Top Ways to Ditch Dieting For Good

January 13, 2017January 31, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood4 Comments

It’s Not About Dieting It’s About A Healthy Lifestyle

1) Find healthy foods you love:

Since I have changed my eating habits I have found so many foods that I thought I hated but I actually now love. Eggplant, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Roasted cauliflower, Baked Kale chips, Sweet potatoes, Mushrooms just to name a few. These are all things that I never would have eaten 18 months ago, yet they are now part of my every day diet…I still hate cooked peppers, I don’t think that will ever change.

2) Get a routine:

Make it easier on yourself to make better choices. Have your fridge stocked with fresh fruits and veggies. Set regular meal times and don’t let yourself graze or snack. Keep yourself accountable with a food and fitness journal. Make a plan and stick to it! It is not about perfection it is about consistency.

3) Do exercises you enjoy:

I don’t like to run. So you know what, I don’t do it! There are sooooo many other way to get in a great cardio workout without having to pound the pavement. The more time I have spent doing different types of physical actives, the more I have discovered the things that I love and things that I don’t enjoy.

I hate lunges, but I love squats. I hate pushups but I love doing plank. I love jumping jacks and cardio kick boxing. I really enjoy lifting weights and strengthen training. Find what you enjoy and do it!

4) Always have a goal:

The scale is not the only place to have goals. There are so many other ways to stay motived and push yourself. Recently I have been pushing myself to increase my reps as well as up the weights. It is so satisfying to reach a goal and set a new one!

5) Indulge:

You know I love sweets! If you are going to a special event, like a birthday party or a friends BBQ, let yourself indulge within reason. Denying yourself can lead to unwanted binges. Instead try to be strict with your diet leading up to the event. Do not, I repeat DO NOT make yourself feel guilty about it later on. Occasionally enjoying a sweet treat or special meal is an absolutely necessary part of a feasible healthy lifestyle. This is a lifestyle we are ditching the “diet.”

6) Don’t focus on denial:

How true is it that all you want is what you can’t have! If you want a french fry, have a fry or two. You don’t need to eat an entire large fry, but a fry or two might be just the thing to keep you from derailing your entire healthy plan.

Remember, It’s Not About Dieting It’s About Lifestyle!

After a few weeks you won’t even have to think about these changes. Making a lifestyle change is worth the time and hard work it takes. Long lasting results are so much more satisfying than short ended quick results from a fad diet.

You and your health and wellness are worth it!

If you want to read more about the benefits of lifestyle vs dieting check out my flab to fab post about Balance.

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all three. I would also love to follow you on Instagram and Twitter as well, so let me know your user name in the comment section below!

Health/ Fitness

Fruit: Nature’s Candy

January 8, 2017December 30, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

I cannot tell you how happy I am that God gave us fruit as a natural candy. I love watermelon, pineapple, and strawberries and bananas and apples! I just love all fruit!

If you are trying to eat a healthier diet, don’t avoid fruit just because it has sugar in it. I find that when my diet is balanced with 2-3 servings of fruit a day, I not only feel better, but I also crave less processed sugar.

Processed Sugar = Bad! / Fruit’s Natural Sugars= Good

Fruit is not only a great source of sweetness it is also a vitamin rich, easy to digest fuel for your body. Fruit is also a great source of carbohydrates and antioxidants. When eaten raw, most fruits even contain enzymes that help with its digestion.

Glucose is a simple sugar that is an important energy source for our bodies, and is a component of many carbohydrates. Once the body has depleted the glycogen stores, they need to be refilled. A quick, easy, and delicious way to restore them is with fruit: a simple easy to digest carbohydrate!

Along with fruit being quick to digesting and absorb into the body quickly, it has an added bonus: it has the vital nutrients the body needs to function like vitamin a, b, and c.

Don’t avoid them, enjoy them, eat fruits!

Health/ Fitness

Pre Workout Snacks

January 6, 2017January 6, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood3 Comments

Starting out on a health and wellness journey can be tough. Let’s face it what to eat, when, and how much can all be a little confusing.

Food is fuel and what you do eat is just as important as what you don’t eat.

Carbs = energy. When we eat them, they break down into glucose, enter our muscle cells, and give us fuel to exercise.

Since they are digested quickly and provide energy, it is a good idea to eat simple carbohydrates before a workout.

The ideal time to eat is between 30 minutes to three hours before your workout.

Here are a few examples of my favorites pre-workout snacks.

Avocado, Eggs, and toast

Try 1 or 2 eggs with 1 slice of whole-wheat toast and half of an avocado, sprinkle with a little bit of salt and pepper.

avocado affirmation | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com — I just couldn’t resist putting this in here, lol!

PB & B toast

1-2 tablespoons of all-natural peanut butter and half a sliced banana on whole-wheat toast

Apple with Peanut Butter

Slice up 1 medium apple and serve with 2 tablespoons peanut butter.

