Fit To Fat To Fit: Tasha Talks Diet
So many of you have wanted to learn more about Tasha, from Fit To Fat To Fit on A&E, and have really related to her struggle and journey. I interviewed her and asked her to share what she’s learned, including how she changed her eating to get her success. I hope you are encouraged and motivated to follow in her footsteps!
“I never measured food before and it was an eye opener to say the least. You do not realize how much you’re eating until you measure and weigh your food!”
1. What has held you back from succeeding with weight loss in the past.
I have NEVER made weight loss a lifestyle change. I would lose weight for an event, vacation, to fit into a certain piece of clothing, etc. It was always a quick fix, I never incorporated it into my life, family or routine…HUGE DIFFERENCE when you do. It has to be for life 🙂
2. What were the biggest misconceptions you had about weight loss before?
The biggest misconception I had was, if you don’t eat enough your body will store fat, and therefore you won’t lose weight!
3. What are the benefits you enjoy most about being fit?
Oh, there are SO many benefits to being fit.. Top few are, being able to be an active part of my family, being a great example to my children, the self confidence, and self PRIDE.
4. What was your first mini-victory on your weight loss journey?
My first mini non scale victory was being able to cross my legs… You can’t do that when your overweight, it had been MANY MANY YEARS!!
5. What was your biggest struggle on this journey? What was the easiest part?
My biggest struggle was coming to the realization that putting myself first , making me a priority is not selfish. The easiest part.. Hmm let me get back to you on that.
6. What did you learn about eating healthy and dieting?
I learned that the key to eating healthy and dieting is BEING PREPARED. Having food weighed and prepared for a few days ahead, eating before you go to an event or friends house so you aren’t tempted to make a bad choice, mentally preparing yourself for temptation, making the choice ahead of time not to binge on crap food.
7. What were you doing wrong before when you thought you were doing everything right?
I was eating too much, I wasn’t measuring or holding myself accountable with an app. You do not realize how much you’re eating until you measure and weigh your food! HOLY COW!! No pun intended!
8. What would you say to people who are’t lucky enough to have a free trainer? Do they have hope?
If you aren’t lucky enough to have a trainer I say, find a friend, spouse, anyone who will hold you accountable and listen to you gripe about your failures, or brag about your victories!! You absolutely have hope, make small changes at first, then small changes become bigger ones. Move your body, eat smaller portions, drink a gallon of water a day… Most of all… You Have to believe in yourself and do it for YOU!!!
9. What was the biggest lie you used to tell yourself (about your weight or weight loss) that you believed hook, line and sinker?
Oh, the biggest lies I used to tell myself and anyone who would listen are … I must have a slow metabolism, I’m big boned, and the list goes on and on
10. What is one truth, about diet or fitness, you never knew?
How truly great you feel emotionally when you are fit. It really is more of an emotional battle then physical!
The Shocking Lesson
“The weeks I didn’t use the app religiously, were the weeks I didn’t lose a lot of weight.” – Tasha
Tasha shares what her diet was like before, and what she learned from logging food in the LoseIt app.
“First, I believe that using the app made me realize HOW MUCH FOOD I was eating. I never measured food before and it was an eye opener to say the least. Also, knowing how many calories are in each food, and understanding my choices, helps me to figure out what I really want to eat, like TONS of asparagus or a little bit of sweet potato. The weeks I didn’t use the app religiously were the weeks I didn’t lose a lot of weight. Also, drinking a gallon of water a day not only kept me full, I noticed the numbers were lower those weeks too.
I still use the LoseIt app and try to make my days with in certain percentages for protein, starches, and fats. I shoot for 33/33/33 (33% of calories from each substrate – protein, fats and carbs) or darn close. Lose it makes a pie graph so you can track this easily. I measure everything and only drink water, at least a gallon a day. It has become a lifestyle and it is a lot easier now to make better choices.”
