Debunking Diet Myths: Portion Control is key to long lasting weight loss

In my early 20's, I remember walking the freezer section of the supermarket to find the best tasting microwave meals with the lowest calorie & fat gram content. I stocked up on canned soups based on the same thing. Diet soda? Yes please. 4 liters a day, in fact, 'cause why not? Zero calories.

Even though I grew up with ample freedom to eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, something shifted in my late teens that prompted me to believe that I needed to restrict my portion sizes and reduce my calorie intake in order to be healthy and stay thin.

The result acummulated into a compulsive, restrictive dieting mindset that eventually led me down the road to an eating disorder. While I didn't weigh my food, I certainly measured it, whether looking at the 'serving size" or with my fist or buying a package that took out all the guesswork for me. 

For 13 years, women have walked into my private practice with their own version of 'portion control'; chronic dieting, counting calories, points and fat grams and restricting portion sizes all with the well-intended hope of losing weight and getting healthy. The problem is that it wasn't working for them. It wasn't sustainable, enjoyable or aiding in long-lasting weight loss. It left them tired, frustrated and at the end of their rope and often times, being at the end of their rope is what brought women into my office. They desired a new way that was lighter, more freeing and empowering.

What I've found is that all these women - counting calories and fat grams, following strict rules and portion sizes - would lose the weight, stop their "diet", gain the weight, then go on the same or another diet, follow strict rules and skip meals, lose the weight, then gain it back. The model is simply not sustainable AND it's not the way our bodies were designed to be nourished.

Also, the food they were eating and measuring wasn't real food. It was packaged, processed and ladled with chemicals. What your body is really after isn't a certain quantity of food as much as she's after the quality of food.

Yet, as a society, we keep doing the same thing over and over again. We go on and off diet after diet, year after year, using portion size as a measure of true success.

The thing is, if you approach food and eating as a list of rules, calories & fat grams, and portion sizes, you set yourself up for a lifetime of weight and food woes, shame & guilt, as well as hormonal imbalance, energy issues, and weight fluctuations. Plus you take the pure joy out of eating simply because you're focusing on an external number and someone else to determine how much food you need at each meal to truly nourish your body or help you be at your healthiest weight. 

If you read Angelle's post a couple days ago that not all calories are created equally, you'll know that at the cellular level, food is information. If you are eating a meal based on a portion size versus the quality of nutrients it gives you, your body still might be lacking the information it needs at the cellular level to know what to do with it.

If you are eating REAL food, food your body knows what to do with, your body gets more of what she needs. The information your body receives from nutrient-rich food is sufficient and at the cellular level, she will begin to communicate differently to you.

The deeper conversation we could be having about portion control is about a woman trusting herself, trusting her body. I meet a lot of women that use portion control because they fear being "out of control" around food. It gives them boundaries and parameters about how much is "okay" to eat. When a woman learns to trust her body and be connected and relaxed inside her body, she will hear her body communicate when enough is enough and it's not when the "fist-sized" portion of chicken has been eaten. It's from a much deeper place.

In our 14-day Reset program, women will ask "how much" is a serving size. It's a legitimate question considering the years and decades of following and believing this paradigm that portion control is directly related to weight loss. However, as each woman digs into this program, she learns "how much" is right for her. Her body starts to receive different information, because the food in our Reset emphasizes the QUALITY of food instead of the QUANTITY. 

And the entire conversation about portion control at meal time is diminished and replaced with "Is this food nourishing me?" She's relaxed into the process that her body will communicate when she's full and when she needs more food. It's a beautiful thing and this recent post in our private Facebook Community from one of our ladies is an amazing testimonial to this:

"I would just like to say, I feel great! This Spring Reset is like a lifestyle change for me. I have learned so much about fueling my body the proper way and with intention. It has slowed me down in my life, made me mindful of my relationship with food, and I will stick with this way of fueling myself and my family. I have gained focus, patience, playfulness, laughter, a more even temperament and overall feeling lighter in mind, body and spirit. I am so glad to have walked down this path."

