Weight is a tricky subject for me, one I often ignore and not try and tackle on this platform. I am much happier just blabbing about clean eating and giving healthy tips and recipes for those who want to eat less processed foods and more fresh, home cooked meals { sans gluten, dairy and meat products}. But...
Today, I'm going to talk about weight because for all us busy moms out there, losing the baby weight and keeping it off can be a struggle {clean eating or not} and a perfect new years resolution! As we all probably know, resolutions don't last too long...the excitement slowly wears off and we are left back at square one or maybe only half way to our goal {sound familiar?}.
Now, instead of me pretending to be an expert in this field of thinness, I'm sharing with you a new book written by a trusted source {an old friend, Lauren Slayton MS RD, who used to buy my kookie karma kale chips and cookies like they were going out of style, for her food clients - sniff sniff} titled, The Little Book Of Thin. According to this new little book, there shouldn't be a weight goal, or a number that we are reaching for. It's all about maintenance.
One of my favorite aspects of this book is the "Food First Aid Kit" - shown above - used for travel and other busy days. Smart snacking is the key to keeping your health food goals in check. Lauren talks about how important this is - sort of like that little diaper bag you carry around with all the baby essentials - and what should be inside that first aid kit.
A funny little story - I came home from date night recently and found my baby sitter sitting in the kitchen with a note pad reading my copy of this book. It was awesome and she was writing tips down really fast so she could bring them home with her. She doesn't look like she has a weight issue but that's why this book is so good. It's not just about being thin, it's about staying healthy and not gaining unnecessary weight.
I'm also excited today because I will share with you a mini interview I did with the author, Lauren.
Me: What is your dream day as far as food goes?
Lauren: I was once asked for a day in the life of Lauren from a blog reader. I replied, a day filled with juices and salads! The response I got was “that sounds really unappealing”! Pretty mean, huh? It makes me reluctant to share but…
Most days for me include:
· A cup of organic coffee and multiple cups of tea (matcha, rooibos, etc)
· A smoothie (common players are avocado, almond milk, turmeric, sunwarrior, pineapple, mint)
· A large kale or arugula salad whether with winter squash or jarred tuna or walnuts happens for lunch most days.
· I always have my "Foodrainers nutcase" {you'll know what I'm talking about if you read the book} filled with something whether it’s spicy pumpkin seeds or Hail Merry nuts (love their rosemary pecans) or sunbiotic almonds
· Dinner is with the family we’re all loving the LBT miso quinoa salad {recipe also from the book} and often do a sweet potato bar with all different toppings. If there is fish or chicken or grass fed beef our CSA delivers it/ well sourced.
· Oh and if it’s a cocktail I’m an on the rocks girl- Potato vodka, tanteo jalapeno tequila are favorites.
Me: What is your favorite healthy snack that your kids devour? Any secrets or tricks you'd like to share to getting them to eat well?
Lauren: When my boys were younger I was a stickler for them trying things, we had a new food chart and when they got to 10 (or was it 12?) new foods that they tried they either got a prize- something silly like a sticker OR they got to plan a meal for the family. Now they are pretty good eaters. We don’t have “kids” food. My boys love popcorn (currently obsessed with Quinn), we also love our donut maker. We make donuts with almond or coconut flour (not fried of course). And they like their smoothies as much as I do.
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There are lots of diet and weight loss books out there, as we all know. But this is much more of a how-to for regular people that want to lead a "normal" life {for lack of better words} and still stay thin. Lauren has done this for so long and has so much of her own research under her belt - and the tips, myths, affirmations and solutions in this book are what she has found to work for everybody across the board. I highly recommend you check it out if you're trying to keep that body weight consistent.
Here's a snack peek into The Little Book Of Thin's BREAK UP chart. The table shown below represents the things you should not included in your daily diet. EVER!
Thanks Lauren, for creating lovely little guide and helping people stay healthy and at their ideal weight!
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