by Cori Lefkowith | Mar 10, 2019 | Blog, Diet, Recipes
I don’t care what your dietary preference is…Protein is key if you want to lose fat and build lean muscle.
(By dietary preference I mean Vegan, Vegetarian, Paleo, Gluten-Free…)
While you can lose weight by simply cutting calories to some extent that doesn’t guarantee you that lean, cut look we’re usually striving for when we’re trying to lose weight.
To get that lean look, you need to make sure to increase your protein intake while in a calorie deficit.
And for my non-meat eating friends?
It can be a bit more challenging, which is why I wanted to share one of the Vegetarian recipes from my 4-Week Macro Cycling Accelerator.
Tempeh Lettuce Wraps With Honey-Garlic Glaze
SERVINGS: 3
INGREDIENTS:
6 leaf Looseleaf Lettuce
12 oz Tempeh
2 tablespoons Coconut Aminos
1 teaspoon Sriracha Chilli Sauce
1/4 cup Shredded Carrots
1/8 cup Honey
6 grams Garlic Clove
1 1/4 teaspoons Minced Ginger
1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 teaspoon Coconut Aminos
In a large nonstick, skillet, add half the garlic and ginger, cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently.
Add crumbled tempeh.
Cook for about 7 minutes; only stir 1-2 times (the goal is to attain browning). Add 2 tablespoons coconut aminos and Sriracha, stir to evenly mix.
Cook for another 7 minutes, again, don’t stir too much. Once browned well, set aside.
While tempeh is cooking prepare glaze.
In a small sauce pan, heat honey, 1 teaspoon of coconut aminos and the other half of the garlic and ginger over medium heat. Honey should bubble and boil. Let cook for 1 minute.
Let cool slightly then add sesame oil.
To prepare each wrap, add a bit of carrot, scoop of tempeh mixture to a piece of lettuce and top with a drizzle of glaze. ENJOY!
CALORIES: 300
PROTEIN: 22g
CARBS: 31g
FAT: 11g
by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 25, 2019 | Blog, Diet
There legit looks like there is absolutely no difference between these two images above.
I mean maybe if you look really closely you can see the peanut butter is spread thinner on one…or the bananas are cut a bit thicker.
But if you were making this for yourself, you can see how it would be so easy to make the second and THINK it was the same portion size if you didn’t measure it.
And that’s EXACTLY the problem.
Most of us aren’t as good at “eyeballing” our portion sizes as we think.
And our hunger levels, as well as our stress levels, can dramatically impact exactly how big or small a portion looks….trust me.
Now with general weight loss, you may be able to “get away with” a little more deviation in your portions, especially if you’ve started your journey by cutting out specific foods.
But for fat loss…well you can’t.
We NEED to track if we have specific goals because it’s just so easy for our portions to become distorted.
Something that literally can look exactly the same can have 100 calories more and double the fat. (And heck, if you’re a nut butter fiend like me, that extra tbsp can EASILY become 2 or 3 more…)
And this is exactly why we can FEEL like we’re doing all of the right things yet not seeing the results we want.
Small portion distortions at each meal can add up.
And let’s face it too…the portions that usually become distorted aren’t generally the lean meats or even veggies….
It’s usually the nuts or the dried fruit or the crackers we have “just a couple extra of.”
It’s not that we are even eating “unclean,” whatever “clean” means to you.
But those little things we tend to want to have “extra” of are usually calorically more dense and not as “macro friendly.”
We have to remember that fat loss requires a calorie deficit AND tweaks to our macro ratios…both of which can easily become skewed by “just a few more” constantly being added in.
Tracking may be annoying. It may be tedious. Heck, you may even think it sucks.
But it not only gets easier, it’s truly key to results.
Plus, is 5 minutes of logging a day or an extra few minutes weighing out your food at each meal really worse than not reaching your goals?
Don’t waste time not seeing the results you want!
Learn more about taking control of your portions!
by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 2, 2019 | Blog, Diet
You’re making great progress. Really sticking to the program and seeing great results.
But then…your results start to slow. And a few weeks even go by where you feel like you aren’t making any progress.
You didn’t change anything.
You’re still in a calorie deficit…So why aren’t things working!?
Don’t freak out! Don’t get upset and completely say “SCREW IT!”
