Just a little reminder that when you focus on your health holistically (mind, body, spirit) your weight will take care of itself.
When I began my journey to heal my eczema from the inside out, it was never about losing weight.
But as a result of the new lifestyle I led, I weighed less in my late twenties than I did as a teenager.
Focusing on a number on the scale is a skewed idea of health.
Use the looking glass of how you feel. Clearing your skin. Reducing inflammation. Having more energy. Being in a better mood. NOT having an upset stomach all the time. Giving your body the nutrients it needs to function at its best.
It’s about being the healthiest version of you within every cell of your body.
Food carries information. It tells your body how to feel. Food either fights dis-ease in the body or fuels it - there is no in between.
Eating closest to the source is the easiest way to know you’re eating a healthy diet. You want your food to come from a plant rather than be made in a plant.
It’s not about the low-fat, sugar free or calorie counting.
These are toxic and outdated ways of thinking. Fat doesn’t have to be bad. Sure, an avocado is full of (GOOD) fat, but do you really think fat free, sugar free pudding is a healthier choice?
What about diet soda? “Sugar free” and “no calories,” but is that really the better choice for your body than a nice, big Cobb salad? Or even roasted chicken with quinoa and veggies!
There is no one size fits all diet, but eating plenty of veggies, clean proteins & whole grains will make your body much happier and much less confused than the chemical filled processed foods. That's what keeps it working at its finest and you feeling your best.
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When I became a health coach I became the healthiest I’ve ever been in my life. For me, this also meant weighing less than I did in high school. I always struggled with my weight. In my very first blog post, I talked about how the biggest difference for me was simply that I was eating more vegetables.
When I wanted a snack, instead of going for chips, I’d go for raw green beans. At dinner, I made sure half my plate at dinner was filled with vegetables.
Nowadays if I go a meal without vegetables I truly feel like I’m doing something wrong. My house is filled with produce and a grocery trip isn’t complete without some fruits and veggies.
BUYING the fruits and veggies is the easy part. PREPPING them for eating is the time consuming part, but also the most important part! You’re certainly not going to go into your fridge and choose celery to snack on if it’s unwashed, uncut & still in the plastic it came in from the store.
Pro tip: if time does not allow for you to wash and cut the produce yourself — buy pre-washed, pre-cut produce.
I prefer to wash it myself. I use a fruit and veggie soak that’s infused with essential oils that gets the yuck off. I fill my kitchen sink with water (after I’ve scrubbed it clean with my plant based cleaner), pour a bit of the fruit and veggie soak in, let it sit for at least 5 minutes, then rinse thoroughly.
Not only does this make sure everything is clean, but it actually makes the produce last longer because of the essential oils!
This definitely doesn’t mean I choose this option all the time. Sometimes life is just THAT busy. Don’t be afraid to spend a little extra on the pre-washed, pre-cut fruits and veggies. If you know you’re not going to wash and cut your produce yourself, nip that problem in the bud, spend the extra money and keep yourself from reaching for the unhealthy foods! Every cell in your body will thank you!
Next week! How I store my produce, and my favorites to keep on hand.
If you loved this blog post, there's more where that came from in my free Facebook group here. You'll want to get in there now because that's where I'll be launching a 5 Day Eczema Relief Training very soon!
Want to get a head start? You can also grab my new guide on 5 Steps to Taming an Eczema Flare Up here!
So you want to be healthy. That’s awesome! Good for you. So where do you start?
If you completely change your entire routine (the “cold turkey” route) your chances of success are much lower.
You can’t go from fast food, Cheetos, soda & zero exercise every day to organic tofu, broccoli & an hour workout every day. This isn’t sustainable. It will be a shock to your system and your taste buds.
Let’s also talk about calorie counting for a minute. I’m not a calorie counter. Never have been. Never will be.
Do you actually expect to continue counting calories for the rest of your life? Probably not. So the moment you reach your end goal (whatever that is), chances are you’ll go right back to the way you used to be.
More likely than not, you’ll end up gaining all the weight back and then some from all the deprivation you put yourself through.
I’m a health coach but I eat cheesecake. I’m a health coach but I eat French fries. I’m a health coach but I eat donuts.
Do I do this all the time? Absolutely not! It’s all about balance and you do NOT have to give up the foods you love to be healthy.
Here’s what’s sustainable: one step at a time, one choice at a time. First, work on getting more vegetables into each meal. This was key in my weight loss journey. Just. Eat. More. Veggies.
The more vegetables you eat, the fuller you get. So you’ll have less room for the less healthy but maybe more indulgent foods, so you’ll eat less of them!
Next, take a look at how much processed food you’re eating. How much processed food is in your pantry? How much of your breakfast is processed food? Your lunch? Your dinner? It’s kind of a gross term but these are “dead foods”. If you want the vitality drained out of you, this is what you eat. These are chips, cookies, pop tarts, beef sticks - anything in a package with an ingredient list basically. Anything made in a factory.
