Nutrition – Diet Challenge

Apr 30, 2012 by

nutrition

 

Hello my darlings,

Starting today I’m doing a diet challenge, I’m not sure if I wanted to call it a diet challenge because I don’t like the word diet.  But if I say nutrition challenge it just doesn’t sound quite right, so I combined both :) . Summer is around the corner, it’s at my corner all year long since I live in FL, but for everyone else it is actually around the corner.

If you have been Loving Fit with me for a while now, I am pretty sure you guys are already in great shape, but we can always find some room for improvement and nutrition is something everyone can work on, even me. Our bodies only change based on what we eat, two people with exactly the same body type and exactly the same workout plan but on a completely different diet, will have completely different results.

Good nutrition is actually a lot more simple then it looks, there is really no need to make it complicated. We don’t need to count calories or look into things too much or obsessing with details ( unless you are competing in bodybuilding ). If you stick to simple rules and stay consistent, your goals will be easily reachable, because consistency is the key to success at anything.

 

Here are the rules of this challenge: 

 

  • Rule one – Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of your day, period. This is how you enter your day, your breakfast is how your whole nutrition day will play out. If you eat junk for breakfast then you will crave junk all day long. If you eat nutritious breakfast then you will crave healthy foods all day – it’s that simple!

I am not sure who started the trend of waffles, french toast, cereal, hash browns etc for breakfast, but that person is blacklisted in my book. To be honest, the first time I’ve heard of cereal for breakfast is when I moved to US. Think about it, cereal for breakfast – really?  Cereal can be a snack, but it sure isn’t breakfast, not to mention that most cereals contain high amount of sugar. Even if you take the healthy cereals with little or no sugar, it’s still doesn’t even come close to being a real breakfast. There is no complete protein in cereal, even if you add milk, unless it’s raw goat milk, which these days it’s so hard to find, you will probably find a diamond before you find raw goat milk, ( I don’t recommend dairy products from Cow ).

 

So what is the right breakfast?

My perfect breakfast is the one in the picture above. A perfect breakfast is 2 eggs, preferable cooked with coconut oil or walnut oil, some raw nuts, lot’s of fresh veggies ( raw only, because cooked veggies are dead and have no nutrients at all ), maybe some very little roasted oatmeal or buckwheat, you can also add a serving of fruit raw, not from the can – this is the real complete breakfast. Your goal is to have a complete breakfast every morning.

 

  • Rule 2 – Eat your veggies raw and raw only

You know what really really gets me?  Is when people say – ” Well, I found a perfect way of eating my veggies and hiding them in foods, I don’t even taste them “. If you are cooking your veggies and hiding them in food, then you are not eating any veggies. The only time when veggies count as veggies is when they are completely raw or very very lightly steamed. If you can’t taste them, they are not there, there is no nutrients left, might as well eat some paper, the effect would be exactly the same.

So the rules to this challenge is eat your veggies at every meal, at least one cup of them ( kale, spinach, collards, arugula ( my favorite ), bok choy etc ), in the raw. Raw veggies = Nutrients. Cooked veggies = nothing.

 

  • Rule 3 – Night time eating

This is not only a golden rule, this rule is a diamond rule!  Eating at night, or even lightly snacking at night will cause you to gain weight.  Not eating at night, will cause you to loose weight fast. I can lay down my life on this rule!  This should be one of the first bad habits anyone should break, 4-6 hours before you go to bed, lock your refrigerator and hide the key!  If you get hungry then a hot tea will solve that problem right away.

Let me just tell you, this rule alone will help you get in shape faster then you ever though possible!  I noticed if I eat at night even if its something small such as an apple, then the next day I look puffy.

Say goodbye to late night eating today :) .

As you can see this diet challenge is not that difficult to follow, but it will bring you great results!

 

PS – Tonight we are resuming to shoot workout videos, and tomorrow there is going to be a fresh lower body workout :) .

 


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  • sus

    Eating at night is something I am still working on, but I am doing better than I used to do.

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      As long as you are working on it Sus, it’s all good.  But its something you get used to one you do it consistently, when I do it at least 5-7 days in a row, I stop getting hungry. 

      • sus

        I am definitely working on it.  I usually don’t eat anything about 4 hours before bed.

        • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

          Sus, 4 hours is actually a good time.  Try to not eat too much at dinner time, but 4 hours is great. 

  • WorkItOutYourself

    well…I just ate some salad. Nice and raw….I know it’s late but it was all nice and raw…:) Raw veggies are the best and raw greens as well. I was definitely born to be vegetarian. I just looove salads and veggies and fruits, can never get enough of them.

