Week 8 weigh in

Start weight: 315 lbs (22 st 7 lb)

Last weeks weight: 291 lbs (20st 11 lb)

This weeks weight: 289 lbs (20st 09 lb)

Week 8 weight loss: 2lbs

TOTAL weight loss to date: 26lb (1 st 12 lb)

I am OVER THE MOON with another weight-loss this week despite shoveling it away during meal times!

I may cut back a little on bread next week simply because I am not sure whether the average 1940’s person would have eaten as much bread as I am doing! Eating more potatoes was encouraged instead…

Talking of bread I forgot to bring my lunch to work today so I am off to Tim’s to buy myself a carton of milk and a large freshly baked wholewheat bread roll with butter…

Dang it…Ok so I’ll start the bread thing tomorrow!

Cxx

Losing Weight – During Ramadhan Part Two

Well just to share the experience I had during Ramadhan. Good thing about it is well religiously its a good thing and for the health well you clean up everything inside of the body of yours and well you lose weight to. In fact during the whole ramadhan period I lost 5 KG. Then comes Hari Raya which is a glorious celebration where we meet our love ones, celebrate and well eat. The bad thing bout it though is I gain 3KG within just 3 days! It’s so hard to lose 3KG but it’s just so easy to get them back. Lucky after the fourth day I start easing back into my diet routing and just two days ago I start working out again resulting to sore muscles yesterday and today. But well no pain no gain right

Four Basics for Sexy Abs

In today’s world, nothing says “fit” like well-defined six pack abs. Combined with pecs and biceps, these three muscle groups—sometimes known as “vanity muscles”—are seen as the pinnacle of male fitness. For women, a flat, chiseled stomach gives her a great figure that flatters anything she wears.

Unfortunately, the abdominal area seems to be the hardest area to develop. “How long will it take before I can see my abs?” and “When will my stomach get smaller?” are the most common questions asked.

Here are four ways to flatten your stomach.

Cardio: Try to get in at least 30 minutes of cardio exercise daily. Burning calories equals fat loss and fat loss equals visible abs. Find something to enjoy, as it is easier to remain consistent when you are doing something you like.

Keep Your Diet in Check: To lose belly fat, you must burn more calories than you consume. This means eating the right foods and in the right amounts. No more super-sizing. Get rid of the soft drinks—they’re liquid calories. Add plenty of fruits and veggies to your diet.

Lift Weights: Muscle is more dense than fat, so it takes more calories to sustain muscle. Consequently, you burn more calories throughout the day (even at rest) when your frame contains more muscle. Women, don’t let this frighten you—Don’t believe the hype—muscle trims your figure, defines your arms, legs and buttocks, and supports joint health as you age

Work Those Abs: Of course, you have to do abdominal exercises as well. But there’s no need to buy any of the fancy contraptions seen on television. Your body is all you need.

The Grocery Store Diet

Today I want to tell you all about a newly recommended weight loss program, the Grocery Store Diet.

As a nutrition consultant I seldom recommend that my clients enroll in or follow any of the popular diet plans. Although short term weight loss usually does result, I find diet plans too restrictive, too expensive, and often too unhealthy for the long term. But this program is different, and one that I can highly recommend.

The whole point of a diet plan should be a long term lifestyle change, but one that is sustainable. The Grocery Store Diet achieves this goal, plus is affordable, convenient and workable for today’s busy women. (Disclosure: I am a contributor to the plan).

The plan is designed around 8 mini-meals/snacks each day, focusing on fat-burning fiber, complex carbohydrates, and protein rich foods, so you will not be hungry. These are foods that you can purchase at the local grocery store, or can be quickly and easily prepared at home, and better yet – is the kind of food you already enjoy. The plan is not restrictive, but introduces some new, healthy, good tasting foods that we might have either missed or been hesitant to try. Better yet, the meals are well balanced. Participants receive 7 full days of menus each week, a variety of quick recipes, and a weekly shopping list. A 100 calorie bonus is included each day. The web site is full of tips, product highlights and more. At only $1 per week, if you are a busy person, trying to fit weight loss into your schedule, this is the plan for you! Visit the Grocery Store Diet web site today.

I am happy to answer any questions you may have about weight loss plans in general and the Grocery Store Diet plan in particular.

The Raw Food Diet: Fact Or Fiction?

The Skinny on the Raw Food Diet

By Ori Hofmekler

The last few decades mark an increasing interest in the correlation between food enzymes and health. Researchers found an interesting association between the body’s enzyme pool and the aging process – which means, the older one gets, the fewer enzymes the body will have and the more vulnerable to disease one becomes. I have addressed this important topic in The Warrior Diet book. I have covered the importance of ingesting live enzyme-dense foods (including naturally fermented foods) under the title Enzyme Loading. Nonetheless, I am quite concerned with the emotional impact of this topic on health consumers. Those who read articles, such as the one published recently at Weston A. Price may reach the conclusion that unless raw, sprouted or fermented, all foods are not viable. If this is true, even raw nuts and seeds may not be good enough in this respect. There is a growing crowd of people who currently follow the so-called “raw food diet” based on the premise that eating raw food only (including of course vegetables, fruits, legume sprouts, sprouted grains, raw dairy and even raw meat and marine food) is the only way to grant maximum nourishment. Since I’ve already addressed this topic in The Warrior Diet book, let me just note here that the raw food diet misleads people to believe that all cooked foods are inferior to all raw foods. The truth is that in many cases, such as with cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cabbage) and nightshades (tomatoes, eggplants), the cooked versions of the above are more digestible and by far more nutritive than the raw version. The active phytonutrients in broccoli and tomatoes (indoles and lycopene, respectively) can be released and absorbed hundreds of times more efficiently in the cooked version.

As for enzymes, certainly enzyme loading from raw, sprouted or fermented foods is highly beneficial but let’s put things in proportion.

First, plant enzymes are not digestive enzymes. They work on a different pH than the body’s digestive enzymes and therefore cannot support digestion directly.

Second, while some enzymes inhibitors may be harmful (premature sprouts or uncooked legumes), other enzyme inhibitors can be highly beneficial, such as some protease inhibitors (phytates) or aromatase inhibitors which have been found to be potentially anti-cancerous. The notion that nuts and seeds must be sprouted before ingestion is preposterous. Raw nuts and seeds are perfectly fine to nourish the human body whether in a sprouted form or not. There are no harmful inhibitors in mature nuts and seeds and any rancidity or inadequacy in these foods can be instantly detected via smell or taste.

Third, eating raw meat may seem “Paleolithic and healthy” but nowadays it can be detrimental. Besides hosting pathological bacterium, meat is a host substrate for harmful viruses, most notable of which is the toxoplasma virus that has shown to cause serious neuro damaging effects on animals and potentially on humans. Eating raw meat today does not make sense, to say the least.

Fourth, note that the article at Weston A. Price was written by two ladies to promote the sales of their cooking book.

In conclusion, raw, sprouted and fermented foods are great but it doesn’t make sense to commit to eating these foods only. You can certainly benefit from eating cooked foods as well with a big bonus of pleasing your palate with a larger variety of meals.

—————————————-

Do you want to learn more about Ori Hofmekler’s Tenacious Fat Solution kit to help get rid of your stubborn belly fat without having to under-eat?

The Tenacious Fat Solution Kit will help you remove hidden obstacles to weight loss.

Our products have no sugar added (which is groundbreaking), they are made with all natural products, they are low carb, and they taste amazingly delicious!

Claim back your body!

Easy Fixes for Lasting Weight Loss

The next time you’re out shopping for food, you might want to re-think tossing those greasy chips into your grocery cart. Chances are, you’re being watched. That’s right. Some of the top nutrition experts admitted to a guilty indulgence of their own: spying on the rest of us at the grocery store! And not only are they snooping at the checkout line, they’re also busy making a list of all the things we do wrong.

Here are their top five:

Good Fats vs. Bad Fats:- Most people still don’t get that some fats are actually good for you. You want to avoid saturated and trans fats, but you need more monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. Good sources are fish, nuts, avocados, and soybean and canola oils.”

Supersize Meals:- In order to get the most for our dollar, we often supersize our meals-regardless of the health consequences. Remember, it’s not a money saver or health bargain if it has way too many calories. Be sure to pick one protein, one starch, one veggie and one fruit based serving.

Liquid = 0 Calories:- Think before you sip. We tend to consume a large amount of sugared soda and juice. These sugared drinks can swell your calorie intake and push out more nutritious foods. Swap your Cola for a cup of tea. This calorie-free beverage not only boats more flavors than soda, but it also offers up a number of health benefits as well.

Addicted to the Microwave:- You’re tired, you’re hungry, and the last thing you want to do is cook an entire meal so you turn to the microwave for a solution. Eating too many heavily processed foods can leave you short on fiber and antioxidants such as Vitamin C. So add a green salad, a 100 percent whole wheat roll and some fruit for desert. That way, you can get the best of both fast and healthy foods.

It's Always Going to Be Hard

I will never forget one of the first “aha” moments I ever had in my never-ending weight loss journey. I was at a gym in the city, sharing a personal trainer with a friend. She was training for a sprint triathlon. I was training for…um…not dying a fat girl. The trainer ran me through the same routine as Triathlon Girl, only a bit modified. At one point I was going up and down on a step, turning beat red with my heart beating so fast I thought I was this/close from it bursting right out of my chest.

As I sat down and gulped for air, it occurred to me that it’s never going to get easier. All this time as I’m going up and down on this damned box, I’m thinking that one day this will all be easier. And my Inner Fit Girl tells my Outer Fat Girl, “Um, no it won’t. Because when it gets easy, it’s not effective. It’s always going to be hard. It HAS to be hard.” And I have to say, it was a fairly crushing blow to me and it’s still something that, many years later, I still fear.

I don’t *do* hard. Hard scares the bajeezus out of me. Hard makes me give up. Hard sucks.

But here’s the rub. EVERYTHING is hard for me now, not just killing myself in a gym. Getting out of bed is hard. Planning is hard. Facing the closet is hard. Hauling my carcass around is hard. And I really can’t give up any of these things, or my entire world – which feels tied together with a thin string these days – would just fall apart. How do I get past this? How do I embrace hard?

