing on the side so you can have that warm fudge brownie topped with hot fudge and melting ice cream?  Am I making you hungry yet?! The point is, it is all about trade offs.  You just can’t have it all, if you don’t want to sabotage your waistline.  Plain and simple.  Each one of the meals/snacks/beverages I mentioned are easily 1000 calories or more.  So you have to do some soul searching and ask yourself, what do I REALLY want- what is worth saving my calories for?  Once you have that down, then you know to choose the egg beaters and turkey sausage, and skip the muffin at the hotel breakfast bar, or choose the lean protein (grilled chicken, fish, sirloin steak) and veggies instead of a heavy sandwich and fries for lunch and/or dinner, or have an extra glass of wine at dinner instead of that dessert.  The choice is all yours!

3.  A LITTLE BIT OF THIS AND THAT

The other option is to just cut all of your portions in half.  If you are vacationing with a friend or spouse, try taking turns choosing and sharing your favorite indulgent entrees rather than getting your own for all meals and even dessert.  This way you get a taste of everything your little heart desires but not in huge quantities that are going derail your progress.  This is also great because you only have access to a certain amount of food.  You don’t have to solely rely on your own willpower to leave food on the plate.  Especially, when you have been waiting over an hour for a table and feel like you are starving – a time when will power goes out the window!

4.   DON’T FORGET THOSE STAPLES

Bringing food staples on trips can be very helpful and allow you to not have to eat out for every meal.  Staples allow you to save up for those calorie dense things you want the most!  I like to pack non-perishable things such as protein bars, beef jerky, Tuna creations packets, and fresh fruit.  All of these things can serve as a mini healthy lunch on the go.  Try to pack things that have at least 10g protein each so that they will stick with you and keep you fueled and satisfied.

5.  SKIP THE GYM BUT STAY ACTIVE

Vacation is a great time for “active rest”.  Active rest is time off from your regular workout routine, but a time to be active doing things you enjoy.  Our bodies need time off from our usual routines to rest and repair.  It is not only good for our physical health, but our mental health as well!  Rather than hitting up the hotel gym, try walking anywhere and everywhere you can on your vacation.  Walk to dinner, try a biking or walking tour rather than a bus tour.  Find a hiking path/walking path to get some fresh air and explore nature where you are at!  There are also so many vacations that in and of themselves are super active – skiing/snowboarding, surfing, swimming, camping and hiking etc.  Heck, even Disney vacations can be super active – the amount of walking you do in one day at the park can definitely be counted as an active vacation!

These are just a few tips and tricks that I use and my clients have used to help survive vacation while still recharging and enjoying!  The world is your oyster and it is up to you to decide what you are willing to skimp on and what you really want to enjoy.  However, if you do happen to indulge a little more than planned (as we all do sometimes), the most important thing you can do is to get back on track as soon as you get home.  Don’t let it be a snowball effect!  Get back on it and remind yourself how good you felt when you were in a good routine.  Cheers and happy vacationing!