Healthy Dining Out

Sticking to a fabulous eating program that is helping you get healthier one day at a time can be very doable, especially at home. You've got your favorite supersized Starbucks water bottle on hand, salmon marinating in the fridge, and fresh vegetables from the local farmer's market on the counter waiting to be chopped. But what about when your routine must be interrupted by life's demands- a work trip, an invitation to a birthday party at a restaurant, a schedule that forces you to be away from home at mealtime- what then?

Here are a few tips to help you stay on track so that success can be yours no matter where you find yourself eating, from the airport to your favorite restaurant.

1. It is so obvious, but must be said. Plan ahead! Keep protein bars in your purse and car and know what you plan to eat and when.

2. When traveling, call ahead to your hotel and ask for a room with a  microwave and refrigerator in it. You can buy healthy options and keep them in your room, rather than eating out every meal.

3. Eat small meals every 2.5-3 hours. You will never get ravenously hungry and eat 4000 calories before passing out in a haze of guilt if you keep your body properly fueled at regular intervals throughout the day.

4. Keep a water bottle with you at all times. If you are caught on the road at a mealtime, drink a lot of water, eat one of those protein bars you always keep with you, and keep driving right past that McDonald's.

When eating at a restaurant, use these tips to help you stay healthy and avoid falling off the wagon.

• Order water to drink. Don't drink your calories. Instead, hydrate your body. It is SO good for you.
• Just say no to bread. Trust me, you do not want to know how many calories a couple of pieces of garlic bread will add to your dinner. Many restaurants offer it with all meals. Head off your waiter and ask them not to bring it at all.
• Americans have been conditioned by our culture to associate lots of food with having fun. Try it out and see- you can enjoy a night out with friends without eating unhealthy food. Food is fuel for your body. Rather than "trying" to avoid temptation, actively seek the healthiest option on the menu.
• Look for lean meats such as chicken, fish, shellfish and lean cuts of beef that have been baked or broiled. Add to this lots of colorful vegetables!
• Don't be shy about customizing the dinner you order. Even if it is a little extra effort for the waiter, ask them to put sauces and dressing on the side. Don't add salt.
• Enjoy the food you get and eat it slowly. Think about the texture and taste. Enjoy your company, but don't mindlessly eat while you talk.
• Do not view a meal out as a reward or a celebration. Reward yourself with time with family and friends (this can be done over a healthy meal), or with a manicure or a new pair of jeans. Your waistline will thank you and you will never regret this new attitude. And the jeans will fit better!

Follow these tips to create healthy habits for you and your family. Remember that your body is a reflection of what your long-term habits are. The healthy, fit people we would all like to look like do not drive through for coffee everyday and would probably not be caught dead eating fast food. Emulate the habits of those you would like to be like and soon, you will be one of those fabulous healthy people and someone will ask you, what is your secret?

It will be a happy day, trust me.  To your health!

Jill

What is holding us back?

If you ask the average person on the street, "do you want to be healthy?" The overwhelming answer would be YES. But if those same people were asked "are you healthy?" or "what is your plan for getting healthy?" you might get a variety of answers.

People want to be healthy. People need help, a plan, and a support system. Forget about diets. What each person needs is an individual, long-term health plan with defined, achievable goals, and a support system. Reach out if this is what you want. Help is available. I would love to walk beside YOU and watch you achieve what you want.

Programs can be designed gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free and/or for those with diabetes, high blood pressure, or high cholesterol. We have plans for teenagers, nursing mothers, senior citizens and everyone in between.

Don't be afraid to ask for what you want or to work to change something about your life. This is your one life that you get to live. Make it what you want.

Fresh taste

I am officially going on six months of being good to my new friend, the vegetable. Why did it take me so long? I can still remember the study guide I created in high school showing the vitamins, nutrients and benefits of each vegetable. Ok, I don't remember ALL of it, but a lot! And now that I am firmly entrenched in my new healthy habits, I am eating these fabulous, colorful beauties and am enjoying the benefits and something I never thought I would: the taste.

The truth is that when I took all the garbage out of my diet, real food took on a different taste. Sugary peanut butter now tastes like plastic to me. A big salted carmel mocha (my former favorite Starbucks drink and solely responsible for my final five pounds of weight gain before I took action) now tastes sickeningly sweet to me. I can't drink one. In contrast, cucumbers are crunchier, red bell peppers are sweeter and drinking water feels so good. My skin feels and looks better. My health is improving all the time and I am hungry to continue on this journey to achieve amazing health and fitness. It just gets better and better.