And here’s another thing. My psyche is in a precarious position at the moment. I have a new situation in my life that is causing me a great deal of stress and anxiety. It’s one of those situations that is truly unfair and unjust, and one where there are two options available and neither is good. And it’s not something that will be resolved quickly, so it’s a prolonged period of ick that awaits me. And I’m in a place where I have to stare down my own fears and anxieties to be someone else’s rock, beacon of hope, trusted confidante, etc. And that’s hard. Because I am angry and fearful and need my own reassurances. I know that keeping those feelings in, stuffing them down, is a large part of what got me to 300+ pounds in the first place.

Life is hard. Life will throw things at you when you least expect them. Life will send your spirits soaring on Tuesday only to grind them into the ground on Thursday. Life will give you the knowledge and tools to improve your situation, but will obscure your belief that you can do it.

It’s frustrating.

I came into work today on automatic pilot. Bought a muffin the size of my head without really thinking about it. Ate about half of it before really ever tasting it – it was crappy. I did snap out of it long enough to toss the other half in the trash, but I hate those zombie-like moments where we do what we’ve always done. Seek out comfort in a baked good. Not being present or mindful or self-nuturing.

I need my health to be my rock. I need to not stuff down my feelings. I need to lean on people and let them help me in ways I’m not comfortable or experienced with. I need to face these things head on when I’d really just wish them away if I could.

Where I run

These pictures are from my preferred place to run.   The state park trails near my house.

This particular trail is a one mile loop around this marsh.  I do this trail when my goal is a distance specific run.  Which means most Saturdays or Sundays from now until Thanksgiving, I will be on this trail.  The other days I run during the week will be a time specific run, so I will be able to run around randomly in the forest and likely get lost!

It doesn’t matter if I start thinking about running at 8 AM or 4 PM, I can’t seem to propel my butt out there until at least 6:30 PM.  Which means as fall comes on, it gets darker and darker on my runs.  I think I need to get a headlamp for my runs since usually by the time I finish, it is pretty dark beneath the canopy of forest!

Wedding Countdown: 12 days!!

Holy cow. I can’t believe how fast my wedding day is approaching! This may sound weird, but the whole time I’ve been planning my wedding, I never actually expected it to EVER get here! It kind of felt like this far-off fantasy day that was nice to think about, but would never actually happen. Well, I guess it IS going to happen– and SOON!

I’m loving my mentality lately. I’ve gotten to the point that I’m not really stressed anymore! Whatever is going to happen at this point is going to happen, and there’s not much I can do about it now! That’s not to say I’m not still working hard, but for some reason it’s just not making me freak out like I was expecting it to…

Today marks a big change in my diet– I’m experimenting with Jillian Michael’s low-carb “peaking diet.” I am NOT one to endorse eating low-carb, so please don’t think that I’m pushing that idea whatsoever. This is a TEMPORARY situation. I’ve done my research, and even the doctors and health mentors that I really respect agree that eating a high-protein, low-carb diet is the most effective way to lose weight and look smaller in the shortest amount of time. They also agree, however, that this is NOT healthy, and can in fact be dangerous if followed long-term. So let me repeat: This diet is very, very TEMPORARY for me. I’m following it for 12 days, and that’s it. Then it’s right back to my high-raw, mostly vegetarian lifestyle that makes me very happy.

I have a feeling I will be fairily miserable eating low-carb for even this short amount of time, but I think the results will be worth it. Basically, this diet will help me lose any extra water weight and bloat– making my muscles look more lean and defined for my big day. Of course, I can’t follow the diet plan to a “T” because I think I would kill myself eating three protein-packed meals a day. So for breakfast, I’m modifying the plan to include my green juice. I will omit the apples from my juice, to keep it low-carb, and I’ll sweeten them with liquid stevia instead. That way I’ll at least be protecting my body with some healthy enzymes first thing every morning!

Today was Day 1 of the diet for me, and so far, so good. I got a colonic this morning, and I felt heavenly afterwards. Any of you in the Los Angeles area should really check out the Wellness Within Spa. They are terrific, and always give me free probiotics to take after each session to replenish the healthy bacteria in my system. After my appointment, I had a lunch date with a friend at my favorite little restaurant in LA, Aroma. I got the Grilled Atlantic Salmon Salad– yum!! It was a bed of mixed greens, topped with sliced cucumber, tomatoes and a hefty portion of grilled salmon. I probably ate too much. There was a LOT of salmon. But it was so tasty I couldn’t help myself. Luckily, that meal got me through my 6pm workout! I popped a Gaurana pill before I went down to the gym, and pushed through a 65-minute treadmill session. It consisted of 5 minute running intervals, with 2-minute walking breaks in between. If my feet hadn’t started hurting so bad at the 40-minute mark, I think I could have pushed harder, but the balls of my feet were killing me! Maybe I need to invest in some orthotics? I have great running shoes, and they’re not that old… so I’m not sure what would help. Maybe I just need to develop some calluses? Who knows.

For dinner, I’m about to make some scrambled eggs (1 whole egg, 4 eggwhites) cooked in cooking spray, topped with fresh pico de gallo, and served with a HUGE portion of steamed brussels sprouts. I typically prefer roasted brussels sprouts, but oil and salt are not on the menu for me for the next 12 days. B-O-R-I-N-G! Ha ha.

I’m starving! I’ll keep you updated on how my low-carb experiment goes! Nite!!

Exercise #80 - Relieving Nasal Congestion 2

  

 

Welcome to Healing T’ai Chi

…the award-winning blog of seated exercises based on Qigong and Yang style T’ai Chi for people of all ages and levels of fitness.

(sponsored by Exerciseline.com)

~~~~~~~~~

The highest good is like water. Water gives life to the ten thousand things and does not strive. It flows in places men reject and so is like the Tao. Tao Te Ching # 8, translated by Gia Fu Feng & Jane English

~~~~~~~~~

Relieving Nasal Congestion #2

 

This is a very effective way to relieve pressure and stuffiness in your sinuses.  

1. Breathe through your nose only during this exercise.  Sit back in your chair as usual or rest your elbows on a tabletop to give yourself more leverage.
2. Press your middle fingers or thumbs firmly on the indentations of the inner eye socket where the bridge of the nose meets the bony ridge of your eyebrows.
3. Continue to press on these spots for at least a full minute.  Then, pinch your eyebrows lightly between your thumbs and index fingers and slide your fingers from the inner edge (the area closest to your nose)to the outer edge of your eyebrows.  Continue to slide your fingers from the spot closest to your nose to the end of your eyebrows at least 12 times. 

 Try the pressure point Penetrate Heaven (B 7) to supplement the exercise above.

(from Acupressure’s Potent Points by Michael Reed Gach)

• To find this point, slide your fingers from the backs of your ears to the top of your skull.
• About 1 thumb width below the center of your skull is the pressure point, Penetrate Heaven (B 7).
• Press firmly on one or both sides for at least a full minute.  You can use this effective point as often as you wish.

Benefits: This is an effective point to relieve headaches, a stuffy nose, a weak sense of smell or nasal and head congestion.

