Questions and Answers Coming Soon…..
Healthy Living For Life
Welcome to NatalieHodson.com
Welcome to my website! I hope you'll join in the discussion, become part of the community and let's stay healthy together.
Community Forum - Register Now
Recent Photos
Recently In the Press
March 2012: Read Natalie's Interview when she … [Read More...]
So I see ur daily cals are around 2000 a day or so were they alwlays tht since u started the clean eating thing? I’m currently around 1500 cals a day and I was getting pretty lean before my vaca in April but since getting back seems like I can’t get back to tht look and am confused on how to play around food to acheive the lean muscle look I’m aiming for…idk if this makes sense but basically I’m asking can I follow ur meal pretty close and lean out or do I need to keep it at 1500 or so.. I’m currently 123 lbs 5’1 and 27 years old. Would like to be around 118 or 115 and more importanly less body fat I think I’m currently at like 23% but every time I measure it online another number comes up…
Hey there! I am 5’8″ and around 145 lbs or so, so my daily calories are probably going to be slightly higher than yours are. Do you by chance have a heart rate monitor? I got the Polar FT40 from amazon.com and I love it! I wore the heart rate monitor on a rest day to gauge how many calories I am burning in a typical 24-hour period. This is the base amount of calories I want to eat to maintain my current weight. For me, it was around 1850. If you don’t have a heart rate monitor here is a good rule of thumb to use:
To maintain take your current body weight x 10 + 300 calories. This will be your base amount of calories to eat on rest days.
To lose – subtract 250-500 calories from the base number
To gain – add 250-500 calories from the base number.
I like to keep my macros at 40/40/20 (40% protein, 40% carbs, 20% fats).
Then, on workout days I eat back the calories I burned in my workout. I know that seems counter-productive, but I have seen better muscle gains since doing this, have still stayed lean, and I don’t feel so hungry either. So, for example, if I burned 500 calories in my workout I would eat 250 cals (usually a protein shake with oat flour) right before my workout and 250 cals immediately post workout.
I hope that helps!!
Do you space your meals out evenly or have more at lunch and dinner?
Hey Sharon! I try to space my meals out as evenly as possible, but it doesn’t always work out 100% :)
that is the most simple way of putting it all. I have been learning about working out and food for about 2 years and still cant get the food part down. It is a lot to reteach yourself. Thanks for this.
You are welcome Ginee! Thanks for the feedback!
Hi Natalie
You mentioned somewhere (I can’t remember where) what you use as substitutions in order to make a recipe clean. For example, what would you use in place of butter etc? If you wouldn’t mind, would you please share what your substitutions are and what the ratios would be? Do you have a clean substitution for baking powder? Thanks so much.
Hello Natalie–
I saw that you keep your ratios at 40/40/20. Is that for a full day or for each meal/snack? And also, how do I know how many grams of protein is right for “my” body? Is there a formula for that as well? I have started using the myfitnesspal app, which is very helpful, but I’m also a little confused on some parts. According to it, I am consuming way too much protein, yet I don’t feel like I’m consuming that much. I use portion control, weigh my lean meats on a kitchen scale, etc. So just looking for a little guidance. Thank you so much!!
Hey Katrina! Sorry for the late response, so if you have already gotten this answered I apologize for the repeat. I do 40/40/20 for the day. Not every meal will work out that way, and I usually eat more of my starchy carbs in the morning and taper them off around 3-6pm. Hope that helps!
Also, I used the formula you posted on your above comment for losing weight. It shows I should consume 2,250 calories in order to lose. But myfitnesspal says I should not exceed 1,510 calories. That’s a huge difference! What are your thoughts on this? BTW, on days that I don’t workout, I have a very difficult time of reaching the recommended 1,200 calories per day minimum! When you’re eating healthy and clean it is sometimes difficult to consume all of those calories.
Hello Natalie. I am VERY new at trying to eat clean. I have a lot of weight I need to lose & I want to be healthier. I’m not really sure where to start. I am 5’9” and around 198lbs. My biggest obstacle is my job. I drive a tractor trailer and live in my truck. I’m sure you can imagine the food that is available at the truck stops. It’s not good to say the least. I tried to keep fresh food on the truck with coolers and ice but it didn’t turn out well. I was thinking about dehydrating fruits and vegetables, but I don’t know. I am looking for any advice. Thank you
Hey Brandy! I have some good friends who are pharmaceutical sales reps who face very similar challenges. They pack their meals and keep them in a cooler with them in their cars. I know the Six Pack Bags (http://sixpackbags.com/) are really helpful for people who travel often. Remember to keep in mind baby steps. Start with one small goal and work your way up from there. I am proud of you for starting!!! Keep me posted on your progress :)
Hi Natalie!
I am currently on week 9 of the LiveFit trainer…what did you do after the 12 weeks? I don’t want to re-do the same plan. I’m at a good size, just really need to tweak my eating and lose just a few more inches overall.
Thanks!
Hey there! I actually repeated the LiveFit trainer twice and then after that I did James Wilson’s 12-week trainer. Both are great and I had great results from both! They are very similar in their approach. James’ program costs $50 which is less than $1 a workout. You can find more about his program on his Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/JamesWilsonFaithFamFit
Hi Natalie-
I am getting ready for a week long camping trip next week and I think I remember seeing you say something about coming up with a resistance band workout while you were camping/fishing. I was wondering if you posted that anywhere or if I could get it from you. I would much rather try and squeeze in a little resistance training while im gone because I will be doing a lot of hiking and other activities for my cardio. Thanks for your help!