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      I am with you there Work It I love my salads and my fruits, love love love!  I tried being a vegetarian 10 years ago, and it wasn’t for me :(

  • sedindriuke

    Thanks Tatianna for a great post. I wanted to ask you what to do.. I always have dinner about 4-5 pm (saldas with fish/(or)eggs/some meat/cheese) because I wanna my food be digested when I do workout (8-9pm and that is the time i can get into my kitchen to workout without disturbance :D )). I need time food be digested until my wo because earlier I feel it in my stomach and cant workout.. After workout i drink smoothie (spinach,water,kiwi or tangerine and a scoop of protein powder). What to do with late eating? I do not think that spinach is a problem, maybe i just need to take out the fruit and drink just greens with protein?
    Thanks.

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      You know I think it is a good idea to take out the fruit and just leave the spinach and the protein, but do add more spinach instead of the fruit.  What time do you go to sleep?  

      What are your goals as far as training, do you want to loose weight, build more muscle or just stay in the shape you are right now?

  • Laura

    I mostly agree with you here, Tatianna, although I am convinced that different things work for different people, so I tend to aim for a more flexible stance with regard to nutrition. For example, eating vegetables in their raw state only does not agree with me, so I need to strike a balance between raw an cooked vegetables.
    Also, unless I’ve missed it, there is no scientific evidence out there that the time of ingestion is directly related to weight gain; rather, the latter seems to be due to an excessive calorie consumption versus expenditure, no matter when or where from the calories are ingested (this regards weight only, not healthy eating).In my case, coming home around 8pm means that my last meal will be taken less than 3-4 hours before retiring to bed (otherwise I wouldn’t get my beauty sleep, having to get up around 6-7am ^_^ ) and although I will always try to keep it light so that digestion doesn’t prevent me from sleeping well, I find that going to bed hungry will be just as disruptive, if not more.I still think these three points are good guidelines, but this is what they are: guidelines. Everyone should find what works best for them.

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      Laura, this is just a challenge that I will be following.  The challenge rules is what I tested my self with great results not only on me but other people as well.  You can definitely follow what works for you :) .

  • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

    Hi Jannice, 

    Have you tried arugula?  I have a hard time eating my veggies as well, but when I discovered arugula I soooo loved it.  A good trick with veggies is cutting them into tiny pieces and mixing them tother, then adding dressing, the salads taste super duper like that, and then if you add avocado – yammy!!!

  • jt

    Rule number 3….. will be my challenge!! :)  
    And I’ll try to apply rule number 2 better, I should take more protein and veggies (I mostly take fruit and some cheese or coconut milk with a toast). Thanks for the very helpful advice! :)

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      You are always welcome JT, rule number 3 is the best if you want to loose weight :)

  • Mariasole Verdi

    i dont know what to eat with my soy milk in the morning. i am used to put in my milk brown rice flakes and pieces of banana. are those flakes considered cereals? as you are mention it i have to try goat milk but i dont think in the supermarket next to where i live have organic goat milk. i definetly have to train myself to get used to eat veggies in the morning cause its very hard for me to have them for breakfast. i eat a lot of them during the day. i guess its not the same thou? as for the rule number 3 no probs for me. i have my dinner around 6.30pm (in fact i had it already 2hours ago) and go to bed at 10pm by that time dont feel the need to eat something else. thank you for your precious tips Tatiana.

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      Hi Mariasol, 

      Yes flakes are considered a cereal.  Also have you tried Unsweetened Almond Milk?  I recommend it over soy any day.  Flakes and banana is too much carbs and not enough protein, in fact is has no complete protein at all.  If you like your flakes then you can eat them, then make a shake with fruit, spinach and 3 egg whites.  That will at least add some complete protein to your meal. 

  • Pingback: Stellar Shape Workout : @LovingFit

  • Mariasole Verdi

    thanks tatianna for your kind reply. yes i will try your shake, you illuminate me i am poor at ideas , i am used to eat traditional italian food (in fact i have to cut down on bread and pasta!). it is very hard to find unsweetened almond milk here in my little town, dknt know where to turn to the only way is through the web and i wonder how safe and guaranteed it is. there are so many buying sites in here but which one to choose? other wise i should consider the idea to make almond milk bymyself.. anyway we ll see and thanks for all!! byee i cant wait towatch and try your stellar workout!

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      Hi Mariasol, 

      I have a post on how to make almond milk here : http://www.lovingfit.com/nutrition/homemade-almond-milk-recipe/

  • Jamie Noble8

    Hi Tatianna,

    This is great advice… Nutrition is definitely the biggest hurdle to jump! I have a question for you about “late night” eating: I workout in the early morning (5:30am) because I have to be to work at 8 or sometimes 7am. I never eat anything before working out, but drink a small serving of a protein drink (whey isolate mixed with unsweetened almond milk), then I come home to get ready and eat 2 eggs, a steamed veggie, with a small piece of toast for breakfast. I think I do pretty good throughout the day and during dinner, but since I get off at 5 or sometimes 6, I don’t get done with dinner until 7:30 at the latest. My bedtime is 9 because I get up so early…. What do you recommend doing in this case?? 

