Nutrition FAQ

Best tips to de-bloat?
WATER, WATER, WATER, WATER! Jillian Michaels has this recipe drink with dandelion root and stuff, but I believe in the magical powers of hydration! Anyways:

1. Drink Water
Water will will restore the sodium balance so your body will give up fluids. Water also flushes your system and keeps your digestive tract moving so you don’t become constipated. Ditch the sodas and other carbonated beverages. You may think they’ll make you feel better by inducing burping, but all they do is add gas to your system and increase bloating.

2. Cut down on salt
Salt makes your body retain water. You can’t judge a food’s saltiness by its taste, so study the nutritional information on food labels whenever possible:.

3. Skip sugar alcohols
These sugar substitutes – sorbitol, xylitol, maltitol, isomalt, lactitol, mannitol, erythritol and hydrogenated starch hydrolysates (HSH) – could be lurking in any food marked “sugar-free.” Sugarless products may save a few calories, but they linger in your gut, where normal bacteria make a meal of them. This results in a lot of gas.

4. Know your dairy
A great source of calcium, protein and other nutrients, dairy also contains lactose, a natural sugar. Undigested lactose causes gas and cramping.

5. Eat potassium-rich foods
This mineral triggers the kidneys to excrete more sodium. Most fruits and veggies are loaded with potassium, but some are extra packed: bananas, mangos, melons, papayas, potatoes, spinach, tomatoes and nuts.

6. Watch your portions
Eat smaller portions to give your digestive tract a chance to work.

7. Eat slowly
Don’t inhale your food. Slow down and enjoy your food. You swallow more air when you race through a meal. More air = more bloating.

8. Stay active!
By staying active, you can move gas quickly through your system.
How do you stop the night time munchies? I just want anything sweet or salty. Even in between meals, when I’m really hungry but I’m not done cooking yet… I’ll grab a handful of this or that… how do I stop?
I use to be victim to this! I know what you are feeling. And, to be honest, it wasn’t because I was hungry. I just wanted to eat to eat. Some tips that helped me:
1. Eat every 2.5 hours. That way, you’re eating small meals throughout the day. Make sure they are protein packed…healthy proteins!

2. Drink lots of water! Are you really hungry? Or, are you just in the habit of eating? Often times, drinking water subsides the urge to eat. Drink a huge glass.

3. Eat an apple. It’s so packed with fiber and water that it’ll make you feel full quick!

4. Chew gum! Often, we just need to satisfy the sensation of chewing. Gum is a pretty good alternative :)
Is it bad that I don’t count calories? I tried and it made me feel guilty for eating anything. I would just rather not stress too much about exactly how many cal I’ve had.
Absolutely not! The fact that you can intuitively eat is awesome! I count calories for the sake that I want to make sure I’m eating enough, since I’m aiming to build muscle! I have to make sure I hit my 160ish grams of protein everyday! :) GO YOU!

How full should I be after eating a meal?
I personally like to be at number “6” on THIS HUNGER/FULLNESS SCALE. To me, it’s about equivalent to drinking 16 ounces of water straight. Try 24oz…I think that might be a scale of 8-9.

Don’t listen to that 7pm no eating rule whatsoever. Do what’s best for YOUR body. Eating 3 hours before bed is good! Too close to bed, you’ll go to bed with a body full of food that’s undigested, which is bad in the sense that it leads to GERD (Gastroesophageal reflux disease)/acid reflux :) I know people with it, and it sucks!

I don’t get how you can call yourself healthy when you saying eating processed food is acceptable.
If you’re referring to my IF IT FITS YOUR MACROS (IIFYM) page, then yes! I’m human. I know that personally, to stay happy, I need to be able to eat everything healthy and unhealthy that I want IN MODERATION. In that post, I eat 85% healthy (whole wheat, lean proteins, the works). 85% out of six meals means that on one of them, I get to eat whatever I want as long as it fits my macros.

I’ve calculated what my body needs to ensure that I build muscle and shed the fat. I want ensure that I not only nourish my body, I also nourish my mind and spirit. This is my version of clean eating— cleansed of self-guilt, doubt, and hate. I’m a much happier person.

To be honest, I sometimes don’t even indulge in the “junk food”. I love knowing that it’s available and can fit in my eatings if I’m smart. Eating one piece of brownie or 3 is not going to kill me or set me back on my progress.

What is the bare minimum calories needed to survive?
The bare minimum number of calories a body needs to survive is a person’s BMR (basal metabolic rate)- a person’s body at rest. But, we all know that you aren’t just sitting still 24 hours a day. You walk to the bathroom; you go dancing; you are active; you play video games; you go on tumblr (yes, that counts!).

So, you need to factor in an activity factor (Harris Benedict Equation):
  • If you are sedentary (little or no exercise) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.2
  • If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.375
  • If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.55
  • If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.725
  • If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training) : Calorie-Calculation = BMR x 1.9
That is the number of calories you should be consuming. If you want to lose weight, you subtract 500 calories from (eating less and/or working out more) that daily.