Well, I couldn’t believe it, but do you realize what yesterday was? It was my third-week anniversary of beginning my new diet. Hard to believe, but I’m now at the magical point where everything is supposed to be ingrained in my psyche, and new habits are supposed to have been formed along with old ones being broken at this point.
I’m not convinced this has actually happened just yet, but it sounds good if nothing else! Once again, in some ways, it seems as though it’s been an eternity, but it also seems as though it’s only been three weeks. Believe it or not, even though my food sources/stash is dwindling, I’m still gnawing off of all the food I bought from back then. Not bad for $175. It’s just as good as Nutrisystem was at $200/month.
All I can do is continue to move forward and reach for the stars. I’m beginning to notice subtle differences — my suit, which was already too big for me, is sliding down even more so now. My fiancee told me when she hugged me around my mid-riff that this was the first time she was able to fully reach around me and grab both of her hands — she’s short (only five feet) and has a short arm span.
On another note though, I received “the call” from the doctor’s office yesterday regarding the results from my blood test as a result of my physical from the other day. My cholesterol was 197 — up 27 points from two years ago. Not bad, I guess. I expected it to be in the 230s. My HDL was too high and LDL was too low, but not so much they were overly concerned about it. The same also pertained to my triglycerides.
Interestingly enough though, when they checked me out last time, they noticed I was having some issues with my thyroid. Well, things didn’t look any better this time around and I suppose looked a little worse. The reason I say that is because they prescribed Synthroid 75 mcg, which I started taking today. They want to check me again in two months and see how the levels look at that time. This may be affecting my ability to lose weight since hypo-thyroidism affects the thyroid’s ability to control the body’s rate of metabolism.
So, here we are. Still plugging away. I need to set up an appointment with Dr. Rustveld in mid-October when I’ll be available to see him. That’ll be the real test to see where things are at. From there, I can also get some more direction and a better sense of what to do next and where we can head off to for the next two months.
I’m beginning to improvise more and more with the menu he provided to me, mixing and matching various items and counting the corresponding calories to ensure I don’t go over the alloted amounts. I think the next time I go shopping, I’ll ditch the menu and really take a look at what foods are in each category and just plan my own stuff. I think I’ll like it better and find it easier to manage that way. It’s going to take some time to do the planning though to get it all in place until all of this becomes second nature.
I’m beginning to have some interesting conversations with other people who eat veggie burgers and whole grain pasta, and it’s amazing how many people actually enjoy this stuff. I don’t see how. I guess I’m going to have to bite the bullet and learn how to like it even though this is totally counter-intuitive. It’s crazy, but as I’ve said before, push has come to shove, the fun is over and it’s time to buckle down and get the work taken care of. It doesn’t make me feel any better though.
In the meantime, while my fiancee has been laid out with the swine flu, I’ve not been walking since I’ve been trying to spend time with her and attend to her needs. I need to get back out there and kick up some dust to keep things moving. Does it ever end? That’s the real question. Something to ponder… .
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At 60 calories you’re a delish little treat…unless I eat 5 a day for a week. Halloween candy is obviously NOT allowed in this house.
Tonight’s Biggest loser was a good one, except for crazy bug-eyed Tracy who needs to take about ten chill pills…gross! SPOILER: She totally should have gone home instead of the red team! None the less Biggest Loser is such great inspiration and I went to the gym right after and worked my butt off, Jillian screaming in my head. Good times! I’m hoping to lose 3lbs this week, which is actually next week because I didn’t do my weigh in until Monday so I cant re weigh in until next Monday, which is ok because I have a craft fair on Saturday. I’m kind of having anxiety about my job thing because the whole driving record STILL hasn’t been resolved..ugg…so poor, hopefully fingers crossed all gets taken care of by the end of the week (or sooner) and my weight loss goes well and the craft fair is awesome! An exciting busy week!
Sorry for being incommunicado for the past few days. Friday snuck away from me without being able to get a post in, and then, yesterday I didn’t make it into work. I stayed at the house taking care of my fiancee who seems to have (simply because the doctor refused to come out and say it specifically) that she has swine flu. Back in the saddle today though.
Things were fine until Sunday night when I was just getting around to having my paltry little snack and my fiancee started having chills and a severe headache. Up I jumped from my chair and off to the emergency room we flew. By the time all was said and done, it was close to midnight (they actually saw us in record time) and I needed some sustenance. Of course, I was extremely upset and worried because my fiancee has been having headaches now for about five months in a row. She’s already a two-time cancer survivor. The thought regularly enters your mind that it could be more than just a headache but something more sinister that’s behind it.
So, of course, my initial fall-back position and desires all crept back in, in a huge amount. We ended up at a hamburger joint open 24/7 — the worst place to go. I have some good news though. Rather than getting a double meat, bacon cheeseburger with cheese, I settled for a kid’s burger with meat and mustard, and a small french fry. It also included a small soft drink. It wasn’t good, but it was a hell of a lot better than what I would have done otherwise.
Then, yesterday I managed to make a lunch like I was supposed to do and didn’t eat my snack. By 6 p.m., I was ready to eat the dining room table. For various and sundry reasons, dinner didn’t come around until 8:30 p.m. Once again, because of the situation with everything going on, we ended up making a pizza in the oven. Yes, I ate half of it I wasn’t supposed to, but it sure tasted good — best thing I’ve had since my diet started!
Of course, I didn’t even tell you about Friday night. As a celebration to welcome my fiancee back from her traveling all week, we headed for one of the Italian restaurants in town. I decided to have spaghetti and meatballs. The portion wasn’t huge, but bigger than I was supposed to be eating. Of course, I ate it all — all of the pasta and the three large meatballs. Let me tell you though, I paid for it throughout the night and into the next day. I guess my body is beginning to adjust to more healthy eating with less fat and all of the other bad stuff, so much so, it revolted when I threw this stuff down my throat. That’s a positive though. I’m going to think twice before I do that again. It looks as though my body is beginning to make some positive adjustments.
