Nov 20
Debbie Hatch | Family & F.I.T.
I’m in a bit of a reflective mood today brought on by a self-inflicted injury. Let me give you the back story first and explain the significance of those words for me.
I’ve been saying these words: “it was self-inflicted”, since my children were little. While they were never really fans of hearing it, personal responsibility was something I wanted to instill at a very young age. Nobody – myself include – wants to hear, “it was self-inflicted”. Those words are similar to giving advice. Very easy to say to other people. Much more difficult to accept for yourself.
Calling something “self-inflicted” doesn’t negate the injury but it…um…mitigates a bit of its drama, let’s say.
Speaking of drama. None of these were “disasters”. But you get the idea.
Seem cruel and uncaring? Far from it. They received any care (and love) they needed. But they didn’t get to distance themselves from the responsibility for what happened. My point was merely, if you were directly responsible for the injury, the illness, or whatever, you have the ability to avoid this in the future. …and we’d talk about how.
Since yesterday I have been accepting personal responsibility for a self-inflicted injury. It was dumb, and I don’t like hearing those words. But…
Wednesday evening I was feeling completely unmotivated and lazy. I didn’t want to go to the gym. There was no real reason for me not to go, and deep down I did want to get a workout in, I just didn’t feel like it at that particular moment. I know you know exactly what I’m talking about. Normally once I get started, everything falls into place, though. Many times I find my motivation was just waiting for me to show up at the gym.
So I got dressed and went to the gym.
My first two exercises were deadlifts (for time) and box jumps. I completed my first four sets of the two exercises, superset one after the other. I was feeling strong, pulling good weight, and started to get into my groove. Yes!
Then, I got lazy. On rep #3 of the fifth set, I rushed. I didn’t think about my form. I picked up the weight without first stabilizing my core, stood up fast, and wanted to immediately drop the weight to the floor. It hurt!!
It was one of those times like when you lock your keys in your car. You know immediately – sometimes before the door has even closed all the way – but it’s too late to do anything about it.
Yup.
It was just like that.
I didn’t get hurt because “deadlifts are dangerous”, because “doing exercise for time is crazy”, or anything else. I got hurt because I wasn’t paying attention and I know better! It was self-inflicted. There was no serious damage but the muscles in my lower back began to tighten and spasm, immediately. Getting into bed was difficult and putting pants on when you can’t pick up one leg while stabilizing on the other, really sucks. I spent most of yesterday trying to get comfortable in my chair. Today is better and by tomorrow I’ll be almost back to normal.
Know what I’ve been thinking about for these last two days? How much I want to exercise. Two days ago, I didn’t want to exercise; and for the past two days, all I’ve thought about is wanting to be able to exercise. It’s just like the carrot cake and granny smith apples I wrote about on Tuesday.
We have a real tendency of not appreciating what we have when we have it.
I’m aware of these tendencies and I really do try to mitigate them to the greatest extent possible. When we lived in Montana, we snowmobiled every weekend we could – because we knew it wouldn’t always be an option. It was a personal rule! When we lived in Florida, the last time, I told my husband we “had to” go to the beach every weekend I was not traveling. That was a new rule because the first time we lived in Florida I worked far too much and visited the beach far too little. This time, I didn’t care what the weather was like. We went in the rain, the sun, and wrapped in sweatshirts when it was windy and cold but we went. Every weekend.
Here’s the tough question for you.
What are you doing today that you’re not appreciating enough? Your children won’t always be home. The people you love won’t always be there. How many things do you find a nuisance today but you would miss tomorrow if/when they’re gone? What if you couldn’t work out ever again? What if you lost your job?
Think for one moment about how truly fortunate you are. THESE are the good old days.
xo
Nov 19
Debbie Hatch | Family & F.IT.
I had no forethought to make this video last Sunday morning.
I didn’t plan it.
I don’t like myself on video.
I don’t have makeup on.
I haven’t had coffee or breakfast.
I brushed my teeth but, nope, I didn’t even brush my hair.
There are 99 reasons why I shouldn’t post this.
