IF….. and WHEN…

IF (Intermittent Fasting) has been life changing for me and here is where I tell you some of those details!

First of all, I have never really struggled with my weight until a few years ago when aging hormones took over and I started filling out a bit. Now I’m not very big, so to others this was maybe not noticeable, but my clothes were tight and I just wasn’t feeling as good with my body. So, I wanted to lose a bit of weight; only 10-15 lbs total.

Now, I don’t believe in dieting or cutting out foods if you love them UNLESS you are allergic to them or they simply don’t agree with your body. So, that being said, I was not interested in dieting to lose weight!

Secondly for those of you who know me, you know that I am kind of an exercise fanatic. So, that being said not exercising was not the problem, and more exercise was not going to solve the problem.

I am, as you all know, a big advocate of keeping fit and healthy, but I have also learned that exercise (especially if you already do a lot of it) is not the most efficient way to lose weight! Doing cardio is absolutely fantastic for your body, for your heart, for your mental health and for your spirit, but for me I could not exercise more than I already do. People think that running etc burns SO MANY calories, that they can eat whatever they want as long as they exercise ( I was one of these people who believed this!) but this is NOT the case as exercise actually doesn’t burn as many calories as people believe it does.

I have heard over the years the whole “Calories in/Calories out” rule and that if you want to lose weight burn more than you take in. I have also learned this is not the case as not all calories are created equally! If you believe this, then that means you believe that 100 calories of cotton candy will be the same for your body as 100 calories of broccoli🤣. Now common sense tells us that this is obviously not the case! Our bodies use and store food in different ways and what we put into our bodies is key. How our hormones react to foods is a big factor here!

You cannot out-exercise a bad diet! If you eat the recommended 1200-2000 calories a day but eat processed junk, you are going to put on weight and damage your body in many ways, and most of these you may not visually see but will definitely feel.

So, what did I do since I wasn’t going to exercise more, and I already eat a very healthy diet? (following the 80/20 rule 80% good 20% not so good…..more on this later) I changed WHEN I eat the food I want to eat!

Did this simple change work?????? 100% YES!!!!!!!

That is all for today💛Stay tuned to this blog as my journey continues.

More details next time!!!!
Your Suzy Sunshine tip of the day!!! ☀️🌼🥰

Nutritious Balanced moderation

I’m not a nutritionist and don’t live on a restricted diet (due to food in tolerances or allergies), but I have done a lot of reading and watched many programs about eating right, so I just wanted to share what I myself like to follow.

I strive to eat balanced, nutritious meals daily and never deny myself a treat!  I make my meals, eat whole grain foods, and stop eating when I am full.   I also truly believe that cutting something you love out of your diet simply because you know it’s not good for you (only talking about food here), isn’t a good idea and you just end up craving it more or being miserable.  If you love it, have it, just serve yourself a smaller portion of it, and/or do some extra cardio that day to burn off that extra indulgence!

One bad habit people get into is eating when they are bored, but not necessarily hungry.  Try instead to drink a cup of water and see if this curbs that feeling.

One other crucial tip is, the more unprocessed the food you put into your body the better.  Try buying ingredients and learning to make simple meals at home and taking a lunch to work, or dinner to dance class rather than always relying on fast food.  Try making a few doubled recipes when you have some time and freezing individual portions for those days you need to pack a meal.  Always have cut up vegetables on hand so that they are easy to grab when you or those in your family are feeling “peckish”.  Also, have fruit out and in a very visual spot so that everyone is more likely to grab a piece of fruit rather than going for some unhealthy snack!

Make it a goal to eat at least 1 vegetable at every meal.  Try to eat a variety of food groups throughout the day, and when you are making meals ensure that you are using a variety of colours and types of food available.

Some people prefer eating 6 small meals a day, others enjoy 3.  Whatever you choose, make sure you aren’t ever eating more than you are hungry for.  If you need to, keep track of what you are eating by writing it down, or downloading a phone app.  Another tip, eat slowly, and drink water before your meals.  I have read many times, that if you drink a glass of water it will help you to feel full and therefore help keep you from overindulging.

One last tip is to try eating your meals on a smaller plate. People think that they should fill their plate up with food, and if you are using a large plate, you are likely eating more than one portion.  If you use a smaller plate, you are more likely to eat less calories and your brain is tricked into believing that you are eating the same amount of food.

I hope these tips and tricks help you to try and change any bad eating habits any of you have, and that you will think more about what you are putting into your body!  If you can’t even pronounce it, or the ingredient list is very long, you should take a pass, or make it a “once in a while” treat!

Your Simply Susan tips for the day!

Live long, and eat on.…..as long as it’s healthy!!!