I've heard people say for years that chocolate milk is the perfect post workout recovery drink... it's the perfect combination of protein and carbohydrates they say...

You guys... look at this marketing (I snapped this photo off the back of a Cheerios box that was on the conveyor belt at Superstore).

It's true that an excellent post workout snack is a combination of protein and carbohydrates. In my opinion, it is extremely false that chocolate milk is the "perfect" post workout snack, regardless of the fact that it contains protein and carbohydrates. Let's take some time today to look a little closer at the exact amounts (this label is from "Dairy Land" chocolate milk):

Just to put it into perspective for you, 26 grams of added sugar per day is your DAILY MAXIMUM (and a generous daily maximum in my opinion) and 9 grams of protein is a tiny bit more than the amount of protein in 1 egg! And this is if you only drink 1 cup... most of those single serving cartons of chocolate milk contain 437 ml of chocolate milk, which will cause these numbers to almost DOUBLE! 

Now, before you put me into the category of "food police", I just want to clarify one thing. I love chocolate as much as the next person! And when I go for frozen yogurt, let me tell you, I get every single chocolate, fudge, brownie topping there is. The problem I have is with our marketing and the fact that we are marketing this drink as "perfect" and "healthy" for post workout. What I want you guys to think of when you look at this drink is that it's a treat and one that should be consumed in limited quantities and saved for special occasions versus something that you feed your children after each practice or game.

I want to leave you with some useable information rather than just ranting the entire time - so here are some ideas for yourself or your children for post workout snacks:

• Plain Greek yogurt and fruit
• 2 eggs and fruit
• Leftover dinner of sweet potato and meat
• Protein smoothie with 1 scoop of protein powder and fruit

There are so many other combinations of foods you could use but really focus your post workout meal/snack around carbohydrates and protein.

I hope this helped clear up any marketing confusion! I would love to hear what you guys eat for your post workout meals - write your meal/snack in the comments section below!

Until next time,

Yours in Health,

Kristin

Aside from the question "will eating eggs increase my cholesterol", this has got to be the question that I get asked most frequently! I bet you're reading this and wondering the same thing. There are SO many different opinions out there and before I begin I want to remind you, finding the eating pattern that works best for YOU is the most important, regardless of what we discuss in this post! 

When most people start a new eating pattern, 9 times out of 10 they begin with the standard 3 meals and 2 snacks or 3 meals and 3 snacks - why? Because this is what is preached to us in the diet world. However, this pattern of eating is not proven to be the most effective. Research actually continues to show that there is NO DIFFERENCE between the metabolism of someone eating 6 meals a day versus 3 meals a day, given that they both consume the same number of calories over the 24-hour period. 

So why did we get so hooked on this "6 meals a day to stoke my metabolic fire" thing? So many of my clients have heard before "if you don't eat every 2-3 hours, your body goes into starvation mode and you begin to store your food as fat instead of using it for energy"... let me assure you - this will NOT happen in such a short window of time.

Simple answer as to why this became so popular? Nutrition dogma and myths that just won't die. 

Let me tell you what I see working for many of my clients (and for myself): eating 3 meals per day with 1 snack inserted where needed (morning, afternoon or evening) seems to work the best in terms of compliance (I hate using this word) and reducing the likelihood of over consuming food (or calories) in general.

The reality is, every time we eat we have the opportunity to over consume food - especially if we feel in a semi-hungry state consistently throughout the day. If we are given the opportunity to eat until we feel truly satisfied (which typically happens when we consume larger meals less frequently) then we are much less likely to over consume calories. 

Often times when people change their eating plan they tell me that all they think about all day long is food... "how long until the next meal/snack" ... "should I pack 2 meals with me while I run my afternoon errands incase I am gone for 5 hours" ... "should I set an alarm in my phone so that I know exactly when I should eat". 

Even writing these thoughts out make me feel exhausted and overwhelmed. 

This has been a fairly recent change to my own eating style, but I find it to be the most helpful when I eat 3 bigger meals throughout the day. This allows me to feel that "full" and "satisfied" sensation rather than feeling like I have simply just eaten enough to stop my stomach from growling. I also find it gives me more freedom around food - I am not constantly thinking about my next meal because I have 5-6 hours before my body is going to tell me that I am hungry again.

This may sound dramatic you guys - but this is LIBERATING! Especially for those of us who have been in the "diet" and "restriction" mindset for so long!