    Thanks :)

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      Hi Jamie, 

      I recommend you just have a protein shake and you can even add 1 egg in there, and some spinach but no fruit.  

      • Jamie Noble8

        Thank you! I will try it tonight… Have a lovely day :)

        • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

          You too Jamie, have a wonderful day !!! :)

  • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

    Ohh Julia, it’s tough for everyone.  Sometimes I do so well for 1 weeks straight, and then boom 3 days in the row I eat at night and begin to look puffy LOL

  • https://twitter.com/LaPantera507 Elizabeth_Pty507

    I think I have a serious night time eating problem…  Sometimes I eat an hour before going to sleep…  :-S 

    Tatianna, do you eat bread? Coming from Panama, It’s hard for me to have breakfast without any bread, I don’t do any diet, but since working out, I tried to eat more healthy foods as possible, and I changed to healthy oils as well, I can’t buy everything organic, but at least I try to check that there is not artificial additives on it and hormones, etc. So, I also changed to a multi-grain bread, and instead of eating 3 or 2 slides, I eat just one mostly on breakfast.  I sometimes I’m having a sandwich instead of 2 at night.  What do you think?

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      Hey Elizabeth, 

      I do eat bread but I am so picky with it, I try to stay with a principle of unless it’s going to be absolutely delicious I don’t eat it.  I do that with everything, but when I do eat bread it’s always homemade or when I go out. 

       It’s definitely OK to eat bread if you love it, we train hard and we eat healthy, so we have to allow our selves to enjoy life as well.  Sometimes if I crave something really bad I would never say no to my self because I know that I put a lot of effort into my health and working out, so I allow it. 

      What you can do is try not to eat bread at dinner, but you can have it at breakfast and lunch, but at dinner just have veggies and chicken or fish, instead of a sandwich. It will give you a good balance.

      • https://twitter.com/LaPantera507 Elizabeth_Pty507

        Thanks for the soon reply!!
        I agree you totally about enjoying life as well! It’s true that we work hard!
        I’ll try that out! And see how it goes!!

        • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

          Yes try it and let me know how it went :)

  • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

    Hi Marina, 

    Oatmeal is actually great for breakfast, make sure you are using old fashioned oats net the quick cooked one’s.  It’s just many serials are using a lot of sugar even the healthy brands, when looking at the sugar content of your cereal or oat meal make sure it has under 5 g per serving.  Oatmeal is great but always add complete protein, and you already do with eggs. 

    • http://twitter.com/MarishaRausch Marina Rausch

      Hi Tatianna!
      FUF!
      U made it relaxed about the oatmeals=) Thanx a lot!

      • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

        :)

  • Lattara

    Hi Tatianna,
    I really like these tips, they are really easy to follow, and I already started to apply them into my “diet”..
    I just have one question though, concerning rule number 3. Sometimes, especially if I don’t get to do my workout in the morning and if the weather is really hot (like these last couple of days), I have to push my workout into the evening, and then I feel REALLY hungry afterwards. :)

    Now I know we’re not supposed to eat 4-6 hours before going to bed, but I guess after a workout we should feed our body. So what do you suggest doing in that situation?
    Thanks! :)

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      Hi Lattara, 

      You can have either a protein shake with spinach, or you can have tuna also with some spinach.  Try no to eat fruit late at night.

      • Lattara

        Ok, thank you very much! :)  
        Yeah, I know that fruit should be avoided at night, even though I always used to think that fruit is healthy and good for us no matter when we eat it.. How wrong I was.. :)

        • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

          Yes it’s easy to think that way because fruit is very healthy and we can eat a lot of it just not when we eat a lot of everything else.  But at night just stick to veggies.

  • Lattara

    Thanks! Those are really good ideas.. :)

  • Ida

    Hi Tatiana,

    Hi Tatianna

    Thank you
    for all you do, I really appreciate all your hard work!

    I would like
    to know what type of protein powder do you use?

    and also
    what’s your thought on paleo diet ?

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      Hi Ida,

      At the moment I am not taking any protein powder at all, before I use to take Dymatize, but I’ve noticed if I don’t take it, it doesn’t really make any difference. 

      I’ve tried Paleo diet before or Primal you may say, and it didn’t really work for me.  I’ve lost some muscle in the time that I’ve tried it.  I naturally don’t eat very much grain type of carbs, I am more of a fruit and salad girl, but I do love oats and I don’t like to count my carb intake, I just try to eat what I crave.  But I know that it works for some people, at the end we have to taylor our diet based on our own body, what may work for me may not work for others and wise versa.  You can try different things and see what works and how you feel.

