Always Eat After 7PM: Week Four & Final Thoughts

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Today is the day - I am sharing my final thoughts on Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule - Breaking Diet That Let's You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts and Indulgent Snacks - While Burning Fat Overnight. Long title, but kind of gives you everything you need to know in a nutshell.

If you are just popping in now, Always Eat After 7PM is the newest book by best selling author and fitness expert Joel Marion. A few weeks ago I decided to give it a try. Here's a look at the last few weeks and my experience so far:

Week 1: Book Intro + What I'm Looking to Accomplish

Week 2: Why I Love It So Far + Author Interview

Week 3: Results Update + Recipes I Love

WEEK 4 & FINAL THOUGHTS

I didn't really know what to expect when I started to read Always Eat After 7PM a few weeks ago. With three kids at home, quarantine, and a move I didn't think I would fully be able to keep up with a new health plan. But, I was pleasantly surprised. Not only was was the Always Eat After 7PM phase method easy to follow, it was non-restrictive. 

I didn't have to limit myself or do any big restrictions. I liked that I was able to eat all the things I normally eat, just with a little alteration. And by alteration, I really just mean timing. This quote was one of my biggest take aways from the book...

It made me realize that some of the eating habits I had learned in life were really just myths. And following the path of those myths could be detrimental. Marion goes into some of what the negative side effects are, but thinning hair, faster aging, drier skin, fatigue - just to name a few. No thank you!

I've had tons of more energy, and even though I haven't weighed myself, I've noticed my clothes are fitting a little looser. I don't feel that major crash I used to mid-afternoon in energy, and I seem to sleep a little better at night too.

Fruit Tart Recipe via Always Eat After 7PM

I've loved giving some new recipes a try and I feel as though the eating habits are easy to maintain with little to no thought.

It was a quick and interesting read. It's also one I would definitely recommend if you are looking to change your health habits some or are looking for a boost in your daily energy.

WHAT'S NEXT 

I've followed the Always Eat After 7PM routine pretty closely and have loved the results. I might focus a little harder on it this next month and repeat the 14 Day Acceleration phase, and document it a little more to see what the fat burning and weight loss benefits are.

Joel Marion also has a line of supplements that compliment the Always Eat After 7PM routine that I want to try. The BioTrust line seems easy to incorporate into the recipes or my normal eating habits and there are multiple ways to utilize them. I'll give it a whirl and report back.

Learn more about Always Eat After 7PM and grab your own copy here. 

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This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Always Eat After 7PM : Week 3 & Yummy Recipes

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Over the last few weeks I've been chatting about my experience with Joel Marion's new book Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks - While Burning Fat Overnight. Today I thought I would give a quick update of some of the results I've been experiencing, and some of the yummy goodness that I found inside the pages.

Here's a quick peek at my journey so far:

Week 1: Book Intro + What I'm Looking to Accomplish 

Week 2: Why I Love It So Far + Author Interview

WEEK 3 UPDATE

To be transparent I am actually well into my fourth week, but in light of what is going on in the world, I needed time to reflect on my thoughts outside of building the healthy lifestyle that I am trying to achieve. 

When offered the chance to give the Always Eat After 7PM method a try, my goal was to try to do something to boost my energy. I just felt "blah" daily. And tired. Always tired. Being a parent to three young kids, I get that comes with the territory. But, I'd at least like to try to keep up in the marathon that is parenthood, and hopefully go into each day not feeling completely deflated by 2pm. 

Overall I've definitely noticed a boost in my energy levels. Surprisingly so. This was perfect timing in terms of putting a move right in the middle of this experiment, but feeling fueled enough to handle that and every day life has felt like a blessing. 

I also have noticed I'm not as ravenous when I wake up or suddenly have major sugar cravings in the afternoon. Those things seemed to have evened out. If anything the thing I am craving most is salsa. Like a spoonful of salsa. Don't ask me why. I haven't questioned it because well - it's salsa.  

I did not weigh myself at the start of this, nor did I take any "before" shots. So I can't give any concrete evidence to the weight loss. It wasn't my ultimate goal so I didn't really think to record anything about it. But I've noticed my clothes are fitting looser, and I feel less bloated at the end of the day. I wish I had thought to track this for you guys - especially if you are looking to learn more about the fat burning/weight loss aspects of Always Eat After 7PM. But going off of how I feel - it works. 

