JERF
Just Eat Real Food. It’s a movement that has been started by a guy named Sean Croxton who runs the underground wellness radio show. There are t-shirts you can buy. There are articles you can read about the benefits of eating locally raised, seasonal real food BUT even with all of the hoopla it doesn’t seem to matter.
This is the seasons of overindulgence, the season of excuses and the “I will start again on Monday”; the season of putting off your health and weight loss goals until January 1. This is also the season where the majority of people put on an extra 10 pounds in an 8-week period.
That equals an excess of 35,000 calories. Read that again. Gaining 10 pounds means that you are eating on average an additional 625 calories per day throughout November and December. So if you normally eat 1300 calories then you consume 1925 calories per day over the holidays.
Regardless of your goal be it weight loss, weight gain, improved energy, better sleep, balanced hormones or to strengthen your immune system we can all benefit from JERF. What exactly is real food?
- Something that had a mother, grew in the ground or was picked from a tree
- A food with a one word ingredient…egg, apple, walnut, avocado, chicken, tuna
Throughout the next 2 months it is vital to your waistline and your health to continue to just eat real food regardless of the social gatherings or temptations at the office. Candy canes are not real food. Turtles and After Eights are not real food. Eggnog is not a real food nor is fruitcake.
This is the time of year when your everyday choices matter more because the opportunity to ‘cheat’ is everywhere. This is NOT the time of year to crash diet and reduce calories which leads to binging and overeating all of the wrong kinds of foods, usually later at night when they are most likely to get stored as fat.
If you are someone who usually puts on weight over the holidays then do something different this year. Get an accountability coach. Research shows that when you are accountable to someone else you are more likely to follow through on your goals.
So what do you eat? Good question and one that I get all time. Below I have outlined what a 1400-calorie day looks like for you. As you can see from the foods below, you will not starve and in fact it will probably be more food then you normally consume. When you eat this way, you balance your blood sugar, balance your hormones that regulate hunger and cravings, your energy levels increase and rev up your metabolism.
If this is not how you are accustomed to eating then we have some work to do. Take a look below. Give me call so I can hold you accountable to your goals this holiday season and to help you avoid your 10 pound holiday weight gain this year.
FYI if you wanted to add a glass of wine to your dinner…go ahead, just dump the hamburger bun.
Breakfast: 298 calories + 12.5g fiber
1 cup unsweetened almond milk – 40 calories 3g fat, 2g carb 1g fiber, 1g protein
1 cup frozen mixed berries – 70 calories, 0.5g fat, 17g carb, 5g fiber, 1g protein
1 scoop vanilla protein powder – 120 calories, 2g fat, 3g carb, 1g fiber, 23g protein
1 tbsp chia seeds – 68 calories, 4.5g fat, 6g carb, 5.5 fiber, 2g protein
Morning Snack: 105 calories + 9.5g fiber
½ cup plain yoghurt – 65 calories, 10g carb, 7.5g protein
1/3 cup fiber 1 cereal – 40 calories, 0g fat, 16.5g carb, 9.5g fiber, 1g protein
Lunch: 389 calories + 17g fiber
1 La Tortilla Factory Wrap – 100 calories, 1.5g fat, 24g carb, 8g fiber, 5g protein
2 tbsp of avocado (use as spread) – 60 calories, 5g fat, 3g carb, 2g fiber, 1g protein
3oz of chicken breast cooked, cut into slices – 90 calories, 0.5g fat, 0g carb, 20g protein
alfalfa sprouts – 7 calories 0g fat, 0g carb, 1g protein
tomato (3 slices) – 12 calories, 0g fat, 3g carb, 1g fiber, 0g protein
cucumber (1/2 cup sliced) – 8 calories, 0g fat, 2g carb, 0g protein
1 cup of low sodium pea soup – 112 calories, 3g fat, 12g carb, 4g fiber, 9g protein
Afternoon snack: 125 calories + 8g fiber
2 Ryvita crackers – 60 calories, 0g fat, 17g carb, 4g fiber, 2g protein
2 tbsp of low fat hummus – 35 calories, 0.5g fat, 5g carb, 1g fiber, 2g protein
1 cup raw vegetables – approx 30 calories and 3g fiber
Dinner: 385 calories + 8g fiber
4oz extra lean turkey burger – 130 calories, 1.5g fat, 0g carb, 27g protein
1 small whole grain bun (Weight Watchers) (topped with mustard and veggies) – 110 calories, 1g fat, 21g carb, 4g fiber, 5g protein
Small salad with 1 tbsp of low fat ranch dressing – 40 calories for the salad, 2g fiber + 45 calories, 3.5g fat, 4g carb, 0g protein
½ cup of baked sweet potato – 60 calories, 0g fat, 13g carb, 2g fiber, 1g protein
After dinner snack: 127 calories + 4g fiber
1 small apple – 77 calories, 0g fat, 20g carb, 4g fiber, 0.5g protein
1 ½ tsp of almond butter – 50 calories, 4.5g fat, 1.5g carb, 1.5g protein
Total calories for the day: 1438
Total fiber grams for the day: 67 grams
In good health,
Cheryl Wahl, RHN
