Coffee with Kate: Diets, Diet and More

I truly enjoy receiving your questions for these Coffee with Kate editions of the blog! Thank you for sending questions my way. Keep them coming to info@beyondfitmom.com or by finding me on Facebook or Instagram. 

Coffee with Kate: Question 1. I want to start stocking my fridge and pantry with healthier foods, but I’m honestly not sure where to start.  I know you have lots of recipes on the blog, but are there any “staples” or healthy eating that you would recommend having on hand for day-to-day healthy eating?

Yes!  I know that changing your nutrition habits can be overwhelming, so great job getting started!  With the right foods in your pantry and refrigerator, you set yourself up for nutritional success all week long. When it comes to stocking your fridge, freezer & pantry with healthy, fat-loss friendly options, you want to focus primarily on the 2 P’s: protein + produce.

I have a healthy grocery list and some of my fridge, freezer and pantry “must-haves” here!

If you’re looking for even more guidance when it comes to preparing meals that are both fat loss and family friendly, check out BeyondFit Food, a program featuring a weekly detailed meal plan, NEW BeyondFit Food exclusive recipes for each week, shopping lists based on the weekly meal plan and recipes as well as a plug and play BeyondFit nutrition plan.

Coffee with Kate: Question 2. I lost weight in the past (over 20lbs) but it was hard to keep off and I’ve gained it all back. I’m not sure what to do. I tried doing what I did before (strict diet and getting to the gym 1-2 hours per day at least 5 or 6 days per week for workouts or group exercise classes), but I’m getting so tired and frustrated that it’s not working this time. I’ve stalled all together and want to just throw in the towel. Any ideas?  

Hey! You’re certainly not the only woman who has gone through this struggle. 95% of all people who go on calorie controlled weight loss diets fail to keep the weight off after 5 years. 66% of these dieters actually end up fatter than they were before they started the diet. It sounds like your current plan of low calories/lots of exercise may not be sustainable, so that’s the first thing to change. One thing that I encourage all of my clients to ask themselves: “Is this something I could do for the rest of my life?” If not, it’s not going to work long term! Lifestyle > Diet. Why? Because diets prove impossible to adhere to! You can’t stick with that! Can you relate? Diets don’t work if people can’t maintain them.

I would encourage you to find a way to fit exercise and smart nutrition into your life in a way that’s sustainable. Being able to stick with what you’ve started is so important, because when it’s all said and done, the best thing to do to create lasting body change is through following a plan that becomes a lifestyle! We’d love to have you join the BeyondFit Life Club, or check out the free 7 Day Jumpstart Program  to get a sneak peak into what it looks like to #dofitnessbetter.  

Coffee with Kate: Question 3. I’ve seen you post recipes using low carb tortillas. What are your favorite brands? How many carbs do you consider “low carb?”  

I LOVE low carb tortillas!

They make great low carb wraps or protein pizzas! Lots of creative ways to use low carb tortillas exist and so many brands stand out on the market right now. For fat loss, our first priority is to limit carbohydrates. But the key here is that we are concerned with hormonal carbohydrates (sugar, starch, etc) rather than total carbs. The carbohydrates that come from fiber help keep us full and actually impact hunger in a positive way.

So when you’re looking at the carbohydrates, here’s how to judge:

1) Find the Total Carbohydrate grams

2) Subtract any fiber grams

3) Subtract total protein grams

The number left should be low. For fat loss, the lower the better. Negative numbers are best. Here are a few that we love:  

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Coffee with Kate: Question 4. What’s the best way to lose belly fat? I store all of my fat around my middle and would like to flatten my stomach, but I’m not sure where to start. Any recommendations?

I’m sure you’ve heard the many myths floating around about how to reduce belly fat. And many factors may contribute to the fact that you tend to store more fat around your middle. TRAINING, NUTRITION, and HORMONES all play a role. 

From a training perspective, make sure you use metabolic conditioning and sprints to help burn belly fat. They’re much more effective than crunches at helping you develop a tight, toned midsection.

From a nutrition perspective, don’t do anything drastic. Instead of the latest fad diet, detox teas, etc., focus on eating the 2 P’s (protein + produce) and using carb cycling, if needed. Consider your dairy intake, and take a probiotic if you think you struggle with any digestion issues.  

Stress also impacts belly fat, so do what you can to balance cortisol. Read more about proper training, nutrition, and hormone techniques to help you reduce belly fat for good on this blog post here!  

Coffee with Kate: Question 5. What are your thoughts on the HCG diet?  

Great question! These days, many “quick fixes” get promoted with no thought given to the sustainability or metabolic consequences for their followers. HCG is definitely one of them. My biggest issues with the HCG diet include the super restrictive and low calorie diet, and the fact that it promotes weight loss vs. fat loss.  

In my opinion, it promotes a quick fix rather than a lifestyle approach. Yes, it’s nice to see rapid results (which you most certainly get if you’re starving yourself on only 500 calories a day), but in my experience, patience and practice are worth much more in the long run. Drastically decreasing calories will eventually do significant damage to your metabolic hormone balance, thus making this quick fix the culprit for greater problems in the future. Most studies even conclude that there is no rationale for the use of hCG injections in the treatment of obesity whatsoever. I shared more about my thoughts on the HCG diet here.

It’s definitely not something I would recommend. Instead, choose a program that helps you see how you can adhere to it and maintain that adherence over the rest of your life! (By the way, the BeyondFit Life Club shows you how to do just that!)

Want a plan that truly is a lifestyle? Join the BeyondFit Life Club today and see why it works . . . for life! 

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