Nutrition

August 31, 2017 By Robyn

Eating Healthy Doesn’t Have to Be So Damn Complicated

The allure of a new diet is tempting. Starting over. Renewed hope.

Maybe this one will work.

This time I’ll stick with it.

20 pounds in 30 days!

But as the days and weeks pass, the new diet becomes overwhelming. The strict rules are frustrating. If you eat something you’re supposed to avoid, you feel guilty. If you’re at a social event flush with foods not allowed on your diet, you feel miserable and alienated.

There’s another way.

It’s not a fad. It’s not sexy. It won’t promise you rapid results. There are no foods or food groups to avoid (yay carbs!). No restrictive guidelines. It can be adapted to every social situation. And you can indulge in your favorite treats without feeling guilty on occasion.

It’s what I call The Vanilla Diet.

Plain. Simple. Uncomplicated – and delicious (in my opinion).

The Vanilla Diet generally consists of:

a variety of whole, minimally processed foods;
prioritizing fruits and vegetables;
including a good source of animal or plant protein with most meal;
a healthy mix of different fats;
plenty of water;
a variety of high-fiber “smart” carbohydrates based on activity levels;
eating to the point of satisfaction without getting stuffed;
enjoying your favorite not-super-healthy foods occasionally.

This way of eating is flexible and stress-free. It can be followed at restaurants, on vacation, at a party – anywhere.

No more obsessing. No more counting. No more cleanses. No more pencils. No more books. Sorry, I couldn’t resist.

If trying to keep up with the diet flavor of the month has left you worn out and weary, maybe it’s time to come home to the basics. Because eating healthy doesn’t have to be so damn complicated.

XO ~Robyn

I work with women who want to learn how to create real + lasting health changes. We’ll use a sustainable, practice-based approach to build healthy habits into your life, one day at a time for an entire year.

As your coach, I’ll provide accountability + direction + support every step of the way. I’ll help you stay consistent, no matter what life throws at you.

If this approach resonates with you, CLICK HERE for details on how to work together.

July 20, 2017 By Robyn

The Problem with Meal Plans

“Will I get a meal plan?’

This is a question I hear from potential clients quite a bit – and the answer is no. Let me explain.

Meal plans and diets simply aren’t useful or sustainable for the vast majority of people.

Clients often feel like they’re either “on” them or “off” them. The black and white nature of a meal plan suggests that people have to eat perfectly at each meal (to match what’s listed in the plan) — or else they’ve failed.

It’s psychologically unpalatable and unsustainable.

Even more, meal plans are frequently too inflexible. They don’t work with the reality of people’s busy lives. Work meetings, children’s activities, meals out, dogs that need walking, cars that break down, family members that get ill, etc.

Meal plans take none of these into account.

Finally, meal plans assume people already have the skills to follow them. But that’s simply not true.

Without skills like:

planning grocery shopping;
choosing the right items from the store;
storing and preparing food correctly;
eating slowly and mindfully;
tuning into hunger and appetite cues;
avoiding problem foods; and
choosing better options at restaurants…

…following a meal plan does zero to cultivate the habits necessary for long-term success.

If you’re currently using a meal plan, that’s OK. But make sure it’s working for you.

If your meal plan is making you feel:

overwhelmed
anxious and fretful
guilty
regretful
bad
overly rigid and/or preoccupied with food…

or any other negative, unproductive emotion…

…and if you find the meal plans result in you:

“falling off the wagon”, hard
getting obsessive and compulsive about food
restricting foods and food groups…
doing “all or nothing”, usually ending with “nothing”

…then consider trying another approach.

A habit-based program, like the one offered through Chickadee Health Coaching, focuses on repeating small, short-term daily actions to work towards a long-term goal.

By doing these actions or habits daily (or as often as possible), you’ll practice changing.

And when it comes to change:

Action is more important than information.
Doing is more important than knowing.

When we see and feel change happening, and experience ourselves making new choices, we start to think that maybe change is possible. We can’t un-see or un-know the fact that we just made a healthier choice – and we start to imagine making more and more healthier choices.

Bottom line – habit-based coaching works.

XO ~Robyn

I work with women who are ready to say goodbye to yo-yo dieting for good. We’ll use a sustainable, practice-based approach to build healthy habits into your life, one day at a time for an entire year.

The result? You’ll develop healthy habits that become second nature and last a lifetime. You’ll lose the weight (and inches) you haven’t been able to shed – for good.

If this resonates with you, CLICK HERE for details on how to work with me.

May 3, 2017 By Robyn

How Much Protein Do We Need?

Back in February, one of my clients expressed an interest in experimenting with a whole foods plant based diet (WFPB). A fancy way of saying vegan – without all the processed junk food. Because Oreo’s and Fruity Pebbles are technically vegan.

