BodyBugg vs Jawbone Up

"What's that on your arm?" If I could have a dollar, maybe even a dime, for every time I was asked that question I could buy the entire YMCA BodyBuggs.  So for those of you who don't know: the little (and admittedly unattractive) device I wear on my arm is a BodyBugg.  I typically only wear it when I work out to track my calories burned.  I have the previous model-the company is now better known as the Link or Core bands, made by BodyMedia.  It is essentially a VERY fancy pedometer.  This is the only fitness tracker (not to be confused by heart rate monitors) that actually has sensors.  It not only monitors steps, sleep patterns and activity, but monitors your galvanic skin response, heat flux and skin temperature.  This is a nice and easy to understand site that explains it in a little more detail.  Many clinical studies have been done; the list of reputable sources is actually pretty impressive.  

*fun fact: it's also the device they use on The Biggest Loser*

All that being said, I couldn't help but be tempted by all the latest, certainly more fashionable, devices out there.  I was interested if there was one out there that I wouldn't mind wearing all day and frankly, didn't draw as much attention.  The trick was finding out which one, if any, were as accurate as my BodyBugg.  I then began this insane research project and for the last 5 weeks have become literally OBSESSED with finding out which fitness tracker was overall the best and most accurate.  I boiled it down to 2 that seemed comparable to the BodyBugg: the Jawbone Up and the Fitbit One.  Without really seeing one in person, it was going to be hard to compare them so my poor sister in law, Elaine, was the guinea pig and took one for the team.  She had never owned a fitness tracker and like many of you, was interested in seeing how many calories she was REALLY burning.  We decided to try the Jawbone simply because I had heard more about it.  

It was clear after the first workout that although the Jawbone was pretty user friendly and had a very nice app, the "calories burned" accuracy was questionable.  We had just finished torture hour, also known as Charles' strength and conditioning class.  The class is circuit based and has a very good mix of strength and cardio training. It is probably as close as a CrossFit workout as the Y will get, spending roughly a minute at each station and little rest in between.  Point being, it kicks your buns.  Elaine had worked her tail off and eagerly plugged her Jawbone into her phone, preparing to be rewarded with an impressive calorie burn.  The look on her face when she read "206" was priceless.  The 5 year old version of herself would have probably cried.  We later found out that my BodyBugg reading was 330 and it was right then that we decided that I would wear BOTH devices for the week.  I then looked like a medical patient.  

Here's what we discovered about the Jawbone: 

In order to know the calories for a specific workout, you have to remember to set the "stopwatch."  Unlike my BodyBugg graph, you cannot select a certain timeframe and read the results for that particular time.  You must "time" the activity PRIOR to the workout. You CAN go back and manually input the workout, but you have to know your exact start and stop time and it does not show the breakdown of your steps.  Strike one. 

YOU have to tell IT what kind of activity you did and how hard you worked.  For example, we learned that the initial reading of 206 calories from our class was based off of an "undetermined activity" and the intensity level automatically set at "easy."  For every workout that you "time" it displays the results and you then give it a little more information. Below is my Zumba class from Thursday evening. It loads the results and I then have to tell it what kind of activity, how hard I think I was working, and correct any time differences. It then changes the calories based on what you input (I'll give you a full comparison to chart at the end).  When it comes to fitness tracking, I want IT to tell ME how hard I worked-not the other way around.  Stike two.

The sleep monitoring is pretty interesting!  It does give more clear results than the BB when it comes to sleep trends, but again-you have to tell it you're going to sleep.  I had never had my sleep cycles monitored and it was interesting to see how the deep sleep compared to the light sleep.  Here are four sample nights:

It never gave me any "tips" on improving my sleep, but congratulated me on meeting my goal-for what that's worth.  Haha.  I do hear that it will provide tips if it notices a place for improvement; however, I was hoping it would say something like "kids are due for a night a Grandma's."  

