Plant Based Nutrition Blog at Kelly Athletics LLC

Posted on August 28, 2017August 4, 2022 by Kelly Gibson

How Do I Get Rid of Sugar Cravings?

Getting to the Bottom of This Common Craving

Find out if you have the hidden condition that causes sugar cravings and endless health problems. Get answers to your questions "Why do I have sugar cravings?" and "How Do I get Rid of Sugar Cravings?" with a vegan candida diet. The health issue I am going to talk about today is the leading cause of sugar cravings.

how-do-i-get-rid-of-sugar-cravings — Do you have sugar cravings? Read this blog to find out why!

Here is a list of symptoms that you may have this condition:

·         Nail fungus or athlete’s foot
·         Craving alcohol or sugar
·         Bloating, constipation, diarrhea, IBS, gas, leaky gut, or other digestive issues
·         Having an autoimmune disease
·         Having symptoms of ADHD/ADD
·         brain fog upon waking up
·         poor memory
·         irritability, mood swings, anxiety, depression
·         seborrheic dermatitis, eczema, skin rashes
·         vaginal or prostate infections; itching
·         severe skin allergies to fabrics, seasonal allergies
·         hormone imbalances
·         thrush

brain-fog-foggy-mind-candida-albicans-vegans-looking-for-a-cure-vegan-diet-plant-based-solution — *Do you have brain fog? This might be why. Click the article to read the #1 reason why people get foggy brains in the morning. #brainfog #symptoms*

If any of those symptoms apply to you, then you might be suffering from Candida Yeast Overgrowth! That's right, Candida Albicans is a naturally occurring yeast in the human body - not just for women, but men, too. You may think of Candida as a female problem, but yeast infections are only one of the many attributes of Candida Yeast Overgrowth. It’s a good idea to try a candida elimination diet if you have symptoms. Here are some risk factors that can lead to this nasty condition:

·         being treated with antibiotics on multiple occasions, or long-term use of antibiotics
·         consuming dairy products or meats derived from animals treated with antibiotics
·         eating a high-sugar diet or highly processed carbohydrates
·         having a high stress lifestyle
·         taking oral contraceptives
·         binge drinking or regular alcohol consumption
·         being exposed to molds or chemicals
·         consuming toxic metals like Mercury, food chemicals like MSG, or tap water.

Dieting for Candida isn’t something that people typically talk about, and is not something that medical doctors typically will test for either. It might be something for you to bring up to your doctor and ask for testing. Before you follow through with testing, there is a questionnaire you can take to see how likely it is that you do in fact have Candida Albicans.

Most of the information you find online about candida elimination base their foods around meats, poultry, fish, eggs, and even supplements not suitable for vegans or vegetarians. Unfortunately, vegans are given the least flexibility with Candida Elimination diets because we don’t eat animal products and most of us base our meals around starches or fruits, which can give yeast an environment to thrive. So, I’ve decided to put some time into sharing my experience with candida elimination on a plant-based diet. I’ve broken the vegan candida diet / plant-based candida diet into a few phases. If you've been wondering how do I get rid of sugar cravings, then here is how.

First, kill off as much candida as possible within the first week on the diet. The initial phase of this diet is a Candida Cleanse. It includes meals based upon whole grains, nuts, seeds, vegetables, legumes, and low-sugar fruit. The first week can feel terrible, as there are Candida die-off symptoms (known as the Herxheimer reaction). As miserable as it may feel in the beginning, the more symptoms you experience, the more likely you are actually making progress with eliminating candida.

herxheimer-reaction-candida-albicans-dieoff-die-off-vegan-plant-based-diet-nutrition-tips-help — Do you have unexplained joint pain? It might be caused by the #hexheimer reaction. Click to read more.

Here is a list of Herxheimer Reaction symptoms:

·         Nausea or vomiting
·         Headache, fatigue, dizziness,
·         Swollen glands
·         Increased joint or muscle pain
·         Elevated heart rate (tachycardia)
·         irregular heart beats (heart palpitations)
·         sweating, fever, or chills
·         sinus infections
·         hypotension
·         anxiety

Surprisingly, a major sign of die-off is worsening symptoms of your typical candida overgrowth:

stronger sugar cravings
skin rashes or lesions
digestive issues
vaginal or prostate infections

It can be tricky to tell whether or not you are making progress or getting worse, because everyone has different symptoms. The good news is, I can help! Contact me for Nutrition Coaching or stay updated with my blog and you could find more info on a candida elimination cleanse, recipes for fighting candida, and more information on how to combat Candida Albicans while maintaining a plant-based diet for optimal health.