I would love to share this journey with others who are tired of watching other people live active lives and ready to take control of their own. Reach out and get some help. It's fun and we can do it together!

jill.a.riddle AT gmail.com

Nursing Mom's Program

Topic of today's discussion is the awesome Nursing Mom's program that is one of the options on the program that I coach. Pictured above is my friend Bekah, who used the nursing mom's program to lose 30 pounds.

Some important tips about the nursing mom's program:

• Best time to start is after the baby is at least 3 months old.
• Drinking LOTS of water everyday helps boost milk supply, in fact many mothers, myself included, found that milk supply actually increased on the program. This may not be the case for everyone, but I experienced this.
• You eat 6 times a day and sample menus are given.
• It's a great idea to track your calorie intake. I love the (free!) app called My Fitness Pal.

I started on the nursing mom's program in February and lost 15 pounds in 8 weeks (results vary) and was so happy, relieved, ecstatic, you name the word, to have a baby but NO baby weight! Not to mention with summer right on top of us, I am prepared to make great choices at all the BBQs, parties and fun times that this season provides. In addition, I am ready to have some fun in the water and not be petrified of wearing a swimsuit, or even a bikini. 

(Just a side note for those of you who are in the same boat as me, I have had 3 C-sections and lots of stretch marks but have found that without the excess fat around my middle, I am comfortable in a bikini. Yes I have a few scars of motherhood, but without the fat, they don't bother me.)

The truth is that this program is quite versatile, meeting the needs of nursing mothers, those with gluten allergies, nut allergies, dairy allergies, those with type 2 diabetes, those that need to lose 140 pounds or 14. We can help senior citizens down to teenagers. Each person's plan is constructed based on THEIR needs.

If I can help you or someone you know, let's talk! You can email me at jill.a.riddle AT gmail. Have a happy healthy day!

Jill

Hope

This is Molly.

She signed up with the program to lose 20 pounds.

She had lost those same 20 pounds many times before on diets.

It took her two weeks on program to believe for herself that health was possible for her.

She discovered that this program is not a "diet" but a lifestyle of health.

She lost 142 pounds and is living a healthy life maintaining her weight.

Molly is doing things today that she never dreamed were possible for her.

She keeps up with her daughter, she goes for runs. Molly even wears a bikini.

This program changed her life. Could it change yours?

Baby Steps

I'm keeping it short and sweet today. If you need help creating health in your life, reach out and ask for it! People want to help others achieve goals and guess what? We only get one shot at this wild and crazy life so make the most of it! Don't live your life wishing things were different that are fully under your control. Need someone to believe for you? Ask for help and ride on their back until you can believe for yourself that not only are you capable of creating health and living the life that you want, but you deserve it.

Helping others create health in their lives is what I specialize in! Contact me if you would like my help.

A Day in the Life...

Lots of people know lots of stuff about losing weight. But what can we learn about maintaining that valuable ideal healthy weight once it is attained? Many career dieters heave a big sigh of relief when the desired number appears on the scale and then go out for a reward dinner... or stop weighing themselves... or start up all the bad habits once again and find themselves in a yo-yo pattern.

The program I coach teaches healthy habits for life and I'd like to show you what a day in healthy maintenance looks like. There are many excellent choices for healthy snacks.

Here's what a day of healthy maintenance looks like for me (a 5'10" female in my 30's):

Breakfast (eaten within 30 minutes of waking): 1/2 cup dry oatmeal, prepared, with cinnamon and 1 packet calorie free sweetener, 1 cup of fat free greek yogurt (my favorite is Chobani)

1 cup coffee with fat-free half and half and 16 oz. water.

Mid-morning snack: peanut butter crunch bar, my favorite. Chug another 16 oz water.

Lunch: Whole wheat tortilla with Laughing Cow light cheese spread, turkey breast, chopped, red onion, mushrooms and spinach. Along with that I like to have soup (my favorite is Amy's organic minestrone) and a few slices of apple or pear. 16 oz water

Mid-afternoon snack: honey-mustard pretzel bites. 8-16 oz water.

Dinner: 6-8 oz. grilled chicken breast with salsa, 1 cup steamed broccoli, 1/2 cup brown or basmati rice. 16 oz water.

Evening snack: Pop Secret 100 Calorie Pop Kettle Corn OR 2 ounces dark chocolate or 1/4 cup almonds.

1 cup of peppermint tea.

I love that I can maintain my goal weight while eating lots of yummy food. I have learned some great habits for lifetime health and they guide my decision making daily to support my goals.

If you would like information on how to reach your goal weight, I would love to help you!