So.  Without further ado, here are the results of my week comparison:

*Ok, wait. One more thing you need to know: the Jawbone gives you 5 "intensity" options-easy, moderate, in the zone (which I'm going to call ITZ), difficult and gut-buster.  I highlighted the option I would have picked simply based on how I felt and didn't have the BB to give me the correct answer*

Day 1: 

40 Min of Boxing, 15 min strength training

BodyBugg: 362 Calories 

Jawbone:

-Set to "Moderate" intensity: 284  

-Set to ITZ: 367

-Set to Difficult: 419

Day 2:

Run

-2.25 miles

-6.5-8.0 mph

-20 minutes

-A good run. Consistent climb in speed, not overly exhausted.

BodyBugg: 244 Cal

Jawbone:

-Said 2.19 miles, 10.6 min/mile when set to "difficult."

-Mod: 218

-ITZ: 218

-Diff: 247

Ab/Core Work:

-33 minutes

-Pretty easy

BodyBugg: 164 Cal

Jawbone (differed based if you set it "weights" or "other" as your activity.  Another thing I didn't like...a core workout isn't exactly weights, but that's the closest thing it had):

-Weights/easy: 112

-Weights/mod: 138

-Other/easy: 119

-Other/mod: 154 

Day 3:

Warm up Run:

-5 minutes

-6.7-7.0mph

BodyBugg: 46

Jawbone: Said 10.5 min/mi when set to "difficult."

-Mod: 45

-ITZ: 45

-Diff: 53

Leg Workout:

56 minutes

-Working hard

BodyBugg: 217 Cal

Jawbone: 

-Easy: 193

-Mod: 237

-ITZ: 281

Zumba:

55 Minutes

BodyBugg: 386 

Jawbone: 

-Easy: 193

-Mod: 355

-ITZ: 432

Day 4:

Warm Up Run:

-5 Min

-6.7-7.5mph

-0.6 miles

BodyBugg: 50 

Jawbone (Said .53 miles when set to moderate):

-Mod: 51 Cal

-ITZ: 51 Cal

-Diff: 53

Back Workout:

-62 min

BodyBugg: 261 

Jawbone: 

-Mod: 259

-ITZ: 307

-Diff: 361

Day 5: No Workout

Total Steps: 

BB: 8187

Jawbone:14573

Total Calories burned (awake time):

BB: 1964 

Jawbone: 1637

So what does all of this mean, exactly?  Well, as you can see, the Jawbone was pretty accurate IF you happened to set it to the right intensity...that never seemed to match what I would have guessed, haha.  Who's to determine the difference between "moderate" to "in the zone" to "difficult?"  Take Zumba for example.  Some days I legitimately feel that it is "easy" and some days I feel like I'm more "ITZ."  Now because I wear my BB, I know that my calorie burn is consistent (within 20 calories), despite how I'm feeling that day; however, if I was relying on the Jawbone, I would have a 239 calorie difference!  

Here's the take-away: the Jawbone is not for me but I wouldn't write it off completely.  It is designed for someone who isn't consistently doing different workouts and is more interested in "lifestyle trends" than an individual "workout report."  It definitely kept me motivated to be active and I couldn't wait to wake up and see how I slept.  It would be good for someone who sticks to "step-based" activities, like walking, consistent speed jogging or other basic workouts that don't include strength or interval training.  However, what I want from an activity/calorie tracker is a report as to how hard I worked-otherwise I would just set the intensity to "difficult" every time ; ) I also like that with my BB, I can go onto my log and see the calories burned for any given time segment-whether I was shopping at Costco, cleaning house, or HIIT training. What I DON'T like about the BB (besides its appearance) is that you need a monthly subscription of $6-7 to read the monthly results, BUT Costco has a deal right now that offers a FREE YEAR subscription with purchase.  So basically, the products are the same price.

Final decision?  Elaine is returning her Jawbone and will be using my bodybugg to get a better reading of her calories burned.  Elaine-thanks for taking one for the team and listening to me give you CONSTANT result updates!  

In the meantime, anyone have a FitBit One I can test? ; )

Don't knock Zumba!