But there is one reason I felt compelled to tape. There is one reason I fought my typical urge to analyze this before I hit post. There is one reason I just did it…..
I have something to say
, and this….
This is me.
I’d love your thoughts. Do you practice mindfulness? Do you feel your emotions – whatever they happen to be. Acknowledge them, and build in a few seconds to decide how to react?
<3
Nov 18
Debbie Hatch | Family & F.I.T.
Two weeks ago I volunteered to take the Army physical fitness test. It’s not the first time. I’ve taken the Air Force test several times as well. Last year I rucked 26.2 miles with my favorite soldier; both of us carrying packs weighing over 50 pounds.
Why?
Am I a masochist? Which the dictionary defines as “Someone who obtains pleasure from suffering mental or physical pain, punishment or humiliation.” Am I trying to prove something? Why do I like taking PT tests and running military obstacle courses when most of the people I know who are actually in the military hate those things? Why in the world would I voluntarily walk 26 miles through the dessert, carrying a big heavy backpack.
Voluntarily!!
Ah. That is the key. That little word right there.
Do you see the difference?
This is true for everything. We hate to be told what to do. We hate to be limited. We hate mandates. We inherently rebel against these things.
Why would trying to make health and fitness changes be any different? How many times have you, “gone on a diet” and been told (or told yourself), “you CAN’T have that” or “you can ONLY eat this”? You “have to.”
What happened?
What typically happens is that we obsess over the things we’re not “supposed” to have. I normally only have carrot cake two or three times a year. I love it but I don’t keep it in the house and I don’t bake it so that’s just typically the way it works out. It rarely crosses my mind. If you told me this afternoon that I could not have carrot cake. I would want nothing but carrot cake. I would think about it all the time.
When you look at this picture, what are you thinking about?
I know this for a fact. When we lived on Okinawa, there were no granny smith apples on the island. None. After a while, it seemed like every commercial that came on television, every show, and every magazine I received in the mail, contained granny smith apples. They were sitting in a bowl on the table, somebody was eating one, or they were somewhere in the frame. I obsessed about those green apples. They were everywhere – except my grocery stores. All I wanted was a granny smith. Some months later, we flew to Guam for a week and I ate 3 or 4 apples a day. Every single day.
What does this mean in the health and fitness arena then?
It means YOU have to choose to make a change.
You have to be the one to decide to forgo this or that.
You have to be the one to decide to make time for exercise.
You can’t – you won’t – do it just because you’re told you have to. Even if the person telling you to do it is your doctor, your spouse, your mother, or one of your children.
YOU have to determine why you want to lose weight, quit smoking, eat healthier, have your annual health screenings, and the like. You.
None of it works if you’re not ready to make a change.
Mindset might not be sexy (I mean, I think it is but that’s just me) but it’s absolutely critical!!!
<3
Mindset Mostly
Nov 17
Debbie Hatch | Family & F.I.T.
My passion is teaching and coaching. Always has been.
Yelm, Washington
Formally I have taught scuba diving, basket weaving, public speaking, fitness (personal training), nutritional habits, planning for retirement, conflict resolution, scrapbooking, customer service, leadership, supervisory skills, and human resources. Informally much, much more. It really gets me excited when a person I’m working with “gets it”. When the light bulb comes on and they’ve truly learned something!!!!
There have been countless such moments but one that I specifically want to share in this post.
I want to talk about scuba diving. Yes, under-water Jacque-Cousteau-esque scuba diving and, yes, your health and fitness. Give me just a minute to make my point.
I should probably start by telling you that several of my friends claim I have an ability to relate any topic back to whatever I’m talking about at the time. I suppose that’s true but it’s just because I see lessons in everything. I love to learn even more than I love to teach – and the way I do that is by linking things together; by picking out whatever it is about “this thing” that relates to something I already know and building from there.
Sea turtle dive, Oahu
Here’s the story. As a Dive Master (think assistant instructor) working with a class off the coast of Destin, Florida, I was assigned the most skiddish, most nervous person for some additional one-on-one. This was her first open water (not in the swimming pool) dive. She was petrified! Worried about going under water. Worried about “what if this” and “what if that”. She thought she wanted to do this but now she wasn’t so sure.
