Category: Staying Fit

Whether it’s a party, a dinner, or maybe a weekend trip; we all have times that we felt we just maybe indulged too much. If you’re tracking macros then maybe you went over your calorie goal or had your ratio be off with maybe too much carbs and fats and not enough protein. It can sometimes be even more extreme than that if it was something that felt more like an out of control binge that may even happen while at home. And while I think the big difference in these is mindset (with feeling like you overindulged at an event may leave us uncomfortably full but is expected, while overindulging at home can feel more personal and upsetting) In either situation I would recommend the same 5 tips to getting back to feeling your best.

1. Don’t Beat Yourself Up

If you’re feeling full from an event or special dinner, then it’s probably because there was a ton of delicious food! Take a moment to recognize what you enjoyed about the event and the food and savor it! You were probably celebrating and/or around foods you don’t normally have, so it’s natural to want to try them and because foods at events and restaurants are typically more palatable, then they are very easy to consume in large amounts so it’s very easy to feel like you overindulged on them. Just know this is normal and ok! Not all progress is ruined from one night/weekend of indulgence, it’s what you do consistently that will ultimately decide on how you feel and progress you towards reaching a fitness goal!

And if it was something that happened in a private setting that feels more personal than just enjoying party food, then maybe ask yourself what seems to be the cause of late night indulging or maybe over snacking that gets you to a point of feeling overly full and uncomfortable. When I went through my own binge and restrict cycle, I would find myself making loaves of banana bread because it was “healthy” and restricting myself from regular bread. But instead of enjoying a mindful portion of the banana bread I would eat the whole thing in one night making myself sick 🙁 Other examples in which I ate too much also involved desserts, I would eat “clean” all the time and then say I was being “balanced” by eating 4 slices of cake or ton of candy because I normally never had it, so I wanted to have as much of it as I could, this would lead to horrible stomach aches. It took me a while to realize that the reason for my behaviors stemmed from me being too strict with the foods I ate everyday. Eventually I learned about tracking macros and learned that there were no good or bad foods, and that I could enjoy any food in moderation without ruining my fitness goals! This is was the game changer that lead to my binge episodes completely stopping. You can learn more about my journey to balance here.

2. Drink A Lot of Water

No detox tea is needed! Help your body naturally digest the food it ate by drinking a lot of water! Your liver is an incredible organ that wants to digest all the food you consume and can do so more efficiently with water! A basic recommendation on daily water intake is to take your weight in lbs and divide it by 2 and that’s how many oz of water you should have daily. Ex: 150 lb person would drink 75 oz of water per day.

3.Get in a Strength Training Session

While the popular strategy of combatting going over calories is to do cardio to “burn them off” this can actually do more harm then good. Our bodies don’t want extremes but balance. Indulging too much and then doing too much cardio after to try to make up for it can have a negative impact on our metabolisms and also our mentality towards fitness and food. Instead, I’d recommend to get in a strength training session the day after an overindulgence so that you can feel like you are putting those calories to use. Using extra calories as fuel for training and muscle building will also help increase your metabolic rate.

4. Get In Some Nutrient Dense Foods

The overindulgence was probably from less nutrient dense “fun foods” so focus the following day on getting in nutrient dense foods that help fuel your body best. Lean protein, fruit, veggies, healthy fats, and complex carbs, will help with getting your body back to feeling fueled and the nutrients (especially fiber) in some of these foods will help digesting anything from the day before.

5. Pay Attention to How Your Body is Feeling

If you typically have breakfast everyday, but wake up the next day after a big event just not feeling hungry then don’t feel the need to force yourself eat. Pay attention to how you’re feeling and know it’s ok to fast. But at the same time, don’t think that fasting is necessary as it can easily lead into a restrict and then binge cycle which never makes anyone feel their best. The day after an event I’ll always drink 16 oz of water and a cup of coffee and then start getting ready for my day. If I feel myself getting hungry during that process then I will typically make a large egg white and veggie scramble/omelette to get in some lean protein and veggies, but if I don’t then I will just continue with my day until I feel hungry which could be later in the day. And if I had the scramble and was still hungry then I would have maybe a slice of avocado on multigrain toast to get in some healthy fats and complex carbs.

