Make Each Meal a Protein + Carbohydrate

11/24/2009

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Rule of Thumb for each meal:
PROTEIN = at LEAST 10 Grams
CARBOHYDRATE = UNDER 30 Grams

Why?
-Carbohydrates are digested slower when combined with proteins
-Stabilizes blood sugar levels
-Protein is needed to burn fat and feed muscle
-Need Carbohydrates for many functions, however too many at one sitting causes the fat storage process
-Carbohydrates are our bodies main source of energy. If we eat more than we actually need for energy our bodies story it for later (as body fat) Body fat is really just stored up emergency energy.
-30grams of carbohydrates is an amount that your body can use, without going into "surplus"

Foods that contain larger amounts of Protein:
-Meat
-Poultry
-Fish
-Eggs
-Cottage Cheese
-Protein Powders
***Peanut Butter & Cheese are FATS not Protein***

Carbohydrates:
-Bread, bagels, rolls, croutons, cereal, oatmeal, rice, all flour products
-Fruit and fruit products (jelly, juice)
-Yogurt, Milk
-Corn, Peas, Squash, Potatoes, Yams
-Beans, Lentils
-Candies, sweets
-Alcohol

Serving Sizes
CARBOHYDRATES (15-20 grams)
- The size of your palm
- 1 slice of bread
- 1/3 bagel
- 1/2 English muffin
- 1/2 tortilla
- 1/2 cup rice, pasta, dry cereal
- 1/2 banana
- 1 Tbsp Regular Jam
- 1 small piece of fruit

PROTEIN (10 grams)
- 1/2 the size of your palm
- 2 egg whites

THE KEY IS TO READ FOOD LABELS!

Make it Happen:
- Veggies are free - except for corn, peas, squash, potatoes
-Read food labels
-Plan your meals ahead of time
-When in doubt eat a Meal Replacement shake or bar that has the proper carb/protein ratio. Advocare has both.
-At Restaurants:
- Eat open-faced sandwiches with no other carbohydrates
- For Salads, make adjustments to remove "added" Carbohydrates - example if you eat the croutons, skip the roll

Peas & Love,
Shanna Tokarsky 2009
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Small Meals!!!

10/23/2009

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Eat a Small Meal Every 2-3 Hours that you are awake

Keep each meal right around 300 Calories

Examples
- 2 eggs + 1 slice whole grain bread (no butter)
- Open Face sandwich w/meat, veggies, light mayo
- 1/2 cup brown rice + 3oz chicken
- 3oz can tuna (no oil) + 6 crackers

eating small meals every 2-3 hours will keep your body's metabolism burning high all day

if you wait longer than 3 hours to eat your body automatically enters the "starvation response" and starts manufacturing fat-producing enzymes to store the next thing that you eat.

Think of it like your body and you have a trust relationship. If you are not feeding it every 2-3 hours it loses that trust and starts producing fat (emergency energy). Your body assumes the worst and thinks you might be for days without food. Very useful during our caveman years...not so helpful now!

Sumo wrestlers use the starvation response to their advantage when they are trying to gain weight. They restrain from eating as much as possible all day long and then feast for the last 4 hours they are awake.....unfortunately most Americans are on the same diet.

RULE OF THUMB: Breakfast like a King, Lunch like a Queen, Dinner like a prince. Then snacks in between!

Make it Happen:
-Plan ahead - write out meal plans & go shopping
-Pack your lunch
-carry almonds or healthy snack with you, store them in your car (I use catalyst from AdvoCare a lot - its like eating a 4oz chicken breast without calories!! I use it if I can't get to food, keeps my body from going into the starvation mode by feeding muscle. Keeps staying on track easier, there is not always good food options around and carrying food isn't always an option either)
-Always eat within 1 hour of waking so you have enough time to fit in all your meals
-set an alarm if you have troubles remembering to eat so often in the beginning

This is a difficult change! It will take time to get used to. Just by changing this you will have awesome results! Its worth putting the effort forward.