With some gentle coaxing, a firm hold on her shoulders and a directive “look at my eyes…nothing else”, we started to slowly descend. I could feel her start to calm down. She looked at nothing but my face. Before she knew it, she was on the bottom. We settled for a second and then she turned around. I could see the excitement on her face. She was “there”. She had done it! Before long, she was swimming beside me waving her hands excitedly and pointing to this fish; wanting me to see that plant. It was all so new. It was so amazing. She could barely control herself and more than once she tried to talk through her regulator.
I LOVE this stuff!!!! I’m excited (again) just sharing the story with you!
<3 <3 <3 <3 <3 times a million.
Okay. Cool story but what relevance could this possibly have to health and fitness?
Five different things that I can immediately think of – and likely much more if I were to give it any amount of thought.
I. While the “big picture” definitely has its place, taking in too much all at once can be overwhelming.
Drift dive, Palau
Changing your entire way of eating, going from zero to six days a week of exercise, quitting all caffeine and becoming a calmer person is just too much change at one time. In fact, we’ll see this very scenario play out en mass in just a few short weeks. People expect to wake up on 1 January as completely changed individuals – renewed, refreshed, and perfect. No vices whatsoever. Focused merely on peace, health, fitness, and happiness.
Having goals is admirable and wanting to improve yourself is fantastic! There are proven reasons for why so many of us like to change on dates like New Year’s. But nothing magical is going to happen during the night on 31 December while we sleep. We shouldn’t expect to wake up on 1 January, a completely different person. Narrowing our view and focusing on only one change at a time will work better.
II. There is value is having a support system. Whether it is a friend, a family member, or a coach who’s been there, done that.
Deep dive, Chuuk
Having someone to hold you accountable, push you a little bit, but also support you and be there to bolster your resolve can be a total game changer.
It doesn’t have to be forever but it sure is nice to have someone there when you’re first getting started.
III. Focus on what you’re trying TO do; not the thing you’re trying to stop doing.
Okinawa, Japan
I didn’t tell my dive student to stop worrying, stop thinking about what was going to happen or stop anything. I told her to put her regulator in, to look at me, to let the air out of her BC, to start to descend.
One step at a time. One new thing to DO. The stop-doing stuff just happens on it’s own as we focus on something new.
IV. It’s important to celebrate the little steps toward your major accomplishments.
Somewhere in the Pacific
The girl I was working with wasn’t certified at the end of our dive. She still had to complete another dive, and take her written test. There’s no guarantee that she’ll be completely comfortable in the water every dive after this. But…she thoroughly enjoyed THIS dive. She wasn’t worried about the next one, or her test. She didn’t think about the past or the future. She was thoroughly excited about what she was doing in the present. This moment. Now. She was happy. (So was I!!)
V. Plan your dive. Dive your plan.
This is a safety provision every diver learns in one of his/her first classes. By developing a plan before the dive, you know how deep you can go, how long you can stay there and whether you’re going to need to complete a safety stop or not. You don’t have to make things up as you go. Diving your plan means staying within the parameters you’ve set: doing what you said you were going to do. Keeping to your goals.
Whatever your goal is – above or below the surface, make a (logical, realistic) plan and then stick to that plan. It’s absolutely okay (maybe even necessary) to make minor adjustments as you go along but you don’t just throw out the plan and create a brand new one, in the middle of your dive.
xo
Nov 13
Debbie Hatch | Family & F.I.T.
We’re just shy of two weeks from Thanksgiving.
If I had a dollar for each of the “survive the holidays diet”, “3-day ‘pre-detox'”, “wrap”, “cream”, “pill”, “powder”, and/or “shake” messages I’ve seen come across my FB feed, in the last couple of weeks, I would have enough to celebrate Thanksgiving in the Caribbean. …with several of my friends and family members.
I typed, “Survive the Holidays” into Google and netted 28,500,000 results in less than 45 seconds!!
