FITADDICTED

It can become a problem to eat healthy when you work all day Mon-Fri away from home. Believe me, I know :). This is why I came up with a few healthy lunch ideas for YOU to pack to take to work with you. Obviously along with this you’ll need to bring snacks…especially if you work a 8 or longer work today. That’s why I listed some ideas for snacks too!!

I’d recommend eating your first snack 1-2 hours after your breakfast, your lunch 2 hours after your snack, and your 2nd snack 1-2 hours after your lunch :)

Snacks:

-Homemade granola bars—There are TONS of recipes for these..just google “healthy granola bar recipes” and you’re set :)…without all the preservatives of store bought granola bars

-Homemade trail mix: Take some granola, dried fruit, nuts(unsalted of course) and if you’re a chocolate lover…1 tablespoon of dark chocolate chips

-Fruit: Banana, apple, grapes, kiwi…the list goes on and on!!

-Veggies: You can practically bring any veggie cut up to work & it will last all day long without needing to be refrigerated & without getting gross!!

-100 calorie packs: They have tons of different options in the store for this—nuts, crackers etc.,

-Protein Bar: My favorite are p90x protein bars, Luna Bars or Lara Bars

Lunch:

With the grocery list below you can make a week’s worth of lunches costing $5 or less a day (assuming you already have salad dressings on hand):

-Whole wheat pita bread

-Romaine lettuce

-2 tomatoes

-1 cucumber

-1 bag baby carrots

-1 bag of apples & oranges

-1 can of light tuna in water

-1 can of salmon (split for two meals)

-1 prepared grilled chicken

-3 cans of low-sodium, broth-based soup

With this list of foods, you can prepare:

• 1 pita with lettuce and grilled chicken with light Caesar dressing; baby carrots; and an apple.
• Salmon lettuce wraps with light sesame Asian dressing; 1 can of broth-based soup; and an orange.
• Tomato & cucumber salad with olive oil and vinegar; tuna salad on pita; baby carrots; and an apple.
• 1 can of soup; and grilled chicken on a bed of romaine with sliced apple and light vinaigrette.
• Garden salad with salmon, tomato, cucumber, and baby carrots; an orange; and 1 can of soup.

Hope these ideas are helpful!! If you have any questions or ideas of meals/snacks you take with YOU message me :) => Fitaddicted@yahoo.com :)

Are you an emotional eater??If you’re human…about 99.9% of us will answer YES to this question.

Several different things can trigger emotional eating—whether it be because you just broke up with your significant other, got in a fight with a friend, lost a family member or are just plain bored.

Emotional eating can be just as stressful as the problem that’s ‘triggering’ the eating rampage. But what can you do about it?? Here are a few helpful tips I use that I’ve learned not only through my 6 years of nutrition education, but through personal experience.

-When you come to a situation that has triggered you to overeat in the past—Ask yourself….am I REALLY hungry??Most likely, you’re not.

o   If the answer to this question is “NO”—come up with other things that can keep your mind occupied BESIDES eating. Some things I do is pick up the phone and call a friend, get on Facebook and search some of my fitness buddy pages for motivation, go for a walk, clean your room—whatever you do—REMOVE yourself from the kitchen area…Out of sight out of mind.

o   If the answer to this question is “YES—- Allow yourself to have ONE serving of something(healthy of course) Usually comfort foods consist of high carbs and very little nutritional value—switch this. If you NEED to eat something, pop a bag of low fat/no salt added popcorn—They have 100 calorie packs that are ahhhmazing, eat a handful of almonds with a banana, or if you’re really adventurous have a bag of homemade trail mix made up ready to go with a mixture of different things—My favorite is almonds, dried cherries, dark chocolate chips & kasha heart-2-heart cereal already in individualized baggies ready to go!

-Tame that stress—I’ve become very into doing “piyo” which stems from pilatees & yoga and when I feel stressed about something and can shift my mind AWAY from eating, I put on some music and do some piyo. Deep breathing techniques can work just as well….anything to relax you.

- Keep a food diary. Keep track of WHAT and WHEN you’re eating and HOW you feel when you’re eating it. It will be much easier to see patterns of when you are eating more because of your moods. I know this can be monotonous but it really is SO important that you know WHAT you’re putting in your body, especially if you’re trying to lose weight.

-Fight boredom. Instead of snacking when you’re not truly hungry, distract yourself. Take a walk, watch a movie, play with your cat, listen to music, read, surf the Internet or call a friend.