Recovering from my eating disorder, I learned slowly and over time (years!) that fat does not make me fat and it's less about portion size and much much more about choose quality foods; food from God's earth. Food that was grown and raised in gardens and on pasture. I learned that calories don't dictate health and that meals are meant to be savored slowly, enjoyed with others and celebrated, not measured. And at the deeper healing place, it was a journey to learn to trust myself and my body, honoring her and respecting her and letting her be a vital part of the conversation.

If you are ready to begin a new conversation with food and weight that doesn't include counting calories or focusing on portion sizes AND still helping you reach your goals of achieving your healthiest weight and most vibrant, relaxed self, come join us for our 14-day Spring Reset which begins May 14. This is the last one of the season and it won't re-open again in September. We'd love the opportunity to support you.

Debunking Diet Myths: All Calories are NOT Created Equally

Years ago I remember my Dad telling me "Angelle, food is food". 

It was in response to talking about the cost of the organic food I was buying for my family. I remember telling him, "Dad, that's not true today. When you grew up, you ate organic food but it wasn't labeled organic because all your food pretty much was REAL and organic back then. Today, as I am trying hard to feed myself and my family well, there is so much fake food, food that does not keep us healthy, I have to search out REAL food and unfortunately pay more for the kind of food you ate growing up."

While he was still frustrated by the cost of it, I felt like this may have been an aha moment for him.

This conversation is another version of the 'calories are calories' mindset that so many women have been misled to believe over the years and I'm hoping to offer you an 'aha moment' if you are of the mindset that food is food and calories are calories.

The truth is, just like all food is not created equally, all calories are not created equally.

This is what we now know for sure: At the cellular level, food is information. In other words, food communicates to your body and tells your body how to communicate at the cellular level.

Take 100 calories from an apple, especially an organic apple. It is a cleansing food. It's filled with fiber. It has vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytonutrients; all information that your body wants, needs and knows what to do with at the cellular level and goes on to provide fuel that your body can use.

Now take 100 calories from chicken, especially a pasture-raised chicken. It is a building food. It's filled with Powerful Protein and Friendly Fat. It has vitamins and minerals; again all information that your body wants, needs and knows what to do with at the cellular level and goes on to provide fuel that your body can use.

Now take 100 calories from one of those 100-calorie packs you see at the store (or maybe in your pantry). The package is loaded with sugar, harmful fat if there is fat (aka margarine, canola, soy and/or vegetable oils) and a smorgasbord of ingredients that you'd need a chemistry degree to have any idea of what they actually are. These 100 calories of food (and I use that term "food" very loosely) do NOT contain any information your body wants, needs or knows what to do with. They give your body the information to: ramp up inflammation, spike blood sugar and insulin, create hormonal havoc, drain energy, ramp up crazy cravings and please store fat! And very soon after eating them, you're hungry because your body, in all her brilliance and wisdom, is still calling out for actual nutrients and REAL information she can use.

Our belief that all food is food and that all calories are created equally have created the most obese and unhealthy generation of people ever and women are consequently falling apart in body, mind and spirit and then beating themselves up for not being strong enough or having enough willpower to eat fewer calories!

We are here to tell you that you CAN eat more food (aka more calories) AND feel better, have more energy and fewer cravings as well as reach your healthiest weight. It's one of the things that most amazes women in our 14-Day Reset program, like this current participant who just posted in our private Facebook community that as she's eating more, especially more Friendly Fat (calories!):

I do not have many cravings at all. What I'm most excited about is having the energy to do what I need to do! Yay!!!! It's been a long time since I've felt this good!

We want this for you and for all women: no more counting calories ever again!

If you are ready to experience the demise of this diet myth once and for all and feel amazing freedom to not count calories and points, you can join us for our 2nd (and final) 14-Day Spring Reset. The doors are open now through May 10 at midnight PST.

Ready to say "YES, I want to stop counting calories, eat more and feel amazing? We can assure you that the $149 investment is an investment in your health and well-being that repays itself again and again after you have this experience. 

xo Angelle

We had such a great time at our live event in Oxford this week and we can't wait to speak in Holland next Tuesday, May 9! If you're over on the west side of Michigan, click through to register for this free event - we'd love to have you join us! Send to your friends in the area who would also benefit. 

