Feb
18
2014

Why Jessica Simpson Is An Unexpected Role Model

A Post-Baby Weight-Loss program that is actually realistic and do-able

Why Jessica Simpson Is An Unexpected Role Model

jessica simpson role model

Have you seen Jessica's Weight Watchers commercials? 

She's not exactly known for her vision or intellectual prowess. To be honest, I've enjoyed some giggles at Jessica Simpson's expense over the years. I mean, let's just review, shall we?

"Twenty-three is old. It's almost 25, which is like almost mid-20s."

"Sorry, I don't eat buffalo." (Her response when someone offered her buffalo wings.)
 
"Is this chicken, what I have, or is this fish? I know it's tuna, but it says 'Chicken of the Sea.' "
 
"Platypus? I thought it was pronounced platymapus. Has it always been pronounced platypus?" 
 
Ahhhh, good times. I mean, who knows whether it's true ditziness or a unique way to get media attention. The point is, silly old Jessica has never exactly been the role model type. 
 
And I've never exactly been the celebrity loving type, but I have to admit, I am impressed with Jessica Simpson. In a culture that expects women to be "skinny pregnant," with sculpted arms and legs and the perfect basketball belly, and then to look nineteen years old just weeks or months after giving birth, Jessica's baby weight journey has been real, honest, and healthy. 
 
 
Jessica was slammed in the media during her first pregnancy for gaining over 60 pounds. It happens! People gain a lot of weight in pregnancyI gained 50 in my firstbut it's not healthy, and it's not exactly a "fun project" to carve away at those extra pounds in baby's first couple of years. I can tell you that from personal experience. 
 
ThenBAMJessica was knocked up again! Barely recovered from her first and already expecting her second. She hasn't revealed her total weight gain in her second pregnancynot that it's anyone's businessbut she has admitted, "I didn't gain as much weight in my second pregnancy, but I still gained a lot of weight."
 
Big deal. Plenty of celebrities claim to have gained a ton of weight during pregnancy, but miraculously reappear, all bones and boobs, just weeks after delivery, so infuriatingly nonchalant . . . "what, I've lost weight? Oh, I hadn't really noticed."
 
Case in point: Heidi Klum modelling at the Victoria's Secret fashion show, five weeks postpartum. I cry for the pints of ice cream she should have been eating in the five weeks after giving birth. 

Since having her second baby, Jessica intimated: "Any woman dealing with their body after pregnancy, you look at yourself and you're like, 'What just happened to me?'" She admits she has lost about 50 pounds since giving birth. That's no small achievement. It's not Jessica's weight loss that gets my stamp of approval. It's her candidness. You and I, reader, we've had babies. We know losing the baby weight is not a walk in the park. Hearing a celebrity, especially a celebrity endorsing a diet product, admit what we know to be true is just so freaking refreshing.

Honesty? In Hollywood? Did hell freeze over? If only more celebs would be honest about the work that goes into maintaining those lean physiques. 

So, how has she lost those 50 pounds? That's the thing. There's not much to it. 

As the Weight Watchers spokesperson, Jessica claims she got started after baby with their two-week Simple Start program, which is smartphone-based and uses social badges, daily encouragement, and meal planning and tracking to help people get into a weight loss routine. It's no secret that celebrities don't necessarily use the products they endorse. Who knows whether Jessica actually downloaded the Simple Start app and used it, or whether the folks at Weight Watchers briefed her on it and set up a bunch of PR events. Regardless, what is she actually eating? 

Jessica revealed she eats five low-calorie, reduced-carbohydrate meals per day. For example:

Breakfast: Green smoothie consisting of grapes, pears, avocado, spinach, lime juice, and yogurt.
Mid-morning snack: Turkey with apple slices.
Lunch: “Brown smoothie” made with espresso, Stevia, whey protein powder, and chia seed powder.
Afternoon snack: Celery with a tablespoon of peanut butter.
Dinner: Grilled steak and spinach salad with extra-virgin olive oil dressing.
 
Pretty disciplined. But probably quite accurate. Loaded with veggies and protein, and light on carbohydrates. 
 
As for workouts, Jessica has been training with celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak for years now. His approach includes full-body circuit training with cardio intervals. Also not earth-shattering. She exercises a very doable 3-5 times per week. That actually sounds . . . human. 
 
