Eat Well for Life!

I love to eat! I am a foodie and this will never change. But I also like to be healthy, feel strong, and look my best. So I work out regularly, try to eat relatively clean, and do a lot of recipe renovations. I take foods that I love – like buffalo wings! – and tweak the recipe so that I can guiltlessly eat while still being healthy…and NOT sacrificing taste!

And I love to workout (well sometimes I hate it!). I like to run, and more importantly, I LOVE to hit the weights. I feel strong, empowered, and confident. I feel unstoppable. There is something so cool about being the only woman on that side of the gym! But more and more of us are doing it now. Strength-training is critical for females, especially as we hit our 30s.

And the two are symbiotic. I eat healthy to fuel my workouts and after busting my a$$ in the gym for an hour, I don’t want to wreck it with a single meal that costs more calories then I just burned!

And I’m not perfect. I have to push myself and I have my ups and downs. In 2004-2005, I had a lot of free time and was able to spend tons and tons of time in the gym – and it showed! But life changes. I was in grad school, then switched jobs a few times, now working full time and in grad school. Making time for the gym and avoiding overindulgence is not easy but if I want it bad enough, I do it. I’m not quite as cut as I was back in ‘04/’05 but I’m on my way. I’m watching the muscles tear every day (this is a good thing!).

So come along with me on this ride. We’ll do it together – let’s Eat Well for Life!

A few general tips…

A few easy tricks to shave tons of empty calories out of your day – and your life!

When it calls for oil, ALWAYS use olive oil.  But keep in mind, just because olive oil is “good” fat, it’s still fat.  Use a light hand. Much of my recipe renovations entail scaling the amount of fat way down.

Eat popcorn!  Buy organic kernals and pop them yourself in a big stock pot with a tablespoon of olive oil.

Spice it up! Spices, create a heightened thermogenic effect which help you to metabolize your food better and faster.

Eat fresh!  Fresh ingredients all the time – fresh veggies, tons of fresh garlic, fresh fruit, and tons of fresh herbs!

Don’t fry it ever!  Grill, broil, bake, or a light sautee, but don’t fry.

Track your calories.  I know this sounds so arduous and absurd.  You read this and think, “no way am I doing that!”. Honestly, it’s not that bad.  Once you get started, you get into a routine and it’s just part of your day.  Calculate about how many calories you should take in per day.  I use the following simple equation:  weight (lbs) x 13 gives you the amount of calories you would use to maintain your current weight.  For weightloss, subtract 500.  

So the weightloss equation is: (weight in lbs x 13) – 500= calories to consume per day.  

I use FITDAY.COM to stay within my range and I try to maintain a ratio of about 40% protein, 30% fat, and 30% carbs.  Fitday automatically creates a great little pie chart calculating these percentages for you.  After a while, you begin to intuitively know how to stay in your range and then you can stop tracking.  When I’ve gotten off track (like after a vacation), I’ll use fitday again for a while to bounce back.

Cheat meals are a must.  One cheat meal a week allows me to indulge in some seriously naughty foods.  If I never, ever allowed myself that warmed brownie with vanilla ice cream, I would go crazy!

No matter what the dish is – think of how you can tweak it and make it healthier so you can still enjoy.  If it’s a dish that involves fried cheese, battered and dipped in more cheese.  Well then…save it for a cheat meal (but don’t eat that every week unless you have a death wish!).

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