Here’s an example day I have on my page about flexible dieting and what I ate before and after a big meal out 🙂

I know this concept of trying to listen to if your body food needs the following day can be tricky but I think implementing these strategies especially of drinking a lot of water and getting back to nutrient dense foods will make it easier. Foods that are higher in nutrients like slow digesting fiber (as opposed to quick digesting sugar) and satiating like lean protein and healthy fats will help with feeling properly fueled with balanced energy levels. And having more balanced energy levels I’ve makes it easier to listen to hunger and fullness cues.

And last thing to remember after a day of indulgence is this popular quote: “No one got fat from one doughnut, and no one got skinny from one salad” it’s what you do consistently that will ultimately decide if you will reach your fitness goals! So don’t dwell on the past but focus on the future of taking the steps necessary to get you back on track towards your goals 🙂

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Did you find this post helpful? Comment below or contact me 🙂

Struggling to meet your fitness goals and want guidance with macros/nutrition and/or personal training from me, a Certified Personal Trainer and Fitness Nutrition Specialist? Check out my coaching services which range from me just setting up macros and training programs to macros with meal ideas to more in-depth one-on-one coaching that involves weekly check-ins with optional phone calls.

*This post was created by Ashley Cates who is not a Registered Dietician or a Medical Professional, nothing said should be taken as medical advice or replace any advice given by a Physician. This information does not in any way intend to diagnose or treat any health condition/disorder. The information provided is based on Ashley’s education and experience.

Want to see FREE workout videos?! Tap the links below to head to my YouTube Channel where I currently have 60 FREE exercise videos up! (Lunge with Rotation shown above)

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🍑Lower Body Workouts🍑

Weighted Frog Glute Bridge

Kettlebell Lunge Pass Through

Ball Back Extension

Weighted Back Extension

Abdcutor Machine

Cable Good Mornings

Barbell Good Mornings

Romanian Deadlifts

Stiff Legged Deadlift

Seated Back Extension

Dumbbell Step Ups

Bicycle Plate Twists

KB Sumo Squat

Side Steps

Mountain Climbers

Barbell Squat

Ball Twist Throws

Seated Calf Raise

Seated Leg Press

Lying Leg Curl

Leg Extension

Leg Curl

Cable Pull Throughs

Hip Thrusts

Adductor Machine

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💪Upper Body Workouts💪

Dumbbell Curl to Press

Assisted Tricep Dips

Assisted Pull Ups

Hammer Curl

Bent Over Barbell Row

Military Press

Barbell Curl

Dumbbell Shoulder Press

Bent Over Y-T-A’s

1 Arm Tricep Extension

Bent Over Dumbbell Row

Bent Over Lateral Raise

Machine Chest Press

Rear Delt and Pec Fly

Machine Lateral Raise

Ball Chest Press

Straight Arm Pulldown 

Overhead rope Tricep Extension

Seated Cable Row

Lat Pulldown

Tricep Push Down to Bicep Curl

Ball Slams

Machine Shoulder Press

Ball Tricep Extension

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🏋️‍♀️Full Body Workouts🏋️‍♀️

Sumo Squat with High Pull

Floor Press with Leg Raise

Side Lunge with Hammer Curl

Romanian Deadlift with Row

Cable Squat to Press

Underhand Cable Pulldown to Squat

Lunge with Rotation

Ball Squat to Throw

Low Cable Row to Squat

Sumo Squat to Shoulder Press

Cable Row to Squat

Typical diet/calorie deficit/cut scenario:

You’re 1 week into your weight loss phase, you’ve been consistent with your nutrition and exercise, you step on the scale, and you’ve lost weight! Most people can find themselves down 3-4 lbs after their first week in a calorie deficit. You’re ecstatic! You’ve stuck with it for a full week and the results on the scale are showing! You think, “If I stick to this then I’ll lose 3-4 lbs a week and be at my goal in no time!” You’re consistent for the next week and you excitedly step on the scale two weeks into your weight loss journey and you see it’s only gone down maybe a lb. You may ask yourself, “WTH? I did everything the same as before? Why hasn’t it moved more???” You find yourself frustrated and questioning what you did wrong. You decide that you need to just get more aggressive so you either eat less or exercise more to help the scale budge more quickly, but eventually find that eating that little or doing that much exercise is just not sustainable. You burn yourself out and think that if this is what it takes to lose weight then it just isn’t for you and you give up completely.

How do I know this scenario so well? Because besides hearing it from clients, family, and friends, it was a scenario that I myself was constantly in before I became educated in nutrition and exercise. But through my education through the National Academy of Sports Medicine and experience with myself and clients, I’ve learned what is actually happening during the first week to the weeks after being in a calorie deficit and what actual FAT loss (not just WEIGHT loss) looks like. So let me break it down.

