Tips To Replace Junk Food With Healthier Food

This is the first of what I hope to be many blog posts that have absolutely nothing to do with my Insanity workouts, but are actually kind of informative.  Today I'm going to talk about how to exchange that yummy, sometimes sugar-loaded junk food that we all love and our thighs and butts hate into something that's actually good for you.  This topic came up in the group that I'm part of on Facebook that is comprised of our Beachbody Team, and one of the women posted that she was really trying to get off the junk food - like cookies and milk - and have something healthy instead because getting into the "eating right" phase is difficult to do.

It's difficult for everyone!  If you can't get hooked on some form of "bad thing" then I really don't think you're human.  Seriously.

Anyways, Helga (that isn't her name, but you gotta love obscure names) said she's been bringing deviled eggs to work to snack on instead of cookies.  Go Helga!  She also asked what kind of others things she and her family could do to gradually phase out the junk and phase in the healthy.  Here are some tips from our wonderful team:

• Get Rid of The White.  

This means buy whole wheat bread instead of white bread.  Buy brown rice instead of white rice.  Use whole pasta instead of regular pasta.  You can even use Turbinado Sugar instead of white sugar.  Clicking this link will take you to Live Strong's website where they have a really good write up on how to use Turbinado sugar in place of white sugar.  The options are out there, you just need to find them and not be afraid to try something new. 

• Make A Meat Rub.  

One of the women suggested going through all your spices and make a meat rub that you can use for chicken, pork, beef, etc.  With a rub you can do all sorts of things with you meat - marinate it, use a bit extra to form a crust when you cook the meat, or even smoking the meat.  By using the rub as a "crust" you eliminate the need to use bread crumbs, which is always a bonus. 

• Replace Crunchy With Crunchy.  

Everyone has their favorite type of chips.  Mine happen to be Flamin' Hot Cheetos and Sun Chips.   I replaced my chips with baby carrots.  Every time I wanted something crunchy to munch on, I grabbed a handful of baby carrots instead of a handful (or a whole bag) of chips.  Same goes with eating celery or an apple. 

• Replace Soft With Soft.  

Same thing as above, but with soft foods.  I replaced cookies (and I do love cookies) with fruit - bananas, strawberries, pineapple. 

• Buy Sandwich Thins.  

I recently discovered these wonderful Sandwich Thins at Sam's Club (where they are much cheaper), but they also have them at grocery stores.  I buy the Whole Wheat and the Honey Wheat.  They are great for so many reasons.  First off, they are thin, so when you make a sandwich, you can actually TASTE the things you put between the slices instead of a mouthful of just bread.  Second, they make GREAT brat, hot dog, and Italian sausage buns.  Same principal as with the sandwich - you can taste the meat instead of just the bread.  And, they are lower on calories than regular wheat bread.  :) 

• 90 Calorie Granola Bars.  

I buy these because they are great snacks, treats/desserts, and breakfast foods.  I get the ones from Wal-Mart in chocolate chip.  It gives me a chocolatey treat without all the bad stuff.  I don't eat them every day, but they are nice to have on hand. 

• Drink Water.  

I know, it sounds silly.  But, when you get a craving for something, drink a glass (8 ounces) of water then ask yourself if you are really hungry for that food or just think you are. 

• Replace Your Milk.  

I know I've said this before, but Almond Milk is the way to go!  I love the Almond Milk / Coconut Milk blends (60 calories), and I have stopped buying regular milk completely.  TH even loves it.  I get him the Vanilla flavored Almond Milk (which is 90 calories).  I use it to cook with, to make my Shakeology, eat it with my cereal, and use it as my coffee creamer - on the off days when I actually want to drink coffee. 

• Change Your Cereal.  

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but I don't like to cook breakfast for myself.  So, I'm a big eater of cereal, and Cinnamon Toast Crunch is hand's down the best cereal on earth.  But, it's not healthy.  So I replaced the best cereal on earth with granola types.  Sam's Club/Wal-Mart has a Pumpkin Flax Seed Granola which is actually really freaking good - as cereal and mixed in yogurt.  Another good one is from Jewel's Wild Harvest brand.  It's a Cherry Vanilla Granola and a Blueberry Flax Seed Granola.  And they are all excellent with Almond / Coconut Milk.  :) 

• Experiment With Your Greens.  

