4 Reasons Why It’s Hard to Lose Weight in the Fall
You spent the whole summer on point with your wellness routine, and you’re determined to not let a single extra pound sneak onto your frame now that it’s fall. But you know what happened last year. (Five—or more—pounds crept on, are we right?) So why is it so hard to lose weight in the fall? And what can you do about it? We’ve rounded up 4 reasons why it’s hard to lose weight in the fall, plus some dietitian-approved tricks for how to combat the oh-so-infamous holiday weight-creep. 1. Marketers are really good at what they do. All summer, we’re bombarded with reminders to stay accountable to our wellness goals. The swimsuit ads, produce-pushing recipes, and beach vacation plans motivate us to stay on track. It’s easy to choose the unsweetened iced green tea or pick up the light and refreshing salad for lunch when these reminders are in your face all season long. But then autumn comes along. The sweaters come out and rather than seeing Instagram posts of your friends’ toes on a beach, you’re seeing snuggly socks in front of a fireplace. Fall advertisements push comfort foods, hot sweet drinks, and pie. Lots of pie. Don’t fall for the slick fall marketing! Stick to what you know works for you all year round, making simple substitutions here and there, but without too much deviation from the Hot Girl Summer track you’ve been on. PRO TIPS: Instead of summer berries on your morning yogurt, toss in some diced apples. Go for an ounce of cheese on a high-fiber cracker with a thin slice of pear instead of the harvest Danish you might otherwise grab in a fit of fall-foodie desire. Don’t swap your morning oatmeal and walnuts for a pumpkin muffin—add this healthy pumpkin pie spice to your oats instead. RELATED: Healthy, Gluten-Free Morning Glory Muffin Recipe 2. Holidays overstay their welcome. Doesn’t it seem like the candy jar is just emptied from Halloween and you’re already cooking your Thanksgiving bird? Do turkey leftovers feel like they linger into Christmas and you’re still eating Valentine’s chocolates when Easter rolls around? Sometimes it feels like a big blur of holiday foods, sweets, treats, and free-for-all buffets from Halloween until Easter. It’s hard to lose weight in the fall (and winter) when you’re surrounded by holiday foods and festivities. PLAN FOR THIS. PRO TIPS: Decide how you’re going to handle the holidays before each one creeps up on the calendar. Our reco? Start planning now, because you know how quickly the holidays creep up. Consider doing a gentle food-based cleanse in early fall. It’s a great way to reset your habits and energy before the holiday swirl begins. You’ll go into the season feeling refreshed, in control, and already on track. Learn more about our 5-Day Nutritious Life Cleanse here. At Halloween, allow yourself five pieces of candy. Eat them all at once, or one per day, it’s up to you! At Thanksgiving, make a no-leftovers rule (except for Grandma’s cranberry sauce or this cranberry relish). Whatever your plans are, tell them to a buddy so they can help you stick to it! 3. Coats and sweaters do a great job of hiding things. Maybe you’re thinking that nobody can tell you put on a few pounds because you’re layered up and coated in outerwear. And it’s true—maybe they can’t see it, but YOU can. Knowing you’re carrying extra weight may make you feel lousy and less fit, and it can definitely mess with your head. PRO TIPS: Keep yourself in check by actively not hiding. Keep one item you feel great in (maybe a pair of summer shorts or a dress or a swimsuit you’d typically hide away in the fall) some place where you can see it all year long. Try your special summer article on from time to time to keep yourself honest. Maybe even wear it underneath your long johns to remind you there is no hiding from yourself. Or, just go ahead and sit in front of that fire in your bikini. Yes, you can wear socks, and no, we won’t laugh. 