So!  Can I just start off by saying that Tuesdays are one of my favorite days?  (I realize that I'm a day late, but I just now caught a spare moment after yesterday's class).  After I get the Bird to school, I usually squeeze in an errand then it's off to Zumba.  Now this is going to be a little off track, but I just need to take a minute an express to you how much I love Zumba.  A couple weeks ago I went about my usual routine: school, TJ's then home to put away the cold stuff with just enough time to get to Zumba.  I got back into my car and the battery appeared to be dead. I was SO bummed-not because of my car, but because I was going to miss Zumba.  I looked at the clock in my car.  I had 9 minutes until go time and the thought "I wonder if I could run there in time" went through my head, then I remembered I had a two year old.  Psycho.  I know.  People, that's what Zumba has done to me!  I then finish my day with boxing-and I equally enjoy that class, but for different reasons and therefore a different post.

If you're an East County member, check out Tina's classes-she typically holds on to a playlist for roughly a month and it is the same regardless of which time you take her class. This way, if you totally stink, you have 3 chances per week to learn the same moves, haha.  No one cares if you can't dance; if you give it an honest effort, you'd be surprised how quickly you pick it up.  Every once in a while, you'll notice people staring into the class through the window-that's because it's CLEAR that something fun is going on in there and all the cool people are doing it.  I used to be embarrassed/insecure about what said viewer might say if they saw me dance (those of you who know my history are clearly laughing by now), but I now just continue and think "you only wish you were brave enough to try it.  Get your buns in here and quit staring through the window."

My average burn (this will not necessarily be yours) is around 380 calories and it's just. plain. fun.  It's great for the days where you don't feel like being pushed to exhaustion, but still want a workout.  Now I may not reach the same exhaustion that I do when I run, but if you keep your core tight and follow the instructor's lead of intensity, you WILL get a GOOD workout.

Finally, the girls in there are all awesome-all ages and fitness abilities are welcome.  You all will be happy to know that my car had some freak connection error and after a couple minutes it started right up and everyone Zumbaed happily ever after.  See photo below for details.

Here's to my Zumba ladies: you guys ROCK.

Get Back on the Wagon

Ever have a day weekend where you feel like you just blew it?  You know...that weekend getaway where you say "forget it.  I'm on vacation!" Actually we don't even need to be on vacation, I may just reach a point where I've been doing SO well and just. need. dessert.  I know better.  I know that if I eat it, the sugar will just make me want to have more; however, I don't care.  When you find yourself in this position, there are a couple things to remember:

• Its okay!  No one, normal at least ; ), "eats perfectly."  People may have different vices, however everyone needs a "treat."  In my humble opinion, working out and eating right is vain if it means that you have to be miserable when it comes to your diet.
• What makes it okay is the ability to get back on the boat.  If you lack the ability to just have a "cheat" day or meal and then snap back the next day, you're not ready to take cheat days.  
• Beware of what I call the "couple day delay." 

Here's what I mean by the couple day delay:  our bodies are very complex when it comes to the correlation between what we eat and the numbers on the scale.  9 times out of 10, it is going to be AT LEAST 24-48 hours, possibly even a week, before we see the scale reflect a pig-out episode dietary change.  This can be due to numerous factors: water retention, hormones, and the simple process of digestion.  

Note:  I'm referring to someone who has seen a consistent loss.  If you are just now starting your body transformation, give it at least a month before the scale to reflect your work.  

The delay can have both negative and positive effects.  On one hand, you may be the person who has been eating exceptionally better and working exceptionally harder for a couple days.  You have a killer night at the gym and wake up expecting results.  It is then discouraging to find that the scale isn't showing your hard work-don't give up!  If you keep it up, they numbers will match up in a day or two. 

Then there's the more dangerous side.  The feeling like "wow, I've been eating junk and I'm not even gaining weight!" This is NOT a license to continue to eat junk!  You may weigh in ok the day after, but chances are, it will show up later in the week.  Do yourself a favor and don't even weigh in on a Monday!  Why would you torture yourself so?!  Instead, recognize that calories DO count over the weekend and work your tails off all week long.

To put it simply: working out is not a license to eat as you please however, it IS ok to indulge every once in awhile!  I once saw this and it pretty much sums up my entire life:

Indulging is only bad when you can't get back on the wagon.  Now go run.  