YUMMY RECIPES

If you take anything away from this book, let it be these two things: 

1: The ideas of never eating late in the day, and carbs are bad - throw those two thoughts right out the window. Joel Marion proves with science based facts multiple times these are just myths. 

“Avoiding carbohydrates and restricting calories later in the day can have an adverse effect on your thyroid hormones, which play a major role in metabolism. When the thyroid fails to secrete enough of the hormones that control metabolism, this can trigger symptoms like fatigue, depression, weight gain, thinning hair, and dry skin.”

2: Eating doesn't have to be restrictive in order to be healthy, and he proves that too. With multiple yummy recipes. 

I was pleasantly surprised when I got to the recipe section of Always Eat After 7PM. Not only does Joel share a ton of great meal planning ideas, he also has a variety of delicious recipes that are designed to help you reach your health goal - whatever that may look like for you. 

From dinner to dessert, there are a ton of yummy options to choose from, and  - most importantly - taste as good as they look. My family already has a few favorites that I have a feeling will be added to our weekly meal rotation no matter what. 

I mean, hello Chili Baked Potato...

Listen, any health routine that includes potatoes - I'm in! 

Each recipe is easy to follow (thank you!!), and includes tips, helpful modifications, and nutritional information so that you can easily factor in your daily health calculations (super helpful - especially if weight loss is your ultimate goal). 

The book has over 70 recipes total but in addition to these our favorites so far are the Ground Beef Lasangna, Bacon & Onion Egg Muffins, and No Bake Caramel Bars (holy yum!!). We have a few new ones to try this week, and can't wait! 

Stay tuned - I plan to share my final thoughts tomorrow! 

Learn more about Always Eat After 7PM and where to purchase here. 

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This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed above are my own.

Always Eat After 7PM: Week Two Check In

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Whew...now more than ever I feel like I need to be physically at my best. 2020 has been a source of mental and emotional exhaustion on many levels, and having the energy to combat it all physically feels like a necessity right now. A few weeks ago, I decided to read Always Eat After 7PM: The Revolutionary Rule Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks - While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion. I didn't realize then what great timing it would have entering my life.

WEEK TWO CHECK IN

You can read about a little bit about the book, the philosophy behind it, and why I decided to give it a go here. Today, I wanted to give a quick check in and share some highlights as to what I've read so far in case you are thinking of doing something similar, or are looking to change up your health routine.

Between packing, moving, keeping up with the kids, and the daily stressors/unknowns that are going on in our world right now - having a boost in energy and more physical strength has been quite literally a life savor.

The philosophy behind Always Eat After 7PM is basically to teach you how to look past all the diet myths you've learned over time, and rewire your eating habits to let your body work for you. Marion uses science based facts to show that eating the bulk of your calories later in the day is actually better for you. His plan is non-restrictive, and eliminates 90% of reasons for resistance. I was a little skeptical because all my life I've heard, "Don't eat late!", but this quote really made me stop and think...

“Late-night eating also curbs calorie intake the next day. In a four-week study, dieters added a snack to their daily regimen 90 minutes after dinner every night, and check this out: late-night eaters ate an average of 397 fewer calories per day.”

So, I threw out that myth and gave Always Eat After 7PM a whirl. I figured if it wasn't going to work, I would notice right away.

Personally, I've found it super easy to follow, and haven't felt restricted in the least. I've been able to sneak a workout in here and there, but with moving the last few weeks have left little free time for my usual at-home workouts. Any changes I've noticed in the last few weeks I've attributed to following the Always Eat After 7PM plan. It's been interesting to see (feel?). I'll share more results soon, but so far I'm loving the increase in energy I seem to have.

MEET JOEL MARION & A QUICK INTERVIEW

I thought it would be fun to introduce you a little more to best selling author and fitness expert Joel Marion - as well as share this quick interview from him. I'm the kind of person who likes to do a lot of research before diving into something new, so I thought this might help a few of you if you are thinking you need a little lifestyle change somehow too. 

Q1: What inspired you to write the book?