If you want to feel energized and light and happy, stick with the “living foods”. Fresh fruits and vegetables. Whole Foods. Whole grains. Organic meats. Beans. Nuts and seeds.
Again, please do not go cold turkey. Just keep these tips in mind during your next shopping trip. Get one less bag of chips and replace it with carrots and hummus. Or apples and peanut butter. Or both! Variety is a very good thing.
One healthy decision will lead to another and soon your body won’t even accept your old way of living anymore. You’ll try to give yourself a fast food burger for dinner in a pinch and you’ll feel like you’re going to throw up - at least that’s what happened to me!
Your body will tell you what makes it feel good. You just have to be paying close enough attention to notice what it’s trying to say. Then act accordingly.
If this was helpful for you, join my Facebook group where you can find more wellness tips – free of charge. <3
You can also grab my free guide on 3 Easy Steps to Lose Weight and Feel Amazing here.
When self-doubt creeps in on your journey to optimal health, remember this: it’s about progress, not perfection – and 'set-backs' are normal.
Why is it so hard to lose weight? Because your body has a set point. This is the point at which your body knows it’s safe and can survive. It takes time, work & patience to change the set point. What determines your set point? The foods you eat. How much food you eat. How much movement your body gets throughout the day. All you daily habits - your lifestyle - add up to your set point.
Habits are a hard thing to change. And I get it – sometimes you just need that sweet treat. And that’s okay! Even health coaches have cravings sometimes, and I personally let my body have what it’s asking for – within reason.
We all know processed sugar isn’t good for you. There really isn’t such a thing as 'healthy' ice cream, 'healthy' cookies or 'healthy' cake. If it has processed flour and sugar, it’s not “good for you”, and foods go one way or the other - it’s either fighting disease or feeding it. Be mindful of this, but also don’t deprive yourself to the point where you will binge at your breaking point & quit.
With this in mind, remember there are healthier options when it comes to sweet treats. Arctic Zone is my favorite ice cream sweet treat. It doesn’t have all the sugar and icky ingredients most ice cream has. As far as cake, if you can make your own from scratch, that’s amazing. Just be mindful of the quality of ingredients you’re using. If it’s a box cake, pay attention to the ingredient list. Are there ingredients in there you can’t pronounce? Is the list so long you can barely read the font? Those are the kinds of things to consider when you’re trying to make healthier choices, but don’t want to deprive yourself.
Just remember, in a journey to weight loss – or just a journey to feel more energized, less bloated, and just better – there will be ebbs and flows. That’s natural. That’s what is supposed to happen. You won’t fail if you don’t quit. You won’t quit if you don’t deprive yourself and make small adjustments as needed. Any time you think you let yourself down or you ruined your day with a food choice or two, remember it’s not a failure.
You’re learning how to navigate what your body needs. Be gentle with yourself.
If this was helpful for you, join my Facebook group where you can find more wellness tips – free of charge. <3
You can also grab my free guide on 3 Easy Steps to Lose Weight and Feel Amazing here.
Do you ever skip breakfast? End up having lunch at 2? Eat your dinner just an hour or two before you go to bed?
I’ve definitely been guilty of this, and it does not make for a happy digestive system!
When I don’t stick to routine mealtimes, it completely throws everything off. I end up having a late dinner, and when this happens, I’m usually going to bed full.
At least for me, this makes for a night of less-than-ideal sleep, not to mention it’s not a healthy habit for keeping a healthy weight.
We all get busy. Life happens. Work gets overwhelming. You name it.
But know this: our bodies thrive on routine.
Don’t skip breakfast
Having a healthy breakfast in the morning will help curb cravings throughout the day. Have your breakfast at approximately the same time every morning to start your day off on the right foot. Plus, having your breakfast too late may cause you to have a late lunch, which pokes holes in the rest of your daily routine.
Eat lunch at the same time
Skip the snacking and go straight to lunch. Not only is this a great way to maintain a healthy weight (or lose weight if you’re a big snacker), but this will help keep your body in its routine and give you time to get hungry for dinner. Of course, if you really do get hungry between breakfast and lunch, don’t deprive yourself of food. The idea here is you’re not filling yourself up on snacking between breakfast and lunch that you don’t end up eating lunch until 2pm.
Have a set “dinnertime”
If you’ve followed the steps for breakfast and lunch, you’ll be hungry for dinner! The same idea goes here with snacking. Don’t overdo it to the point where you’re not hungry for dinner until 8pm. Having a stable eating schedule gives your body the routine it craves.
Don’t let busyness get in the way - and turn screens off
Make mealtimes a priority and set time aside to nourish your body. This is self-care! And if you can, turn the screens off while you’re eating. Most of us already have too much screen time in the first place, but the screens are also a distraction. While you’re eating, focus on eating. This will help keep you from overeating, and will help get some family bonding time in – or just some me-time.
If this was helpful for you, join my Facebook group where you can find more wellness tips – free of charge. <3
You can also grab my free guide on 3 Easy Steps to Lose Weight and Feel Amazing here.