First off, there will be periods we don’t “see” results, but changes are still occurring.
And secondly, it may just be time for a little “diet break!”
If your goal is weight loss, you do need to be in a calorie deficit.
BUT our bodies adapt to what we give them – this includes the workouts we do and even our DIET.
But when our body adapts, we can’t just keep cutting calories lower and lower. Instead, it may be time to change up those macro ratios or even BUMP our calories for a bit.
And that is where a diet break comes in handy.
It is simply a change up for our body. It is an increase in calories and often a slight adjustment in macro ratios.
Now a diet break does NOT mean go on a week long binge. And it doesn’t mean you aren’t SATISFIED even with what you’ve been doing.
It is actually a CALCULATED technique used to kickstart progress when results have slowed and help you mentally recharge a bit.
Dieting breaks are a great way to help you intensify your training and break through a weight loss plateau before returning to your calorie deficit.
The change in ratios and bump in calories can help you intensify your training for a bit to build extra muscle and it can help make sure your hormones are at optimal levels, especially if your carbs, or fats, have been at lower levels.
And amazingly, sometime that BUMP in calories and change in ratios can result in WEIGHT LOSS even though it goes against what we think we have to do to lose weight aka be in a calorie deficit.
Not to mention the diet break can mentally recharge us and even kickstart better results as we return to a deficit.
So how can you implement a diet break?
A diet break is not a cheat day or even a carb re-feed. It is actually an EXTENDED period of eating calories more at your maintenance level.
Note too I didn’t say just eat as much as you want. You are just eating more at what your body needs to maintain where you are at – this is still a CALCULATED technique not a free-for-all.
You can do a diet break in a couple of different ways.
You can take a complete diet break, which can be 1-2 weeks of increased calories and even looser tracking.
Or you can take a partial diet break, where you still strictly track but simply increase your calories by 500 or eat more at maintenance level.
How often you include a diet break may also depend on your level of leanness and even how long it may take you to reach your goal.
If you are leaner and looking to maintain that level of leanness, or even drop that last little bit (especially if you are a physique competitor), you may use a diet break every 4-6 weeks.
While if you are just starting out and have more weight to lose, you may implement one every 3 or so months.
However, if you do have more weight to lose, and know your goal may take a year to accomplish, you may find it helpful to include diet breaks at schedule times since you’ll be in a deficit for longer and the mental break will help.
The key is to know that you CAN use a diet break when you mentally feel fatigued, especially if you’ve been dieting for awhile, OR if you’ve even hit a plateau (and don’t want to cut calories lower because your deficit is already larger).
Remember this isn’t just a one day carb re-feed or cheat day.
This is a 7-14 day higher calorie cycle where you are still focused on quality foods and hitting your macros albeit potentially less strictly.
However, if you do a diet break, you do want to up the carbs for this cycle while upping calories if you’ve been on a lower carb ratio.
The increase in carbs is part of why this break works as it helps to regulate hormones so you can potentially drop some extra pounds your body has been holding on to.
Ready to really understand proper nutrition and figure out what will work for YOUR body and YOUR goals, as your body and goals even change over time?
Join my Macro Hacks!
by Cori Lefkowith | Jan 15, 2019 | Blog, Diet
MACROS – You may have heard this word recently when someone mentioned a new diet they were starting. But what the heck are macros and how do you “hit” or “fit” something into them?
I wanted to give you a little “cheat sheet” guide to macros and why paying attention to them may help you get better results FASTER!
So first…
What is a macro?
A macro is a macronutrient or protein, carbs and fats. It is the nutrients your body needs in large quantities.
Almost every popular diet out there manipulates the amount of each macro you consume to get results whether it is promoting low or no carbs, low fat, high protein, or some balance in between!
And all of the foods we consume have a certain amount of each macronutrient.
Animal proteins such as chicken, fish, eggs and beef all have a different amount of protein, and fat. Some are very low in fat, like chicken breast, while some can be higher in fat like say Salmon.
This doesn’t mean one food is BETTER than another.
It just means you can include a variety of protein sources based on your specific needs and goals and even “work around” different fat contents by the foods you include at other times!
For instance, if you’re doing a diet that is lower in fat and higher in protein, you may start to realize that eggs, while protein, also increase your fat intake.