However, I’m not sure if I undid some of the progress I’ve made over the past nearly three weeks now by splurging as much as I did from Friday-last night. I got back on the bandwagon again this morning and am having what I’m supposed to be although I got too busy to eat my snack this morning. Hopefully for dinner, everything will work out and there’ll be no further issues. I can’t succomb to the temptations and my past behaviors even though they’re staring me in the face!
I tell you though, it didn’t take long for all of that food to just pile up and take off — the pasta on Friday, the breakfast tacos on Saturday and Sunday, hamburger on Sunday and pizza on Monday. Wow! It’s amazing how it all adds up so quickly when you’re not paying attention to it all. I’m beginning to see how I was able to consume 3,800 calories/day without a problem. Crazy!
Well, here’s to better health, less anxiety and worry, and a better tomorrow!
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It isn’t every day you realize you are living a metaphor.
When I started this journey, just 10 short days ago, that first walk felt like an act of faith akin to Columbus setting sail for the West Indies or the Apollo astronauts shooting for the moon.
(Ok…maybe it wasn’t quite that dramatic. I enjoy using words to their fullest effect, so it’s reasonable to suspect I might be coloring it up a bit.)
Still, it was a definite step outside my comfort zone. I started mile one with energy and optimism and ended it feeling as though I had crawled through the proverbial dessert on my knees. The final steps of that first mile required me to pull from resources I had not tapped in a very long time. I completed that mile in just under 40 minutes.
This evening, I completed mile ten in 22 minutes – and unlike the end of that first mile, I’m fairly certain that passing neighbors were not tempted to call paramedics to my rescue.
Sure, I’m still not a speed walker, but the point is, I am getting stronger – strong enough that I’ve begun to ask Jesus when we should add some distance to our daily walks.
I really believe the strength I am gaining in my physical walk is a metaphor, a picture of the work He is doing in my heart and spirit. I can sense it, and it excites me. It feels like things are shifting around inside of me. I am hopeful for the first time in a long time. I am becoming more and more determined and confident. Every day that I walk with Jesus, every day that He speaks to me about these things I’ve kept hidden from Him and everyone who has ever tried to love me, I feel a little more healed, a little stronger, a little more like the woman I’ve hoped to be – the one I’ve always felt my addictions disqualified me from ever becoming.
We had a really fun walk today, Jesus and I. I found myself doing this strange sort of skip-hop thing every once in a while, rocking back on my left foot and then to my right.
It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to skip. Skipping requires the ability to go airborne – to defy gravity – even if only for a split second. What I did tonight wasn’t a full-fledged skip, but it was a hint, foreshadowing of one. I even extended my arms, pretending to fly for just a bit. I knew the Lord was walking right beside me. I could sense his delight like warm sunlight across my cheeks.
I was channeling little “Kristi” from my hometown of Hamilton, Missouri, circa 1977. She’s had a lot of regrets since then, and I think Jesus was giving her a “do over.” Tonight, on mile ten, I was just a girl having fun.
I stepped onto the scale Saturday morning at my WW meeting and i was amazed at the results. I had the second best week that i’ve had since i started the program. The week i lost 6.4 pounds. That totally blew away my prediction of a less than 1 pound loss. That puts me at a current weight of 209.8 pounds and brings me to a total of 41.2 pounds lost. These numbers are starting to mount and the results are beginning to be impressive.
Now it’s time for some analysis. Why was this such a good week? Why was it a surprise to my? I really only had to two days of overeating. And those days are i went into my bank of points that i get to spend any way i want to. When i exceed my daily points by between five and ten points that is not really a disaster if that happens only once or twice a day. That’s what the extra 35 points a week is for. However if i do that 3 or more days a week then that is a problem. But that didn’t happen this week. So i was really on program all week.
This week i also was effective in the healthy substitute area. I have replaced wine with the non-alcoholic version. Where two glasses of wine are 4 points. Two servings of non-alcoholic wine are 1.5 points. That’s a big difference. I’ve found a one point per serving string cheese. When i couple this with my 1 point per serving popcorn then i can have a serving or two my favorite snacks and not get killed in the points department. I have started using Splenda as my tea sweetener. These kind of changes in my food have added up to a significant points difference.
Also this week i got out and went walking more. I was out walking 4 days last week. That is my goal: walk four times a week. That just does something good for me. I’ve noticed that weeks when i’ve walked a lot are the weeks that i’ve done well with weight loss. Exercise does matter.
No matter what people call Victoria Beckham, there’s no denying that this former Spice Girl has a lots of style. Posh, as she is famously known as, is an international style icon that is more recognised for her fabulous style than her singing talent. Whether she is taking her three sons, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz …
Free Diet Programs – How to Create Customized Free Diet Programs Project
Author: Nicole Barry
Category: Health & Fitness | Weight Loss
Keyword: free diet programs,free diet,diet programs,weight loss,diets,fat loss,fat loss programs
Source: ezinearticles.com
Post Data: 26/09/2009 15:37:11
Word: 370
Many companies that sell weight loss supplements also, Project, provide free diet programs to integrate their products. Health publications and magazines make another great source of tips and ideas for successful dietary plans. And since diet is the key to fitness, don’t be surprised at the diversity of approaches, methods and strategies. The best free diet programs are those that are designed individually, to correspond to personal factors.It doesn’t take much to create customized free diet programs. You can take the following as suggestions for a good start. Establish you body weight objectives. Establish how much weight you want to lose and set a time frame for the purpose. Begin with small objectives, such as two or three pounds per week. This is both realistic and doable without putting too much stress on the body.Remember, Project, that helpful free diet programs are those that make it possible for the body to burn calories in a natural way and without the consume of too few nutrients. Better fitness and weight loss results will also accompany a positive mind set. Respect the efforts your body makes and stimulate it intelligently. It would be a mistake to crush your muscles at the gym every day.Create some kind of weight loss tracking system in order to monitor the weekly and monthly progress and identify the elements that work better in the routine. Put down any changes you notice with the introduction of any new food in the meal plan or the performance of different activities. Free diet programs work best in combination with sports such as swimming, cycling, climbing, hiking, jogging or skiing, but you can also choose aerobic for cardio training, and still be successful.Do not make the mistake of changing the free diet programs too frequently because you’ve got much to lose. Efficiency is not proved overnight, and the metabolism needs time to react. Sometimes, significant results are visible only after some months of commitment to a weight loss program.Go for those free diet programs that are relevant on the long term. People who are overweight need permanent solutions for their extra pounds. Even when you reach the desired fitness level, you have to continue the dietary routine to maintain the same great shape.