Donnie
hello natalie
Hello youngjoe
Hi Natalie,
I just found your website. I am 5’5″ and weigh 170 pounds. I just don’t know where to start. What did you do? Did you follow a specific plan?
Thanks for any help or advice,
Nancy
Hey Nancy! I learned so much when I did Jamie Eason’s 12-week trainer. It is a free training program on bodybuilding.com (don’t worry – you don’t have to be a bodybuilder to follow the program) :) It taught me so much about eating properly and training properly to get that nice toned look. I would start with bodybuilding.com (they have quite a few free trainers) and also check out Tosca Reno’s “Eat Clean Diet” cookbook – she breaks down so many of the basics and essentials – it’s a great place to start!
Hi Natalie!
I love your story and you are such an inspiration. I completed Jamie’s program and now I am doing her other program The Fat Burner. One thing I don’t understand is whether I would want to stay at my current weight, or gain weight. I am 5’6″ / 123 lbs. According to Bodybuilder.com I should be eating around 1500 cals. I saw you eat your workout cals you burn and I thought that is what I was supposed to do too, but I’ve also seen when leaning down and burning more fat I shouldn’t do that. I just cannot figure out and here is what my actual question is lol, “Should I stay at 1500 cals and not eat more even when working out throughout the 8 weeks or should I eat more on workout days?”
Thanks for any feedback :)
Hi Natalie,
I have been trying to eat clean and I have been diligent with my exercise for awhile, however, my caloric intake and macro balance has always been a tough tango for me. I took your advice and work my Polar FT4 monitor for 24 hours on a non-workout day. I burned 2500 calories! I am 5’4″ and currently caught at a pesky plateau weight of 140. So this would put my base caloric intake at roughly 2000 to lose weight ( on the low side) and then to eat back my calories burned during my workout that would put me roughly at 2250. Does this sound too high?
Fiirst of all, I want to thank you for all the resources and information you offer. i found Jamie E. through her turkey muffin recipe and you through her…together you’ve both helped push and guide this change i decided to pursue, so thank you again! i’m currently in phase 2 of livefit, first time through. i’ll be honest and say prior to that i definitely was hard cardio, low calorie – to an unhealthy extreme. i’ve learned and continue to learn so much as i continue along. i definitely struggle with how much i’m “supposed” to eat and constantly second guess calories, partly because of my history and partly because i feel like there are so many conflicting arguments or suggestions for the best way to eat. i’m 5’9″ and hover between 143 and 150 right now (i don’t do daily weights, i noticed it didn’t help with the eating issue). my biggest question is carbs and fat eaten at the same time – is it good or bad? i’ve found some that say don’t eat them together because it will be stored as fat right away and others that say it doesn’t matter as long as you’re taking in quality calories and working them off. i’ve thrown out all the “bad” food and switched to whole and unprocessed, i love nuts and nut butters though (along with avocadoes, etc.) now i’m just confused on how/when to incorporate them into my meals. any suggestions? thanks!
Hi Natalie,
I am 33 and have 2 babies my youngest is 2. My body looks about like your 4 month post baby pic. I have Jamie’s 12 wk program and I started it but struggle w diet part. I’m very visual and have a hard time mixing things up I need daily meal plans laid out to follow and my husband likes to eat out a lot when he is home from work for 2 wks and I struggle with what to do there. Do you have any suggestions?
Thanks,
Mandy
Hi Natalie!
Congrats on the new baby! I was wondering if you take any supplements, vitamins, or pre-workout drinks? Also, what protein powder do you use? Even when I get into a good workout routine, I still feel tired or crash at the end of the day. Any suggestions?
~Tina
Hi Tina! When I was pregnant (and now that I am nursing) I was just taking a whole food prenatal vitamin (found at my local health food store) and MRM brand Smartblend capsules (for omega 3, etc). I really limit my supplements when I am nursing and pregnant, but I would also do protein powder on occasion. I talked with my doctor about it and he said that as long as it wasn’t my only source of protein I could have one serving per day. I prefer protein powders without sucralose (aka splenda) and like to use ones sweetened with Stevia so I stick with MRM brand or Only Protein brand. I think MRM tastes better than Only Protein but OP has higher quality ingredients. I don’t really like to use pre-workouts because I get concerned about fatiguing my adrenal system, although I will take them on occasion if I am really dragging (I don’t use when nursing or pregnant though). I like the taste of the MusclePharm raspberry lemonade Assault, but like I said, I rarely use it. Before I was pregnant I used it maybe 1x a month, if that.
Jamie Eason has a really good stack on bodybuilding.com that bundles together most of what I use for a good price. This is what I usually order: http://www.bodybuilding.com/store/combos/jamies-12-week-stack.html
As far as crashing at the end of the day, I know this probably isn’t the answer you are looking for, but I just try to focus on getting 8 hours of sleep, drinking enough water throughout the day, and getting my meals in every 3 hours and that seems to work for me. Sleep seems to be the easiest thing to overlook but when you are trying to tone up it is really important that you are getting proper sleep for your body to build muscle.
Hope that helps!
I just started eating clean 2 weeks ago, thanks to you! I’m so glad I found your website. I was wondering if corn & cucumbers are clean? Thanks so much for your help!
Erin
Hey Erin! That is so awesome I am so happy for you! Any vegetable is considered a clean food and you can eat pretty much as many as you want :) I do, however, tend to limit my corn because most corn is genetically modified unless you get it from a local farmer and ask if it’s a heirloom varietal.
Hi Natalie,
I am really interested in doing Jamie Eason’s program and do all my workouts at home. Is this possible with that program? And how long do the workouts take?
Thanks!
Chivonne