-Shanna Tokarsky 2009
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Why Losing Weight is Hard

09/10/2009

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  • Your body has evolutionary safe guards to avoid losing weight. Especially fat.
  • We are programmed to store fat so we can survive long fasts.
  • This came in handy in prehistoric days, but is of little use now.
  • If you don’t have sufficient nutrients your metabolism will slow down to preserve your fat stores.
  • It is extremely difficult to consume sufficient nutrients on a low calorie diet, especially with today’s highly processed foods.
  • This is why supplements are so very important. They allow you to get ample nutrients without the calories.
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The price of obesity

07/29/2009

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You can pay for your health with proper nutrition, exercise and chemical free foods or with insurance deductibles, time off work and medical bills. . . the choice is yours. What are you waiting for??
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Oh No Vacation!

07/17/2009

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Vacation/Weekend Healthy Eating Tips

Going on vacation or weekend trips are awesome! You shouldn’t have to miss out on the fun because you are trying to eat healthy, lose weight and/or live a healthy lifestyle. Here’s a few tips that I use every time I’m on vacation to keep me on track so that I’m not having to run for hours when I get back.

• Pack healthy snacks – Duh! Traveling encourages bad eating. Be prepared to fight the urge to buy that bag of Doritos. This simple tip can easily save you a few gained pounds!  Some of my favorites:
o Almonds
o Apples
o Oranges
o Natural popcorn already popped
o Celery and carrots with hummus
o Water
o Meal Replacement Shakes or bars (AdvoCare)

• Be smart about alcohol choices – Drinking is always a part of my vacations. For some reason people assume that because alcohol is “bad” it doesn’t matter what they are drinking. WRONG! Your alcohol choices alone could ruin your entire healthy eating efforts!
o Stay Away from High calorie mixers –
• Margaritas, pina coladas, long islands, white russians and daiquiris are usually all a really bad choice. They can pack up to 800 calories per drink!! AHHH! Unless that is all you plan on eating for the day, stay away from premixed anything, sweet & sour mix, any drink that has heavy whipping cream, soda, and sugar loaded juices. The only exception to this rule is when REAL fruit or fresh squeezed fruit juice is blended with ice.
o Make sure you are hydrated!
• You know alcohol dehydrates you! If you know you are going to be drinking later in the day make sure you are getting your recommended about (half your body weight in ounces) plus some! The same thing goes for the day after. You can also use electrolyte replacement supplements (rehydrate AdvoCare), this also happens to be a great way to get rid of a hang over!  Watch out for the sugar and calories in other electrolyte replacement drinks like Gatorade and Powerade they usually make you feel worse with a hang over.
• Another way to stay hydrated is to use water as your mixer. I know it doesn’t sound too tasty but with the right liquor it is fantastic. My personal favorite is Sweat Tea Vodka and water.
o Choose the right beers
• Low carb, low calorie beers like Michelob ultra and miller light are good. Stay away from wheat beers and other heavy beers like budweiser.


• Eat responsibly – eating out is a big part of vacationing there are a few tricks that you can use to make sure that you are making the best choices.
o Stay away from bread!! – enriched flour is terrible for you. Think about when you were a kid, do you remember what you made paper mache paste out of?? FLOUR and WATER. Think about that for a minute……..now think of that pastes clogging your insides. GROSS!  Even wheat flour a lot of times is enriched watch out for the fake healthy options. I just stay away from all bread at restaurants.  If you want a sandwich just ask for no bun and eat it with a fork and knife.
o Opt instead for a protein and a vegetable. Fish, Chicken and Steak are all good options. Ask the waiter to hold the butter on the veggies. Even if its not on the menu I ask them to hold the butter. Yes, I’m that person!
o Obviously no fried foods. Do I have to explain this?
o Fake healthy salads are dangerous! A lot of salads are worse for you than a burger and fries! Pass on the cheese, bacon and croutons. Ask for a vinaigrette dressing on the side. Try to use as little as possible.
o Always drink water when possible!
o Share desert with the table.
o Ok it’s vacation…. If you really want that fry or that desert take a few bites to satisfy your craving….you don’t need to eat the whole basket of fries or a whole cheesecake!


• Stay active – I know its time to relax but you can’t expect to lay in the sun all week long and stay in any kind of shape! Get up and move at least 30 minutes a day. That can be swimming in the pool or ocean, playing beach volleyball, carrying your own luggage up to your room, walking around the hotel, jogging outside, playing golf……you get the picture. Just move! If all else fails do some pushups, jumping jacks and crunches in your room.

-Shanna Tokarsky 2009

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