4. Nobody wants to put Baby or pie in the corner. We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: it’s no fun depriving yourself. There’s not a lot of immediate glory in not eating the caramel apple pie. Nobody is going to give you a prize for saying no to the mouth-watering pumpkin-spiced latte with whipped cream. You have to be your own biggest cheerleader when the treats are calling your name, and that’s not easy. PRO TIPS: Instead of having that yucky deprivation feeling, focus on what you CAN have, and you’ll find great satisfaction. You can have a sprinkle of cinnamon sugar on your ricotta with diced apples. Pumpkin (straight from a can, who needs to put in all that work?) can be a super healthful and delish seasonal ingredient in everything from soup to muffins to pancakes. Even cocoa can be healthful if you indulge consciously. RELATED: 6 Genius Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin Keep lacing up those sneakers every season of the year. Keep drinking the same green tea throughout the year and just add ice cubes when necessary. Keep eating the oats for breakfast and switch up whether they come out of the microwave or the fridge before hitting your mouth. Stick to what works, and learn to indulge consciously, rather than constantly. Cheers to a great fall and congratulations on preventing those five pounds from finding their way onto your body this season. Doesn’t it feel great? Make Nutrition and Wellness Your Career Learning about how food and nutrition support a healthy body and lifestyle is such a joy. Bonus? It’s something you can share with others… and make money while doing it. Our Become a Nutrition Coach course gives you everything you need to turn your passion for wellness into the career of your dreams. Request a sneak peek of our program today and
6 Genius Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin
When fall is in the air, pumpkins are pretty much everywhere, and that means canned pumpkin gets the front-of-aisle spotlight at grocery stores everywhere. If you’re like many people, you probably only think to grab canned pumpkin for that pie you need to bring to Aunt Bettie’s on Turkey Day. But we’re here to tell you that it’s time to use this orange goodness for more than the typical fare. We’ll get to our 6 Genius Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin below. But first, let’s talk about… Health Benefits of Pumpkin Pumpkin is ridiculously healthful. It’s loaded with vitamin A (which is important for healthy skin and fighting a cold), flavonoids, carotenoids, and zeaxanthin (which helps keep your peepers strong). On top of that, it’s filled with fiber. So go grab a few cans (try to make them organic and be sure not to get the kind that has added sugar!) and get ready to chow down on this healthy, versatile food. RELATED: What’s the Difference Between Gourds, Squash, and Pumpkins? 6 Genius Ways to Use Canned Pumpkin: 1. Add it… To yogurt To oatmeal To pancakes, waffles, crepes To toast with a drizzle of honey To legume dishes, such as lentils, chickpeas, or black beans To sour cream (for soups and tacos) To curry, soups, chili, or stew 2. Breakfast it. Pumpkin blends into a smoothie like it was invented just for that purpose. It mixes into your favorite hot cereal without making it too heavy. It spreads on toast like a dream. You can even pumpkin-up your morning coffee by mixing a spoonful of pumpkin into your milk and heating it up before pouring it in (and here’s a great place to add a shake of pumpkin pie spices to boost the flavor). 3. Fat-replace it. You already know you can use applesauce in lieu of butter or oil, but pumpkin also works! Try it in cornbread, chocolate cake, and bran muffins. You’ll get all of the benefits, plus the added flavor that your friends will go nuts for. 4. Mask it. Holiday season getting to your skin? Take care of it with a pumpkin mask that is simple to make with ingredients you have in the kitchen. Pumpkin and Greek yogurt in equal proportions is just one simple idea, or try this amped-up version. Just make sure you bring a spoon; you might want to eat the leftovers. Oh, and put leftovers in a glass container to keep it fresh longer. 5. Love it. Pumpkin is a known aphrodisiac. Mix your leftover pumpkin with some essential oils or sensual spices and heat it with a warming candle by your bedside to fragrance the room and amp up the passion. RELATED: 7 Sex-Drive Foods to Boost Your Libido 6. Freeze it. Sometimes, you just want to be done with the leftover canned pumpkin. We get it. But don’t toss it, freeze it! Pour it into an ice cube tray, then, after it freezes, save the cubes in a plastic bag in the freezer. You’ll never be pumpkin-less again, and you’ll actually have smaller portions ready to roll for your next pumpkin recipe. Become a Nutrition Coach Love learning about how something as simple as canned pumpkin can impact your health and wellness? Consider joining our amazing, thriving Become a Nutrition Coach community and learn everything you need to know to make wellness and nutrition your new job or side hustle. Request a sneak peek of our Master Certified program today—we’ll see you inside!
