My First Post!

Welcome to my blog! I'm excited to share my health, fitness and nutrition successes, secrets and slip-ups with you. Over the past 1-2 years I have made a lot of BIG changes to my lifestyle and outlook and as a result I am the happiest and feel the best I ever have! I'm excited to answer your questions and share my journey with you. If you do have questions or something you want me to blog about please let me know!

75% of the questions people ask me are in regards to my diet and what I eat. I hope to share some great recipes, ideas and tips with you in the very near future. A lot of the time people tell me that they're following a certain diet precisely or they "always eat healthy" or they're counting calories yet they don't see results. Let me share with you a few of my best friends in the kitchen. They sound pretty cliche but I promise they work!

This is by far my absolute BEST purchase in the nutrition department of my "new lifestyle." This is a Taylor Kitchen Scale and will weigh in ounces or grams. You can pick one up for $20-$30. I got mine from Bed Bath & Beyond. I weigh literally anything that I possibly can from chicken breasts to fruit to lettuce to almonds. This is the only way to be exactly sure of the calories that you're taking in. I used to grab a handful of almonds and guess on the calories but not anymore. This gadget is my absolute lifesaver when it comes to the kitchen.



Calorieking.com is a website I couldn't live without. This site along with my food scale allows me to precisely calculate my caloric intake as well as other important nutritional information such as protein, sodium , carbs, etc. I use this on my cell phone a lot as well just by visiting www.calorieking.com on the internet browser. Instead of estimating a "cup" of pineapple I can input the exact number of ounces that I plan on eating or just ate and the nutrition facts are generated for me. I rely on this website on a daily basis.

The last vital component I want to mention to keeping up with and recording your nutrition is a food journal. By writing down EVERYTHING that goes into your mouth you will be able to pinpoint your weak areas and visualize where you need to make changes. You can also jot down how you felt or what you were doing when you had a slip-up and brainstorm ways to prevent those mistakes in the future. Remember, write EVERYTHING down. A handful of nuts here and a scoop of peanut butter there will make a significant difference in your daily totals. My personal journal is more of a food & fitness journal because I not only record ALL of my intake for the day but I also record exactly what I did in my workouts. If you have never tried this avenue of really focusing in on your diet and holding yourself accountable for what you consume I highly suggest giving it a try!

What tips do you have to share to help others stick to their nutrition goals?