Stop using just iceberg lettuce! Experiment a little and get yourself some baby spinach, romaine, arugula, kale, or just a spring mix from the store.  And before you go "Ewwww, spinach!", stop.  Spinach in a can isn't what REAL spinach tastes like.  It's much much better, because I thought the same thing.  I use different lettuce types for salads and sandwiches.  I also make the spinach into a dinner side dish by wilting it with some garlic and extra virgin olive oil.  It's delicious.  :) 

• Drink More Water Instead of Soda.  

I can't say it enough, drink water like it's going out of style.  I used to think this wasn't very important, and I was wrong.  Now, drinking 64 ounces of water a day is nothing.  The best way to do this (for me anyways) was to use a 32 ounce cup.  We have several Iron Man and Farmville cups from 7-11 Slurpees, and I know that I have to drink minimum two a day.  Because I was drinking so much water, I didn't even WANT a soda.  Though I will admit, kicking the soda habit was hard.  I started small by saying gradually reducing how much I drank it - like 1 can every other day.  Then I reduced it to Wednesdays only.  By the third week, I didn't even want it anymore and it tasted terrible.  

• Avoid Fast Food.  

I love french fries.  I especially love french fries from Wendy's.  And sometimes you really don't have a choice about eating at a fast food restaurant.  So if you have no choice, check out this very informative posting from the Dr. Gourmet website as it lists some "healthier" options as well as nutritional value for each.  He also has a handy printable version for most of the restaurant options as well.

So these are some of my tips and some of our Facebook groups tips.  I hope they help you make better food choices whenever possible.  If anyone has any others, post'em up!  I'd love to hear them!

My Fitness Goals - Round 2

I know, I've said it before but I'm doing Insanity again!.  This time I mean it!  When I said that back in June I think, we had normal weather.  Four days into the program, mega hot heatwave hit us and it didn't let up until last week, but this week has been gorgeous.  I've made my start date tomorrow, August 13th, because 13 is my lucky number.  You may think it's strange or weird, but I like that number because everyone else fears it.  :)

Part of starting Insanity the first time was to make a goal list.  If you want to check it out, you can find it by clicking on the pretty blue link you just read.  So, I figured the best way to do this right would be to create a new set of goals that reflect what I've learned from the first round of Insanity, and what I want to accomplish in this second round.  If you'll look back through my first round, I lost a total of 10 pounds and 19.7 inches.  In a perfect world, I'd like to double the weight lost, but realistically, I know that is not possible, nor would it be super healthy.

Why you might ask?  Well, I'll tell you.

Because I'll rebound and go on an "I must eat all the ice cream I can because I'm not as huge as I was anymore" spree.  Like the great and well known "Eat the Brownie Extravangaza!".  And I know I would.  I may not limit it to ice cream - cookies, soda, chips, chocolate, candy, Wendy's, beer, Burger King - whatever.  It would be a total nightmare and a waste of 60 days of kickin' ass.  Not to mention depressing as all hell.

So, I'm going to do it the way I did before - Daily, Weekly, and Monthly goals.  I am also staying with Sundays as Rest Days (except for camping weekends where I make up Saturday's workout on Sunday), and also with the "I'm allowed one bad thing on Wednesdays IF I ABSOLUTELY HAVE TO HAVE IT".  With my last round of Insanity, I had to kick the soda habit and letting myself have one on Wednesdays was awesome.  After a while, I didn't even want one, or if I opened it, I couldn't drink it because it killed my stomach.  Sadly, this is no longer the case, so that one day of having a single bad thing will help again with cravings and rebound issues. 

Also, Saturdays are considered "Free Days".  I don't have to follow my nice eating healthy habits, I can eat badly if I want too.  With the first round of Insanity, this "Free Day" was used probably 50% of the time.  I just didn't want to jam my mouth full of french fries and a burger all the time, so I rarely used it.  BUT - when I did use it, I wouldn't feel as guilty about it.  Having a Free Day is a good thing.