Want to drop the baby weight like Jessica? This is one celeb program that is doable and legit: 
 
  •  First, if you are breastfeeding, be sure to eat to your appetite and consume no fewer than 1,800 calories per day (recommended by the International La Leche League for maintaining milk supply), plus drink plenty of fluids to stay well hydrated.
  •  Prioritize protein and healthy fats at every meal and snack, and try never to consume a carbohydrate source without combining it into a mini-meal or meal to avoid blood sugar spikes and crashes.
  •  Cut processed foods and simple carbohydrates, such as breads, bagels, pasta, white rice, cereal, fried foods, alcohol, juice, and (obviously, I hope) sweets and soda, to a bare minimum. This might mean limiting yourself to certain beloved treats on certain days of the week or occasions, like a bagel with lox at Sunday brunch, but eggs and veggies the other six days . . . perhaps no nighttime snacks on the average evening, but some popcorn for your Friday family movie. Don't obsess, just be honest about which foods should be daily fuel and which should be special experiences. 
  •  Perform full-body strength trainingeven 10-15 minute workouts are proven to be effective if done regularlymost days of the week, with cardio intervals built into your workout.
  •  Add daily activity to your routine by walking to drop your little one at daycare, walking to the grocery store, parking your car a bit further from your destination, adding a few sets of stairs into your office workday, doing meal prep and housework yourself, and playing actively with your little people.

Here are some workouts & recipes to get you started:

A great strategy for moms: low-carb lunches for fat loss.

High-protein breakfast on the go to help you avoid cravings & burn fat.

Big-batch soup for delicious, high-protein lunches and dinners. 

A 10-minute workout you can do at home before work or while your little ones play.

Design your own full-body home workout using these amazing exercise options.

 
Feb
05
2014

Muffin Tin Frittatas On The Go

A Meal In A Muffin Cup

Muffin Tin Frittatas On The Go

sundried-tomato-feta-muffin-tin-frittata

Breakfast is important. Your mom told you. Your teachers told you. The breakfast cereal people LOVE to tell you. The truth is, breakfast doesn't need to be inhaled the moment your feet hit the floor in the morning. Not everyone has an appetite immediately upon waking! If you are the six-small-meals-a-day type, you probably eat breakfast early. If you eat 2-3 solid meals that leave you full for several hours, you might not have breakfast until you've had a cup of coffee. Maybe you wait and eat breakfast until you're comfortably tucked into your cubicle. Sweaty Hubby prepares his breakfast every morning and eats it in his fortress of solitude at work, after he's worked up an appetite wrestling the kids through morning rituals and commuting on Toronto public transit. 

Metabolism doesn't fluctuate so wildly that you can't wait an hour or two to feed yourself in the morning, and waiting until you are actually hungry is simply responding positively to your body's cues. So stop feeling guilty if your face is not planted into a bowl of steel-cut oats at 5:45 a.m. every weekday. Do think ahead, however, and be ready for a nutritious meal when the moment strikes you!

A mommy's morning is hectic, and preparing something fresh, hot, and protein-packed every morning is not doable. And we all love a muffin, but turning a muffin into a complete meal to power you through your morning and keep you away from the pastries in the Starbucks case requires adding a lot of other components to that muffin meal . . . like protein. Fats. Fibre. OK, basically everything. And, chances are, you are supplementing your muffin with coffee, not eggs and spinach. 

Plus, eating eggs for breakfast has been proven to help you avoid cravings later in the day, and aid in weight loss.

Enough said.

Here is one of my go-to recipes to prepare on a Sunday, arming me with breakfasts on-the-go all week. Two of these delicious muffin tin frittatas plus a piece of fruit, and I'm good to get through my morning and my daily Belly Bootcamp class! The kids will have one with a side of yogurt and fruit (and a side of ketchup, if we're being honestwhatever gets the protein down). 

Check out the basic recipe at the end if you'd like to change the ingredients to your family's tastes. Ham + cheddar? Tomato + green onion? Broccoli + feta? Yum-o.

Sundried Tomato, Feta + Kale Muffin Tin Frittatas:

9 large eggs, beaten
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup feta, crumbled
1 tsp melted coconut oil or olive oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 head kale, leaves stripped from stems & chopped
2-3 tbsp sundried tomatoes, chopped
salt & pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and brush muffin cups with olive oil or melted coconut oil (do not skimp on oilfats will keep you full and prevent your frittatas from sticking in the most frustrating way!). 

 Saute kale until condensed; cool slightly.

 Whisk eggs, milk, oil, baking powder, and oregano.

 Divide kale, feta, and sundried tomatoes evenly among muffin cups; top with egg mixture.

 Bake 15-20 minutes until golden on top. Frittatas will puff up, but shrink back down upon cooling. 

 Cool in pan 5 minutes, then remove and finish cooling on wire rack. Enjoy!

(yields 12)

Get the basic recipe here and add your own fave meats and veggies!

For more healthy, kid-friendly breakfast ideas, click here!