That being said, I still have many clients who feel GREAT eating 3 meals and 2-3 snacks. But if you're constantly feeling like food is ruling your day and you just can't seem to get satisfied, it may be worth changing things up!

What I challenge you to do this week is this: Instead of consuming multiple small meals throughout the day - switch over to larger meals and one snack and see how you feel! You may just find that this simple tweak is a game changer for you! 

I got the base of this wonderful recipe from Rebecca at Be Naturally Fit (check out her AWESOME at home workouts here)! I tweaked the recipe a bit to my own taste to give it a little more sweetness and thickness! 

This recipe is SO much better than our regular hot chocolate because the healthy fat, fibre and little bit of protein help keep our blood sugar levels stable MUCH longer!

Health Boosting Hot Chocolate

Ingredients

6 dates

2 cups unsweetened almond milk

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

1 tablespoon of natural almond butter

2 tablespoons chia seeds (if you don't have a high powered blender, these may not fully blend - you may omit them but they do make the hot chocolate very thick 🙂 )

Directions

Blend until smooth. Pour into a saucepan and heat on low until desire temperature is reached. Serve.

Hope you guys love this recipe as much as I do! If you try it, post your reviews in the comment section below!

Yours in Health,

Kristin

Looking for some healthier options for your next holiday party? Click HERE to register to download my FREE holiday appetizer guide! These recipes were not created by me but they are tried and true recipes that your guests are sure to love! 

It’s that time of the year again – the Grounded Health Holiday Gift Guide is now available! If you missed last year’s gift guide, click here for some more awesome ideas for the health nut in your life!

If you have someone on your list who is passionate about health and wellness, one of the gifts below are sure to be a hit! One of the best parts? I have included links to Amazon for each of these items (note: I am not affiliated with Amazon and get no commission off of these products) - with Amazon Prime it will be here in 2 days - so literally, you're a few clicks away from all of your shopping done!

Laptop Stand ($60)

I get scolded by my massage therapist on a regular basis (I hope you’re reading this 😉 ) that my neck muscles are tight and I am getting headaches from looking down at my laptop. This laptop stand is definitely on my wish list this year – it holds the laptop up at eye level so that you’re not constantly looking down to work. If someone you love spends a significant amount of time looking down at his or her laptop (any students in your life?) then this would be a fantastic gift!

Instant Pot ($150)

Okay you guys – I got one of these for my birthday this year and I have been SO excited to put this bad boy to use (special thanks to Steph at The Meal Plan Addict for her DELICIOUS recipes and raving about the Instant Pot)! Think: slow cooker on steroids… a slow cooker tasting meal in hardly anytime (speeds up cooking by 2-6 times)!

Slow Cooker With Timer ($125)

Now that I have you all sold on the Instant Pot, you may not even be interested in this option. However, I know many of you love the tried and true slow cooker and this one is even better! I love that this slow cooker has a timer that can be set (no more worrying about burning your house down if you get caught at work a little longer than you’d like). Once your meal is cooked for the desired time, this slow cooker switches to warm so that you always come home to a hot meal – YES!

A few more perks: silicone handles for easy transporting, dishwasher safe inside (because who likes doing dishes, really?) and a glass lid that doubles as a serving dish (like I said, less dishes!)

Pair the slow cooker with this amazing cookbook and BOOM – not only will you have given a killer gift but you are also guaranteed delicious, slow cooked meals for the next year.

Yogitoes Hot Yoga Mat ($70)

Is a special person in your life in love with hot yoga? If so, this is a great gift for them! This mat is made of 50% recycled materials and is excellent at stopping the sweaty slide that occurs on many mats! It's tough to find a good mat for hot yoga that allows you forget about the fact that you're skating on pools of your own sweat and actually enjoy the class.

Squatty Potty ($30)

“What the heck is a squatty potty?”, you may be asking. Well, I won’t go into too much detail, but be sure to check out this humorous commercial to give you the full scoop. Historically, we sat in a squat position to do our business but now we sit in a seated position. This may not seem like a big deal, but because of our anatomy, this seated position is not optimal for healthy elimination. The squatty potty is a simple little stool that allows our bodies to get in the right anatomical position for doing #2 – a squat! So do your friend a favour and pick this up as a “joke” present that will benefit his/her health everyday ;).