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9/27 – Post Test!
68 Days of INSANITY
exercised 54 days out of 68
*should have been 63, but extended due to back injury early on
% Improvement from Start to Finish:
Switch Kicks 51%
Power Jacks 20%
Power Knees 5%
Power Jumps 20%
Globe Jumps 32%
Suicide Jumps 18%
Push Up Jacks 42%
Low Plank Oblique 32%
% Change from Start to Finish:
Weight 0%
Biceps 9%
Waist -5%
Hips -1%
Upper Thigh -8%
TIGHTENED, TONED, AND MUCH STRONGER!
INSANITY: Before and After
Biggest change I’ve noticed is with the “pooch” area – just below the belly button. I haven’t really changed my eating habits at all, but the pooch is gone! I don’t remember my stomach being this flat in a really, really long time! Generally speaking, everything has tightened up and I’m MUCH stronger.
NOTE: My suggestion for anyone doing INSANITY is to do Month 1 twice – at least – before attempting Month 2 to avoid exhaustion and overtraining I ended up taking extra “off” days during Month 2 and toward the end, I substituted Month 1 workouts for Month 2 workouts. I actually think I would have had better results just doing Month 1 twice…maybe I’ll try that next!
“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small does not serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you. We are all meant to shine, as children do. We were born to make manifest the glory of God that is within us. It is not just in some of us; it is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
a return to love – marianne williamson
Now that I am reaching “old crone” status, I am learning some things. Things that have taken me 54 years to finally figure out. There was a time when I might lament quite a bit of I was met with a series of similar difficult situations. I would wail “Why me?” or feel I was going through a streak of the most awful luck. Not anymore. Now, I sit back and ask myself “What am I supposed to be learning through all this that I have been missing?” I have learned that lessons will be repeated until they are understood. It’s best to learn your lessons quickly. Who wants to keep repeating a lesson? Especially, the difficult ones.
It seems of late that a lesson that I keep having to repeat is about owning my personal power. I keep being met with uncomfortable situations that force me to recognize property lines, and having to determine what problems belong to me, and what belongs to others. And mostly learning to say “no” to what I shouldn’t own, and keeping my hands off, so that others can learn the lessons being handed to them as well. It’s not easy to stand by and not ”rescue.” It isn’t always easy taking a firm stand and saying “no.” Regardless of how I may seem to my family and friends, I am really a huge softie inside. I am like a mother hen and everyone around me are my chicks. If I see someone in trouble, or having a difficult time, and I want to tuck them under my wing and make everything alright. I have learned that “fixing it” for everyone only tends to make people lazy at fixing their own problems. Hence, learning to recognize property lines has become important for me and for others. Having to own my power and having to ”power up” is often extremely difficult for me. It’s not unusual for me to own my power, and then go into my room and cry, just because I was forced into a position to do so. However, I am always pleasantly surprised at how quickly, and well, God works when I mind my own business and stop trying to fix everything.
Another “power lesson” that I am learning comes in the form of weight loss and exercise. I finally decided to take control of my life in those areas and to own my power. I am not powerless over food. I have say so over what size I will be. Being overweight is not my destiny unless I choose it. I do not. I have decided that I am strong within and now I will be strong without. My body will match my spirit. Some of the favorite mental mantras that my spirit communicates to this body while on the treadmill, or doing any other exercise routine, is: “You will obey me” or “You WILL line up with the image that I have for you.” It might sound a bit strange to you, but try it sometime. You will be amazed at how powerful it makes you feel.
Don’t just let life happen to you. Make life happen. Own your personal power.
It’s true. The poorer you are the less you can afford to eat healthy and take care of yourself. Here in Silicon Valley for the last week channel 5 here has been doing a special about living on $4.00 a day for food. The consumer advocate put herself on a budget of $4.00 a day because our unemployment is up over 12% and many, many people are on food stamps. That is their allotment.
One of the first things she noticed was she had to switch from fresh fruit to frozen. The other thing she did was fill up on more starchy food for fullness versus healthier food. I’m not sure I would have agreed with how she shopped. I think I would lay out a menu and buy more bulk foods cheaper when I first got my money than shop day by day as she did. She had a bulk pak of chicken breasts that were a great buy, but because of the way she was shopping she had to put a large portion of it back. She also went to bed hungry one nite because she spent $1.59 one day on a coffee. I guess between shopping in bulk, buying pretty much only the stuff on sale, and clipping a few coupons feeding a family of 5 on $6.00 a day wasn’t too bad. LOL.
Since we’ve been living in a hotel I have been eating full-fat cream cheese on my bagel and whole milk on my cereal because that’s what they serve for breakfast. The other choices are sweet rolls, muffins, crescents, toast, and that sweet, instant oatmeal. I could not eat the bagel but then I’m hungry mid-morning and start looking around for something else to eat. For dinner we either do fast food or something microwavable because there is no stove. TV dinners are neither cheap or non-fat no matter what anyone says, although at least there is Lean Cuisine, Healthy Choice and Smart Ones to choose from. I will be so happy to be back in a full-fledged kitchen where I can buy things on sale and store them, buy fresh fruit and vegetables and have a way to cook them. And oh yeah, I’ll have my scale back. That will really tell the tale. LOL.
I’m starting to wonder if the obesity problem in this country is really poor eating habits etc., as much as it is that more than half of American families live below the poverty level and eat what they can afford.
I’ve taken a few days off. I knew my body was just not up to working out after Tuesday’s FMS session. That is something positive I’ve learnt from working with someone. I used to workout no matter what but now I occasionally give myself a break if I need to.
When to stop is an interesting issue, I’ve been working on this for a while. My cardio fitness is quite good. I can knock out lots of reps if I need to, sometimes with some heavy kettlebells, and have rarely walked away from kettlebell session completely smoked with knees wobbling. But when someone watches me workout they can see muscle failure I can’t even feel. When muscles fail , then form goes ,which can lead to injury.
