Carbs Cycling and fat burning recipes

Rule 66

So many diets out there, promising you things like losing 21LB in 30 days!  But let me tell you the truth: It takes just as fast to gain it back.

I’m one of the rare people who lost weight (40LB) and never put it back!  And you know why? Because I didn’t diet - I changed my lifestyle.

I can’t stress enough how important it is to understand there isn’t any magic pill for losing the weight; the only way to do it by is putting in the work (at the gym or something similar) and by eating correct portions and healthy food.

You have to move; you know it because you’re smart and because I keep saying it J

You also must measure your food because somewhere in the 70’s we lost track of what is a portion. If you’re trying to lose weight and you can’t there are 2 options: either you eat too much, or you don’t eat enough.

2 months ago I was stuck (not getting as ripped as I would love to) and couldn’t understand why, so I cut my carbs even more but it didn’t change a thing!

So I started measuring my food, thinking that maybe I’m eating too much fat (ok, too much peanut butter); my goal was 220 grams of carbs, 50 grams of fat and 100 grams protein – a total of 1730 calories…I couldn’t! I was eating 100 grams of protein. No problem there, but the fat and the carbs were hard to hit…I ended up eating pita just to hit it!

And it made me feel gross…once in a while it’s ok but eating it every day just made me feel gross…do you ever get it?

So I decided the hitting over 200 grams of carbs daily was too much for me, (my body prefers protein and fat and my body is healthy enough to know what’s good for it) so I decided to do something called “carbs cycling”.

Carbs cycling is when every day you eat different amounts of carbs; for example:

Monday: 170 grams

Tuesday: 200 grams

Wednesday: 150 grams

Thursday: 130 grams

Friday: 250 grams

Saturday: 170 grams

Sunday: 150 grams

Now ideally you want to change your fat and protein amounts to fit but this should be calculated for you by a professional. So first start with just watching your carbs and to make sure you play it safe. 

Make sure the fat you eat is healthy like:

·         Ghee

·         Butter

·         Coconut oil

·         Olive oil

·         Sesame oil

·         Flax seed oil

·         Nut and seed butter

·         All kinds of seeds

·         All kinds of fish and sea food

·         Soy bean

·         Organic Eggs

·         Nuts (walnuts, almonds, peanuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, pecans, cashews)

·         Avocado

·         Chickpeas

Fat helps the sugar in the carbs to be digested better by your body and prevents it from being stored as fat.

Fat is what helps you to process the carbs and to use them for energy, so make sure you eat fat if you eat carbs because this “low fat high fiber” diets doesn’t do good to your body; your body deserves the best and just like you put lotion on your skin you need to moisturize your body from the inside (with fat).

·         Coconut oil can be used as lotion too J

And now for the magic question….how do I count my grams of carbs?

I downloaded an app called “calories counter” to my smartphone. Being healthy has never been so easy, so stop making excuses and be healthy and happy.

Dare to dream!

And if you need help with calculating how many grams to eat or with a workout plan I have new sell for the holidays: 30% off for the first 30 people so contact me today!

Email: Danagatfit@outlook.com

Facebook: Eat Cake Not Get Fat

And now for recipes…Yum Yum

These recipes have carbs, fat and protein and are easy, healthy and tasty!

Coconut shrimps with pineapple salsa

Ingredients

SHRIMP:

·         28 large shrimps (about 1 1/2 pounds)

·         1/3 cup cornstarch 

·         1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon ground red pepper

·         3 large egg whites

·         1 1/2 cups flaked unsweetened coconut 

·         Cooking spray 

SALSA: 

·         1 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple 

·         1/3 cup finely chopped red onion 

·         1/4 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

·         1 tablespoon finely chopped seeded jalapeño pepper

·         1 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

·         1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preparation

1.       Preheat oven to 400°.

2.       To prepare shrimps, peel and devein the shrimps, leaving tails intact. Rinse shrimps in cold water; drain on paper towels until dry.

3.       Combine cornstarch and red pepper in a shallow dish; stir with a whisk. Place the egg whites in a medium bowl, and beat with a mixer at medium-high speed until frothy (about 2 minutes). Place coconut in a shallow dish.

4.       Working with one shrimp at a time, dredge in cornstarch mixture. Dip in egg white; dredge in coconut, pressing gently with fingers. Place shrimp on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Repeat the procedure with remaining shrimp, cornstarch mixture, egg white, and coconut. Lightly coat shrimp with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 20 minutes or until shrimp are done, turning after 10 minutes.

5.       To prepare salsa, combine pineapple and remaining ingredients in a medium bowl; stir to combine.

Chickpea recipe (vegan and gluten free):

Ingredients

·         1 tbsp olive oil

·         1 onion, finely chopped

·         2 garlic cloves, minced

·         2 tbsp curry powder

·         1 tbsp ginger, minced

·         2 small sweet potatoes

·         1 large can diced tomatoes

·         1 medium can chickpeas

·         1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

Preparation

1.       Heat a large saucepan over medium-high. Add olive oil, onion, garlic cloves, curry powder and ginger. Cook 2 min.

2.       Peel sweet potatoes and chop into 1/2-in. pieces. Stir into saucepan along with diced tomatoes. Bring to a boil, and then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, covered, 15 min. Stir in chickpeas, drained and rinsed, and continue cooking until sweet potatoes are tender, about 10 min. Sprinkle with cilantro.