-Take away temptation. Don’t keep supplies of comfort foods in your home if they’re hard for you to resist. And if you feel angry or blue, postpone your trip to the grocery store until you’re sure that you have your emotions in check.

-Don’t deprive yourself. When you’re trying to achieve a weight-loss goal, you may limit your calories too much, eat the same foods frequently and banish the treats you enjoy. This may just serve to increase your food cravings, especially in response to emotions. Let yourself enjoy an occasional treat and get plenty of variety to help curb cravings.

-Snack healthy. If you feel the urge to eat between meals, choose a low-fat, low-calorie snack, such as fresh fruit, vegetables with fat-free dip, or unbuttered popcorn. Or try low-fat, lower calorie versions of your favorite foods to see if they satisfy your craving.

-Get enough sleep. If you’re constantly tired, you might snack to try to give yourself an energy boost. Take a nap or go to bed earlier instead.

-Seek therapy. If you’ve tried self-help options but you still can’t get control of your emotional eating, consider therapy with a professional mental health provider. Therapy can help you understand the motivations behind your emotional eating and help you learn new coping skills. Therapy can also help you discover whether you may have an eating disorder, which is sometimes connected to emotional eating.

If you have any questions, you know you can ALWAYS contact me: FitAddicted@yahoo.com :)

As I promised, here are my results from the 5 day Turbo Fire Inferno Plan. If you are unaware of what this is, it basically is just a 5 day eating plan with recommended Turbo Fire classes/work outs for 5 days straight.

Going into this, I had heard of others having AMAZING results and was really curious if I would have the same luck. Overall before the plan, I ate 90% healthy with minor slip ups(peanut butter and sweets are my weaknesses…if you know me, you know this already ;) ) but in order to get to my personal results by summertime, I knew I had to start making a shift to eating 95% healthy, if not higher. What I mean by ‘healthy’ is eating more fresh fruits, vegetables, lean meats, whole grains etc.,—not as many ‘processed’ foods!!

With this plan, I lost a total of 6 lbs & 3.4 inches from all over my body (MOSTLY in my waist…who wouldn’t want that??  J )

I stuck to the eating plan for the 5 days—making a few alterations for personal preferences or the inability to pack it for the day—and substituted 2 of the work outs for a LIVE class with Jenelle Summers—same amount of time & intensity I would do with the Turbo Fire classes…but HELLO, I’ve got a live Turbo Queen in my area…how could I skip out on one of her classes??

 If you’re someone who is looking for a way to get back into eating healthier, has hit a plateau and needs to switch things up, OR has an event a week or so away and wants to lose a few lbs to fit into that new outfit…. I’d HIGHLY recommend it!!

You can always contact me for help/suggestions etc., either through Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/mwiczynski or email: FITADDICTED.com.

Are you going somewhere or have a special event that you want to look AMAZING for…but it’s 2 weeks away??Don’t fret! You can see results in 2 weeks…It just depends on how focus & determined you are!!

I put together a 2 week program that will give you that extra push…it’s just 2 weeks so put your ALL into it :). Below is the schedule. This program is based on the Beachbody program TURBOFIRE(the one program I’ve personally seen the MOST results from) Don’t have Turbo Fire??You can purchase it from my site: http://www.FitAddicted.com

Week 1:
Day 1: HIIT 15 class + Fire 30 class
Day 2: Fire 55 class + Core 20 class
Day 3: Sculpt 30 class + Fire 45 class
Day 4: HIIT 20 class + 3 mile(run or walk)
Day 5: Fire 55 + Scult 30 class + Core 20 class
Day 6: HIIT 15 class + Fire 30 class + HIIT 15 class
Day 7: Switch it up—do some other kind of cardio(run,walk,elliptical, bike) but get in ATLEAST an hour.

Week 2:
Day 1:Sculpt 30 class + Fire 30 class
Day 2:HIIT 20 class + Fire 45 class
Day 3:Fire 55 class + Core 20 + Sculpt 30 class
Day 4: Switch it up—AT LEAST an hour of some other kind of cardio :)
Day 5: HIIT 20 + Fire 30 class + HIIT class
Day 6: Sculpt 30 + Core 20 class + HIIT 20
Day 7: Fire 55 + HIIT 15 class

For the sculpt classes…if you DO have another lifting program(Chalean Extreme, P90X etc., or even one of Jilian Michaels or Bob Harper lifting work outs…you can always switch that in instead of the sculpt 30..really it’s up to you as long as you’re LIFTING and lifting HEAVY!)

