Month: April 2018

  • Health

    Stuck In a Weight Loss Plateau, Try These 3 Easy Steps

    Stuck In a Weight Loss Plateau, Try These 3 Easy Steps

    Weight loss is hard, keeping it off is hard and you are motivated, staying true to your nutrition plan & fitness schedule and then…. Stuck In a Weight Loss Plateau Try These 3 Easy Steps to break through.  Before I list them, you have to know its not an overnight remedy. This is every day, all day – for life.  But don’t worry you will break through.  So don’t rearrange those calories or macros just yet.

    Stuck In a Weight Loss Plateau, Try These 3 Easy Steps

    Step 1

    Are you getting 8 hours of sleep a night? Every night!!! YES 8 hours, your body needs to heal, recover and rest and without that sleep your body can’t and won’t work properly and your weight will suffer. Yes you may feel great on 5 but your body is designed for 8 so try to get to bed a little earlier tonight and get the rest your body needs.

    Step 2

    Are you drinking enough water? Not water disguised as coffee or in tea, but actual clear, plain water.  If your body doesn’t get enough water it stores what it does get and you retain it and thus the scale does not move.  My gauge for am I drinking enough, is my pee is very light yellow, almost clear. If it’s clear that is too much.  So yes, chug that water to move that scale!

    Step 3

    Are you eating the right amount of calories EVERY day? For example, if your calorie intake is 1600 you need to eat that EVERY SINGLE DAY! Don’t be at 900 today, then 1100 tomorrow and then 1800 the next. Every day – 1600!!  Your body knows how much it needs, and if you don’t give it your body will store what it does get as it thinks its being starved. So yes EAT your calories. But make sure they are healthy, non processed calories. If I can’t grow it I don’t want to eat it. I find the days, weeks my calorie intake is low, I don’t lose weight but I actually gain. But the weeks I eat my calorie intake every day I lose weight.

    Stuck In a Weight Loss Plateau, Try These 3 Easy Steps

    So there you go. 3 easy steps to bust through your plateau. If you are doing these religiously, 6-8 weeks and nothing is changing, then it’s time to look at your macros, calorie amount with what you are fueling your body with ( any foods with hidden sugars & carbs) and fitness levels.

    If you are stuck with where to begin, I will work with you. I have plateaued a few times over this last year and it’s when I buckle down that I break through it, so don’t hesitate to send me an email at heathersrunningdiary@gmail.com and we can work together to bust you out!

  • Health

    Is Going Gluten Free Really Healthier?

    Is Going Gluten Free Really Healthier?

    About 4 years ago (2014) I was reading an article that contained common health issues that go un-diagnosed as a gluten allergy/sensitivity. Most people dismiss these symptoms as lack of sleep or just that way their bodies are.  I wish I would have saved that list but I didn’t & it was either 5 or 7 symptoms and my hubby had every single one.  So after reading it to him, we decided to have him go gluten free for a month. At the end of that month every single one of those symptoms went away. So we were convinced that gluten was the cause and continued on in a gluten free diet. At first it was just hubby, but creating 2 different meals 3 times a day became a bit much so I switched our whole family’s eating to gluten free for ease of cooking.  That was 4 years ago, but in that time I have come to realize is going gluten free really healthier?

    Let me explain.

    Whether you are gluten free for medical reasons or a lifestyle change, gluten free at the heart is healthy. But it’s the substitution items that are not.  So you can’t have whole wheat bread for your lunch,.instead you go and purchase whole grain gluten free bread.  A couple things you are going to notice right away:

    • the gluten free loaf will be way smaller in size
    • the gluten free loaf will be more money
    • & the gluten free loaf may feel/taste like Styrofoam

    But look closer at the nutrition label of both breads.  Things you will notice:

      • The G/F loaf will be smaller portion
      • The sugar count in the g/f loaf will usually be higher
      • The starch count in the g/f loaf will be higher
      • The protein count in the g/f loaf will be lower

    Is Going Gluten Free Really Healthier?

    So if you are trying to eat healthier, do you really want more sugar, more starch and less protein in your diet on a regular basis? I know we don’t. Most gluten free breads/pastries/pastas have to use 3-4 other types of flour to mimic what wheat flour does. That always increases the sugar & starch count and those sources usually don’t have a source of protein in them either.

    So instead of doing a gluten free substitute item, we have actually gone gluten free.  Instead of using gluten free buns for hamburgers, we use ice burg lettuce and wrap our yummy burgers in it. We have incorporated more veggies and nuts into our eating. We have began to utilize fat head bread/bagels into our eating, this is made with almond flour & lots of cheese.  We think we need bread but we really don’t. And our bodies are so much healthier as a result.

    A quick note on pasta, yes you can find gluten free pasta that looks & tastes like what we could call normal pasta but read those labels. Instead look for pasta that is made from edamame, or black beans, or zucchini.  Much more healthier

    We read every label, what you think may be gluten free sometimes really isn’t.  And wheat flour is in A LOT of items. So please read the labels, & really ask yourself if the added sugar & starch is necessary to your way of eating?  You have questions please ask, you need some recipe ideas let’s connect on social media as I am 4 years into the gluten free lifestyle & have tried lots of things.