Are your portions controlling YOU???

Hey all!!

          QUESTION???

             Are your portions controlling YOU or are YOU controlling your portions??

    So I often say, portion control, watch how much you eat, drink... etc.. BUT do you even KNOW what an actual portion of something looks like? Odds are, probably NOT!

    You probably have somewhat of an idea of what a portion looks like but not to worry! It's actually not your fault that portion sizes are not intuitive to you! We aren't really ever taught growing up to measure our foods and restaurants and fast food places don't really give us much help in that department either. They usually pile on the food and you get about three times what a healthy portion actually is! NOT to worry! I am here to HELP!

   There are a couple of ways to measure your food. The most accurate is with a kitchen scale. This handy tool helps you know EXACTLY how much of everything you are consuming! And I highly recommend buying one! It will help you understand how much of something looks like and in the future make portioning second nature! This tool will help build the greatest tool we have, OUR BRAIN! It will help train your brain to just KNOW what a portion of something looks like!

Here are a few with great ratings from amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Ozeri-Digital-Multifunction-Kitchen-Elegant/dp/B004164SRA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406844532&sr=8-1&keywords=food+scale

http://www.amazon.com/EatSmart-Precision-Digital-Kitchen-Silver/dp/B001N07KUE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1406844586&sr=8-3&keywords=food+scale&dpPl=1

http://www.amazon.com/Weighmax-Electronic-Kitchen-Scale-2810-2KG/dp/B000P1PJL4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1406844586&sr=8-4&keywords=food+scale&dpPl=1

  You can also use tools odds are you probably already have in your kitchen! Measuring cups and spoons! These tools are a healthy living and weight loss journey's BEST FRIEND!! So simple to use, chances are you use them to cook as it is! Now you just have to incorporate them into your plating before eating the food. Look at LABELS and see how much a serving is. A cup, A tablespoon? Whatever it may be, make sure you have your measuring cups and spoons handy!

   The link below is a SUPER nifty tool you could check out that makes measuring EASY!

http://www.amazon.com/Meal-Measure-Portion-Control-Tool/dp/B004Z0SDXC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1406845184&sr=8-1&keywords=portion+control&dpPl=1

   For those of you who know that you WILL NOT measure your food with a food scale or measuring spoons and cups, wether too time consuming or just not wanting to, that is ok. Key here is to KNOW what a portion looks like. It will be a little harder and a bit less accurate measuring by sight and guessing how much is on your plate BUT it can be done and it is better than not trying to portion out at all!

   I found this awesome guide on portioning that I just love because it makes it easy to measure your food without actually having to bust out your kitchen scale! lol

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/277112183296306946/

Portion control is super important to healthy living and weight loss! It helps create healthy habits by showing you how much of something your body actually needs versus how much we want! Which can be very different! It helps us from over eating and under eating which can both be very dangerous. Many people ask me how I lost 140 pounds. Although, hard to reduce to just a few things, I always mention, clean eating, portion control and exercise. I directly contribute a big portion of my weight loss to portion control and even more MAINTAINING my weight loss which is equally as important! 

I really hope this helps!!

PLEASE SHARE, FOLLOW AND COMMENT!

Love you for reading,

FATFREEVEE!

(Fatfreevee in June of 2014)

EASY Meal Plan!!!!!!

Hey Everyone!!

   Happy Friday! I have been at this loosing weight and healthy eating/ lifestyle for about three years, knowing what foods to consume is really second nature now. I have no problem looking at a menu and choosing a healthy meal or creating my own healthy meals at home. I have no problem in calculating how many calories are in a meal and what to eat to maintain a balanced lifestyle and healthy weight. All that said, it DID NOT come over night!

   I have done so much research, experimented with so many recipes, some not so successful ! HAHA! I do not expect anyone starting this journey to just know what to eat initially and I cannot count the amount of times I have been asked for a guideline/meal plan that is actually achievable, to help kick start a healthy lifestyle!

   I took my knowledge on healthy eating to create a meal plan that I believe is achievable and yummy enough to stick to!

 In this MEAL PLAN you can choose one of three options for breakfast, lunch and dinner and choose one of five snack options! It is based on a 1200* calorie day! :) TADA!

MEAL PLAN #1! 

