by Cori Lefkowith | Nov 5, 2017 | Blog, Diet
Ever heard the phrase “Yo-Yo Dieting?” Every wonder what it was or why Yo-Yo Dieting is so bad for you?
Yo-yo dieting is that horrible cycle all too many of us have gone through when it comes to weight loss and dieting…
We want to lose weight so we go on a diet.
We find a diet that promises the fastest weight loss possible…makes losing weight sound easy. And we start losing weight, sometimes rather quickly in fact.
We start was is commonly called a CRASH DIET!
But in the process of losing weight, we start “habits” that are really unmaintainable. We maybe even feel low energy and crappy.
We cut out the foods we love. We start eating these bland, boring tupperware meals of chicken and broccoli. We slash our calories and maybe even start two-a-day workouts.
And guess what happens?
It may happen a week into the diet, or a month…But we fall off.
We end up binge unable to maintain the unrealistic habits we were trying to instill.
And then we can’t seem to get back on track.
So we gain the weight back…and then some.
We lost weight only to gain it right back – we “yo-yo-ed.”
And the thing is…we aren’t alone. When we use a “short-term diet” aka a crash diet to lose weight, up to 65% of us will regain the weight we lost within 3 years.
Not only that, but only 5% of people manage to lose weight on a crash diet and actually KEEP IT OFF.
5%!?!
All that deprivation only to regain the weight and then some? No wonder we get frustrated with trying to eat well!
And the worst part is that the scale doesn’t even tell us the full story. It isn’t just “a few pounds” we are gaining back each time we repeat this yo-yo dieting cycle…this cycle many of us have fallen victim too more times than we’d like to admit…
Each time we cycle we are actually making it harder on ourselves to reach our goals!
Each time we crash diet to lose weight quickly, we may see that number on the scale drop . And it may seem super satisfying to see it go down quickly.
The problem is…well…that AMAZING weight loss?…It isn’t necessarily only fat being loss.
Actually, crash diets can cause you to lose a surprising amount of muscle mass. And when you lose muscle during your diet, your metabolism can also slow to conserve energy.
That can make you hit a plateau in your crash diet weight loss.
And when that happens?
Well that is often when we binge. And then we feel guilty. Which often leads to another binge. Until we end up back where we started, again putting ourself through another restrictive diet.
The other problem is, when we gain the weight back…well we don’t gain back muscle near as easily as fat. That means every time we yo-yo, we are not only gaining more weight, but actually increasing our body fat percentage.
AKA our body composition is getting worse and we could be adding more belly fat!
That is the yo-yo dieting cycle has to end.
If you want to not only lose weight but actually lose fat AND KEEP IT OFF, you’ve got to start a sustainable diet.
A diet that allows you to truly make lifestyle changes!
But what the heck would a diet like that even look like?
Well…
A sustainable diet:
- Would have to let you enjoy the foods you love
- Help you feel good and ENERGIZED
- Let you make slow, steady change and build true HABITS
- Not make any foods off limits
- Let you enjoy time with friends and family
- KEEP THINGS SIMPLE!
You need to find something that allows you consistent progress, but WHILE you are developing something you can maintain long term.
You need something that teaches you balance. Because there will be events. Vacations. Stressful times.
Times you are more motivated and less motivated.
And eating according to your goals can be balanced around them all.
Plus it should make you FEEL AND LOOK GOOD. Note…The FEEL GOOD part. Too often we just accept that we will feel crappy and low energy on a diet when that really shouldn’t be the case!
If you’re ready to get started with a sustainable diet and leave the yo-yoing behind, and you need some help knowing how to eat according to your goals, it’s time you checked out my Macro Cycling program!
Say GOODBYE to the restriction of crash diets and the rebound of the yo-yo dieting cycle!
by Cori Lefkowith | Aug 7, 2017 | Blog, Diet
For most of us “intuitive eating” doesn’t exist…
At least not initially.
It has to be learned.
With the distorted portion sizes at restaurants, misleading food labels, junk food masquerading as healthy, it’s hard to know what you should be eating.
Plus, stress, lack of sleep and boredom can all lead to mindless snacking and our body even sending us triggers we THINK mean we are hungry…when, in fact, we’re not!
It’s hard to really know when and IF we need food or if one of these other things is at play. Especially when we’ve created bad habits and those habits have been ingrained for years!
And to make intuitive eating even more impossible on top of all of that…
We live in a culture very centered around food.
Social gatherings are often centered around FOOD…I mean we even have a whole holiday centered around sitting down to eat an unreasonably large meal together where we know there is a chance the pants are going to need to be unbuttoned…
I mean…I can’t be alone in doing that at Thanksgiving!
That is why intuitive eating is something that has to be LEARNED.