Healthy Breakfasts That You Haven’t Thought Of
Think starting your day with a cup of coffee counts as breakfast? Think again. You’ve heard it before: you should start everyday with a healthy breakfast. But if it’s fallen on deaf ears, let me try and say it a little louder for you: HEALTHY BREAKFASTS ARE A MUST! Eating breakfast is important for revving your metabolism in the morning and curbing hunger later in the day. If cereal and milk isn’t your thing (that’s actually a good thing!), it’s time to think outside the (cereal) box. Healthy Breakfasts That You Haven’t Thought Of Oatmeal that isn’t as boring as, well, oatmeal. Take plain oatmeal from blah mode to vacation mode like Tropical Sunrise Oatmeal or to turbo mode like Supercharged Oatmeal. Both recipes are super easy and way tastier than just adding water like you did in college. You’ve come a long way since your dorm room hot pot, so celebrate over a proper bowl of porridge. Get your brain on grains. Shake up your morning with whole grains you normally reserve for dinner like brown rice, barley, and quinoa. These fiber and protein-rich wheat-free grains taste great simply heated up with milk, such as almond, cow’s, or coconut, or you can add ½ cup fresh berries, ½ tsp honey, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, and ¼ tsp vanilla for extra flavor. Go fish. Fish for breakfast? Yes! If you’ve never tried (or pronounced) taramasalata, now’s your chance to become a breakfast lover. Perhaps the reason you never got into breakfast was because you only stuck to croissants and bagels and never thought of seafood as an option. Here’s a great recipe for lox and toast, and here’s another yummy one for salmon pesto tartine. Griddle me this. Give the whole flapjack thing another chance. Experiment with Spiced Applesauce Pancakes or shake things up by replacing flour with quick-cooking oats in this easy Oatmeal Pancake recipe. Top your hotcakes with ½ cup Greek yogurt or ¼ mashed mango instead of syrup if you aren’t into sticky fingers and that whiff of maple syrup that lingers through lunchtime. Finally, don’t forget the psychological power that breakfast has when you make healthy choices in the a.m. You somehow just feel better about your whole day, and you’re more likely to make better choices at lunch and dinner when you start the day fueled on healthy foods.
3 Healthy Holiday Habits You Need To Take Up NOW
Even if the holiday party invites aren’t flooding your mailbox and inbox just yet, you know they’re coming. They do every year. And every year you look forward to the fun but you also sort of dread the exhaustion, deviation from your routine and the fact that time feels like it moves in fast forward. In the name of celebrating with wellness and fun in mind and not letting all those weight loss tips you stockpiled throughout the year go by the wayside, I want to set you up with a few healthy holiday habits in order to make this season of parties and celebration a little less draining and a lot more empowering. 3 Healthy Holiday Habits You Need To Take Up NOW Don’t be creative with the food that is in your control. I know it sounds crazy, but if you keep your food simple, and stick to what you know works (where you can), then the party fare won’t be as stressful, damaging to your waistline or disruptive to your GI tract. You know how to eat healthy…don’t let the holidays completely push you off track. If you’re eating all holiday foods all the time, you’re pretty much guaranteed to feel lousy and of course, pack on extra weight. Keep what you can control simple, and balance the holiday foods with your go-to healthy foods. Healthy breakfast: There are usually not many holiday breakfast parties, so keep these in straight forward and consistent. Rotate between two to three choices. Here are my faves. 6 ounces 2% or whole fat Greek yogurt with ½ cup frozen organic berries and 1 tablespoon flax meal 1 slice Ezekiel bread toasted with ⅓ medium avocado and 2 ounces smoked salmon ½ cup oatmeal with 2 teaspoons almond butter and a diced granny smith apple Healthy lunch / healthy dinner ideas: When these meals aren’t part of an actual soiree, keep them clean and don’t do leftovers. Rotate between your favorite lean proteins and choose 2 veggies with each meal and a little fat. More faves: Huge bed of spinach topped with a soy free veggie burger, lettuce, tomatoes, cucumbers and 2 teaspoons tahini Stir fry prepared with peppers, onions, broccoli and chicken sautéed in 2 teaspoons coconut oil and a sprinkle of sesame seeds Fritatta with mushrooms, peppers and tomatoes with a green side salad and a squeeze of lemon Make your space clutter-free. There is a saying about how horizontal spaces are a magnet for clutter. Clutter has a way of making us feel chaotic, out of control and less happy and productive in our work spaces. And guess what, there’s solid research to support this! Make a habit of clearing your plates and cleaning up the kitchen right away, instead of waiting to do it later. Set up one space for gifts to gift wrap in your home. Organize and strategically arrange your holiday cards to enjoy them without them falling over and getting in the way. Creating a habit of organizing your stuff will make it easier to stick to your wellness goals. {Tweet this}. I promise. Get your zzzs at all costs. The third healthy holiday habit you need to have down this holiday season is your bedtime routine. Sleep hygiene is a really powerful tool in your wellness kit because the better rested you are, the less likely you will be to eat out of fatigue, stress, grumpiness or grinch-like energy. Choose a few things that you can do each night to make sleeping well a top priority: establish a bedtime, wash your face, brush your teeth, turn off all of your technology, spend a few minutes doing something calming you enjoy (read a book, journal, meditate), then turn off the lights. No staying up late wrapping presents. Your sleep is more important than that pretty bow.
