Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Food as Fuel...and Yumminess too!!

Okay, so food is obviously at the forefront of ANY health regime. So, I will recap the Leptin rules quickly and then share with you some updates to what I eat.

Here are the rules I now live by:


The Five Rules of the The Leptin Diet

Rule 1: Never eat after dinner.

Rule 2: Eat three meals a day.

Rule 3: Do not eat large meals.

Rule 4: Eat a breakfast containing protein.

Rule 5: Reduce the amount of carbohydrates eaten.

To see more details, check out this post or buy this book.

Rule Number 1 is pretty simple for me. I am not a late night snacker. If you are, though, my advice is to get a huge glass of ice water (crushed ice if possible) and lazily sip that and crunch on the ice for a bit. (not great for your teeth, but, it works for me) Try a little lemon or lime in your water if you need something to help flavor it.

Rule Number 2 gets a little squirrelly for some. We have all heard from so many people that we should be eating 5-6 meals a day to boost our metabolism. The studies that surround the hormone Leptin suggest otherwise. Leptin is the hormone that is the meter reader for all other hormones. It controls the release of triglycerides from our fat cells to fuels our bodies when we are not fueling it with food. So basically, when our body enters into fat burning mode (3-6 hours after eating) we should LET IT. The 5-6 meals a day plan means that every time your body starts to burn fat, you are then putting food (proteins, carbs, simple sugars) in your body to be burned instead!! Eating three HIGH protein, moderate carb meals a day allows your body to use fat as fuel instead. There is a lot of info in the book that looks scientifically and intrinsically at the role of your pancreas and of insulin in all of this. The bottom line for me: I spent 4 years in the fitness industry eating 5-6 meals a day (boiled egg for breakfast, non fat yogurt with grapes for snack, spinach with a half cup of tuna for lunch, almonds and cottage cheese for snack, whatever for dinner) and lost maybe 5 pounds every few months. With Leptin, from May to August, I lost 26 pounds and never felt hungry or tired, or more importantly, deprived.

Rule Number 3- This is a harder one to master. Learning to stop eating BEFORE you feel full and allowing your body to catch up to your mouth is a discipline that takes work. Do not give up. Try to leave a little more food on your plate each time you eat until you learn your best portions.

Rule Number 4 is the easiest for me. Grab some high quality whey protein (I prefer chocolate) from any health food section at a store. I mix 1.5 scoops of mine with 8 oz skim milk and half a scoop of milled flax seed. that gives me nearly 36 grams of protein with less than 8 carbs and TONS of fiber and omegas! I pair that with my coffee (made with Truvia, YUM!, and real creamer). You can also grab a few eggs and veggies and make a frittata. High protein means more than 20 grams. This will help keep you full longer and make it to your next meal!

Rule Number 5 is what prompted me to get an account with My Fitness Pal. Track your meals for a few days and see how many carbs you are getting. I did it a few weeks ago when I was really slowing down on weight loss...I was eating close to 80 carbs or more a day without realizing it. I now keep my carbs below 40g five days a week. I let myself cheat when I feel like it but get back to it the next day.

My meal plan right now:

Breakfast- shake made with 1.5 scoops whey, 8 oz skim milk, .5 scoops milled flax. Coffee with Truvia and cream, and supplements- which I will address in my next post.

Lunch- usually the same as breakfast. Sometimes I make this:



The Ultimate Bowl

3 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
1 15 oz can of organic vegetarian black beans, well rinsed and drained
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 cup fresh cilantro chopped
fresh lemon juice
sea salt and black pepper
lime juice (I use the kind in a bottle)
Avocados (keep on hand)

Dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup white vinegar
2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
sea salt and black pepper to taste

Cook quinoa according to package, cover set aside. In a large mixing bowl, add beans, tomatoes and cilantro, toss to combine.

Add all dressing ingredients to food processor and pulse until garlic is blended and dressing appears creamy, set aside in fridge.

Fluff quinoa with fork and add bean and tomatoe mixture. Season with salt and pepper and add lime and lemon juice to taste. Toss to combine. Keep in fridge until ready to serve. Measure out a 1-cup serving and slice up 1/4 avocado when ready to eat. Drizzle with dressing.

YUM. Now, this is replacement for one of my meals. It has 32 g of carbs, so I only eat this on days when I am having a shake for my other two meals.

Dinner- lean meat grilled or baked with veggies.


If I want something sweet, like coffee or dessert, I only eat it WITH my meal. I never wait and have dessert later.

So there you go, just a few ideas for food. please share yours as you develop your ideas!!

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