A little bit about Kelly:Kelly LeVeque of Be Well by Kelly is a holistic nutritionist, celebrity health coach and wellness expert and health coach based in Los Angeles, California. Guided by a practical and always optimistic approach, Kelly helps clients improve their health, achieve their goals and develop sustainable habits to live a healthy and balanced life. Working with well-known names such as Jessica Alba, Evan Peters, and Kate Walsh, Kelly is extremely passionate about the science of human nutrition and the desire to help clients achieve their personal health goals.
I met Kelly on a blogger "retreat" trip over a year ago and loved how passionate she was about health and wellness. I knew I eventually needed to re-connect with her for some much needed nutrition advice. As you may know, Steve and I have completely transformed our diet and workout plan over the past few months. I've been working closely with Kelly on my diet and can say I'm in great shape now because of it! I feel confident and inspired to share this journey with you. Today I'm excited to share this fun Q&A with my nutritionist. Consider it a mini consultation for you. Don't forget to scroll to the bottom for a special surprise at the end… (Hint: It’s #FreebieFriday!)FAQs About Nutrition and Health with Kelly LeVeque1. Why is it so hard to achieve a flat tummy? Abs and flat tummy take two things, consistent blood sugar balance and strength training. Your muscles are your metabolism, so the more you lift the more they burnt the fat on your body. Cardio is a great way to lean out but if you want a flat tummy all year long you need to do strength training too!
2. Tell them about the "fab four" diet plan: The Fab Four is what my clients eat at every meal; protein, fat, fiber and greens! It's a light structure to help my clients feel satisfied, elongate their blood sugar curve and eat foods that are the most nourishing to support hormone production, micro-biome proliferation and healthy body composition. In combination the Fab Four works to turn off 8 hunger hormones in the body, it ensures you are getting the essential fatty and amino acids you need for cell regeneration and helps you build a complete meal that will keep you satisfied for 4-6 hours.3. So fab four… Are you saying I can never eat bread?! Absolutely not! I just limit my clients to one car in a servings size per meal max unless they are choosing to indulge in a celebratory meal. First make sure you have the Fab Four on your plate, maybe its chicken, roasted veggies and a said salad. If you opt for garlic bread for example keep it to a single serving and ditch the alcohol and other starchy carb sides like rice or quinoa. 4. What kind of eating schedule do you recommend? Because I’m a huge snacker, and I’ve always heard you should eat 5 small meals a day. Is that a myth? We’ve been told by many a diet book, blog and trainer that we should eat every three to four hours. But why? Well, on average your blood sugar rises when you eat and falls three hours later. But this advice doesn’t take into account what you ate or how much, the time of day, where your blood sugar started, or your insulin and cortisol levels. What about glucagon, the hormone that releases stored blood sugar? Why would we have such a hormone if we're never going to use it? Digestion is work for our bodies; it takes a lot of time and energy to break down food into molecules that we can then absorb and utilize. When we eat too frequently, we are taxing our body, filling it with excess insulin and asking it to re-start a process it has not yet even completed. Not only does this weigh us down in terms of energy depletion but also in pounds – when our body cannot absorb and utilize food, it stores it as, you guessed it, fat. But when you begin your day with a Be Well Fab Four or Be Well Smoothie, you give yourself the opportunity to start and stay in a balanced blood sugar state. Then, when you follow this breakfast with two other nutrient-rich meals, you can elongate your blood sugar curve in a normal range. What happens? You don’t get cravings, and you lose weight! You’re also re-teaching your body how to feel full and satisfied, so that between your meals you’re actually burning fat and losing weight instead of impatiently waiting for your next snack. If you do need to snack make it protein, fat and fiber packed like veggies and hummus or coconut milk ranch, a nut pack or a hard boiled egg.5. How many times a week do you work out? I love to sweat! I workout 3-6 days a week depending on my schedule and I normally do classes at OTF (Bruce), Soulcycle (Lindsey), Maha Yoga (Ryan, Tom or Steve) or a private training session with my friend Mike Alexander of Madfit. I just do what fits in my schedule or what's going to make me happy. It's all about consistency and getting at least 1-2 day of strength or weights in! If I need to I will get in a quick Kayla workout too.6. I notice when I eat clean and then have something bad - my stomach hurts or I regret it! How do you enjoy a typical cheat day? Well, my husband calls Friday, “Fat Chris Friday” because we are really clean all week and Friday night he likes to unwind a bit. It works well because Saturday morning is always an easy time to get a good solid workout in. That way, if we have a little more food fun than normal we autocorrect. That might mean a glass of wine and avocado toast (yep, double down) or baked nachos with grass-fed beef and veggies. If we are grabbing something out it could mean we split a personal gluten free pizza or maybe a whole bottle of no sulfite added red wine. We still are cautious not to spike our blood sugar too crazy high but you gotta live a little. ;)7. What do you think about counting calories? I think its antiquated, calorie counting is a big waste of time. Calories overlook the fact that each macronutrient is metabolized and used differently in in the body. Not to mention, each macronutrient will create a different hormonal and chemical cascade in the body depending on which macronutrients (protein, carbohydrate and fat) you eat. Calories counters eat less healthy fat on average and more low calorie packaged goods. My clients maintain their wellness but eating whole foods, fiber rich leafy greens, healthy fats and wild proteins.8. What are 5 staples in Kelly’s kitchen? Its hard to only pick 5!MCT or Coconut Oil - I can easily whip up a fatty tea or coffee, make my freezer fridge or cook with it.Canned Wild Salmon - this is great for lunch if you are in a pinch, mix it with primal mayo and dijon.Lemons - for water, dressing or roasted Fish or Chicken.Frozen Spinach - a green smoothie base - no need to add ice.Almonds - a quick snack or easy almond milk .How amazing is Kel? She really knows her stuff. Wouldn't you love to just sit with Kelly and ask her your own personal questions? Well....IT'S FREEBIE FRIDAY!This week’s Freebie Friday is EXTRA special! My nutritionist Kelly is going to gift one lucky reader with a 1-hour FREE consultation (via Skype). When Stevie and I consulted with Kelly, she gave us a ton of information that was specific to our lifestyle. It was unbelievably helpful.Alright, you know the drill! Here’s How to Enter:1. Subscribe to my blog’s newsletter HERE. If you’re doing this for the first time, check your email to confirm subscription. If you’re already subscribed from previous giveaways, you’re good to go!2. Follow Kelly's Instagram HERE (it's really awesome and recipe-filled)2. Comment below on this post & share one nutrition question you are dying to ask Kelly and why you really want to win this consultation. Please don’t forget to type in your email address in the comment. :)Please follow all steps to be considered for this giveaway. Everyone can enter - including my international babes! The winner will be announced in my next newsletter blast on Tuesday, September 9th - so please be sure to check your inbox by 12PM PST. Make a note in your phone so it alerts you to check. :)CHEERS!Image credit: Kelly LeVeque
