Tag Archives: eat healthy

Fail Forward – No Sugar No Grains

Have you heard of the No Sugar, No Grains lifestyle? How about Vinnie Tortorich? Maybe Fitness Confidential?

If you haven’t heard of any of those three things, that’s okay – you don’t need to. I’m almost hopeful that you don’t know any of the three. That means I get to introduce you to a whole new way of living healthfully! And that’s awesome! I’m going to share a lot of information about them. And, I’m really excited to do so, let’s get started!

My Struggle is Real

For at least 19 years, I’ve knowingly struggled with my eating. I have no idea why, or where it started, I just remember struggling to keep my eating under control. I was a serial dieter. One fad diet after another, I even found success with many of them, losing up to 75 lbs at one point – but, I never managed to keep it off. I always looked at my diet as “only temporary,” and “only until I lose the weight.” Those two statements right there are part of the MUCH bigger reason I never stuck to a diet. However, I want you to know, that despite struggling with my weight, in the past and currently, you CAN find your happy place when it comes to your food.

Fail Forward - No Sugar No Grains

Don’t Let Those Resolutions Waiver

We’re nearing the end of January, this is about when people’s resolutions begin to waiver. People start to give up on their goals, or stop believing in themselves. If you listed one of your goals as losing weight or getting healthy, I want to help you get past this hump and keep moving. Trust me, it IS possible!!

For the last 20 days, I’ve been following the No Sugar No Grains (NSNG) diet, created by Vinnie Tortorich. I’m not an expert yet, but I am seeing great results, and Seamus actually started following this means of eating about 3 months ago and has had amazing success. He’s lost 68 lbs, by simply giving up ALL sugar and ALL grains. He does workout, but because of a bad back, he’s currently only walking 4 to 5 days a week. Nothing overly intense, and yet he’s still losing weight!

With most diets, they encourage you to eat low-fat / low calorie. To eat small portions and stay below a certain (small) number of calories. People succeed, but they often feel restricted, which can in turn lead to the binge / guilt cycle. That doesn’t need to happen, you can have yummy, delicious cream in your coffee, or eat real bacon, and not turkey bacon (unless you prefer turkey bacon).

Here’s why I am loving NSNG, I am NEVER starving. In fact, I rarely think about food, unless I’ve gone too long without eating. Because I’m giving myself the fat it needs to work properly, and getting my carbs through healthy veg, I don’t obsess over when my next meal is. It’s an amazing feeling, freeing a part of your brain that has always stressed/obsessed/worried about food. NSNG is a true lifestyle change, it’s not a temporary fix, it’s  something that you stick with and (honestly) will want to stick with.

There are some added benefits, beyond just losing weight, and I am losing weight (6.7 lbs in 20 days). Giving up gluten can have a HUGE impact on your mental clarity. I often stuttered and struggled to find the right words when I spoke, now I feel clear and like I’m not stumbling over my words. Removing sugar (and sugar substitutes) has also helped, by keeping my blood sugar stable, so I don’t have the peeks and valleys (rushes and crashes), that I once did. I feel a sustained amount of energy all day long, and it feels great. And, the best part? My body is having an easier time fighting the depression I suffer from.

There’s no greater reason than that to follow NSNG. Losing weight is wonderful, but if I still hate life, then it’s pointless.

Maybe you’re thinking, I can’t do this – I just can’t give up pasta/bread/soda/cookies, etc – that’s okay! Maybe try giving up just one of those things, and doing that for awhile, until you feel strong and confident in your ability to say no, then maybe remove something else, so on and so forth.

And, if you just aren’t interested in following an NSNG lifestyle, that’s okay. Please know, you can still be successful, you just need to put your mind to it!

Fail Forward - No Sugar No Grains - Baby Doodah

In Conclusion

In future posts, I’m going to talk to you about how we got started with NSNG and provide you with some tips on how to prepare for NSNG if you’ve been eating whatever you want for awhile.

If you’re interested in learning more about NSNG, or maybe you want to start following this lifestyle – Vinnie Tortorich has an amazing book Fitness Confidential and a self-titled podcast, that I would recommend checking out.

