In order to be successful at a healthy lifestyle and especially healthy eating, you need to be prepared.
There is nothing worse than getting home to your family after work and to have nothing for them to eat. This is when take out or boxed foods happens.
So, that being said, you need a day to get organized and to cook for the entire family for the whole week, or at least a few days in advance.
Pick a day of the week where you can spend at least a few hours cooking.
Make sure that you go grocery shopping the day before and be mindful of the fact that you need to buy all fresh ingredients!
Pick recipes that you like and that you know your family will like as well and get cooking!!!
Make sure to:
-Set aside one day every week when you cook -Set aside 2 to 3 hours to cook -Portion all the meals that you want to take to go for lunch in small containers -Place the rest in refrigerator friendly Tupperwares and VOILA you are ready for the week ahead!
This way you will never: -Have nothing to eat which is the number one excuse for ordering take out -Have to worry about what you are eating, you cooked it! -Spend time after work cooking for the family, just reheat and serve!
Good morning and happy Monday! Today is a happy day, today is the day you decide to change your life and get healthy.
Please remember that you are not going to go on a diet but you are changing from "unhealthy lifestyle" to "healthy lifestyle".
Also remember that in not case I am here to replace a nutritionist or give professional advice like registered dietitians would do , I am only here to guide you to make better choices! I do strongly recommend that you consult with a physician and/or a dietitian before starting your journey:) That being said :
Do not tell yourself that you are on a diet, because "being on a diet" means restriction, hunger, frustration and a whole bunch of unhappy feelings...
Always remember that your mind controls everything! It controls you, your thoughts, your body, your emotions...You want your mind to be your friend and help you through this. So tell yourself that you want to be happier, healthier and that YOU DON'T WANT TO DIE OF A HEART ATTACK NEXT WEEK! Set yourself up for success from within first, believe in yourself, believe that you can do this and that you ARE SOOOOO FREAKING WORTH IT!!!!!!
so where to start???? Well first you need to get rid of all the bad stuff in your closet and fridge...What do I mean by bad stuff????
These are just a few examples of bad stuff...come on you know what's NOT good for you so DO IT , THROW IT AWAY...not in your husband's or kid's mouths either!
Well done, I'm super proud of you!! It will all be ok I promise...So now what to eat???????
Well let's start by basic stuff that you should eat on a daily basis according to official dietary guidelines based on a 2000 calorie per day intake:
9 total servings of fruits (2 cups) and vegetable (2.5 cups) each day for vitamin, mineral and more intake 3 or more servings of WHOLE GRAINS for fiber intake 3 or more cups of LOW FAT MILK (or equivalent) products for calcium intake
Please see below:
Also as part of a loosing weight and getting healthier, you need TO START MOVING... Get off the couch and move! Engage in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most days of the week.
We are just starting here so we will talk about physical activity in later posts.
Let's focus on what to eat and what not to eat following the easy guidelines : LET'S MAKE IT EASY...
Replace white bread by whole grain bread, less calories, more whole grains, better for you!
Replace french fries, mashed potatoes and gravy and unhealthy sides by vegetables, the more colors, the better:
Replace your after lunch or dinner ice cream or cookies by fruits, less calories (duh) and so much better for you (yeah I know you know...GIVE IT UP...NOW)
Replace whole milk, chocolate milks and cafe lattes by 2%milk, low fat cheese and Greek yogurt low or no fat:
Replace beef burgers, pork and beans and white pasta by lean meats (turkey and chicken without skin), green beans and soy beans.
So we are off to a good start don't you think??? Start making healthier choices right away, it will pay off rapidly...Remember when you go shopping, stay on the outside aisles of the stores where all the fresh stuff is, you want to buy smaller portions of fresh ingredients. DO NOT BUT ANYTHING THAT HAS INGREDIENTS THAT YOU CANNOT PRONOUNCE, PERIOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HAPPY HEALTHY EATING....STAY TUNED! and get moving NOW! Go for a walk!
Stay tuned and if you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me:
Ok so you let's call a cat a cat like French people say...you are overweight and unhealthy right? Set yourself apart now and take control of your life, because let's be real, nobody will do it for you!!
