Category: Featured

For many, current events have introduced a whole new level of stress and it’s easy for one to
quickly feel out of control. So, it’s good to focus on the things you can control, like what you eat.
Whether you were just starting your weight loss before the pandemic, or you’re already partway to your goal, it’s important to take a moment to ensure you are set up for weight loss
success:

• If you haven’t already, determine the real reason(s) you want to lose weight. Maybe you have one big underlying “why,” such as “I have a family history of diabetes and I want to do everything in my power to stay healthy.” Or maybe you have a list of reasons, including things like, “My joints won’t hurt as much,” or “I want to be able to go hiking with my kids next summer.” Spend some time reflecting on your personal reasons for wanting to lose weight. Write them down regularly to remind yourself of your deepest motivations during your weight loss journey.
• Spring clean your pantry and refrigerator. Why tempt yourself with foods that are not protocol friendly? Toss (or donate if packages are unopened and unexpired) everything you know you shouldn’t be eating or know you’ll never eat. If other household members need or want foods you won’t be eating, see if you can store the foods that might tempt you someplace where you won’t see them every time, you’re in the kitchen.
• Make a list of strategies for when you’re tempted to go off your plan. What possible obstacles or challenging situations can you foresee? Maybe your spouse orders fast food and the smell is tempting. What if you had a very stressful day and are really craving sugar? Create some if/then scenarios with solutions to help you cope.
• Enlist the help of a trusted friend or family member. Maybe it’s someone selfisolating with you at home or a friend you can reach out to virtually. Share your weight loss plans and ask for their support during the process. In times like these, it’s important to communicate and get support when you’re feeling things are out of control.
• Make sure you have the basic tools you’ll need for cooking at home. It’s much easier to whip up a healthy home cooked meal when you have a sharp knife, a good nonstick skillet, and accurate measuring utensils!
• Reach out to your coach! Keeping lines of communication open with your coach is incredibly important. They will be able to provide you guidance and support to help get you through challenges.

Help set yourself up for weight loss success by preparing for these changes. You’ve got this!

Between trying to lose weight and the coronavirus pandemic, you’re probably finding that you’re cooking a lot more meals at home. Ideal Protein foods help to simplify the process, but you’ll also want to have on hand other diet-friendly foods, and you may also still be cooking meals for household members who aren’t on the Protocol. One way to make your meal planning life easier is to prep and cook meals and ingredients ahead of time so that when mealtimes (breakfast and lunch, too!) roll around, some or all of your work is already done. Here are some make-ahead meal basics to get you started.

Do a lot…or a little

You’re probably already familiar with cooking and freezing soups and stews, but there are many other foods you can make ahead and store in the freezer. For example, you can assemble and freeze things like turkey meatballs or shredded chicken, marinated raw meats, roasted vegetables, and pasta sauces. When the ingredients are handy, it takes no time at all to whip up a stir-fry or a healthy bowl of cauliflower rice topped with roasted vegetables and marinated chicken. This practice also works well when not everyone in the household is eating the same way you are. If you have a variety of healthy options already prepared, people can choose the things they want and you don’t have to feel like you’re cooking two meals. It’s best to ensure you are portioning out your meals before you freeze so you can only thaw what you need at the time.

If you’re not into spending a couple of hours in the kitchen at one time, do mini make-ahead sessions instead. While you’re making dinner, slice some extra fresh vegetables for lunch or dinner the following day. If you’re roasting vegetables, double the amount you roast and freeze half for use in future meals. (Hint: adding roasted veggies to Ideal Protein’s soups enhances flavor and makes them more filling.)

Don’t do it all yourself

Reach out to your Ideal Protein Coach and other resources about which Ideal Protein products you can incorporate into your make-ahead meals. Still looking for a way to make meal prep easier? Keep your refrigerator or freezer stocked with grocery store items like frozen veggies, rotisserie chicken, cauliflower rice or pre-sliced “zoodles” to round out your menus.
Preparing single ingredients and whole meals ahead of time is one great way to save time on your day-to-day cooking. From batch cooking for a week to spending a few minutes slicing extra vegetables or doubling a favorite recipe, prepping meals ahead of time can ease the daily chore of answering the question, “What’s for dinner?” 

 As you’ve no doubt discovered, losing weight takes dedication and perseverance. But you’ve also
found that it is well worth the effort. Chances are a global pandemic was not among the
challenges you expected to face when you set out on your weight and wellness journey, but with
some planning and dedication, it doesn’t have to derail your success. 