5 Healthy Snack Ideas That Require NO Skills
I’ll set the scene. It’s 4PM. Your morning coffee has worn off. Your lunch was 3 hours ago, dinner is at 7PM and you have 15 minutes before your meeting. And, you’re about to crash hard. Must. Have. Fuel. You always have a yogurt just about now, but . . .uch. You have no interest in it. You’ve unenthusiastically had the same one for the past 3 days. If this is you, right now, go ahead and eat it today (it’s better than the candy jar on your boss’s desk) but tomorrow try one of these 5 fab healthy snack ideas that need no skill and are ready in seconds. 5 Healthy Snack Ideas That Require NO Skills: Healthy Trail Mix Who doesn’t love a little somethin’ sweet and crunchy? Break out a bunch of tupperware and toss in 1 cup GMO-free air-popped popcorn, 1 ounce dried apricots (about 4, but double check with the packaging and make sure no added sugar or sulfur) and 10 almonds. Make a bunch to grab and go. Better yet, have your kids do it. Gorgeous fuel: calories 185, fat 6.5g, protein 4g, fiber 4.5g. Eggs in a (Leafy) Blanket If you can boil water, you can have hard boiled eggs anytime. Boil up a bunch on Sunday. Slice ‘em up in one quick step and eat ‘em on a romaine leaf, wrapped up like a little burrito. Voila. Two large hard boiled eggs on 2 romaine leaves serves up 157 calories, fat 11g, protein 12.5g, fiber 0. Chickpeas + Chia If unusual eats are what you crave, grab a green magic Mamma Chia Squeeze (loaded with omega-3s and fiber) and an ounce of roasted chickpeas. You can mix and match your chia squeeze and chickpea flavors (you can also buy these at the grocery if you don’t want to make them yourself) for endless excitement. No assembly required, you’ll refuel with 180 calories, fat 2g, protein 7g, fiber 9g. Calming Oatmeal If you are a self proclaimed stress eater, I have a perfect comfort snack that you can feel great about. OK, so you do need hot water, a bowl and spoon, but if you unleash a packet of high quality oatmeal into a mug, stir in some coconut chips and sprinkle with cinnamon, you’ll release some serotonin, and your fried brain will thank you: calories 245, fat 10g, protein 6g, fiber 8g. Bonus if you take deep breaths and enjoy slowly. Avocado Lentil Boat It doesn’t get healthier, more satisfying or easier than this, peops. Halve a small avocado. Fill with ¼ cup steamed lentils (you find them in the refrigerator section by the produce) and a squeeze of lemon. You can use ¼ cup prepared tabbouleh instead, if lentils are hard to come by. Avocado + lentils: calories 127, fat 7g, protein 5.5g, fiber 7g. Avocado + tabbouli: calories 169, fat 12g, protein 3g, fiber 5.5g Covet your co-worker’s snacks no more. Get out of your snoozers snacktime rut. If any of these 5 delicious, healthy snack ideas take you more than 5 minutes to grab and go, somethin’s wrong. Happy snack time = happy, more productive you.
