Today was great! Good workouts and productive! But does that mean I’ll end up packing before an hour before I need to leave tomorrow.. probably not :p
FITNESS
I like when things just work themselves out 
.. probably a pretty obvious like :p Today’s workouts just fell together..
30 min. SS Cardio: 15 min. 10% Treadmill quick walk, 15 min. medium-resistance Elliptical
Shoulders & Back: Upright BB Rows, DB Front to Side Raises, pulley High Rows, pulley Front Raises, Lat Pull-Downs, Single-Arm DB Shoulder Press, cable-cross Front Rows, Rear Delts
30 more min. SS Cardio: 15 min. 10% Treadmill quick walk, 15 min. medium-resistance Elliptical
Done by 11am And while driving home I realized, Awesome!.. that means I can make Yoga tonight
I hadn’t been to Yoga in almost 2 weeks and have been missing it like crazy! As ever, it lived up to expectations, and the 80 min. Flow class flew by. I always leave with a smile on my face
NUTRITION
Banishing the Bloat
So a seriously un-sexy side of eating healthy..
Maybe it’s the alignment of the stars at the moment but in the last week a handful of people have asked me for advice with regards to preventing bloating & gas when making diet adjustments. Whether you’re already a pretty healthy eater and you try a new food, are increasing protein or veggies, or reducing carbs, or you’re just getting into clean eating and making major nutrition changes, your body is going to go through an adjustment period. There are foods that are particularly troublesome, such as beans, broccoli, spinach, cabbage, corn, onions, peppers, and even whole grains. I always notice a difference when I first start carb-cycling to get ready for a competition, and last week, when I added more carbs back in, I felt like a walking bloated bubble! haha.. told ya it wasn’t sexy :p ..
So what to do?..
One strategy some people use is to avoid eating particular food groups at the same time. To be honest, this isn’t my thing, and this is why..
ahh, what?! So.. ahh wait, what? .. what do you want me to do? Besides just eliminating the majority of my favorite meal & flavor combinations, I just don’t have the time to figure all that out on top of doing on the meal planning I already do.. but more importantly you just told me I can’t have a sandwich, or Oatmeal with Greek Yogurt.. yeah.. definitely against this one.
So then what.. first, if you just changed up your diet, it will take a little patience, your body needs time to adjust to the new foods. But even with that, there will always be some, usually those heavy in fiber, which is super healthy and you don’t want to miss out on, that will cause a problem. I recommend trying a natural digestive enzyme supplement. Beano is of course the most common brand, but check out your local health food store or Whole Foods for a lot of other options. For example, Papaya is said to aid in digestion and can be found in tablet form..
Or you can try an enzyme blend, such as this one by Udo’s Choice..
And of course, drink water, topped with water, sprinkled with water!
Daily Eats
As soon as my eyes opened I was ready for breakfast, and went with the standard PB Protein Ice Cream Sundae (minus the puffed Millet)..
Post-workout was another breakfast-food beauty.. Protein Pancake .. so nice and fluffy with the new/back to original blend..
..topped with Almond Butter and WF 0-cal Maple Syrup..
I spent the early afternoon cooking and portioning out food for this weekend. I put everything for 2 days into pre-measured/weighed baggies. So lunch was what was left..
A Diet Spinach Bar, 2 oz Chicken Breast & 1.5 oz Tilapia..
In the afternoon I snacked on a Fit-uccino. This was just 3/4 c H20 + 1/4 c Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze + 1 tbsp WF Chocolate Syrup + 1 tbsp Sugar-Free White Chocolate Syrup + 1 packet Starbucks Via + 1/4 tsp Xantham Gum + 1/2 tsp Guar Gum + Ice.
Dinner was a simple Frittata made with just 3/4 c Egg Whites, 2 oz Baby Spinach and 2 tbsp Pico de Gallo..
Since I’m still looking forward to it every night.. same old dessert, Protein Ice Cream & Cookie.. yet to decide tonight’s version 
FUN
I’m just excited for Vegas tomorrow! I’m not sure what sort of internet access I’ll have, but if it’s there, you know I’ll post show updates! GOOD LUCK to all the competitors!!
Whatcha up to this weekend?
Fun Links
oh I know! I seem to be bloated all the time no matter what I eat. It's so frustrating. I heard that not drinking water an hour before and after a meal helps with bloating since drinking water dilutes your stomach acids which aid in digestion causing you to bloat. I don't know how true that is since I've not tried it because I have to have water with all meals. Have you heard anything this theory before? Anyways, have a good time on your trip to Vegas!
omg i will be so pissed if my last comment just got munched…please I hope not…cyber gods…testing….
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
Not sure what happened.. but they're all there!
I just wrote to you about soluble and insoluble fiber but I think my comment got munched. people need BOTH in their diet. Too much of one, not enough of the other, or inadequate amts of either will give you the bloat. Google it and find out which foods are which, and make sure you're getting BOTH and that will help lots!
p.s. I posted about lifting heavy today!
Wait you’re not using Intense Debate on this post?! Ok moving on…
What you described are food combining principles and many raw vegans are into food combining but I am not. I don’t intentionally miscombine, but I also dont think about it either. I find that I naturally do a pretty good job of combining things based on my own dietary path but that if I dont eat fruit first or eat lots of fats or whatever…I really dont care.
One of the things that is helpful for some to pay attention to is soluble vs. insoluble fiber. We need both. People who have gas or IBS type issues are frequently getting too much of one, not enough of another, or are not getting adequate of both. A quick google will tell anyone what foods are which. You need both and the bloat will reduce…promise!
p.s. I posted today about lifting heavy!
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
Yeah I've read quite a bit about food combining.. I figure there's enough contradicting "food rules" out there.. sometimes you just have to pick what works right for you and run with it! Great point about insoluble vs. soluble though.. thanks!
WOW! Such an interesting post. I've been having major gas problems (TMI) with my veggies for the past year. I started eliminating one at a time and I realized that broccoli, my favorite veggie, has to go
It's just too much to deal with.
It seems like I have been combining all the wrong foods together!! Thanks for the tips, although it does seem difficult to follow all those rules -_- I am going to try the enzyme blend.
I love the way you make your pancakes sooo fluffy, I looked at your recipe and I don't have cream of tartar is there something I could sub for that?
are u using the proper amount of baking powder? also whipping the mixture vigorously helps a lot. I know I'm not alyson, but I'm a professional chef and I know those factors affect my pancakes
Take pics of the comp for us to see….and have a fantastic time. I love Vegas.
ahh those rules…i don't know about those…I try not to have too much gassy veggies all at once like too much broc or cabbage or beans b/c to much will make me feel bloated BUT I just can't do the whole not food combining. that basically means everything off limits that I eat LOL
i want that pancake it looks too good right now! and the SF syrup just makes it 10 times more appealing!!! have a fun trip to VEGAS!
That food combining thing seems like such bogus. the enzymes DO help though I buy mine from whole foods and eat it with my meals. Helps a hell of a lot!
O I'm so excited for your and wishing you the best of luck!
I love the food combining information – did you post this just for me:) xoxo
Great info on the bloating!
Something people may not know.. chewing sugarless gum can cause major bloating…. not only with the air that gets in your tummy from chewing BUT the sorbitol & other "itol" things in gum & other sugar free foods. I learned this 25 years ago when I was having major tummy issues & a chewed a ton of sugar free gum. I stopped it cold turkey & had that solved a lot. Yes, I have foods that are still probs for me BUT NO GUM FOR ME anymore. I test every so often & it is still a major source of bloating for me.
Twitter: NourishedFit
says:
Yup you can use Baking Powder!