After authoring 6 best selling books it was glaringly obvious there were 2 huge misconceptions about dieting that needed to be exposed. The first is that you can't eat late at night or before bed, which science now shows is NOT true. And second, you can't eat large portions that satisfy your natural instinct. This book solves both these problems by providing an evidence-based, enjoyable approach to dieting that can be used by any person to quickly achieve their weight loss goals.

 Q2: How long did it take for you to develop the diet?

It actually took several years of researching for me to discover the real science of eating late night. After a few years of tweaking and refining, I finally came up with a rapid fat loss solution that overcomes all the pitfalls of traditional diets.

Q3: What was the most surprising discovery when you were researching scientific data for the diet?

That almost everything my college education and certifications taught me was NOT grounded in published scientific research.

Q4: You’re a six-time best selling author, what is different about this book compared to your others?

Although many of the concepts are similar, the biggest difference is that you don't have to deprive yourself of your favorite foods. You don't have to deal with the burden of eating every few hours. And you don't have to skip the carbs at dinnertime or avoid eating before bed.

 Q5: How difficult is the Always Eat After 7 PM plan to follow?

It's not. And that's exactly why I wrote the book. While any diet is never truly easy, it can be more enjoyable and much easier to adhere to when you understand how Always Eat After 7pm works because it caters to our bodies natural instincts.

Q6: If you had to describe yourself in three words, what would they be?

Born To Impact

Learn more about Always Eat After 7PM and where to purchase here. 

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This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed above are my own.

Always Eat After 7PM

This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Whew...I'm tired. Physically. Emotionally. Mentally. Just plain tired. Between moving, keeping up with the kids, and just every day life - I've become so exhausted it's a struggle sometimes to keep my eyes open past noon some days. Because I'm tired I've slipped into some bad habits - both eating and with my exercise routine. Recently it's really bothered me so I've decided to look into different ways to boost my energy levels and change up my routine - for the better. 

When we were given the opportunity to receive an advanced copy of Joel Marion's new book Always Eat After 7PM, I was intrigued. I love the premise behind the book. He chats about breaking typical diet myths (who makes up all these rules anyway?!),  and making healthy choices that don't seem restrictive. The goal is to create habits and long term changes that become part of your everyday lifestyle. That sounds like exactly what I am looking for. 

Here's a quick introduction from Joel Marion that really kind of spoke to me...

I appreciate that he's "walked the walk", and is coming from a place of his own personal experience. By breaking the rules and using science as his accountability partner, he was able to lose 12 pounds in the first two weeks, and almost pounds by week 16! I've always heard that "don't eat after 7PM rule, but scientific research is now showing that isn't really accurate - and Marion's personal experience is proof. Plus, he's pro-dessert, and I'm so here for that. 

The overall plan consists of three phases: a 14 day accelerated phase to kick the program off and see the rapid results he speaks about, the main phase where you learn about what foods to eat in order to lose weight, gain muscle, and build energy (bonus: he also shares some great recipes!), and the final Lifestyle phase where you build your plan to maintain all of your hard work. 

Always Eat After 7 PM: The Revolutionary Rule-Breaking Diet That Lets You Enjoy Huge Dinners, Desserts, and Indulgent Snacks—While Burning Fat Overnight by Joel Marion is now available to purchase. 

I'm excited to dig in more and give it a go. I've decided to take you along on the journey in case you are looking into doing something similar or are just looking to make some tweaks to your current routine and want to see what other options are out there. I'll share more over the next few weeks - so stay tuned!  If you want to go ahead and join me, you can learn more about the book and purchase here. 

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This post is brought to you by our sponsor, “Always Eat After 7 PM”. The opinions expressed below are my own.

Best At Home Work Out Resources (for Adults & Kids!)

Whew! Well this week has been a doozy. We are pretty sure if you asked us a few weeks ago if we thought kids would be out of school for weeks (months?) on end, businesses would close down, grocery stores would resemble something from the Hunger Games, and toilet paper would be the hottest commodity of 2020, we would have laughed and laughed at you.

But, thanks to Coronavirus-pacalypse times have a changed.

We have tried to keep the very best attitude about it all. And for the most part we have succeeded. Luckily, our kids seem pretty ignorant to what is going on in the world, and their concerns are mostly limited to...