Also when someone is watching form and my body is not taking the lazy way out, which it sometimes does when knocking out lots of reps, I feel like I do more work. My legs, glutes and abs work more.
This is my workout last night, I was a little out of breath and sweating a little, but otherwise fine-it was my hip alignment that went.
Joint mobility
stretching, reach and roll, ASLR,bridge work, again correcting form.
12kg 2H swings 20-30, ASLR
12kg 2H swings 20-30, bridge
2 sets
12kg 1 H 5 each side, reach and roll
12kg 1 H 5 each side, bridge
2 sets -
We stopped here because hips went out of line not because I was breathing hard or otherwise really fatigued. Form was going before I felt I needed to stop- this is an ongoing disscussion between Chuzzy and I because I really lack body awareness. I don’t feel my hips or legs go out of line . I am getting better at noticing raised shoulders though.
After that I did some get-up practise. Again, I can do get-ups all day long if I’m not worried about good form. However my back begins to complain after a while. Getting form right is another story and I can’t do many reps when I am working on form, but my back is happier- I sometimes feel that I’ll be working on get-up form forever! But may be that is the point.
This is a cross-post I did today for WeAretheRealDeal. You can read it here after the jump.I feel extremely fortunate (particularly in this turbulent economy) to work at a company where employees not only have health insurance, but also were encouraged to “get healthy” with a new wellness program that was initiated this spring.
After completing a total-body composition assessment, each employee was given a nice budget to use for a variety of get-healthy tools — including gym memberships, yoga or fitness classes, personal training sessions, weight loss programs, home gym equipment, smoking cessation, nutrition counseling, etc.
For people like me who already belonged to Weight Watchers and already had a gym membership, it was an awesome incentive to try something new. For example, I jumped at the opportunity to seek out a trainer for a few sessions, bought the P90X DVD system, and bought Jillian Michaels’ 30 Day Shred DVD .
And for those who were not really active before, suddenly they had a reason to get healthier and/or become active. After all, it wasn’t going to cost anything but their own time and energy. Who could turn down an opportunity like that?!
As it turned out, not many. (We had close to 100 percent participation).
You should see my colleagues today! Several have seriously transformed themselves. They’ve lost weight, they’ve toned up, they’ve begun running or weight training … and the energy around the office is palpable.
Hell, there’s even a group of us now who were so inspired that we formed a lunch-time walking group. Now, we get bummed when there’s a conference call or meeting that gets in the way of our walk.
Of course, I realize that not every company has the means to offer a wellness program like ours — especially in this economy — and I realize I am very fortunate to work where I do.
The fact that my employer took the proactive route to invest in its employees’ health means a lot to me; mental and physical well-being are so very important, and these kinds of programs are often the first to go when it comes to cost-cutting.
That said, I am convinced that presenting employees with a program that encourages them to get healthy — without asking them to open their wallets — is one way for companies to save money and help Americans get fitter: lowering their risks for disease and illness. After all, healthy, active employees tend to be sick less often. And doesn’t that help every company’s bottom line?
No matter which side of the political aisle you stand, in light of this cluster of a health care debate here in the U.S., I think it’s safe to say that we know just how important wellness and prevention are. The benefits of exercising, eating right, getting enough sleep, etc., extend to every aspect of our overall well-being and have trickle-down effects to our performance at work.
I don’t have stats to back up how much our company has saved in health-care costs this year, but I do know that having an incentive to get healthy inspired us … and I hope it’s a program that continues next year, as well.
How about you? Does your company have a wellness program and if so, has the craptastic economy changed it? Do you participate? Would you participate if your company offered one? Can you suggest one?
I don’t want this blog to become all about weight loss, but I do, for personal reasons, want to weigh on Mondays and Fridays.
Mondays to sort of keep myself accountable for what I eat on the weekends. I tend to go overboard. But, at the same time, I want to relax on the weekends. Part of that is not cooking, so I end up eating out.
Fridays so I can track the results of making responsible, healthful food and activity choices all week.
This week, I weighed on Tuesday and Friday. Same scale both times, hospital-grade (I work at a hospital), and capable of handling persons who weigh much more than I.
The difference? 6 pounds. In the “loss” direction. I know that’s just water weight, but it’s still incredibly rewarding. I’m rather proud of myself.
After more than two weeks, after missing the progress test I was to take at the dojo tonight, I finally felt ready to send an email to my sensei explaining why I haven’t been in class. It was a challenge to convey to him how I’d been hurt and why I think I’ve been unfairly treated in just a couple of short paragraphs, but I think I managed it.
Sensei:
I don’t know when or if I will return to the dojo.
Each time you give me a test invitation sheet, you call me into your office to tell me that I cannot be promoted to shodan until I lose weight. It feels to me as if you want me to know that you’re doing me a favor by allowing me to test. It’s very hurtful to hear you say to me the things that I say to myself whenever I look in the mirror–that I’m just not good enough and that no matter how hard I work, my goals are out of reach for no reason other than how I look. Still, I accepted that limitation until I saw that you promoted another martial artist–one of far lesser skill–who is also obese. She’s just not as obese as I am.
I’m trying hard to hang onto my will to live; there are days when I don’t think I’m going to make it. Maybe it isn’t a wise decision to give up something that’s been a big part of my life for so many years, but I don’t know if my self-esteem can continue to take the battering.
Dorene
Adventures in Widowhood
I’m curious to see what his reaction will be.
###
There’s a quote from a book–I don’t remember which one.
“I’ve lived too long with the pain; I won’t know who I am without it.”
I’ve actually never read the book this is from, but I saw it in the signature of one of the members of the suicide forum. I’ve been thinking about this quote a lot since the last time I was at the dojo.
I’ve been wondering what my life would be like if I threw out my bathroom scale and stopped letting my “weight problem” rule every second of every day. What would it be like to march through my day with my head up instead of slinking around hoping not to see the judgmental looks on the faces of the people I encounter? What would it be like to put my hand up the next time someone starts to offer me a diet program and say, “Stop! There’s nothing wrong with me?” What would it be like to actually believe that there wasn’t anything wrong with me, that I was good enough to have what I want?