Practical Paleo 2^nd Edition ($43)

If you’re looking for the REASONS behind a lot of the nutrition recommendations that are floating around the internet today, Diane Sanfilippo’s book “Practical Paleo 2^nd Edition” has got to be your ‘go to”. Do you have a friend or family member who would like to start eating healthy but doesn’t quite know where to start? Diane’s book lays it all out using easy to understand language so that you can start truly understanding why you eat the way you eat.

Oh She Glows Everyday (Second Edition) ($19)

For my veggie readers, this cookbook is PHENOMENAL (if you don’t have the first edition, you can buy that one here). Angela’s mix of flavours are on point and simple to prepare! There are not a ton of ingredients that you are unfamiliar with holding you back from creating a delicious, meat-free meal!

Book: Better Than Before ($17)

"If you're struggling to make changes to your routine, this is a book that will help get you there." --The New York Times

This is a fantastic book for anyone looking to change his/her habits in 2017. Habits, or the things that we do/think/say every day play a huge role in our overall health and happiness. Focusing on a single behaviour until it becomes a habit is really powerful and this book will walk you through, step by step!

Vitamix ($429+)

There is a reason this blender has shown up on my 2015 and 2016 list – it is THE holy grail blender. I know that the price tag may frighten you, I must admit… I shed a tear or two on the Costco website purchasing this bad boy. BUT – I am happy to report that this was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made and it is something that I use EVERYDAY to create delicious smoothies for myself and my family!

Tip: If you’re looking at purchasing one of these but the price tag discourages you (it did for me too) – check out the Shopping Channel for a payment plan option (you’ll pay a little more but it will be so much more doable)!

Chemex ($60) + Filters ($17)

It’s time to retire the Keurig! You may be appalled and asking why!? Two reasons:

1. That hot water running through a cheap plastic cup every morning before it goes into your body is not healthy!
2. By using these pods every day you’re making so much extra waste than you would just making a simple pot of coffee or a pour over cup.

This Chemex coffee pot is not only cute to look at; it’s also easy to clean and has ZERO plastic! The filters are non-bleached and are super simple to use! Throw it all in the compost after your morning coffee and you’re on your way – no plastic left behind!

This completes the Grounded Health Holiday Gift Guide of 2016! Hopefully this sparked some interest and you can use some of these ideas for your friends and family!

Yours in Health,

Kristin

This is a question that I get a lot and my response is often surprising to many of my clients. Is mayo healthy? It absolutely can be!

I have to admit, one of my FAVOURITE things about my job is teaching people how to make SIMPLE swaps in their food choices that will have a big impact on their overall health (ex. changing sweeteners, swapping cooking oils, condiments, etc.). Today I'm going to share one of those swaps with you! One thing that I absolutely HATE is that the really healthy choices in the grocery store are typically SO much more expensive than everything else. The awesome thing about today's post? I'm going to give you an option that is arguably HEALTHIER and CHEAPER than the top of the line version from the health food store. 

The issue with popular store bought mayonnaise is that the oil in it is an inflammatory oil like soybean oil or canola oil (some even have added sugar, which I think is quite unnecessary). Don't be fooled by the "made with olive oil" mayonnaise that is now on the shelf (produced by companies like Kraft and Hellman's). Food labeling is misleading...

This is the front of the mayonnaise that claims to be "made with olive oil".

Now - we all assume that by looking at the front of the package that this mayo contains just olive oil as the base... unfortunately this is not the case. Let's look at the ingredient list:

Why do these companies use other oils as well? Because healthier oils like avocado and olive oil are much more expensive than soybean oil and canola oil and in order to keep the cost low, the company must use these cheap oils as fillers. 

Before you get too discouraged...

Healthier brands of mayonnaise do exist and luckily, we can find them on the shelves at our local grocery stores! Unfortunately, the price point is quite a bit higher than I would like to spend (usually about 3x more than "regular" mayonnaise). 

The Chosen Foods mayonnaise is a fantastic mayonnaise that is made with avocado oil and free from any inflammatory oils. The best part? You can now get this mayo at Costco so you don't have to pay $10 for a small jar from the grocery store!

So by this point you've learned that the mayonnaise that says "made with olive oil" is not a very healthy option but that the healthier option is WAY too expensive to purchase on a regular basis - so now I have the best news yet. You can actually make you own mayonnaise at home and it is super EASY and delicious!

I recommend whipping up a batch of mayonnaise this weekend and using it throughout the week. It will be arguably cheaper than even the cheapest mayonnaise at the grocery store and it will be absolutely the healthiest mayonnaise you've ever eaten!