Don’t forget to drink water at the end of your exercise session or any time you begin to feel thirsty.  A Word of Caution…If you have or have had problems with your kidneys, please consult your physician.

~~~~~~~~~

This week’s featured site/blog:

http://maximumwellness.wordpress.com/2009/09/13/an-environmentally-safe-wellness-program-part-ii/

Featured video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTgVDjffxns

Don’t forget…You can find great deals on home exercise equipment at the Exercise Equipment Super Store.

 

http://www.joansweightloss.com

http://mybodysite.com/Publish/index.php

http://www.reikibyrockie.com

Download your free e-book here:

View this document on Scribd ~The exercises in this blog are intended for educational purposes only.  Always consult with your health care provider before beginning a new exercise program.~

healthy living and weight management

I hate to have to do it, but I have to change my life.  As you know, the entire cancer thing killed my thyroid.  Well, Hashimoto’s Disease killed my thyroid, cancer was a bonus.  Anyway – I have been having monthly bloodwork since the thyroid radiation in June and am not “normal” yet.  My legs are still swollen logs of rotten wood and my toes are so misshapen that they look like stubs, so I have to take matters into my own hands.

I am going to keep myself accountable by telling all of you (whomever you are?) all about my daily fight to lose weight, get healthy and kill cancer.  I have this big issue with food.  I don’t eat breakfast, I don’t eat lunch – I only eat supper.  I went to the nutritionist and she said my metabolism is ZILCH because I don’t eat and fuel my body throughout the day. 

Sometimes it is HARD to make myself eat breakfast.  I have to take my medication and drink an entire glass of water and then wait an hour to eat.  By the time I wait the hour, I am at work and once I get to work – wooooooooooooooooooooooosh my day is on.

So, why don’t I just wake up earlier in the day?  Dingle berry – I just told you my body is not right yet.  I don’t sleep.  I go to bed about one every morning and wake up about three and come to the livingroom.  About six, I go back into my bedroom and then I get up shortly thereafter.  I have tried everything to get some good sleep.  Nothing works.

I am hoping that when I get my bloodwork done this next week, she can increase my medication again so that I can get closer to normal.  I don’t know what my numbers are, but they were out of this world during my last visit.

So – what do I do to get my life into healthy living and start controlling this weight of mine?  Well, let me just say Rome wasn’t built in a day and it is going to take me a while.  So, I figure if I do a graduated step type thing I will have better results. 

SO MY GOAL FOR THIS COMING WEEK IS: to eat three meals per day.

And I won’t be eating junk either, I will do my best to eat healthy meals.  At least it is a step and I can begin working toward my eventual goal of weighing less.  Do you realize that since I met my husband in December 2000 that I have gained one hundred fifty pounds.  That is an entire adult person!

It is not all my fault though.  My endocrinologist said that I have had so many hormonal problems and for so long that this is my result.  She said it would be VERY HARD to get the weight off without weight-loss surgery.  I do not want to ever in my life have surgery again, so I guess I am gong to have to lose weight slowly and methodically.

I am not secure enough to tell you my total weight.  Maybe at some point I will.  All I know is that eight years ago I was in the best shape of my life.  I played softball four times a week, I did water aerobics three days a week and I felt empowered.  Now, I can barely keep my energy to work all day and then come home to aid my children.  My hair is thin and brittle and I am losing it. 

My son brought me some random strand today and told me he found my hair.  I found my hair on top of my lunch today.  How does hair fall out during the process of eating? I can tell that my energy is slowly returning, but I am an impatient person and I want it back now.  So, since I can’t have my way – I will have to put a game plan into action and take control in another way.

I purchased an awesome treadmill.  It isn’t delivered yet, but once it is I can begin a walking program.  I can’t walk outside right now, because it is still too hot and I turn beet red and almost die of heat exhaustion.

So – you know my plan. I expect to do great things. 

Active day

Nothing too much for concentrated exercise today.  Active this morning with things to do outside.  The weather is starting to turn to fall and the air feels wonderful.  Not much more bugs, fires feel good and purposeful.

This afternoon was a time for rest and then we had an evening of volleyball with couples at church.  It was good fun.  My body is sore now.  After the events of this last week I have to take it slow.

Still looking for inspiration.  I did lose 2 lbs last week but still, I’m not back mentally where I was.  I don’t understand why or how.  I feel something is missing.  I can’t see the challenge.  Is it that I’m not in such a bad place as when I started this 6 months ago?  Is it something else?  What in the world is going on?

Rapid Weight Loss Program Diet Shakes - Do They Work? Project

Rapid Weight Loss Program Diet Shakes – Do They Work? Project

Author: Warren Tattersall
Category: Health & Fitness | Weight Loss
Keyword: weight loss,diet shakes,rapid weight loss,rapid weight loss program,diet program herballife,diet
Source: ezinearticles.com
Post Data: 22/09/2009 13:35:20
Word: 486

The weight loss market has been saturated with rapid weight loss programs like meal replacements, diet pills and diet shakes for years. We have all seen them on the shelves in the supermarket and watched the young, thin and happy people sell them to us through our T.V. But how do we know if they really work?One of the rapid weight loss wonders that is currently on the market, and has been for a number of years is the diet shake. Initially, when this style of dieting was marketed, it was deemed as a wonder cure for those in search of their perfect body. Yet, not many people succeeded. Why? Well, because although the diet shake was nutritionally balanced, the very first shakes tasted vile and were not enough to sustain you throughout the day.So why are they still on the market and what has changed? Well, after the initial welcome into the dieting world, companies decided to improve these diet shakes to make them much more user friendly.The nutritional balance was addressed and after research, it was found that by increasing the amount of protein in the rapid weight loss program diet shake, the dieter would feel fuller for longer, allowing them to summon the will power needed not to stray from the path of rigorousness and slimness. The protein also helped to boost the rapid weight loss seen as the body had to, Project, work harder to process it, boosting the metabolism.The flavours were expanded from the disgusting to the sublime and now you can get any flavour you could possibly want in a shake, from strawberry to mint choc chip. This all makes the dieting process easier to swallow (sorry, couldn’t help it!).So, what do you need to know before beginning your diet using these shakes?Well, it takes a while to get used to not eating solid food for breakfast and lunch. But other than that, they are relatively cheap, (considering what some people pay for the perfect body) easy to sort out, handy to take to work and you can decide to a certain extent how you take these diet shakes. Some people are terribly conscious of calories and so chose to mix their diet shakes with water. One way to, Project, continue burning calories while you sleep – yes, it’s true – you can burn calories while you sleep if you mix your night time shake with proteins like soy milk or add protein powder, as the additional protein will keep your body working hard whist you are resting. Who doesn’t want to get thin whilst they do nothing?To review, rapid weight loss program diet shakes do work, but only with your commitment and willpower. They are nutritionally balanced and give your body everything it needs to get slim and slender, all you need to do is get your mind on board and before you know it, you will have the body to die for.

If you are looking for a safe and natural rapid weight loss program that is also convenient and affordable, you should check this site out, and also get the healthy weight loss answers you have been looking for. Remember to grab your free diet tips ebook downloads as well while you are there!

Curried Split Pea Soup

Peas are one of my favorite vegetables. Probably because I grew up on mushy peas (an Irish delicacy). When in season fresh peas are a delight but in winter months dried split peas come in handy. They’re not only convenient since they don’t require soaking, but they’re also high in nutrients and low in fat and calories.
If you are concerned about coconut milk, turns out it’s gotten a bad rap over the years. The saturated fat content in coconut milk has been shown in independent studies to be an easily metabolized good saturated fat, which means it does not transform into bad cholesterol, clogging up arteries. Using light coconut milk cuts the calories and fat by more than half, paving the way to a delicious healthy meal.

Continue reading the full recipe and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the NEW Healthy Irishman Newsletter!

Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.

Copyright © 2009 The Healthy Irishman. All rights reserved.

Hot Stuff: Warming Up

When you have to fit an exercise routine into your already busy schedule, you might be tempted to simply skip the warm up routine. You’ve heard horror stories about people getting injured while working out. Three words: don’t do that. When you skip your warm up, you are not only putting your body as risk for personal injury, but you are also making the workout more difficult and less effective. For the best results, it is important to warm up every time you work out.

Warming up doesn’t have to eat up the time you allotted for exercise into your day. In fact, a decent workout only has to be 5 minutes long to do its job. It doesn’t have to be boring either—you can mix up a number of great moves to make your warm up as fun as the rest of your exercising. Remember that a good warm up gets all of your muscles moving, even if you don’t think that you’ll be intensely working out a set of muscles on any particular day. Warming up is also important regardless of if you’re doing cardiovascular exercises or lifting weights.

The moves you do for a warm up shouldn’t necessarily be difficult or make you break a sweat. The main goal of the warm up isn’t to become a part of your workout, but simply to slowly move muscles that you haven’t really thought about all day to wake them up. Good moves, therefore, include things like jogging in place, doing jumping jacks, lunging, and jumping rope.

A good warm-up can also including slowly stretching your muscles in a variety of ways, although this is usually more effective for a cool-down. Also consider exercises that work on balance and form in order to prepare you for the exercises you will be doing in the workout.

If you’re really short on time, why not try warming up before you even get to the gym. Slowly jog or power walk to the gym, park as far away as possible and lunge to the door, and take the stairs instead of the elevator. That way, when you get to the gym to workout your warm up routine is already half way done.

A good workout always builds in intensity. This is the best way to shed pounds and maintain a healthy weight. Weight loss workouts are only risky if you don’t warm up, because otherwise your body will respond to prevent injuries. Although you may be tempted to skip this step, that is never a good idea.

Need some additional help losing those pounds? Check out GAME ON! Your Weight loss Energizer!

Bullshit or sugar?

I am a big fan of linguistics, and am always amazed at the effect that the words we chose has on our mood and behavior.
