What to Eat, What to Eat?...

Photo via Glamour Mag- May 2010



Greetings gals and guys! Most of you probably saw my post from last Friday about getting my diet in check in preparation for my upcoming wedding. I received lots of comments and emails suggesting that we "do this together!" , which I thought would be a great idea! Unfortunately, I'm terribly unqualified to talk about this topic, so I enlisted the help of "S" (my finace) to give us a little recap of eating well.

"S" (formerly known as the "Muscle Maniac" on here, tehe) is nearing the end of his personal training certification and is somewhat of a guru when it comes to diet and exercise. He works for a weight control/nutrition company that supplies protein powder, supplements and vitamins to a major retailer. Without further adieu, here's my guy (with photos of my fav girls from Glee!):

Happy belated New Year, Blonde Ambitioners!


I’m sure that by now we’ve all thought about those two or three things that we've vowed to do differently in 2011. Most common New Year’s resolutions include either getting back into shape or eating right or just some change to improve overall health.

If you are one of these people that would like to do better in the area of health and fitness, it is important to remember that for you to succeed with these goals, you must change your lifestyle.

During my teen and college years, it’s safe to say that I was not a healthy eater. In fact, this is my confession to you…I loved/love/will always love food! Furthermore, I can eat A LOT of food (Leslie's seen me do it). Among my favorites: burgers, fries, pizza, fried catfish, anything dipped in cheese and any traditional Italian or Southern cuisine.  In a perfect world, all the aforementioned foods would be just what our doctors ordered. However, these foods in regularity will get you high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and a handful of other issues that will have your doctor lecturing you.

Moderation is Key

Bottom line, it is essential that you eat to live and not live to eat. Cliché I know, but it’s very true. My philosophy on diet is simple, “guilty pleasure” foods are acceptable in moderation.
It’s ok to cheat once or twice a week because you’re more likely to stick to your diet if you don’t have forbidden foods. So if you have pizza one night…great! Don’t obsess over how many calories you just ate. Enjoy it and be done with it. Tomorrow, get back on track.

What to Eat, What to Eat?...
 So how do we eat “right”? First, let me clarify one thing, eating right does not mean starving yourself. A healthy diet includes eating regularly, getting the right macronutrients (Fat, Protein, Carbohydrates). Try to follow the simple 1-2-3 rule of macronutrients. 1 part fat to 2 parts protein to 3 parts carbohydrates. Never does eating right consist of skipping meals. And for the love of all things fitness, please do not skip breakfast.

Photo via Glamour Mag- May 2010



Break the Fast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for a reason. The word “breakfast” comes from the phrase “to break the fast” which is exactly what you’ve been doing throughout the night so your body is highly efficient in nutrient absorption in the morning. Keep in mind that people who skip breakfast are far more likely to over eat at lunch. Not only does skipping breakfast slow your metabolism, but people who skip meals have a difficult time trimming any weight because your body does not know when it’s next energy source is coming so it begins to store extra fat as a “just in case” method to ensure that it has energy. As for eating regularly, I would suggest eating 5-7 times a day. Before you freak out, 3-4 of these eating occasions should be more a snack than a meal. For example, maybe you have a protein bar or shake between breakfast and lunch, and a cup of almonds between lunch and dinner. Also, despite what many say, it is acceptable to have a snack before bedtime.

Get Enough Calories!

 A final note on diet: Women tend to be very focused on calorie counting and that’s great. The lowest caloric intake that I would recommend in a day would be 1200. Most people (even those looking to lose weight) probably would want to be in the 1400-1700 calories per day range.

Please email Leslie with any questions on types of foods or how to prepare foods that will be a healthy fit for your life. Bottom line, find something that works for you and get consistent and you will see change! Results may vary ; )

**Each "Fierce and Fit" question we receive from you guys will be entered into a drawing for a FREE diet consultation with S- tailored for you and only you! We'll do the drawing next month, so send those questions in!

Be blessed, lovelies-