Here are a few tips to help you maintain your hard-earned weight loss success over the long term:

• Plan to not only lose weight, but to transition from the weight loss phase into a long-term maintenance regime. You will continue to need coaching, monitoring and support during this transition and through maintenance. So, reach out to your coach virtually! The team that supported you this far may become even more valuable when you are facing more choices and need to learn different coping skills.
• Keep following the healthy, positive eating habits that you’ve already developed. You may have more tempting food around you at home now, but don’t give in.
• Watch for situations that might sabotage your weight loss journey. For example: if you find yourself hitting that afternoon slump, instead of reaching for a piece of candy to boost your energy, go outside for a moment and get some fresh air (practicing “social distancing” of course).
• Stock your fridge and pantry with healthy snacks so you always have something on hand. Ideal Protein has dozens of tasty products to choose from.
• Reach out virtually to family and friends for support to help you get over any “bumps in the road.”
• Monitor your weight and if you gain a few pounds, don’t panic. Just re-set. Adjust your eating and exercise until you’re back where you want to be—but try not to delay and get back on track as quickly as possible. Or reach out to your coach or clinic to discuss an Ideal Protein Tune-up!

Plan ahead, stay on course, and enjoy your healthier lifestyle!

Tips on Storing Food

We know it can be difficult to stay on the Protocol during these challenging times. Here are some tips to help keep the food you have as fresh as possible in the weeks to come:

• You can store most fresh vegetables in the refrigerator (with a few exceptions below).

• Handle produce as little as possible since bruising will damage it and cause it to spoil. In most cases, store vegetables in original packaging, and wash and prepare just before eating. If you choose to wash lettuce before refrigerating it, dry it well and store wrapped in a paper towel inside a plastic bag.

• There are some vegetables that are better stored at room temperature. Keep your garlic, onions, shallots, and squash in a cool, dark place, such as your pantry. Remove packaging and store so that air can circulate around them and keep away from sources of heat such as the oven, hot water heater, or hot water pipes.

• If you can’t eat your fresh vegetables before they go bad, freeze them to preserve nutrients and flavor. Most vegetables need to be blanched before freezing. Boil whole vegetables or cut-up pieces for a couple of minutes, then plunge into ice water to stop the cooking process.

• Frozen vegetables can be kept for up to one year.

• Freeze your proteins! Any fresh lean meat, fish, or seafood can be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. Divide up into individual portions, place in a freezer bag, and freeze!

• Did you know eggs can be kept in your fridge for over 5 weeks? Not only are they a great source of protein, they have amazing shelf life too!

We all know that water can provide our bodies with a whole host of benefits, but is losing weight one of them?

By Amber

Well, I’m here to tell you that losing weight is one of the benefits drinking water can bring to your body. And here’s why.

Have you already eaten yet still feel the need to snack? Well, water can help suppress your appetite. How you may ask? Well, when you’re dehydrated, your body might confuse that for hunger. So instead of grabbing for that pack of Oreos, try drinking a glass of water first. Once you take that glass of water, it will pass through your system quickly and stretch out your stomach, signaling to your body that you are full. And there goes your extra snacking!

Drinking water is also necessary to burn that stubborn fat. That’s because, without drinking water, your body won’t be able to properly metabolize the fat that you have stored in carbohydrates. This process is called lipolysis, and to keep the long story short, the first step to activate this process is to drink water. So don’t forget that water bottle when you go on that morning run.

Speaking of exercising, yes, you should switch out that Gatorade for a bottle of water. I know it doesn’t taste as good as Gatorade, but try to spice it up by including fruits! Anyways, when you don’t drink water, the muscle cells become dehydrated, which means they have a harder time building muscle up. This means that most of the workouts will become less effective.

Water also increases the amount of energy you have, which is great because that will motivate you to want to try intense workouts. The more power you have, the more calories you will burn. Not only that, but it also helps your joints and connective tissues to move correctly during your workouts.

“Wanna lose 1200 Calories a month? Drink a liter of ice water a day. You burn the energy just raising the water to body temp.” -Neil deGrasse Tyson

Do you know how else you could hydrate yourself? Through an IV infusion!

IV treatments are guaranteed to help you hydrate and recover more quickly after your workouts. Why? That’s because the nutrients and minerals packed in these treatments are administered directly into your bloodstream. Your bloodstream will absorb and quickly transfer the nutrients and minerals throughout your entire body. This means that after your IV drip, you are guaranteed to see the results immediately. Who doesn’t like that? We provide different treatments, such as The Athletic Recovery, that can help you lose weight and recover much more efficiently.