Weight Loss vs Fat Loss

First of all, I think it’s important to note that I think no matter the person, when someone says that they want to lose “weight” they mean that they want to lose “fat”. Our body’s weight is made up of bone, muscle, fat, water, and all of  our organs/blood/etc., and just looking at these I think it’s easy to point out which one can most easily fluctuate. Have you ever weighed yourself before or after using the bathroom? You may see the scale drop! Why? Because water plays a big role in our “weight”. So what’s the point in bringing this up? When we are eating more we, by default, are going to be consuming more calories and more sodium. Consuming both of these causes us to retain a certain amount of water. When we go in a calorie deficit (meaning eating less than we were previously, which is what needs to happen to initiate fat loss) we are by default consuming LESS calories and sodium, which causes us to retain LESS water than previously. Retaining less water means less water weight which means less weight on the scale, this is why the first week of a weight loss phase can have a drastic drop on the scale. So while the scale may go down 3-4 lbs the first week, in reality only .5-2 lbs (depending on the deficit) may be from fat. This can be confirmed if over the next weeks of your weight loss phase you are losing on average .5-2 lbs per week, and I want to state that that is AMAZING progress! This is what healthy and sustainable weight loss looks like! And let me explain why!

What does healthy weight loss look like?

No matter if you’re looking to lose 10 lbs or 100, you need to seriously ask yourself how you got in a position that you want to lose weight in the first place. And what I mean by that, is that for most the reality is that you did not gain 10 lbs in a week, so why does it seem to some that losing 10 lbs in a week is realistic? True weight/fat gain has been shown to be something that gradually happens over time, so true weight/fat loss also needs to be something that gradually happens over time. Healthy weight loss is typically losing 1% of overall body weight per week on average, which typically looks like .5-2 lbs lost per week for most. This is the reality in how to lose weight without putting your health at risk from eating too low calorie which can mean not getting in enough nutrients. This means needing to make a calorie deficit one that is sustainable and manageable for longer periods of time so that you can reach your weight/fat loss goal.

How to know if you’re actually losing fat?

As I’ve discussed, water can play an important role in determining what the scale will say. When weighing yourself to check for progress I suggest doing it in the morning when you wake up, after using the bathroom, and before eating anything; this set up is one that can be consistent in actually measuring progress because all other factors are the same. As soon as we start eating or drinking anything, then we will obviously have more inside of us so the scale weight can go up quite a bit later in the day compared to when we weighed ourselves in the morning on an empty stomach.  So using the scale with a consistent set up to measure weight is one way to see if you’re actually losing weight. But to check if you’re losing fat there are quite a few other ways: measurements with measuring tape, body fat devices/tests (calipers, handheld devices, BF scales, bodpod, dexa, inbody test, etc.), and (my favorite!) the way clothes fit and also progress photos! Seeing changes in the mirror and in how clothes fit can 1000% outweigh (pun intended?) whatever the scale says! Your weight on the scale is a number; it’s a measurement of data. How you feel when you look in the mirror and in your clothes and the confidence you can exude from that should be the number one goal in any fitness phase!

Remembering the Water Weight Factor after a calorie deficit

When the diet/calorie deficit/cut is over because you’ve reached your goal or you want to take a break, you most likely want to relatively maintain the weight/fat you’ve lost. And I put the term “relatively” because like I talked about earlier, water plays a huge factor in if the scale fluctuates. And when you’re coming out of a calorie deficit that means you are bringing your calories back up to maintenance (meaning that you are taking in the same amount of calories that you’re burning), which means more food and sodium which means holding onto more water. This can freak some people out because they maybe have lost 10 lbs and then “gained back 2 lbs” after bringing their calories back up to maintainance. But this DOES NOT mean that 2 lbs of fat was gained! Again remember the scale is not everything! You can check with those other forms of measurements I mentioned earlier see what type of “weight gain” is happening. If your weight goes up 2 lbs but your measurements are pretty much the same, then it’s just water weight fluctuation and not necessarily fat gain.

Special Note: Other times the scale could be fluctuating that doesn’t mean fat gain

Even if you keep your weigh-in set up the same (meaning weighing yourself in the morning after using the bathroom and before eating or drinking anything) there are other factors that can contribute to your weight fluctuating on the scale.