I’d love to try it, but I worry about two things:
1. I worry that I won’t know what to do with myself. Who will I be if I’m not the fat woman who wishes she were a thin woman?
2. I worry that I will gain weight if I stop obsessing about losing weight. I don’t think I’ll be able to deal with that–it’s hard enough to be as heavy as I am; gaining weight will surely destroy me.
On the other hand, maybe I could actually start living my life. Maybe I would have the time and mental energy to actually write something publishable, something important.
I suppose I can start small. From now on, anyone who suggests a diet program or a book I should read about my hormones or any other pseudoscientific nonsense is going to get a rude reply from me.
###
I’m pretty sure that I’m going to be spending most of tomorrow in bed.
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Morning everyone! I had a LOOONG day yesterday, and I’m feeling exhausted today. Boy, do I miss my coffee. This morning, I decided to “treat” myself to a hot cup of Natural Calm. (calling it a “treat” is a real stretch– I really don’t enjoy it that much! But it’s not bad…) I haven’t taken that stuff in a few days, and my body can tell! It really makes a nice difference on my system… so glad my colon hydrotherapist recommended it!
Last night, I got my new hair extensions! It is such a weird feeling to have 150 strands of hair glued to my head! Guess I’m just going to have to get used to it. My friend did SUCH a great job, and I’m so lucky to have her!
Unfortunately, my hair extension appointment took up my entire evening, and I didn’t get home until 10:30pm last night! I ended up skipping dinner and going to bed. I wasn’t hungry, and I was SO tired! Sitting in a salon for 6 hours took it out of me! I realized today that I did eat NEARLY enough calories yesterday– I only had a little over a cup of pineapple for breakfast, and 3 bananas with 2 tablespoons of almond butter for lunch. Right before my hair appointment, I had two servings of raw fudge to keep me full. All in all, I think I consumed around 900 calories. Definitely not enough for even my sedentary day!
So today, I’m going to eat more. I have plans to run this afternoon with my friend, so I need to fuel my workout! I know my body will not release any of my extra weight if I’m not feeding it enough!! So far, I’ve only had about a half-cup of pineapple. But for lunch, I’m going to fill up with a big salad, and some more of my favorite– bananas and almond butter. Maybe some more raw fudge, too. I love having to indulge for the sake of getting calories.
I have LOTS to do today, so I’ll update more later!
This is an edited excerpt from an email I sent to one of my best friends regarding this Master Cleanse — I liked what I wrote, so I thought I would post some of it here…
“You may have a life-changing experience. You might learn some things about yourself. You might even become more aware of who you really are. Self-discovery is a path to freedom. People have been fasting in various ways throughout time. People still do it today in many cultures around the globe. It’s really not a bad thing for your body to go without food. Plus, it’s not like you’re “not eating”. You are still consuming life-sustaining minerals and calories and fluid. It’s really okay. 10 days isn’t that long compared to a lifetime.
I feel euphoric (philosophical, too, LOL) Honestly. 4 days in and I don’t feel like I’m damaging myself in anyway. My body feels the best it’s felt since I first started using my CPAP machine. I feel clear and alert and completely aware. I have energy — I even feel like I want to exercise. That’s a new one for me. I normally dread exercise — and today my body seems to crave it.
I know that you know what’s best for you. This is what was best for me 4 days ago. I felt like I needed to do something drastic — something big — something that I hoped would alter my perspective on my life, my body and whatever it is inside my personality that is holding me back from being the best I can be. I’m a young person who is cool and vivacious and has so much to offer — and I’m heavy. And it frustrates me that I can’t get a grip on my weight. This Master Cleanser was the best choice for me at this time in my life — I am searching for the answers — and this fast is helping me get closer to the knowledge.
So far, it has been life-changing for me — in just 4 days. I know that sounds smug and self-righteous. I don’t mean to be all high-and-mighty about it. I just think there are many things to learn about ourselves — and sometimes it takes drastic measures to find those truths. In 4 days, I’ve learned that it definitely takes drastic measures for know for me. I don’t like everything that I’m learning about myself…but it’s the truth and the truth will set you free.
Does Soy Consumption Negatively Impact Male Sexual Development and Function?
The simple answer is that these projected “problems” with soy are all based on conjecture, with no actual human studies showing any detrimental effects of soy.
Discussions about the safety of soy do occur on a number of websites, of which many offer links to scientific studies. Given the volume of research that has been conducted on soy and soy isoflavones, it’s not a surprise that some studies have shown negative results. However, the weakness of these “anti-soy” websites is that they focus on only a few studies rather than evaluating soy in the context of the body of literature supporting the health benefits of soy. This, in turn, can give consumers a skewed perception of the safety of soy and this simply causes more confusion than providing people with a truly balanced perspective.
Because soy isoflavones exert estrogen-like effects, concerns have been raised that consumption of soy early in life (in utero or during infancy) might cause abnormalities in sexual differentiation and feminization in males, low testosterone levels and impaired semen quality leading to infertility in adult men. We have even heard it proposed that it is soy that is turning boys into homosexuals. People say these things with no actual scientific evidence to back it up. These concerns stem mainly from animal studies where rats have been injected with extremely large amounts of isoflavones during development. But the truth is that the amount of isoflavones injected into these rats was equivalent to a human consuming about 2000 servings of protein a day for 60 days or so. That would be drinking a full protein drink about every 45 seconds, 24 hours a day. It would also be over 200,000 calories per day, which would be far more dangerous than the soy isoflavones.
Soybeans are rich in a class of phytochemical compounds called isoflavones, particularly the phytoestrogens genistein and daidzein. Phytoestrogens (isoflavones) are remarkably similar in molecular structure to the female hormone estrogen. They are thought to behave in the body like estrogen but at just a fraction of the strength of the powerful estrogens naturally produced by the body. Isoflavones — or so-called phytoestrogens — are NOT estrogens. They are simply molecules that have a SHAPE so similar to estrogen that they are able to take up some of the same receptor sites — which is exactly the reason for one of soy’s very beneficial, protective effects. The isoflavones take up the receptor sites, thus blocking the adverse effects of the far more powerful estrogens. This is the root of soy’s increasingly documented protective effect against cancer.