Easy Apple Bread

Many of you saw my recent photo of my daughter, Addison on facebook:

Although she's stinkin cute, the attention was really drawn to the dessert  bread and I don't blame you!  This apple bread came from a recipe that Aubrey made with her class in preschool last year.  Now most of the time your 4 year old comes running to you with a baggy of something yelling "mommy!  I made this for you!," its edibility is questionable.  "Oh! How nice!" I responded, and took a look at the recipe attached.  Looked safe enough so I took a bite.  Oh.  My.  Goodness.  By far the best apple bread I've ever had-clearly a teacher had a hand in this.  I looked at the recipe and decided replicating it was worth a shot, even though I'm usually skeptical of recipes that only consist of one step: "mix all ingredients."  They never turn out right because frankly, baking is more complicated than that.  Well, ladies and gents, I have good news: it really is THAT easy.  

I was hesitant to post this recipe, due to the nature of my previous posts...but the demand was high and I'd be wrong not to share.  This bread is straight up dessert, so please treat it accordingly : ).  It does NOT count as a "healthy, on the go, breakfast," but hey...the point is everything in moderation, right? 

Furthermore, it gave me a good excuse to actually type up the recipe and to toss the little piece of paper that has managed to survive the last year.

Wow.  Truly pathetic. Whatever, it's well loved.  Anyways, here ya go: 

Festive Apple Bread

Ingredients:

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1 stick of butter

Dash of salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cups of flour

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups fresh apples, diced

Mix all the ingredients.  The batter will be thick.  Bake it in a loaf pan (or any type of pan, really-I've done cupcake size, mini loaf and giant muffin size) for 45 minutes (closer to an hour in my oven) at 325 degrees.  Give the bread and the pan as a gift (awww isn't that sweet! Be sure to take a bite first though-your friends will understand).

Enjoy and as always, let me know if you have any questions!

<3 Leah

A Meal Plan for Jenna

I hope everyone has at least attempted to log what they eat!  I know that a couple of people in my life hate me are having a JOYFUL time getting to know the world of counting calories!  Despite the difficulties that arise with tracking your food, I'm encouraged by the many questions that have been sent my way!  People are learning that budgeting your calories requires a plan-and that, my friends, may just be the hardest part of this whole bit.  That's my cue to remind you that this is a lifestyle.   This is not some fad diet that is supposed to be "easy."  This is supposed to be a lesson on learning how to eat; how to grocery shop, meal plan, COOK (at least a little bit) and still cash in under or at your calorie goal.

I'm going to say it again, cause it's just that important-this is not a race to see how many pounds per week or how fast you can reach your goal, but a lifestyle change with the bottom line being your overall health. 

That being said, I have also realized that a lot of people have the same questions/concerns:

• WHAT on earth do you snack on (see last weeks entry to get you started)?
• How often?!
• I need something fast, easy and able to be eaten on the go (this is probably the biggest one)!
• It's 8pm and I have 400 calories left
• Why is my *fill in the nutritional blank (sodium, calcium, fiber, ect)* amount always over/under?!

In order to address those questions I'm going to focus on one of my best friends, Jenna.  She was asking some of the same questions you were and was a good enough of a sport to let me use her log as an example-its always nice to have specifics!  Anyways, thanks Jenna! and here goes...

Jenna has a log that is probably pretty similar to many.  She is allotted 1460 calories on a "no workout" day.  This number is her "net" goal.  Any calories she burns, she then gets to eat.  I know that sounds odd, but remember: its a NET goal of 1460.  As tempting as it is to just write off your burn as "an extra deficit," I would NOT recommend it!! Your specific number is already designed to help you lose weight.  When you cut more than it is suggested, you risk putting your body into starvation mode.  

Side Note: One exception would be is if you burned under ~175 calories.  I've noticed that MFP (My Fitness Pal) overestimates the calories you've burned, as well as do some of the calculators out there.  On a low burn day (<175) I would only eat them back if you're hungry or maybe only eat back a portion.  Again.  The problem with weight loss is there isn't a formula that is 100% for everyone.  You need to trust MFP but also listen to your body.  The smaller your "net calorie" goal, the more I would recommend eating back your burn.  

So.  Below is what an average day for Jenna should look like (I'm going to be very specific here because after all, this IS Jenna's blog.  The rest of you can adapt it to fit your day and/or dietary needs

 : ) ).  Also, the text in red is the additions to her diet she needs to make on a WORKOUT day:

Jenna's work day: 7:45-5 with an hour lunch at noon.