Eating In vs Eating Out: One of them comes back to sodium intake which can cary day to day even if your macros are still the same. If you’re hitting your calorie and macro goal from eating whole foods you cooked at home vs foods that are maybe processed or eating meals at restaurants the salt/sodium level in foods that are processed or used at restaurants is just typically a lot higher than what the average person uses at home. This means holding onto more water weight which can affect the scale the following day.

Irregular Eating and/or Sleeping Patterns: Another factor that can affect the scale weight fluctuating has to do with if you have less sleep then normal and/or your last meal of the day is later than usual. If you’re typically weighing in after 8 hours of sleep and your last meal being 2 hours before you slept, then you are normally weighing yourself after fasting for 10 hours. If you end up only sleeping 5 hours one night and then you weigh yourself you may see that the scale has gone up. This can be due to that shorter fasting time which also has given your body less time to metabolize and digest the food from the previous day. This leads into the next factor..

You Need to Poop: Depending on how you relieve yourself each morning before you weigh in, this can have a big factor on weight fluctuation. And if you’re having issues regularly going #2 then you can read about the benefits of fiber here.

That Time of the Month: If you’re a female, then your menstrual cycle can have a big impact on water retention also. If you’re a female who measures themselves regularly then you will see that during your period it is most noticeably your hips and waist that are bloated and holding onto water, which can show on the scale and in measurements. This can lead to a few days of the scale being up and dropping off by the end of the period

What do I want you to take away from this?

When going into any diet/calorie deficit/cut/weight loss phase, know that the first week will probably have a big drop in weight but that the drop is mostly water weight so it won’t be like that every week. Healthy weight loss is losing .5-2 lbs or 1% of overall weight depending on how much weight needs to be lost. True weight/fat gain has been shown to be something that gradually happens over time, so true weight/fat loss also needs to be something that gradually happens over time.This is the reality in how to lose weight without putting your health at risk from eating too low calorie which can mean not getting in enough nutrients. This means needing to make a calorie deficit one that is sustainable and manageable for longer periods of time so that you can reach your weight/fat loss goal.

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Need guidance in how to set up your calories/macros and/or workouts to support fat loss? Want to have a coach to keep you accountable and make adjustments that will keep fat loss progressing? Check out my coaching services or contact me about your goals! I want to help you be your strongest, healthiest, and fittest self!

We’re about to begin a New Year, and resolutions are being made… have you made yours? So many people make the resolution to lose weight in the New Year, and often start their resolution with SO much motivation! But then after a few weeks they fall off for whatever reason. I’ve found that the reason that so many people fail at keeping their New Year’s Resolution to lose weight is that they into the “all or nothing” mentality about fitness.

They start the New Year going full force to lose “x” amount of weight and are going to the gym 5 days a week and eating strictly “clean foods” or maybe just drinking juices or shakes. This seems to work great the first week because the scale drops! But then the following weeks there’s not as drastic of a drop in the scale so they get discouraged and quit. The reason this happens is because that first week, a large amount of water weight is lost when calories and sodium are reduced so weight will go down…but this does not mean fat loss has necessarily happened. Fat loss takes time, and someone CAN consistently lose 1 lb a week if they reduce their average weekly calorie intake by 3500 calories. This typically means that most people can moderately reduce their calories in a way that’s sustainable and STILL lose weight! This leads into the other reason why most people cannot keep their New Year’s Resolution: They make their plan too aggressive to consistently stick to so they just stop all together.

They think that if they can’t eat healthy at every meal or can’t go to the gym 5 days a week then they shouldn’t even bother trying! I’m happy to tell you that small healthy habits CAN have a big impact if they’re done consistently! Here are 5 Small Healthy Habits that can aid in weight loss as they will help you keep you more satiated throughout the day so that you’re less likely to overeat, and also help you get into a realistic routine to working out:

1. Have a serving of lean protein at each meal🥩🍗🥚

   • Why? Protein is an essential macronutrient because it provides the building blocks for so many of our body’s cells. It’s also the most satiating macronutrient, which means that it helps us feel fuller longer. But it’s pretty typical that most people under eat protein, so they will find themselves constantly hungry throughout the day and continuously snacking. This can lead to an easy calorie surplus which will lead to weight gain.
   • Think: Have you ever had a high carb meal or snack (bagel, donut, oatmeal, pasta, pizza, beans & rice burrito, ice cream, candy, etc.) and felt hungry an hour or two later? Try pairing any of those examples with a serving of lean protein and see how much longer you feel full.
   • Lean Protein Examples: Chicken Breast, Lean Cut Steak, Pork Tenderloin, Turkey Breast, White Fish, Canned Tuna in Water, Egg Whites, Nonfat Greek Yogurt, Nonfat Cottage Cheese, Protein Powder. Vegan Options: Lentils, Edamame, Tofu, Chickpeas, Vegan Protein Powder. (A serving of protein is typically 20-30g, check the nutrition facts for these proteins to see how much you should be having at each meal)

