Feed Me Fit

Food makes you feel good doesn't it?  Food is one of the greatest needs for all humans; according to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, so that we can reach a higher state, if you do not have food you really cannot even think about doing anything else. Food just makes you feel good inside and out. If we are just talking basics needs, you don't need much, Prison Loaf will do (yes I made it).

But we all want more, we want healthy food that is easy and quick to prepare and that tastes great. It's not all that easy for some people though. Then for those of us who want to get lean and ripped, or even just lean, it's a whole different ballgame.

You need to eat the right foods, healthy choices, feed the magnificent machine called "your body" what it needs to function properly. That doesn’t mean bland and boring food and it doesn’t mean the same old thing over and over.

Maggie Shih of Feed Me Fit spent two hours in my kitchen on Sunday and made three very simple, healthy and incredibly tasty dishes. Dishes that I can make, you can make, and everyone would eat and not know how healthy they were, seriously. I wrote about her previously, you should read that post first if you have not yet read it.

No salt was used, very little oil (olive oil spray) and no refined starches.

We met in the same way I meet so many people, I emailed a complete stranger! That’s how I have made connections with so many wonderful people in my life, and how I even found my favorite vacation destination in Mexico- 16 years ago, Hacienda Eden (I still go back every year).

I was searching for a gift for Roy, his birthday is coming up and cooking lessons might be in order! Maggie is a Certified Fitness Chef. She spends most of her time at her customer’s homes preparing food, typically in advance so they can pop it in the refrigerator or the freezer, or both. She will even shop for the food too if that’s requested. In addition, she offers cooking classes for individuals or small groups for those who want to learn to do it on their own.

Maggie knew I am prepping for a competition so my food had to be light and low calorie, but she wanted to show me some other dishes too, so we had a range of things on Sunday.

She pulled up in her car and toted all her things effortlessly into my kitchen and made herself right at home, she was comfortable in the kitchen, I could tell. I have a big kitchen, actually my favorite room in the house and there is lots of room to move around.

She started with an egg dish "egg in a ring" and it was so simple yet wonderful; I cannot believe I never thought of it! 

Yellow bell pepper, egg and seasonings (no salt) and a few slices of avocado. 

We asked David to be a taster and he ate half (I ate the other).

Next Maggie moved on to a staple on my diet, tilapia. I eat tilapia almost every day; it is a mild, firm white fish, inexpensive and plentiful. It takes on the flavors of anything you season or cook it with, so it is versatile. Most tilapia is farmed; you will not find "wild" tilapia around here. I caution you to check the origin of your tilapia and try to only buy that farmed in the USA, with South America being a second choice. Tilapia raised in Taiwan and China will be raised in water where there is no lead control, the groundwater is polluted and the fish are too. (Did you know that’s why we started selling unleaded gasoline? The lead in the gas was causing birth defects in our children! They don’t worry about the lead in China unfortunately); in addition, the feed used and the cleanliness of the pens are questionable in these countries, your health is not worth the few cents savings the cheap and muddy tasting fish you will be eating. If you buy it at a market where it is laid out on a tray and not in a package, just ask where it is from, by law they must have tags showing the origin of all fish.

The dilled tilapia was moist and flavorful, I get so used to baking a big tray of it that I forget that my healthy food can also be wonderfully flavorful and moist, if I just put a few more minutes into it. Maggie served kale on the side, seasoned with garlic powder, yum! Here again I caution you about the origin of your kale, it is #11 on the top 15 fruits and vegetables that have extreme pesticide usage- meaning that it is one of the foods you MUST buy organic!

David bravely took a bit of the tilapia, he isn’t a fan at all, but he actually liked it. 

After Maggie left we talked and he said "No offense, but her food just doesn’t taste like your bland diet food, I mean it has flavor."….right, well it did and he was right, but when I am cranking out my food, in between working a full time job, training 7 days a week, and most of them twice a day, it does take a bit of the "joy" out of cooking and trying to make it all more palatable. I eat for fuel right now. I am a machine!