BREAKFAST, (choose one):

Breakfast option #1:

Oatmeal (300 calories)

1/2 cup rolled oats 

1 cup unsweetened almond milk 

1 large banana 120 

 (Tip : Cook oats in almond milk and add cinnamon for extra yummy flavor, top with banana)

Breakfast option #2:

Veggie Omelet (300 calories)

1 large egg (whisked)

2 large egg whites (whisked)

1 cup spinach

1/2 cup onion

1/2 cup green pepper

1 garlic clove

1 cup tomato

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

1 slice (any brand 45 calorie bread)

(Tip: Heat olive oil in pan, sauté all veggies for about three minutes, add whisked egg and egg whites over veggies, cook until eggs are set)

Breakfast option # 3:

Smoothie (300 calories)

1 cup Unsweetened Almond milk

1 cup Light and Fit Vanilla greek yogurt 

1 cup halved strawberries 

1/2 cup blueberries

1/2 cup large banana

1 cup spinach

(Tip: Blend all ingredients together, add sweetener of choice for extra sweetness, may affect caloric value) 

SNACK, (Choose one):

             (150 calories)

15 almonds and 1 cup apple slices

1 mozzarella stick and 1 cup grapes

1 boiled egg and 10 carrots and 1 tablespoon hummus

6 celery stalks and 1 tablespoons almond butter 

2 multigrain rice snacks, 2 tablespoons tahini and 1 cup raspberries 

LUNCH, (Choose one):

Lunch Option #1:

Lettuce Wraps (300 calories)

4 large romaine lettuce leaves

5 oz chicken

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 medium green onion

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup brown rice

(Tip: Prepare brown rice as instructed, set aside, add chicken, soy sauce, green onion, and carrots in a pan and sauté until cooked, blend in rice, wrap with lettuce leaf)

Lunch Option #2: 

Mediterranean Pita (300 calories)

1 Low calorie pita (100 cal)

2 tbsp hummus

2 tbsp black olives

1 cup cucumbers

1/2 cup tomato

1/4 cup onion

1/4 cup feta cheese

2 tbsp tzatki  

(Tip: Spread hummus evenly on both sides of pita, add all veggies and feta into pita pocket, top with Tzatziki) 

Lunch Option #3: 

Salmon avocado tomato salad (300 calories)

1/4 medium avocado

1 medium tomato

5 oz Salmon (cooked)

1/2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

(Tip: Combine all ingredients, add salt and pepper to taste)

SNACK, (Choose one):

                (150 calories)

15 almonds and 1 cup apple slices

1 mozzarella stick and 1 cup grapes

1 boiled egg and 10 carrots and 1 tablespoon hummus

6 celery stalks and 1 tablespoons almond butter 

2 multigrain rice snacks, 2 tablespoons tahini and 1 cup raspberries 

DINNER, (Choose one):

Dinner Option #1:

Taco Salad (300 calories)

1 cup shredded romaine lettuce

1 cup spinach

6 oz grilled chicken breast

1/4 cup black beans

1/4 cup corn

1/2 cup onion

1 cup tomato

1/2 cup cilantro

(Tip: Combine all ingredients into a salad)

Dinner Option #2:

Lemon Baked Salmon (300 calories)

7 oz Salmon

1 lemon sliced

1/2 cup broccoli

1/2 cup cooked brown rice

(Tip: Lay lemon slices on top of a large sheet of aluminum foil, lay salmon and broccoli on top of lemon slices, sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, wrap foil around fish as to create a dome around food, bake until fish is properly cooked, serve on top of brown rice)

Dinner Option #3:

Veggie Soup

1 cup onion

3 cloves smashed garlic

Basil (to taste)

Oregano (to taste)

1 cup zucchini

3 cups low sodium veggie broth

1 cup cooked green beans

1/4 cup cooked black beans

1/4 cup cooked chick peas

1/2 medium cooked sweet potato

(Tip: Sauté onion, smashed garlic, basil. oregano, and zucchini until tender about four minutes, add low sodium veggie broth and bring to boil, add in rest of ingredients and simmer for about ten to fifteen minutes insuring your soup does not dry out, add salt and pepper to taste) 

  *How many calories you should consume to keep a healthy weight or even lose weight per day, is different for every person. If you should be consuming more calories to meet your caloric minimum throughout the day please make sure you are doing so and not depriving your body the minimum nutrition and calories it needs to function properly and healthy. If you do not know how many calories you should be consuming please read http://fatfreevee.blogspot.com/2014/05/what-does-she-know-getting-started.html for a calorie calculator. 