I’ve coached vegetarian clients (dairy + eggs are permitted), but never a vegan client (zero animal products). I had questions.

What might we need to supplement?
How will she get enough protein?
What are good sources of information and recipes?

Ever the curious student, I dove in head first. In fact, I challenged myself to eat exclusively WFPB for two weeks – to fully understand what it’s like + what it takes to eat this way.

In the weeks leading up my own WFPD experiment, I was certain I’d starve, or feel terrible, or crave animal protein like crazy, or gain a bunch of weight from all the carbs.

None of that happened.

To my surprise, I felt great eating this way. My energy went through the roof and my plates were full of reds and greens and oranges.

While I’m eating animal protein again, it’s definitely less than before and I’ve swapped out some of it for plant based proteins like tofu + tempeh + chickpeas.

FYI, this Tofu Spring Roll recipe is SO GOOD! Been whipping up a big batch every Sunday all summer long.

Why is it important to get enough protein?

Since our bodies need proteins and amino acids to produce important molecules in our body – like enzymes, hormones, neurotransmitters, and antibodies – without an adequate protein intake, our bodies can’t function well at all.

Protein helps replace worn out cells, transports various substances throughout the body, and aids in growth and repair.

Consuming protein can also increase levels of the hormone glucagon, and glucagon can help to control body fat.

It can also help to liberate free fatty acids from adipose tissue – another way to get fuel for cells and make that body-fat do something useful with itself.

How much protein do you need?

How much protein you need depends on a few factors, but one of the most important is your activity level.

The basic recommendation for protein intake is 0.8 grams per kilogram (or around 0.36 g per pound) of body mass in untrained, generally healthy adults. For instance, a 150 lb (68 kg) person would consume around 54 grams a day.

However, this amount is only to prevent protein deficiency. It’s not necessarily optimal, particularly for people such as athletes who train regularly and hard.

For people doing high intensity training, protein needs might go up to about 1.4-2.0 g/kg (or around 0.64-0.9 g/lb) of body mass. Our hypothetical 150 lb (68 kg) person would need about 95-135 g of protein per day.

These suggested protein intakes are what’s necessary for basic protein synthesis (in other words, the creation of new proteins from individual building blocks). The most we need to consume throughout the day for protein synthesis probably isn’t more than 1.4 – 2.0 g/kg.

But wait – there’s more!

Beyond the basics of preventing deficiency and ensuring a baseline of protein synthesis, we may need even more protein in our diets for optimal functioning, including good immune function, metabolism, satiety, weight management and performance. In other words, we need a small amount of protein to survive, but we need a lot more to thrive.

Health + Happiness ~Robyn

Helpful Plant Based Resources for Inquiring Minds:

Books

Podcasts

Recipe Inspiration

I work with women who want to create real + lasting health changes. We’ll use a sustainable, practice-based approach to build healthy habits into your life, one day at a time for an entire year.

As your coach, I’ll provide accountability + direction + support every step of the way. I’ll help you stay consistent, no matter what life throws at you.

If this approach resonates with you, CLICK HERE for details on how to work with me.

May 4, 2016 By Robyn

The Myth of Comfort Food

Traci Mann, Ph.D. heads up the Health and Eating Lab at the University of Minnesota.

When she and her colleagues heard that NASA was looking for scientists to study stress and eating among astronauts, they jumped at the chance.

The team conducted a series of research studies testing whether comfort food did in fact provide comfort. What they discovered was shocking…

“…comfort food does not provide more comfort than any other foods, or no food at all.“

The idea that comfort food does in fact provide comfort was so widely accepted that no one ever bothered to test it scientifically.

Well, Dr. Mann’s lab took it on and the results are in…

“We tell ourselves that we need or even deserve unhealthy treats when we have endured something unpleasant, or are stressed, sad or angry. But the research shows, this a flawed justification.

Even if you’ve believed in the power of comfort food your whole life, it’s time to let it go.

Comfort food is nothing more than a food you happen to want when you feel bad.”

So try this the next time you feel bad; instead of reaching for the cookies, remind yourself that they will not improve your mood beyond what would happen if you didn’t eat anything.

And in fact, by eating something that may make you feel guilty later, you are actually doing the opposite of comforting yourself.

Want to learn more? Get Dr. Mann’s book, “Secrets From the Eating Lab,” here.

XO ~Robyn

Diet Schmiet! Get off the yo-yo diet rollercoaster, make peace with food and your body, reach your leanest livable weight and reshape your life.

To learn more about private Weight Loss Coaching, C LICK HERE to schedule a free Discovery Session or email me directly at robyn@chickadeeweightloss.com.