Coffee with Kate: Food Freedom & Motivation
Happy new edition of “Coffee with Kate!” I just love how so often your questions line up with what is on my heart and in my head! I loved going through our “Food Freedom” challenge with some of you recently, so your questions during this round of “Coffee with Kate” complement that experience so much. Thanks for submitting them. Please keep sending questions to info@beyondfitmom.com with the subject line: “Coffee with Kate.” I love hearing from you and responding to your inquiries!
Coffee with Kate Question 1. I recently found your blog post on healthy dessert recipes, THANK YOU! I liked what you said about still being able to satisfy your sweet tooth while avoiding the sugar coma that comes from most traditional desserts. And I like the idea of making my own healthy desserts (a.k.a. “Dessert Defense”) using the recipes on the blog and in the BFL members portal. But my question is: do you have any quick ways to satisfy a sweet tooth when you don’t have time to bake?
Absolutely! From one sweet tooth to another, I’m so glad you asked this question! Of course making recipes at home is wonderful, but I totally get that when some days get busy, you need something you can grab and go. Shop a few of my favorite healthy pre-packaged desserts. These all offer a great way to enjoy dessert and still stay on track with your fitness and fat loss goals!
Sometimes the best dessert leaves your hands sticky and your heart happy.
When it comes to satisfying your sweet tooth, these healthy desserts take the (low carb, high protein) cake!
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Coffee with Kate Question 2. What do you do when you’re just not motivated to get your workouts in? Any tips or advice to get out of a funk?
I just wrote a recent blog post here with 10 Motivational Tips to Keep You Moving as well as my 3 simple tips to achieve your fitness goals: plan, prepare, and partner! Definitely check that out when you have time. Remember that willpower is exhaustible, so if you’re feeling like you’ve been in a funk, take some time to look at ways you can recharge. You can’t win a battle of wills against your physiology. This is why managing your energy and taking time to recharge is important. Make sure you’re not over exercising.
I never regret taking time to recharge.
Coffee with Kate Question 3. I’m trying to get into meal prep. Are there any kitchen tools or products you love to help with meal prep or healthy cooking?
Everyone knows the saying “Abs are made in the kitchen” and, I have to be honest with you, it couldn’t be closer to the truth. If you want results when it comes to your health, fitness or fat loss, you need to focus on eating the right types of nutritious foods. This means you also need to learn to prepare those foods (preferably in the easiest, most time efficient way possible).
As a busy mom who spends a good amount of time in the kitchen, I have come to love many different kitchen gadgets that not only decrease preparation time but also make cooking a much more enjoyable experience. It is definitely not fun chopping vegetables with a dull knife or hand drying every piece of lettuce that gets washed . . . are you with me?!
Starting meal prep on Sunday + doing my hair for church = have to snap a picture??
Enter what I call my “Kitchen Must Haves!” These tools make food preparation easy, efficient and enjoyable!
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Coffee with Kate Question 4. I love donuts. Do you have any recipe ideas or ways to make them healthier? Thanks!
YES! This recipe uses greek yogurt and unsweetened applesauce to make them super moist. I also love this recipe for basic baked donuts. We love to make the basic baked donuts and add our own flavor combos:
- Pumpkin Spice (cinnamon, stevia + pumpkin pie spice)
- Apple Pie (apple pie spice + thinly sliced apple chunks)
- Blueberry Lemon (fresh blueberries + 2 tsp lemon juice)
- Maple Glazed (melt coconut oil + sugar free maple syrup as frosting)
- Coconut (dipped in melted coconut oil + unsweetened coconut)
- Chocolate (add unsweetened cocoa powder to your donut batter)
- Jelly Filled (add some sugar-free jelly in the middle!)
Shop my favorite pans for regular donuts, mini donuts, and donut holes here:
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Healthy donut holes = my favorite!
Coffee with Kate Question 5. I watched your Facebook video on eating pizza. I love you approach. Did you find it hard to give up having an “off limits” food list? Any tips?
YES! I’m so glad you asked this! I personally think that balance and moderation are key. As I mentioned in the video, I’ve learned the hard way (both through experiencing it myself and hearing from hundreds of clients), forbidding myself from eating specific foods actually initiates a rebound effect that triggers overeating! Many physiological effects of food deprivation prove too true. But yes, it does take time to transition after years of following food “rules.” If you need more help, we have a whole blog series on ditching the diet here.
Women who live with forbidden food rules often end up obsessively thinking about food, overeating said food, feeling guilty and then repeating the cycle. That’s no way to live! Give yourself grace, and over time, as you learn to #dofitnessbetter, you’ll no longer need to put your trust in a list of forbidden foods. Most of the time, I fuel my body with whole foods that nourish and provide the vitamins and minerals you need. From there, learn how to listen to your own hunger cues and watch for changes in hunger, energy, and cravings so that you can adjust your nutrition intake accordingly.
Like the idea of eating delicious donuts that don’t mess with your fat loss and fitness goals? Interested in rewiring your thoughts and feelings about food? The BeyondFit 21 Day Food Freedom Challenge can help you do just that. Join me for three weeks of myth-busting, self-awareness and the beginning of your journey to total FOOD FREEDOM for life. Join today!