Homemade Mayonnaise Recipe (Adapted from Epicurious)

Ingredients

1 egg yolk (caution: raw egg is not recommended for anyone with a weakened immune system, pregnant women and infants - use pasteurized egg yolks if this is an issue for you)

1.5 teaspoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

3/4 cup olive or avocado oil (or a mix of both if you wish)

Instructions

1. Combine egg yolk, lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, and salt in medium bowl. Whisk until blended and bright yellow, about 30 seconds.
2. Blend until the consistency of mayonnaise.Whisking constantly, add 1/4 cup oil to yolk mixture, a few drops at a time (this will take about 4 minutes of continuous whisking). Gradually add remaining 1/2 cup oil in very slow thin stream, whisking constantly, until mayonnaise is thick, about 8 minutes (mayonnaise will be lighter in color). Alternately - you may add egg, dry mustard, vinegar and 1/4 cup oil to the blender and blend on low for 1-2 minutes. Turn blender on, and while it is running, slowly add the remaining 3/4 cups oil.
3. Pour mayonnaise into a mason jar and store for no longer than 5 days. 

*Recipe makes approximately 1 1/4 cups of mayonnaise. 

Give this recipe a try this weekend and let me know what you think! It is such a simple swap that can make a big difference in your overall health!

Let me know in the comment section below if you've tried this recipe or another homemade mayonnaise recipe before!

Yours in Health,

Kristin

Grounded Health Nutrition turns 1 this week and I am SO incredibly excited and proud of how far we've come in the past 12 months. 76 blog posts (now 77), a move to a new city (where we purchased our first home) and a brand new business (steep learning curve, but the support you guys have given me is amazing).

Before I get too sappy, let’s get to the real reason you clicked on this post – should you be drinking apple cider vinegar? Apple cider vinegar (ACV for short) has gotten quite a bit of attention in the natural health community over the past few years, and for good reason. This is something that I recommend fairly regularly in my practice and I will tell you why. It is important to note that many of the outlandish claims that ACV will cure all of your ailments are NOT supported by science but there are some great benefits that you will likely experience from consistent consumption.
First, if any of you have purchased the “Bragg” brand of ACV (which is available at most major grocery stores), you may appreciate having this question addressed:

What the heck is that cloud of goop in there?!

People often refer to this goop as “the mother” and some people believe that it is the mother that is key for all of the health benefits of ACV, however current research doesn’t necessarily support this. “The mother” is simply a combination of enzymes and bacteria that form a web-like structure. This stuff is definitely not going to hurt you, it will just give you a slimy feeling in your mouth - eek - not my favourite. 

How is ACV beneficial?

The number one reason I recommend ACV in my practice if for assistance with blood sugar regulation. This concept was first brought to my attention when I attended the Nutrition and Health Conference at the University of Arizona in 2014.

There are two major ways that ACV can assist with blood sugar management:

• Increased insulin sensitivity
• Decreased blood sugar response to a meal

I’ll simplify each of these concepts for better understanding:

When we consume foods that contain carbohydrates (think: bread, rice, pasta, cereal, crackers, quinoa, fruit, etc.), sugar is released from the food and then circulates in our bloodstream. In response to this sugar, our pancreas produces insulin to move the sugar from our blood and bring it into the cells in our body. Sometimes people need to produce MORE insulin in order for this process to happen smoothly and this can lead to an accumulation of fat in our midsection. SO – what ACV can do to help is it can decrease the amount of insulin our body needs to produce to move sugar in our bloodstream into our cells, and therefore can help us combat that midsection weight gain.

Like we just mentioned, when we consume foods that contain carbohydrates, the sugar from the carbohydrates are released into our bloodstream and that is what makes our blood sugar level rise. When we consume ACV with a meal, it can decrease the amount our blood sugar level increases after a carbohydrate-rich meal.

So you want to start incorporating ACV into your routine?

The TASTIEST way to incorporate ACV is one of the following ways:

1. Use it as a salad dressing

Recipe (thanks to Detoxinista):

1 garlic clove, minced.

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard.

¼ cup raw apple cider vinegar.

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice.

1-2 tablespoons honey,

⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil.

salt and pepper, to taste.

Whisk all ingredients together and serve over salad.

2. Drink 1 cup of Bragg ACV Drink each day (typically before your largest meal). These drinks taste AMAZING but unfortunately I have yet to find them where I live in New Brunswick. If you have a Whole Foods near you, you should definitely be able to find them here!