Breakfast: ~250-450 calories:

• On a no workout day, a bowl of HEALTHY cereal may suffice-so long as its almost 250 with milk.  To find a "healthy" cereal, you pretty much just have to walk into Trader Joe's or Sprouts (hint, TJ's is cheaper for cereal unless Sprouts has a killer sale and also has less "unhealthy" options-you pretty much can't go wrong at TJ's).
• On a workout day, you're going to need more than cereal.  It could be as simple as adding a piece of fruit before your cereal, but aim to start your day with protein.  
• On the go option: fruit and yogurt-again, get that kind from TJ's with granola
• Eggs are an EXCELLENT way to start the day.  Yes, you may have to get up 6 minutes earlier to make them.  
• Whole wheat english muffin with PB, (preferably almond butter) and banana
• Avoid juice.  Empty calories and high in sugar.
• Fruit and oatmeal or Cream of Wheat

Snack: around 9:30-10:00 or whenever you can catch a break in between patients. ~150-250 cal

• Trail Mix that has almonds or other low fat nut as the main ingredient (you and your allergy to most nuts is going to kill me). 
• That yogurt and granola you didn't eat for breakfast.
• Fruit
• Pretzels with peanut butter (they sell individual Jiff containers at Costco).
• A nutrition bar.  Start with Luna or Cliff, since I know your taste buds. Hahah. Eventually we'll graduate to Pure bars, ect.  
• Baby bell cheese has only 70 cal
• Carrots, raw broccoli or snap peas
• IF you MUST snack on crackers, switch out your Cheez-its, Goldfish ect for a whole wheat/whole grain cracker.  TJ's makes a good one called 12 Grain Mini Snack Crackers and they also have a good line of organic cheese/peanut butter crackers.

Lunch:  you're going to have to pack a lunch.  There are a COUPLE places you could eat out, but choose wisely.  Pay attention to the calories and KNOW WHAT YOU'RE GOING TO ORDER BEFORE YOU GET THERE.  Aim for 450-600 cal.  

Example:  I love Chipotle.  Die hard.  Being a vegetarian allows me to eat there without any worries re: my calorie intake.  One time I decided "hey, I'll switch it up and get a salad with their dressing; it's a vinaigrette (which is USUALLY a very safe option). 260 calories and 25g of fat!!! Holy cannoli.  Now, I'd like to think that those are all nutrient filled calories and fat grams, but it's not likely. Not to mention, I'd rather have one of my cookies ; ) (not that those are any more nutritious, but man...they're SO much more worth it! hah). 

Let's make it simple and pack a lunch.  Well, I say simple, but really it's going to take equal planning- maybe even cooking it the night before so it can be reheated.

• A sandwich is going to be easiest.  In your optimal world, your break room would be stocked with a quicktop stove and a panini press.  With those two things, your lunch options are endless.  Seriously though, if you work with people you trust, put a panini press in the break room!  You make your sandwich ahead of time and then warm it up in the press for lunch-you could do grilled cheese, ham and cheese, or I don't know...bell peppers, red onion, Costco's jalepeno Greek yogurt spread, lettuce and spinach...oh wait.  That's MY lunch.  Sorry.  The whole panini thing got me excited.  
• Take a stroll through the prepackaged section of TJ's.  They actually have some really good options of lunches that are made ahead-just be sure to read the ingredients.
• I know this may sound lame, but take last night's dinner!  Make enough the night before that there's enough.  Not to mention, it's really cheap : )
• Whatever you do, stay away from things like LeanCuisine ect.  They are not healthy.  At all.  
• Make your own burrito bowl!  I'll list some key items to buy at the end...

Snack #2 at 3:00 or 4:00- This one is going to be tricky.  On a non workout day, a snack around 3-3:30 of about 150 cal should do.  On a workout day, you're going to want to have enough calories in you by 5pm that you have the energy (or at least not starving) to work out.  As a general rule of thumb, you want about 200 cal of lean protein an hour before your workout.  This is going to take trial and error to see what the perfect amount of food your body can consume without seeing it on the gym floor.  In general, an hour before your workout should be enough time if you choose your snack wisely.  