So you may still include eggs, but you may eliminate a less healthy source of fat from somewhere else OR include a leaner protein source at another time.
Or if you’re doing Keto, you may start to look at which foods are higher in fat to focus on those while eliminating some foods that are higher in carbs.
Or if you’re a vegetarian looking to increase protein, you may realize that you need to not only combine certain foods for a completely protein, a complete amino acid chain, but that many of your protein sources also contain more carbs too.
The key is understanding what our food is made of so we can eat according to our goals!
To often we start a diet, dial in our diet with whole, natural foods and then wonder WHY we aren’t getting the results we want.
And it may be because while we think we are following the principles of the diet, we aren’t actually hitting the macronutrient ratios the diet suggests because we don’t actually KNOW what the macros are.
That is where this quick cheat sheet can come in handy!
And it is also important for us to realize that while the quality of our food is key for optimal functioning and better health…for some aesthetic goals…well it kind of doesn’t matter!
Quality Doesn’t Matter!?
This isn’t meant as an excuse to just go eat crap.
BUT I think it is an important fact to recognize because it is a frustration I often hear from clients trying to lose weight.
“Well I cut out all of the processed stuff and am eating one ingredient foods, but I’ve stopped losing weight and I have 10 more pounds!”
It’s because the quality of our food doesn’t fully matter to weight loss.
Because calories in vs calories out is at the heart of what matters, and how we dial in your macros CAN affect how we create a deficit, but you can still OVEREAT even eating only healthy foods.
While the quality of our food does help our body function optimally, I think often the fact that we cut out all of the foods we love to eat “cleaner,” ends up backfiring.
Often I even see clients overeating because they have a craving they aren’t satisfying.
So they hold themselves back from getting the results they want instead of striking a balance.
Instead of also including the foods they love while focusing on whole natural foods, they completely cut them out, and, all too often, end up binging on them at some point and falling off the restrictive diet they’ve created.
You CAN indulge in those foods you love while still dialing in the overall quality of your diet for results.
But realize that no matter how “clean” you eat, the bottom line is that if you want to lose or gain weight, the amount and type (aka macros) of calories that you consume matters most.
What’s Right For Me?
The most confusing part of this is where to start. What ratios or diets do you choose?
How do you create a calorie deficit without cutting out too much?
How can you get fast results without restricting yourself so much you end up binging?
Where is the balance that will work for you!?
The one key to figuring out what is right for YOU since one size doesn’t really fit all with dieting?
START TRACKING!
Learn about the different diets, experiment with different ratios and then track what you eat so you can truly see your calories, your macros and even what may be working or NOT working!
If you don’t track, you don’t know.
And tracking, while annoying yes, not only becomes easier and a HABIT, but it also helps you stop feeling like nothing will work!
What’s worse, not knowing what is or isn’t working and therefore constantly struggling to see the results you want OR taking a few minutes each day to weigh and measure and log?
Take control of your diet today! Join my Metabolic Shred!
by Cori Lefkowith | Dec 17, 2018 | Blog, Diet
BCAAs – It’s All About The Amino Acids!
Other than protein powders, BCAAs supplements are actually the supplement I get asked about the most, especially when people come from bodybuilding circles.
We always think MORE IS BETTER…so more amino acids, especially when we are trying to build muscle may be better, right?
So what are BCAAs supplements and do you need them, especially if you’re an average jane or joe?
What Are BCAAs?
BCAAs are branched-chain amino acids. They are made up of 3 essential amino acids – isoleucine, leucine and valine. (And as discussed early, essential amino acids can’t be made by the body but must instead be gotten through the foods we consume.)
These BCAAs make up about 40% of the daily requirement of all 9 essential amino acids, which shows you how important these 3 are.
BCAAs can be found in all sources of protein with the highest concentrations in chicken, beef, salmon, eggs and whey.
In all of these sources though, the BCAAs are peptide-bound to other amino acids.
So in order to raise BCAA levels in your body, they must first be liberated through digestion and then absorbed into the bloodstream.
Even with say a whey protein, which is relatively fast digesting, it can still take hours for the amino acids to be broken down and absorbed.
However in supplements, BCAAs are free form and require no digestion, meaning they can bypass the liver and gut tissue and go straight for the bloodstream.
