energy

Sourdough May Be the Reason you Can’t Lose Weight

As we discussed a few weeks ago….carbs make you fat, not fat.

 

Your homemade sourdough EVERYTHING may be the reason you can’t lose weight.

 

I have fallen into this trap too, so while this may feel like a straight up attack know this comes from personal experience and you are not alone.

 

Remember, excessive carb consumption past your body’s requirements gets stored as fat cells.

 

So let’s get real:

  • How are you using sourdough?
  • Is it the star of the meal or side kick?
  • How many times a day are you reaching for it?

Look I get it! Especially during pregnancy and postpartum or even if you don’t want to cook.

 

It is quick + easy to grab.

 

But it is not enough food + certainly not enough nutrients to support your body’s continuous operation.

 

My own personal experience:

  • Avocado sourdough toast with smoked salmon is not a effective breakfast >> I am hungry within an hour
  • A sourdough sandwich with deli meat, arugula, pickled onions is not enough >> I am searching for more within 30 mins
  • Taco night with sourdough tortillas >> stuffed after 2 and wake up starving in the middle of the night

I’ve done that! And tracked it….its around 1600 calories, no wonder I am starving!

 

For additional context, since I am breastfeeding and trying to get back to consistently working out I should be consuming closer to 2300 calories daily to sustain my energy, repair my body, and fuel my goals.

 

Listen, I’m not saying don’t have the sourdough. But use it as a condiment.

 

I was using sourdough as a vehicle to get food in + became the focus of every meal.

 

But that means I eat way less protein than required, consuming wayyyy to many simple carbs and has me constantly searching for food to eat.

 

A meal should keep you full until your next meal without having to snack while maintaining stable energy and mood. 

 

How you do that is by building a plate with adequate protein, vegetables/fiber, and fat while minimizing empty calories, most processed/packaged food that are very high in sugar and low in protein and fat.

 

Ideally, your plate contains:

  • A minimum of a palm-size piece of protein such as fish, chicken, beef, etc. Yes I’m really going to push for an animal meat here.
  • At least half the plate, or 3-4 cups, filled with a variety of vegetables like broccoli, beets, mushrooms, herbs, tomatoes, onions, asparagus, zucchini, fennel, bell peppers, etc.
  • Add fat as a sauce to make your protein and/or veggies delicious so you eat all of it. I love a pesto this time of year. But for the most part, the fat will be in your animal meat or what you use to cook. If you feel like you could have more, nuts and seeds can add a delicious crunch that some people crave.
  • If you are not sedentary for your job, an athlete, pregnant or breastfeeding, consider adding grains or a starch to make up a quarter of your plate. Your energy expenditure is greater than a desk worker on a daily basis and need to support those demands properly without getting hungry in between meals. Depending on your level of activity, this will vary day-to-day even meal-to-meal.

 

How many vegetables are you getting in every day?

 

How much protein are you getting in daily?

 

Are you able to go without needing to snack between meals, including coffee?

 

Are you able to avoid being irritable, impatient, snappy, and/or headaches between meals?

 

I help clients with this so schedule a free Connection Call to see if we’d be a good team to work together and get you to feel absolutely amazing this summer and be able to crush summer without getting hangry!

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Like all my half marathons, I really do need to start properly training for these events.  I do believe going to CrossFit a few times a week does help build strength and endurance, but CrossFit does not prepare you for sitting on a bike for extended period…Luckily you can swim however you want so there is always breast stroke. I would actually like to do better so I really need to start freestyling and conserving my energy for the other 2 legs.  Maybe next year I’ll properly plan and train for any Tris I decide to compete in….I do always say this for whatever race I sign up for…one day tho!

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Nutritional Challenge – Changes

Day 7 of no sugar, gluten, dairy, or alcohol.  Eating healthy doesn’t mean you can’t have delicious and tasty food!

Only 1 day of slip ups which for the most part were out of our hands…look I know we could’ve CHOSEN to not have alcohol or dessert, no one was MAKING us consume these things. But stressing out about our food choices will not benefit our bodies either. So yes, we had beer (Zach) and champagne (me) and ate desserts (shared mini desserts and didn’t Repeat the same one). The food at the wedding was amazing and I’m sure there was sugar and hydrogenated fats in there, but I didn’t stress about it. We did make the conscious effort to not eat bread at dinner and didn’t stuff ourselves. So I’ll take that as a win while dining out.

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