And that’s it for this time.

I hope you’ve learned something new J

Love

Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014

Superfood

Rule 65

Superfoods.

You hear about it all the time, especially from yogi and vegan people but everybody should have some superfood added to their diet (even bodybuilder, crossfitter, powerlifters and bikini athletes).

So what are the most popular superfoods out there?

Just to clarify, the “usual suspects” include cancer, diabetes, heart attacks, cold, flu indigestion, overweight and the rest of lifestyle diseases.  

·        

      Goji berries (also known as wolf berries) - coming to us from China and packed with nutrition! Great for overall health and protect against the usual suspects.

·       

          Acai berries – coming to us from the rain forest, also named as “secret weight loss pill”, they’re very healthy and protect against the usual suspects but you won’t lose weight by eating it, you still got to move and not eat junk.

·         

      Maca root – coming to us from Peru, this root is not only great for skin and anti-ageing purposes, but also helps with everything to do with hormones and sexual health (PMS, fertility, menopause, mood balancing and more). Great for energy. Don’t take more than 5 grams in a dose!

·        

      Chia seeds – coming to us from Mexico. These seeds are packed with fiber, protein and omega 3 and of course protect against the usual suspects.

·       

            Hemp seed – coming to us from all over the world. Because its cousin (marijuana) is not legal to grow in some countries. But it’s a superfood - not a drug (it doesn’t have THC and it will not make you high). It’s not just super healthy, packed with nutrition and protects against the usual suspects; it can also be used to make cloths, ropes and papers! Nature at it best J

·       

            Cacao powder/nibs – you know why! In case you forget check the post about it: cacao post

·        

      Cayenne pepper – coming to us from Guinea (formerly French Guinea), this is a must if you’re trying to lose weight. You eat it and like all spicy food it makes your heart beat faster for a few second and that helps you to burn fat (same as HIIT cardio). It also protects against the usual suspects and tastes good!

·         

      Cinnamon – you know why! Check the post about it:cinnamon post

·        

      Turmeric – coming to us from India, this orange coloured root protects against the usual suspects and promotes brain health (helps you study and stay focused at work instead of Ritalin)

·         

      Stevia - sweetener and sugar substitute extracted from the leaves of the plant species Stevia rebaudiana. Looks like a mint leaves and has zero calories. It’s a healthy, easy to enjoy sweet thing without using sugar or its very unhealthy substitutes.

And now, I’m sure you want some recipes how to use them?

Goji berries & Cacao:

Ingredients

·         100g 90% dark chocolate (or you can make the chocolate by yourself  click for recipe

·         2 tbsp coarsely chopped almonds

·         2 tbsp Goji berries

Directions:

1. Melt the chocolate using the “2 bowls method” 

2. Lay out a sheet of greaseproof paper over a tray or plate.

3. Divide the melted chocolate into 8 rounds on the baking paper and sprinkle the tops with almonds and GojiGoji berries (press them down gently to make sure they stick in the chocolate). Place the plate in the fridge.

4. Leave in the fridge until the chocolate has completely hardened again, at least 20 minutes.

Check the Facebook page for more recipes like Goji tea or Goji and cacao nibs protein bar click here

Acai berries and chia seed “ice cream”:

Ingredients

·         1 packet of frozen organic acai berry pulp

·         2 heaping handfuls of organic spinach

·         1 frozen banana

·         ½ cup your choice of milk, unsweetened

·         2 tablespoons of chia seeds (soaked for at least 20 minutes in some of the milk)

·         dash of cinnamon

·         ice as needed to thicken

Directions:

1.       Simply add all ingredients into your Vitamix or high speed blender until thick and creamy.

2.       The texture should be very thick, if too thick then add more milk. If you stick a spoon into the mixture, the mixture should be able to be thick enough to stay on the spoon; if not, add ice or more frozen bananas.

3.       Eat after making.

Chia pudding:

Ingredients

·         1/4 cup Chia seeds

·         200ml your choice of milk

·         1/2 tsp sugar free vanilla

·         2 RAW pitted date

Directions:

Put everything in a bowl. Let it sit for 30 min and stir every few minutes. You can add fresh fruit to it like blueberries or pomegranate.

Superfood brownie:

Ingredients

·         1½ cups walnut kernels

·         10 Medjool dates, pitted

·         ½ cup raw cacao powder

·         ½ cup Goji berries

·         1 tbsp chia seeds

·         1 tbsp Maca powder

·         1 tsp cinnamon powder

·         1 tbsp spring or filtered water

Directions:

1.       Add walnuts to the bowl of a food processor and process for a few seconds until walnuts form a coarse meal.

2.       Add the rest of the ingredients (except water) to food processor and run until a crumbly dough has been formed. Using fingers to 'pinch' dough together, checking it if will stick together. If mixture is too dry then add water, a little at a time and process again for a few seconds, until it holds together

3.       Take tablespoon amounts of dough and use hands to roll into balls. Enjoy, or store in a covered container in the fridge for up to one week.

And that’s it for now. Hope you learn and get healthier now.

Remember…Health is fun and easy J

Research and writing by Dana Gat ©2014