Kale Slaw with Poppyseed Dressing

Last week, Jill posted a pic on her Instagram/FB account of her recent hankerings for Kale Slaw made with the NtF Society Reset Poppyseed Dressing and received several requests for the recipe so we're sharing it with you today.

The Poppyseed Dressing recipe is one of the most beloved (and delicious!) recipes in our signature Nourish to Flourish 14-Day Spring Reset. Jill ventured away from the traditional Poppyseed Salad: strawberries, avocado, toasted nuts, red onion, chicken and instead used it to make Kale Slaw. 

KALE SLAW

• 10oz package slaw
• 2 cups baby kale (see pic), chopped finely
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds
• 1/4 cup dried cherries (optional)
• 1/2 avocado, sliced
• 1/3-1/2 cup Poppyseed Dressing (recipe below)

POPPYSEED DRESSING

(ADAPTED FROM RECIPE BY CHEF JACKIE @ PREP LIKE A CHEF)

• 2 TBS maple syrup, or more to taste
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp. poppy seeds
• 1 garli clove, minced
• 1/4 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 cup avocado oil or olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar 

In a large bowl, combine slaw, kale, almonds, cherries, avocado. Toss & coat dressing in slaw. 

The Poppyseed recipe and so many more delicious recipes are featured in our signature 14-day Spring Reset program. Doors are open and we begin May 14.  

Here's what a few women are saying in our current 14-day Reset:

• I do not have many cravings at all. What I'm most excited about is having the energy to do what I need to do! Yay!!!! It's been a long time since I've felt this good!

• I have to say these meals are the bomb! So far I've had the Chicken Walnut Quinoa Salad, the Asian Beef Tacos and tonight the Lemon Rosemary Chicken with Dijon Green Beans. Not too much prep time and healthy meals I feel good about feeding my family. My 1 year old is devouring the food, as am I! Angelle & Jill, can you meal plan for me all year round?!

• I am shocked at how my physical cravings have disappeared -- I have never experienced this! I used to graze my way through the day and drink coffee when I felt the slump! The meals have been wonderful and they truly have fueled my body in a way that I have not successfully experienced before--yay!

• Oh my goodness - I think that recipe was one of the best things I've made in a looong time! :) Loved it!

We are a small company getting our roots established in the online world over the past year but we are receiving overwhelmingly positive reviews from the 500+ women who have embarked in this 14-day program with us over the past year.  We welcome the opportunity to support you.

Come join the movement to learn how to nourish your life without having to count calories, points or steps, skip meals or restrict portions. Instead, we teach you a loving, nourishing, gracious way to care for yourself that jumpstarts weight loss, calms cravings, boosts energy and teaches you simple soulful ways to care for yourself everyday! All you need to do is show up powerfully and take action. We'll take care of the rest. 

REGISTRATION AND DETAILS HERE. 

Nagging Nighttime Cravings? Start Here.

Evening binging is a common challenge that can leave you feeling frustrated, defeated, ashamed, and playing exhaustive mind games the next day. 

Our clients often talk about feeling a lack of will power when it comes to nighttime cravings. They feel either success or failure from evening to evening based on whether they were able to "fight" or "resist" the urge versus "giving in". Maybe you can relate. 

You are not alone AND it's possible with a few realistic suggestions, it might not be as difficult as you think to calm those cravings. 

If you've listened to us before, you know we believe that cravings (evening or otherwise) are actually your body's brilliant way of trying to communicate something to you. Your body and spirit are asking for something from that craving. So instead of fighting hard to resist the urge, we invite you to soften your approach, put your guard down, listen in and be curious. 

While we know from recent studies that sugar is as addictive as cocaine and cravings can be so elusive & mysterious, we want to offer you 4 practical solutions that will begin to help calm those evening cravings without relying on will power or keeping busy to avoid the "urges." 

EAT.