And a “pre-detox”? WTH? Yup, it turns out that really IS “a thing” – I saw it a few times yesterday, AND received an e-mail besides.
First, let me be clear. Many people DO struggle through the holiday season. It’s not a happy time for everyone. Some people are alone and feel isolated. Some are struggling with money, stress, relationships, or any other unless number of things. Some people have lost family members, jobs, homes, or love in the past and the holidays can reopen those wounds, regardless of how much scar tissue has accumulated on top. This may result in a case of the blues, or clinical anxiety and depression. Please don’t hesitate to seek professional assistance from a qualified mental health professional if you’re struggling. That’s not what this blog is about.
I want to talk specifically about the “Survive the Holidays” DIET craziness. Now, it too, began with a basis in fact.
BUT….
Here’s one thing you might be surprised to find. Numerous studies, conducted since 2000, show that:
Holiday weight gain actually averages 1-2 pounds vice the 5-7 we frequently see reported.
That said, it’s not all great news. Even though it’s only 1-2 pounds, we typically don’t shed that extra weight later. Next year, it’s another 1-2 on top of this, and next year, and next year. The other thing worth noting is that, while there’s less weight change than many report, there may be increases in body fat.
Here’s a question: if studies show the average weight gain is 1-2 pounds, why do we hear higher numbers then? Here’s a better question: where are you hearing the higher numbers from?
Answer: Marketing based on fear that YOU will gain 5-7 pounds and you “shouldn’t”. You’re hearing this stuff from companies that have some type of weight loss or “health related” product to sell you. Marketing 101.
Here’s another question: if you do gain a few pounds, is it a “disaster”? Probably not. Will you be thrilled? Maybe not. Can you mitigate it now though moderation? Probably. Can you change it later though consistent application of reasonable nutrition and exercise habits? Probably so.
Calling it a d.i.s.a.s.t.e.r. might be a tiny bit melodramatic.
The holidays are times when most of us get to see family and friends we don’t see all the time. We take more time to relax, chat, talk, and laugh. They come once a year. Holidays are not something we should try to “survive”.
Probably not the best ideas.
Hell, NO!!!!!
How will I survive the holidays?
Like I survive every other day, except with a more full heart, and a few more people around me. 
What’s your plan for surviving the holidays?
xo
Nov 12
Debbie Hatch | Family & F.I.T.
When I recited The Road Not Taken, by Robert Frost, at a high school oratory competition, I had no idea how much of an impact the poem would actually have upon my entire life.
I must also choose to accept responsibility for these actions, and this is the part we don’t like. This is where the big deal mindset shift happens. This is where I can’t blame somebody else – anybody else; I can’t blame the situation; I can’t blame the weather, or the day, or the supervisor, my spouse, or, or, or……..
I must choose to accept responsibility for my own actions and any repercussions that come from those actions.
I am in charge and I choose to act like it.
The third stanza reminds me that time is of the essence. The time to make the decision is now and while I may have full intention to come back, to later make a different decision……..
Tomorrow. Next Monday. Next month. The first of the year. Once I finish the degree. Once I get the promotion. After the kids get older. When I have more money.
…….rarely does that ever happen. “Knowing how way leads on to way, I doubt if I should ever come back.”
I asked this in my Facebook post this morning. I’m asking it again here. Now.
“Where will you choose to put yourself today? What will you choose to make yourself available to?”
Nov 09
Debbie Hatch | Family & F.I.T.
Putting yourself “out there” is scary!!
For all of us. Not just me. Not just you. The “experts” too!!
Thinking about sitting right where you are and waiting for your life to start – at some point, some day….
Realizing that life is actually passing you by, is scary!! Scarier!!
I am my own worst enemy and I’m really good at feeding that insecurity monster, questioning my own abilities, not feeling quite good enough. Ever. That little voice in my head is a B*&^%!!!! She doesn’t like me to dream too big. She doesn’t like me to get too confident. She doesn’t want me to live up to my full potential. She wants to keep me, and my goals, my dreams and my life….small. Do you have one of these internal trolls?