A few days ago I was talking with a client that came for weight management. She was telling me about an argument with her husband (that led her to finish the Oreo cookies later that night), and described his position saying: “that’s bullshit!”. I immediately thought how curious it is that we use the excrement of an animal to represent something we disagree with because we think is fake or false. Bull shit (or cow shit) happens to be a truthful organic fertilizer that serves an important purpose. It is natural and honest. It does not mislead us and its smell and appearance make the fact that it is not something edible very obvious. Sugar, in contrast, serves absolutely no positive purpose or function. (Please note I am not talking about blood sugar or the kind of sugar that fuel our brain, but about the refined white powder that is slowly but surely killing us) It tricks us into thinking it’s great through an attractive taste and appearance. It makes us addicted to it by producing a spike of fake energy and pleasure while in reality it is the beginning of the crash. It produces candida and feeds bacteria which will reproduce and overpower our immune system, leading to illness. It turns into a sticky brownish substance that binds to proteins and clogs our arteries. Since the refinement process has depleted white sugar from minerals, it uses our mineral reserve to be metabolized. It makes our bodies acidic, so that in order to restore Ph balance we consume our calcium, and if there is not enough calcium around, we pull it from our bones, which, over time, leads to osteoporosis. It makes us fat and weak.
So, who is here the impostor, the fake one, the perpetrator? Bullshit or sugar?

I shared my thoughts about this with my client and suggested that from now on, every time she wants to refer to something false, with no value, or upsetting, she uses the word “sugar” instead of “bullshit”. By doing that, her mind will create a negative association with sugar that by repetition will become a habit and change her perception of sugar. She looked at me like I’m carzy but promised to give it a shot.
The following session she came in smiling. She couldn’t stop laughing when telling me about her family and friend’s face every time someone said something stupid and she screamed: “that’s sugar!”. It worked for her, she progressively cut down on sugar as she kept doing this. Suddenly, cookies, sodas and deserts lost their pull and power over her. As she became free from her sugar addiction and lost weight, she regained not only her figure but also her good mood.
Why not give it a shot? next time you are watching the news and hear none sense, or someone tries to trick you, forcefully say: “that’s sugar” and you may be pleasantly surprised with the change it brings.

For more tips on natural health, holistic counseling and nutrition, visit www.cre8yourhealth.com

When too much is too much

Well, to respond to RobFitness, I overdid it.  That 3 mile run has been hurting me the last 2 days.  Yesterday my thighs were tight and it was hard to walk.  This morning I woke up at 5, not by the alarm clock, but by my calves cramping up.  That cramp stayed with me for the first half of the day and I can still feel it.  It’s really strange.  I have muscle.  I can feel it.  When I was running I knew I had the strength to keep running.  Apparently it was too much to start out with.  I do not like this at all.  It’s hard to take it easy when I know what I can do.  I can’t even get on the exercise bike without trying to push harder and harder.  Tonight I drove my dad’s pickup that I borrowed back to his farm and walked the 3/4 mile way home.  It felt good just to stretch it out and hopefully I can do more tomorrow.

Eating is still a struggle and I have no reason why it is.  I’m not binging and not going out to eat.  It’s snacking that’s my problem.  I’m going to not buy some of the little treats that I usually do to avoid going over what is a good portion size.

Everything else is going pretty good but my writing sucks.  I don’t want to classify this as a funk but I will attribute a lack of excitement in looking at anything right now.  The most exciting thing is playing with the Zune software.  It’s like ITunes but better.  I may need to get out from listening to podcasts and go back to some music for a while to bring me back.

Day Four of the Master Cleanse

So, today is Day Four! And I have to say that I’m very happy with myself, as well as shocked, and proud. I can’t believe I’ve come this far, and I know things are going to continue to go well from here.

Morning:

I woke up after a long night’s sleep, and I felt refreshed. I had a dream that I was eating fruit and salad (granted I kept saying how I was on a liquid diet and shouldn’t be eating anything) but I didn’t dream of meat. And the salad in the dream was so good that I plan to make an exact replica when I’m done with the liquid. I got ready for school, feeling like I looked good, and feeling like my skin was starting to look healthier.

Day-Evening:

Throughout the day I was full of life, and I even felt like jogging. I didn’t, however, because I ended up going straight from school to begin my packing process to go away this weekend. And even though I will be away, I will be blogging and vlogging through it. Hopefully, this will test my strength and I will come out feeling very good about myself!

My through had a mucus build up today, and I’m hoping it goes away fairly soon (I feel sick because of it). Also, I didn’t do the Salt Flush today, but plan to do the Smooth Move Tea tomorrow. I’m going to go pick some up. :]

From this college student to you: When life gives you lemons, make a detox lemonade!

Katrina.

Brain glutathione levels in patients with epilepsy

Objective: — Glutathione in its reduced form (GSH) is the most important free radical scavenging compound in the mammalian nervous system that prevents membrane lipid peroxidation. It is suspected that epileptic seizures are accompanied by a massive production of reactive oxygen species, i.e., oxidative stress.

Methods:— Using an 1H MRS technique developed at the authors’ site, the authors measured glutathione levels in a volume of interest (VOI) of 25 x 25 x 25 mm placed in structurally normal-appearing tissue in the parietooccipital region of each hemispheres in patients with and without active epilepsy, and in a age-matched control group.

Results:— The GSH/water ratio in patients with epilepsy was significantly reduced in the parietooccipital region of both hemispheres (1.6 ± 1.0 x 10-5) compared to the GSH/water ratio in healthy controls (2.4 ± 1.1 x 10-5). There was no significant difference between the hemisphere with epileptogenic focus and the hemisphere without epileptogenic focus. The GSH/water ratios of the patients without active epilepsy were not different from the GSH/water ratios of patients with active epilepsy.

Conclusion:— The authors found evidence for a widespread impairment of the glutathione system in patients with epilepsy independent from seizure activity.

From the Department of Neurology (Drs. Mueller and Wieser), University Hospital, Zurich; and the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Medical Informatics (Drs. Trabesinger and Boesiger), University and ETH Zurich, Switzerland.

Hot Dogs, Nachos and Fries. Oh, My!

Bunny spent this weekend doing a sports marathon.  Three games in 24 hours, and air travel was involved, as were two half-day drives. This means trouble in four forms:

Airline Food:  This is never very appealing, but it helped Bunny’s cause that airlines no longer feed you unless you purchase one of their glorious little snacky-packs. This flight didn’t even pass peanuts. So Bunny did no damage with a cup of coffee and a glass of orange juice. Perfection!

Stadium Food: Stadium munchies are not much to Bunny’s liking. Hot dogs gross her out (she keeps thinking about an article she read about all the yucky pig parts that go into weinie manufacturing). She can pass on stale popcorn, even with Buff munching it next to her. Nachos slathered with pseudo-cheesy goo and dotted with jalapenos? No thanks. She went with a stale pretzel at games 1 and 2, and a strawberry margarita at game 3.

Fast Food:  Bathroom stops on the long drives inevitably occur at fast-food restaurants. You can normally rely on the major fast-food chains to have reasonably clean restrooms. Of course, they also have fries, chocolate shakes, cute little pie-like things, cookies and sundaes. While Buff picked up burgers and fries, Bunny stuck with Diet Coke.

General Munchies:  The last challenge is the munchies in the car and the hotel room. Buff likes to buy bags of pretzels, and those animal-shaped cookies covered with white frosting. hmmm…. Those are tempting when all you’ve had is a stale stadium pretzel, a cheap single-serving bottle of chardonnay from your game stash and about 17 gallons of Diet Coke.

All in all, Bunny did OK. Nothing close to a healthy meal, but every step of the way she assessed her options and did the best she could. 

And now that she’s back, she’s going to start hitting the gym three times a week.

Right, Bunny? Bunny?

Dammit!

Non Guilty Pleasure! Unplug

Today was part deaux of yardwork duty, and I’m sore.  I can barely type.  My arms, legs, thighs, butt are all screaming loudly.  But I’m getting a lot done and there is satisfaction in that.  Soooooo, I did what sore people should do……luxuriated in a bubble bath   …..aaaahhhhh…..calgon…actually it was Aveeno .

I can’t remember the last time I filled the tub (for myself,  not my nephew).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oatmeal soothing mix

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

poured a couple of these in there

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Got my candles lit……..

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sprinkled bath with flowers

 

 

 

 

 

More flowers and rosepetals

 

 

 

 

 

I told you it was a non quilty pleasure…..

Gotta have bubbles

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hold on foodies, promise food pics coming up soon….

 

Ahhhh HAPPY FEET!

My church is doing a fall series called ” Unplugged” …unplug from the noise and plug into God .  We’re reading from  the book of John and doing daily devotions.  Well, today I unplugged in a bubble bath and had a nice quiet long prayer time with my Lord.   Thank you Father for your love and Mercy! I should probably do another post for the food, but, I’m too tired.  It’s all going here. Last night’s dinner was a frozen meal (Kashi) and it was kind of bland.  Followed by a Kashi   cookie.  I was too pooped to cook.   

Kind of blah

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My energy for all this yardwork today came from yogurt and fruit in the morning followed by a power smoothie!!!  Loving those green monster smoothies.  

Dinner tonight was a healthy, lo-cal fish, cauliflower mash and avocado.

  

   

 

Steaming Cauliflower for "mashed cauli"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cauliflower Garlic Mash

• steam 1/2 head of cauliflower florets
• puree florets in blender with garlic clove
• pour back in pan, add 1tsp butter 
• stir (for thicker mash, add potato flakes)
• Tastes just like mashed potatoes       

fish, mash and avocado

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So there you have it.  Wow, the kink in my neck is gone     thanks bubble bath.

Eat well, live long and take a bubble bath 

I let myself down yesterday.

So I went to a meeting yesterday since I knew I’d have to miss the meeting today, and damned if I hadn’t gained a little weight. Just a tough: 0.4 pounds. Which could have been explined by me wearing a belt, or the fact that I had gained 0.4 pounds. Like this Y-cable.

Y-cable: 0.4 pounds

Anyway, that happens. But I’ve really got to control my reactions to the news. I ate a light lunch, but somewhere in mid-evening, I tucked into some sour gummi candies we were using as monsters at D&D on Sunday. Then, after dinner (chicken fajitas, with weight watchers cheese), I ate a couple choclats and some cookies as well.

I gotta react better to disappointment.

Oh well, as of this morning it’s a new week.

Rob

Day One of a long, long road.

I wanted to start blogging about weight loss for several reasons. First of all, if I post both the updates and the pictures on a weekly basis, it becomes a part of my life, and I may be able to actually maintain it. Secondly, since it’s online where people can read it (except my friends who don’t know about this site), maybe it will work out to be a really exciting trip for more than just me to go on. If you want to build some morale, I’d love to make some E-friends who are trying to do the same thing.

My goal for this blog is exactly what I said, pictures and updates weekly. I plan on getting smaller every week if all goes well, even though it will be subtle. I took some pictures of myself (yeah…it’s pretty scary…) and I can’t help but think “WHEN DID THAT HAPPEN?” And I’ve already lost twenty pounds! I have about a hundred to go.

Currently I am 5′2″, 240 lbs, and none too pleased when I look in the mirror. I was a much smaller person when I was younger and I can’t wait to get back to a healthy weight. I love healthy food and exercise is my friend (when I have time). It’s one small step at a time and I hope that everything will work out. So.. Day one!