2. Mix 1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons of ACV with 8 ounces of water and drink daily (this is not my favourite… for those of you that enjoy this – I commend you). I do not recommend drinking ACV straight - it may burn your esophagus over time.

Decreasing appetite

There is also research that suggests that consuming ACV before meals can reduce the total number of calories we consume at that meal. Are you feeling like your appetite is out of control? This is a cheap and fairly simple option to try that is going to cost FAR less than any diet pill on the market (p.s. these DON'T work). 

As with anything we try that is diet and lifestyle related, we need to be consistent with our action in order to see the maximum results. I don't recommend trying this for a few days before evaluating whether or not it worked for you. Incorporate this protocol into your routine consistently for at least 6 weeks before assessing its effectiveness. And as always, make sure you check with your personal health care provider before changing your current health routine.

Have you used ACV before? Do you use it for something other than what is listed above? Share in the comment section below!

Until next time,

Yours in Health,

Kristin

Let’s start off with some interesting research findings shared by fellow dietitians Evelyn Tribole and Elyse Resch:

“Dieting twins, who embarked on just one intentional weight loss episode, were nearly 2-3 times more likely to become overweight, compared to their non-dieting twin counterpart. Furthermore, the risk of becoming overweight increased in a dose-dependent manner, with each dieting episode.”

“A team of UCLA researchers reviewed 31 long-term studies on dieting and concluded that dieting is a consistent predictor of weight gain – up to 2/3 of people regain more weight than they lost.” (Mann et al, 2007)

“Research on nearly 17,000 kids ages 9-14 concluded, “… in the long term, dieting to control weight is not only ineffective, it may actually promote weight gain.” (Field et al, 2003)

“Teenage dieters had twice the risk of becoming overweight, compared to non-dieting teens, according to a 5-year study (Neumark-Sztainer et al, 2006). Notably, at baseline, the dieters did not weigh more than their non-dieting peers. This is an important detail, because if the dieters weighed more it would be a confounding factor (which would implicate other factors, rather than dieting, such as genetics)."

Our bodies are pretty incredible. Believe it or not, our body does have our best interest at heart. When we restrict our food intake and/or engage in over exercising, our body regulates our metabolism so that we use LESS energy and hold onto MORE energy (in the form of calories) as a protective mechanism.

So what the heck should we do if we want to lose weight!?

Answer - quit dieting.

Let's look at the side effects and see if you still think it's worth it...

• Decreased metabolic rate
• Increased binge eating
• Increased preoccupation with food
• Increased sense of failure
• Increased feelings of deprivation
• Decreased sense of willpower

... the sad part? If you read these as side effects on the side of a bottle of medication, most of you would NEVER take it - am I right?

When we diet, we have a restrictive mindset. We are restricting something, whether it’s carbohydrates, fat or overall food intake. When we restrict, we end up with rebound excess consumption. For many people, this excess consumption occurs on the weekends. I often see this in my practice – people who are “on track” Monday to Friday afternoon and then Friday evening to Sunday are “off the rails” (their verbiage, not mine). What’s the issue with this? 1) We end up binging or “off the rails” 104 days of the year and in our mind we expect to “make progress” or “reach our goals” with this behavior. The unfortunate truth is that progress rarely happens with this approach. Why? Because we constantly live in a place of restriction and then use food as a reward for our “good” behavior during the week.  

The amazing thing? We are all born with the ability to eat intuitively. Unfortunately, our ability to eat intuitively often diminishes, as we grow older. We can see this with toddlers – they have the ability to regulate their food intake based on what their body needs at a given time. To parents it may look sporadic and unhealthy (large intake one day, minimal food the next two), but really – it’s typically based on what the body needs at a given time and if we don’t interfere by forcing food, this intuitive eating behavior will continue.

Believe it or not, research links parents’ attempts to control their children’s eating with excess weight in children.

So wait a second, are you saying that the more parents try to control their children’s eating, the more weight they gain? This is what the research is suggesting (like I mentioned here, nutrition research is not always the easiest to conduct and interpret).

What I challenge you to do this week is to really begin to work on your intuitive eating. Eat ANY foods you want, but eat only when you’re hungry, chew your food as close to 15 times as you can before you swallow and stop when you feel satisfied.

