Hello my friends and welcome to Ask Amy Part II!! If you missed the first one, here it is : ) Back this week with 5 more specific struggles and 4 more past newsletters I’ve already written that cover additional common struggles!
So let’s dive right in!
‘Portable travel food because I work in a car daily and occasionally sleep in hotels’
Here are my recommendations:
Proteins:
beef jerky / meat sticks
deli meat
greek yogurt
cottage cheese
tuna packets
protein powder
protein bars (will have carb & fat too)
Carbs:
fruit
rice cakes
oatmeal
granola
popcorn
pretzels
tortilla
bread
Fats:
nuts
nut butter
avocado
cheese
& chopped up raw veggies for extra nutrients!
For example you could make:
overnight oats with oatmeal, protein powder & nut butter
turkey & cheese wrap with veggies
tuna & avocado sandwich with veggies
yogurt, fruit & nut parfait
Just choose something from each category (protein, carb & fat) for an easy, portable, balanced meal / snack!
‘Staying consistent with my diet & making healthy choices. I can’t say no to chocolate’
Listen. ANYTHING can be part of a healthy diet. This is one of the many reasons I am such a proponent of tracking macros because it allows you to SEE how any given indulgence can easily fit into your day! It’s all a balance & moderation act : ) Plus, the more you allow yourself something, the less you’ll crave it / feel out of control with it.
‘Weight loss plateaus’
Alright, so the FIRST question you need to ask yourself is how consistent you’ve been with your nutrition, workouts, sleep, water, supplements, etc. If you’re adherence is near perfect, then yes it’s a true plateau. If not, then be sure you are super consistent with those things first and see if you’re able to make changes : )
If you are in a true plateau, your body has adapted to the amount of exercise you are doing & calories you are consuming. SO, to continue making progress, you need to either increase exercise OR decrease calories (or a little of both). If your calories are already low / exercise is already high, I recommend taking time to reverse diet so your body can adapt to higher calories & get the chance to restore hormones. Reverse dieting simply entails slowly increasing calories & backing off cardio week by week. When done properly you will maintain weight during this process & build your metabolism back to a healthy level.
‘Getting enough protein
This is an important one! If there was one thing I could scream from the rooftops in regards to body composition & overall health, it’s getting enough protein. I recommend 1g per lb of goal bodyweight or current bodyweight if you are fairly lean. This can be very tough for some people to adjust to when their protein has been so low for so long. My BEST recommendations here are:
‘Mental health & working out – sometimes I cannot find the strength when anxiety attacks’
Oof. This is such a tough one and definitely something I am not qualified to give advice on but I WILL share my experience. First, I am sorry to any one that deals with anxiety / depression or any other mental health issue. Please know you’re not alone! Second, I am the same way when I feel anxious. While many people find lifting weights helps with anxiety, it doesn’t do much for me there. Maybe in a preventative sense but not when I am IN IT. For me, it’s a matter of:
Again, this is what I find helps ME. So what I recommend is just trying to find what YOUR body needs in that moment, for some it IS a workout, for others it’s skipping a workout. Lastly but most importantly, there is NO shame in medication and/or therapy!!!!
And now for past newsletters that cover:
Struggles with motivation / will power: https://fit-justice.com/how-i-stick-to-a-healthy-lifestyle/
https://fit-justice.com/motivation-101/
Struggles with incorporating alcohol: https://fit-justice.com/alcohol-and-fitness/
Struggles with emotional eating: https://fit-justice.com/mindful-emotional-eating/