Sickness

So at the moment I’m feeling pretty awfulus. Ridiculous chest thing is coming back. The weight, the inability to breathe. Weight in all my limbs like I have concrete in my veins, to quote (grumble… why does itunes never work? stupid program…)  but yeah. Feeling pretty shitty. Probably doesn’t help that my roommate/best friend/ step sister has H1N1 and im likely to get it.  All I wanna do is watch one tree hill but my body wants to sleep. But like a little kid at nap time, I just don’t wanna. Hungry too, but I’ll get over it. At least I’m not the chubster I was before. God that was so gross.

Its been 2 weeks now since he last texted me. I think I’ll be over thinking about him soon. That 2 week mark. Im sad that I lost a friend like that. I was telling S (my roommate/best friend/ step sister) today that I miss the old SH  (a coffee shop/ smoke shop with a pool table, great music, and good atmosphere). I miss play fighting with nick and mike. How they would just pick us up and throw us over their shoulders and laugh while we struggle. Or beating eachother up with pool sticks. Or poking eachother to throw off shots. The banter, the wit, the fuzzy feeling of having close friends. And good coffee. God they make the best coffee there. Or mixed drinks rather. They say the list of hidden menu items is over 500 drinks. That’s craziness. But now I dont even want to go back there. Because its basically his turf, and I dont want to feel awkwarkd and then sad that he isnt talking to me. I wish it had ended as friends… I wish he had never done that stuff to anyone. I wish he wasnt such a black hole of despair. Everytime I see couples on One Tree Hill (OTH) I feel a twinge that I wish I had someone like that. Someone to talk to, cuddle with. Be silly with. Hangout with. But I know that with my focus on school lockdown its hard.

But I feel like I cant meet anyone. I want a girl really. Someone to take care of. Someone to wrap my arms around and protect. I want to admire her and fawn over her. But at this point I would take a guy too. I decided today to talk to more strangers. Little conversations. Maybe I’ll meet someone that way. Or just to practice flirting. Or just interacting. I’m not even sure how to meet someone. I did strike up the courage to talk to a guy I had my eye on today, only to find that he isnt as attractive as I first thought. He reminded me of Mick from Moonlight. (that show was amazing! I cant believe they took it off….those ass clowns.*eye roll*)  Not sure not sure. But hopefully my weight improvement plan helps. And taking my old attitude off the shelf and using it. Why it ended up there, I have no idea.

Basically, that was my day. I think im getting the chills now. I’m freezing but im sure the room is warm. It always is. Great. Swine flu. I think Im going to read my psych book now, take some notes. I missed that class today too. :/

20 in 20

Helloooo lovlies! Yes, I know. You’re angry with me for not blogging AT ALL in August. Well, I’m angry with me too. So let’s all just hug it out and move on with our lives, shall we?

The good news is that I have a laundry list of blog topics that is ready and waiting to be written about. I know, you can barely contain yourselves!

But down to business: As some of you know, last week I decided to go on a mission to lose 20 pounds in 20 weeks. After some very angry emails, texts and IMs from some of you, I’ve decided to slightly modify my challenge to myself. PS – thanks for grossly underestimating my weight – that’s why we’re such good friends

So yes, the mission is still 20 in 20 (the PR girl in me just couldn’t resist), but instead of 20 pounds lost, it can be 20 anythings – pounds, inches, pant sizes, bad habits, etc. And instead of starting last week (and ending on my birthday), I’m starting this week – with Wednesday being Weigh-in Wednesday (OKAY, I like cheesy alliteration – GET OVER IT). The start date was changed due to the fact that this weekend was a huge FAT FAIL, as I spent the weekend in Austin eating terrible food, drinking way too much and watching the Horns beat up Tech–TOTALLY worth it.

The inspiration for my 20 in 20 Challenge stems from my love of the Out of Control Fat Roll girls. I am friends with two of these lovely ladies (one of whom I met for the first time in real life this weekend – stop judging, I am excellent at making e-besties and managing long distance relationships of all kinds) and they have really started a fitness/healthy lifestyle revloution for themselves. And now it’s my turn.

They’re really ballsy – posting their weight online - but I think that’s one of the keys to their success. Accountability is important, and that’s where YOU PEOPLE come in. I will be posting my weight online too, and YOU PEOPLE must love and support me, slap that brownie out of my hand, limit my guacamole intake SEVERELY and force me to work out at least 5 times a week.

20 weeks: February 10, 2010. 2/10/10 – 2 x 10 = 20 in 2010. I am also a numbers nerd.

My First Liquid Fast

Started my first liquid fast 2 days ago. I havent been on here forever. Feels good to be on here. I’ve switched companies and I’ve been pre-occupied with work, so I’m now back to my personal life again. Anyway, the fast is going very well, better than I expected. I’m using my coffee, which is a great appetite suppressant, diet peach snapple tea, v8 spicy,  v8 light splash, & laci beau diet tea. I’ve been bike riding 6 miles a day. I’m sure hoping to shead a lot of pounds. I don’t know how many day’s I will do this fast, going to see how many days I can go, then I’m going to celebrate with mexican food – my favorite! Just found out my friend started a fast too – we are just two peas’s in a pod. I’m really excited about this. I love switching up a diet, everytime I do, I always loose weight. My goal is to get back to 100 pounds! My birthday is October 12, I know I won’t be there by then, but would like to be at least half way. So looking forward to shopping on my birthday.  If anyone has any diet or exercise tips for me I would sure appreciate them.

Mind over Menu

I don’t remember who uttered this witty weight loss quote but I will never forget it. It goes something like this, “Whether breakfast, lunch or dinner those who think first will be thinner.” We need to remember that food is matter and we have the power of Mind over Menu. Many people have been on so many diets that the issue is not necessarily a matter of knowledge but a matter of wisdom which is basically defined as the actions a person takes based upon the knowledge they have. So the knowledge that we have put into simple to implement actions no matter who you are or how much weight you want to lose can help you create a menu that is just for you. I like to call that type of menu a “menYOU”

If you’ve learned anything from your dieting mistakes in life you can use your experience-gained dietary intelligence to outsmart the menu that is working to sabotage you. That’s right…I said sabotage you. The menus we order from at restaurants from fast food to fine dining are generally not geared to support the weight conscious. And speaking of conscious this is the part of your mind we are going to work to train so that you begin to operate in unconscious consciousness or in other words that natural actions we take without thinking by first developing and practicing the actions of everyday life with heightened awareness and specific purpose.

All this fancy talk simply means that by thinking more about the items decide to eat everyday you can develop automatic behaviors that work in favor of your weight loss and I call this “Mind over Menu”. This little phrase can help you achieve big results on the scale and just about everybody can accomplish this with a whole lot of ease and little effort. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to make better choices it just takes a person that is willing to allow their mind to dominate over the power of the menu.

The best place to start is by initiating a food diary that you keep daily. OK, I know it is a pain to write down everything you eat everyday but doesn’t the pain of having extra pounds on your body outweigh the effort it will take to write your foods down? The first thing that keeping a food diary does is it helps you become aware of everything you are putting in your mouth. This is step one in gaining the power of Mind over Menu. You can use food diaries in a blueprint towards the building of a new you, as well as, help you identify areas you need to improve in, in food selection.

Food diaries also hold you accountable and force you to think about what you are eating. I want you to begin to think of your food diary as a term paper that will determine your final grade in a very important class and over time you will begin to edit out the mistakes and bad grammar which in this case are equivalent to poor food choices. In the age where the internet is a great dieting assistant you can conveniently keep a food diary online at www.myfitnesspal.com or www.self.com which are just a couple of places where you can register for free to keep an online food diary that allows you to select commonly consumed foods from a database and these food diaries even calculate the amount of calories you are consuming.

It is helpful to plan out what you will eat ahead of time. Make your own menu that includes foods you like and love. Once you prepare a menu for yourself look it over and find places where you can cut back without feeling too deprived and save calories. Remember that this is a process that works to implement a lifestyle change that is realistic enough for you do continue forever.

Secondly, in this whole Mind over Menu phenomenon; just make better choices. If you must have the bacon cheeseburger, don’t eat french-fries with it sending your weight loss into a starch and grease comma otherwise known as a weight gain. Veggie fries are gaining great popularity. I like to call this method sacrifice for satisfaction. Begin to think in ways that tell your brain that you get enough satisfaction out of the burger so you can do without the fries and in place of the fries have a salad with low calorie or fat free dressing of slice vegetables up into long slivers that resemble fries and pretend a little.

If you have a heavier meal, make it a menu meal selection that you consume earlier in the day and not a few hours before bedtime when it is sure to stick to you. Also adjust the other foods you have that day to be lower calorie more healthier selections. Before you know it you will automatically be adjusting your menu to both enjoy the foods you love while still consuming a daily amount of calories that can result in weight loss. Do you love ice cream? I have found that most yogurt places have a fat-free sugar-free frozen yogurt with all the taste minus the guilt. It is going to take time to adjust your menu to where it needs to be but the important thing is to start today. Losing one pound a week isn’t a lot but it is realistic, easy to achieve by implementing Mind over Menu and it also equates to 52 pounds per year. Your mind has power so use it to empower your weight loss.

Just in case America isn't fat enough...

As the debate over President Obama’s healthcare proposal rages on, Taco Bell continues to give Americans exactly what they crave….melty, crunchy, spicy and heart attack inducing.

I especially love the tagline at the end…

Of course, I would change it just a little bit.

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates

.

Related Posts

• 5 Bucks for a Can of Coke
• NYC Declares War on Soda
  
• Here Comes the Soda Tax
  
• Better than the Biggest Loser
• America’s Obesity Epidemic costs $147 billion
• Having trouble sticking to your diet?
  
• How the Free Market makes you FAT and why “Big Food” likes it that way
• Nutritional Information on Restaurant Menus – Does it make any difference?
• The Future of Fast Food
• The status-quo is broken…We need a new model for burning fat and getting fit

YL Cleansers Weekly Digest September 20, 2009

Here’s what we’re talking about at the Cleansing Forum!

Hello, everyone!

I am welcoming fall, the equinox is Tuesday, and I love this time of year, savoring all of the good that the warm months have brought to us.

It’s been busy at the forum,  a lot of new members, and we should be welcoming the “Terpenators” soon…I call them the YLdWest (Wild West) since they are from Western Colorado and a group that regularly meets about YL products and discusses health and cleansing as we all do.