The last dish was stupendous, but not something I would eat on a competition diet. Off the diet- sure I would, so now I just had a few bites and left the rest to David. I took half of it to Roy too; he had it for dinner on Monday night!

A smoky bacon loaded sweet potato! A paleo dish (for those who follow that diet), that can be enjoyed by anyone. 

The "chili" was made with bacon, ground turkey, and vegetables. I am not a real bacon fan, I have a hard time moving past the copious amounts of fat in it, but this was good, really good! Maggie said you can easily cut most of the fat out too!

David tried the loaded potato, and he tried it again. He loved it. It was time for me to eat, and I had several bites of the dishes Maggie cooked, but I am lean and ready early, so I can stand some extra calories right now, in fact I dropped too low and panicked a bit, so I was ready for a full meal.

As she packed up and I walked her to the car, she said "eat the tilapia!" I ate the whole thing and the kale (I love kale and eat it several times a week).

I came in to find that David had devoured the potato and topping…almost, he didn’t eat all the sweet potato and since I needed some starch, I ate it!

I packaged up the rest of the "chili" that was in the pot and set half aside for David and the other half to take to Roy.

I left the house right after Maggie did, so I could head back to Gold’s Gym, I was off for round two of cardio and posing. When I came home, I would start cooking my food, more tilapia, sweet potatoes, chicken and vegetables.

I know first hand, that when people start a new fitness regime, the area that causes them the most stress, and will usually make them fall short of reaching their goal, is the food prep. They usually have no idea what to prepare, how to prepare it, how to make it taste good and they usually don't have the hours and hours it takes every week to do it. I spend several hours a couple times a week just making my food since I eat 6 times a day! 

You cannot out-train a bad diet. 

When I returned home for the gym, there was a house full of guests, all sitting in the backyard having wine and pizza (a Sunday ritual around here now), Virginia came into the kitchen and said David was raving about "some egg McMuffin with no muffin". He told her how good it was and didn’t taste anything like "Kristy’s diet food"…..hmmm I think he was talking about the "egg in a ring"

Contact Maggie at Feed Me Fit if you are interested in food prep or cooking classes, she says some people get a group of friends together at their home, and they all split the cost of the cooking class. Then, if you like, she can prepare meals for a week or so just until you get an idea of proportion and dishes and then she sets you free to experiment on your own.

She also has a Facebook Page where you can stay connected, learn about special events and check out her dishes. 

All opinions expressed are mine alone. I have not received remuneration for this post or content. 

Abs Are Made In The Kitchen (Feed Me Fit)

“Abs are made in the kitchen”

We have all heard this right? It’s true.  I am a firm believer in this. You can train as consistently and hard as possible, be spot on with every bit of your training and still never achieve the results you want if your diet is not right. And those crunches? They aren’t going to help if you have a layer of fat over the muscles.

Above are my abs two weeks ago, below a week ago. Further below was Thursday (the evening before this posted).

I have just recently launched into my "6 pack ab" goal, never before have I attempted such a lofty goal! I asked Roy what to do and he advised that I do  Garhammer Raises, a lot more difficult than they look, here is a video of them:

I do these at home with my pull up attachment in the doorway of my son's room! Then comes Swiss ball crunches, lowering my back over the ball all the way down so my head almost touches the ground, then slowly up. I hold a very small 5 pound dumbbell at the back of my head. I do these at home in my guest room. My abs are burning after the Garhammer raises, the crunches really are difficult then. 

And lastly, crunches on the Glute Ham raise, again all the way down so there is a stretch in the abs, and slowly pull up using only the abs. 

I trained for years and never truly saw the physique I was yearning for until I started to consider my diet as important as my training. The two go hand in hand; they need each other so that you, as a whole can be complete.