Dinner: ~450 to 600: You're going to have to cook.  It's that simple.  There are a few things that are "ready made," but 99% is going to require you to actually to combine ingredients.  Over the course of time, I'll get some super easy recipes up for you, but here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Make your own pizza! TJ's has premade dough in the fridge section-go for the whole wheat one. All you have to do is take the dough out of the bag, top with sauce and your fav toppings.  Try to get as many veggies on there as possible.
• Tacos: step away from the ground beef.  I mean it's fine every now and again, but aim for chicken.  
• Stir fry: this is to get your veggies in.  Basically, take as many veggies as you can handle and put them in a big skillet or wok.  Use preferably coconut oil or olive to heat and measure your oil! You really only need a tsp.  Throw in things like shredded carrots, sprouts spinach, broccoli, green peppers (think of Mongolian BBQ but ADD THE VEGGIES! haha) and about a TBS of Teriyaki Sauce-also at TJ's.  Serve with chow mein noodles or brown rice.  
• Feel free to do breakfast for dinner!  I'll post about homemade bisquick asap and it's ok to have things like pancakes on a night after a workout.  Carbs are fuel-not your enemy.  They just need to be used in moderation (remember to check your daily intake).  Better yet, scramble some eggs and serve with toast, avocado and salsa (haha...Jenna...I can see you laughing at this right now...).

The last thing to remember is to make sure you're checking your daily nutrient goals to make sure that you're not overkilling one! 

Example:  Jenna texted me one night saying that she was ALWAYS over on her sodium.  That is crucial for her to realize and such is the beauty of tracking her food!  By becoming aware that a level was out of whack, to make a healthy change before it affected her too much.  She now knows to read the labels and compare the facts to her daily allowance.  

Finally, Jenna, here is a rough draft of things to have on hand.  Try to buy organic where possible.  

• Organic brown rice bowls from Costco
• Black beans
• Lettuce
• Chicken breast-remember you can freeze these!
• Bell peppers 
• Onions
• Shredded Mozzarella 
• Salsa 

Hey look! You now have a burrito bowl!

• premade pizza dough from TJ's or Sprouts-the kind that's not already baked.
• Tomato sauce 

Hey look!  Take the dough, tomato sauce, shredded mozzarella and other veggies above and you now have a homemade pizza! 

• Corn Tortillas
• Coconut oil (see this article on how to choose the right one-it stands the high heat much better than olive and refined is tasteless).  

Hey look!  Take those tortillas and add the chicken, black beans, bell peppers and shredded cheese and you now have tacos!

• Baby Bell or string cheese
• Your favorite sliced cheese-not American : )
• If you're not a fan of Greek yogurt (we'll make you one eventually...) find a natural yogurt that you do like but be careful of added sweeteners-especially the fake ones (hint: Dannon and Yoplait aren't that great). 
• A nutritional bar that you like.  I know I mentioned Luna and Cliff (which are the same company) but even those aren't great for you.  They're a good introduction, but eventually we want to see you eating ones that don't have any fillers or added sugar.   

So you see? There is a lot that goes into eating right-especially when you pair it with working out.  The bottom line is PLAN.  The days where you "wing it" or "log it later" are the days that you're going to end up failing.  I'll try to post some actual recipes down the road, this was mainly to see how to break down your calories and give you a couple ideas. I know this was kinda a lot of information to take in so please keep the questions coming and I'll do my best to answer them.  

Your homework:  comment below letting me know your family's favorite meal(s) that may need some revamping-I'll try to find a healthy version of it!  

Am I Allowed to Eat That?

Man, how nice would it be if everyone just agreed on what is "healthy" and what isn't.  It would be SO nice to have a list, organized by meal, as to what was acceptable to eat.  So many times I find myself strolling through Trader Joe's (which is a VERY good place to start, BTW) looking at various new food items, reading ingredients and reading nutrition facts.  Meanwhile, Addie is proceeding to open various items in the cart, my phone is ringing and people are beginning to stare-and I don't blame them; the whole thing is actually quite the scene.  Eating right takes time, lots and lots of time.  It also takes the willingness to say "I'm going to do what I think is best with the knowledge I have" and not worry about what everyone else's input.  As I've said before, let it boil down to this: eat as many whole foods as possible.  I'm aware that everyone and their mother has a list of allergies, intolerances and lists of "don't eats" so I'm terribly sorry that I can't have something out there for everyone.  Again-eating right is a challenge! My goal, however, is to provide you with some workout-friendly things to eat.  Many of these are snack items and/or items that I use to fulfill a certain nutrient necessity.