Tasha’s Tips
- I do not eat starchy veggies after lunch, only a green leafy veggies which is my dinner starch
- I measure ALL food and liquid that enters my body
- I used to be a BIG dipper. Everything went in honey mustard or ranch, Now, I don’t use dip because it’s empty calories and it’s not worth it to me.
- I also try to get most of my calories in during the first part of the day (lunch and before). I don’t need a lot of fuel for the evening to go to bed.
- I think of food as fuel, as a necessity.
- I prefer to keep foods bland – not because they have to be bland but because if it’s too good, I eat too much.
OLD DIET
As you will see below, she didn’t eat horribly unhealthy, she just had no accountability. She wasn’t looking at portions or calories. This is why so many people feel it’s impossible to lose the weight. They are eating “diet meals” all the time, but not losing the weight due to other mistakes. Tasha, in some ways, was doing a lot right – but she was still doing enough wrong to not get the results she wanted.
Breakfast
Jimmy Dean D-LIGHT frozen, pre packaged sandwich. Turkey sausage, egg white, slice of cheese on a english muffin.
DIPPED in honey
A cup of coffee, with creamer… a ton of creamer i never measured
Mid morning snack
Anything that the little children I took care of ate…Goldfish, pretzels, granola bars, Belvita bites, cheeze its, all sorts of sugary starchy foods. Again, by the handful…while standing there feeding them (not tracking amount at all).
Lunch
FROZEN pre packaged Helathy choice meal, left over dinners chicken and starchy side,or a lean hot pocket – usually 2 lean hot pockets.
With sweet tea …cups of sweet tea.
Mid afternoon snack
AGAIN, whatever the kids children were eating. I would, out of habit, pop HANDFULS of their snack in my mouth while feeding them not realizing how many EMPTY calories I was eating.
Dinner
Grilled chicken a huge serving
A starchy side or starchy vegetable and NO measuring.
Sweet potatoes with butter
Lots of boxed sides – the easier the better
NEW DIET (sample day)
Breakfast
6 tbs of egg whites
Turkey bacon, 3 slices
A whole grain english muffin with peanut butter 2 tbs
Lunch
Grilled chicken 5 ounces
Sweet potato with smart balance light butter 1TBS
Hot sauce on chicken
and sometimes avocado for some healthy fat
Dinner
grilled chicken or fish 5 oz
asparagus with smart balcance 1tbs
and hot suace
Snacks
usually 99% fat free kettle corn pop corn 100 calorie bag WITH a cup of coffee with 2 TABLESPOONS of creamer
Get More
Feel free to ask more questions below!! She would love to answer them and help as much as she can! :)
PS – This was Tasha and I this morning doing our Power HIIT class at the gym! She’s still on her program, still logging foods and training hard to continue working toward her goals. Be sure to SUBSCRIBE (top right side of blog) to continue following her journey and more Fit To Fat To Fit news!
Pfit To Pfat Program
Want to get all the same materials Tasha got in our Boot Camp program (and more)? CLICK HERE to get our Pfit To Pfat Program, including workouts, 7-day meal plan and workbook.
Inspire Someone:
Bonnie Pfiester
Owner of Lift Vero and motivational "pfitness, pfood and pfaith" blogger in Vero Beach, Florida.
22 Comments
Nakedhealthjourney
Does she have an Instagram page?
kelly ramsey
This story has motivated me so much to push and aim harder towards my goal. So inspirational and takes a lot of courage and hard work. Thank you and god bless
melissaloann
Tasha, Bonnie & Steve, I just watched the show & I feel so blessed to have stumbled across it!! Y’all are such awesome people, so inspiring & helpful! I’m at my highest weight of 190 and just not being able to get my mind squared away to get healthy…. So I’m doing to get some things in my life in order and then order your program, get a friend & get to it!! Thank you for sharing your journey & just being some great people!
Jarod Rocker
So thankful that stories and people like you all exist! Truly inspirational and noteworthy! Thank you for giving so much
Bonnie Pfiester
oh! You are SO welcome! SOOOOO glad to do it!!
