Portion Control. Dining Out.

Let's get real here. For what we get charged at restaurants we should get those ginormous plates of food but should we be eating all of that in one sitting? The answer is, no. One of my all time favorite chef's and TV personalities is Giada De Laurentiis. When she eats out she asks them to take half of the meal and put it in to go containers before it ever even hits the table. It's a solid idea but most of us are not comfortable will asking for this service so instead you have to rely on your will power to know how much of what you're eating you can have in one sitting and to stick to your plan! Believe at first it may be difficult, especially when you're out celebrating and it's your favorite dish but after awhile you will begin to get full on the portions you allow yourself to have and you won't have to think about it anymore. Now everyone's diet is different (and I hate using that word) but portion control is crucial. Sure you can have some veggies and some hummus but if you eat a 1/2 cup of hummus every day when you really should have only had 1 tablespoon you're probably going to be disappointment come time for weigh in and measurements. Moderation is key. It's okay to "cheat" once in awhile too. Just remember the only person you're cheating is yourself. If you really have to have that piece of cheesecake after dinner, earn it! Go for a walk, do something active to earn it so you don't spend the next three days beating yourself up over it and wind up going on a guilty binge eating spree. (Which we've all done before. If we're being honest with ourselves.)

An easy quick way to portion control while dining out is divide the meal in half and save the other half for lunch the next day or do what I do and take it home and share it with a family member. My mom loves when I do this. :) The biggest portion on your plate should always being veggies, the green kind is the best! Primary vegetables such as spinach, brussels sprouts, kale, asparagus, string beans, carrots etc.


Dining out tips:
1. Divide your meal in half. (Mentally, have them do it or do it yourself!) Portion control 101
2. There should be more vegetables on your plate than anything else (just like our momma's told us growing up. We weren't actually supposed to stop eating them once we became adults!)
3. Stay away from words like- basted, smothered, fried, breaded, battered, loaded, stuffed, etc instead go for words like- roasted, baked, braised, broiled, poached, seared, grilled, or steamed
4. If you want to have an adult beverage (and your old enough) don't feel guilty about it just be smart about it! Click here, for tips on how to not hinder your progress and still enjoy that glass of wine at the end of the day!
5. Look up the menu online and decide on what you are getting before you go. This can take the stress out of the situation completely and you'll know exactly what you have to adjust for the day so you can enjoy your meal and the company you're with, as you should be doing.


I hope this makes dining out easier for all of you!

The cycle of guilty binge eating: tips to escape the cycle

The cycle of guilty binge eating. You're on a diet, things are going well and then BAM. Some stresser in your life has you reaching for the extra large snickers bar at the checkout lane. Raiding your cupboards or claiming, "today will be my cheat day." It's important while we are on our health and fitness journey's to remember it is different for every person. Some people will get faster crazy results over other people. Your journey is yours alone and you get what you put in to it. Support those who are doing the same thing and don't attack yourself if you aren't getting the results you want in the time you thought you would. Talk to your coach or support system. (I also recommend a calorie counter, and no I don't mean count your calories everyday, that drives me batshit crazy, though some people can do this. What I mean is, use a calorie counter to track your normal eating habits for lets say 3-7 days. Write down your totals. Find out what you should be eating (calorie count) to maintain your weight and to lose weight. 9 times out of 10 you are eating way more calories than you even realized. I had no idea my favorite super latte was almost 600 calories by itself, that's basically an entree! Life get's stressful, that is life. Waiting for when life is less stressful is not the key. Crazy thing though, being healthier actually makes life less stressful. I know, crazy thought.

Some of us can't eat healthy perfectly all of the time, honestly most of us can't. Don't reward bad habits. If you are craving chocolate or your favorite latte how about you earn it? I'm not saying do this everyday. Or doing this, "I did 15 push-ups, time for a twix!" This is not what I mean at all. I mean you've been trying to make healthier choices. Eating more leafy greens, more lean meats, less process food. Maybe eliminating pop/soda or fast food from your diet. On occasion, maybe when you are out for dinner or out to the movies, go ahead and have a pop. (If you order a large and will drink every drop maybe order a small, fill that baby with ice to the top and don't refill it.) You'll get the relief and joy of having it. Get those dove promises. You did your workout today? You ate healthy and drank lots of water! Go ahead and have a piece. This way you can have the chocolate but don't have an entire candy bar to tease you. (Also, if temptation kills you as it does me, try putting the bag on the highest shelf so you need something to climb up to get it and when you do, only grab one piece. Try keeping them in a cupboard where you can't see them. Like the saying goes, out of sight out of mind.) If you can quit sweets and pop/soda's that is awesome! If not, don't beat yourself up over. Your key to success is believing you can do it and putting the effort in to make it happen. I personally prefer to not have any of these items in the house because I am an emotional binge eater, but I have other people who live in my home that are not on the same meal plan as I am. So, you can reward yourself but remember if you just skip that chocolate piece, latte, pop/soda (and don't kid yourself diet is not any better than regular) then the work you put in that day will have a much greater effect on your overall health and you will reach your fitness goals much faster.

So you ate 4 pieces of thanksgiving pumpkin pie or an entire stocking filled with chocolates. Now you feel guilty for screwing up your diet. Feeling guilty makes you sad. Chocolate makes you happy. Repeat. This is a dangerous cycle to get on! Sometimes my family will find me in the kitchen talking to container filled with chocolate, "Liar it's never just one! Just walk away Andrea, just walk the *&*! away!" Well, you get the idea...

Try to prep healthy snacks. This is a huge help for me personally. Cut up veggies, baggies with nuts etc. Sometimes the convenience of those unhealthy snacks is the only reason we reach for the bag of potato chips over something else. Don't set yourself up to fail before you even get out of the gate. And DO NOT eat everything in your house that is on your "do not eat while dieting" list. You'll make your body crave these items even more when deprived. Prepping your actual meals is very helpful though I admit I don't always have time or fridge space to do this.

No cheat days. I don't believe in this, to me it seems as just another way to set yourself up to fail. If you are committing to yourself to be a healthier more fit version of you, the you you've always wanted to be and always have been then you have to commit 100%. You do not have to eat a salad for breakfast, lunch and dinner. But having a cheat day where you "binge" eat all your missed favorite foods like pizza, tacos, greasy burgers and chinese food is a huge mistake. You will never see the results your hoping to see. Even if you are working out 6X week doing the crazy Shawn T, Insanity workout.

I know this is weird but eating healthy doesn't have to taste like cardboard and grass. Salad's are great for you, it's true. Think about this, if you eat something to "get healthy" and you think it tastes gross or doesn't really taste like anything (like tofu, no offense to tofu) how long do you really think you will keep at that diet? Not long right? I teach cooking lessons also and I provide those recipes for my fitness clients because this was something I had an issue with. I do not want to eat the same thing every meal, every day. I will not eat things that taste like "air" or just flat out don't taste good. Now a days the internet is filled with tasty recipes that are healthy and often easy to make. You just have to look for them.

Last, if not the most important. Do not let the people in your life convince you it is okay to eat a large tub of popcorn with them or whatever it happens to be. Do not let other people dictate what you put in your body. (Unless it's your mom, than tread lightly...) If people in your life are doing this, kindly and politely tell them you are trying to be more healthy and you really need their support. This will work more than not, some people won't even realize they were about to make you drop your diet and go on a binge eating craze. Some people think that everyone has the metabolism of a 16 year athletic youth who can eat 10 pizzas at lunch, run track and never see the weight EVER.



1. So, reward yourself but keep it small and manageable. Some times in the beginning this is a great way to keep yourself motivated when you don't want to do the workout but, "oh my god I want that chocolate, oh fine." Go figure you feel better afterwards and sometimes you will even forget about your reward.
2. If you do binge, don't beat yourself up. Just tell yourself, "I slipped up but I am committed to changing my life. I will not let this moment define me." Maybe go for a 1/2 hour fast paced walk to work the calories off. Take the dog, put your kid in the stroller or wagon.
3. Prep healthy snacks.
4. No cheat days.
5. Eating healthy does not mean lack of flavor people!
5. Do not let other people convince you to cheat yourself.



That's it for today, good luck! I am around if you need me!