"Why am I home, and still have to do work?"

"Why can't I play with my friends?"

"Why can't I go to Target/Starbucks/soccer/cheer/Taco Restaurant?"

and, my personal favorite, "What do you mean I can't have another snack?!!!!"

Carrie Beth shared on Monday her homeschool daily schedule, and we realized having some sort of routine is what is going to make us all survive this Coronavirus Quarantine party none of us wanted the invite to. But remembering to also throw in a little self-care into the mix for our mental health is also a great idea.

We have some great suggestions from Book Club for reading, but with our gyms now closed as well, we did some research on great at-home work outs. Here are some great ones we found for the whole family. Some we've already given a try - and love!

(And since we are already wearing our sweat pants all day every day, it can't hurt to throw in 20 mins of exercise a day, right?)

• Peloton App - Free for 90 days! Okay, we thought this was just to use with a Peloton bike. It's not. It has tons of great workouts - yoga, strength training, running, etc. 
• Pure Barre Go - Free 30-45min workouts streamed  Live on Facebook (but can watch/participate anytime). No equipment needed. 
• Zumba for Kids - Free Zumba mini-lessons geared towards kids, but great cardio moves for adults too. We did this together and it was so fun! 
• Bulldog Online - Free yoga classes for 60 days with code EXTEND60. 
• Fitness Blender on YouTube - Free and SO GOOD! This was a reader suggestion, and we can't believe it wasn't in our life before now. Hundreds of videos for all skill levels as well as time frames. There is a fun kids workout available too! 
• Blogilates - Free! Great pilates workouts ranging in short and long workouts. Super fun, and easy to do from home. 
• Core Power Yoga - Free yoga workouts. 
• Maggie Brinkley Workouts - 15 minute, equipment free workouts. Free on Amazon Prime video if a member or sign-up for a 30-day free trial. Also there are rent/purchase options as well. 
• Beach Body on Demand - This was a reader suggestion. 1,100+ videos to choose from, but with monthly membership. 
• GymPass - Free for 60 days. Beyond workouts they have meal plans and mental health support. 
• Go Noodle for Kids - Great free movement classes for kids! Our school uses these for "brain breaks", but the kids have loved doing them at home. 

We would love more suggestions! If there are any that you do at-home and love, share with us! We will update this list as we find and try more! 

Stay healthy friends! 

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Easy Healthy Eating with Whole Foods Market 365

Thank you Whole Foods Market 365 for sponsoring this post.  All thoughts, ideas and opinions are our own. 

We've almost made it to the end of January and we are happy to report that our New Year's healthy living goals are still going strong. We've coming close to our goal of moving every day, eating better, and drinking lots of water (to go along with our wine)! ;-)

We love when stores make it easy for busy moms like us. We were recently introduced to the new Whole Foods Market 365 and absolutely love the concept!

It's an evolution of Whole Foods Market that everyone knows and loves.  They still focus on the same quality and great customer service, but in an easy shopping experience where you can get in and out quickly while still finding everything on your list. Another bonus is that Whole Foods Market 365 has  great items at lower prices!

The store layout is open and easy to navigate making shopping a breeze and actually enjoyable. From fresh produce to bakery items, they have it all.  Our very favorite thing they offer are all of their pre-made meals and snack options.

Neither of us really love to cook and more importantly, with three kids busy with sports it is rare that we have a free night at home to prepare a healthy meal for our families.  Options like soup kits and pre-made pasta dishes helps us to get dinner on the table without feeling the mom guilt.

We also love the easy on-the-go packaged snacks and items like Abe's Mini Muffins, Bright Greens Smoothie Packs, and fresh fruits that help make packing lunches and after school snacks a breeze.  So simple for the kids to grab on the way to practice and it helps us feel better knowing they are eating something healthy to fuel them for the afternoon.

The Freshpack Leaf Salads are probably our personal favorites because it allows us to have easy and healthy lunches on hand for during the week.

We grab one to eat in the car between errands and carpool and it saves us from a drive-thru meal that we will end up regretting later.

There are two brand new Whole Foods Market 365 stores in the Atlanta area. One in Buckhead and another in Decatur and we're hoping more will start popping up soon because it truly makes our job as moms easier!