2. Get an additional serving of veggies everyday🥦🍆🥒🥕

   • Why? I think pretty much everyone knows that veggies do a body good. Packed with micronutrients they keep our bodies feeling good, and since they’re typically SO low calorie you can enjoy them in large amounts! This let’s you enjoy a BIG plate of food without over doing it on the calories! This is called volume eating (and it’s my absolute favorite!) I believe that if a meal takes at least 15-20 bites then no matter the calorie total, it will help keep you fuller longer because you will feel even more mentally satisfied from seemingly eating SO much. And adding a serving of vegetables to any meal can add more bites!
   • Think: How many cups of vegetables are you typically having a day? None? Then try to add just 1 cup to 1 of your meals everyday. Are you having 1 already? Then try to have at least 2. The USDA recommends for adult women to have 2-2.5 cups of vegetables a day and for men to have 3-3.5 cups. But if jumping right to 2+ cups a day isn’t going to be realistically consistent for you, then take it slow and just try to add 1. Remember, the point is to make these small habits a part of your life!
   • Make them tasty! Don’t be afraid to add some low calorie flavor! The more palatable you make them, the more you will want to have them! My favorite way to make my veggies is either buy steamable or frozen bags that can be cooked in the microwave or to cut and roast my vegetables in the oven. Some great ways to season them: salt, pepper, lemon juice, lime juice, garlic powder/salt, cayenne powder, hot sauce, Mrs. Dash seasonings, or I LOVE drizzling a little Bolthouse dressing over my lean protein and veggies.

3. Have 16 oz of water at each meal (1 water bottle)💦💦

   • Why? Drinking water makes us hydrated which lets us feel our best because it helps transfers micronutrients (like from protein and veggies) throughout our bodies! And keeping water intake up can greatly aid in weight loss for 2 reasons: 1) By focusing on drinking water you may start to drink less calorie dense drinks like soda or juices, and 2) Drinking more water helps with satiety! Which (like stated above) will help with keeping you comfortably full throughout the day so that you don’t feel starved and then overdo it on your next meal.
   • Think: How much water are you typically drinking now? A typical water intake recommendation is to have half of body weight in water oz, example being if someone weighed 150 lbs then they would want to drink about 75 oz of water.  Focus on trying to have a water bottle at each meal and sip on an additional water bottle throughout the day.  Drinking 4 water bottles would put you at 64 oz, this can be a great starting point that you can build off of depending on what your daily intake might need to be. But focusing on having the goal to just have a water bottle at each should help make getting that water intake easier without thinking about it.

4. Commit to a realistic amount of exercise and do it!🏃‍♀️🧘‍♂️⛹️‍♀️🏋️‍♀️⛹️‍♂️🥊💪

   • Why? Exercise is good for our health, it helps us feel better with released endorphins, sleep better by pushing our bodies more during the day so we need deeper sleep at night, and lose weight through increased calorie burn. Those who exercise are less likely to be depressed, get heart disease, get type II diabetes, have high cholesterol, have high blood pressure, or have a stroke. I think most of us are aware of the benefits and importance of exercise, but for most it comes down to “just not having the time to workout”. The USDA recommends 5 hours of a 168 hour week to be dedicated to physical activity. And some can easily get that in, while others subtract 40 hours from work, maybe 10 hours commuting, 56 hours(hopefully) from sleeping, 21 hours making and eating food(an hour 3 times a day), and that leaves 41 hours left in the week which is probably dedicated to running errands, cleaning, spending time with friends and family, or just wanting to relax. So hey, I get it sometimes 5 hours a week is just not going to be a realistic sustainable goal. Though the month of January may motivate someone to do 5 hours a week, something may come up and they miss a workout. And then they miss a week of workouts. And then all of the sudden it’s May and they realize that they’ve been paying for a gym membership that they haven’t been using.
   • Think: What is a realistic amount of time you can commit to exercising each week? Maybe you know there’s an hour every Tuesday you have free. Or maybe you can commit to 30 minutes 3 days a week. Whatever it is, make it something you will be able to stick to and do it! Also, make it something you at least semi-enjoy! Groupon has TONS of deals on classes you can sign up to try (yoga, kickboxing, spin, pilates, etc.) If you hate the treadmill and have no idea what to do to get physically then I think trying out different classes is a great place to start! Most gyms also have great class options available too! Classes are also a great place to meet people with similar goals which can help keep you accountable to going each week. And if you’re not into doing classes, or don’t have a full hour to commit to them, then try these super simple full body workouts with 10 minutes of cardio (on treadmill, stair master, elliptical, bike, etc.) and you’ll have yourself a quick and effective 30 minute workout! And even if you can only do 30 minutes once a week, remember that something is better then nothing. And you can always increase activity when you have more time or even find yourself enjoying exercise more and in turn seeming to find more time to want to do it!

