I have a lot of people tell me they can’t change their eating habits because they are too busy. I totally get it, I’m busy too. I’m a grad student, I work, I am a mom and I have a life. I just like the next person do not have time to be standing in the kitchen preparing meals daily. At the same time I don’t want to eat packaged foods all the time. I have had to become a little creative about how I manage my time; how I create delicious meals that I actually look forward to everyday and keep them healthy to manage my weight.

I have made Sundays prep days. What does this mean?

I plan out what I am going to eat for the week.

I do my grocery shopping.

This week's food preparation involved cutting fruits and vegetables including strawberries, cantaloupe and cauliflower.

Another finished product not shown is the turkey curry. I created this recipe and it is a healthier, cleaner version of traditional curries and is delicious and nutritious. It contains 2 grams of fat, 15 grams of carbohydrates and 28 grams of protein.

I partition individual servings of the food I have cooked into containers.

I put individual servings of chopped fruits, vegetables and nuts into small bags.

This makes eating healthy extremely simple and convenient. It is a matter of grabbing an item on my plan and going.

So even if I have had a long day at work and I am exhausted, I find comfort in knowing that dinner is already prepped and I simply heat and eat. In addition, having my food already prepped ensures that I don’t eat random things that are not on my plan and it also prevents over eating. Whenever I do not prep my food in advance things usually fall apart as I do not have time to cook as I go. This coming week try to prepare healthy food for the week and see what a difference it makes.   

A lot of people tell me that they struggle with losing weight because they eat out so much. My first reaction used to be, “Well don’t eat out then”. Haha, I know. I recognize that it is flawed to an extent. What I really should have said is if you have a choice, do your best to eat home cooked food as it gives you the greatest control over what you are eating. When eating out be mindful of your meal plan and do your best to eat within those parameters. Some of my clients have ‘cheat meals’ or ‘reward meals’ at certain times. These are basically meals where they can eat anything outside their meal plan. These should be eaten within reason of course. You certainly do not want your ‘cheat meal’ to completely undo everything you have worked on all week. That is to say, do not go all out and drink a bottle of wine and eat chicken alfredo, fried calamari and tiramisu. That alone will make you gain a couple of pounds in one sitting. A ‘reward meal’ serves to take the edge off, fulfill the desires you have had for a certain food and allow you to feel free and at ease eating out with friends and family. It should not be an all-out pig fest.

Recognizing that many people lead busy lives, are out an about and have to eat out more often than they eat at home, I wanted to give some pointers on how I stay in control of how I eat even when I eat out.

1.       Check the menu before you go
I find it helpful to look at the menu of the restaurant you are going to before I go. This allows me to make a choice without being influenced by the pictures, what others are eating or the awesome special the waiter has been paid to sell. Many restaurants also have nutrition information on their websites. Believe me; you’ll think twice about eating that chicken alfredo after seeing that it can sometimes contain a whopping 3000 calories!

2.       Eat a small snack before you go
There is nothing that can blow a diet faster than being in a restaurant feeling hungry. I’m given the menu and suddenly everything looks good. I have discovered that I think clearer when I am not hungry and can make wiser food decisions. I now keep a stash of nuts in my car and I’ll eat a few just to take the edge off. I also try to have fruit on hand which I’ll eat before I get to the restaurant.

3.       Put the fork down.
Those who know me know that this is my favorite saying. In all honesty, many of the restaurant portions are contain 2 or 3 servings. I DO NOT attempt to finish off everything on my plate. I DO divide the dish in half and choose to take the rest to go. I DO share a plate with someone else. I DO stop eating when I am full.

4.       Choose vegetables over starches
We have been trained to always eat a vegetable and a starch. But if at all possible, I try to eat a vegetable and a vegetable. That is, I order chicken, fish or steak and choose to forgo the rice, potatoes and pasta and double up on vegetables.

5.       Avoid creamy sauces and creamy dressings
A salad with a ton of creamy dressing is NOT good option. Vinaigrettes are a better option than creamy dressings. When I eat out, I usually ask for the dressing on the side and use it sparingly. I like to drizzle some vinegar or squirt a lemon over my salad

6.       Grilled and Baked
I also avoid options that are fried and sautéed and instead opt for food that is grilled or baked. And just for the record, I discovered that food that is ‘lightly fried’ or ‘flash fried’ has definitely been completely submerged in cooking oil and therefore regardless of how they label it, it is still DEEP FRIED. Go figure, so I now avoid anything fried regardless of how creative they get with the labeling.


As I have said before, I believe that most things are ok in MODERATION. However if you are in weight loss phase you have to be a little more careful of what you are eating. Sticking to your meal plan is what will ensure your success in losing weight. In essence if you must deviate, deviate thoughtfully and carefully. Once you have reached your goals it does not become a free for all. You don’t want to go back to old habits but you want to remain mindful of how and what you are eating at all times.  Hopefully this little guide will help you stay in control when you eat out. Let me know how it goes.