      • sedindriuke

        Hi Tatianna,
        You say you lost some muscle trying Paleo? Why did you think happened? I am just curious, because Paleo followers eats much meat which are basically protein… (yeah, they do not eat cottage cheese… that is the thing i cannot give up never, i like cottage cheese or East European ‘tvarog’ or smth like that called :) )
        I eat grains or such kind of carbs in the morning just, later I eat meatfish/eggs, but only with veggies, dinner is usually salds with cheese/(or) eggs/or, chicken/or, nuts or omlette with veggies, or hummus with veggies …i bake cakes, banana breads, muffins, cookies with nut flours, seeds, nuts, coconut… it seems like Paleo… but i do not do it specialy.. And I think your diet is really similar according your posts.. whatever, just we need to eat the food which are good for us, and do not call it by various names: vegans, vegetarians, paleo… etc :D

  • Zina

    I ABsolutely love your site Tatiana! These are good rules. Right now I am doing the Whole30 challenge not sure if you ever heard of it but I basically eat a strict Paleo or Primal diet for 30 days. I am afraid of losing muscle since it is not easy for me to gain (I blame my birthcontrol pills) . So after the 30 days ( I am on day 21 so soon) I am going to re-introduce the other food slowly. Eating Paleo really works for me i have a ton of energy and my stomach is flatter than it ever has been. but like I said i am just afraid of losing muscle another good thing I learned from your site is taking more rest days I was going to a bootcamp class 5 days a week and not seeing any progress ,my eating was also out of control but thats another story. So now I am trying your method of upper than lower than rest repeat method :) I love it and keep up the good work I am so glad I found this ite it is so organized and I can tell you are very passionate about what you do.

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      Hi Zina, 

      I am very happy to be helpful and I am super happy you found my site :) .  I tried the paleo approach too, but it did’t work for me :( , I don’t normally eat a lot of grain but I still need some.  Let me know if you ever have any questions :) .

  • Evaleen

    Hehe, I actually love cereal for breakfast. :p Am a huge cereal lover, especially bran flakes or specially spiced kinds. But, I broke out of that breakfast habit a long time, now I generally have protein with fruit or veggies. But I still struggle to eat soon enough, sometimes my appetite doesn’t kick in till 2 hours after waking, :( I only have the stomach to drink water first thing.

    And going to bed after that long without food is pretty tough sometimes, I can get light-headed or weak… maybe this wouldn’t happen though if I had more calories during the day, not sure. But for anyone else who’s also struggling like that, try consuming some protein (like whey protein, or something light like that– 50 to 100 calories worth) an hour or two before bed… I find it definitely helps me when I need it. :)

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      Sometimes it can be a little difficult, but only in the beginning when you are not use to it.  But one amazing thing about not eating at night is you wake up quite hungry, and you can also eat a much bigger breakfast, and yes you do have to eat more during the day :) .  Usually when I am trying to lean out, this is the first trick that works the best for me and quite fast ( not eating at night ). 

      • Evaleen

        Oh right, I’ve been restricting calories (trying to lean up), why I brought up about eating more during the day… I’m not exactly counting though, just eating till lightly full whenever I feel hungry, this feels natural to do–and I always include a portion of protein and/or fats.

        Maybe my last meal of the day should be bigger? (But with no fruit or grains, of course) Or have you tried that and it doesn’t give you the same result?

        • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

          It is great that you are eating and listening to your body, don’t restrict your self though.  Eat a little more during the day, at dinner time have a huge salad with 3 kinds of veggies or leaves + lean chicken and some raw nuts.  If you get hungry have a cup of hot tea, it always helps me, another thing that helps me even more is thinking about my big breakfast :)

          • Evaleen

            Thank you, that sounds good! :)

  • Evaleen

    Btw Tatianna, what do you think of a light sautee for veggies? In a skillet, up to medium heat with just a little olive oil, cooked till slightly soft… this is about the only way I like veggies to be cooked :) I more often prefer raw though.

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      Just as long as they are still crispy, but instead of a medium heat do the low heat, this way you can savor all the nutrients :) ( like broccoli for example, just lightly steamed )

  • Nicole

    I love your site. I recently started following you this past week and have been doing your workouts and following your advanced workout plan. I am wondering what to do about night time eating. I am about to start medical school in one month and there will be unfortunately many late nights of studying. It is difficult sometimes to have brain power to study for hours and hours at night without eating anything. What are your recommendation for this? I am trying to lose a bit of body fat right now but once I reach my goal I want to be able to maintain that in school and just get stronger. Thank you!

    • http://www.lovingfit.com Tatianna

      Hi Nicole, I have a perfect solution for you. Get really dark chocolate 95% 3 g of sugar not more, and have it 3 hours before you go to sleep. It will give you that brain kick you will need and won’t raise your blood sugar, have it with some tea as well.