I am the type of person who could easily eat half the batter of cookies before even putting them in the oven. Why? Because batter is delicious, well at least to me it is! And since mostly everything I cook is vegan, I don’t even have to worry about salmonella or any icky ingredients. However if I was to let myself snack on the ingredients while I cook or bake…weeeell there would be a couple of problems. One, I’d eat half my weight before even completing the recipe and two, I’d eat the majority of the ingredients and therefore…three, I wouldn’t be able to finish the recipe…which four, would just be more of a reason to eat the rest of the batter.
See the problem?
So what do I do to stop myself from binging on the batter? Here’s some tips:
1. Make a HUGE delicious smoothie! Preferably a green smoothie to get some extra boost of nutrients and so much more! I’ll make a 26 ounce green smoothie and drink it thorughout the baking sesh! It fills me up making it easy to avoid finger dipping and licking!
2. Never cook on an empty stomach! Just like it isn’t smart to grocery shop on an empty stomach…don’t cook on an empty stomach! (Unless what your making is the meal you’ll be eating)
3. Jot down each time you snack while cooking! Keep a post it on the recipe book and each time you snack on the batter or take a taste test add a tally mark. At the end of the cooking session…see how many tallys you have. Having to write it down each time makes you think before you taste!
4. Have a plate of veggies and dip to snack on. If the healthier option is right in front of you, you might find the ingredients to a recipe less tempting.
5. Brush your teeth! Sounds weird right? Well it’s actually an awesome way to stop yourself from snacking! A strong minty flavor can make other flavors taste icky! Try it out!
6. Cook food you don’t like. If you don’t like it…you won’t eat it! But I think this is silly…if I don’t like it, I don’t want to make it haha
7. Think of the facts! Snacking on the ingredients can add up to a ton of calories! One spoonful here, a dip of the finger there…before you know it, you’ve had way more than you imagined! It adds up quick so limit yourself to a few taste tests and nothing else!
8. Figure out why your snacking! Is it because your hungry? Because the food is right in front of you? Try and figure out what the reason is that you cannot control your finger from dipping into the batter! And once you figure that out…break the habit!
9. Allow yourself a certain amount of taste tests! You obviously have to taste the recipe to see if it needs a little bit more of this or that, but limit yourself to a certain amount of taste tests! That way, when impulse tasting comes up, you’ll reconsider it and decide whether or not you want to waste one of your tests on it!
10. Chew gum. Whenever my mouth is all minty fresh, I find extra taste tests far less tempting!
I often get asked by girls who have never eaten healthy or worked out before.. where to start! I totally get how overwhelming it can be, as my journey only started about a year ago! Here are some basic tips I have for those JUST starting out on a health and fitness journey! =)
Get rid of the junk food! This includes (but not limited to): regular and diet soda, cookies, chips, crackers, candy, white breads and pastas, fruit juice, sugary cereal, condiments like ketchup, mayo, ranch and other fattening/sugary dressings and marinades, fast food, frozen dinners and most packaged goods. Start making your own meals from wholesome lean proteins, veggies, fruit and healthy fats. Basically, eat as close to natural as possible!
Cut out the alcohol. It shuts down your metabolism, promotes fat storage and breaks down muscle tissue. It’s basically treated by the body as a toxin… If you’re serious about getting in shape, not drinking won’t be a problem.
Start exercising! The trick is to find something you enjoy so that you will actually DO IT. There are SO MANY options, some of which include: weight lifting, pilates, yoga, cross fit, kickboxing, mixed martial arts, powerlifting, olympic lifting, jogging, cycling, spin, zumba, interval training, jazzercise, jumping rope, dancing, running, hiking, mountain climbing, swimming… the list goes on!!
Develop patience and a positive attitude if you don’t already have them! You WILL have set-backs and losing weight/getting fit WILL take time. You will occasionally cheat on your diet, you will miss a workout, you will stumble, you will make mistakes… you’re human! Nothing worth having ever comes easily… if it WERE that easy, everyone would be in shape! Know that you are only a failure if you QUIT. So don’t quit! You will regret it in the long run!