I learned to eat properly first by hiring a nutritionist (who also happened to have been a Figure competitor previously), then I started reading every book on nutrition I could find.  After that it was all trial and error, finding what worked right for my body.

Your diet will change according to your goals. A  Powerlifter certainly will not eat the same as a Gymnast, who will not eat the same as a Sprinter. So you need to first have a good idea of your goals and what you are trying to create.

Many people really struggle with this, I find that interesting as I have absolutely no problem with this. First, cooking was my hobby before I started to seriously train. I can taste almost any dish at a restaurant and re-create it on my own. I often ask the wait staff about ingredients and express my interest, I have been invited back into the kitchen to watch and speak with the chef more times than I can recall.  I even won the “Build A Better Burger “contest in the Western United States many years ago! This is one big reason why my family isn’t always so keen on my competitions, all my wonderful “restaurant creations” get kicked to the curb when I am in competition mode. 

Even when dieting I seem to feel fairly satisfied with my diet; I still manage to create interesting and varied foods while adhering to a clean and nutrition diet.

But, for those of you who struggle, or don’t have time to cook, there is hope and flavor!

Feed Me Fit

Maggie Shih is the chef/proprietor of this service. She will plan and cook your meals so you don’t have to!  

Maggie is a Personal Trainer & Certified Fitness Chef who works with her clients to determine nutritional needs and will shop, cook and deliver meals all created specifically for you.   Maggie will even collaborate with your own personal trainer to discuss dietary needs if you prefer! 

Never heard of a Certified Fitness Chef? It is indeed a real designation!  Maggie is certified through the Spencer Institute, it is a NESTA (National Exercise and Sports Trainers Association) designation. 

I haven’t tried Maggies cooking yet, but I am very interested in learning more and I will soon. One of my attractions to the fitness industry (besides all of the beautiful bodies) is the passion that everyone has about their hobbies, interest and professions. It’s not an easy one; you must pour your heart and soul into it to be successful. Meeting others with the same passions and sharing experiences is a joy to me.

She and I have been trying to get together so I can see some of her creations first hand, and because of our demanding schedules, it keeps moving; but now it looks like we will be meeting at my home on Sunday where she will whip up some meals so I can give you a firsthand report.  I will be posting a blog with lots of pictures and reviews from our morning together.

In the meantime, she will be joining other health and wellness professionals at the San Jose Nutrishop, during a sponsored “wellness night” on Monday, March 25, 2013 from 4-7pm. You can stop by and sample some of her goodies, meet her and learn more about her services (since you cannot come into my kitchen on Sunday!) 

I will not be able to attend the Nutrishop wellness night because Roy and I will be training my hamstrings at the same time, and my training always comes first!

If you stop by, be sure to tell Maggie I sent you!

Look for my report on our morning of cooking next week. Check out Feed Me Fit on Facebook or Feed Me Fit website for more information.

Nutrishop South San Jose 

117 Bernal Road #10 San Jose, CA. 95119

I have not received any compensation or remuneration for this review, all views are my own. 

Travelling with your Food

I love bags, purses, packs, anything that carries "stuff". I always carry way too much "stuff", you never know when you might need a tape measure, flashlight, toothbrush, mirror, floss...you got the idea right? 

I have a new bag, you can see me sporting it in these pictures and I love it! This bag is huge, I mean its a good twenty inches long, 8 inches wide and 16 inches tall; It has a nice, thick shoulder strap that I can wear comfortably; it is lined with insulation; it's gray (I hate the flowered stuff); it has a pocket on each end (one zips for the wallet and one is Velcro for quick access); and it was $8.49!

It's a grocery bag from Whole Foods Market! I love the idea of those fancy shamncy "6 pack fitness bags" but they are awfully expensive, and honestly, I wouldn't use half of the little cubbies. I have all my supplements in their own pill containers and dose them out once a week, (actually five of them, since I take supplements five times a day),  I am not about to arrange them in the cute cubbies everyday; I have to carry a couple gallons of water with me or I fear dehydration, so the one slot for one water bottle will not cut it; and I prefer my own food containers.