Often people find themselves stuck in a situation. They believe that they are doing everything possible to change their circumstances and they are not sure why nothing is working for them. Over the years one thing has become apparent and that is I don’t know what I don’t know; therefore I am always on a quest for new knowledge. Seeking new information and seeking ways to improve where I am already. This applies to weight loss as well. I have tried many things over the years and done this and that and believed that I knew a lot of things. It wasn’t until I decided to take a completely different approach that I experienced a drastic change in my weight loss journey. Below are a few of the common things that I have heard people say they won’t do when it comes to losing weight. Hopefully as you read these things you can step outside of yourself and recognize the things that you may say that are similar.

1.       I love ________ (insert any food).
This one is my favorite. I hear people say yes I know fries make me fat but I love them so and could NEVER give them up. I am somewhat in agreement. You should get to enjoy the food you love the most. But the issue is when you are in weight loss mode you need to make a shift for a season so that you can see the changes. Once you have reached your goal, you can reintroduce the food you love or some variation of it in moderation.

2.       I hate _______ (insert any food).
Let’s be real here. Clearly the food you LOVE that you eat daily has not helped you lose weight. In fact it’s made you fat. What good does it do you to stick to your guns and declare that you won’t eat one food or another?  I am not saying that you need to be miserable and eat only food that you hate for months on end. I am simply suggesting that you attempt to make an effort to introduce a variety of other foods that are proven to support weight loss.

3.       My family is fat therefore I’m destined to be fat.
The first you have to realize is that the family you grew up in influences your eating behaviors. What you eat, how you eat is largely due to what you were fed growing up. Secondly, there is some genetic component to weight issues. However with that being said you can influence your own personal outcome by the choices you make. You can learn new eating habits and leave those that you grew up with behind. Most importantly, a combination of diet and exercise is no match for any genetic predisposition to being fat.

4.       I don’t know it therefore I won’t eat it.
The fact that you don’t know it and have never eaten it might be the reason you are fat. If someone is telling you that eating a combination of certain foods is going to help you lose weight you owe it to yourself to try it and learn to like it in order to see the changes you desire. The fact that it can help you in your weight loss goals is reason enough to give it a try several times over. Now if you experience an allergic reaction and end up being hospitalized that is a different story but for the most part give, something a try daily for at least a month before writing it off.

5.       I don’t like being hungry.
Correction, your body doesn’t like being hungry. You have conditioned yourself to respond to the sensation of hunger by doing something about it. And no I am not talking about starvation which I’m certain many of us are not at that place. I am talking about the minor discomfort of eating at a caloric deficit. You will have to learn to embrace the feeling of hunger and give it a positive spin in order to lose weight. Say to yourself hunger is a good thing, hunger means I am eating just a little less than my body needs in order to encourage it to burn off this extra fat on my body for fuel. Please be sure that you are not skipping meals and depriving yourself of adequate nutrition. I am talking about embracing calculated well planned hunger such as that in a personalized meal plan.

I can think of many other things that people say that make it hard for them to progress beyond their current circumstance. I hope this post will bring you to a place where you can begin to challenge certain thoughts that you have made you mind up about.   When you hear me talking about some change or another you need to make. At least allow yourself to have the thought that you may need to do things differently, for a season and watch as your life changes and you head into the most fulfilling period of your life.

If it doesn’t get measured it doesn’t get managed. Last week I wrote about measuring yourself to see where you stand and to check your progress. Today I am talking about measuring your food in order to manage your intake. I have always loved healthy food. Huge fan of vegetables, fruits, vegetables, whole grain this and whole grain that. I wondered why I could never lose weight; after all I was eating the right foods wasn’t I? In addition I ate a cupcake or a pint of ice cream now and again, surely it didn’t matter because I ate so healthy all the time? Well I was wrong for several reasons and it showed by my lack of progress or lack of weight loss. 

Let’s get back to the basics shall we? In order to lose weight you have to have
a caloric deficit. The recommended caloric intake for men is 2500 calories per
day; the recommended caloric intake for women is 2000 calories per day. This
varies based on your level of activity or how sedentary your lifestyle is. With that in mind in order for you to lose weight you need to consume less than 2000 calories (for women).  In order to lose 1 pound there has to be a caloric deficit of 3500 calories. If for example a woman wanted to lose 1 pound per week (7 days) she would need a caloric deficit of 500 calories per day and consume 1500 calories per day. This calculation does not take into account any physical activity which would increase her caloric demands accordingly. However keep in mind that walking for 30 minutes only burns about 200 calories for an average  size woman so if you walked that day, you caloric intake would only need to be about 1700 calories. 

