Flip into Better Health in February

A new month brings a new challenge. Let’s flip into better health in February!

In January, most people are gung ho to make changes. Resolutions abound. However, most people start to peter out on their resolve with each passing week. The key to making a true impact on your life and your health is to discover a way to extend your new habits throughout the entire year.

It is difficult to keep up motivation and in turn compliance. There are temptations all around us.

Planning and prepping are an absolute must to stay on track. Community and accountability are also invaluable to success. That’s where this group comes in!

Surrounding ourselves with people who share our goals and support us can keep us from falling into the most common traps.

Let’s take a look at how alcohol, our environment, and sweets are the most likely culprits to sabotage us.

Temptation

Alcohol

Did you participate in dry January? Rentry into your old ways can be quick and easy. Trust me.

So does drinking alcohol cause weight gain? That is a great question that can be answered with understanding how alcohol is processed and how environment can factor in as well.

Let’s start with how alcohol is broken down by the body. In simplest terms, your body recognizes alcohol as a toxin and thus makes it a priority to break it down and move it out of the blood stream. To accomplish this, other processes must be halted so that can happen. One such process is fat burning.

The more you drink the longer it will take for your body to process it and thus the longer you are out of a fat burning state. Limit how much and how often you drink to maximize your fat burning as well as your health in general.

Environment

Think about the places where you are most likely to indulge in alcohol. This usually occurs in a social environment such as in a bar or restaurant or at a friend’s house.

Consider the types of food that are readily available. Bar food is usually fried or flour based such as flatbread pizza, fried calamari, tortilla chips, french fries, etc. Friends always provide plenty of nibbles like dips, cheeses, crackers, salami and such.

Set the scene in your mind. You have a drink and start to graze on the available food knowing that you need food in your stomach. We now know that fat burning stops while your body processes the alcohol. Yet the foods that we tend to eat while we drink are not only high fat but also high glycemic foods. The dreaded double whammy!

No wonder the introduction of alcohol can contribute to weight gain.

Sweets

February also includes Valentine’s Day which inevitably includes both alcohol and sweets. The more you drink the more you tend to eat. Bars and restaurants capitalize on this fact every day. If you are drinking and surrounding yourself with tempting food, you are in for a tough go. Willpower can only be so strong.

This is where planning can swoop in and save the day yet again.

Plan for sweets. Yes, you read that right.

Plan to thwart temptation by having keto sweets on your February menu. The secret to having the self-control to resist M&M’s, cookies, and cakes is to make your own keto treats.

I’ve mentioned before that these keto treats add extra fat and calories to your diet. However, if the choice is between spiking glucose and insulin or gaining a few temporary pounds opt for the latter.

It Comes Down to Choices

If you choose to drink, you must be mindful. The less you drink the less time spent processing the alcohol and the more time you can be in a fat burning state. Keep in mind that being in a fat burning state is dependent on adhering to a low carb lifestyle.

Here a few ideas to help navigate the pitfalls of consuming alcohol.

• Drink alcohol with food. The best possible choice would be lean protein. Remember fat burning stops so eating high fat foods with alcohol will cause some weight gain since fat burning mode is off.
• Eat before you start drinking. Drinking on an empty stomach allows the alcohol to hit your bloodstream faster causing you to feel buzzed quicker. This leads to not only poor food choices but also overeating.
• Choose days that you will drink so that you make sure there are plenty of days that you stay in fat burning mode unimpeded.

The best choice of course is not to drink but the beauty is that everyone gets to make their own choices for what is right for them.

Returning to your old way of eating kicks you out of the fat burning state whether you drink alcohol or not. It is impossible to give up foods that cause weight gain and then add them back without regaining the weight. That is true of any diet. Choose wisely.

Book for February

After January, I know that I start to become complacent about planning. It is such a challenge to stay the course and it is no different for me. This month I am choosing The Beginner’s Keto Meal Plan book by Kassey Cameron to help plan my meals.

The book offers a 6-week guide to help make planning super easy. Now, I like to make things difficult so I have reworked the guide to fit how I like to plan and eat. I prefer cooking dinner at night and eating leftovers for lunch the next day. We also enjoy making lunch on the weekends.

Kassey includes a dessert every day and this just doesn’t work for me. Keto desserts are trigger city. I rarely indulge in treats. They tend to be high in fat and calories and I prefer to eat real, nutritious food instead. No judgment here but I know what works for me and what doesn’t. You might be the opposite and that is what makes us individuals.

Instead of dessert, I add a vegetable or two to my meals. I also tweak recipes as I go to lower the fat content where appropriate. Again, low fat is not the answer but too much fat just doesn’t make me feel good. You must discover what is the ideal amount for you.

Below I have outlined the basic plan for the first week of February. I grocery shop for 3 days at a time to allow for a change in plans like eating out. Better to over plan than to under plan!

There aren’t sides listed with every meal because I also like to give myself flexibility with what looks best at the grocery store. My general rule is to keep my sides lower in fat if my entree is high in fat. That balance works for me.

I’ve listed alternative recipe links underneath my planned recipe when the recipe cannot be found on the Keto4Karboholics website. There are just too many resources out there to feel like you need to buy yet another cookbook.

I am a self-professed cookbook junkie. I enjoy trying out new recipes and don’t mind the occasional misses that come with experimenting. You do you.

I hope that you might try one or two new recipes or that you will be able to piggy back off my plan in some way. When you are starting out, keeping things simple is the way to go.

Nothing looks good to you here? Try revisiting week 1 of the sugar free challenge from last year. I have added links to alternate recipes there as well.

My February Week 1 Plan

Week 1 Breakfasts:

Faux-tmeal p. 32

Keto Oatmeal 5 variations

Chocolate muffins p. 33

Keto Double Chocolate Muffins

Thursday 2/1

Mouthwatering Italian Chicken p. 88 with zoodles or cabbage noodles

Tuscan Italian Chicken with Spinach

Friday 2/2

Beef Bourguignon p. 122

Keto Beef Stew

Saturday 2/3

Lunch: BBQ Cauli Rice Bowl p. 78

Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice add 1 cup of spinach and 1/2 an avocado

Dinner: Tuscan Salmon p. 156 with roasted asparagus

Creamy Tuscan Salmon

Sunday 2/4

Lunch: Jalapeno Popper Soup p. 59

Jalapeno Popper Soup

Dinner: Grilled Margarita Chicken p. 100

Grilled Chicken Margarita

Monday 2/5

Bacon Chicken Caesar Casserole p. 84

Tuesday 2/6

Cajun Pork Chops p. 133 with steamed broccoli

Wednesday 2/7

Roasted Greek Salmon p. 168 with green salad

Seize the opportunity to make February your healthiest month yet!

DISCLAIMER: This website is for informational purposes. I am not a health practitioner and no information should be construed as personal medical advice or diagnosis.

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