You might think all calories are created equal, however the body recognizes sugars, proteins and fat differently, thus the breakdown of these nutrients respond differently when absorbed in the blood stream...proteins and fats are the good cops and added sugars play the role of the bad cop. Nuff said.
Intermittent Fasting is all the rage right now, basically it is eating all your calories during an 8 hour window, and fasting for 16 hours, water is encouraged during the fasting window. Some have even gone to a One Meal A Day system, where you only eating during one hour a day (seems extreme to me with long term sustainable difficulties, Intermittent Fasting appears more practical and sustainable).
A crude equation for calorie needs is to multiply desired weight by 11. If I want to weigh 125 pound, then I would multiply that by 11=1375 calories per day. Then I divide that up thru out the day so I am eating every 2-3 hours, no longer than 4 hours. Also, take into account adding exercise calories. My rule of thumb for example, is if you burn 500 calories in exercise then add half of those calories in your diet, so in this case it would be an extra 250 calories. But most importantly, all things in moderation, even moderation. Making small sustainable changes has the best success rate, the goal should always be to life a happy healthy lifestyle!
A note about sleep! Would you believe me if I told you that Dr Oz said that the appropriate amount (7-8 hours) of sleep is the number one aid in weight loss. " Sleep at least 7 Hours a Night – There have been many studies recently showing that weight loss or weight gain may have a direct effect on how many hours sleep you get per night. A study out of Columbia University Medical Center found that those women who slept 4 hours or less per night were 234% more likely to be obese. The magic number for hours of sleep in this study was 7 hours or more. Going to sleep earlier not only keeps you away from those late night cravings, but sleep also gives the body needed time to repair and rejuvenate." And my number one tip for weight loss is try to relax and live your best life. Increased stress causes a rise in Cortisol and is counter productive in weight loss, causing difficulty in optimal results.
Please contact me if you are looking for a Health Coach in your weight loss journey or simply a better lifestyle. Cheers to a bright New Year! In good health~paige
Healthy Snack/Mini Meal Ideas~
1) Protein Shakes~ buy premade or better yet, make your own! Type Protein Shake in the search bar of my blog for several recipes. Below is my standard go to, and I might mention that I make several of these at a time, and in so doing they get much thicker as they set over night. In the mornings I am able to just add a little crushed ice, blend and go!
2) 2 Jumbo Hard Boiled Eggs with 2 pieces Turkey Bacon~I have a magic trick for the perfect Hard Boiled Egg. Add Eggs and enough water to cover in saucepan, bring to boil. When starts to boil, turn off heat, but leave the pot on burner, add the lid and set timer for 12-15 minutes, depending on how dry you like your yolk. Remove from heat and rinse with cool water to stop cooking process. Perfection every time. And when it comes to Bacon, I lay a slice on a paper towel folded in half and put in the microwave for one minute. No grease and no mess. For a real easy clean up, buy the pre-cooked Bacon. This snack weighs in at 230 calories, zero carbs and 20g protein. Use your favorite seasoning on your Eggs, such as Everything Bagel Seasoning.
3) 1/2 diced Quest Protein Bar with 1oz (about 24) Almonds~this simple little mixture is so fun to eat and easy to whip together. I simply dice half of a Quest Protein Bar into 24 pieces and toss that with 1oz Almonds, and slowly eat one piece of Protein Bar bit with one Almond. This snack weighs in at 253 calories, 4.5g net carbs and 16g protein.
4) 1/2 cup low fat Cottage Cheese, 1 small lunch box size diced Fuji Apple, 1/2 diced Quest Protein Bar~this is one of my all time favorites. I simply add the Cottage Cheese to the bottom of my bowl, the next layer is my very small diced Fuji Apple and then top with 1/2 diced Quest Protein Bar. Simply Fabulous. This snack weighs in at 235 calories, 18g net carbs and 22g protein.
5) 1/2 cup Cottage Cheese, stirred with 8oz container Kroger Carb Masters Yogurt, and 1/4 cup diced Berries, topped with 1 Tablespoon chopped nuts or sliced Almonds. This snack weighs in at 235 calories, 12g net carbs and 25g protein.