That story I have on perpetual replay in my head will stop me from doing ANYTHING if I listen to it. The narrator of that story is a liar. I listen to her but I call her out on her untruths too. Frequently.
Here’s what that looks like. I remember the first time I gave a speech – in the 7th grade – wearing my classmate Sharon’s puffy vest with a tube of chapstick in the pocket because she told me if I kept my hands in my pockets and concentrated on taking the cap off and on, it would help with my nerves. It did help!!
From there, I entered a couple of oratory competitions. Think that seems kind of weird for a person who’s scared of public speaking?
Well, if you’ve known me more than 5 minutes, you also know that I push myself out of the comfort zone constantly. I don’t like being uncomfortable so I make myself do these things until I’m no longer “as” scared. I believe – with my whole heart – that FEAR is (quite typically) false events appearing real. The stories I’ve written in my head about what’s going to happen have always…without exception to this point….been worse than reality. So, yes, I entered several speech competitions specifically because I hated public speaking.
…and, I gave a speech at my high school graduation – without a vest and without chapstick. 🙂
From those meager beginnings, I have been public speaking “formally” for 11 years. It’s my full time job. I created a business based on it.
It actually makes me laugh when I think about it. I mean, I had horrible anxiety speaking in front of that 7th grade class, and now I do it 3-5 days a week. Oh, my first few months were, AGAIN, incredibly scary. I stayed up all night, studying. I’d teach until 4; sweating, stammering, and stuttering. Back in the hotel, I’d sleep for 3 hours and repeat. It was NOT a lot of fun. I was exhausted. I was continually stressed. I apologized when I started class that “the material isn’t overly exciting and I’m not a trained instructor.”
Wow! Talk about throwing yourself under the bus!! I would NEVER have said that about anyone else! With friends like that (inside my own head) I certainly don’t need enemies!!
It was ONLY when I got to a point and said,
This is bullshit and it can’t continue. I know what I’m talking about. I have a choice here. Just do it or give up. One or the other.
that things started to get better.
One morning (no doubt I was likely sleep deprived and not thinking too logically) I literally just threw my notes in the garbage on my way out of the hotel (so that I would have no option to retrieve them when I got to the classroom) and decided to “wing it”.
Holy crap!!!!! I was nervous starting the day but I was far, far less nervous than I had been before.
I’ve been winging it ever since. Considering I travel and present about 200 days a year (197 last year) it seems to be working.
When I started my own company, I was scared. Really scared. I gave up a steady salary for the “possibility” that I might have work. I didn’t know what to charge. I didn’t know how to get customers. I didn’t really know how to teach. I was uncomfortable. So I made myself do it. I studied. I practiced. I got better. I have an excellent reputation and customers now ask for me by name. I’m very proud of that. It was a lot of hard work.
Please don’t misunderstand, though. There are still (plenty of) days when I question my abilities. Days when I wonder if I’m doing a good job. Days when I wonder if I’m “really” the expert. My students think so. My clients think so. On a good day, I think so….. but there are lots of times I feel like a charlatan. I haven’t “arrived”. I don’t think anybody ever really does. That’s a story we tell ourselves when we look at other people because we only see the outside. We don’t know how they’re feeling.
There are days when I want to quit.
Fact is: I can. Anytime I choose to.
So far though, a good pep talk ending with
You have a choice here. Just do it, or give up. One or the other.”
…has kept me going.
This isn’t some cute little illustration. It’s not a motivational statement. It’s the truth. Oh my gosh, it’s the truth.
Fear can stop you. Fear can keep you small.
or
Fear can motivated you. It can push you.
There’s one thing I know for sure. This is not a dress rehearsal. There’s no “do-over”. Once this day…this moment…is gone, it’s gone. Forever.
Maybe, it’s time to stop living small, even though it’s scary.
It’s time to stop waiting for your life to begin, even though it’s scary.
It’s time to stop just dreaming….no, that’s not even it. Many of us never find the courage to EVEN dream, much less work toward those dreams.
It’s time to wake up.
It’s time to live.