Scientists suspect that it’s the relative weakness of these phytoestrogens that actually work to support and protect our health. Body tissues that utilize estrogen for normal, healthy function contain estrogen receptors, which bind to the estrogen that circulates in the blood. Research has shown that when a diet is rich in soy foods, phytoestrogens may bind to some of these receptors. Phytoestrogens are currently being studied for heart, bone, prostate and breast health, among other benefits.
After taking Shaklee Energyzing Soy Protein for 26+ years now, a good friend of ours, Stan Pullium, has personally given a huge amount of his time and due diligence to checking out most all of the anti-soy claims that are being made. He said of his findings,
The purported negative effect of soy on boys and men is pure conjecture and extreme extrapolation based on the weakest of “evidence”–something akin to finding a tooth or a piece of skull buried in Africa and projecting from this some museum exhibit of what this “prehistoric man” looked like.
Some of the claims that have been made are complete fabrications. One case in point is a frequently circulated and often cited soy “alert” that claims that a Jerusalem Post article reported that Israel’s Minister of Health was taking certain actions and had issued certain warning against soy. I have spent literally many, many hours thoroughly searching the Jerusalem Post archives using every possible search term used in connection with this report — and I could find not evidence whatsoever that any such Jerusalem Post article ever existed. And yet, that story is repeated over and over by people who have never checked to see if it is true.
One needs to follow the money behind this whole anti-soy campaign of the last 5 years. Much of this disinformation is being promulgated by economic forces with much to gain from keeping people away the very strong anti-cancer, anti-heart disease benefits of the right kind of soy.
Another Important Point:
A very wide variety of food products — are made from soy. Just because a manufacturer starts with soy as the raw material does mean the final products have anything in common with each other. You can make everything from tofu, to fake bacon, to plastic from soy — and each of these has almost nothing in common with the other. Just because soy is generally thought of as a food product doesn’t mean you would want to eat plastic made from soy.
So you can NOT project that any negative impact one might experience from one particular soy-based item onto ALL soy-based foods. Whatever deleterious effects one might experience from drinking soy milk or eating soy cheese, etc. may very well result from the processing that has changed the essential nature of these compounds — and can NOT be projected simple-mindedly onto all things soy. . . anymore than you could project the harmful effects one might experience from eating a diet of Hostess Twinkies, Little Debbie Cakes, and Pop-Tarts on all things made of wheat!
Important Caveat:
In the last 10 years, virtually ALL soy production in the United States has shifted to genetically-modified (GMO) soy—where soy protein products are alcohol-processed, which removes isoflavones. These genetic modifications are made for production reasons, not health or nutrition reasons. No one knows exactly what the short or long term health effects of genetically-modified soy might be.
It is very likely that allergic reactions or other recently claimed adverse health effects are directly related to genetically-modified soy – We have never seen a single anti-soy expose that distinguished between GMO and non-GMO soy.
Our family has used Shaklee’s Protein for 10+ years now. They have two types of protein to choose from—Energyzing Soy and CINCH. We have put in countless hours researching the different products that are out there and Shaklee Protein is the best. Shaklee has invested over 250 million dollars in research to ensure quality products. Furthermore, all of Shaklee’s products are free of harmful additives, colors, and artificial flavors and sweeteners.
Shaklee’s Soy Protein is water-washed to retain naturally occurring isoflavones such as genistein and daidzein and preserve the incredible health benefits. Shaklee uses only non-genetically modified (GMO) soy protein certified through an Identity Preservation Program (IPP). This program assures that the soy we use is tightly monitored and controlled from planting and harvesting to processing.
Benefits of Soy Protein
Energy, Vitality, and Stamina
Protects against Cancer
Low fat, Lactose free, and Cholesterol Free
Heart Health
Bone Health
Prostate Health
Breast Health
Why Choose Shaklee Energizing Soy Protein?
14 grams of protein per serving
Uses only IPP-certified non-GMO soy protein
Highest-rated protein quality
Natural vegetarian protein source
Naturally cholesterol free
No saturated fat
1 gram of total fat per serving
Naturally lactose free
50% of your daily needs for calcium
All the amino acids, including the nine essential ones you must get from food
Why Choose Shaklee CINCH Protein?
Provides the benefits of a meal, but tastes like dessert
Powered by Leucine™ to preserve muscle while you lose weight (as you retain and build lean muscle, your metabolism increases)
24 grams of non-GMO soy protein per serving** to help you feel satisfied and full
High in fiber, with 6 grams per serving
Low glycemic to retain normal blood sugar levels and sustain energy
Delivers 35% or more of the Daily Value for 21 essential vitamins and minerals
Keep a diary Start your diet with a food diary, record everything you eat, what you were doing at the time, and how you felt. That tells you about yourself, your temptation, the emotional states that encourage you to snack and may help you lose once you see how much you eat. Take half a bite Instead of eating the forbidden piece of candy, brush your teeth. If you’re about to cheat, allow yourself a treat, then eat only half a bite …
Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu is a physically demanding sport. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete needs to exercise to strengthen his body and practice to develop his own style and master the sport. Apart from getting the technique right, an athlete also has to maintain a diet that gives him a proper mix of energy, nutrients and fluid. Maintaining a proper diet plan becomes all the more important as an athlete has to maintain his body weight to stay in his weight category.
To determine an ideal nutrition plan for a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete, it is important to take a look at his energy needs. A typical Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu training session can make an athlete lose up to 800 calories per hour. An athlete will have to consume the basic calorie requirement of his body and also make up the calories lost in practice to maintain weight.
To calculate the basic calorie requirements of a body, you multiply your body weight by 10 and 1.7 consecutively. The resultant figure is the amount of calories you will need to maintain your body weight to the current level. The athlete can change this figure depending on his exercise schedule, amount of weight he wants to lose or gain, etc.
