Butter Betrayal

Have yall ever picked up one of those pretty little yellow fake butter sprays, thinking oh it’s not really butter, it can’t be THAT bad?! ...  Then you take it home, cook up a healthy meal, and spray it all over your rice or potatoes? I have!!  One day I was talking with my coach and just out of curiosity asked her if that fake spray butter was bad. What she told me changed my whole perception of that stuff!

Look at the ingredients listed below in real butter and spray butter...All of the highlighted items are included in both...see how similar they are??  They can get away with labeling it “fat free” because the serving size is so small. Truth is, that little bottle is loaded with FAT!!! After discovering all of this, I felt COMPLETELY BETRAYED by the butter!  All along, I had been thinking I was doing so good...eating so much healthier, cutting out certain things, and just adding a few squirts of fake butter to top it off.  Fake butter was my friend, it wasn't supposed to make me fluffy!  I have used this stuff for years!  Now, when I see labels that read “fat free” or “sugar free” – I pick them up and read the ingredients closely because obviously, the labels can be totally misleading.  Avoid this stuff - it is processed and not good for you!

Country Crock Butter Ingredients:

• Vegetable Oil Blend (Soybean Oil, Palm Oil, Palm Kernel Oil)
• Water
• Whey (milk)
• Salt
• Mono and Diglycerides
• Soy Lecithin
• Potassium Sorbate and Calcium Disodium EDTA
• Citric Acid
• Vitamin A Palmitate
• Beta Carotene (color)
• Flavor(s) Natural & Artificial
• Cholecalciferol (Vitamin D3)

I Can’t Believe It's Not Butter Ingredients:

• Water
• Soybean Oil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Salt
• Sweet Cream Buttermilk
• Xantham Gum
• Soy Lecithin
• Polysorbate 60
• Lactic Acid
• Potassium Sorbate and Calcium Disodium EDTA
• Natural and Artificial Flavor
• Vitamin A Palmitate
• Beta Carotene (color)

DON'T GET BETRAYED BY THE BUTTER YALL!!!

Gettin' Down to the Basics

I want to share some of the basic guidelines that I follow for healthy eating.  This list is full of things that I JUST learned this year...yeah, about time right?  After quitting and re-starting a certain weight loss program numerous times over the years, I realized that I had no clue how to eat healthy.  Now I'm not saying that I don't break my own rules from time to time with food (because I totally do -you need a cheat meal every now and then), but following these guidelines has helped me get to where I am today.  It's hard to know what to eat after all of the commercials you see on tv and all the crazy stuff you read about diets and magic pills these days!!

Here's the Truth:  When it comes to eating healthy in order to burn fat, it’s really NOT that complicated.  You can make it that way if you want, but I like to keep it simple!

So, here's my list of guidelines to follow when it comes to eating healthy:

•  NO Processed Foods!
• If it comes in a package, take caution!  I’m talking cereal, potato chips, bread, whole wheat pasta, frozen “healthy” dinners, protein bars, all that stuff.  It’s all full of empty calories.  Do your best to eat fresh natural foods.  If you can't find it fresh, get it frozen.  If you can't find it frozen, get it canned.  Remember that you want to eat foods that are as close to their natural state as possible.

• Eat 5-6 Meals a Day
• You need to be eating 5-6 small meals a day.  For me, that consists of breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, supper, and a post-workout shake.  If you skip a meal or don’t eat every 2-3 hours...you will probably get really hungry and most likely overeat at the next meal.

• Drink Lots of Water
• Shoot for a gallon a day.  Drinking water keeps you hydrated and helps lessen fluid retention.  Stay away from Dr. Pepper, Diet Cokes, Coke Zeros, and Sweet Tea.  Plain ole water is your new best friend.

• Remember your Macronutrients!
• These are your Proteins, Carbs, and Fats.  If you want to burn fat - stick to 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 20% fat on a daily basis.

• Eat your Protein
• You need to be eating lean healthy protein at every meal.  My favorite healthy protein sources are:  tilapia, chicken breast, egg whites, lean beef, nonfat plain greek yogurt, and protein powder.  If you skip out on your protein, you won’t be able to build muscle as fast, and you will be hungrier between meals.

• Eat Healthy Carbs
• Yes, I said eat carbs!  :)  And no, I don’t mean french fries!  My favorite healthy carb sources are:  green veggies, sweet potatoes, oats, quinoa, and brown rice.  Stick to carbs that are low-glycemic, full of fiber, and slow-digesting.

• Eat Healthy Fats
• My favorite fat sources are almonds and olive oil.

•  Eat Veggies
• Try to buy green veggies.  My favorites are broccoli, brussels sprouts, and baby spinach.

• Cut out as much Sugar as possible
• Sugar turns into FAT...and where does fat go?  For me, it’s my butt and legs, and I definitely don’t want more junk in my trunk!  If you want to sweeten something up, use Stevia (it’s all natural and doesn’t contain aspartame or any of that other artificial stuff).

• NO ALCOHOL
• Alcohol just turns into sugar, then turns into fat...and we all know what that does.  The way your body processes alcohol will also put you into fat-STORING mode instead of fat-BURNING mode.  It's okay to allow yourself a drink every now and then, but if you don't watch it - you will grow yourself a gut real fast!

So, there you have it!  I tried not to go into too much detail to keep things simple, so if you want to know more details - feel free to shoot me an email!  I know that when I was just starting to learn about food, I didn't know what the heck macronutrients were and the thought of having to eat a % of this or that was overwhelming and confusing!  If you want to take the guesswork out and get a custom meal plan, just ask me how and I will point you in the right direction.

**Bottom Line:  If you want to burn fat, you have to learn how to be successful in the kitchen.  You can't "outwork" a bad diet.  What you eat is a HUGE part of what determines your success when getting healthy!!!!**

Let's Get Started!

This is my FIRST Blog post ever!  Bear with me yall!  The idea to start this blog was given to me by one of my best friends/coach/trainer lady, Kristina Kaderli.  She has been the light in the darkness in this crazy world of FOOD that we live in, and after learning everything she has taught me - I feel that it's only fair to share it with everyone I can so they can benefit from it too!  So, this blog is going to be dedicated mostly to the what, why, when, and how of my eating habits.  

Here's a little bit about how I got started (most of yall know this already, but for those of you who don't, this is for you)....In February of this year, I had a wake up call.  I lost a dear friend and one of my grandparents unexpectedly.  I had always known that life was short, but it took me losing people I loved for it to hit home.  No longer did I want to switch cheeks on the couch, no longer did I want to be uncomfortable in my own skin, and no longer did I want to sit back and say "I wish."  I wanted a change, so that's exactly what I did.  I found a Groupon for Synergy Fitness, and I started going to boot camp.  My first day was horrible because I was so out of shape, and I thought I might have lost it there for a second for wanting to do all those crazy workouts!  But I kept after it and actually started to enjoy going.  One night, my coach at the time, Eugene, called me...and he wanted to talk about FOOD of all things!  He asked me what I ate for supper, and I felt a rush of terror come over me as I said, "Pizza." He recommended that I get a meal plan from Kristina, and that's exactly what I did.  Best 20 bucks I ever spent!!  She taught me a completely new way to eat, and guess what...that fat started just melting off, and that's when I really started to change!

Since I started my journey to get healthy in February, I have...won a fat loss challenge, ran two 5k's, and cut my pants size in half!  

I want yall to know that it has NOT been easy, there have been times I want to quit (and have for about a month), and there have been lots of challenges and struggles.  I plan on posting here a few times a month not only to show yall some awesome tips on how to be successful in the kitchen but also to keep myself accountable.  Here's to keepin it real yall!!  :)