vegetables

Is there really such a thing as bad food?

Posted on March 15, 2018March 15, 2018 by LetlerFit

In a world where so many people think healthy means protein and veggies only because carbs (including fruit) are bad for you, I decided to dedicate this post for everyone who suffers from labeling foods as good or bad and those who follow restrictive diets.

Did you know that eating a diet that only consists of protein and vegetables can lead to health issues in a different, yet equally dangerous way as a diet consisting of processed foods, salt, and sugar? Crazy, right?

For this post I wanted to tackle some of the foods most labeled as bad:

Foods high in sodium always get labeled as bad because high salt intake has been linked to high blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke. But did you know if you eat a few foods a week high in salt and the rest of your diet has adequate salt intake and you stay hydrated…those small spikes of ingested sodium WILL NOT MAKE YOU HAVE A HEART ATTACK
Another food labeled as a diet “no no” for many is sugar. But did you know that processed sugar (whole fruit is not processed sugar) once a week is NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU DIABETES. Did you know that you can do “damage control” on that sugary cheat that is high in carbs and very low in fat by consuming is within 1 hour of an intense workout? Not saying to eat it first and then punish yourself with exercise after, I’m saying if you want to go out for ice cream, donuts, or cookies and not see as much short term weight fluctuations enjoy them after you’ve worked out (again, don’t abuse this).
Fried foods are oh so delicious but oh so restricted when people go on diets, but did you know that consuming 1 fried meal a week with multiple healthy whole meals, that bad food IS NOT GOING TO GIVE YOU HIGH CHOLESTEROL.
Fiber is one of those diet worshipped foods. But did you know that if you consume high fiber vegetables/foods post workout it can become a bad food? You want fiber before or during the day not after a killer workout (messes with recovery-i’ll do a whole post on that some other time).

Moral of this blog: BALANCE and food timing is key!

Learn more about the best online fitness program which includes comprehensive programs focused on shifting towards healthier eating habits, staying fit, and building a better booty. You’ll also find a variety of fitness apparel to help get you that extra motivation to take your goals to another level. Contact me today to learn more about the best fitness programs available to get your body in gear.

New Year, No Bloat

Posted on January 8, 2018January 8, 2018 by LetlerFit

Last Monday was January 1st, however most people I know were still on holiday mode and officially started their “new years resolutions” today!

So if you started working towards those fitness goals today, feeling that holiday bloat, this post is for you! I for one went up exactly 8.8 lbs last month..oops! Already dropped 4.6, working on that last bit to get back to normal this week. How did I do this without cutting calories drastically?

I typically drink 1 gallon of water a day because that’s what my body asks for. During the holidays however, I felt myself getting dehydrated because I was barely hitting half a gallon of water a day. So this passed week I over did the water with 2 gallons every day. Flavored it with lemon because blehhh I need flavor in my life. Peed my life away, got re-energized, got rid of a lot of the bloat! This week I am back to my regular 1 gallon a day
I worked out!!
I cut out all the processed junk and ridiculous amounts of sugar. Basically went back to my whole foods, healthy diet. Overdosed on antioxidants (fruits and veggies galore).
I caught up on my sleep. Ironically, I didn’t get much rest during the holidays. Catching up on sleep helps reduce internal stress levels. When your body is less stressed it’s more inclined to get rid of weight.
Started my 21 Day Cleanse

Was the 8.8 lbs all fat? Definitely not! Last week the weight was honestly just bloat, water retention, backed up plumbing. The weight I tackle this week to get back to my normal weight is more than likely going to contain some fat, and therefore may not come off as quickly.

Good Luck with the post holiday de-bloating and remember I am always here to help you!

LetlerFit Black Friday is HERE!

Posted on November 24, 2017November 24, 2017 by LetlerFit

Our favorite holiday shopping day is HERE and we are not disappointing! Have you had your eye on any of our leggings, shorts, capris, or tanks? Today only, 50% off on all apparel! Here’s what that looks like:

Leggings: were $64.99, NOW $32.49
Capris: were $54.99, NOW $27.49
Shorts: were $44.99, NOW $22.49
Tanks: were $24.99, NOW $12.49

Have any questions about sizing? feel free to leave a comment or e-mail LetlerFit@gmail.com! Ends TONIGHT 11/24/17 at 11:59PM EST

Code: BLACKFRIDAY

Shop NOW!