If I can only get you to hear one thing, let it be this:  you NEED TO EAT BREAKFAST!!  How on earth are you going to get through your day, let alone your workout, without starting your day with fuel?  If you think that by skipping breakfast you're cutting calories and therefore going to aide your weight loss, you couldn't be more wrong.  Think of eating breakfast as turning your body on...getting your metabolism burning...waking your brain up...you get my drift?  Oh, but I already get up early and don't have time.  That's nice.  Make time.  Not making time for the most important meal of the day tells me that you're not serious about your weight loss so why are you still reading?? Now that we're clear, here are some ideas:

• Greek yogurt with fruit
• High Fiber, whole grain cereal or granola
• More fruit 
• Whole wheat English Muffins with peanut butter (or almond butter if you want to raise the nutrition level a notch)
• More fruit
• Oatmeal 
• Eggs

Fun Fact: Fruit is much better digested and more nutrients are absorbed if you eat it on an empty stomach or before your meals.


Now that we agree that you eat breakfast, aim for eating every 2-3 hours after that.  As a general rule, I never eat more than 200 calorie snacks and that's on a workout day.  On a non workout day, aim for about 100-150.  Here are some snacks I ALWAYS stock:

• Nuts About Raspberries Trail Mix from Trader Joe's.  Awesome on so many levels.  150 calories for 1/4 cup.  And yes.  I do get out a measuring cup EVERY TIME.  If this trail mix isn't your thing, find something similar.  No more than 160 cal per serving and focus on low calorie nuts-almonds (NOT coated in sugar-that doesn't count) or pistachios.  
• FRUIT! 
• Find a bar that you like, preferably one with pure ingredients.  If you're new to "clean eating," it's ok to take baby steps.  I don't find it necessary to immediately make such a 180 degree change in your eating behaviors right out of the gate (it IS a journey), but please. Make an HONEST effort.  For example, if your idea of a nutritional bar includes the name "snickers" in it, the chances of you picking up a Lara bar and liking it are slim to none.  Find ones that are at least organic and have minimal processed ingredients-like the Luna bars.  They're a great baby step.  I'd limit, if not completely avoid "protein bars" all together.  The Think Thin bars are probably the "cleanest" of the pack, but the first ingredient is still a "protein blend."  I'm a vegetarian, lift heavy and run fast and hard.  If I can get enough protein without supplementing, so can you.  Anyways.  That's my bar speil.  Here are some that I'm a fan of:
• Kind Bars-found almost anywhere
• Pure Organic Chocolate Brownie-for sure TJ's, haven't checked Sprouts-these are my absolute favorie
• Lara Bars-found almost anywhere 

ps: almost all of these are gluten and dairy free.  

• Greek yogurt of any flavor.  
• If you just.can't.do. Greek yogurt, Trader Joe's has their own brand of regular yogurt that comes with granola attached.  SUPER good.  
• VEGGIES.  For crying out loud, grab a carrot (and don't even THINK about dipping it in high fat ranch or any other creamy dressing for that matter).  
• I'm personally not a fan, but pretzels are also a good chip replacement.  
• Make your own popcorn! Yes.  On the stove.  With a pot.  Get some coconut oil, wait till it melts and then add seeds (I don't need to tell you to put the lid on, do I?).  Top with a little bit of salt.  YUM. 

Ok, hopefully that got you started.  I'd love to ramble on about what I eat for lunch and dinner, but I have a special post coming-just for that : )

You Can't Out-Train a bad Diet.