And as all of you are returning from convention, I’ve decided that sometime during the week of the 25th, my Power Hours will resume…and we will being in the spirit of becoming SUPER DISTRIBUTORS! Let’s leverage all of that great goodness of the convention, excitement, everything that was shared, the goals that you are setting, and really magnify our power collectively and feel all of this success REAL! More information to follow, but wanted you to know that I will be doing this at some point next week!

All of the new products launched at convention this week sound AMAZING!

CHECK-IN

You can still submit questions for the October 7 monthly radio show that I do with Dr.Leanne – this show usually runs about 90 minutes and we cover much more than you’d ever bargain for.

Dr.LeAnne also shared how she was able to get rid of her mucoid plaque so fast, and why the appendix is so valuable.

More on  Swine Flu:
Article: H1N1 “Swine Flu” Shots – Enough Mercury to Cause Severe Neurological Damage

I was even wondering if I was recovering from Swine Flu.

Article: Swine Flu Vaccine Approved. I had also commented that implicitly, it seems that this is NOT going to be a mandatory vaccination as it’s production is driven by demmand.

More on Vaccines:
Article: Inconvenient Truths About Gardasil and Swine Flu Vaccines

Article: Study Reveals Serious HPV Vaccine Problems

THE CLEANSES

Starting MC thread – Janice, Daniel, and Regina continue discussion about the Master Cleanse and Colon Cleanse

Yeast Cleanse – great discussion going on about yeast in the “detox for women” thread. (You will be redirected at this post!)

Great Article related to Liver Cleansing – about how Chemicals in Our Diets Produce Fat People.

OTHER CLEANSES - NEW! You can post any other type of cleanse not mentioned in this thread, and we’ve got a GREAT starter one….

Neezie started a great thread on Detox for Women – a program outlined by Natalia Rose, one of my favorite Raw Food authors. I’m going to pick this book up this week and probably start it – about a 4 week cleanse. So intriguing. Thanks, Neezie!
What Is That?

Dr.LeAnne followed up to Daniel’s graphic toilet bowl picture, and talked about the Omentum. Which is an actual organ in the body that moves and surrounds infections…perhaps tumors to expel them in our BM’s.

Cleansing  Problems and Detox Help
Ok, Eva is becoming my new superhero as she undertakes some SERIOUS cleansing. There are 2 threads that are worth checking out if you know someone who is cleansing and has a history of cancer or chemotherapy – it’s a tricky one. And where in the world does Daniel get all of this information? Wow. You can check out Purging Parasites without killing them and Horrible detox-and garlic-and parasites

OTHER CLEANSING MODALITIES

Green Lemonade Recipe – we talked about it so much, it’s been posted again.  It is sheeeer BLISS!

Dental-Oral-Teeth:
Article: Secrets Your Dentist Doesn’t Want You To Know

Great follow-up post by Dr.LeAnne about Headaches and teeth and gums

Enzymes & Fiber

Regina posted about the importance of fiber, especially when you’re sick!
Oil-Pulling

Regina posted about oil-pulling and the flu
Dr.LeAnne commented about the essential oils she uses for oil-pulling.

Sinus Cleansing – Neti Pot
Dr. LeAnne shared a phenomenal healing experience, truly miraculous seeming in nature -  she had as her body is truly evicting the last of her illness from the flu and such (hmmm….interesting it would happen on the day of the new moon which was tauted as UBER healing this week?

Regina talked about meridians and chakras as they might relate to sinus infections and ear congestion.

YL SUPPLEMENTS AND PERSONAL CARE
Regina posted about Super B
Vitamins, Minerals, Antioxidants, etc…
Article: Silicon, Benefits of  Silicon, Silicon Deficiency and Food Sources of Silicon

Article: Silver in Tiny Doses Kills Bacteria, Helps Wounds Heal

Article: Pervasive B12 Deficiency Affects Millions – How about You? (this is also related to brain fog and depression)

LIFESTYLE
Avoid Me Like the Plague!
Article: 7 Thougths That Are Bad for You
Food , Diet, & Recipes:
Article: TheAloe Vera Miracle: A natural medicine for cancer, cholesterol, diabetes, inflammation, IBS, and other health conditions

Article: Artichokes Contain Amazing Power

Article: Melon Compound “Reduces Stress”

Longevity NEW!

Article: Resiliency Tips from the 100+ Crowd

SPECIFIC HEALTH CONCERNS
Adrenal Health

Regina posted ”According to Precription for Natural Healing, the Adrenals Need:”

Allergies

Article: Swimming Pools May Be Fueling Allergies

Hormones
Article: What’s Happening to Women’s Happiness?

Thyroid
Regina posted about a neat experiment with Copaiba Oil and Endoflex
Article: Is the FDA Poised to Ban a Century-Old Natural Remedy?

Weight Loss, Obesity, Body Image
Article: Chemicals In Our Diet Produce Fat People

REGINA’S CORNER

TheDaily Cleanser- they are a hit!
For today: We powerfully build and cleanse our bodies by doing the things we love the most! Do you have an old hobby or adventure you’ve forgotten about? Just figured you grew out of it, or don’t have the time, or maybe just feel silly doing it?…..

Fun stories about fly-fishing and playing basketball.

Did You Know –
Today: That Green Lemonade is more hydrating than water, is an excellent alkalizer, and packed with organic water, vitamins, and minerals?

Astrology
What a crazy week – I’m sure with all of controversy surrounding Rep. Wilson, Kanye West, and Serena Williams to name a few…it all seems astrologically in line, to me.

We are still in mercury retrograde – so it’s easy for communication to go cross-ways, misunderstandings more likely, problems with transportation and travel, and not a good time to purchase big ticket items.

I actually tried to squeeze in my carpeting order before mercury retrograde, and as soon as the reps started having problems with estimates and sharing them with me, I decided to forgo my carpet wishes until the end of the month. But that’s just me. I like easy.

Happy Cleansing! (and building!)

Love,
Regina

More Trader Joe's Finds and an Awesome Dinner

Today I went to Trader Joe’s for my weekly shopping trip.  Since I didn’t really need to buy too much, I had some time to look around and shop.  I found some great new things, and I thought I’d share them with you.

These little treats are delish!  2 rice balls are 2.5 points, and oh so good.  They’re stuffed with fontina cheese and just hit the spot.  Sort of like mozzarella sticks, only with more of a crunch.  These would be a great appetizer for a cocktail party, nice for a light lunch along with a salad, or as a filling snack.

These Korean-style sesame marinated beef ribs are so tender and delicious.  I grilled them for 5 minutes per side on my outdoor grill and they were flavorful and juicy.  They have a nice hint of ginger as well as a few other spices.  4oz = 6 points, and well worth it. The thing I like about this packaging is that it doesn’t have a lot of waste and it comes with so much meat.  I froze half of the uncooked meat and grilled the other half, so I had enough cooked for tonight for 2 dinners.

I paired these ribs (which I carefully measured on my food scale to make sure I got 4oz) with jasmine rice and steamed bok choy.  I know that brown rice would’be been a better choice, but I was in the mood for some sticky white rice tonight.  It was delicious and so satisfying:

I should probably mention that I always eat my dinner on smaller plates so that it appears like there’s more food. Sometimes you’ve got to trick your mind into believing you’re eating more than you really are. 

The rest of my purchases were my normal items: Fage Greek yogurt, apples, bananas, pita chips, light string cheese, etc.  What have you found recently at your grocery store?

Supplements for Everything But...

There are pills, powders and supplements for almost everything…

• Burn Fat
• Build Muscle
• More Protein
• Feel Good
• More Energy
• Look Younger
• Lift More Weight
• Feel Less Hungry

That list is long and varied.

What is the one thing you will never find a supplement for?

Hard work.

And do you know what’s really strange? Most of those supplements you can buy at the store won’t get you to the body you really want by themselves.

You have to supplement the supplements with old fashioned hard work.

Get Rid of Your Belly Fat

Losing weight does not have to be a chore as many people take it to be. If you can get a weight loss program that is fun, you will enjoy yourself while losing weight in the process. This will also give you the drive not to give up but rather to stay focus on your goal. You see, the mistake people make is to start a program and quit half way through. This is the worst thing you could ever do. Imagine several months down the line you are looking back and questioning your lack of success. That can be very depressing, since you may have reached your goal had you not quit.

The aim here is not to discourage you, but rather to give you some weight loss tips and advice that you can apply to your lifestyle to get an amazing body. Below are a few tips to help get rid of that unwanted belly fat.

Tip #1- Don’t eat late at nights- Try to avoid eating a heavy meal late in the evenings. You want your food to be almost digested when you are going to bed. Otherwise you undigested food can be easily converted to fat and stored around your organs.

Tip #2- Do some cardiovascular exercises on a regular basis. This does not have to be strenuous exercises, but you need a workout that will get your heart pumping fast to speed up your metabolism so you can burn fat faster.

Tip #3- Do abdominal exercises- While dieting is good to lose weight, you will need to do targeted abdominal exercises to tighten your abs so you can have a flat stomach.

Tip #4- Stay focus on your goal and think about it as fun. Make it something you love and you will find that it is not as hard as you think.

Eat A Big Breakfast To Lose Weight

From CNN.com, Can Eating A Big Breakfast Help You Lose Weight?

Overview:

Research suggests that having a big breakfast with carbohydrates and lean protein, and even a piece of chocolate, will help keep your appetite in check all day and help you lose weight.

The study compared sedentary, obese women eating a big breakfast containing carbs with sedentary, obese women eating a low-carbohydrate breakfast. Results showed that at the end of the eight-month trial, women eating the big breakfast lost an average of almost 40 pounds, while the low-carb breakfast group lost only nine pounds on average. Researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University, led by Daniela Jakubowicz, M.D., of the Hospital de Clinicas, Caracas, Venzezuela, conducted the study, released in June 2008.

Is Your Dream a Reailty... or Vice Versa?

Do you ever wish you had the perfect body? That you are fit?

I remember when I was overweight. Before I wasn’t overweight (come on – who am I kidding, I was fat), I used to sit around and think about the days when I was skinny and muscular. I wished that I could have that body again. That was my dream…

Do you have similar dreams?

Well, make them real. Make a plan. Take action… as Douglas Everett, Canadian Senator once said…

There are some people who live in a dream world, and there are some who face reality; and then there are those who turn one into the other.

What I did, in the years after college, was turn my reality into a dream. I was that guy, the athlete. The body I wanted. Confidence.

I turned my reality into a dream. After a few years, I could only dream of that body. Then I had to reverse the process…

Turn my dream back into my reality. It took a decision to take action, and then a devotion to that mission… I could have the body I wanted. And, over time, that dream once again became a reality.

Less Sleaze - Week 2

I’ve worked it out, I’ve worked it out, I finally know why I haven’t lost – frankly – any weight over these last nine weeks. I’ve been walking home three to four times a week and mostly being careful with how much I eat and drink (mostly), but have so far only been able to drop a whole ONE BLOODY KILO! But now I know why and it makes so much sense I’m amazed I didn’t realise it earlier. The reason why I’m not loosing the pounds is because I’m dating a feeder!

It happened like this: Last Sunday Beautiful Creature (who shall for now on be only known as “BC”) and I were sitting in the Westfield Parramatta food court, enjoying our Muffin Break coffees – you can’t say that the two of us don’t know how to party! We’re sipping flat whites and nibbling on egg and bacon pie (me) and double extra rich chocolate brownie (he). My E&B pie was lovely and savoury, just the thing for a quick and easy breakfast, and BC’s brownie was lavishly rich with gooey chocolate icing perfectly decorated with a single walnut. BC’s offer for a taste was greatly accepted but it was the yummy pie that was doing it for my taste buds that morning. It wasn’t long before I had cleaned my plate complete of pie and flaky crumbs. BC was only halfway through his choccy treat.