6) 1 string cheese or 1 oz cheese with 1 oz Almonds. I have discovered the amazing taste of the Cheese Nut combo and I sure do love it. This is super simple and very satisfying, and all for 243 calories, zero carbs and 14g protein.
7) 1 Quest Protein Bar topped with 2 Tablespoons Chocolate Peanut Butter Powder stirred with 1 Tablespoon water to make Peanut Butter consistency. My absolute favorite Peanut Butter Powder is by Better Body Foods and you can get the Chocolate or Plain. Go to www.betterbodyfoods.com for more info and where to buy. This weighs in at 230 calories, 8g net carbs and 24g protein.
8) 1 small sliced Apple with 2 Tablespoons PB (sub with 1oz Almonds). If you need a grab and go snack, this is pretty convenient. You can put 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter in the bottom of a baggie and add your sliced Apples, then just dip and eat on the run. This weighs in at 245 calories, 16g net carbs and 7g protein.
9) Protein Pancakes~a simple mixture in the blender of 1/3 cup Oats, 1/3 cup low fat Cottage Cheese, 1/3 cup Egg Whites, 1 Tablespoon Ground Flax Seed, 1 teaspoon Baking Powder, Dash Cinnamon and Dash Vanilla. Grind Oats first til powder, then add the rest of the ingredients til well incorporated. Cook on Pam coated hot skillet til done on each side. Top with Berries if desired or Sugar Free Syrup. Macros for Pancake is only 245 calories, 23g net carbs and 23g protein. Search Pancakes on my blog for other recipe ideas.
10) Celery with 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter~The calories for the Peanut Butter is 190, 4g net carbs and 7g protein. You really don't need to count the calories in Celery because you burn more in digesting Celery than you consume, so eat Celery til you are blue in the face....errr, green in the face, or til you have reached your weight loss goal.
11) Carrots with 2 Tablespoons Peanut Butter (don't knock it til you try it). I know I know, this sounds weird,...just trust me on this one, it's good! Since Carrots are a little heavy on carbs, I would stick to 2 cups baby carrots and 1/4 cup Peanut Butter Powder with enough water to make Peanut Butter consistency. This weighs in at 200 calories, 20g net carbs and 14g protein. (I use Better Body Foods PB Fit, www.betterbodyfoods.com)
12) 1 bag 1oz Quest Tortilla Chips (Protein Tortilla Chips~ questnutrition.com) with 1 small ripe 3oz Avocado, smashed with fresh lime juice and salt to taste. This is unbelievably good and only 252 calories, 4.6g net carbs and 16.6g protein. If you want to make your own chips, then spray a Low Carb Tortilla on both sides with Pam and season as desired, cut into small triangles and bake til desired level of crisp.
13) A pint of Halo Top Ice Cream, or Kroger now has a brand that is equally good and more affordable~Low Cow Lite Ice Cream. (...And yes, I eat the entire pint, ...I'm a professional). Each Pint is approximately 240 calories, 16g net carbs and 24g protein. This is an amazing dessert option, and many flavors to choose from.
14) 1/4 cup Hummus with Broccoli,Cauliflower, Carrots, Cherry Tomatoes. Hummus is so easy to make at home there is no need to buy. I might even go as far as to suggest that it is much better prepared at home. My recipe for a 1/4 cup is only 119 calories, 9g net carbs and 4g protein. Then you can choose what you want to dip with.
15) Protein Fudge Balls~These are so easy to whip up and I have found a new Protein Powder combo favorite. My Protein Powder trick is phenomenal...how's that for keeping you on the edge of your seat!? Also, feel free to change the flavors in the recipe according to your taste! I hear Cinnamon and Caramel calling my name!
16) Low carb wrap with 1/2 cup Black Beans , 2 Tablespoons Salsa and 1 Tablespoon shredded Cheese. Actually I have a new found favorite wrap~La Tortilla Factory Low Carb Flour Tortillas. They have 70 calories, 6g net carbs and 5g protein, or Joseph's Bakery Lavish Bread, a half sheet is only 50 calories, 8 carbs, 3g fiber, 5 net carbs, 5g protein and 1.5g fat. Then just figure out what you want to fill it with and measure your portions. Sliced Turkey, Avocado, Chicken, Cream Cheese, Turkey Bacon, Tuna, Bell Pepper, Lettuce, Tomato, Cilantro, Swiss Cheese...or pretty much whatever healthy ingredients you can think of!
