So, I will agree that I have felt better when I workout. I used to walk 10 miles a day, divided into 5 miles 2x a day. I slept well and was able to get through a 3 hour commute and stay on the phone into the wee hours of the night with ML and parent! I was superwoman. But over the last couple of years, I have had allergy induced asthma and severe indoor/outdoor allergies, which has made it hard to workout sometimes. And that is not an excuse, it is the gospel.

So even though I love getting toned and feeling stronger, either through 21 Day Fix that I have mentioned before or walks/hikes or even the updated Body for Life with my fave Bill Phillips (https://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/bill-phillips-back-to-fit-12-week-trainer.html), sometimes I can’t workout as much as I like. I do find that even when I am coughing though, it is easier to do dumbbell workouts than anything else. But sometimes, I don’t have the energy to do that.

So I really did pay attention to what my superfit niece in NYC told me one time-“nutrition is 90 percent of it.” And she is right. Some may disagree. and I understand that if you are a marathoner or a bodybuilder, that may not hold true. But if you are a regular person who wants to lose/maintain weight, it really does pay to watch what you eat just as much or more than how physical you are. You know the whole CIC0 (Calories in Calories Out) thing is valid, but only to a degree. What is equally important? Mini meals!

After having my baby, I gained around 40 lbs because I was diabetic during pregnancy due to PCOS (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/pcos/symptoms-causes/syc-20353439), but I did Body for Life then and it really made a difference. Now granted, I worked out 6 days a week and at 5-6 meals a day. I lost all of my baby weight and then some before I had a total thyroid removal and had even more metabolic problems. After the thyroid removal, for about 6 months, I could barely get out of bed because I had no energy. So, I watched what I ate.

And during any time over the last decade plus that I have not been able to work out, I have made sure that I have kept my food on point. The last few years, I have done a lot of food elimination. So I try to do no soy, no dairy, no gluten, 99 percent of the time. I go through periods of time where I cut out caffeine because it messes with the adrenal gland. But as I said in my last post, I can’t doo perfection in diet anymore because honestly it leads to failure after a while.

But, I will take my niece’s sage advice and make sure that I eat as clean and organic as I can because that matters as much as portion. I also aim to eat every 3 hours that I am up, and trust me, these are not full meals. But they really keep that metabolism revved up. I will give a sample of my typical food intake in a day:
Breakfast

7 am or so

2 eggs, a piece of Ezekiel bread ( Ezekiel English muffin half some days) and a half an avocado, 2 big handfuls of arugula and occasionally fruit but I try to not do too much fruit
Snack

930/10 am

1/2 cup of fruit, arugula (because I am obsessed) and 3oz of tuna with onions, garlic salt and mustard
Lunch

1230/1 pm

6oz of fish/ground turkey/chicken/beef

4 oz of brown rice

a veggie or 3 (because I love them)

I essentially add all of this in a bowl because mine are better than restaurants:)

Sometimes I add in a handful or almonds or a 1/2 of an avocado in the bowl or I do a sweet potato instead of rice. But I NEVER do pasta, though I would love to:)
Snack

330/400 pm

same snack as in the morning, or peanut butter with celery, or 3 oz of turkey with greens and other veggies to make a mini salad
Dinner

630/700 pm

I typically eat something similar to what I had at lunch in regards to veggies, amount of protein and carbs. But if I had carbs during a snack, I will not have it at night.

I have to really watch my carbs because of PCOS. I can’t risk becoming diabetic. And another aspect of that fabulous disorder is the need for TONS and TONS of protein. So, find out what works for your body. Many of you probably already know what your body needs and can tolerate. For those who don’t know, that is a good place to start. We are all so different metabolically speaking, even within in families. Once you know what you need, it is easy to eat properly and you actually begin to only want good foods because you will feel the difference.

Also, sometimes I have a snack after dinner if I am up past 10, which I am a lot. But it is not big or planned, but it is healthy and just enough to keep my metabolism going because that is what this grazing or eating throughout the day is about. And obviously, I don’t have all of the answers or have it all figured out, if you read my last post about my weight loss needs and unhappiness with my body. But I have made decent strides with my health and the awesome lab results from my endocrinologist show that I am doing the work.

So yes, working out is imperative. It is so good for your body and mind. But when you cannot do it, and for many people it is a reality a lot more than they would like due to illness. being mindful in eating is so amazingly important. Find out what works for you and your lifestyle and your schedule and write it down. Spend a few hours on the weekend shopping for the week and cooking a few things ahead really does make the difference in being able to keep the good work you are doing, going.

This is a great resource for people who need a help with organizing themeslves and sticking to their goals: https://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/100-meal-prep-ideas/ Happy planning! And happy Friday. Thanks for reading what was supposed to be a short post, but there was just so much to say!!

simply~

Dee