Apple with String Cheese

Don’t have time to fuss around in the kitchen? Well here is a quick grab and go snack. 2 stick part-skim milk mozzarella string cheese and a medium apple.

Clementines and Almonds

Another quick grab and go snack: 2 small clementines and a hand full of almonds.

Eggs and toast

Try 1 or 2 eggs with 1 slice of whole-wheat toast or thin bagel and half of a banana.

Fruit smoothie

One scoop of your favorite whey protein powder with ½ cup ice, and 1 cup frozen berries.

My favorite protein powder is the Trader Joe’s Darwin’s Whey Chocolate Protein Powder, yum!

Yogurt parfait

Top 1/4 cup nonfat yogurt with ½ cup whole grain cereal and ½ cup fresh strawberries.

Fruit and Oatmeal

My favorite thing to eat pre workout is 1/2 cup of rolled oats with half a banana two cut up strawberries and 2 tsp of chia seeds.

oatmeal and fruit | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Energy Bites

Remember these energy bites from a previous post? I love these things both pre and post workout! Click HERE for the link to the recipe for these delicious energy bites.

Notice a pattern? Carbohydrate paired with protein. Now get up and get your workout in!

Keep in mind that everyone’s body is different and will have its own specific needs and preferences. Find what works for you and what you like.

lookingjoligood.wordpress.com

Health/ Fitness · Quote

Healthy Is As Healthy… Thinks?

December 30, 2016December 30, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Mental health is one of the most important parts of weight loss.

Losing weight, while it is physical is not really a physical challenge, it is totally a mental thing. You have to constantly keep your thoughts focused.

1. Stay positive! Focus on the positive aspects of your body, instead of all the things that you dislike about it.

2. Change the way you think about food and exercise! Don’t tell yourself “I can’t”

“I can’t eat that because I want to lose weight.”
“I can’t enjoy any of the foods that I use to because I am eating healthy now.”

Instead think “I can!”

“I can feel good about the food I am putting into my body.”
“I can do one more lap..rep..minute..interval”

3. Make your goals realistic! You will be more likely to succeed if the goals are actually attainable. Set mini goals with a larger goal in mind.

Instead of a blanket statement of “I need to lose 45 pounds” set a goal of “I will be more active and make healthy food choices for today.”

One healthy choice at a time, one day at a time is a lot easier to achieve than an over whelming goal of 45 pounds. Once you reach your goal set a new one.

I hope that you found this to be helpful!

Health/ Fitness

Should You Workout When You’re Sick?

October 14, 2016October 14, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

I have been feeling a bit yuck the last few days, either I have a cold or my allergies are acting up. (Yup, I am totally looking for some sympathy here, lol) When I am feeling stuffed up, despite wanting to lay around and feel sorry for myself, I generally feel better when I keep active.

The general advice I’ve heard from doctors is if your symptoms are from the neck up (sore throat, coughing, runny nose, congested sinuses), it’s fine to participate in light exercising activities. You know your body, don’t push it too much but listen to the way you feel. Sometimes a workout is just what you may need to feel better! Personally I get a lot of sinus headaches, and often after I exercise I feel a lot better!

If you are having symptoms that include muscle or joint pain, along with headache, fever, malaise (overall general feeling of yuck), diarrhea, or vomiting do not workout. When in doubt, ask your doctor and listen to your body!

Please don’t go to the gym if you are sick. Not only could you pick up additional bugs while your immune system is already not at 100%, but you could also be spreading your germs to every one else. It is usually great to share, but not when it is germs!

Remember that after you are sick you might need to ease yourself back into a workout routine. Don’t over do it since you might end up making yourself feel worse later on! Listen to your body, get plenty of rest, and keep hydrated!

Health/ Fitness

Don’t Just Be Aware Of Breast Cancer!

October 8, 2016October 7, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

Most people know that October is “Breast Cancer Awareness Month.” While most are “aware of breast cancer”, many forget to take the steps to have a plan to detect the disease in its early stages. Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States (other than skin cancer). Millions of women are surviving the disease thanks in part to early detection and improvements in treatment.

As you may remember, last year I started a new job at the Hospital. I working in an Out Patient Infusion Center. We see all kinds of patients and give a lot of different medications, and a lot of chemotherapy. In just this past year that I have been working, I have seen so many cases of advanced cancer. The earlier the cancer is found, the better the prognosis!

If you live in the USA and think that you can’t afford to get tests done, coverage of mammograms for breast cancer screening is mandated by the Affordable Care Act. The ACA provides that these be given without a co-pay or deductible. Don’t put off screening because of fear of the possible outcome.

I can’t stress to you enough that early detection saves lives!