It’s time to do something….something you want to do….something you’ve dreamt about….something that makes you feel alive….something….anything.
No one can do this for you. It is your life. Yours alone…and until you look at the narrator face, to face, call him/her a liar and truly, truly, know that you deserve better than this, you will feel stuck.
I read Daring Greatly by Brene Brown, a few months ago. It is an absolutely amazing book!!!! I loved it so much that I bought a copy for each of my children, my sisters, and my husband.
Brene harkened back to a speech Teddy Roosevelt gave in 1910. I frequently repeat this to myself.
“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again,because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly.”
Nov 06
MEAL 1 yesterday
Protein pancake sandwich.
15 grams vanilla protein powder, 10 grams oat flour, 2 egg whites, a little baking powder, splash of almond milk and 1/2 tsp glucomannan.
1 tbsp peanut butter
1/3 banana, cut into slices
Coffee, omega 3, vitamin D, iron and 2 multis.
I was super excited to finally get back to hot yoga yesterday – even with a headache (again, please remember, I’m not “sick”). I started doing this 6 years ago but haven’t been since we left Vegas, so it’s been a couple of years. Whoa!! Time goes by much too quickly!! It’s a 90 minute class. It’s 90-105 degrees in the room.
I have scoliosis. The heat, stretches, and flexibility feel great.
My personal priorities are protein, carbs, and coffee to start my day.
Spinach, Tomato, Cucumbers, Chicken, Olives
Sweet peppers with Skinny Cow cheese wedges
Tilapia with buffalo panko baked with beets and greens.
Nov 05
Debbie Hatch | Family & F.I.T.
I had a former client come to me this morning and ask, “Can you help me lose 20 pounds? As quickly as possible.”
It’s a cycle with this gentleman, and he’s not unusual. Not at all. In fact this is something I typically hear.
“Can you help me lose XX pounds?”
“Can you make it as quick as possible?”
Females say, frequently: “I need help with my butt, thighs, tummy, and under the backs of my arms.”
And, as frequently, Males say: “Help me lose this gut.”
These things are typical. Common.
…and fraught with issues.
Can I work with this gentleman on eating better, and exercising? Yes!! Will that change his body composition? Yes!! Can I promise he’ll lose 20 pounds? Nope…and that’s not a reasonable goal.
Plus, the truth is, he doesn’t want to lose “weight”, he wants to lose “fat”. There’s a huge difference!! If you want to lose weight, throw out the damn bathroom scale! Presto. Done.
If you want to lose fat, and change your body, learn to incorporate healthy nutrition and movement habits into your life – for life.
Why in the world would I say that?
Because I know how little weight has to do with anything. These two pictures are both of me. There is 3 (exactly THREE) pounds difference between the two. Yes, my pose is different BUT look at the difference in my legs. Look at the leanness of my back and the curve of my waist. Three pounds.
If I hadn’t taken photos, I would likely have been upset at, “only losing three pounds”. You know that’s true! Have you ever been upset for only losing a couple of pounds? I don’t focus on the weight now – I focus on the changes. How I look. How I feel. How my clothes fit. How strong and capable I feel.
So, back to this morning. This client’s cycle is pretty typical too.
The reality is, this guy doesn’t really want another, “quick fix”. None of us do! What we want is to get healthy and maintain a body that not only works well but that we’re comfortable in.
THAT’S a goal we can live with! For life.
Yes, it’s possible….
Here’s the secret to that…
Are you ready?…
This is IT…
===> Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are now! <===
That sounds so boring. So mundane. But it works! It’s not just something I say. It is something I believe, and something I’ve written about numerous times on this page. {scroll through the blogs: here are three of my favorites to get you started Waist or Waste, Do What you Can is not a License to Ignore Personal Responsibility and What are you Putting in your Mouth}
There is no one-size-fits-all….not in clothing, not in nutrition, exercise, nor life. We are individuals. What works for your friend may not work for you.
Fresh, organic, minimally processed food is always going to be the best. That’s a great goal, a fantastic goal, to work towards.