10 Simple Diet Mistakes that make your Calorie Counting to be far Less Effective

Posted on November 21, 2017 by LetlerFit

Mistake #1: Calories are not created equally. 200 calories in chocolate is not nearly as dense as 200 calories in a colorful salad with protein. We need more good quality calories that bad quality calories in order to lose weight
Mistake #2: You are forgetting about macronutrients. Carbohydrates, fats, and proteins make up calories. Carbs and protein yield 4 calories per gram while fats yield 9 calories per gram. The goal is to eat the correct amount of each eating 1400 calories out of your 1800 calorie day in just one macronutrient is not good. Each macronutrient has a purpose and requirement in our body.
Mistake #3: You are forgetting about Micronutrients. While a donut does contain carbs, fat, and protein (usually 1-2g), the calories are empty. When you consume food the goal is to look at food and think “What kind of energy is this going to give me? and what kinds of vitamins and minerals will it give me?” Vitamins and Minerals are equally as important as macronutrients….the good news is they do NOT directly add to the calorie count.
Mistake #4: Consuming too many calories. Trying to lose weight? At the end of the day weight loss is having less calories in versus calories out. Meaning we need to eat less than what our body burns in activities each day.
Mistake #5: Not consuming enough calories. Trying to gain weight? You need to be consuming more than what your body burns in activities each day.
Mistake #6: Most people do not know how many calories they should even be consuming. Advice: My fitness pal does a decent job at giving you calorie needs based on goals and activity.
Mistake #7: Overestimating calories burned while exercising. The calories the machine tells you, is wayyyyyyyy more than reality because it goes off of the machines RPM and not your body’s work.
Mistake #8: Assuming all lasagna at a restaurant is the same. Luckily most restaurants are registered with my fitness pal and give you calorie, macronutrient, and micronutrient breakdown. However, when a food from a menu does not pop up, it’s hard to find an exact match as recipe and portion size really make a difference.
Mistake #9: No Plan. Meal prepping is a must!! I know my entire week’s menu before it has even started…helps me stay focused and organized. Plus i control what goes into my food and then it becomes easier to track if need be.
Mistake #10: Drinking calories. Most people have no necessity for juices. Skip the liquid calories and go for water!

8 Amazing Spices To Give Your Favorite Foods A Low-Calorie Kick

Posted on November 1, 2017November 1, 2017 by LetlerFit

Eating healthy doesn’t have to be bland! It can actually be delicious! Seasoning also does not have to be bad, you can add herbs and spices to kick p the flavor and it adds only 1 or 2, sometimes even 0 calories! Not only do they provide added flavor at viturally no added calories, but they are all packed with vitamins and minerals aka your micronutrients.

Ginger
Cinnamon
Cayenne
Turmeric
Cilantro
Oregano
Cumin
Rosemary

7 Plant Based Foods That Help Promote Healthy Bones

Posted on October 26, 2017October 26, 2017 by LetlerFit

Research has found that diets rich in whole foods, specifically potassium, magnesium, vitamin D, high quality protein, and calcium make for healthier bones. With the plant based diet gaining more popularity I’d thought I’d share 7 foods that are great for healthy bones and vegan! Building strong bones doesn’t just come from milk and cheese!

Spinach
Fortified Cereal
Collard Greens
Bok Choy
Sweet Potato
Grape Fruit
Figs

7 Food Myths That Stop Your Diet From Being Healthy

Posted on October 24, 2017 by LetlerFit

Sometimes I seriously wonder where some of these health coaches get their facts, do they not stay up to date with the latest research? I’ve heard some ridiculously false advice from people that actually keep them from having a healthier diet.

“Egg yolks are bad for you because they raise your cholesterol. So you should only eat the egg white.” Research now shows us that eggs have nothing to do with raising your LDL (bad) cholesterol. Eggs whites are a great source of protein and egg YOLKS are a great source of zinc, iron, vitamin D, and choline. Eat the WHOLE egg, unless you’re allergic, like me, then skip them.
“Everyone should eat gluten free.” Unless your gluten intolerant there is no need because your body is able to digest gluten…it’s just another type of protein that some people just happen to be intolerant to.
“Nuts are bad for you because they are high in fat.” Nuts are a great source of HEALTHY fats packed with nutrients. Like with anything, too many nuts can be bad, however research has shown that eating proper servings of nuts can actually help protect you against heart disease.
“Carbohydrates make you fat.” False. Too much carbphydrates, just like too much protein, and too much fat, make you fat….aka caloric surplus. Carbs give us energy, help our brains think, and feed our muscles.
“The label says low fat, so it has to be good for me.” Eat the whole fat. With whole fat you can simply use the fat grams as part of your daily fat consumption assuming you do not over do it. The problem with low fat is that they need to replace the fat, which is what add the good taste, with something else so that it is not bland. What they end up using as a replacer is sugar! Without knowing, you are consuming extra sugar that you may not have accounted for.
“Organic food is always healthy.” Definitely not! Especially deceiving when the organic label is placed on the packaging. Read the ingredients! Most of the time if it’s on a box you’re better off saving the money on the inorganic version because it’s the same exact thing.
“When eating out, always choose the salad.” False. Sometimes the salad can become the most calorically enriched plate because of the hidden sugars used to preserve the salad or the salad dressings.

6 Habits That Destroy Your Otherwise Healthy Lifestyle

Posted on October 23, 2017 by LetlerFit

Creating a healthy lifestyle is all about habit. Just like good habits, there are also bad habits. Some of them are killing your healthy lifestyle journey, and you may not even realize it.