This means they are more rapidly absorbed and may spike blood amino acid levels more quickly and to a greater extent even than the aminos in proteins.
BCAA Benefits:
The two main reasons BCAA supplementation usually comes up are for gaining muscle and improving recovery, both of which they are touted to do.
BCAAs trigger protein synthesis with exercise or even without.
When combined with exercise they can be a great way to help you build muscle while they can help you retain lean muscle mass when you aren’t working out.
Say for instance, if you are injured and taking time off. Supplementing with BCAAs may help you minimize muscle loss.
Not only is that good in and of itself, but the retention of more lean muscle mass can also help keep your metabolism up to prevent you from gaining fat even while you’re inactive.
If you are using intermittent fasting, you may actually choose to supplement with a flavorless BCAA powder in your water during your fasts, and during your workouts for extra energy, to help you gain and retain lean muscle mass.
Because it can help prevent muscle catabolism, it will only benefit you if you fast for longer periods OR even do an endurance cardiovascular sport, say long distance runs or rides that may be more catabolic to muscle tissue.
BCAA supplementation may also benefit us more as we age because it becomes more difficult to create a muscle-building environment and activate protein synthesis as we get older.
And, partly due to the fact that BCAAs can help us build and retain lean muscle, but also due to the fact that isoleucine and leucine help improve glucose tolerance and increase energy expenditure and fat oxidation, they may also help you increase fat burning and fat loss.
BCAAs may also aid in recovery, which can not only help you feel better for your next training session, but can actually help you get in a better training session by decreasing fatigue.
This is actually probably the BIGGEST benefit of BCAA supplementation over just consuming other sources of protein.
BCAAs can be burned as energy. This can help maintain ATP energy levels during glycogen-depleting exercise. Because BCAAs can also enhance the body’s ability to burn fat, they can then increase your energy pool that way.
BCAAs can also help prevent central nervous system fatigue by inhibiting the uptake of tryptophan into the brain (tryptophan is used to make serotonin in the brain, increasing tiredness and fatigue).
Basically what BCAAs do is prevent our brain from telling us “You’re done,” which is most often why our performance suffers. Let’s face it…If you’re brain tells you that you’re tired, your going to feel tired and slow down!
BCAAs can also help reduce muscle soreness, both after a strength OR a cardio endurance workout. Note I said REDUCE, not prevent.
So if you were looking into BCAAs as a recovery aid, they may well be worth the money! (However, it may mean taking them CONSISTENTLY and not just the day of a hard training session.)
BCAA Downsides:
The biggest question is really…Are they worth the extra cost?
The downside is you can easily get plenty of the amino acids you need from whole, natural foods and often without the sweeteners or flavoring added to make BCAAs taste better. (Although yes you can get unflavored options.)
And with proper nutrition and SLEEP, you can also usually help your body recover properly without added supplementation.
Also, B vitamins can become depleted, especially if you megadose BCAAs as they are critical for amino acid metabolism. This can cause serious issues since B vitamins are essential for everything from energy metabolism, preventing cravings to managing anxiety and cognition.
If you do supplement with BCAAs or are taking huge doses in preparation for an event, just make sure to get plenty of vitamin B rich foods (spinach, broccoli, beets, bell peppers, oranges).
Also, as I mentioned, BCAAs can help prevent serotonin from being created which can help during your workout to prevent your brain from telling your body it is fatigued.
HOWEVER, low serotonin levels can lead to depression, poor moods and even affect your sleep.
This is important to note if your diet is already high in protein AND low in carbs. You may not want to add a BCAA supplement to the mix.
This problem can be avoided though even simply by timing more carbs before bed, but it is something to watch for if considering adding BCAAs to your diet.
And just remember BCAAs DO NOT replace protein.
So…Should YOU Use It?
I think if muscle building and maintenance is your main goal, they are worth a shot, especially if you are a hard gainer or training intensely while in a deficit. So when you’re working to lose those last few pounds, this could be the extra push you need, especially if you’ve hit a plateau.
They may also be helpful if you plan to compete in a physique show and are having trouble getting down to very low levels of body fat.
BCAAs may also be something to look into for your distance runners and cyclists. If you are a runner upping your miles that wants to prevent muscle loss with the increase in steady-state cardio, they could be a good way to prevent muscle catabolism.
