When Cravings Attack: Your Cheat Sheet

It's 3pm - you haven't had anything since lunch and your stomach won't leave you alone.

Before you hit the vending machine or grab those office doughnuts, read this.

Anytime we are tired, extremely hungry, or had a roller-coaster run of emotions in our lives, chances are that your willpower is very low and you'll be tempted to reach just for anything. To make sure you don't fall off the great progress you've worked so hard for, let me introduce you to my Cheat Sheet!

Craving chocolate?
These are my favorite chocolate craving treats that won't break your "calorie bank."

{-} Nestle TollHouse Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips, 2 tablespoons
Make sure to measure these out to a correct serving (NOT the whole bag!). Just a little bit of REAL chocolate will satisfy your sweet tooth.

{-} Ghirardelli Intense Dark 60% Cacao Evening Dream Bar
One of my favorites! There are milk and dark chocolate bars, so pick your favorite and have one or two squares!

{-} Brookside Dark Chocolate-Covered Fruit
Brookside offers açai berries & blueberries, goji & raspberries, and pomegranates. They are amazing if you are craving something chocolate-covered!

{-} Quaker Chewy 25% Less Sugar Chocolate Chip Granola Bars
At 90-100 calories, this is a great alternative to cookie cravings! Only 5g-7g. sugar per bar.

{-} Homemade Chocolate-Covered Strawberries
Buy strawberries and dip them in semi-sweet chocolate. Enjoy 2 or 3 when the need for chocolate strikes!

{-} Kashi TLC Dark Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Made with whole grain oats and their Signature Seven Whole Grain blend, along with dark chocolate (who can resist?), this is an excellent go-to snack if you are craving oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.


Craving something crunchy and/or salty?
Let's be realistic - sometimes carrots just don't cut it. Here's some satisfying snacks you'll enjoy!

{-} Air-popped popcorn with Parmesan cheese (and light amount of butter)
Excellent whole-grain snack and much healthier than movie theater or microwavable popcorn!

{-} Triscuit Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil
Made with simple, whole-grain ingredients with a lot of flavor, these are one of my favorite snacks to pair up with a piece of string cheese!

{-} Pirates Booty - Aged White Cheddar
Craving something cheesy but don't want the high fat from chips? Pirates Booty is an excellent snack - baked and made with puffed rice and corn.


Fight Back When Cravings Strike:

One of the reasons why we tend to snack is because we're bored, didn't have enough food during the last meal, or maybe just like to graze. How do you know if you are really hungry?

Give yourself 10-20 minutes. Read your emails, go for a walk, read a magazine, call a friend - just do SOMETHING for 10-20 minutes and see if your cravings for a snack subside. If they don't and you feel your stomach rumbling, check out some of the snack ideas from the list above and portion it out to a 100-200 calorie snack.

Write it down. What did you eat for breakfast, lunch or dinner? If it wasn't enough, then see if it's been 2-3 hours since you last ate. Then go for a healthy snack - don't get too hungry where ANYTHING will work (possibility of digging in the office doughnuts or candy bars at the vending machine). Stay on track!

Plan ahead. Have healthy snacks around where you can reach them without reaching for something full of junk. Enjoy the real thing (now and then) if you absolutely love it, but these natural options in this post will give you a battle plan in choosing an option that will be beneficial to your body and provide excellent energy (which we all need!).

Keep active. If you are exercising and eating nutritious foods every day, chances are that your cravings will slowly subside. When you are pushing through a hard workout, it's going to be hard to reach for a cake at the bakery! Your body wants good energy from the foods you eat so it can function effectively and efficiently. You'll start to notice that when your body is craving something sweet, a cup of plain non-fat yogurt with berries and honey will make you feel great AND satisfy your cravings! Learn to listen to your body.

More later!

Take care everyone,

Jen

Why Work Out? Why Eat Healthy?

I'm so thriled to be pushing through my circuits each week. I tell you, doing P90X and Insanity is such a killer hybrid, and the most amazing workout combination I've ever tried. I alternate days with either so I'm working on my cardiovascular endurance as well as making time for strength training. The results are amazing and I should post another set of photos in a few weeks here once I'm ready. It's incredible what happens with these two amazing programs. Simply unbelievable.

As far as weight, I haven't lost a pound recently. It's frustrating, but on another focus too, it's not all about the numbers. I do feel stronger, but I still wish in some places my body would be smaller. haha It is the worst part about training, honestly. I can get through a wicked workout routine and come out strong, but after not seeing results after a certain time, it can be discouraging. I say to you all: Do not despair! This is the time where you can look at what you are eating, how much you are sleeping, are you really pushing? Plus, I mentioned patience too. If you are hitting all the right notes but not seeing results, muscle takes time to grow and fat takes time to lose. I keep saying this to myself and keep myself aware of my attitude and my habits. You can always make tweaks here and there.