Ditch The Diet for Healthy Habits · Health/ Fitness

6 Ways to Ditch Dieting For Good

August 26, 2016January 31, 2017 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

It’s Not About Dieting It’s About a Healthy Lifestyle

1)Find healthy foods you love: Since I have changed my eating habits I have found so many foods that I thought I hated, but I actually now love. Eggplant, Spinach, Swiss Chard, Roasted cauliflower, Baked Kale chips, Sweet potatoes, Mushrooms. (I still hate cooked peppers, don’t think that will ever change.) These are all things that I never would have eaten 18 months ago, yet they are now part of my every day diet.

2)Get a routine: Make it easier on yourself to make better choices. Have your fridge stocked with fresh fruits and veggies. Set regular meal times and don’t let yourself graze and snack. Keep yourself accountable with a food and fitness journal. Make a plan and stick to it! It is not about perfection it is about consistency.

3)Do exercises you enjoy: I don’t like to run. So you know what, I don’t do it. There are sooooo many other way to get in a great cardio workout without having to pound the pavement. The more time I have spent doing different types of physical actives I have discovered things that I love and things that I don’t enjoy: I hate lunges, but I love squats. I hate pushups but I love plank ups. I love to lift weights and strengthen my muscles. Find what you enjoy and do it!

4)Always have a goal: The scale is not the only place to have goals. There are so many other ways to stay motived and push yourself. Recently I have been pushing myself to increase my reps as well as my weights. It is so satisfying to reach a goal and set a new one!

5)Indulge: You know I love sweets! If you know you are going to a birthday party or a friends BBQ let yourself indulge within reason. Denying yourself can lead to unwanted binges. Instead be strict with your diet leading up to the time before the indulgence. And do not, I repeat DO NOT make yourself feel guilty about it later on. Occasionally enjoying a sweet treat or special meal is an absolutely necessary part of a feasible healthy lifestyle plan. This leads me into my next point…

6)Don’t focus on denial: How true is it that all you want is what you can’t have! If you want a french fry, have a fry or two, you don’t need to eat an entire large fry, but a fry or two might be just the thing to keep you from derailing your entire healthy plan.

After a few weeks you won’t even have to think about these changes. Making a lifestyle change is worth the time and hard work it takes. Remember, It’s Not About Dieting It’s About Lifestyle! Long lasting results are so much more satisfying than short ended quick results from a fad diet. You and your health and wellness are worth it!

If you want to read more about the benefits of lifestyle vs dieting check out my flab to fab post about Balance.

I would love for you to follow me on Instagram and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on both.

Health/ Fitness

Plateau!!! Why Can’t I Lose Weight?!

August 19, 2016August 10, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

Hitting a plateau is so annoying! Every body is different, there is no magic formula or just one specific answer to how to get over a plateau.

Sometimes it feels like you are doing everything right and still not losing weight. You might need to ask yourself a few simple questions…

Are you really taking the best care of your body and health or are you just going trough the motions?
Are you being patient giving your body time to respond to healthy changes?

Or maybe you think you are doing everything right but in actuality you are missing something in one area or another…

What you are eating? (Are you eating too much? Not enough?)
How you are sleeping?
Are taking care of yourself? How is your stress level?
What types of work outs are you doing? (Are you working out too much? Not enough?)

Losing weight is not just a simple formula, it is a very personal thing. You may be working out and eating right but you are not sleeping enough or maybe you’re always stressed out. Our bodies love to hang on to those extra few pounds just in case they need it later on.

I know that it is so annoying to be doing everything right and not see the scale moving. Remind yourself that even if the scale isn’t heading in the direction you want it to, your body might be changing in a positive way internally.

Listen to the signals that your body is giving you. Also, just because you have that perfect goal weight in your mind doesn’t mean that number is where your body can comfortably maintain itself.

Personally, I had a goal weight in my mind that I wanted to reach. Once I reached that goal I was so proud of myself, but when it came time to maintain my weight at that weight it was really hard. My body wanted to rest about 3 lbs heavier than that goal number. Instead of fighting it, I have embraced those 3 lbs, and because of that decision I have not had any difficulty with my weight maintenance. (I even indulge with a small bowl of ice cream every now and then, I couldn’t do that when I was trying to keep those 3 lbs off.)

While I am not a wellness coach, nutritionist, or personal fitness trainer, I am a nurse who loves to learn as much about health and wellness as I can!

I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram Lookingjoligood and on Facebook Lookin Joli Good!

Health/ Fitness

One At A Time

July 10, 2016July 4, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

You don’t need to change everything all at once! Take it one step at a time, one day at a time, one choice at a time!

I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram Lookingjoligood and on Facebook Lookin Joli Good!

Health/ Fitness

10 Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight

July 3, 2016June 28, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood4 Comments

It is so annoying to be working so hard doing every thing right and hit a plateau! I hate when that happens to me! Sometime you might think that you are doing all the right things, but you might not even realize that you are making a little mistake that is making a big difference.

