Tag: empath eating

Yeah but whadda YOU do?! 

I get that question from folks all the time, in person & online, when asked to give advice about getting in shape, protecting energy, & preventing self sabotage. 

I lay out a really simple, low-maintenance approach. It’s true — I don’t put much effort into all this health & fitness stuff. What I do, I do week-in, week-out, though. And it all starts with self awareness, self love, & frankly, not giving a f*ck what other people think or do.

So yes, over several decades, I have put in A TON of effort in total. It’s taken over 10 years to build the body y’all see today. But day-to-day, not so much. BECAUSE I’ve made it a lifestyle. I eat plenty of food (around 2000 cal/d on avg) & still enjoy occasional social alcohol in moderation.

I want you to look & feel fabulous as you get older, too, so strap yourself in for a typical, really low-maintenance week for me (that you can copy or use as inspiration) that helps me stay lean & healthy as an empath at 40.

I Train for 5 Hours a Week, Tops

“Ah but you’re a nutritionist & single & have no kids, you can work out all the time if you want to?!”

Yeah, I could…but why the f*ck would I want to?

I’ve been working out for 30 years — believe me, the novelty wore off long ago. Nowadays, workouts are like vacuuming for me — a necessary thing I need to get done so things don’t get messy & I feel my best. We all wanna look good nekkid too!

I workout out for 4-5 sessions of 40–60 mins a week [depends if I get side-tracked by that work thing or extracurricular activities between sessions 🙂 ] Every muscle group gets hit with a wee dose of damage because I am too damn old to waddle around for days after some hardcore leg day or CrossFit workout. Upper body push/pull days & lower body glute/leg splits. Schedule varies with work schedule. (Routines, guides, & resources in link in IG bio)

I Walk 15k Steps/d As A Target

Walking Is a True Health Hack. I have no desire to run at a medium pace for an hour or do hours of CrossFit WOD’s a day anymore, messing up my joints & hormones. If I need to get somewhere 5 miles away, I’ll drive. Thanks.

But I do plenty of brisk walking — 15k steps per day is my target. This has enormous payoffs on several levels:

• Low-impact stamina-building.
• Vitamin D for hormonal balance cuz I walk outside in the sun.
• Clears my head & energy like nothing else does.
• Torches tons of calories per week.

Takeaway for You

If you hate a particular exercise, please don’t force yourself to do it — there’s more than one way to skin a cat.

Walking is fantastic. Also, I have no idea how many calories cat skinning burns <opens Google>.

I Take & Use a Few Things To Thrive

You can easily find yourself taking handfuls of pills & powders daily because you think they’ll magically solve all your problems. They won’t if you don’t have your foundational success routine in place first. If you’re eating a varied & healthy diet (for YOU) & exercising, you don’t need to supplement with much at all.

There are a few things I take & use that help me thrive. You can find these along with discount codes in the link in my IG bio & highlights.

Complete Biohacking guide here!

• Nuethix Cort-Eaze for hormonal balance, cortisol control, & sleep. Nuethix Products discount code: lilbitoffit

• Nuethix Medipure DS & Gourmet Greens for multivitamin support & detox support

• Nuethix Utilyze digestive enzymes prior to meals for better digestion & absorption

• Nuethix GDA-Max before large meals &/or meals with carbs for better digestion, blood sugar control, & nutrient partitioning

• EMR-TEK Red Light Therapy & Blue Block Glasses – discount code: lilbitoffit20

• Infrared sauna – got mine off Amazon

Takeaway for You

If you’re taking tons of shit, do an audit & ask yourself, “What happens if I stop taking this?” If the answer is “nothing,” then save your $$

I Eat 2 Meals & Nothing I Don’t Like

I want to maintain my weight while eating enough to build a wee bit more muscle if I can. This means I aim to eat at my maintenance level in total each week. Use the TDEEcalculator.net to find yours.

I do what works for me, which is a form of intermittent fasting every day in windows that suit my work & social schedule.

• coffee & plenty of water + Ultima Replenisher electrolytes
• a big breakfast of protein & healthy fats after my walk or workout in the morning
• a smaller meaty meal mid-late afternoon
• fast overnight until the next day usually 12-18 hrs. No snacking
• throw in occasional a large OMAD (one meal a day) on days I work a 1st shift & then a 3rd shift or if I’m just not as hungry

I don’t eat kale — it’s gross. I don’t eat veggies, fruit or fiber because I can’t break them down due to my Crohn’s disease (my whole story is documented in the link in my IG bio & highlights). Carbs & sugar I have a really shitty relationship with so I abstain. I don’t eat any food “because it’s healthy”, I eat what healthy food I like because I like it.