We meet a lot of women who believe that being "good" means eating less during the day, restricting calories and skipping meals and that this is their ticket to weight loss. On the contrary, this is not a sustainable (or fun) way to lose weight long term and it also LEADS to nighttime cravings and binge eating. If you skip meals or restrict calories or graze throughout your day, this will likely contribute to nighttime cravings.  Here's what we invite you to do instead: eat three nutrient-dense meals a day.  Do not skip breakfast or lunch. Instead, be intentional about eating a breakfast and lunch rich in proteins and friendly fats and nutrient dense fruits & veggies. Your body requires nutrient-dense food throughout the day to stabilize blood sugar and balance hormones. Without this approach, your cravings will creep up on you at night.

EAT FAT.

Eat foods that are full of friendly fat. What are friendly fats? Coconut oil, avocados, avocado oil, nuts, seeds, olive oil, grass-fed butter, ghee, and pasture-raised eggs to name a few. Friendly fat helps regulate your blood sugar and is an essential ingredient for slow burning fuel that keeps you satisfied for much longer periods of time throughout the day.  If you adhere to the fat-free, low-fat lifestyle, this idea will throw you, but trust us on this. Like the hundreds of women we have coached in our signature Reset program, you will likely be AMAZED at how quickly your cravings subside when you add in friendly fat at every meal AND you'll lose weight! What's not to love about eating more friendly fats while also achieving those weight loss goals?!

Here's what one woman just shared yesterday in our RESET community regarding adding in more friendly fats: 

"I have done a few resets and resisted adding too much friendly fat to my meals. Fat is bad has been ingrained in me. This time, at each meal ensure I check to see if there is enough fat. If not more is added. Then I noticed that I am not having problems with cravings and 'm staying full until the next meal."

SLEEP.

For more ways than we can count, sleep is of utmost importance for our bodies to function properly. As it relates to cravings, when you lack sleep, you will crave sugar & carbs. Why? Sleep deprivation and stress alters the hormones related to hunger and cravings. When you are sleep-deprived the hormone ghrelin drives hunger up and the hormone PYY that makes you feel full, goes down. Instead of reaching for sugar at night, consider how your sleep habits contribute to your evening cravings. Head to bed earlier to get more rest and downtime, and notice how your cravings shift.

SLOW DOWN.

Nighttime eating and binging often a reflect the stressors we carry over from our day. Whether it's unprocessed emotions, tension from the day's work, stressful & challenging circumstances or you're just plain busy...they all produce contraction in the body. A tightness. And naturally, what do you desire at the end of the day? To unwind. To release. To seek relaxation and pleasure. To find ways to slow down and numb out to counter-balance the contraction and stress. Because of this, you need to find ways to relax and slow down your life in non-food ways. 

First way to slow down is by sitting and eating at the table. Not standing over the counter. Not in the car off to the next thing; not over lunch checking emails or lounging on the couch completely checked out. Instead be present with your meals. Sit and eat. Get out of the perpetual rush and move into the slower pace for just 5-10 minutes while you eat. Try it.

Second, when your evening cravings have cornered you, consider this. You are not after the food itself - the ice cream, the wine, the brownies, the cookies - it's not what you're after. You're actually after the feeling you get from it. What is the feeling you hope to achieve by sinking your teeth into that craving?

Often times it's the feelings we describe above. The good news is that there are other things you can co that offer the same feelings to unwind and to release and relax and get present with how you're feeling. Chances are, what you really need is to slow down and find nourishing ways to relax after the days stressors as well as spend some time reflecting on the day. It's not always easy but we've seen time and time again that slowing down is one of the greatest gifts you can give yourself as it relates to your cravings. 

Here's a few examples: 

• Soak in a bath with relaxing essential oils or take a long hot shower.
• Make some warm tea and relax. Light a candle and get quiet.
• Get cozy and read a relaxing book.
• Snuggle with your kiddos and ask about their day. Be present to them.
• Turn off devices and create more space for connection and intimacy with your parter.
• Find time to exercise and/or get fresh air during the day.
• Journal and do some deep breathing. 

If you find yourself still going after the wine, the ice cream, the chips...then slow down WITH your craving. Put the food in a bowl or on a plate. Grab a utensil and a napkin. Light a candle and sit down with it at the table. Create an experience with your craving and be present with it. 