That is just the work out portion of this program. If you’re wanting to try this out—contact me at fitaddicted@yahoo.com or add me/send me a msg on Facebook:http://www.facebook.com/#!/mwiczynski and I can help you figure out HOW many calories you should be consuming and what you SHOULD be eating :)

We all know that in order to lose weight we have to eat ‘healthy’ and exercise. Sounds simple enough right??Wrong!! I know from my own personal experiences with weight loss as well as several of my clients and friends that knowing how to fuel your body correctly for work outs and weight loss is NOT easy.

Here are a few rules I use in my OWN personal life that I thought I’d share with all of you to make this a little easier. Hopefully it helps . 

·         Rule #1: YOU HAVE TO EAT IN ORDER TO LOSE WEIGHT!! I don’t know where the heck the idea of eating less than ‘1200 calories’ came from but many people believe that this is the MAGIC number. WRONG! We’re all different. Some of us can eat up to 2000 calories PER day and still lose weight…others have to stay lower down towards 1400 calories PER day to lose weight. This depends on a lot of things(age, gender, genetics, activity level etc.,).

o   Check out this site: http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm . This is the most accurate online calculator I’ve found. I’ve compared it several times to the ones we use for dietetics and it’s usually dead on for weight loss. You want to follow the ‘fat’ loss number…NOT extreme. The extreme fat loss number is usually way TOO low to maintain weightloss.

·         Rule #2: HYDRATE!!!The recommendations usually say to drink ATLEAST eight-8 ounce glasses of water per day. This is just a recommendation. I usually recommend people drinking more than that, especially if you work out regularly. If you get to that point where you’re feeling “thirsty” you’re ALREADY dehydrated. How to prevent this??Keep a water bottle next to you at all times if you can and every 10-15 minutes take a sip throughout the whole day J

·         Rule #3: Eating BEFORE your work outs. This is a question I get A LOT….and when it comes down to it(especially if you wake up REALLY early to work out) Do what gives you the most energy. If you’re someone who needs something in your system in order to get the most out of your work out(energy wise) then eat something that has a mixture of carbohydrates and protein in it ATLEAST 45 minutes before your work out. You want to shoot for something that has between 100-150 calories in it. Some of my favorites are an apple and peanut butter, sandwich thin with peanut butter, or a ½ of a protein bar. However, if you’re someone who really does not enjoy eating something before you work out and feel like you get a better work out without it, don’t force it. Just remember, if you ARE going to eat before….eat at least 45 minutes before so that you have started to digest what you’ve eaten before you start exercising.

·         Rule #4: Eating AFTER your work out. This is one of the MOST important steps in weight loss. You want to eat as soon as you can after a workout, AT LEAST within an hour after. This should be something that is also a mixture of carbohydrates and protein….with more focus on the PROTEIN, preferably whey protein. Some of my favorites are Shakeology, egg beaters and a glass of skim milk, banana and a glass of chocolate (low sugar) skim milk. As funny as it sounds, there have been several studies that have shown that chocolate milk is one of the BEST after work out snacks J . You have to remember, you just put your body through a strenuous activity. It’s going to be trying to recover so it needs that fuel to be something that is GOOD for you…please no candy or pop(you’ll give me a heart attack if I hear about this!) Another added bonus: Your metabolism is REVVED after you work out so you’ll burn that food off faster…niceeee!

·         Rule #5: Eat EVERY 2-3 hours. It’s been all over the news for the past couple years about how everyone should eat 5-6 small meals per day. This may be inconvenient for most but it really will benefit you in the long run. These are small meals though, keep that in mind!! By eating every 2-3 hours you will be keeping your metabolism going all day which in turn will cause you to have a higher overall calorie burn at the end of the day!! If you go longer than 3 hours without eating….your metabolism drops as a survival mode. Your body will assume that you’re putting it into starvation mode. Not good!!!We want to avoid this J

Hopefully these rules are ones that you’re already doing. If not, maybe we just figured out why the weight wasn’t coming off??If you have ANY questions…don’t hesitate to contact me: Email: fitaddicted@yahoo.com or add me on facebook:http://www.facebook.com/#!/mwiczynski

Over the past week or so it has been a goal in my household to eat more meals throughout the day instead of just having just 3 large meals. Research has shown SEVERAL health benefits for eating 5-6 small meals per day in comparison to the typical 3 large meals most Americans consume. Below I listed a few of my TOP reasons for doing so.

