You Are What You Eat

Another weekend ends. Another week begins. Mine, well, consisted of moving the in-laws into their new beautiful home, meeting puppy parents (more on that later), football (can I get a HELL YA to another Texans win?!), friends, food and champagne. Oooh how I am mildly obsessed weekends!

Oh-and because this is a record-breaking event, you should all

know that THIS happened twice this weekend...

Yes. That's a freshly made bed. Iono what's gotten into me...

Anyway-enough about me, more about, well...me.

So here lately, I've gotten a ton of questions asking about my diet so I figured I should probably go ahead and answer those requests. (Sorry y'all. This post is LONG overdue!)

For starters, I whole heartedly believe that you are what you eat. If you wanna eat a Big Mac, go for it. But you need to understand that you are probably going to feel just like that burger afterwards; round, plump and full of junk. If you want to eat asparagus, go you. You're going to become a lean machine. And if you want to eat broccoli, you're going to have big hair and/or resemble that of a tree. (Kidding. But cruciferous veggies, like broccoli, also make you lean.)

To jump right in, 90% of the time I follow a yeast-free diet. Yeast-free basically means I don't consume any sugar or anything that converts to sugar, like simple carbohydrates (white potatoes, white bread, white rice, etc.) If I'm eating a carb (other than fruit), it's going to be brown rice or sweet potatoes. The end. Yeast-free also means no dairy (milk, butter, yogurt, Greek yogurt, cheese, etc.), no sugar (except for stevia and sugar alcohols like xylitol), no yeast (bread, flours, etc), and no heavily fermented alcoholic drinks. Wine and champagne are my cheats but my go-to drink is vodka/soda with a lime. (Sidenote: clear liquors are the least sugary.) When you're eating so low-carb, high-protein, counting calories is not necessary. (I've actually never been a calorie counter...)

The other 10% of the time I cheat. It's highly impossible to live like this every single day of your life. Well, I mean you could if you never wanted to be social again and live in a bubble but that's just not my cup of tea. When I say "cheat", I don't mean I go out and stuff my face with nachos and cheese fries. If I'm out at dinner and bread is on the table, I'll eat small piece. If Beau gets dessert, I'll steal a bite. Moderation is absolutely key.

Before (145 lbs) & After (124 lbs)

Why do I eat the way I do?

 A) I feel great and I'm never bloated (unless I cheat big time or drink beer). My clothes always fit me well and I never have to "worry" about bikini season.

B) I eat for my skin. I have very oily, acne-prone skin and I've quickly discovered that a sugar-free, dairy-free diet is the best thing I can do for it. I've tried birth control, antibiotics, expensive skin care lines and ridiculous make-up with no prevail. Without a doubt, 99% of my skin issues can be contributed to what I'm eating (or drinking) and though it's nowhere close to perfect, it's improved tremendously since I figured this out.

C) I preach health and wellness on a daily basis. (Also read: I'm a health blogger by day). What kind of hypocrite would I be if I sat there and told people how to eat and live a healthy lifestyle if I
didn't follow suit?!

I rest my case.

I should also probably go ahead and say, in my humble opinion, skinny does not equal healthy. There's a difference. You can be lean, and you can be thin. I prefer to be lean & muscular.

My diet isn't a "diet". It's a lifestyle. Yo-yo dieting is one of the absolute worst things you can do for your body. (Also see: Oprah Winfrey should not be your weight loss idol.) Exercise is absolutely key. Make it a part of your daily routine ASAP, if it's not already. (20% cardio and 80% strength training has seemed to be the best combination for me.)

And to answer 99% of the questions I've gotten recently, here's what I eat on a weekly basis:

Breakfast

• Larabars w/ fruit
• Breakfast Cookie
• Protein Shake
• Lean Turkey Sausage
• PaleoBar w/ fruit
• Yeast-Free Pumpkin Bread
• Scrambled eggs w/ bacon (sometimes turkey, sometimes regular)

Lunch

• 99.9% of the time lunch consists of leftovers from dinner the night before
• Amy's Black Bean Chili (if I'm in a bind)
• Salad
• Tuna salad made with vegannaise (not mayonnaise)

Dinner

• Protein (lean turkey, chicken, venison, shrimp, fish) 
• Veggies (brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus, zucchini, squash)
• Beans (Black only)
• Yeast-free chili
• Spaghetti squash (served as spaghetti)
• Chicken Tortilla Soup
• Taco Wraps

 Go-To Snacks

• Energy Balls
• No-bake chocolate cake
• Almonds or cashews
• Terra Chips/hummus
• Apples/sugar-free all-natural peanut butter
• Fruit (apples, strawberries, blueberries, grapefruits & bananas)

Last night's dinner: cedar plank salmon, sautéed brussel sprouts, steamed cauliflower & baked sweet potatoes

Is it cheap? No. 

Is it easy? No. 

Do I eat a LOT of the same foods all the time? Yes.

Is it worth it? You bet your sweet tush it is.

Some count "points". Some count calories. Some prefer to just NOT eat. (I do not advise that last one.) Yeast-free is what works for me, is what has worked for me for over 3 years now and it's important for you figure out what works best for you!

(*Shameless plug but starting January 14th, I'll be hosting my company's 3rd annual "Yeast-Free with Me" challenge. It's basically 30 days of motivational emails including tips, tricks, grocery lists, recipes, etc., put on by lil' ol' me! If you'd like to join, by ALL means, sign up here! Whether you want to follow the diet to lose a few ell bees (lb's) or just get a little help reaching your health goals, you really have nothing to lose!)

So there. I think I covered just about everything I've been asked recently but if you still have those burning questions in the back of your mind, shoot me an email or leave a comment! Also, I have an entire page devoted to healthy living so feel free to check it out if you're still wondering if this is the right thing for you!

Cheers to a happy, healthy 2013!