He put down his fork. “Sweetie, why don’t you finish this?”

‘Thanks hon,” I said. “I’m pretty good.”

“No,” BC replied, pushing his plate towards me, “You should finish this.”

I shook my head and smiled. “That’s ok, I’m pretty full, but thank you.” I took another gulp of my coffee, which actually wasn’t that bad considering it was made by a scrunchie-wearing 12 year old.

BC put down his cup with a slight thud. He turned his shoulders slightly towards me. ”No, Clyde,” he said, “I want you to finish this.” He picked up his fork and placed it in my hand. And so, more out of politeness than desire, I took a little slice of the brownie and ate it, making lots of “mmmm” noises. I put the fork back down.

“Ooo, I’m full now. That was delicious!” I said sitting back in my chair and patting my tummy.

‘But you haven’t finished it,” said BC, and he pushed the plate over further.

Well, by now I feared for my own safety. I tried to make eye contact with the Muffin Break assistant who was cleaning away cups at a nearby table, but she was too concerned with soaking up a small pool of spilt coffee to notice. Another customer smiled politely back before moving herself, her shopping trolley, her baby pusher, and her five other children to a further away table. I realised I was alone.

BC stared, grinning at me. I could see flints of madness in the corners of his eyes. I smiled back but I knew that I had lost the war. I picked up the tainted fork and heaped the remainder of the over-sweet sweet – walnut and all – into my mouth. I chewed slowly, the chocolatey icing oozing down my throat, then swallowed. Traces of the cake coated my mouth and my tongue licked madly searching to eliminate any stubborn crumbs. I washed the remaining traces of the brownie down with the rest of my coffee.

BC smiled. He lightly squeezed my thigh before moving his hand higher and patting me on the tummy. He leant closer towards me. “I like it when you eat,” he said, and gave my belly a little rub.

Then he walked me down to the train station and I went home.

–+–

Scales. Let’s see: 86.1

Week 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Sleaze 87.3 86.3 85.2 85.8 86.0 85.0 86.0 86.5 86.1 - -1.0 -1.1 +0.6 +0.2 -1.0 +1.0 +0.5 -0.4 - -1.0 -2.1 -1.5 -1.3 -2.3 -1.3 -0.8 -1.2

(You may get the impression that I’m pretty much over this and just going through the motions. To that all I can say is: shame on you for being so astute!)

Tattoo talk

Today’s been an eating day. I’m going to a party tonight and I’m worries that if I don’t try to eat, I’ll end up getting really sick and vomiting all over myself. I’m guesstimating around 600 calories so far.

I’ve been doing really well lately. I’m almost proud of myself! Yesterday I spent the entire night reading blogs and taking notes, writing down ideas and tips to make this whole weight loss thing easier. While I’m writing this I’m halfway through a two liter pitcher of apple juice diluted with water (one part juice for ten parts water), because I suspect that I am not drinking nearly enough water. I can see it on my skin, especially on my shoulders. I never get really bad pimples anymore (grew out of that a couple of years ago, luckily), but I have two blemishes on the left shoulder by my tattoo. I don’t really care about having blemishes on my face – they go away after a day or two anyway – but I absolutely hate having unflattering marks around my tattoos. They’re the parts of my body that draw the mosst attention to themselves, and having blemishes in their vicinity just makes me seem … disgusting.

I’m thinking about getting a tattoo on my stomach, but I am afraid of how a pregnancy will affect it. I am scared to death of strecth marks! I have one, really tiny stretch mark on my left breast, but even though you have to look at it in the right light to see it, I am painfully aware of it every time I show cleavage.

The main reason I would want to get my belly tattooed, was to make it something to show off. I hate my stomach most of all. I’m flabby and not toned at all. Having a tattoo would be super motivating for keeping myself in shape. I wrote about this in an earlier post regarding my ankle tattoos; I have hundreds of scars on my legs and hid them for years, because I was so ashamed of how thy looked. Now that I have my tattoos, I’ve started wearing shorts and skirts again, and I take pride in my body – that part of it at least. I would love to have tattoos cover my entire body! I just need the money … or the right kind of new friends.

Overcome the Guilt of Overeating

I’m sure nearly everyone trying to manage their weight feels guilty when they overeat. There’s a reason they call it “stuffed.” It doesn’t feel good being bloated, especially after some time of eating reasonable portions and re-training the stomach to understand what a comfortable, full feels like.

My mom had a magnet on our refrigerator that said “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the hips!” Of course, there was a picture of a pig eating a piece of coconut cream pie on it. (Lest you think I come from a family of skinny-minnies, quite the contrary. Most adult women in my family weigh in the 200-300 pound range).

As a nutrition expert who works with emotional eating, eating disorders, and weight management I honestly think that magnet should say “a moment on the lips, a lifetime on the mind.” While it doesn’t rhyme as well, I do think it is the true damage of overeating. The guilt people can carry can overwhelmingly sabotage any progress toward mindful, healthy eating.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. I’ve got a few tips that will help you better deal with it:

• Don’t feel guilty about wanting to eat. Food is necessary for your survival, and it was intended to be an enjoyable experience, not a guilt ridden one. If you think about food often, don’t beat yourself up. With the abundance of cheap food widely available it is no wonder food is on the brain. Remind yourself that guilt can reverse your positive progress.
• Expect the “overeating relapse.” Nobody is perfect – good thing or life would be boring! Don’t encourage a “relapse” every time you pass the fast food joint or the junk food aisle. But trust me, you will have a time when your life feels “out of sorts” or particularly stressful. You’ll probably overeat. The best thing you can do is learn from it. If the food didn’t cause the problem, it won’t solve it either. What did you really need? To feel good? Maybe next time, a conversation or a hug will do the trick without the extreme guilt that follows overeating.
• Don’t let “triggers” control you. Triggers are things in your physical or emotional environment that make you want to overeat. They can be particular foods, feelings, or events. Common triggers include parties revolving around food, feeling depressed, bored or frustrated, loneliness, or having a bad day. How will you positively deal with triggers when they come your way? I advise my clients to avoid “food triggers” for a few weeks; eventually, the temptation fades. For some clients, the opposite works. I tell them to eat their “trigger” every day. Sooner or later, they get sick of it once the allure is gone.
• Focus on the positive. Rather than making statements such as, “I’m useless at…” or “I’ll never be able to…” change your focus to something more encouraging. What have you done that is working for you? What is positive? If you hit a weight loss plateau, how much have you lost in total? How many exercise calories did you burn this week? How many nights did you get enough sleep?

Therefore I eat a lot of spinach.....

It’s No secret that veggies like spinach can power up our bodies with more nutrients than probably any other food.  Spinach has tons of Vitamin A & C.  But really important is that research done on spinach has found lots of compounds in it that function as anti-cancer agents.   THEREFORE, I EAT A LOT OF SPINACH.

Research has also found that spinach may help protect our brains from oxidative stress and can reduce the effects of decline in brain function due to getting older.   (Biggie)

THEREFORE, I EAT A LOT OF SPINACH.

spinach,tomato,cucumber,edamame,carrots,feta

 

 

 

 

 

 

Oops almost forgot to add chick peas n broccoli

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

fish broiled in foil

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HUGH JASS SALAD

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

ALL GONE

                               

September 17, 2009

I finally stepped on the scale again.

I’ve been avoiding it like the plague, because the usual rundown is work my buns off, step on the scale, have absolutely no change, and want to kill myself.

Add to that the fact that I haven’t been doing ANYTHING because of my stupid ankle and you have me terrified at the thought of looking down and seeing the same damn number.

HOWEVER. It was nice today. It actually said that I had lost weight. And not just a little bit, but more around the 10 pound mark. Now, I don’t know how accurate it is, but I AM down a pant size, AND if you look at my measurements, I’ve lost four inches off my waist, and 2.75 off my hips. AT any rate, it’s a start and heaven knows I needed to see at least SOME progress.

I would also like to point out that for the first time in over 2 years, I’m UNDER 220 pounds. And THAT is worth celebrating.

Why Losing Weight is Good

Why Losing Weight is Good

There is a great benefit acquired from losing weight.  Though losing weight is not easy,  the long term effects brought by it would probably be of help to anyone considering to shed those unwanted and unhealthy pounds. 

The following are a few of the remarkable advantages from losing those excess weight.

Weight loss prevents high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke

That is a three in one benefit from losing weight.  It is a fact that heart disease and stroke are one of the primary reasons for disability and death in both men and women in the US.  People who are overweight have a higher risk to have high levels of cholesterol in their blood stream as well as triglycerides (also known as blood fat). 

Angina, one type of heart disease, could cause chest pains as well as a decrease in the oxygen pumped to the heart. 

Sudden death also occurs from heart disease and stroke, and usually this strikes with very little warning, signs and   symptoms.

It is a fact that by decreasing your weight by a mere five to ten percent, this could positively decrease the chances of you having or developing heart disease or a stroke.  Plus, how your heart functions would also improve as well as your blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride count will decrease.

Weight loss prevents type 2 diabetes

Diabetes puts in jeopardy one’s life as well as how one leads his or her life because of the complications that result from having it.  Both types of diabetes, type one and type two are linked with being overweight.  To those who already have diabetes, regular exercise and losing weight could help in controlling your blood sugar levels as well as the medication you may be currently taking.  Increase your physical activity.  You could simply walk, jog or dance.  It helps get those blood streams moving as well as lose those unnecessary pounds.

Weight loss helps reduce your risk for cancer

Being overweight is linked with a number of kinds of cancer.  Specially for women, the common types of cancer that is associated with being overweight include cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, ovary, breast, and colon.  This is not meant to scare you, this is only to keep you informed.  Men are at risk too from developing cancer if they are overweight.  These include  cancer of the colon, prostate and rectum.  Extra weight, a diet high in fat and cholesterol should as much as possible be avoided. 

Weight loss reduces sleep apnea

Or it could eliminate it all together.  Sleep apnea is a condition wherein one could temporarily stop breathing for a brief period and then would continue to snore heavily.  Sleep apnea could cause drowsiness or sleepiness during the day and – because of being overweight – could result in heart failure.  Shedding those excess pounds could help in eliminating this problem.

Weight loss reduces the pain of osteoarthritis

When one weighs heavily, the joints of  his or her knees, hips and lower back would have to exert double – if not triple – effort to carry him or her through out his / her waking, walking and moving life.  This could cause tension and stress on these joints.  Weight loss decreases the load these joints carry thus decreasing – if not eliminating – the pain of one who has osteoarthritis.