Written by Kelly Gibson

*Disclaimer: I am not a licensed medical professional and am not diagnosing, prescribing a diet, or claiming to treat any illnesses. See my Terms and Conditions for more info.

Need Help Fighting Candida? Contact Me for More Info on the Candida Diet!

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Certified Nutrition Coach & NASM Personal Trainer

Personal Trainer in Pittsburgh PA | Local to Ross Township, West View Borough, Franklin Park PA, Wexford PA, Coraopolis PA, Robinson Township, Kennedy Township, McCandless PA, Allison Park PA, Shaler Township, Hampton Township, Glenshaw PA, Cranberry Township

Posted on July 20, 2017August 4, 2022 by Kelly Gibson

5 Easy Ways to Be Accountable Like Never Before

5 Easy Ways to Be Accountable to Your Workouts

Like Never Before

5-easy-ways-to-be-accountable-accountability-stay — *5 EASY ways to be accountable. Little effort to plan, Lots of results! #accountable #beaccountable #accountability #stayaccountable*

You may have been hitting the gym day in and day out for a few months, but then all of a sudden something came up and you stopped going. It's not for a lack of motivation, but life keeps getting in the way and you're not satisfied with the way you look. Even if you feel like you are eating healthy, but you're not tracking your food into myfitnesspal. You might think about doing a workout and might even have a workout plan ready to go, but you don’t have time to workout. Sometimes you want to, and you're motivated internally, but externally you can't seem to make it happen. The result? Your jeans are getting snug. The reality is that without having easy ways to be accountable, it's hard to get around to your workouts.

Before you find yourself in the fitting room trying on a bigger pant size, make a commitment. To get the results you are so desperate to find, you have to work on both your nutrition and exercise. It's a hard reality to face, but even a little bit of gradual change per week can make huge changes in your body fat. You could be exercising to your best ability, but eating back your calories. Or you could be eating a totally healthy diet, but your metabolism isn’t working hard enough to burn fat because you are sedentary.

If you're not doing your workouts consistently, or eating within your calorie budget, you are sacrificing your metabolism. To put it in perspective, your resting metabolic rate (RMR) accounts for 70% of your total energy expenditure (TEE) for the day. The thermic effect of food (TEF) accounts for 6-10% of your TEE - this is the energy you use to process & digest food. The other 20% of your TEE depends on your physical activity level. Roughtly 20% of your weight is dependent on exercise and 70% of your weight is dependent on your diet, leaving about 10% depending somewhat on genetics, medication, age, and/or other factors.

Losing weight is NOT easy. Staying fit is NOT easy. But staying accountable to your workouts is NOT easy either. You'll constantly be disappointed in your health if you don't act now. It is important for my Personal Training clients to eat properly during an exercise program. And I stress to my Nutrition clients that they need to stay on top of their workouts. It is a two-way street and you can't accomplish much unless you focus on both. So you're probably not sure what you need to do to be accountable to your workouts and diet. That's why I put together these lists.

Top 3 Ways to Fail at Being Accountable

Rely on a Friend to Be Your Diet & Workout Buddy. You might think having a new workout partner is the next best thing to date night. Chances are, your friend is on her own journey and doesn't have the expertise to be anymore accountable than you are. In fact, I find that when people are self-reliant they are more likely to succeed than the ones who rely on a friend to show up to the workouts with them. When your friend fails, you fail. Do not fall dependent upon someone else to keep you accountable to your weight loss plan. (Read on for a better solution.)
Prioritize your Work and Social Life over your Fitness. It sure is easy to say YES when someone invites you to a dinner date. It's almost impossible to say NO when your boss requests a lunch meeting at the least healthy chain restaurant in town. Remember - no matter what happens in the world around you, your health is #1. If you want to go out to dinner, plan ahead on what to order before your appetite chooses for you. If you have a mandatory lunch, bring your own food or eat an early lunch only leaving room for the side salad at your meeting. A work meeting is about work and food is secondary.
Overbook yourself with Extracurricular Activities. Whether its for your kids, school, or for fun it doesn't take much to have too much on your plate. Three hours of extra activities per week could mean three less hours of exercise if you put them first. Not to mention all the driving time it takes to commit to other activities, you might even forget to pack a meal and stop for fast food on an empty tummy.

accountability-to-your-workouts-personaltrainer-online-fitness — *Accountability is the Glue that sticks your goal to your mind. #mindful #accountable*

5 Easy Ways to Be Accountable to Your Workouts and Diet

Join a Group: Is working out and dieting alone not something you are comfortable with? Find a social group that isn't going to bail on you. A good example would be Weight Watchers or a group fitness class at a popular gym. By choosing one of these well-known environments with larger groups, chances are slim that the entire class will bail. Even if your instructor for the day calls in sick, there's a good chance someone can fill in for her. With this type of no-excuse policy, you can stay accountable to your diet and exercise plan no matter what!
Hire a Coach: Many people think hiring a Personal Trainer is the answer to being accountable. In many cases this is true, but if your Personal Trainer is not a Certified Coach in Nutrition or Wellness, they might have no formal education in coaching. It's tough to be accountable to your workouts when showing up is a recurring issue.
Schedule it in: Having a generic plan in mind like "I'm going to work out 5 times this week" is not a clear enough plan to stay accountable. Be very specific and intentional about scheduling in your workouts and meal prep. Schedule things at the same time each day and every week to keep it consistent and develop a habit. Example: Workouts - Daily at 7:15-7:45pm, Morning Meal Prep - Tues Thurs 6-6:20am.
Set multiple reminders: Reminders, reminders, reminders. Set your reminders EVERY single day, MANY times a day, in MANY ways. For some people, post-its do the trick. For others, alarms. In some instances, an email or web browser pop-up would help you remember things better. This isn't to say that we only skip our workouts because we "forget". However, having a constant reminder certainly helps keep us on track. You can make the workouts, meal prep, grocery shopping, and food tracking much more of a priority with a daily reminder.
Put a reward system in place: Chances are, if you're on a new diet or exercise plan, you don't have intrinsic motivation to stick to the plan (i.e. enjoying how it feels to be healthy). Most people seek external rewards for doing the things they don't particularly enjoy but feel like they have to do anyway. Extrinsic motivation for going to your day-to-day job would be earning money. If you didn't earn money and didn't like your job, you probably would stop going. A similar concept applies for eating healthy and exercising. You may need to reward yourself with something immediately after finishing your workout or eating a healthy meal to feel good about it. An extrinsic reward for healthy habits would be putting money in a jar for a vacation, going to a spa, going to a music concert, or simply relaxing in front of the TV.

Posted on July 18, 2017August 4, 2022 by Kelly Gibson

Three Slimming Vegan Recipes

Check out our top 3 Slimming Vegan Recipes:

Raw Broccoli Soup

3-4 large broccoli florets
2-3 large cloves of garlic
1/2-3/4 cup of almonds
1/8-1/4 cup water
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: In a vitamix or food processor, add the almonds with 1/8 cup water to make a “milk”. Then add the garlic cloves and blend til completely smooth. Chop broccoli into smaller chunks so they will blend well in the vitamix. Add broccoli to almond milk mixture. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. Add water as needed to desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!!

Mean Green Juice

Mean Green Juice by Kelly Gibson

3 leaves organic swiss chard
1 cucumber or green apple
1/2 lemon (if using cucumber)

Instructions: Make sure you have a juice extractor! Step 1: Slice the cucumber in half so that it fits nicely into the juicer 🙂 You can fit the swiss chard in the juicer without slicing it at all, but you may want to break the leaves into smaller pieces first. Step 2: Place the swiss chard leaf in the juicer, with the red stem first. Then, juice the cucumber. If you are not a fan of cucumbers, try juicing a green apple instead! There’s nothing like the fresh taste of green apple juice 😉 If this doesn’t look beautiful and green, I don’t know what does! Step 3: Now squeeze 1/2 a lemon right into the foam atop the juice for a tart added flavor. (Skip the lemon if you are making apple juice).

Three-ingredient cocoa balls

Next time you think about reaching for a chocolate bar, stop! Make this simple protein and magnesium-rich snack instead!

2T cocoa powder
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup dried pitted dates

Instructions: Use a food processor to mix all of the ingredients together, then shape into cookie balls. Optional: Roll in coconut flakes for extra flavor. No baking required.

For more slimming vegan recipes, please visit my blog where you'll find nutrition and fitness tips. If you're thinking about trying my slimming vegan recipes plans, request more information!