 Dressing room shot during my weight loss 2012 and current weight 2014 an 80 pound difference!

          
LOVE YOU FOR READING,
FATFREEVEE

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Fatfreevee does VACATION!!!

Happy Wednesday!!

    We went to breakfast this weekend while on vacation. We are in the middle of the woods in the North, the restaurant we went to was a little down home cooking spot popular with the locals. The menu looked delicious, BUT not very nutritious. I was a little worried at first but decided to just ask if they could substitute the regular eggs of the omelet for egg whites, add more veggies and have an english muffin versus toast! And you know what??? They were MORE than happy to help me out and substitute those things!

   Was it hard not having the pancakes and stuffing my face with the DELICIOUS corn beef hash at the table! (YES, I did have a bite, oooo it was good!!) But you know what? My meal was very delicious as well, I didn't even focus on what I was eating due to the great conversation and people and afterword I felt great I stuck to my lifestyle!

It got me thinking and inspired me to write about STICKING TO HEALTHY choices and diet while on vacation!

WHAT???!!

I know, I know this can be so hard! But NOT impossible!

1. RELAX!

   So the first step is not to worry so much about what you are eating and just FOCUS on making better decisions versus completely not eating things you want to eat. The reason this is the first step is because you are on VACATION! It should be FUN not stressful! You shouldn't be worrying about every single thing you put in your mouth and what times you are eating and when and where! You should be focusing on having fun and creating memories!

    DON'T confuse this step with eating everything you want, whenever you want and completely forgetting about healthy choices. What I am saying is, DO NOT deprive yourself!! While still practicing moderation and healthy substitutions whenever you can. That way you give yourself the leeway to enjoy the atmosphere, and foods without completely shattering your diet and regressing on your progress.


2. THINK AHEAD!

   Try and PREPARE yourself for whatever food situation you are going to face. Before you go to a restaurant, check out their menus online, going somewhere with nothing but unhealthy snacking options? (grandma's house, haha)? Bring your OWN snacks! Staying somewhere that won't have foods you eat on a constant basis and not the best options?? Buy and bring your own foods and that way you have them available! Most of the time, people will not be offended that you are trying to live healthier and be HAPPY to help. If you are afraid someone will be offended, talk to them about before hand!

3. SUBSTITUTIONS!

   Make sure you are watching what is in your food... Ok, so you want to have a burger! The great thing is that MANY places will have no problem substituting certain ingredient! Don't be afraid to ask! Go head and ask if they have a leaner beef they can use or even a different type of meat (Buffalo is super lean and taste just like beef, better!) Ask if they have a whole wheat bun or only eat one of the buns! Instead of fries, see if they have sweet potato fries, and if they can bake them instead! TADA!!! You were STILL able to have the burger and fries, just on the healthier side without having to sacrifice in taste and the experience and without feeling deprived! Don't be afraid to ask for substitutions!

4. PORTION CONTROL!

   You are having a great time! And making smarter choices while still experiencing the sites, and taste, but don't forget to still practice PORTION CONTROL! While on vacation, we tend to eat out much more, which is great and so fun! Problem is that it is easy to forget that restaurant portions are not proper portions, they tend to be much bigger! WATCH out for how much of something you are eating! Try ordering half portions if available, ask them to box half of the order BEFORE they give you the plate (you won't miss the food that is boxed up) or ordering the smaller options. That way you don't feel deprived of not being able to eat it all because there isn't that much of it to begin with. The best part I like about this step is not having to have the, "OHHHhhhh I ate TOO MUCH," tired, groggy feeling. And it still keeps you motivated to keep having fun on your vacation versus needing a nap! haha

5. Don't fall victim to PEER PRESSURE!

   This is a HARD one... You see your friends, family, skinny cousin (who can eat anything and not gain weight because her metabolism is just that fast, that you are jealous of but DON'T be), and you start thinking, "well, they are eating it, I should eat it too!" DON'T LISTEN to that voice! hahah Just because they are eating something doesn't mean you have to as well! Remember, it's your body and you know it best. The CALORIES you eat on vacation are not FREE and they are still contribute to your diet! But again, don't feel so pressured to stick to your diet to where it makes you sad or overwhelmed and as if you are not having any fun! You don't want to have a healthy lifestyle be a miserable one! So if you do decide to eat something not so healthy just remember it is temporary decision and get back to your healthy habits!