TLDR version for you ADD types: Saturdays are Free Days, Wednesdays are "One Bad Thing" days, and Daily, Weekly, and Monthly goals are a must.

So, here they are, in no particular order:

Daily Goals

• Drink a glass (8 oz.) of water with every snack & meal.
• Eat 5 times a Day - Breakfast, Snack, Lunch, Snack, Dinner.
• Drink at least 64 ounces of water daily, more is better.
• Log my Calorie Intake with My Fitness Pal.
• Do the WORKOUT!.
• Eat suggested serving sizes, not how much I really want.
• Write an INVENTIVE blog post about the workout of the day.  Because I've done this before, it gets kind of old reading about how much I hate Plyometric Cardio Circuit.  Be Original!

Weekly Goals

• Lose 1/2" inch on a body part; it doesn't matter which one.
• Record bi-weekly measurements & weight, and ONLY bi-weekly.  No checking weight in between measuring days.
• 6 of 6 workouts done each week.
• Don't injure myself!
• Write a blog post that doesn't pertain to a workout at least twice a week.

Monthly Goals

• Push myself harder each week than I did the previous week.  
• Month 1 - Lose 4" total.  Month 2 - Lose 8" total, for a total of 12" lost by end of Insanity.
• Stick with the program!!!

Final Goals

• Final weight of 180 pounds or less
• A flat stomach
• Have more energy and sleep better.
• Complete lifestyle change by eating healthier foods & proper portion sizes without realizing it
• Be able to wear the "closet jeans" with no belly flab hanging over the top, or in this case, "closet shorts" since it's summer time.  :)
  

And there you have it.  Some of them are the same as before, as they are things I still need to work on.  Some of them have changed because I know what I can accomplish if I set my mind to it.  Round Two - here I come!!  :)

A New Coach, New Clothes, & Tilted Kilt

So, my first exciting news of the day happened just a little while ago.  A good friend of mine had been working out with P90X last year (or maybe the year before, I can't remember at the moment) and stopped.  When he started reading my Facebook posts about Insanity, he picked his P90X back up and has been doing it everyday since.

Today, he became the very first person to sign up as an Independent Team Beachbody Coach under me.  I'm so happy and excited for him, as I know he's going to be excellent at motivating and inspiring others to improve their lifestyles.  He's always posting up how he's doing, songs or sayings that help him stay on track, and being very vocal in our various accountability pages on Facebook.

So, a big huge "Congratulations Jon"!!!  :)

The second wonderful thing that happened today was I finally got my Kohl's shipment.  If you are a guy, you may want to just skip over this part, because I highly doubt you want to read about boob insecurities.  Since starting Insanity, I've been stressing that I'd lose boob size while doing it.  TH would not be happy about that, and honestly, neither would I.  They are the one part of me (besides my hair pre-highlights) that I actually liked.  Well, I finally got a 30% coupon to Kohl's and since the damn store rarely carries my size (or if they do, it's the really ugly old-lady styles), I ordered them from online, which I've never done for that particular piece of clothing.  Since I got sick of wearing stretched-out-missing-the-underwire bras, I ordered a bunch of them, thinking I could return the ones that didn't fit or I didn't like.

I'm keeping them all.  They fit great, look great, and that's all I'm saying about that.

The third great thing actually happened yesterday.  TH and I went out with some of his friends from work to Tilted Kilt.  Tilted Kilt is like Hooters but 1,000,000 times better.  They are a designed around a Celtic/Scottish/Gaelic theme (obviously) and their servers outfits are way better than Hooters, hands down.  They have great food as well.

Copyright Tilted Kilt.

The TK Lager (house beer) is delicious.  They also had something called a 'Beergarita' which is a margarita made with Blue Moon.  They also had a Spinach Chicken salad to die for.  It has spinach, grilled chicken, feta, dried cranberries, bacon, hard-boiled egg, and a house vinaigrette.  I got it without the bacon and it was fabulous!  I only had one TK lager and TH and I split the Beergarita, because I had to try it.  I drank iced tea the rest of the night. 

Now, it's storming and the lights are flickering, so I'm going to end this post here before I lose power.  I need to go find candles and a flashlight.  Later all!