[recipe] Jill's spring break menu plan

After the long grey cold Michigan winter, Jill's family is ready to drive south and settle into a week of play & adventure in the warm salty air, soft beach sand, and soak up some much needed vitamin D and carve out some nourishing family time....oh and her husband sure gets his workout launching the boys all day long.

Jill is sharing her vacation meal plan + a few of the recipes she'll be taking on this trip in hopes of inspiring you to plan ahead and prepare healthy meals the next time you're heading out for vacation. PLUS, she included some of her favorite sunscreen products and a helpful link to find products that have less harmful chemicals in them. 

 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Call it excitement or a crazy ritual or the planner in me, (my friends Christi and Kate can attest to this!) when I go on a trip, I meal plan WAY in advance.  I also create a dozen lists:

a list of clothes to pack

a list of beach/toys to pack

a list of games

a list for car activities

a list of lists 

and of course, the meal plan and the the shopping list.

We aren't a family who goes out for dinner every night when we're on vacation. We play all day and then decompress at night in our own space. Our kids are young enough that they really do enjoy the downtime at "home" after a long day's adventure outdoors. It's also less expensive to eat in. 

Because we're driving, I pack a tote of several pantry items that correspond with the recipes I'm using (spices, coconut oil, canned tuna etc) to make my grocery shopping quicker, easier and less expensive. I'm also packing my VitaMix blender. Anyone who's been on our 14-day Reset programs knows the value of a nutrient dense smoothie and we love them for breakfast, so I'm packing my trusty smoothie-making machine.  And I'll admit, Angelle, and I have been known to bring our blender on camping excursions too! 

I don't like to spend a lot of time cooking and shopping on vacation, so I make my grocery list ahead of time which makes the shopping easy and mindless. I also have a freezer full of grassfed, local meat in my basement, so we take a cooler along and add the freezer meat, serving as ice packs and a clean/easy source of protein while we're away. It saves me a lot of time at the store so I don't need to spend any time tracking down high quality protein.

When I create my list, I choose healthy recipes I've made several times so the prep and cooking time is quick and easy. A tip for you is to choose meals that you've made before that are quick and healthy. I follow the general & relaxed guidelines from my usual weekly meal planning to include proteins, friendly fats and colorful carbs (aka fruits & veggies) at each meal. 

Here's the DINNER MENU PLAN:

Day 1: Brats + sweet potato fries + steamed broccoli

Day 2: Baked wild salmon + avocado salad 

Day 3: Chicken curry lettuce wraps

Day 4: Fish Taco Lettuce Wraps with guacamole

Day 5: Taco Salads 

Day 6: Shrimp Pasta 

Day 7: Crane Dance Farm Petite Ham + tropical salsa + kale saute

Day 8: Eat out

Day 1: If you live in West Michigan, do yourself a favor and visit Crane Dance Farm at the local farmers' market. Check the link above for details on their farm. We love their brats. We omit the bun and open the brat lengthwise and stuff them with avocado and sauerkraut. I personally love the jalapeño brats. Delicious. 

Day 2: Bake the salmon for 15 minutes at 350 degrees F with sea salt and olive oil and top with the avocado salad from our Fall Reset. It's super easy and oh so delicious and refreshing. I've included the Avocado Salad recipe below. 

Day 3: For Chicken Curry lettuce wraps, I have 2 roaster chickens slow cook in the oven while I'm at the beach. I come in at the end of the day and pick off the meat and throw all the ingredients together. The Curried Chicken Salad recipe is HERE and it's delicious. I use the meat of the second roaster to make a yummy quinoa tabbouleh salad (coming in Spring Reset).  Having made the time to do this early in the week, we're good for just about the entire week of lunches. I literally walk off the beach to our place, take lunch out of the fridge, plop it on a plate and walk it back down to the beach. **This simple prep ahead of time the first day or two of vacation sets us up for ease the rest of the week.

Day 4: Fish Tacos, from the Spring Reset menu plan are fun & easy - cook & season the fish and add toppings like guac, sliced cabbage, radishes and fresh lime in a lettuce cup. 