They can also aid recovery and help prevent fatigue which may help you improve your training for a specific event.
They can also be great if you are doing fasted weight training, and not first thing in the morning, and want to make sure to protect your lean muscle and even increase your gains. The key with this though is to get UNFLAVORED BCAAs to maybe add to your water or coffee.
If you plan to supplement with BCAAs, you will probably want to consume them right prior to and DURING your training.
If you are just starting your weight loss journey though, they aren’t necessary as you can meet your needs with your protein intake from whole, natural foods and even maybe a protein supplement alone.
(The only caveat to this is if you haven’t been training AT ALL, and are jumping back in, they have been shown to be helpful for reducing muscle soreness and speeding recovery in untrained individuals.)
We always want to first focus on meeting your needs with dialing in our overall diet.
BCAAs may just help us reach that next level if we’ve had everything dialed in for awhile!
Looking For Some Delicious BCAAs to add to your diet?
Check out Redefining Supps!
4 amazing flavors to add to your water during your training and make sure you’re using every tool at your disposal to get the best results possible!
–> Redefining Supplements BCAAs
Further reading on BCAA supplementation:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21222129
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3156598/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22350359
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3261811/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21297567
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20844186
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21487148
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0040009
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21636183
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21606874
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/19997002
http://www.hdri-usa.com/assets/files/role_of_b_vitamins_in_biological_methylation.pdf
by Cori Lefkowith | Oct 23, 2018 | Blog, Diet, Recipes
I believe eating well is a balance…and sometimes that balance even means having no balance aka what I consider “cheat days.”
But for those days you don’t fully feel like indulging but do have a hankering for some of those not so healthy treats, it can be fun to come up with macro-friendly alternatives.
These macro-friendly recipes help keep you on track while still satisfying your cravings so that you don’t want to binge.
They are a great way to find balance with eating well so that you don’t feel deprived and can still stay focused on your goals.
They help you create that oh so elusive LIFESTYLE so many people talk about.
And one of my favorite macro-friendly treats is this Pita Pepperoni Pizza!
No this isn’t the cleanest meal you’ll ever eat, but guess what?! Sometimes you NEED that!
So if you’re craving some pizza but want to stay on track, and potentially trigger worse cravings, try this Macro-Friendly Pizza alternative!
The Pita Pepperoni Pizza
SERVINGS 1-2
INGREDIENTS:
2 pitas (Joseph’s Flax Oat Bran & Whole Wheat Pita Bread)
16 slices Turkey Pepperoni (65% Less Fat)
1/2 cup Mozzarella Cheese Shredded
1/2 cup Italian Herb Organic Pasta Sauce
1/2 cup Ricotta Cheese, Low-Fat
1 tbsp Parmesan & Romano Grated Cheese
Sprinkling of Red Pepper Flakes
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 and place the pita bread on the middle rack for 3-4 minutes just till it starts to get crispy but not brown.
Then remove from the oven and split the ingredients between the two pitas. I like to measure as I put the toppings on, especially if I’m not eating both at that meal.
Top first with tomato sauce. Then the pepperoni. Then sprinkle with the mozzarella before spooning on chunks of the ricotta. You can also spread the ricotta on if you don’t want bigger chunks.
Place in the oven again on a baking sheet and cook till the edges of the pita start to brown and the cheese is melted.
Then remove from the oven and top with parmesan and red pepper. Enjoy!
You can of course place any other toppings on that you like. Others that are good include olives, onions, spinach, mushrooms…The options are endless! Just make sure to adjust the macros below based on the ingredients you use!
MACROS FOR BOTH PITA PIZZAS:
Calories: 475
Protein: 46 grams
Carbs: 34 grams
Fat: 23 grams
FOR A SINGLE PITA PIZZA….just in case you wanted to be lazy and not do the math ;-):
Calories: 237.5
Protein: 23 grams
Carbs: 17 grams
Fat: 11.5 grams
Ready to strike a balance between indulging in the foods you love and eating clean and according to your goals?
Sick of trying to find a “lifestyle” when most diets force you to cut out the foods you love?
It’s time you learned a bit more about Macro Cycling. CLICK HERE!