5. Have a low calorie mid-afternoon and evening snack🍎🍌🥚🧀🥛🍫

   • Why? I really don’t understand why it seems to be the norm to have lunch at 12 and then dinner at 6. That’s such a big gap! I’ve found many people will overeat at lunch because they know that they will not be eating again for 5+ hours and/or overeat at dinner because they’re starving from not eating since lunch. I’ve found that have a low calorie snack between lunch and dinner can help SO much with overeating. By knowing at lunch that you will be having a snack at 3, you will feel less stressed about needing to eat to point of being uncomfortably full. And going into dinner being hungry and not starving will let you more easily listen to your body’s fullness signals so you don’t overeat. And by allowing yourself to have an evening snack, you may also feel less stressed about feeling the need to overeat because you won’t be eating anything until the next day and you may find yourself more easily staying away from high calorie sugary snacks. Overeating at lunch and/or dinner and snacking on high calorie snacks at night can lead to a calorie surplus which will cause weight gain or negatively effect weight loss.
   • Think: Do you normally find yourself starving by dinner? Are you getting hungry before bed and reaching for high calorie snacks? Then maybe try these low calorie snacks mid-afternoon or in the evening:
     • 1 cup nonfat greek yogurt with 1/2 cup of fruit OR 1 tbsp peanutbutter (mix with stevia to sweeten if desired)
     • 1 Babybel light Cheese with a rice cake or a serving of crackers
     • Deli meat or canned tuna on a rice cake
     • Protein Bar or Shake

So what do you think of these 5 small healthy habits? Do you think they’re attainable? Do you think they’ll have a big impact? All of these are small habits that will aid in getting you to eat less and move more which should help you feel more energized while also aiding in weight loss. These are all habits that I follow and have found success in so I hope they do the same for you!

 

 

Feeling sick?! 🤧Make sure you’re getting in your protein! .

I realize it’s that time of year when just about EVERYONE seems to get the dreaded winter cold! So I thought I would share some science on why keeping your protein up when you feel a cold coming on (or when you’re sick) is SO important for getting better!

Through my studies at @nasm_fitness I learned that protein needs are actually higher when sick because proteins are what fight bacteria that accumulates when we’re getting sick. So when we’re really fatigued from a cold it’s because our bodies are working extra hard to try to get everything back to normal! So just like we need food as fuel for our workouts & daily lives, we NEED to be providing fuel for our bodies to get better!

Our bodies can create & use the proteins we have in them to fight off bacteria, but if they’re not replenished then it can be a slower process for us to get over a cold! That’s why keeping your protein up when you’re sick is important to getting better!

Carbs need to be adequate too as they provide the best source of energy for our bodies to run properly🥖🍞

If you’re counting macros, I suggest keeping your calories the same but lowering fat grams (which take more energy to digest) & increasing protein & carbs until you feel better🤗

What’s the most common food that’s recommended for getting over a cold? Chicken Noodle Soup! Because it’s packed with protein and carbs while being low in fat! The perfect combo to give our bodies the fuel to get better! .

Some other cold fighting foods:

💪egg white veggie omelette (add bell pepper for a BIG dose of vitamin C!)

💪 protein powder smoothie with berries (packed with antioxidants!)

💪Lean Deli Meat on Toast with mustard(skip Mayo or high fat

💪Protein Powder mixed with Oatmeal

💪Lentils & Rice is a great Vegan option because lentils are packed with protein .

Or create your own combo with any of these lean meats & carbs:

🍗egg whites, chicken breast, lean ground turkey, shrimp, or canned tuna in water

🍞oatmeal, bread, rice, potato, beans, or noodles

Anyone currently feeling sick? 🤒🤧 What meal do you find makes you feel best