Day 5: Taco Salads are delish. Made with Chef Jackie's Taco Seasoning mix, I make the seasoning ahead of time and pack it in a ball jar in my pantry tote. Simply cook the ground beef with the taco seasoning mixture and put atop romaine + guac 'n fix in's. Click HERE to get the Taco seasoning recipe link from a previous blog post.

Day 6: Shrimp Pasta is a classic standby for us on every vacation. We'll get local shrimp down there and I usually cook it up with a garlic lemon butter sauce, add fresh chopped cilantro and pine nuts and wilted spinach over brown rice noodles.

Day 7: Crane Dance Farm Ham from our trusty organic pasture-raised farm is awesome because it is already cooked, so after it thaws, we just cut it up and gently heat through for 5 minutes and it's ready. We'll use the leftovers for ham sandwiches and and egg scramble muffins for the ride home.

Additional lunches will be leftovers from dinners the night before + I'll have some cans of Wild Planet Tuna along to make tuna salad if needed. If we don't use it, I'll know it will be used the day we get back from our trip while we're unpacking.   

BREAKFASTS:

My husband is the breakfast maker extraordinaire in our home. It's usually a mixture of smoothies, soaked oatmeal, and eggs with veggie sauté. We bring our Crane Dance Farm bacon and sausage since we have an abundance of it in our freezer. It's incredibly portable and it's easy to bring along.

SNACKS & FUN TREATS FOR THE CAR RIDE and VACATION:

Bags of organic popcorn in coconut oil + sea salt (YUM!)

Lara Bars

Batch of homemade granola (I'm using Danielle Walkers Against All Grain Vanilla or her Chocolate granola)

Clementines 

Apples with our splurgy favorite Naturally Nutty Pepita Sun Butter and Almond Butter

Ants on a log

Yum Earth Lollipops

These Chocolate Patties

Theo Chocolate bars

GT's Kombucha and Pellegrino with a bag 'o lemons

SUN & SKIN ESSENTIALS:

As for packing my sun essentials, I LOVE the resource over at http://www.ewg.org. You can learn all about them and what they do on their site. I especially love them because I can find sunscreen and skincare products with less harmful chemicals. Go ahead and type in your sunscreen at http://www.ewg.org/sunscreen/ and it will give it your sunscreen a rating. It will also list options with the best ratings + reviews so help you choose.

For me and my family, there's a delicate balance between soaking in vitamin D naturally without sunscreen and covering up during peak hours with lotions that do not have cancer causing ingredients. With skin cancer in my family history, this is an important issue for me. When I purchase sunscreen, I always choose a #1 rating. My go-to sunscreens for the past couple years have been from Butterbean Organics - face stick, original and simple formula SPF 30 sunscreen. They are currently out of stock for the next month, so for this trip I'm going with the trusty Badger Face Stick and I'm trying a new sunscreen that was given a #1 rating and great reviews: Think Sport.  

I'll also bring my Lavender and Frankincense essential oils + coconut oil which are an awesome combo on our skin after being in the sun all day. I'll bring a ton more essential oils for sleep, skin, digestive support as well as for keeping things calm on the long car ride (Hello, USB diffuser!), but that's a topic for another post. 

Phew! So there you have it! Eating healthy nourishing meals on vacation comes down to one easy step: PLAN AHEAD. 

PLANNING IS BRINGING THE FUTURE TO THE PRESENT SO YOU CAN DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT NOW ~ Alan Lakein

If you're headed on vacation and want to share with us how you've used this information, share with us on Facebook or Instagram and tag us @nourishtoflourishsociety! We'd love to hear from you! Below is the Avocado Salad recipe. ENJOY!

AVOCADO SALAD

by Chef Jackie White of http://www.preplikeachef.com

2 avocados, diced

1 tomato, diced

1 yellow pepper, diced

1/4 cup red onion, finely diced

1/4 cup chopped cilantro or parsley

DRESSING

1 teaspoon lime zest

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 TBS avocado oil or olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons maple syrup

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, optional

1. Combine dressing ingrdients

2. Combine avocado, tomato, pepper, onion and cilantro

3. Gently toss dressing with salad