Have you shopped at the new Whole Foods Market 365 yet?  Is there one in your area? 

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Nice 'n CLEAN Fun

Kids are messy. There's no way around it. For someone who tends to feel a certain level of anxiety when it comes to mess, I've somehow managed to embrace my tiny messy humans. In fact, I've learned the messier the situation, the happier kids seem to be.

Sometimes that's a good thing...and sometimes it sends my inner OCD for a major loop.

For example, supervised finger painting - messy, but fun messy. Unsupervised attempt at making pancakes, with syrup, not so fun messy. That kind of messy requires a date with a shop vac, wipes, and a large glass of wine.

But really, when aren't wipes a good idea? Seriously. I use them for everything. I have them stashed in almost every room of the house. I also keep them in my diaper bag (obviously), my car, my gym bag, the kids sports bags...

You get the idea. I use them anywhere for everything.

Wipes are just so much more effective at cleaning messy little hands and battling germs. When it comes to sanitizing, wipes can remove dirt and soil in one quick swipe. Not something a sanitizing gel can do. I like the reassurance of knowing that I'm really getting everything clean - especially when wipes kill 99.9% of germs and about 80% of common infections are spread by hands. And guess who gets those yucky germs after a tiny cute little set of hands touches them? The mom. The mom always manages to get those germs. So long live the wipe!

My favorite all purpose wipes are these Nice 'n CLEAN Antibacterial Hand Wipes. I usually stock up on the 5x20ct. Family Value Pack at CVS. They are available at a lot of major retailers, but they are located in the allergy section of CVS so I can quickly grab a box or two when stocking up on our allergy meds or on our way to pick up our prescriptions.

I also love that Nice 'n CLEAN wipes are natural. For the last 61 years, Nice-Pak, has worked on being the leader in the wipes market, and they created Nice 'n CLEAN wipes with TENCEL, a 100% plant-based fiber, and gentle formulas.  So I can wipe as often as I like knowing they are safe to use on the sensitive skin of my precious little messes.

Not to mention, I think it's amazing that the Nice 'n Clean wipes have been proven to be 99.9% effective in cleaning peanut residue from hands and hard surfaces. They've partnered with FARE (Food Allergy Research Association) to donate 1% off all proceeds to support their mission of allergy safety and inclusion. We have so many friends with children that have peanut allergies, and almost every year in school there's been at least one fellow student with the allergy. It is reassuring to know that we can use the wipes knowing we are helping in some small way to protect those sweet little ones.

CLEAN FUN CARE KITS

I've shared before that one of my favorite mom-hacks is having little prep kits stashed everywhere. Whether the kids and I are traveling, headed to the park, or hosting a playdate I always have a special "clean fun" kit with me.

The kit is so simple to put together. I grab those mini zipper cosmetic pouches I always seem to accumulate (they are so easy to throw in a diaper bag or purse!), and put all my essentials for battling any sort of mess or germ that might occur during playtime. The Nice 'n CLEAN wipes are my number one addition. Not only do they have superior antibacterial capabilities, but they are the perfect little size to easily throw in the kits.

In addition to the wipes, the kit contains:

• A stain pen - If you've ever been to a playground or have eaten with a child you know this is a must! 
• Disposable gloves - Because sometimes it's a code red mess.
• Hair ties - To keep hair back out of paint, mud, etc.
• A travel size baby powder - To keep the sand in the sandbox! Sprinkle on your little ones skin and it makes sand clean-up so much easier!
• A gallon sized baggie - A multi-purpose essential. It can either hold special treasures your little one finds on the playground, or store wet socks and shoes from an impromptu puddle jumping session. 
• Tissues - These need no explanation, but they tend to also serve a multi-purpose function. 

While I would love to have a germ-free perfectly clean little world, I know that my messy care-free and oh so cute world is one I am much happier to live in. There's so much more joy in letting kids be kids and embracing all that comes with it. With my kit as my back-up, I can quickly wipe away all the mess, but know those joyous giggles and sweet memories will remain.

Now learn more about Nice 'n CLEAN Antibacterial Hand Wipes and see how you can get prepped for all that messy fun headed your way mamas! 

What would be the number one item in your "Clean Fun" kit? 

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This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and NicePak, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #nicencleanwipes  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV