Carbs and CALORIES

Hello again guys! It's been a great few weeks! Well, other than the fact that I've only lost 2 lbs in 2 weeks. A pound is a pound though, yay!

Today I've decided to explain possibly why I have only lost 2 lbs in 2 weeks. Too few carbs + too few calories= not a skinnier Kirsti.

I've increased my exercise regimen so much that the 1300-1400 calories I've been eating isn't fueling my body and is causing it to store all my food. Hence, no weight loss. It's quite frustrating, I've been leaving the gym dripping wet is sweat and it's not reflecting on the scale. So after the second week of disappointment, I took matters into my own hands and ask my trainer and nutrition teach (who's a registered dietitian) WHAT'S UP?! Okay, i didn't do it like that, but I really was wondering what was going on with my body.

My trainer first told me that I needed to increased my calories up to 1800 or even 2000! Let me tell you, that scared me so much! I've gone the last year eating less than 1500 calories, and to eat 2000, wow that's almost heart attack status. ( my thoughts were, "what if I start to gain weight?!") I asked my nutrition teacher what he thought and he said I need to think of my body as if I were an athlete, because I workout like I am. (Talk about confidence boost, I'm an athlete now) So, I've slowly increased my calories to 1600-1700 on light days and on intense days, I'm eating 1900-2000. I need to trust their knowledge and experience. I'll tell you guys if that helps or not on the next weigh in.

While I'm not eating enough calories my carb intake is way too low. I know that I need to eat on the lower end of the daily recommended carb amount because it's better for my body but it was way too low for how much exercise I do. Before talking to my teacher I was eating 100-120 grams of carbs a day, well, my body needs at least 150-170 a day. No wonder I was having headaches! Carbs fuel my body, which helps me burn calories.

So after every workout I need to eat carbs and protein. (PB sandwich, yum!) While I need to eat 150 or so grams of carbs 130 of them need to be eaten before my afternoon snack. Hello to carb loading before 2 pm.

Here are some good foods for carbs:
Oatmeal, of course
Whole grain bread
brown rice
Wheat tortilla
Fruit
Peanuts
BEANS- really good source of fiber.

To reach my 130 carbs in the morning I eat oatmeal, bread, rice, fruit, peanut butter. And for after my afternoon snack, for dinner I have beans, and veggies.

I know this was kinda a boring post but for some people they might be working out really hard, but depriving there body of fuel. You're not gunna lose weight if you don't fuel your body properly. Learn from my mistake and drop the pounds. :)

Side note: The detailed information referring to my daily caloric intake, and recommended carb intake are for me, please look at this post to determine the amount of calories you should eat. And the recommended amount of carb intake for a person is 46-65% of your daily calories. Please talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before considering anything less.

Till next time enjoy the good carbs and leave the gym with no regrets.

Recipe: Breakfast of champs! Perfect for me.

Hello hello! I'm getting settled and use to school, moving in a week and been wanting to share with you guys the most important part of my day. Well, one of the most important parts of my day. BREAKFAST! I tell everyone to eat breakfast, it's so important. You're breaking your fast between dinner and lunch, telling your body that it doesn't need to store lunch as fat because it's not in store-all-the-food-because-i'm-not-gunna-get-anymore-for-a-while-mode. Breakfast revs your metabolism for the day, and it's gets going to burn calories.

Time to tell you what I do for breakfast! Warning, I have little variety but you can be as adventurous as you want. I eat this because it's a solid breakfast and quite tasty. Why change it? Here's the basics:

Peanut butter, whey protein, and oatmeal, plus some fruit, and unsweetened almond milk

Ignore the items not mentioned in this photo, those will be mentioned in another post. :)

Morning oatmeal:

1/4 cup of dry oatmeal

water to cover the oatmeal

1/2 scoop of whey protein

1 tbsp of peanut butter 

Unsweetened almond milk for consistency wanted. 

Fruit of choice

I heat the oatmeal in the microwave with about enough water to reach the first knuckle on my index finger. Cook for 1 minute and then add half a scoop of whey protein powder, don't mix once the why is added. Add the tablespoon of peanut butter (Make sure the peanut butter has low sugar, I think mine has 3 g) then mix a little bit to see what the consistency is. It's normally too thick for me and I like thick oatmeal, so I add a little bit of unsweetened almond milk. Once you've added the milk, mix it around and enjoy. :) 

I like to add a little bit of fruit, one because I need it and two it's nummy. 

A few strawberries, or berry of any kind is good. And I LOVE these mini bananas, they are PERFECT for me. Just big enough to fill my banana craving but not too much sugar. 

Now that I've shared how I make my Breakfast of Champs I'll explain why I'm eating it.