Additional reading

Snack Ideas: 10 No Sugar, No Grain Snacks – From Family Sport Life
Recipes: Gluten Free Anna (Anna is Vinnie’s co-host on his podcast, and her recipes are out of this world!)
Article: No Sugar, No Grains: Is This the Key to Long-Term Health?

Posts About My Frequent Failing Forward

I have Binge Eating Disorder
What it’s like on a daily basis, struggling with Binge Eating Disorder
What Someone with Binge Eating Disorder Really Looks Like
Coping with Binge Eating Disorder & the Loneliness of Having the Disorder
Why I Decided to Be Bold and Come Clean About my Binge Eating Struggles
Enough with the Lies Regarding Food Consumption
How I’m Working to Say NO to the Binge

Your Turn!

What are you failing forward with, this year? 

Have you ever followed the NSNG lifestyle? Did you have success? Share your secrets in the comments below!

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Weekend Meal Planning

Howdy! It’s Sunday again and that means we’re meal planning here in the O’Keefe household. However, after shopping today, I’m really beginning to wonder why we torture ourselves on Sundays. It was SO busy!!

Weekend Meal Planning - Baby Doodah!

Before I get into my meal plan, I wanted to tell you about my weekend – It was GREAT! I’m really not looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. Yesterday we celebrated Thanksgiving with my side of the family. Thanksgiving day is always spent with Seamus’ parents and usually my mom will have her dinner the Saturday or Sunday afterward, but since I have some busy siblings, we had to adjust. This actually worked out, because now when we get back from CNY next week, we won’t need to travel to my parent’s the next day. Thanks busy siblings! 😛

Anyhoo – I got up early and headed to Panera to do some of my virtual assistant work, I always seem to think better there. After working for about 3 hrs, I came home to the cuddliest of boys. Emmett just wanted to be held, cuddled or nuzzled by me and who am I to say no. So, while daddy got ready to go we hung out on the couch wrapped in each others arms. I just love that little boy!!

Eventually we hit the road, and made it to grandma’s in plenty of time! We were a little worried because of all of the snow that had fallen between where we live and my parents (in case you haven’t heard or seen the images, here’s a good synopsis), but there was no need for worry. We got there quickly and easily!!

Emmett was so excited to see my mom, sister and brother. He’s not positive who everyone is yet (because he doesn’t see everyone all the time), but he sure does love being around people who shower him with attention. That’s pretty much all you need to do in order for him to like you. LOL There were 3 dogs there, which is weird for Emmett because he’s not used to any, but by the end of the night he was lightly petting and playing with the dogs. Yay!! Once we eventually move, I’m sure Seamus and I will want to get a dog, so I’m glad E adjusted easily.

Dinner was delicious, my brother made some amazing mashed potatoes (yes, seriously!) and then for the rest of the evening we just visited, joking and chatting with one another. It’s times like those that I treasure most! I really wish we all got together more frequently, when we do we have such a good time.

Today has been a bit of a whirlwind. I was up early, worked and then made us all a yummy breakfast, I’ve done some laundry, cleaned out the fridge (YUCK!!) and we’ve gone grocery shopping. Emmett is quietly napping now, Seamus is playing his video game and I am blogging away. THIS is what Sundays were meant for.

Our Meal Plan

It will be a pretty easy week because we have Thanksgiving on Thursday and then will be traveling home on Friday, so we’ll just grab something on the way. LOVE easy weeks!

Sunday: Homemade Pizza (carry over)

Monday: Rotisserie Chicken & Potatoes

Tuesday: Taco Tuesday (with Seamus famous guacamole)

Wednesday: Fettuccine Alfredo Spaghetti Squash

Thursday: Thanksgiving!!

Friday: On the road

Saturday: Scrounge

Quick and easy!! We don’t host Thanksgiving, maybe one day when we get a house, but for now I am lucky enough to enjoy the cooking of my mom and Seamus’ mom. Yummy in my tummy!!

I’m joining and linking up with Laura from Mommy, Run Fast! and Jill from jillconyers.com.