Steps to begin the intuitive eating journey:

1. Eat without distractions. Yes, that means not eating at your desk, in front of your TV or computer, while playing on your phone, reading the newspaper, etc. When you eat, sit down with no distractions and really focus on your food. Focus on the smell, the taste, the texture and how it makes you feel (sounds very “hocus pocus” but trust me, it works).
2. All foods are on the table (figuratively not literally)! This means NO restriction. If you want something, you CAN have it. The only thing I want you to focus on is eating only when you’re hungry and stopping when you feel satisfied. Note: satisfaction does NOT mean feeling overly stuffed. Even if the first week of eating intuitively includes many more “treat” foods that you would typically eat when you’re on your “regular” diet – that’s OKAY. Eventually, once the novelty of these foods wears off  and you trust that you’re ALLOWED to consume these foods at any time you please, you will begin craving nutritious foods – foods that give you good quality energy, help you sleep better and stabilize your blood sugar levels.
3. NO RULES! YAHOO YOU’RE FREE! Feel hungry after 7 pm? Eat, just make sure it’s because you’re truly hungry and not bored. Feel like eating 2 meals a day instead of 6 small meals? Done! You no longer have rules that dictate when, where or how much to eat. Embrace this freedom; you probably haven’t felt it in a long time.
4. Journal – and for once I don’t mean journaling your food. I recommend journaling your emotions, journaling your day, journaling whatever you feel like you need to share. Most of the clients that I work with for weight management journal their food so that I am able to see what and when they’re eating and help them point out eating patterns that may be totally subconscious. Journaling can be helpful in getting to the bottom of what is really truly holding you back.

That’s it – 4 things that may be helpful in getting you on a track to eating intuitively and abandoning the diet mentality. I hope today's post was helpful and that you're able to start integrating these steps into your daily life. If you have questions, please don't hesitate to write them in the comment section below! And if you're not following me over on Facebook - be sure to join the party here and here! And if you're interested in learning more about joining our 12-week program focused all about habits - click here!

Yours in Health,

Kristin

To Scale Or Not To Scale

When I first opened my private practice I knew one thing had to change – there would no longer be a scale in my office.

There are two schools of thought on this issue and for a long time I thought that weighing yourself on a regular basis was a good way to keep you "honest" and "on track" because, let's be real, sometimes we put more food into our mouths in the run of a day than we think we do.

We hear it all of the time “the scale doesn’t lie”… but I began to think – it does lie. It lies because A) SO many things impact the number on the scale that are not related to the food we consume or the exercise we engaged in and B) it does not measure all of the amazing things we did for ourselves and for our health.

For some people (and I commend you – I do not fit into this camp) stepping on the scale and seeing a number looking back at you elicits no emotional response. It is simply a number – a data point – that is forgotten about the moment you leave the room. For others, this number is sitting in your mind for the rest of the day. Every time you put something into your mouth, every time you make a conscious food choice, you think of that number.

I would have clients come into my office and they would talk about how proud they are of themselves that they were consistent with a goal they had for the week. Then they would step on the scale and it might be the same, or MAYBE it even went UP! What the heck!?! *&#%@&$

“I worked SO hard this week. I worked out and EVERYTHING”

The next 5 minutes is a conversation consisting of reminding my client about the things they were so proud of themselves for just moments before and listing all of the things that can make that number on the scale go up that are NOT related to food at all:

1. A salty meal yesterday (which after self experimentation I will tell you it causes a temporary increase of 2-3 pounds the following day)
2. Constipation (what goes in, must come out)
3. Muscle soreness

And this is just a few – there is so much more that changes that number and those little things, and the resulting inflation of the number on the scale can have such a HUGE impact on our mood throughout the day.

After thinking about this more and more, I began asking my clients how they would feel if they reached all of the goals they verbalized (one of them typically being “feeling awesome in my clothes”) but the number on the scale didn’t change. I got some interesting responses. Usually a pause, some contemplation and most of the time they would tell me that it wouldn’t really matter.

So if we could reach our goals separate from the number on the scale… why will we continue to monitor the number?

The reason we monitor that number is because it gives us a concrete way of saying “good” or “bad” (I try not to use this verbiage) and that we are either moving closer or further away from our goals.

But we KNOW that this is not the case. We know that you can change your body composition drastically without a huge change in the number on the scale.

Scale Manipulation 

People would admittedly do things on the day they would come to see me that did not reflect a healthy way of living – skipping meals, restricting water, etc. This was all in hopes of seeing the number on the scale go down.