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It is why counting calories and tracking your food to start is key to success.
Starting out, most of us have no idea WHAT or HOW MUCH or even WHEN our bodies really need food. We’ve just become so out of tune that we need to relearn how to listen to our body’s cues.
We need to train ourselves to again respond to what our body needs.
It’s kind of like when you train for your first race or you want to improve your race time.
You don’t just say “Hey I’m going to intuitively run as far and as fast as I can whenever I want.”
NOPE!
You wouldn’t do that because then the first time you start to get tired or bored, you’d stop! You’d give yourself excuses to turn back and maybe not even run again that week.
So you write out a program.
You set out how far you’re going to run, when you’re going to run and you track your pace.
You track and measure and set goals so you know EXACTLY how you’re doing and what you’re doing to get you to that first race or improve your time.
So why would eating be any different?
The simple fact is…It isn’t.
We need to track and log especially to start because tracking allows us to know what we are actually eating.
It helps us understand how certain foods affect our body. It helps show us that quality calories matter and what portion sizes we should actually be eating.
It helps us learn when we are ACTUALLY HUNGRY or when we are actually bored or stressed or tired.
It gives us direction to reach our goal, just like that running program would.
You wouldn’t leave your race or that goal time up to “intuition” so why would you set yourself up for failure by doing the same to your weight loss goals?
If you want to LEARN to eat intuitively and respond to your bodies needs, you need to start by tracking and logging!
by Cori Lefkowith | Jul 7, 2017 | Blog, Recipes
I love healthy snacks that don’t taste “healthy” aka like crap. I like snacks that you can have around that taste delicious, satisfy your cravings while also helping you hit your macros.
And it’s even better if they are easy to make so you don’t add on to your meal prep and can even squeeze in making them during a busy, stressful week. (I love snacks you can make and even freeze for a few weeks so you always have something on hand!)
Because let’s face it…When you’re stressed and tired and bored…and simply want to eat, you’ll reach for whatever is around. Which most often ISN’T healthy. Because most of the time the healthy food we keep around when we are “on a diet” is well…not satisfying.
But if you can have something TASTY AND HEALTHY easily available, you’ll not only satisfy your cravings but also keep yourself on track.
That is why I love these Cinnamon Vanilla Protein Balls.
They are basically a one-bowl recipe. AKA you put all of the ingredients in one bowl, mix, roll into balls and eat! You can freeze them for a few weeks so you always have something around and they are easy to take with you to work or out and about if you’ve got errands to run.
So if you need a quick and healthy treat to satisfy those cravings, you’ll love these protein balls from my Macro Cycling Shred Book!
Cinnamon Vanilla Protein Balls
Servings 16 (1 ball per serving)
INGREDIENTS:
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
3/4 cup Gluten-Free Oat Flour (take oatmeal in a food processor to grind up)
1/4 cup All-Natural Nut Butter of choice
1/4 cup Almond Meal/Flour
2 tbsp Raw Local Honey
2 scoops Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
1 tbsp Cinnamon
***Note you may need to slowly add tbsp of water depending on the whey, oats and almond meal you use to reach the desired consistency.
First make sure to grind up oats in a food processor or buy oat flour.
Then add oat flour, almond meal, whey, cinnamon and nut butter to a bowl. Stir all of the ingredients together.
Then add honey and vanilla extract. Mix well again with hands until dough comes together,
If needed, slowly add a tbsp of water at a time until dough complete comes together.
Then roll into 1-1.5 inch balls and place on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. You can choose to roll in additional cinnamon and even vanilla whey if desired.
Freeze for 20-30 minutes then transfer to a ziplock bag. You can freeze them for up to 6 weeks!
MACRO BREAKDOWN:
1 ball
Calories: 108
Protein: 7 grams
Carbs: 12 grams
Fat: 4 grams
Looking to dial in your diet? Love the idea of a diet where no foods are off limits? Curious about Macro Cycling and how you can get the lean, strong body you want with a diet that fits your lifestyle?
Here’s more information on Macro Cycling –>
by Cori Lefkowith | May 2, 2017 | Blog, Diet
I love and hate social media all at the same time.
And one of the things I hate about it is the fact that so many people are persuaded to do crazy diets because they see some popular fitness competitor looking extra, super lean on Instagram.
Let me tell you one thing here and now….fitness competitor diets are unrealistic and, frankly, generally unhealthy long-term.
They are meant to get people down to extremely unmaintainable low levels of body fat for COMPETITION. They are extreme diets done for a specific reason – to COMPETE.
They aren’t meant to be super healthy OR maintainable long-term.
And most of the people that do them either keep doing them because they do them as part of their JOB or they end up yo-yoing back up and messing up their hormone levels in the process.