BUT…. Sometimes life gets in the way. We got busy. We ran out of time. We forgot. We didn’t feel like it. An emergency popped up. That stuff happens to every single one of us!
L.I.F.E.
Life is not neat and orderly. It doesn’t go as we plan. Life is messy, and disorganized, and crazy sometimes. To be honest, that’s exactly what I love about it!
Do what you can, with what you have, right where you are now. Make the best choice from the choices available.
For example, it’s ideal if you’ve planned ahead and have eggs, protein waffles, over-night oats, egg white muffins, fruit, nuts, Greek yogurt and other delicious, healthy things in your refrigerator ready to go.
BUT…. If your only option for breakfast is going through the McDonald’s drive through, pick the fruit and yogurt, or an egg (or egg/steak) McMuffin (vs biscuit). Discard the top half of the muffin, and ask if it can be grilled without extra butter. OR keep a protein bar in your purse/desk drawer for the times you’re running late.
It’s nice to have had the time and forethought to make your lunch ahead of time and bring it with you.
BUT…. If you didn’t do that and now the office is going out for lunch, pick something that contains protein and veggies. Maybe that’s a salad, maybe not. Choose something that is grilled instead of breaded and deep fried, limit the sauces and dressing you pour on top.
It’s nice to get to the house and make a home-cooked, nutritious, dinner. It’s ideal if you cut up some veggies, grilled a bowl of chicken, or cooked something in the crock pot on Sunday for the entire week. Grabbing something vs cooking is definitely more likely to happen.
BUT…. Sometimes we’re tired. There’s nothing in the cupboard. We didn’t have time to go grocery shopping. Cooking up some frozen veggies, instead of fresh, to go with your chicken is absolutely fine. Have two or three restaurants that are on your way home, pre-programmed into your phone. Call for take out – again, make the best choice you can. a salad from Chipotle is going to beat pepperoni pizza for nutrition and satiety. That’s just an example. It doesn’t have to be salad and it can be pizza…..
I’m just asking that you think about it.
“What are your choices right now? What would work? What is the best choice from those things?”
The same is true for exercise…..convenience, convenience, convenience!!! I’ll save that discussion for another day.
Nov 04
Debbie Hatch | Family & F.I.T.
I got up and went straight to work this morning. My husband makes coffee before he leaves so I had that, but no food for a while. I was super hungry by the time I did eat.
MEAL 1
4 eggs whites with fresh salsa and turkey pepperoni. Two slices of 40 calorie wheat bread smeared with a tbsp blueberry jam (the thing to be careful of with jam is serving size. 1 tbsp is a serving of this – that’s not very much and it’s far less than most people use).
Why do I only use egg whites in my omelet? Egg yolks are not, “bad for you”, but, one egg yolk has around 55 calories, 4.5 grams of total fat and 1.6 grams of saturated fat, 210 mg of cholesterol, 8 mg of sodium, and 2.7 grams of protein. I simply prefer to get my fat from other sources – there are so many things I like better than egg yolks, like Bailey’s, turkey pepperoni, cheese, and peanut butter.
Mid morning I had 1 cup of seedless green grapes.
PRE-WORKOUT
Greens powder, 1 cup fresh spinach, 25 grams vanilla bean protein powder, banana, and 1 cup unsweetened almond milk.
Why did I eat this before working out? It’s a mix of protein and carbohydrates: both are important in giving me 
the energy to power through my weight training.
I also had some frozen yogurt and 3 hard boiled egg whites after my workout. When I tell you, “there are no banned foods”, I sincerely mean that.
This froyo has probiotics, it’s fat free, and is “just” a carbohydrate.
MEAL 3
3.5 oz Bay scallops with garlic and Italian dressing mixed with brussel sprouts plus 3/4 a small baked potato topped with a pinch of mozzarella.
Notice how most of my plate is filled with the protein and veggies?
Why would I eat white potato instead of sweet potato? Contrary to popular belief, there is very little nutritional difference between the two. A 3 oz russet is 78 calories and 18 carbs. A 3 oz sweet potato is 73 and 17 carbs. Surprised?
I eat both – tonight I opted for white.
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