6. Listen to your BRAIN not your GUT!

   Don't listen to your gut when it says you NEED that HUGE piece of cheesecake after dinner or your gut when it says you need to eat all the snacks at the table while playing board games with your family. Listen to your brain, because most of the time those decisions to eat are out of BOREDOM! Avoid this! Drink water and see if you still NEED it... if you do, practice moderation, again, just take enough to satisfy the itch of having some! Listen, to your gut when it says you are full. Stop eating then, don't overeat due to it tasting good. You brain is on your side, your gut, well, that can be a glutinous FOOL! hahah

7. Fall of the wagon? GET BACK ON!

   You ate something that isn't conducive to your diet or lifestyle, not the best choice??? Fall off your diet for a meal, a day???? WHO HASN'T! What is the difference between people who are successful and those that don't necessarily met their weight loss/healthy living goals??!!! THEY GOT BACK ON, their healthy lifestyle and weight loss journey! A bad meal, bad day, bad week, bad weigh in, doesn't mean you should give up and forget about your goals! It happens to all of us! If it did, guess what?? Get back ON that healthy lifestyle wagon and ride it till your goals! We all have bad days, sometimes days, and week! Key is to NOT GIVE UP!

8. HAVE FUN!

   It is a VACATION! Have FUN!!!! Don't stress so much about every little thing you eat, as long as you practice moderation and try to stick to healthier eating options you should be fine! Even IF you regress a little on your diet, they key is you had fun, built precious memories and you go back to LIVING healthy and making the best choices once your vacation is over! At the end of the day life is about memories, it is precious and wondrous, too busy and too short. Take the TIME to make happy memories and don't let being so worried about being "skinny" or overly healthy ruin your good time! Trust me, I have been working a long time to master this but just try to remember to relax and ENJOY!

Hope this helps!!!

I will be SO very busy working on relaxing! hahah I will post again next week!

I love you for reading!
Fatfreevee

FINALLY answered! " How DID I do it???"

Hi all!!

    I have so many things to talk about and so much to say about healthy living, weight loss, about the journey and steps it takes to get there, that I get overwhelmed when people ask me, "How DID you do it?"

   The reason I get so overwhelmed is because, although a simple answer could be given, there were also so many other things I did to get to get to where I am today, it makes it hard to sum up in just a few words, thus why I created a blog! haha

  Although, I started the blog, it did not alleviate the most popular question I get asked on a DAILY basis,

  "HOW DID YOU DO IT?"

   I am NOW going to ATTEMPT to answer this ever so popular question to the best of my ability, and as simply as possible...OK here we go...

What did I do to LOSE 140LBS??

Two things:

1. Eat right

2. Exercise

Is it really that simple?

 Well, yes, technically, that is all that it takes!

  BUT in all reality even though technically, those two steps are all it takes to lose weight and be healthy, there really is SO much to know about the way your body works, what is in food, how much you should consume, etc.

Ok, want a LITTLE more???... Here we go!

Many also often ask "How did you (fatfreevee) personally start your journey?? WHAT EXACTLY DID YOU (fatfreevee) DO?
 

  My diet is very regimented now BUT I started out small, taking my time on EACH step BEFORE moving to the next to ensure I understood what I was doing:

1. I started by getting rid of all drinks but WATER, LOTS of water!!!! That was literally my first step.

2. I learned how to read a FOOD LABEL, and how many servings are in foods!

3. I learned PORTION CONTROL, I started measuring ALL of my food, I bought a food scale and started watching my portions by using measuring cups and measuring spoons

4. I learned HOW many calories I should be eating to lose weight and stay healthy

5. I started a FOOD JOURNAL so that I could know HOW many calories certain foods had, it helped big time for portion control, keeping me motivated and keeping me accountable

6. I started eating five to six meals a day to help rev up my METABOLISM

AFTER I mastered THAT:
 
7. I started SWITCHING the BAD with the GOOD... for example good carbs versus bad carbs, good fats versus bad fats and so on.

8. I started cutting out foods that I knew were just BAD... so all fried foods, all fast foods, all SUGARY foods, super SALTY foods, etc. 