17) 3 cups mixed Green Salad, 4oz Chicken or Tuna, 1 slice crumbled Turkey Bacon and 1 Tablespoon full fat dressing (Briannas Blue Cheese), or your favorite full fat Dressing. I won't skimp on flavor but I will have less so I can still have what I want. Everything is a negotiation when it comes to the calorie game. And we are here to win! This weighs in at 250 calories, 5g net carbs and 29g protein. Another Hot Tip Alert, is that I make up a HUGE mixed Green Salad at the beginning of each week and have on hand to pull from when hunger strikes. Another big tip, when it comes to Dressings, how about Balsamic Vinegar, Salsa, Hummus, an Avocado or Cottage Cheese, and kick that bottle to the curb! All terrific options!
18) Cheesecake Filling~ 7oz 5% Fage Greek Yogurt stirred with one scoop Protein Powder (flavor of your choice), topped with a teaspoon of Lily's Stevia Sweetened Dark Chocolate Chips! This is a very decadent treat and one that is sure to cure a sweet tooth~think Cheesecake filling! #yummo The big difference is in the macros, 277 calories, 9g net carbs and 43g protein. Think of all the flavor combinations you could come up with...and can you believe that protein powerhouse of a dessert! :)
19) Zoats~ have you ever heard of Zoats!? If not, it's a cross between Zucchini and Oatmeal, and it's good! I have a fun hearty recipe for you to check out. Each cup is 212 calories, 18g net carbs and 21g protein. It will make you feel like you are eating health with every bite!
20) Overnight Oats! I have several Overnight Oat recipes on the blog, type that in the search bar to see all the options. But my favorite might be my Chocolate Chunk Brownie Batter, each 1/2 cup is only 200 calories, 16g net carbs and 20g protein.
21) Cauliflower Pizza Crust, and top as desired. With this recipe you can make mini individual Pizzas, or Pizza bread sticks, or just one big Pizza. You can also make these in multiples and freeze, which is awesome to have on hand, especially on a weekend night. This is a very low carb high protein recipe and tastes delicious. I swear you will not even notice any difference once you get your toppings on. Consider this a fun craft project.
http://foodfitnessbypaige.blogspot.com/2018/01/barbecue-chicken-pizza.html
22) Mug Cake and Desserts~stir in Pam coated mug: 1 scoop Chocolate, Peanut Butter or Vanilla Protein Powder, 1 Tablespoon Cocoa, 2 Tablespoon ground Flax, 1/4 cup low fat Cottage Cheese, 1/4 cup Egg Whites, dash Cinnamon and dash Vanilla. Microwave for one minute, eat immediately or store in fridge if eating later. Pour 1/3 cup 30 cal/cup Almond Milk over Cake when ready to eat. This Mug Cake weighs in at 269 calories, 6g net carbs and 40g protein. Enjoy :) PS If you like the idea of Mug Cakes, type that into my search bar for more recipes.
23) Protein Bar Cookies. One of the things I love love love about the Quest Protein Bars is that you can easily turn them into cookies...just feels like you are getting away with something, ya know!? Take any of their Bars, divide into 4 equal parts, microwave for 10-12 seconds, pat into small circles and lay on silpat lined cookie sheet, bake at 350 for 5 minutes. Now, all that being said, these are great on their own, or you can get all fancy pants and add toppings to make them even more sinful. All four cookies by themselves are only approximately 180 calories, 4g net carbs and 20g protein, will vary by Bar.
24) Healthy Cookies! My blog is so full of cookie recipes, you could try a new one every day and it would still take you a year to get thru them all. Just type cookie in my search bar to scroll thru all your options. Here's my new favorite~
25) Oatmeal stirred with a scoop of Protein Powder and Chia Seeds. Oatmeal is so versatile, and goes perfect with peanut butter, eggs, seeds, nuts, protein powder, cottage cheese, flax seeds, fruit, etc. Easy to make ahead of time, stores well, and has many nutritious properties.
26) Weeklong Oats~
If you are looking for some help with your nutrition plan and in search of a Health Coach, send me a message and let's talk about what programs we have to offer! In good health, paige :)
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