Surround yourself with people who support you. There is nothing worse than having negative and/or jealous people around when you are trying to make a healthy, positive change to your life. There WILL be people you THOUGHT were your friends try to drag you back to your old, unhealthy ways. They might tease, taunt or grill you for your new habits. Some people can’t handle change. If you find that your healthy habits are being mocked or demeaned by those around you … ask yourself why your ‘friends’ would want you to go back to being unhealthy. Do they not understand the sudden change? If so, explain to them why you’re doing it… Or, are those friends just jealous? If so, CUT THEM OUT OF YOUR LIFE!
Plan ahead! If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Prepare your meals and workouts in advance. Always keep workout clothes, a water bottle and protein powder with a shaker cup in your car so you never have an excuse not to hit the gym. Always carry an apple, a serving of almonds in a ziploc baggy and a packet of tuna with you.. that way you never have an excuse to hit the vending machines or burger joint!
Set realistic goals and track your progress! Keep a journal log of your workouts, your food intake and your stats each week so you can track your progress easily! 1-2 pounds of weight loss per week is a reasonable and healthy goal (depending on your current weight). The scale is not always a good indication of your progress though! Numerous factors can affect the number that are unrelated to fat gain/loss. The mirror, pictures, the way your clothes fit and your measurements are better ways of tracking progress!
You can do anything you set your mind to. Believe in yourself, don’t give up and you will get there <3
In case you guys didn’t already know, I’m on Facebook & Twitter now too! I was asked frequently whether I would consider making accounts.. and I finally got around to it! I hope you will all join me there too! <3
Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/MuffinTopL3SS
Twitter - https://twitter.com/#!/MuffinTop_Less
I think a lot of people tend to get WEIGHT loss and FAT loss confused. Those who come to me asking how to lose WEIGHT.. often mean FAT when they talk about “losing”. Losing WEIGHT is simple, losing FAT is a little trickier.
Weight loss comes down to calories in versus calories out (you need to be consuming fewer calories than your body needs to maintain itself). Whereas fat loss comes from eating the RIGHT foods in a caloric deficit and training correctly. (This does NOT mean you have to starve yourself or workout for hours!) It’s important to control blood sugar when trying to lose body fat, so frequent small meals and avoiding simple carbs and junk food will help with that.
Tips for losing fat, not muscle:
- Eat clean in a slight caloric deficit (don’t starve)
- Eat frequent small meals (controls hunger and blood sugar)
- Have a lean protein source at each meal (but don’t forget about your veggies and healthy fats)
- Avoid simple carbs (except post-workout) and other junk food
- Strength train (lift weights! Don’t be afraid to go heavy girls)
- Do intense HIIT cardio, not long marathon cardio (excessive cardio burns muscle)
Remember, the more muscle on your frame, the faster your metabolism will be, and the more calories you will burn in a day without any extra effort. So losing WEIGHT (muscle & fat) is not ideal. Losing FAT is! Starving and excessive cardio will result in muscle loss.. so avoid these things when trying to lose fat! =)
I get a lot of “asks” about how to get a 6 pack or how to get the “V-lines” on the lower abs.
The thing that is important to realize, is that the SHAPE of your abs is determined by genetics. You can of course improve them through strength training, but you cannot change their general shape. For example, I tend to have that lower V-line on my lower abs.. even before I started training them! Until your body fat is low enough to where you can see them, you won’t really know what you’re workin’ with!
You can unveil those abs by getting rid of the overlying fat on top… since it’s impossible to spot-reduce fat, you have to lower your OVERALL body fat percentage.Get rid of stubborn fat by:
- Eat clean in a caloric deficit
- Cut out simple carbs, junk food, sodas, condiments and sugary/processed foods
- Control blood sugar by eating small meals every few hours
- Consume lean protein at each meal
- Incorporate healthy fats & fibrous vegetables into your meals
- Lift weights
- Incorporate some HIIT cardio a few times a week
- Drink plenty of water
For those of you who have a Facebook, I’m finally on there! I’ve been posting a variety of things from nutrition, to training, to motivation and recipes. I hope you enjoy it as much as my Tumblr! <3
