Mornings and Diets

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Good morning! I hope that you have had a wonderful Monday and you Tuesday is starting off just as great! We got back from Panama City Beach quite late last night and I am not quite sure that I am back to life yet. For this reason, today's post is a little shorter and is simply going to show you an article you may have missed by Darya Rose over at Summer Tomato. I think almost every person out there can admit to going on or wanting to go on a diet. Personally, there are very few that actually work for me other than those that help me change my lifestyle and eating habits rather than making me eat less of a certain (o any) food.

In the article, Darya talks about why diets do not work on both a psychological and and physical level. Weight loss systems that encourage healthy eating and a change of eating habits going in and coming out of the system are very different than so many of these fad drink diets or no carb options. Darya explains, simply, why these can be so detrimental to our overall health is when we go on these fad diets.

Funny, but diets must be on the mind. Elle, from According to Elle, also did a fantastic breakdown of a recent study related to low carb diets.

Although I have never done the Atkins, South Beach, or lemon water diets, I have seen results with following a meal plan that is well balanced and changes my thought patterns on unheallthy foods. Are there any eating plans that have worked well for you?

TBT: The First P+K Post!

There are times when everyone would prefer to eat a big mac, fries, mac and cheese, pizza or anything else on the “no go” list rather than the salad their diets recommend. For cheat days like this along with all those other days that we would just prefer eating something absolutely delicious, I have created a list of cheats and alternatives. This is definitely not a diet list and I would not recommend using this system if you are trying to loose weight, but it will at least help curb some of those cravings without sending all of our hard earned fitness success down the drain.

Tip One, A Pizza Secret:
I am a pizza fiend. Literally. There is absolutely no difficulty for me in finishing an entire large Pizza Hut pizza in one sitting, on my own. Pizza is my kryptonite. For that reason, I was very happy to learn this little tip. If you are going through a pizza binge and have decided to eat all pizza in the world, go for the veggie. Veggie pizzas have a slightly higher nutritional content and average 1-3 grams less fat and up to 50 calories less per slice. This is because there is less cheese and none of the high fat meats.

Tip Two, Sweets:
Here is another thing I L-O-V-E, cookies. They are warm and yummy and I am drooling. There are times in my day where I could battle a fleet of ninjas for that one cookie. For me, this is usually late at night or early in the morning. Oddly though, the time that a cookie is best for me is the same time that one is more than enough to appease my craving. Afternoon, between dinner and lunch is the best time for that extra burst of sugary noms. This is the time of day when we can start getting a little sluggish and our bodies are able to digest that sweet, sweet goodness more easily.

Tip Three, Carbs:
Bread is something that oh so many people love. Starchy things are seen all over fast food menu’s and are a staple of almost every American comfort food. Too bad every health conscience person out there curses that corner of the food groupings. Oh how we love carbs and how we love to hate them even more.

Fortunately, there is a good time of day to eat them with less impact on your body. Morning is the time that our bodies are best able to process and regroup after a carb load. This energy can be used for the rest of the day and has less of a chance of being stored than that plate of spaghetti you (by you I mean me) are thinking of eating for dinner. If a starch-tastic meal is something that is happening, better to make it breakfast rather than dinner or a late-night snack. Just remember to reduce your carb intake for that day since you hit it out of the park at breakfast.

This was the first ever post on P+K way back on October 18th, 2012. It is so fun to see where a blogger (or any writer) started out compared to where they are now. An extra perk is that these tips still stand the test of time and can be super handy when those pesky cravings hit ;)

Happy Thursday and the last of our TBT series!

5 Tips for Eating Healthy Without Much Effort

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Note: I am sorry this post is getting out so late. There were some issues on this end that seem to be cleared up now. 

When I was in college I had a wake-up call one day when looking in the mirror. It was not that I was seriously unhealthy or overweight, my body was just not where I wanted it to be. Being in intense science and math classes for my Biology major made the whole eating healthy and working out bit more difficult. Food was often drive-thru, frozen and re-heated, from a bag, and whatever I could get on campus. Oh, and plenty of sweets for my all-consuming sweet tooth. 

I needed to get on track. And what I needed even more was simple ways to stay on track. That is when I adopted little, easy changes and guidelines for my eating. It was never a, "you cannot have that situation." I do not work well with those. Instead, it was all about moderation, when I would eat something, and what eating something would mean. 

1. Start the Day with Something Healthy

One of my biggest issues was starting the day with something sweet or unhealthy. A cream cheese topped french toast bagel was no longer going to cut it. Those unhealthy things did nothing for my body in the morning and they only made me want more sweets during the day. 

Instead, I made a rule that the first thing I eat during the day must be nutritious and without tons of sugar. Fruit is off the table, so is coffee. Even though both of these can have positive effects and are not really seen as unhealthy, it started my day with a dangerous sweet tooth that was hard to kick. Starting my day with eggs, meal replacement drinks and bars, even certain yogurts made it easier for me to choose healthy options from the morning on.

2. One Sweet Per Day

This is one of the best decisions I have ever made. Really. This rule was created to curb eating cookies, drinking coffee, and ordering sweets for dessert. I can still have all that, just not all on the same day. This makes me much more decisive about what sweets I want and when. 

For me, coffee, cookies, desserts of any kind, and alcohol all fit into the sweet things category since they all have tons of unneeded sugars that do nothing for me. Now, when I do get a sweet treat, it is all the better because I know it is the one that I really want and it will not set all my fitness goals back.

3. The Coffee Rule

One cup of coffee per day. My cup is 12 ounces and that is the most I can take. If my sweet thing is coffee, I only get one serving. This helps me reduce my caffeine intake and also reduces the amount of fatty, sugary creamer that I use.

If I ever feel like I need more of a pick-me-up or warm thing on a cool day, I go for green tea. Green tea is one of those drinks that I have no limiting rule on, just like hot water with lemon. Both are delicious and have almost none of the negative effects of other warm beverages.

4. No Carbonated Beverages

Carbonated beverages cause bloating, can increase risk of cancer, and cause heart burn. There is really nothing good about them except the way they taste. Sure, I break this rule every once in a while, but not much. Cutting carbonated beverages out of my diet has massively decreased bloating for me.  

5. Exercise Four Times a Week

You may be wondering how this corresponds to eating healthy. Well, when we workout, we are doing something positive for our health. This positive reinforcement makes all those negatives easier to stay away from. 

Sweat sessions do no need to be an hour each time; sometimes, we just can't do that. My rule is that a workout must be 10-minutes and can include anything. Sometimes it is 10-minutes of yoga. Other times it is a 10-minute ab routine. Whatever these quickie workouts are, they get me off my bum and change my thinking from stress and schedules to something positive I am doing for myself and my future health.