Takeaway for You

Start with the healthy foods you like. Base meals on those. Keep protein high for muscle retention & satiety. Avoid trigger foods, sugar, & junk.

My Weekends Are Never A Shit Show

You could get in great shape if you gave up sugar, alcohol, & junk food & ate only grilled chicken & broccoli for meals for 12 weeks straight. But you’d also hate life & everyone around you, & after 12 weeks, you would probably binge off the rails.

80-90% for Health. 20-10% for Flexibility

Instead of quick fix, masochistic approaches to dieting, we can lose body fat & stay lean intentionally managing calories & eating healthy foods the majority of the time, say Monday to Friday, or 80-90% of the time, meaning things like:

• High protein breakfasts (eggs, bacon, sausage, etc)
• High protein lunches/dinner (meat, seafood, eggs, etc)
• No-minimal sugar & snacks between meals (2-3 meals/day)
• Intermittent fasting overnight (12-16+ hours) Do what works for you as far as eating windows.
• Use carbs (fruit, veggies, oats, rice, etc) intentionally. Typically the more active, the more you tolerate. If they cause issues mentally & physically, you may do better abstaining.
• If you like weekend/social flexibility, use wisely.

Takeaway for You

Controlling your weight long term: control portions & eat your protein. Remind yourself what makes you feel your best mentally & physically.

Health & Fitness Tips As An Empath

Tips that have helped me to eat well, stay fit, & release negativity before self sabotaging & over eating:

• Minimize Sugar & Processed Food As Much As Possible: Although you may crave carbs & sugar (as well as alcohol), they will destabilize you mentally & physically. This makes you more susceptible to absorbing unwanted energy & self sabotaging. These kinds of hyperpalatable foods are like drugs, leaving you wanting more.

• Prioritize Protein: Protein stabilizes everyone. It gives a sense of grounding & satiation. Get protein at every meal, at least 30g. Big reason many food addicts thrive, lose weight, & heal on carnivore.

• Rest: Sleep. Solitude is your best friend to energetically rest & reset. Go take a restorative walk in nature.

• Eat Alone & Mindfully: most of us empaths need to avoid outside energy & distractions when eating. It allows us to have full presence, chew thoroughly & savor our food which helps us feel true hunger & satiety cues. This aids in avoiding over eating & thus weight gain.

• Manage Your Emotions, Time, & Energy: Managing your emotions actually frees up the energy you’re spending on things that do not serve you. Emotions are messengers. They alert you to boundaries being crossed. If you’re like I was, that is what made me want to stuff my face with donuts, cookies, cake, chips, cereal, crackers, & ice cream & then throw it up. I was suppressing emotions & giving my time & energy to everyone else. UNTIL I realized that self loathing & sabotaging behavior meant staying sick, broke, & lonely AF.

• Move Your Body: Walk, go to the gym, get out in the sunlight, connect with friends. We cope with stress, including loneliness, by using dopamine-triggering substances & behaviors as a means of avoiding painful emotions & self-awareness. But if we make a commitment to living a kick-ass life, then moving the body will get the dopamine flowing, reconnecting us to what we truly enjoy, like our friends & families. I will reiterate again, walking is a GODsend. If in doubt, go walk!

Final Thoughts

Most of adult life isn’t about finding new answers, but unravelling the web of misinformation we pick up over the years.

Here’s the truth about exercise & eating well — it’s a lot simpler than it sounds. The more you eat well & exercise, the stronger you’ll get, the better you’ll feel, and, the more you’ll enjoy it. Then it becomes you & your lifestyle.

When people ask my fitness regimen & I respond with “I workout 4-5x per week for 45-60 minutes & walk 15k steps per day.”…I get, “I could NEVER find time for that!” or “How long do you have to do this for? Are you losing fat or on a diet?”

I shake my damn head. Because, society has programmed us that exercise & eating healthy are short-term things to lose weight for an event or to fit into clothes – not a LIFESTYLE.

Like reps & weight, they’re merely tools to build a fulfilling life. On their own, they’re meaningless. I started counting intentional moments & habits. I no longer log hours of workouts a day, binge & restrict food from a place of self loathing, or find myself obsessed with chasing a smaller body. You can’t live a BIG life chasing a SMALL body on an EMPTY tank & TIRED soul.

oxox Coach K