A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete needs good nutrition to help his body gain strength. Ideally a nutrition plan should consist of a wider base of complex carbohydrates, which comes from wheat, cereal, rice, etc. He would also need vitamins, minerals and fiber, which can be gained from vegetables and fruits. A Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete must also include dairy and meat products in his diet to get the required amount of calcium, zinc, proteins and minerals required for development of strong bones and muscles. He should also include a small but essential amount of fats, oils and sweets in his diet. An athlete might not have to add these ingredients separately as they are usually present in the food. However, he must monitor their intake as an excess of these can result in weight gain.
Apart from the nutritional intake through food, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete must also keep a track of the fluid intake. Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu focuses on self defense through grappling and ground fighting, which can be dehydrating. The athlete can lose fluid through spitting and sweating. Ideally, a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu athlete must sip water and energy drinks at regular intervals. An athlete must look for an energy drink that replenishes the sodium lost through sweat and is low on sugar and other carbohydrates.
Fad diets are a sort of diet plan that aim at losing weight, usually in a relatively short time. Fad diets attract a large number of people who suffer from weight problems and are usually looking for a quick fix. The problem with fad diets is that their fat-reducing effect is temporary and result in weight packing back on. What is worse is that most of these diets are harmful to your health.
These date way back to the mid 19th century when an obese Londoner was prescribed such a diet on experimental basis. Now, after a century and a half, fad diets have become popular among people with weight problems. Teens and young adults especially flock to fad diets for answers to weight problems. Given the harmful health effects of fad diets, it is important for us to recognize these diet plans.
Watch out for diets that:
1.Promise quick weight loss
2.Tend to limit natural food choices
3.Require a large sum of money
If you have been following my struggles with weight-loss here or on Twitter, you know that I have searched many ways to get healthy. I have tried regular exercise, but hate it, so I give up within a day or two. I have tried the Atkins diet, Healthy Choice diet which like most ready made meals, has way too much salt and just trying to eat healthy on my own.
I have been hiking on trails and through The Ape Caves Lava tube near Mt St Helen with my son and love that sort of workout but was still eating badly. Large portions, too much dairy, chips and fast food. Last week I had a breakthrough with what I hope to be a lifelong healthy habit of eating right.
I found military veteran Vic Magary’s website called Gym Junkies. This guy isn’t trying to sell me something all the time. He speaks in plain English. He tells it like it really is, not what you think you want to hear. He actually broke down what you should and shouldn’t eat in easy to understand terms. Instead of the usual carb this or hypoglycemic that. He has a simple to follow diet and meal plan that I’ve used for one week. I lost 5 pounds already!!!
I have focused on the exercise for so long with no results that having this happen is amazing. I plan on keeping it going and will incorporate exercise that I like as I go along. Thank you Vic for speaking my language and for actually caring instead of just asking me for money at every turn.
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Women’s Health Base – www.womenshealthbase.com – is another great new website with interesting articles on all the topics women crave information about. It’s a helpful place to get all your health info – especially for women, including information on diseases and conditions, diet and fitness, beauty, and sex and relationships.
Beauty tips for all ages, weight loss help in all sizes, and relationship advice for the single, dating and married girls are some of the topics discussed, not to mention health information geared specifically towards women.
Also check out their comprehensive vitamin, herbal, and mineral guides detailing the info about supplements that you’ve probably wondered about – myths and facts, safety and effectiveness.
Well since my Gold Coast 1/2 marathon in July I have been pretty slack, I got sick right after and spent a month feeling severely under the weather. I was not running too much at all during this period and have really only just started picking it up again.
The change in activity coupled with a busy period of weddings, winery tours and just not paying attention to diet has worried me about the scales. Monday the 14th I was 104.7kg, so up approximately 5kg, Yikes!!!
The good news is I weighed in this morning at 102.5kg so lost 1.6kg last week, mainly that was from the previous weeks beer and beef camping trip… I have had a good loss this week due mainly to exercise and also eating pretty good for 2/3 main meals, my lunches last week were shockers with 2 x maccas, 1 x kfc 1x hungry jacks and 1 steak sandwich… This is bad as even if I lose weight my cholesterol etc must be sky high.. need to get back on my good lunches and get back below 100kg.. stay tuned
There are an awful lot of websites and bloggers out there telling you to do their diets, take their diet pills and to buy their books. But you don’t need too, dieting and losing weight is remarkably simple to do. All you need to do is two things 1. Stop eating the junk 2. Do a bit of exercise.
Trust me I know what I’m talking about. Last summer I weighed in at 14 stone, now I weigh 11 stone 6 pounds and for half the year I wasn’t even trying to lose weight! Seriously it took me hardly anytime at all to lose the weight I wanted to (2-3 months) and it was so easy I don’t know why I didn’t do it earlier.
I stopped eating the crisps, chocolate, biscuits, take aways and fast food. Then I started doing some excercise: I found a skipping rope in the shed and did that everyday, I started swimming a couple of times a week and I often went for walks. Playing badminton is a good and fun way to do excercise as is tennis and if you don’t like those you can always just go jogging or try the gym. The hardest thing about losing weight is the will power not to eat the ‘bad’ food, but really come one, it’s not that hard.
Getting used to feeling hungry. I feel close to full, or content for at least a couple hours after a meal.
For dinner I had some canned minestroni soup; tried to avoid the pasta. It’s not really an “approved” meal on the 2 week plan, but I was so tired of eating salad. It so wasn’t worth it.
Caramel Delight Protein Bar
For desert I had a Caramel Delight bar. Imagine a rice cripy treat with a layer of chocolate and a layer of caramel. I’m doubting whether these can actually be good for you. There is no “health food” after taste most protein bars usually have.
I hiked for over an hour. I’m wondering if that will compensate for the alcoholic beverage I’m thinking about consuming.
There is a lot of confusion as to the title of my book. This is made doubly so as my book title is also my twitter name. I am apparently insulting a lot people just by following them. To each and every one of them, my apologies, it seems that not only is my book title rather insulting, but somewhat confusing as well.