Here is a list of my favorite healthy foods that I eat most often. Just to give you all an idea:

Breakfast Options:

- An apple w/ almond butter (I'm allergic to peanuts so this is my alternative)

- Kashi Mocha Almond or Honey Almond Flaxseed granola bars

- An orange and a scrambled egg

- Protein shake (My favorite recipe includes juices like Naked Juice Green Machine, plain Greek yogurt, protein powder, coconut milk, and ice - YUM. My power smoothie)

- Two scrambled eggs with mozzarella cheese

- A banana, honey, and almond butter on whole grain toast

- Greek yogurt with a banana

- Omelette with fresh veggies and mozzarella cheese

Lunch Options:

- Grilled chicken salad with cheese, turkey bacon, green and yellow peppers (and light ranch on the side)

- Two scrambled eggs with whole grain toast (Breakfast for Lunch! haha)

- Homemade chili with ground turkey (I'll usually make a big batch on Sunday and freeze some for an easy lunch throughout the work week)

- Turkey breast with lettuce, tomato, spinach, and salsa con queso on a whole grain wrap with a side of cooked asparagus

- Protein shake (if I'm on the run that day)

- Light string cheese and an apple

- Roasted chicken with veggies

- Cumin Garbanzo beans, veggies, and chopped baked chicken

Dinner Options:

- Honestly, as same as lunch. I'm usually working later into the evening, so it's whatever I can find that is healthy on the go. Of course, on nights where I am home, I enjoy making some lean protein (like grilled chicken, sirloin, etc.) with lots of baked veggies like asparagus, Brussels sprouts, spinach salad, you name it. I keep it very light at night, only because I am more likely to have a big lunch than a big dinner.

Dessert Options:

- Dark chocolate (small portion, but I cannot deny myself)

- Plain Greek yogurt with honey and blueberries/strawberries

- Whole grain English muffin with strawberry cream cheese

- Chocolate protein shake

- Lots of fruit!

- Kashi bars

- Trail mix with almonds, dried cranberries/blueberries, sunflower seeds

- Chocolate covered strawberries, almonds, blueberries, pomegranates, or espresso beans

If I'm really craving something very sweet like a sinful dessert, I'll either go out with friends and enjoy the real thing, or make a healthier version from my own recipes or my healthy friends' recipes. I never use a bad recipe, and no one would ever know I use black beans for brownies and protein powder in chocolate cake at my recipes at home. They are gone within a few days! That aside, I am usually satisfied with one of the listed desserts above.

Worst Pitfalls:

This is where I have problems. Haha! The foods that I have a hard time giving up completely... which is why I don't eat out very often!

- Hot chicken wings

- Beer and wine (never had more than a small glass, but alcohol defeats your fat burning potential)

- Chicago deep dish pizza with grilled chicken, spinach, bacon, and peppers...

- Applebee's Chicken Fajita Roll-up with Mexi-Ranch (it's been my favorite for years! haha)

- Nachos with everything - ground beef, cheese, beans, jalapenos, you name it.

- Juicy, BIG burgers with so much inside, you can't even eat around it!

SO... there you go. My list.

Why do I choose to eat healthy?

It gives me energy, first of all. I love the tastes of real food... I can watch people eat donuts and not feel a twinge of temptation, only because I know how I would feel afterwards (Tired and cranky!) and that it tastes fake to me. If you wanted to seriously make my day, give me an orange or apple at work. I'm not kidding - something so fresh and bright like that is better than any donut or cookie I could eat at work. Look at it from that angle. It comes as a lifestyle now. If I want something special, I have it, but I enjoy it with immense pleasure and call it a day. That's it. Next meal is healthy and I'm back to my energetic self. I'm always going to be talking about a lifestyle here - not a quick fix.

Why do I choose to work out?

Again - for energy. To feel strong. After you tackle the craziest, sickest workout you ever done in your life... you go shower, dress for work, and you feel like a freakin' machine the entire rest of your day! I find that after doing High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), for example, I am walking taller, feeling more confident, and when I sit down to figure out how I want to schedule each day, I do it with energy, passion, all with goals in mind. There is no laziness for me. I am motivated. It's the most refreshing feeling I've ever felt in my life. I have energy to play with my son! It's a huge motivation. On some days, I'll throw in a P90X DVD and my son will do it with me. He'll smile and high-five me after a hard move. He's only 2 years old, but he is also learning about the importance of regular physical activity too and that it can be fun and challenging. I cannot put a price tag on that!

My thoughts for the day. Thanks for reading.

Peace out, everyone.

Keep staying strong.

Jen