Will Eating Fat Make You Fat????

Does Eating Fat Make You Fat?
The short answer is NO!!! We live in a society where everyone just believes "Oh if I eat fattening foods, I will gain fat" and they cut out all products that have fat and go to "no fat" or "low fat" products. Little do they know that they replace those fats with artificial junk, excess sugar and fillers! They have to ADD to take that fat away. When you eat more carbs and protein that your body isn't using, then that gets stored as fat, not good healthy fats.  Also, eating an excess about of calories a day will make you gain fat.

So Now What?
You NEED fat in your diet to survive and have everything working properly. Our bodies are made to have a certain amount of fat per day. This varies based on height, weight, gender, calories consumed, calories burned but roughly you should have about 20% to 30% of your calories being fat. This does not mean you are going to rush to McDonalds and get a Big Mac because I said you need fat. You need to make sure you are eating the right kinds of fats.

Good Fats VS Bad Fats
There are "good" fats and "bad" fats. Good fats include Nuts, Avocado, Coconut Oil, Olives, Olive Oil, Fish and Peanut Butter and other Nut Butters. These are to be eaten in moderation and per the serving size (yeah put that spoonful of peanut butter down right now because I bet its 3 tbsp not the recommended 2 tbsp). These fats are the polyunsaturated fats and mono-saturated fats, which are essential to having your body run as it is supposed to.

So what are "bad" fats? These are fats that are man made. This includes your saturated fats and trans fats. This is why alot of products now are saying "no trans fats" because they are not good for your system. But PLEASE read your labels and do not always trust the front of food boxes. This is another reason why you should be eating whole foods because then you will know what it is made of. But back to bad fats. These fats are the fats that people talk about making you fat. Some of the bad fats your should be avoiding are anything deep fried (fast food places), whole milk, animal fats, butter, margarine, and hydrogenated oils (found in crackers, pastries and most processed foods).

What Should You Be Cooking With?

When you go to cook, make sure you are using healthy fats (avoid those sprays because you are probably using more then the recommend about anyways are they are full of chemicals). If you like sprays, switch to a oil mister that you can fill up with your own oils. And make sure you are using all natural dressings which healthy oils in well (the fat actually helps absorb some of those nutrients in your salad). 

I hope this helped clear up some confusing on fats and why which ones to eat and which ones not to eat. :)

Surviving Valentine's Day While Sticking with Your Goals!

With Valentine's Day coming up this weekend, alot of you (including me) are going to be celebrating and going out to dinner. But can you stick with your goals while still celebrating? OF COURSE! Here are some simple tips to stay on track while still enjoying yourself 

1. Find out how the dish is prepared (stick with baked, broiled, grilled or steamed)
2. Stay away from condiments (they just add unneeded calories)
3. Plan Ahead (I usually have an idea of what I am going to get when I go somewhere, which keeps me on track)
4. Pick a chain restaurant (most have their menu and calories online)
5. Don't want to go to a change, eat locally! (This is what we will be doing since it is a special occasion and most use fresh, local ingredients instead of additives and preservatives)
6. Order an appetizer for your main dish (they are usually smaller in size so less calories)
7. Swap your sides (stick with veggies not in butter and salads with low calorie dressing or oil and vinegar)
8. Skip the Beer! (go with a vodka, gin or red wine if you would like an adult beverage)
9. Cook at home! (You will know what you are making and are less likely to over eat)
10. Enjoy yourself and share dessert! (I do not usually go out of control when we go out and I do not get dessert but with it being Valentine's day and since we are going to a nice restaurant this year, I might be indulging in dessert and a glass of wine, just share with your lovie)

Hope these tips help you this weekend have enjoy your time with your loved ones 

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Eating Clean Can Be Easy!!!

When I first started my health/fitness journey, I thought I could eat what ever I wanted as long as I worked out. BOY WAS I WRONG! That worked for about 3 weeks and then my body realized what I was doing to it. Then when I found Insanity, I decided to start eating clean. Now, I did not jump head first and change everything in one day! This is how people "relapse" into bad habits because they took too much on at one time. I took baby steps, changing something each week. A majority of clean eaters eat 80% and 20% not, which means including cheat or "yolo" meals into their diet. This is actually good, not only for your soul and sanity but for you metabolism since you trick it into having to work a little harder with that processed meal.

Now what is clean eating?? It is simply eating less "CRAP" (Carbonated drinks, Refined sugars, Artificial sweeteners and colors and Processed foods) and eating more "FOOD" (Fruits and veggies, Organic lean protein, Omega 3 Fatty Acids, and Drink Water). It is all about eating foods that are natural, fresh and not processed with soo many ingredients that it could be a book. If you great great great grandmother wouldn't eat it, then neither should you!

This might seem like alot to change all at once and IT IS! That is why if you choose to take this lifestyle change (and to make it work, it can't be a diet, it must be a lifestyle). Start by cutting out your soda (this includes diet!!) then go to your fast food and so on. And when you cut foods out, add foods in, more veggies and fruits and lean meats. I started with soda and Splenda and worked my way to cutting out the rest. BUT cheat meals you can have anything. So if you want to go out and have pizza, eat pizza! Just don't make it an every day thing and eat it in moderation.

So what kinds of foods can you eat while eating clean?? I like to say that if it is grown in the ground and not made by man, it is good. But I have some excepts to keep me sane and because I am a busy, on the go girl. I included a shopping list below with a list of foods that I have on my regular shopping list. I would like to add that I do get some foods that would be considered "processed" but have minimal ingredients in them. This is another key point of clean eating, if you can pronounce the ingredient or the ingredient list is sooooooooo long, don't eat it. I LOVE Nature Valley bars because they are easy when I am on the go, have very few, simple ingredients and are delicious. I will have a post on different packaged foods I like that I consider healthy as long as eaten in moderation.

If you found this useful or would like more information on clean eating, please post below or go to my facebook page (www.facebook.com/bbckristie)

Have an amazing, happy and healthy day <3
Kristie