Your turn!

Do you host Thanksgiving, or do you just bring a dish to pass? 

Anything fun on your emal plan this week? Share in the comments below, I’d love to hear from you!

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Fitness Friday – A Brand New Link-Up

Let’s get ready to PARTY! It’s Friday and that means it’s Fitness Friday time!

Guys! I’m super duper excited because a friend of mine and I have decided to join forces and create a brand-spankin-new fitness/health focused link-up. This is going to be so much fun, and it will be recurring post, happening on Fridays!

Fitness-Fridays

Introductions

I’d like to introduce you to Kathy from The Panda Post. Her blog is focused on leading a healthy life, through healthy eating and exercise. She is super active and willing to try just about any workout, which really inspires me to try something new and different (something I struggle with). You can also check her out on Facebook, by clicking here.

Fitness-Friday---KathyOur link-up is going to be a bit different than some link-ups because our posts will not be exactly the same. We will have a common theme between blogs, but what we write about will be entirely different (or possibly the same, if we feel similarly). This week, we decided our theme would be (drum roll please)….

How to fit in workouts while traveling

I honestly don’t travel a lot, hardly ever, actually. Except to my parents for the day, but the few times that I did stay overnight in a hotel, the easiest way for me to get in a workout, was to bring workout DVDs from home. They’re compact (so they pack easily), they don’t require you to leave your hotel room and go workout in the hotel gym (not that there’s anything wrong with doing that), and it requires very little motivation to get started. The most you need to do is convince yourself to get off the couch and put the DVD in. 😉

There are loads of places to get workout DVDs, but my current personal favorite would have to be the Beachbody site. I realize you probably think I’m just saying that because I’m now a Beachbody coach, but I assure you that is not even remotely why. The workouts available through Beachbody consist of P90x, TurboFire, Insanity, 21 day FIX (my current workout, more on this in a second) and plenty more are freakin amazing! They’ve changed people’s lives, made stronger more confident individuals and I’m truly happy to be a part of that bunch.

So yes, I’m a Beachbody coach, but that doesn’t mean that I am biased. I know a good workout, I used to be in amazing shape and the workouts I’ve done through Beachbody are some serious muscle building workouts!

If you’re traveling, there are a few other sites that you can check-out for DVDs, but you can also stream a lot of workouts on your iPad or other tablet, and even some hotels (or if you’re staying with relatives) have ways you can stream them right through their wifi and TV.

One thing I will say, is that you should not let vacations derail any progress that you’ve made!

Onto the Goals

Amount of Weight Lost

I stayed exactly the same as last week, but I am  not even remotely upset. I know I worked hard, ate well – so the weight will eventually come up!

Exercise Goals

Last week, I stated that I wanted to complete 7 days of 30 minute workouts, following the 21 day FIX schedule. Well…Success!! I didn’t do 7 days, but that’s simply because I started on Monday, but I’ve worked out every single day since then. I feel amazing, I’m so sore (a good sore), but my mood is soaring!

This week, I’d like to continue to focus on my 21 day FIX workouts and do the scheduled video each night. 30 minute workouts may not seem like much, but when they are as intense as these are, 30 minutes is plenty. Seriously! Such an amazing workout!

Food Goals

Last week I said I wanted to follow the 21 day FIX meal plan, once again, I can report SUCCESS! Man is it fun coming on here and reporting successes.

I ate so well for the entire week, I was drinking my Shakeology, feeling fueled and not stuffed (which is a great feeling), and my cravings were minimal. I can’t wait to continue with this same goal, next week!

Alright, folks, since we’re still hammering out the details on how this blog hop will work, for now, feel free to link-up any of your fitness related posts. You should absolutely try following your hosts on their social media, but also check-out some of the other blogs linked up. Nothing says party, like mingling! 🙂

Fitness Friday - Joint Pic

Kathy at The Panda Post|Bloglovin’|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram

Jillian at Baby Doodah!|Bloglovin’|Facebook|Twitter|Instagram|Google+

 

Your turn!

What are the best ways you fit in exercise when you’re traveling for work or pleasure?

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