Healthy Hollywood: Fab Food Friday – Fall Into A Healthy Diet!

Fall is here! That means cooler temperatures, colorful foliage – and for some of us it’s the season to pack on the pounds. Yup! With Fall’s heartier carb-heavy foods, like potatoes and rich stews, plus our more jam-packed work schedules, our kids’ busy back-to-school schedules – and the impending party-hearty holiday season – many of us begin the dreaded 3-month weight gain throughout the Fall until the new year.

Hold on, it doesn’t have to be this way! Celebrity wellness guru and longtime trainer to Chelsea Handler, Mark Macdonald dropped by Access Hollywood Live this week and showed Billy Bush and Kit Hoover how to stop the scale from sliding upwards.

Mark, who penned “Body Confidence,” revealed 3 tips to keep our body confidence strong and our metabolism fired up!

#1: Keep Your Blood Sugar Stable:

Busier schedules, often means skipped meals or snacks and then we go into a meal starving. Low blood sugar levels trigger this insane hunger, which causes your body to burn its muscle for energy and slow down your metabolism. At this point, we tend to crave heavy carbs, which spikes our blood sugar and causes our body to store body fat.

What to do:

A.) Eat 5 – 6 times a day (within an hour upon waking, every 3-4 hours and within an hour upon bedtime)
B.) Eat the right amount of protein (40%), carbs (35%), and fat (25%) at every meal/snack.
C.) Aim to eat a similar amount of calories at every meal/snack.

#2: Prepare For Your “Cheat” Meals or When You Drink Alcohol:

All of us are going to have a night on the town when we eat too much and drink more than we should! Just need to make adjustments to minimize damage and stay guilt-free.

A.) Be sure to eat balanced meals prior to indulging. Big mistake is to skip meals to save calories…this is a sure fire way to slow down your metabolism and store extra fat.
B.) After a big meal, eat a meal of just protein and fat, no carbs. This activates your metabolism and helps burn the excess calories from an “off plan” meal.
C.) Try to avoid starchy carbs, like potatoes, beans, and rice, during your “off plan” meal. This way you can eat a meal with protein, fat and then have a dessert or some alcohol – this keeps your overall calories and blood sugar spikes at a minimum.

#3 Always Have A “Mobile Readiness Food Kit” (MRFK):

As long as you keep your blood sugar stable, it’s impossible to store body fat. Your MRFK ensures food is always within reach to keep your body fueled, balanced, and burning body fat. Examples of MRFK food are Greek yogurt, nuts, fruit, and/or a protein bar in your purse. All that matters is you have balanced meals available for those busy times during the day.

For more of Mark’s nutrition tips, head to www.venicenutrition.com

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