Elise
Hey, as silly as this may sound, I watch this episode over and over every chance I get. My wife of the past 6 years started a great health kick about a month And an half and I have not joined her because of the many reasons I heard you say. I finally cleaned out the kitchen and got the foods I needed. You and Steve and Steves wife really inspired me to make the final push to just make good choices And not let my negative easy way out mind set win. Thank you for doing what you did!!! Especially putting it on the air.
Bonnie Pfiester
That’s AMAZING!! Thank you so much for taking the time to share that with us! Makes all the craziness we went thru worth it!!!!
Daniarussell79@gmail.com
Your episode really resonated with me. Sparked a fire….
Bonnie Pfiester
SO AWESOME!!!
Rachel
Tasha how much did you workout per day? Did you work out seven days a week?
Bonnie Pfiester
We are actually about to post the answers to your questions all on one post. Be sure to subscribe so you get your answers! 🙂
flybigd
Thanks for putting your sample day’s foods on here. It gave me a lot to think about. I do feel some personal resistance to two of the tips: eating little for dinner and keeping food bland. During the week I always exercise after work, and a tiny snack with a small dinner makes for a LONG eight to ten hour stretch after lunch. I don’t eat the majority of my food at night, but I don’t have a 350 calorie dinner. Also, I understand that keeping food bland may make you eat less of it, but life is short and I like to enjoy flavorful food. I am a good cook and I can make nutritious food that still tastes great.
Looking at your menu I see that I probably still eat too many starchy veggies, so that’s something I can always work on. I do like fruit in season though and eat a portion almost every day.
Congratulations Tasha and best wishes for continued health and happiness.
Bonnie Pfiester
You don’t have to cook bland food – that was just what Tasha chose to do to help prevent temptation to eat too much. The key to success is being honest with yourself and knowing what you need to do to succeed. I personally would prefer to eat less, but really tasty food. Steve, though, can’t control himself around food if it’s too yummy, so I have to keep things a little more tame for him or he’ll have 3 helpings. lol
As for eating schedule, You can still have a nice size dinner, but you just need to realize you don’t nee many carbs at night because you don’t have a lot of activity at night. So protein and fats are really all you need. We do a green veggie and chicken at night, and save rice, potatoes, etc for lunch time. If you get the workbook, there’s a section on food being fuel. When you look at food as fuel, it changes how you eat and how you look at food. 🙂
As for life being short, think of it this way: Life is too short to live too many of those years overweight or not in the shape you want to be. Once you lose the weight, get fit, etc – you are in maintenance and you an enjoy wonderful treats and good-tasting food (within reason) without the guilt while you are at the weight you want. 🙂 It’s just a season …an investment for the new future you! <3 Hope that helps!!
flybigd
Thanks so much for the reply Bonnie. I have changed my dinners a lot in the past year to eliminate the starchy carbs from my plate; still give them to my family sometimes though because they aren’t reducing (my hubby is a triathlete who trains 7-10 hours a week and needs the calories). As for flavorful food–your Instagram of the collards with Rotel is a great example of that! That’s the kind of nutritious, tasty food I like to serve at home too.
Elise
Bonnie, thank you sooo much for the advice! I look forward to trying this out ! 🙂
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1wonwithchrist
Tasha–First– you look amazing! I enjoyed watching your lifestyle change. Do you measure your food on a food scale at home? and if so is there a particular one that works good?
Tasha
Hi…Thank you, I really appreciate it:)) Yes, i weigh my food on a scale at home, before I cook it. I picked one up from Walmart, it’s a Taylor brand one. I didn’t spend too much on it, and it’s digital!!
Wendy M
Thank you for sharing, Tanya! Are you using pre-packaged egg whites or real eggs?
Wendy M
OOPS! I meant, Tasha!!
Tasha
Prepackaged, so much easier :)). Sams Club has them very reasonable!!
Wendy M
Thank you!