Sure, if someone wants to give me a gift, I wouldn't say no to that bag but I am not about to spend my money on it as this works better for me. 

This one is great for a one day or an overnight trip. I can carry all my food and it has room for sweatshirts, jackets, even a small blanket! I can also use it for a gym bag if I travel to my father in laws. Just transfer my food to the fridge when i arrive and this will double as a gym bag. 

This is the perfect bag when I go to see my son's lacrosse games, go someplace for the night, or a long day trip wine tasting (even if I am not drinking) with David. Everything fits in here, hell I could almost crawl in here!

Did I mention it was $8.49?

Lunch Containers

Seems like I am always in search of the "perfect" food containers. I eat several times a day, I am always toting food everywhere I go, and I have an aversion to those disposable plastic containers.

My search is over! I just found these 3 cup Pyrex leak proof storage containers at Target. They are glass, my preferred material, and the lid has a great seal that ensures no liquid spills out, even when tipped. There is a vent on the top to pop the whole thing in the microwave and the lid is BPA free! 

The whole thing can go in the dishwasher. Above you can see one open with my meal- 4 ounces tilapia, 4 ounces Soo-Foo and 1 cup broccoli. Above it is another with the lid on.

I bought four of these and David immediately tried to claim one. Sorry- no way! I told him I would go buy more so he could use some too.

They can be used in the refrigerator for left over storage or for lunches on the go, the size and shape are absolutely perfect! 

Below I have one on my food scale, another reason why I like glass, I can weigh my food right into the container I choose to use for my lunch.

Seriously- go get some of these containers!

Typical Competitor

I was talking with someone about women who compete- specifically the "type" of woman who does this. I am sure everyone has their own idea of the typical Figure Competitor and I am sure most of those ideas are

Dead

Wrong

So, what do you think? I can guess (from talking with many people), that there are a few stereotypes.

1) The self centered bimbo

2) The bored housewife

3) The uneducated gym rat

There are certainly some of those, but I assure you, they are not the norm. The women I know who train seriously and those I have met at competitions are very intelligent women who know exactly where they are going and what they want.

Most competitors I have met hold full time jobs, and usually very demanding positions. Many of them have children and many are married. 

This leads us to the ever present question "I don't know how you can do it all!", this is the question we hear most I think. We do what every other woman does and we make the time to devote to our diet and training, and compete, with each competition taking on a  small "life" of it's own.

We do it because we are all driven - driven to succeed, driven to excel, driven to improve, driven to learn.

Once you get to know several women who compete, you will start to learn that there is a "fire", a "spark" that we all have, something that many other people lack. That fire is what drives us to do what we do, every single day.

Typically a successful athlete or competitor is an "A" type personality, and often we are very regimented in our lives. Routine is our friend! I can tell you that routine and structure are vital, and without it, we would not be where we are now.

I am a very structured person. I have all of my Thanksgiving Day menus on my computer, with excel spreadsheets of my grocery shopping, complete with day of purchase, store and person responsible. This makes the big day much easier to manage. 

I have all of my workouts on spreadsheets too.

My gym clothes are in a large covered basket in the bathroom  in "packets" (shorts, bra top, peds) all ready  to "grab and go"..I get up at 4 am so I cannot very well disrupt the rest of the family that early, nor do I want to figure out what to wear!

Pre and post training drinks and supplements are mixed and portioned into trays every weekend, and  stored in baskets ready to grab what I need the evening before, placed on the counter and ready when I need them. 

Cooking is scheduled and done while other events take place, then food is weighed and frozen, to be consumed the following week.

It all takes time, lots and lots of time.

You will find that most competitors will have similar stories, a desire to accomplish the impossible, the thrill when a difficult task is mastered. 


They are a special breed- few and far between.