With all that in mind let’s talk about the need to measure your food. If you recognize that weight loss is simply a matter of
caloric deficit, shouldn’t you then be aware of exactly how much you are eating? This is where the importance of measuring your food comes into play. When embarking on your weight loss journey, some tools you will need to ensure your success are measuring cups, a food scale and measuring spoons. My favorite example is how people typically serve rice. Most people will use a serving spoon and pile 2 or 3 serving spoonfuls onto their plate. The problem is by the time you do this you probably have 2 cups of rice on your plate. One cup of rice is about 225 calories therefore you have 450 calories in rice. This is before you have factored in the meat or sauce. Most times people’s dinner is 1000 calories and they are not even aware of it. Never mind what they would have eaten for breakfast, lunch or snacks. Still on the rice example, you need to realize that a reasonable serving of brown rice is ½ a cup. A mere 115 calories, this gives you room for a lean protein (4-6 oz is the appropriate serving) and 2 cups of steamed vegetables which can add up about to 350 calories. This composition will leave you full and provide a balance of nutrients which when followed closely is optimal for weight loss.

Measuring your food is even more important if you are following a well-designed meal plan. It is important that you stick to the recommended quantities because eating extra here and there can add up and be a hindrance to weight loss. There can be the temptation to eye ball a serving and decide that it looks approximately right. This too can be detrimental because you can end up with more food than what is designed for your meal plan which over time can hinder weight loss and in some cases lead to weight gain. 

This brings us back to our initial saying, if it doesn’t get measured, it doesn’t get managed. If you do not measure your food and remain within a certain caloric range, it will be very difficult to manage your weight loss. Get in the habit of checking labels for the appropriate serving sizes. Record what you eat on a daily basis to help track what you are eating. This will help you become more mindful of what you are eating and help you make wiser food choices.

Do you have a measuring cups and spoons at home? What foods do you eat regularly that you need to start measuring?

It seems like I’ve been on a roll by using these business management terms to explain weight loss. I have had a ton of people inbox me and tell me that it really made a difference in how they understood weight loss. Continuing on that same vein I’d like to start Part 1 of the ‘If it doesn’t get measured’ series. 

For a long time I had some idea that I wanted to lose weight. I would look in the mirror and did’t like what I saw, my clothes didn't fit anymore and I was in perpetual fear of encountering a health crisis. I knew that something needed to change and as such decided to embark on a weight loss journey albeit rather aimlessly. Restricting this and restricting that in the hopes that something will magically happen for me. The funny thing is I wasn't really sure what I was tying to attain. In fact for many years I had no idea how much I weighed. I spent those years going through the motions without a plan, never succeeding and always frustrated. One day quite by chance I stumbled upon a weight loss challenge and one of the entry requirements was taking a number of different measurements. Needless to say knowing my measurements and knowing what needed to change helped me set a goal and stick to it.

In order for you to know what changes need to be made you will need to measure youreself. This can be done in several
ways.

        1. Get on a scale
Many people are afraid of the scale and as a result have no idea how much they weigh. In order to decide what changes need to be made you need to know what your starting point is. This will help you quantify they changes that need to be made and set a definitive goal that you can work towards. Be careful not to get overly obsessed with the scale. Weighing yourself several times a day every day can be a hinderance. Instead, weigh yourself and put the scale away. Only bring the scale out at various check points such as every two weeks or every month. 
 
        2. Get a tape measure
You can measure different points on your body but the most important measurement is your waist circumference. According to the National Institute of Health, a waist circumference greater than 35 inches for women and greater than 40 inches for men is
associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease particularly with a BMI above 25. Other parts of your body you may want to measure include your chest and your hips. 
 
        3. Calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index)
Use a BMI calculator to figure out your BMI. I understand that there are numerous debates about the accuracy of using BMI among people of color, extremely short people or extremely muscular people. I am only recommending this as a starting point. A detailed discussion with your personal trainer, nutrition coach or other knowledgeable individual will help you determine its accuracy based on your particular circumstances. 

I hope the discussion about obtaining your measurements gets you motivated to measure yourself so you at least know where
you are. This will help determine your weight loss strategy which should include a meal plan. Knowing your starting point will help inform your decision as you set Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely Goals (See my previous blog post on Setting SMART goals).  In the same way you know how much money you have and create and manage your budget, you need to know what your current measurements are in order to monitor and manage your weight loss. If you don’t know where you currently stand, how will you know where you are going? How will you know what you need to do to get there? And more importantly how will you stay motivated and focused?

I encourage you to take each of these measurements today because if it doesn’t get measured it doesn’t get managed.