So oatmeal is a really good food to keep you full, a little goes a long way and it's a good source of fiber and grain protein.
I add the peanut butter for taste, extra calories and protein which is also why I add the whey. I didn't start doing this till I met with my trainer and started weight training. I need lots of protein to feed my muscles and more calories to keep my metabolism going. I need to eat more calories to lose more weight, specially since I'm doing so much cardio and interval training. If you're not weight training a few times a week or partaking in daily workout classes you probably don't need 20 grams of protein like me. Just oatmeal with unsweetened almond milk and fruit should do the trick.

This is the breakfast I have everyday. Mixing up the fruit really helps me not get tired of eating oatmeal everyday.

Once a week I have my "nutella" on toast. Here's the recipe. Warning its super good and personally I think so much better than nutella, just because it has so much protein in it.

Protein nutella:

1/2 scoop of chocolate whey
1 tablespoon of peanut butter
Unsweetened almond milk for consistency.

In a regular bowl mix the whey and peanut butter, then add almond milk till it's the consistency you like. Finally put it on a slice of bread. This breakfast option has less carbs then oatmeal. I like to use Dave's Killer Bread 21 Whole Grains. It has 6 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber per slice! Hearty and yummy!

Breakfast is my most important meal of the day, and oatmeal has so many options. You can add eggs to it, honey, spices, fruit.. whatever you want. :)

There's a little look into my daily routine. I'll soon share with you what my morning consists of, and how I prepare my food for the day. :)

Till then, eat breakfast and live with no regrets.

The good foods!

Alrighty my fellow friends and weight loss buddies. It's time to get down to business. I have read many places online that while it take working out and eating right to live healthy and lose weight, it really matters what you are putting in your body. It's not about eating the amount of calories you're suppose to and saying "Yay I didn't gorge my  mouth with way too many calories!" it's about filling your body full of nutrients so you can feel healthy, look healthy and be healthy. Isn't that what we all want? I know it's what I want. I once read "abs are made in the kitchen not the gym." I think it's true. Today I'm going to tell you a boat load of different kinds of food you can eat to start your road to success. Yay!

Veggies

Okay I know the whole heart picture of veggies is a little much, but I recommend having a good relationship with veggies, you'll be eating a lot of them. Here is a short list of the endless veggies that are good to eat:

• Spinach
• Zucchini
• Squash
• Carrot
• Avocado
• Broccoli
• Mushrooms
• Peas
• Celery
• Cucumber
• Cauliflower
• any other veggies you may want. :)

Fruits

 

Oh how I love fruit! Really when it comes to eating healthy it's the easiest when I can eat fruit, I just love it. But unfortunately I love it so much I have to watch how much I eat so I don't consume too much sugar. Ugh. Everything in moderation... remember that about everything. Anyway fruit is pretty much just like veggies you can eat anything you want. But I think you have to watch the amount of sugar you consume.

• Apple
• Banana
• Grapes
• Strawberry
• Blueberry
• Raspberry
• Mango
• Orange
• Pear
• Anything not listed... list here. Like coconut, or cantaloupe... you got the idea. :P



Legumes

 

This list isn't so long, but there are still some that I have found to be yummy.

• Lentils (any form)
• Black beans
• Pinto beans

 

Meat

 



I'm sorry if you find the above photo to be gross... what photo of raw meat isn't. Anyway, next is meat, meaaat. All kinds of meat, correction lean meat. Every time I type the word 'meat' I say it like a big bulky guy MEAT! Hah. I think one of the most crucial things to know about choosing a meat is, make sure its lean. No fat, skin, or anything that isn't red... or white or whatever color the meat is.

Fish:

• Salmon
• swordfish
• Shrimp
• Scallop
• Talapia
• etc

Other meats:

• Chicken (skinless, fat removed, boneless is good too)
• Pork- lean
• Red meat (fat removed)
• Veil
• Lamb

Grains/carbs



 

 

Yummy yummy yummy carbs, yummy! Hah. I love any form of carb, so delicious. Rolls, bread, noodles, potatoes, all so good. Here are some that are actually the good kind.

• Whole grain anything. (pasta, tortilla, roll, etc.)
• Oatmeal
• Brown Rice
• Couscous
• Sweet potato

 

Nuts

 

Nuts are the easiest snack! Lots of healthy fat and protein, some of my favorites words!

• Almond
• Peanuts
• Peanut butter
• Walnuts
• Pistachio
• etc.

 

 

There's the basics, some other things I would note that I have found to be quite important are:

• Measuring cups/spoon are your friend! Use them like you use a spoon or fork. Proportions are extremely important.
• I have learned while visiting friends or family, it's hard to say "I can't eat that" or stark hacking away at your steak to take all the meat off... so instead it a very limited amount, nothing you will regret later. Also about cutting the fat off... well just tell them that you don't like the fat, and at least your eating the meat! :)
• Always look at the nutrition label, specially for grains and carbs, you'll have more control if you're aware of what you're putting in your mouth.
• If you don't know the nutritional or caloric value of something look it up. Here are a few sites I like to use:

nutritiondata.self.com

myfitnesspal.com

 

Have any questions leave a comment! Till next time, work hard, work long! :) Adios.