So, are you ready??? This is not going to be easy but it can be done and trust me you are worth the efforts and energy.
In order to know where you stand, you need to:
start today!
get naked and weigh yourself
take pictures so you will never forget when you come from
calculate your bmi (body mass index)
calculate the calories you burn per day in you daily life
Set weight loss goals
So you weighted yourself right?? are you shocked? How did it make you feel? Awful I bet...
Use these feelings to help you through your journey, always remember that first step, that first time you faced your problems and use it everyday when you are struggling or just enjoying it!
So you know how much you weigh, you have gotten naked and took some picture. Let's calculate you BMI aka Body mass index by using this formula :
so now check this out
You never thought that did you?? Well now you know and the more you know, the better you understand the process. Now let's figure out your daily energy needs by utilizing a super easy (not) formula calles Mifflin st jeor equation aka Resting metabolic rate
I know it seem complicated but it is NECESSARY...so do it! It is in kgs and cms so make sure to convert before you calculate...
1kg = 2.2 lbs 1inch = 2.54 cm
Ok so you have that number??? Now last step, multiply this number by the appropriate activity factor for you:
Sedentary (little to no exercise) 1.200 Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1 to 3 days a week) 1..375 Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 6 to 7 days a week) 1.500 Very active (hard exercise/sports 6 to 7 days a week) 1.725 Extra active (very hard exercise/sports and a physical job) 1.900
That will give you the number of calories you need in one day to maintain your body's functions.
After determining your calories intake for weight maintenance, you have to create a sufficient energy deficit to reach you goals.
In our next blog post we will talk about Dietary and lifestyle approach to weight loss. 1 pound = 3500 calories Cut 500 calories per day and you will lose 1 pound in one week which is best for long term weight loss.
GOOD LUCK ON YOUR JOURNEY..
HAVE A FANTASTIC DAY Visit mypyramid.gov to start educating yourself on nutrition plans. Zumba hugs
Before we begin sharing stories and stuff, you need to know about my journey. I am a French native living the American dream since August 2000...wow that long?? I'm getting old! Anyway, I came to Florida to live the dream and I am...it took a while to figure out what the dream was but once I knew...well I knew! I worked in restaurants for 13 years climbing my way to Senior assistant manager at one point. I always knew it was not the right dream but I also did not know what else I would be good at.
I smoked, I partied, I ate what I wanted and I worked, worked, worked and worked some more... I decided for my 30th birthday that it would be a good idea to quit smoking ( my mom was happy) so I did and guess what happened???? I WENT FROM A SIZE 4 TO A SIZE 12. kind like blowing up a balloon in slow motion..about 6 months. I did not change anything in my life except saying good bye to my good friend.
Well, I started smoking again 2 years later during a trip to France (damn French people..) and guess what else????? Well I DID NOT GO BACK TO A SIZE 4!! Why??? Life is not fair! Anyway life went on until one day I looked at my underarm ready to fly fat wing. I was mortified...I looked like my mom...Don't give me wrong I love my mom but she is 30 years older than me!!!!!!!! So that very day, i decided I had to change. Yep, change...what a difficult notion that is especially when you are a Taurus :)
I remembered a coworker telling me that she had lost over 30 lbs doing zumba. Zumwhat???????
I had no idea what the hell that was but I looked online www.zumba.com and found a class so I went. My first instructor was fun and I really enjoyed the class until it the next morning where I could not get out of bed!!!!!! But somehow I managed to survive the nest couple of days and I even went back. I was hooked, I absolutely loved the music, the people, the energy and everything that zumba has to offer. The rest is history...I have lost 50 lbs since the day I started and I am stronger and stronger everyday. I changed my eating habits (YES YOU HAVE TO IN ORDER TO LOSE WEIGHT) and my lifestyle to focus on me, myself and I (and my wife when I had time). I learned about nutrition, healthy foods, fitness and good living in general. I was sooooo inspired by the whole process, my instructors and my zumba family ad friends that I became an instructor in February 2013 and I started studying for the ACE (American council on exercise) group fitness instructor test that I passed in December 2013. I teach 15 zumba classes a week and I am working on new classes coming very soon!
You have heard it before but "if I can do it, so can you" so let's do this. TALK SOON zumba hugs