Lack of Sleep: Sometimes, life requires you to lose sleep, and that’s ok. The problem is not a few nights of lack of sleep, the problem becomes too many nights without adequate sleep. Sleep is so crucial. I know we all know how awful it feels after consistent sleep deprivation. What many people may not know is that lack of sleep triggers an increase of cortisol hormone to be released in our bodies, which may cause us to bloat and have difficulty losing weight. Without Sleep our bodies cannot properly repair the muscles we just worked out.
Restriction: Leading a restrictive diet, leads to binges and constant yo-yoing and that’s not what we want. I’ve said time and time again it’s about establishing a balance of consuming more health foods than junk foods.
No Exercise or No clean foods: Sometimes eating clean is the easiest part of the nutrition and fitness equation. For others exercise is the easy part! But they go hand in hand! Not exercising or not eating clean but doing the other is only half of it and yields not so great results.
Alcohol: Going ham on the drinks during the weekend, EVERY weekend, is KILLER to your healthy lifestyle.
Not reading nutrition labels: Never go by the front of the packaging, read the label and pay attention to the ingredients!
Not Meal Prepping: Buying “healthy” foods from restaurants is no where near as good as prepping and cooking your own foods where YOU control everything. Sometimes the cleaner options are still loaded with hidden salt or sugar.

15 Fitness Quotes To Get You Moving

Posted on October 20, 2017October 20, 2017 by LetlerFit

Today’s post brought to you by some of my favorite pinned fitness quotes!

“Stay so Hungry, you never Stop Eating.” trademarked by yours truly! -Melissa Letellier. How bad do you want to reach and set new goals?
“Success doesn’t come from what you do occasionally, but from what you do consistently.” Going to the gym 6 days one week and never stepping foot in it again for another 4 weeks is way less effective then going 2-3x every week.
“In 2 weeks you’ll feel it. In 4 weeks you’ll see it. In 8 weeks you’ll hear it.” Sometimes we need the extrinsic motivation to continually light the fire.
“At first they’ll ask why you’re doing it, later they’ll ask how you did it.”
When I started by journey I got so many negative remarks about why I’m always on a diet. Some of those same people were now forced into a continuous restrictive diet due to medical reasons while the lifestyle I built allows me to continue reaching new goals while enjoying pizza and donuts every now and then.
“I’m working on myself, for myself, by myself.” Sometimes the road is lonely, but you should always be your biggest reason why. Not for revenge, not to make someone jealous, to make YOU happy.
“When you feel like stopping, think about why you started.” It’s normal to lose motivation, it’s normal to get “derailed,” but at the end of the day if your reason why is bigger than your reason why not…you will get there
“Do it for the after selfie.” While my fitness journey was for me, i’m still human. It feels good to prove people wrong and brag about my hard earned accomplishments, don’t feel ashamed for what you’ve worked for!
“Slow progress is better than no progress!” It’s normal for your body to see more progress at the beginning. Don’t feel discouraged when the pound that once took you 3 days to lose now takes you a week. It’s stilling coming off and better than putting the pound of fat back on!
“You are your only limit.” This can be applied to everywhere in life, not just your health and fitness.
“Remember when your body is hungry it wants nutrients, not calories.” This one is HUGE for me! In a world obsessed with counting calories and macros, we often forget that vitamins and minerals also exist and are also equally important.
“Workout because you love your body, not because you hate it.” Yes it’s ok to want to change your body with exercise but remember to never take for granted the ability to exercise! Not everyone can! Exercise should also not be used as a punishment for eating a cookie.
“I don’t diet, I just eat according to my goals.” Seriously, it’s why it’ a lifestyle. Diets are short term and never work.
“Sweat is Pretty.” Sweat is a sign of good hydration, your body regulating heat the way it should be, and working hard! So many women are afraid to sweat i public for fear of looking gross or smelling bad. Be proud of your work and being well hydrated!
“Fall in love with taking care of your body.” As cliche as it sounds, you really do only get one body! What body do you want to take with your through life as you age?
“Create healthy habits, not restrictions.” It’s not about never eating the cookie, the pizza, or the donut. It’s about choose the fruits and the vegetables more than you do the cookie, the pizza, or the donut.

Get LetlerFit the Personalized Way

Posted on October 10, 2017 by LetlerFit

With the launch of the NEW LetlerFit.com I now officially publicly advertise my customized online training.

If you read yesterday’s blog post you know that I touched on the major differences between my e-book guides and personal training.

If you can check off any of the following I definitely recommend my online personal training:

Have any mobility limitations from past or current injuries
Have any diagnosed medical condition
Have specific goals
Want a training program that is 100% customized for your body and fitness level (everyone is different!)
want guidance and accountability

All of my clients begin with my online Needs Analysis (i’ll be touching up on this tomorrow). What may differ between one client and the next are the different packages available:

Just the program: This is for someone who has a good idea about how to perform the exercises and wants a program to cater to them and any specific goals or needs, but also does not want the coaching or accountability
Weekly Check Ins: Your program will come with a 60 minute weekly check in to go over any questions, video critiques of you performing your exercises, etc.
Unlimited Coaching: This is for the person that wants full access to me during the month of training to ask questions, record and send videos to, while still getting a personalized program

Are you ready to get LetlerFit? Fill out my Questionnaire and I will get back to you ASAP