FitFeat

Posts Tagged healthy weight loss

Stop the ‘Grass is Greener’ Mindset

Apr 9

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit, What Real Women Look Like | 5 Comments

I am a big fan of Seth Godin’s teachings.  A friend of mine introduced me to him years ago and while a lot of his messages are focused on marketing, they can be interpreted for other areas of life. One of his recent blog posts discussed happiness – kind of a “grass is always greener” mindset that “if only I could achieve xyz, I’d be happier” and how people on both sides of the proverbial fence generally think the people on the other side have it better so they keep striving to get to that other side.

Making a change to this mindset is very much in line with how I’ve adjusted the content of my coaching program.  No matter WHERE you are starting in your weight management and fitness journey, if you are unhappy with something about yourself in some way at the beginning, there are strong chances you’ll still be unhappy after you reach your goal.  I’ve worked with enough clients over the past decade to know that when one reaches a goal, there is short-lived excitement and elation about the achievement of the goal, but the unhappy little gremlins can creep back up and the same issue(s) will start again.  This is the problem with the mindset of “when I lose that last 10 pounds, I’ll feel so much better / be so much happier, etc.”.   Trust me when I tell you that is rarely the case.

Change your mindset first and your chances of lasting success will be much stronger.  Train yourself to be content with where you are right now, not to mention WHO you are right now instead of constantly feeling like you are trying to chase something that you currently are not, and I bet you’ll find the journey to be much more enjoyable.  You’ll also appreciate the destination that much more.

– Shari B. =)

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Shari Becht is a Certified Natural Chef, ACE Certified Personal Trainer and healthy lifestyle coach.  She is extremely passionate about teaching people how they can take steps to fit healthy habits into their busy lives. 

If you or someone you know could use some help learning how to eat more healthfully, banish negative body image and incorporate more “FIT” into their lives, please feel free to email her at shari [at] fitfeat  [dot] com.  For more information, click here.

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Mediterranean Egg & Quinoa Bake

Aug 4

Posted by Shari B. in Cooking | 5 Comments

Hi-dee-ho there blog buds!

So during this crazy heat wave we’ve been having, I’m the *smart one* who’s ALSO been running my oven and stove non-stop, further adding to the already “uncool” main level of our house.  (Damn you, inefficient south-facing windows that keep our house at a steady 82 even when the AC is on!!)

In my defense, I don’t really have a choice.  I’m on a deadline and have to have a certain number of “freezeable” recipes developed every month.

The bright side:  I never need to venture to the rec center to use a sauna!  ;)

Thought you might like to see a little of what I’ve been making lately.  This is one I really enjoyed: a Mediterranean Egg & Quinoa Bake.  I adapted it quite a bit from a Food.com recipe and per usual in the FitFeat household there is the SHARI side of a meal and the CORY side.

My side is on the left – you can tell it’s where the party’s at:

My piece after cutting:

Bottom view of the QUINOA crust:

The fun thing about this recipe is that you add rinsed, uncooked quinoa right into the egg mixture and give it a shake.  The quinoa sinks to the bottom and you have an easy-peasy “crust”!  To make mine Mediterranean, I included a lot of chopped spinach, Kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, sauteed garlic/red onion, plus some nutritional yeast, dulse (sea veggie) and goat’s feta.

The lesson learned during this recipe test is that IF you want to eat the dish right out of the oven, the quinoa probably needs to be soaked for a few hours first (which is ideal anyway for increasing bioavailability).  But if you are making it ahead, it reheated perfectly the next day after the moisture had more time to permeate the quinoa.  It also worked well in the freezer, although I wouldn’t recommend keeping it in there longer than 4 weeks max.

Leftovers with a side salad:

Verdict:  I loved this one!

I don’t publicly post the recipes that I adapt and develop for clients; however, if you want to try it, feel free to mention so in the comments section of this post and I’d be happy to email you my adapted test recipe privately.

Hope you are having a TERRIFIC day so far friends!

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Just wanted to give a shout out to my good friend Allison of The Sunday Flog who will be competing in her first triathlon this weekend.  Good luck Allison!  Stop by her blog to wish her luck and while you’re there you can read about her SHARK diving adventure or her delicious cake pops!

– Shari B. =)

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Today’s Challenge: Get Hungry

Jul 27

Posted by Shari B. in Keeping Fit | 10 Comments

A lot of what I talk about here at FitFeat is what, how and when I eat (obviously I like to eat!)  Today I want to flip it around a bit and talk about NOT eating!  :)

Do you ever find yourself eating for no good reason at all?  Maybe you are at your desk at work and you feel stressed/bored/anxious so you start to munch? Or maybe you are at a movie and eat snacks just because?  Or you sit down to eat lunch/dinner because it’s “mealtime” and that’s just the time you are supposed to eat?  Drinking a latte when meeting a friend, even though you just had breakfast?

Yeah?  Well, you’re not alone.  I catch myself doing these things too.

We’re human and we’re social beings and sometimes we forget to really listen to the signals that our bodies are telling us.  Hunger is one of those signals and we are bombarded with food so often (not to mention food advertising) that sometimes the act of eating is actually secondary to what’s going on at the moment.

When was the last time you really felt your stomach growl? For many of us, it might be hard to remember!  We eat so often out of habit, a lot of times before we have experienced ‘true hunger’.   Then unfortunately we also don’t hear our ‘true fullness’ and eat to the point of being stuffed.

We can also be prone to false hunger.  That’s your “feast beast” talking – the one that likes to rear its ugly head when you see an ad on TV for some delicious treat, or when you feel the need for dessert even when you are stuffed to the gills from dinner – those types of scenarios.  This is a danger zone when it comes to calories!

If you find that you have been struggling somewhat with weight loss or maintaining without gaining, today I challenge you to GET A LITTLE HUNGRY.  Really pay attention when you think it’s time to eat.  Are you eating out of habit or are you truly hungry?  Did your stomach growl for food or is it fake hunger trying to trick you into eating that Snickers bar?

This definitely takes a little practice.  Hunger signals can be tricky, especially if you haven’t heard them in a long time.

Here is how I tell the difference:So today, be aware and see how it goes.  Then do it again tomorrow.  If you learn to eat when you are experiencing TRUE hunger not FALSE hunger (and feast beast cravings!), you’ll find that arriving at a healthy weight might be easier than you think!

Let’s hear from you – do you “listen” for your hunger or have you gotten to a point where you eat out of habit/boredom/stress/anger, etc.?

Have a TERRIFIC TUESDAY friends!

– Shari B. =)

NOTE:  I promote healthful eating and healthful appetites.  This post should in no way be misconstrued to think I recommend otherwise.  I am absolutely NOT promoting the withholding of food or starvation, often associated with eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and bulimia.  If you think you might be suffering from an eating disorder, please be sure to seek the help of a medical professional.

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