Yet all too often when people are trying to lose weight, to get that ELUSIVE 6-pack and look lean, they turn to these fitness competitor diets.
UNREALISTIC, UNMAINTAINABLE DIETS that lead to nothing but yo-yo dieting, starvation, misery and horribleness.
And no…I’m not being overly dramatic.
These images we see often present unrealistic lifestyles. I know. I’ve tried.
I did the extreme diet. I ended up hangry. Super hangry!
And I never…NEVER achieved the leanness I wanted. I ended up skinny. And hungry. And low energy. And every time I would rebound.
They also present ONLY ONE SIDE – ONE PERFECT ANGLE OR VIEW. They are a highlight reel…and that person POSED to get that shot.
And I’m not saying there is anything wrong with that. We all like certain angles of ourselves and tend to take photos from it. I know I do.
Heck, I share with you all my glamour shots from photoshoots. But I now share these because I’ve found a way to MAINTAIN the look I want. To be lean. To have a lifestyle.
But the point is…You can’t base YOUR DIET on some Instagram picture!
You can’t go for something extreme and unmaintainable! Dieting shouldn’t mean cutting out the foods you love because this just leads to binging.
GETTING RESULTS ISN’T ABOUT PERFECTION, IT’S ABOUT CONSISTENCY.
And starvation, aka cutting your calories, and deprivation, cutting out all of the foods you love, doesn’t lead to consistency. And often it not only leads to binging but you messing up your metabolism and your hormones so you gain back even more fat each time you rebound.
So stop going for the extreme. Don’t fall for some fitness competitor diet.
Keep things simple and still enjoy the foods you love.
Use My Macro Hacks to get long-term, LASTING results with a diet that doesn’t cut out the foods you love or leave you feeling HANGRY and starved!
by Cori Lefkowith | Feb 13, 2017 | Blog, Recipes
I firmly believe you want to eat as many whole, natural foods as possible. The cleaner your diet, not only the faster your results, but also the healthier you are going to be.
However, the diet that also works best is the one you can STICK to long-term. The one you can be consistent with.
The one that you can enjoy as you are getting results.
That means finding a balance between being as clean as possible while still getting to indulge and enjoy foods that satisfy those cravings….All while hitting your macro ratios of course 🙂
That is why I think it is important that no food is ever off limits.
BUT that doesn’t always mean you want to completely indulge. Sometimes you want a “healthier” alternative that will keep you on track and not set off other cravings.
That is when recipes like Protein Granola come in handy. This recipe makes it easier to stick to your macros while still satisfying cravings for granola and even sugary cereals.
If you’re craving those sugary parfaits, this Protein Granola with greek yogurt and berries may be the healthier alternative you are looking for!
For me, recipes like this don’t set off cravings for worse foods. There are some foods out there that are “gateway foods”…foods that set off further cravings and cause you to fall off.
Having a healthier alternative that satisfies my cravings BUT doesn’t set off that desire for worse foods, is KEY for me staying on track.
That is why I love finding creative ways to stay on track that freaking TASTE GOOD!
Remember it is about consistency, not perfection. Sometimes adding in things that may be slightly off the “whole, natural foods” list is key to keeping you on track.
Yup…sometimes you have to give yourself some room to ENJOY!
So if you are looking to hit your macros and pack in some extra protein WHILE still indulging in some delicious granola, try this Protein Granola!
Protein Granola Parfait
(photo courtesy of Ashley C.)
Servings 2
Ingredients:
2 tbsp Coconut Flour
1/4 cup TJ’s Gluten Free Rolled Oats
1 scoop Vanilla Whey
1 tbsp Chia Seeds
3 tbsp Sugar Free Maple Syrup (you can use honey or real syrup or anything else!)
1/4 tsp Vanilla extract
1/8 tsp Baking Powder
Combine dry ingredients then mix in syrup and vanilla. Combine until crumbly.
Preheat oven to 350F and then put crumble mixture on foil on a baking tray. Spread it out and then place in the oven. Every 3-4 minutes you may want to mix it slightly. Cook until starting to brown. Then let cool before serving.
Combined with fat-free greek yogurt and even another scoop of whey and topped with half the granola for a delicious parfait!
Macros on the Protein Granola with the Protein Yogurt:
Calories: 365
Protein: 51 grams
Carbs: 27 grams
Fat: 5 grams
Are you ready to enjoy delicious foods while getting results?
Ready for something that will work when everything else has failed to help you get the body you really want?
NEXT PAGE LEARN MORE ABOUT MY MACRO HACKS PROGRAM –>
The other problem is, when we gain the weight back…well we don’t gain back muscle near as easily as fat. That means every time we yo-yo, we are not only gaining more weight, but actually increasing our body fat percentage.