After experiencing this time and time again, I decided that it was finally time…. I had to ditch the scale for GOOD!

Monitoring Progress

So you might be wondering… if there is no scale how do you know if what you’re suggesting is actually working?

My number one focus with clients is how they feel – their mood, energy levels, digestion, sleep, etc. These are the areas we look at first. And let’s be honest… when our weight changes, we feel it! We can feel it in our clothes regardless of what the number on the scale says!

So why do we need that little tool to measure our progress if we can feel it in SO many different ways… the answer is, we don’t! I give you full permission to BREAK UP WITH YOUR SCALE! Break up with it forever – it serves you no purpose. It cannot define you, it cannot give you an accurate reflection of your eating habits, it cannot tell you whether or not you’re getting closer to your goal, it cannot BE your goal.

Take some time and decide whether or not your scale is contributing positively to your life. Even if your goal is to lose “that last 10 pounds”… you don’t need the scale to tell you when you’ve gotten there.

What do you think? Does your scale positively contribute to your life? Please leave your comments or questions below.

Yours in Health,

Kristin

I often talk with my clients about the impact that restrictive diets have on our metabolic rate but today I want to dive a little bit deeper. What we don’t often think of is the impact that restrictive dieting has on us psychologically. I’ve heard from clients time and time again that when they “diet” all they think about is food – that it becomes more difficult to eat healthy when they actually FOCUS on it. But why is this the case? Shouldn't it be EASIER because we are actually putting effort and thought into our food choices? Not necessarily. 

Let’s use the low ethical standards of past scientific studies to our benefit today and look closely at the starvation study of 1944. Two researchers, Ancel Keys and Josef Brozek from the University of Minnesota, led this 6-month study.

Now before you feel like you’re back in school reading research studies… I promise I will summarize this and that my story does have a point.

How Did The Starvation Study Work?

In order to be included in this study, subjects had to be physically and mentally healthy males that got along well with others in difficult situations. After surveying over 200 volunteers, 36 men were selected for the study.

During the initial 3 months of the study, participants ate their normal diets and their personality and eating patterns were monitored. The following 6 months required that the men cut their food intake in half, resulting in a weight loss of about 25% of their total body weight. This may sound drastic… but this is something that we do to ourselves everyday when we decide to finally “commit” to a “diet”. We voluntarily restrict our food intake to get the weight loss results that we want. And this behavior has significant implications on our mental health.
In this study, the men went from consuming 3200 calories per day to consuming 1570… which, if any of you have ever followed a restrictive diet before, you know that this is quite standard, right? 1200 calories per day for women and 1500 calories per day for men? “Standard”.
Throughout the dieting phase, researchers measured both the psychological and physiological changes that occurred in the men.

Your Brain On A Diet (also called semi-starvation)

During this phase some of the normal things that you would expect to happen to dieters occurred: their strength, stamina, body temperature, sex drive and heart rate decreased. The men also became “obsessed” with food, meaning they would dream, read, smell but not eat and talk about food. These men were unable to concentrate on their daily tasks because that brainpower was spent dreaming about and thinking about food.

Following the diet phase, men were given the opportunity to consume food with no restriction for 3 months. The ability to eat with no restriction caused some of the men to binge, even though all of them had been warned against it. Keep in mind, these are men who before dieting were mentally and physically healthy and now, because of dieting, are engaging in binge-style eating behaviors.

Many other things also happened in this study – if you’re interested in reading about it in more detail, click here. 

What Does This Tell Us?

There are a number of things that we can learn from this study

1. Obsessive food thoughts and eating behaviors can develop when we follow a restrictive diet.
2. Regardless of our awareness, restrictive eating can lead to reactive binge eating that can last months, if not longer.
3. Our mental focus and overall quality of life is significantly impacted by restrictive eating.

There are already so many strikes against restrictive dieting, from metabolic slow down to unwanted psychological changes but it continues to be a path that is attractive to many people because of the drive for quick results. As I will continue to say everyday, the best way of eating for you is the way of eating that is maintainable forever. This means a way of eating that leaves you feeling satisfied, nourished and energized. You may be reading this right now thinking “this doesn’t exist” but I promise you, it does – you just haven’t found it yet.

I hope that if you were on the fence between going back on a restrictive diet and looking more at making a lifestyle change that this helps sway you in the direction of the latter. As always, if you have questions or comments, please leave them in the comment section below!

Yours in Health,

Kristin