Here are 10 reasons why you may have hit a wall with your weight loss.

1. You Don’t Drink Enough Water
Drinking plenty of water can help you to feel fuller longer. If you are well hydrated water can help to discourage cravings for sugary drinks like soda and juice.Water also keeps everything moving in your digestive system.

2. You Don’t Sleep Enough
Sleep is so important to weight loss, yet it is also so under rated. You need enough sleep to have the energy to make it through your workouts. Also studies have shown the the lack of sleep actually decreases appetite control and increases cravings, both of which are killers of a healthy diet.

3. You Only Do Cardio
One of the most important pieces of the fitness puzzle is weight training. It helps to prevent injury by strengthening the joints, but it also builds muscle mass which increases metabolic rate.

4.You Overeat Healthy Foods
Chicken, tuna, salmon, avocados, nut, seeds, olive oil and grape seed oil are all great good for you healthy foods. While eating these foods are great for you, and better than snacking on chips and cakes, eating large amounts of healthy foods will still cause you to gain weight.

5. You Regularly Exercise on an Empty Stomach
Studies show that consistently exercising on an empty stomach burns calories from muscle instead of fat. I don’t know about you, but I want to build muscle and burn fat! Since having heard about this I have completely changed my morning routine to include eating before I work out. (There is a benefit to “fasting cardio” but that is if you do it occasionally, and that is another post all on it’s own.)

6. You Leave Out Entire Food Groups
Giving up entire food groups is never a good idea! Not only can it lead to a nutritional deficiency but it can cause major cravings for that food. Instead of leaving out a food group instead try to eat a balanced diet with portion control.

7. You Don’t Eat Breakfast
This is a mistake that so many people make! It may feel like a good way to cut out some extra calories, but what usually ends up happenings is your body holds onto fat because it thinks that it is starving. Breakfast is a great way to jump start your metabolism. People who eat breakfast regularly tend to lose more weight and keep it off.

8. You Don’t Eat Enough
After reading that you’re probably thinking that I am crazy! It is true. Our bodies need nutrients to be able to function. Not only is starving and depriving yourself not sustainable for continued weight loss, but also, limiting yourself to not enough food can lead to excess snacking or binging between mealtimes.

9. You Don’t Keep a Food Journal
Knowing exactly what you are eating helps to lift the doubt of what you are taking in vs. burning out. When I write down what I eat I stay on track. When I don’t I tend to either over or under eat. Don’t just take my word for it the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics did a study of 123 women and found that those who were the most successful at losing weight kept a food journal.

10.You Never Indulge-If you are eating a healthy diet, an occasional Dorito, french frie, or cookie isn’t going to ruin your weight loss. A studies have found that as long as you maintain a mostly healthy diet, an indulgence here and there is actually going to help you stay on track in the long run.

Reese's peanut butter cup chocolate chip cookie! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com — Some days I eat celery, spinach, cabbage, and kale. Other days I eat a huge Reese’s peanut butter cup chocolate chip cookie! It’s all about balance. (Clarification: I also eat celery, spinach, cabbage, and kale on the days I eat the cookies.)

*Keep in mind that it takes -/+ 3500 calories a week to lose/gain a pound. Whether you are a calorie counter or not, whatever your weight loss plan, it is still calories in vs calories out. This means that if you want to lose 1 lb a week you need to have a 3500 caloric deficit. Each day your calories in should be around <500 than your calories out.

I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram Lookingjoligood and on Facebook Looking Joli Good!

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Category: Health/ Fitness

Top Ways to Ditch Dieting For Good

It’s Not About Dieting It’s About A Healthy Lifestyle

Remember, It’s Not About Dieting It’s About Lifestyle!

You and your health and wellness are worth it!

Fruit: Nature’s Candy

Pre Workout Snacks

Here are a few examples of my favorites pre-workout snacks.

Fruit smoothie

Keep in mind that everyone’s body is different and will have its own specific needs and preferences. Find what works for you and what you like.

Healthy Is As Healthy… Thinks?

Should You Workout When You’re Sick?

Don’t Just Be Aware Of Breast Cancer!

6 Ways to Ditch Dieting For Good

Plateau!!! Why Can’t I Lose Weight?!

One At A Time

10 Reasons You Are Not Losing Weight

Here are 10 reasons why you may have hit a wall with your weight loss.

It’s Not About Dieting It’s About A Healthy Lifestyle

Remember, It’s Not About Dieting It’s About Lifestyle!

You and your health and wellness are worth it!

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Here are a few examples of my favorites pre-workout snacks.

Fruit smoothie

Keep in mind that everyone’s body is different and will have its own specific needs and preferences. Find what works for you and what you like.

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Here are 10 reasons why you may have hit a wall with your weight loss.

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