So here you are.  Clearly, your resolution is to work out consistently, RIGHT??  Awesome.  Glad we agree.  You've done a lot of the work by committing yourself to a work out three times a week, but let's talk about what's either going to be your biggest friend, or your worst enemy: your diet.  You now get to eat what you want "because you work out," right? NOPE! Sorry, a calorie is still a calorie.  This means that you only get to eat what you burned AND still have a deficit. Now would be a good time to mention that I'll be writing this post assuming you're trying to lose weight.  I have spent a lot of time working on this post (actually like an entire month), writing and rewriting trying to decide the best way to approach such a sensitive subject.  I've learned over the years that no matter what decision you make regarding your diet, someone will ALWAYS have a different opinion, and that's ok.  Do what works for YOU.  That being said, I am writing solely based on my own experiences, research and experiences of others.  In my humble opinion, eating whole, unprocessed foods is going to be easiest to pair with working out.  I'm not saying that other food-controlled or pre-portioned package methods of weight loss are wrong, or will not work-they're just hard to combine with working out and some are going to end up inhibiting you from learning how to eat "real food"-let's not get into that though : )

The key to successful work out results is understanding the perfect balance of food your body needs in order to perform and let me tell you: that is hard to discover.  I HIGHLY recommend calorie counting to begin.  Not to say that you will have to count calories for the rest of your life in order to stay slim, but it is an EXCELLENT way to begin to understand how much you're eating (not to mention how balanced). I use the my fitness pal app (or website if you're not a smart phone type person).  I've found it to have the best food data base and overall ease of use.  Oh! You can add your friends (Find me! My username is leahmperkins)-it's like the Facebook of working out : ).  Anyways.  Logging what you eat, as well as what you burn, has many benefits:

• you become aware of how many calories are in what
• you will eat less, simply because you don't want to log it (yes, you log even a "tiny" handful of dark chocolate covered acai berries. sigh...my nemesis)
• you log your glasses of water too-staying hydrated is just as important! The more you drink, the less "water weight" you'll retain.  Side note: Cali tea is my best friend-it DOES make a difference.
• you become aware of the balance of your diet
• you even realize that you may not be eating enough! 
• rids your mind of the "I worked out so I can eat what I want" mentality

Here is what you need to know about counting calories:

• All calories are not created equal.  Although the numbers may add up the same, consuming the WRONG calories will have negative effects later on.  
• Example:  my weakness is sugar.  I'd rather have a pack of sour patch kids than a baked good any day (shock! I know).  5-7 years ago, I would have fed you a line like "yeah, but it doesn't have any fat!" Or, "I still have enough calories allotted!" Wrong.  Whoops!  The principle is really simple: your body relies on a very delicate balance of nutrients.  When you feed it more than it needs, it stores it.  In the case of sugar, you've filled your liver with more glucose than it needs and whatever is not burned off is converted into fatty acids (in case you didn't catch that, it's fat), which are then stored (again-as fat).    
• It is CRUCIAL to try to make your diet as balanced as possible.  You may NOT eat cereal for all 1500 calories.  Again, this is where the app comes in handy! If you're on the "home" screen, and you click on "daily" up there at the top, it will switch the view to the recommended nutritional daily intake.  Here's an example from one of my days last week taken about mid day:

   

• As you can see, I was already over my sugar, due to Christmas treat I had that morning.  Sigh.  But hey, we move on and make sure that it doesn't become a pattern.  
• The recommendations also change based on the amount of calories you have burned that day, as well a couple other variables.  
• Also, keep in mind that these are just "recommendations."  Do your research and one of the beautiful things about tracking your food is it allows you to see how your body reacts to certain foods, especially when certain food groups are consumed in excess. 

Hopefully this gives you a starting place.  To recap, here's the main point:  become aware of WHAT and HOW MUCH you're eating!  Teach yourself how to eat real food and learn the beauty of balanced, whole nutrition.  As a disclaimer: I'm also a believer in *almost* everything in moderation.  The only things I do not eat AT ALL are sodas, and meat. I don't drink cow's milk (just an odd personal choice), and try to stick to dairy in it's purest, whole form.  Beyond that, I do my best to eat whole, unprocessed foods, with the occasional indulgence.  

You CAN do this.  Remember, tracking what you eat is not designed to make your life miserable and too many limitations right out of the gate is setting yourself up for failure!  Set practical goals and take it one day at a time.  Me? I still love sugar-but I'm working on it.  That's how this thing goes: you eat, you learn, you change.  

Remember: you can't out train a bad diet!

<3 Leah