·         Why You Need to Eat Every 3 hours. Eating every day at the same time will make you hungry each day at the same time.

• Fat Loss. You’ll get hungry if you go without food for more than 3 hours. And this can make you overeat at the next meal, preventing fat loss.
• Less Hunger. Smaller meals decrease your stomach size over time. Your stomach will feel full sooner. You’ll also stabilize blood sugar & insulin.
• More Energy. Smaller meals= more energy & better focus.
• Less Cheating. You know you’ll have a healthy meal within 3 hours. Psychologically this makes it easier to keep your diet healthy.

For those of you who are nutrition nuts like me or are even just trying to eat a bit healthier for yourself and your family….let March be YOUR month.

March is National Nutrition Month and the theme this year is “Eat Right with Color.” Foods that are natural and full of color usually supply MORE nutrients….so you get MORE bang for your buck!!! They also are usually the foods that TASTE the best, keep you FULLER longer & will AID in your weightloss.

Below are some of the fruits & vegetables that I would recommend adding to your diet if you’re not already eating them :). Remember, March is 31 days long so spread these out throughout the WHOLE month to get the best benefits from them!!!

Green produce indicates antioxidant potential and may help promote healthy vision and reduce cancer risks.

• Fruits: avocado, apples, grapes, honeydew, kiwi and lime
• Vegetables: artichoke, asparagus, broccoli, green beans, green peppers and leafy greens such as spinach

Orange and deep yellow fruits and vegetables contain nutrients that promote healthy vision and immunity, and reduce the risk of some cancers.

• Fruits: apricot, cantaloupe, grapefruit, mango, papaya, peach and pineapple
• Vegetables

Weight loss is hard….and sometimes we get discouraged ESPECIALLY if we’re doing everything ‘right’ but the scale isn’t moving. I know in my own personal life I’ve had this happen several times….and every time it comes down to one thing—Calories!!

In order to lose weight, you have to consume less calories than you burn. Sounds easy enough right??Well it is, if you make a CONSCIOUS effort to consume less than you burn!!Even if you are eating extremely healthy fresh foods and aren’t losing weight, most likely your portions are too large which means you are taking in too many calories. Even those who think they are only eating a certain amount of calories a day, after actually writing down what they’re eating, they find out they were taking in a lot more calories than they thought. Calories is almost ALWAYS the answer - plain and simple.

Here’s a few guidelines to get you started and/or back on track!!

1.)    Keep a food journal:  How are you supposed to know how many calories you SHOULD be consuming if you don’t know what you’re consuming NOW? With losing weight… ‘One size does NOT fit all’….meaning we all are made differently and have to eat different amounts of calories in order to lose weight. So if you’re serious about losing that weight once and for all….get yourself a journal and start writing down what you’re eating!!

2.)    Eat 5-6 small meals/snacks each day: In order to keep your metabolism revved ALL day you have to be eating every 2-3 hours. For most of us, that feels like A LOT and you feel like you’re eating all the time…but once you train your body to do this, you will feel a difference in not only your energy level but in your mood. But if you go over that 3 hour mark…you’ll start feeling—cranky, sluggish, hungry & UNMOTIVATED. You will also be more likely to OVEREAT in your next meal. We want to avoid this!!

3.)    Put the FUN back in your work outs: Work outs do NOT have to be boring and dreadful. Find something that you enjoy and use that as your work out. Remember when you were a kid and running around outside or jumping rope was fun??Get back to that mentality…Don’t look at it as an amount of calories you HAVE to burn…but as a way to make yourself FEEL better. We function at our best when we’re getting daily physical activity.

4.)    No cheating. This may be unrealistic but seriously, if you’re looking to lose weight and you’re good 6 days of the week but give yourself 1 ‘cheat’ day….that can blow EVERYTHING you did during the week. We don’t want that right?? You must remain in a caloric deficit in order to continue losing weight. You can lose 2 pounds in 6 days and not see it on the scale because over the weekend you made up for all the calories lost in poor choices. It is essential you remain on your diet everyday until you reach certain set goals. Healthy living is a lifestyle, not a trend or season - it’s for life. Once you are in maintenance you won’t have to be quite as strict, but until then dieting and activity must be applied everyday.