A Fat Girl's Journey

Hello,

My name is Mae and this is a story of my ‘Fat Girl’ journey through life.  I started a “diet” 60 days ago and I am going to share my emotional rollercoaster through this blog.  These are real feelings.  They are intimate and 100% true.  If you can find yourself in my journey, I say thank you.  If you can feel me through my journey, I say thank you.  If you are inspired through my journey, I say thank you!

So here’s the run down so far.  I started Nutrisystem on July 13, 2009.  I am exactly 60 days through my journey and have lost a total of 14 lbs.  Now a lot of people would say “Mae you’re not fat…” but that’s merely based on their perception.  I am 5′2 and 60 days ago I weighed 152.  For any and all people who have ever been on a weight loss journey or has had body image issues – it really has nothing to do with the weight.  It doesn’t matter if you are only 10 lbs over weight or 50.  To someone who perceives themselves as fat, guess what, you’re fat and no one’s opinion matters but your own.  Feel me on this?  So it’s not about me “loosing the weight” it’s about the emotional rollercoaster, the sabbotaging eating patterns and the trust I get to regain for myself.  The weight loss is merely the vehicle.

Talk to you soon!

Obesity Time Bomb

THE OBESITY TIME BOMB

I don’t know what this says about me, but as soon as I saw that headline, this picture popped into my head.

.

If you like what you see here, click here for updates

.

Related Posts

• Diets don’t Work
• Recipe for a Fat Man
• 5 Bucks for a Can of Coke
• Better than the Biggest Loser
• America’s “Official” Obesity Solution
• America’s Obesity Epidemic costs $147 billion
• Too fat to be surgeon general?
  
• Having trouble sticking to your diet?
  
• How the Free Market makes you FAT and why “Big Food” likes it that way
• Nutritional Information on Restaurant Menus – Does it make any difference?
• The Future of Fast Food
• The status-quo is broken…We need a new model for burning fat and getting fit

Biggest Loser New Season New Contestants Tonight!

NBC’s New Season of the Biggest Loser starts tonight with 20 new contestants. Watch contestant video here.

Biggest Loser 2009 Contestants

Or don’t, actually. I tried many times to link this to a cool video, but for some reason it will not save tonight!!!! You can go to www.nbc.com and check it all out, but their website it soooo tough to maneuver…maybe it’s me tonight! Anyway. Check out the Biggest Loser season 8 and the new contestants. It is always an inspiring show and Jillian rocks, well both coaches do (Bob too!). They are promoting the new cookbook, which is about meals on a budget…very good economic timing. You can also see Jillian Michael’s, her HOT BODY, and her workout videos HERE.

Grocery costs are on the rise and many family cooks are finding themselves in a tough predicament: how can they feed their families healthy, satisfying meals without breaking the bank? Actually, most healthful eating involves preparing fresh food and vegetables at home and that is generally at a favorable price point. In The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook: Budget-Friendly Meals Your Whole Family Will Love, New York Times best-selling author Devin Alexander shows families that eating on a budget can be easy, nutritious, and delicious. With more thank 125 recipes specifically developed to satisfy every member of the family, Chef Alexander provides complete, affordable meal plans for breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with mix-and-match side dishes, healthy snacks, and desserts. From Swiss Mushroom Omelets to Steak Fajita Quesadillas, Family sized Meatball Parmesan to Chocolate Cherry Truffles, these wholesome, satisfying dishes will become an essential part of every family cook’s repertoire.

In addition to an overview of the Biggest Loser meal plan and chef Alexander’s recipes, you’ll find helpful cooking and saving tips from favorite Biggest Loser contestants and online club members. You’ll also find simple ways to get kids involved in the kitchen and fun ideas for family mealtime. Designed to make healthy eating accessible for everyone, The Biggest loser Family Cookbook will help pad your wallet-not your waistline.

Biggest Loser, Liveblogging

The opening montage and I am already tearing up.  A woman is sobbing: “I’m so ashamed.” Jillian says (yells?) “There is NOTHING TO BE ASHAMED ABOUT.” Some people might call this abuse, but this is why I love Jillian.  She’s not dissing the woman, she’s saying, let go of that shame or you are never going to change. Which I believe.

The peeps jump off the bus. They’re at the beach. They’re going to have their first challenge: to run? one mile of the final marathon that the last season’s final four completed. It’s a race. Whoever wins, gets immunity.

(commercial break: OH MAN look at that crazy junk food. Chili’s fried ugh. I will take this opportunity to say that many of my Tweetie friends expressed their disgust and disdain for BL tonight. Lots of us were excited for it to begin, others were like, TBL is evil. I totally get that many things that happen on the show are not “realistic” or “right.” But I feel very sentimental about this show. When the last season began, I was at one of my worst points, health and weight wise.  I felt like I was joining those people “virtually” and they did inspire me.)

Commercial over: here comes a car. Surprise! It’s…..Daniel from Season 7! My guy!  I love this dude. He’s lost 140 lbs and he’s back for more. GO DAN.  So now they’re racing the mile. Blue woman (Tracy) is wayyyyyy in the lead. But then at the top of the hill, Daniel catches up and passes her. Walking. Everyone else? Struggle. Big struggle. Of course it is.

DANIEL WINS. He HAS come a heck of a long way. Uh oh. Blue woman is in trouble. She can’t get up. Paramedics. Oxygen. Helicopter. AGH.

Everyone’s telling their stories. It’s very moving. Wow these people have been through a lot. Heroin addict mom, homeless, foster care. Woman whose family died in a car crash. Everyone’s sobbing. I’m crying. I’m noticing that this show seems to be have a lot more working class people. Who could not afford gym memberships, Whole Foods, counseling, trainers, maybe even WW memberships. This is huge for them.

(commercial: Whoopi and Cat Stevens! woo! “If you want to sing out, sing out…” YAY)

DANIEL PICKS SHAY. The biggest guy from last Season, picks the biggest one for this season. What a guy. I love him. Interesting, these co-ed teams. I am feeling badly for the people who aren’t picked yet. These picking things are a bummer. Luckily, it goes fast.

Weigh-in time. Many of them have no idea at all what they weigh. I can relate to this.  I went for months without weighing and what happens during that time? Up up up up.  And there’s Bob and Jillian! Tough in black leather.

Red Hot Recipes: Take Three

Well today it just so happens I have 2 great recipes for you!

These both involve using Egg Substitute!  NOW, if you are already saying “EWWW…I’m not gonna try that”…just STOP right there!  I assure you this is the BEST way to try this low calorie (good for you) product without feeling like you are eating something “fake”.

Some of you have told me you can’t get used to the low fat/low cal taste of food, so to you I say these recipes are for you!  Both are loaded with flavor and offer a hearty portion size so you won’t feel like you are starving!  Before we get started let me give you a little Egg Substitute conversion chart:

1 Egg=1/4C Substitute

So if you have a recipe that calls for 4 Eggs….you need 1 cup of the Substitute (add it up it’s not as hard as you think)

ALSO…. just so you know 1 regular egg (not the EX LG) is approx 55 calories but the equivalent (1/4 cup) of substitute is only 30 calories…now don’t say that isn’t much….  Think about a recipe that calls for 4 eggs you would save 100 calories in that recipe just by using Egg Beaters!!! Try the real Egg Substitute first then you can work yourself into the the Just Whites for even more calorie savings…. Besides if you bake it or cook it…you can’t tell the eggs are in there anyway!

So give these yummy recipes a try…at least once! We love them both~

**************************************************************

Cheesy Beef Bake:

• 1 lb Lean Ground Beef (approx 740 calories)
• 1 1/2 Cup Egg Substitute ( approx 150 calories)
• 1 C Fresh Spinach (or more)-(no cals for green fresh veggies)
• 1/2 Cup Kraft 2% Mozzarella Shreds  ( approx 140 calories)

Brown Meat in skillet (make sure to use seasionings you enjoy…I used garlic, onion, red pepper flakes and basil and no need to skimp on seasonings cuz they are calorie free and make it taste sooo much better)

Coat an 8×11 pan with olive oil cooking spray

Add Beef to pan

Layer Spinach to the top of the beef

Layer the Cheese on top of the Spinach

Measure out egg substitute into a small bowl then pour on top of the entire casserole

*This will look like it did nothing and that it isn’t enough…just trust me here

Salt and pepper the top

Bake for 25-30 minutes (until eggs are set)

Rest 5 min before slicing

Here is the BEST news yet:

1/4 of the entire casserole (that is a big honkin slice) is 258 calories!!

That is just insane!!

You can have some yummy sides with it or it is pretty much a meal all in itself.  I topped mine with 5 Ritz crackers crumbled on top which gave it a little crunch (like croutons) and that brought the calorie count up to 278 for that big ole slice.  I thought about having corn with it as a side but I was full from the portion so I didn’t!  That is one LOW calorie DINNER… you can slice it and heat it for lunch too…it’s super healthy

It was so good my kids devoured it and because it was so low cal and healthy….we all had a nice low cal Ice Cream Sandwich (try the Blue Bunny Sedona Sandwiches if you haven’t)

***************************************************************

Cran- Rasin Bread Pudding:

• 1 Large Apple chopped (50 calories)
• 3 slices low cal/ high fiber bread ..(I use Arnolds Extra Fiber = 270 cals total)
• 1/4 cup skim milk (or Almond Milk)- (Skim=23/Almond=15)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup CRAISINS (dried Cranberries) (138 calories)
• 1/2 cup Egg Substitute (60 calories)
• 1/4 LIGHT brown Sugar (180 cals)
• 10 Truvia packets (0 cals)
• 6 Sprays of Parkay Butter Spray (0 cals)
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Extract (24 cals)
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp nutmeg

Chop the apple and saute it in a small pan with 2 oz water,  Truvia, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla until the apples begin to soften

toast bread on low until it’s hard…break it into pieces in a small bowl

add Craisins to bread

in another small bowl measure egg substitute add almond (or Skim) milk and 1/2 cup water *the Almond Milk adds a nice flavor and is less calories**

mix cooked apples with bread mixture & add to baking pan (pre sprayed with butter flavor cooking spray)

Pour Egg mixture over apple mixture

Bake in water bath (just put it the bread pudding pan in a bigger pan and add water to the bottom pan until it reaches halfway up the sides)

bake for 25 min @ 375

Then Crumble Brown Sugar on top and spray with Parkay spray to wet the top

Return to the oven until the sugar bubbles

ENJOY!

WOW~~~1/4 of the entire bread pudding (that’s a lot FOLKS) is only 185 calories….so you can have your bread pudding and eat it too…

Just for your info typical bread pudding runs ya about 850 calories for a much smaller portion!  So this is totally worth it!

SO there are 2 amazing recipes that I have personally used and love!

Hope you enjoy them too~

**************************************************************

By The Way we now have a facebook page just    for the Red Diary Journey…I add little helpful tips almost every day so if you haven’t joined that then you should!!!  Look it up on facebook and tell your friends!

Here is the LINK:

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Brunswick-GA/The-Red-Diary-Journey/127729002850?ref=ts

ALSO, I’m not getting much feedback and I can’t tell your reading if you don’t talk to me….so just drop me a line when you read something that helps you cuz that HELPS me want to keep posting stuff to HELP you…see the cycle here???

Well my goal is only 15 more pounds by Thanksgiving but secretly I am pushing for Halloween then I will be at 100 down!!  Praise The Lord!!

Stay tuned next Tuesday for more RED HOT Recipes and in between I hope you come back and read some other posts (the food labels one is a good one to start with~”not just a roll of the dice”)

Fall is just around the corner and I know there are lots of great recipes to be found that won’t widen the waist line…

YOU CAN DO IT and I wanna help…