9. I then became an advocate for CLEAN EATING and basically not eating foods with labels, mostly eating fruits and veggies all day every day and only lean meats
10. Then I actually started learning about WHAT ingredients and other things are in my food have slowly gone mostly organic!

Exercise:
 

   I started REALLY slowly... 10 minutes of walking in the beginning progressed and became 20 minutes, which became 30 minutes and so on. One minute of jogging became two minute jogs then three minute jogs, next thing you know I am running three miles in 29 minutes, and I'm just getting WARMED up!

  You have probably heard that line about working out being a process that gets easier over time too often; it's the truth. It takes work but like with any skill, the more you practice the better and easier it gets for you! 

  I am going to keep it REAL with you... It is NOT an overnight process... You will have your ups and downs with your diet, lifestyle and exercise regimen. BUT whether you do it or not, time will pass anyway, why not pass it doing something WORTH while????!!

  If you stick to it, you WILL see results! It is easy to get discouraged but if you just focus on FEELING good and being positive and realizing ONE bad day doesn't mean you have to quit... that you can just get back on and keep moving forward.
  
  I didn't get my before and after overnight! But it was SO worth the struggles because it made me realize the amount of strength and perseverance I have! And made my weight loss victory THAT much sweeter!!

                                                  BEFORE                              AFTER

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LOVE YOU FOR READING,
FATFREEVEE

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FOUR on the FOURTH!! Easy exercise

Happy Friday and Happy July 4th!!

      For most of America it is a three day weekend!!! Yay!!! Full of fun in the sun, family and friend time, barbecues, beach and pool time!! Woohoo!! It's going to be an awesome weekend! I hope all of you enjoy and have a great time! 

     This week I got started on the topic of working out and I think it's a great time to introduce SIMPLE ways you can incorporate easy exercises into your life! Best part??? You won't even really realize you are working out! And what better time than this weekend to try these simple NO FUSS exercising tips; since you will probably be too busy with all the fourth of July activities to make it to the gym!

Four EASY ways to add some exercise in YOUR life! 

1. Pick a "GOOD" parking spot

 Most people go somewhere with a parking lot at least once a day, and most of us take the time to find a "good" parking spot. I know it's purely out of convenience and time but how about we change our perception of what a "good" parking spot actually is. How about parking (if safe) as far as you can from the store and walking. Take the time that it would of taken you to find a good parking spot and park further away, that time could be used getting to the store, rather than searching for a closer spot. It is a great way of getting your exercise in without even really having to break a sweat. 

2.  Stair MASTER baby!

    Again most of encounter a set of stairs on an almost daily basis! BUT we almost always chose the elevator! I understand the convenience aspect all too well, having a toddler makes the stairs a terrifying experience for me LOL! BUT if it possible, try to go ahead and take the stairs whenever you can! It really doesn't save that much time between waiting for the elevator to come down and up and actually just taking the stairs! It can make a dramatic difference in your calories burnt throughout the day! 

3. CLEANLINESS is SKINNINESS? 

   Most of us have to do some sort of cleaning throughout the week, if you have a child, most likely every day! haha! Did you realize doing some of the house work is actually burning a good amount of CALORIES? Hmm?? Things like vacuuming, moping, yard work (push mower) cleaning windows, cleaning that takes movement etc. all of these can add up to some pretty awesome calories burnt... usually over 100 in a matter of half of an hour, sometimes less time! It ALMOST makes cleaning fun!! haha 

4. DANCE PARTY!

    This is my FAVORITE way of exercising without even trying! Xavier (my three year old) and I have an almost daily DANCE PARTY!! Where we put on the music and shake out tooshies for about 10 minutes! Not only is it a BLAST and my son gets a kick out of it, BUT I am burning some pretty serious calories!!! Do you love to dance?? Have a daily DANCE PARTY or go out with some of your friends and shake it out on the dance floor! Dancing is awesome cardio and can definitely help you see FASTER progress in your weight loss journey! 

    Every single on of these tips are EASILY incorporated into daily routines and can make a big difference in achieving your goal! Try them out and see how they can HELP you in your journey! 

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY AMERICA! 

Love you for reading! 

FAT FREE VEE 

             This pic is of one half way through my journey and one taken about two weeks ago!

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