You see, it was about six years ago that I realized that I was doing what the experts told me in terms of weight loss, and I wasn’t losing weight. I kept hearing about this epidemic of weight gain in Great Britain, the US and Canada, and listening to the fit people act disgusted that us overweight people were so lazy and stupid that we couldn’t follow their simple rules and be as fit as them. It dawned on me then that there was something else going on. After all, we aren’t lazy and stupid and I know how hard I was working to lose weight.
I suggested to some fit friends of mine that maybe fit people were just different from us unfit people. That was a mistake, they were livid. They certainly didn’t feel that way at all and they sure let me know. It was at that moment that I became sure I was on to something. Think about it with me for a second.
What if there are distinct differences between fit people and the rest of us, differences so ingrained and innate (and possibly genetic) that the fit people aren’t even aware of what they are?
They think they are the same as us, just harder working. What if they aren’t? I began researching this probable scenario as soon as it dawned on me. I found out that they aren’t. They are nothing like us.
I want to be clear here that what I mean by fit person isn’t exactly that they are in great shape, although they are, just that they are in great shape because they are lucky enough to have as habits, desires and behaviors, those habits, desires and behaviors that are likely to end up In fitness as an outcome. These are the people who find fast food repugnant. They prefer going to bed early and getting up and going for a run before the sun comes up to having another drink and ending the night at some diner eating a chili-cheeseburger. In short, these people are nothing like us. We have always known that their lives are less colorful and exciting than ours. We know, even as we inch our way to the grave with every deep fried onion ring, that we wouldn’t change places with them, yet still, as we age and get more and more overweight and less and less a shape we are proud of, we want to find a way to not commit suicide by sedentary behavior and over-consumption.
Chapter 2-You Are Not A Fit Person
Unless you really want to become one of them, a gym rat who goes to bed at 7 and gets up at 5 to go for a swim before getting a run in and then going to work at the gym, they really can’t help you.
Yet we all look to fit people for help:
What makes matters much worse here, is we have the entire publishing world lined up against us. Book and magazine manufacturers only want experts. We want to see photographs of fit people and hear how they stay fit. We want to see and hear how celebrities (who most often are fit people) got fit, or for those few who aren’t innately fit people, how they stay fit (the answer is their livelihood depends on it by they, hope I didn’t destroy the suspense by the way). It isn’t a conspiracy of fit people incidentally, although I almost wish I could rant about it being one, it really is a case of us doing it to ourselves. We buy books that are written by doctors, even when the doctor means they hold a phd from an non-accredited liberian healing institute that they received for a 12 week program. We use as evidence that the person is able to help us get fit the fact that not only are they fit, but they are handsome or beautiful as well. We really are the worst consumers of our own health products.
The failings of the health and wellness industry to date is all around us. Just look around. Are we healthier, are we more well? Are we fitter with a better sense of self-image and healthy body-image?
The problem isn’t the type of exercise:
It is like we get sucked into some bizarre scene from cheers. The one where Cliff, Norm, Fraser and anyone else lined up start arguing about one thing and end up in a totally different argument about something that has nothing to do with why they were arguing in the first place. Every year there are a dozen new diets, even though diets don’t help. Every year there are a dozen new exercise machines, even though exercise machines themselves aren’t going to help us (even if they were well designed and they rarely are). Every year so called experts trot out and get behind one of these and argue semantics with other experts who are behind other items. How often have I heard people I respect and care about mimicking these arguments about whether cardio is better for weightloss than resistance exercise, or whether exercise or diet is more important. It appears to me that the industry as a whole benefits so greatly from us arguing about which tool is the best so they can sell us a whole new group of tools the next year, that they are doing this on purpose.
It isn’t the tool…seriously!
I use as an analogy the building of a house all the time. In many ways what we are doing here is building a house (the house of our soul, so to speak even more metaphorically). What we are constantly getting is expert builders standing around comparing hammers. This hammer is better, no that hammer. Please buy my hammer. Can’t you see how good it is, look at the beautiful house I built. Well, they didn’t just use the hammer to build the house to begin with, but that is the product that they are endorsing so that is the tool they are going to sell you on. As well, even if you had their whole toolkit (which you don’t), you don’t have their training. You have none of it. You need a lot of training to be able to build a house. It isn’t a simple task. As well, all we are talking about so far is carpentry, but there are many trades to building a house. You need an electrician, a plumber, a drywaller, etc. There are many different facets to getting fit. Exercise, eating, planning, motivation, etc. Finally, all of these things are great, but without a great set of blueprints, or plans, nothing as complex as a house can be built. You need to build a foundation before you put up the walls, and you need to know where everything is going to be if you are going to start right. You need a step by step plan to get build a house, and you need a step by step plan to get fit.
Think about all of this the next time you see an exercise tool on TV and wonder if you will get fit with it. What if they were selling you a saw and showing you a $4 million dollar mansion. Guaranteeing you that the mansion could be built with that saw (in small print it would also say, house built by team of experts with training in many different trades. Materials not included and cost additional $2 million dollars. Not intended for anyone who has not built a house before. The person who built this house was shadowed by an expert house builder who actually did all of the work. Results not typical).
I think you can clearly see that we are all allowing ourselves to be scammed by buying what the fit people are selling us. But it isn’t intentional. In many cases these are the things they use to get fit. Some of them sell us the exact training techniques they use. But this isn’t what we need. They can’t see it because it worked for them. We can’t see it because we are so hard on ourselves for not getting fit using the same things that we just feel worse and worse about who we are. The irony is we are making the fit people rich just for being what they are, fit. They were born fit, and they can’t help us, but you know what, let’s pay them anyways because what… they weren’t lucky enough already to be fit and good looking!?!?!?
Does that explain the title:
So that is why my book is entitled: You Are Not A Fit Person. Because they are different. Because you shouldn’t be listening to them. You should be listening to people like you who understand what the obstacles are. We need books that bridge this understanding gap for us. That is what my book is. It addresses the missing pieces.
All of that said, is it a good title? What do you think? Will it jump off of a shelf or will it insult people? Would you pick it up and find out what it meant, or just ignore it? My daughter who did the title above, wrote ‘You Are Not A Fat Person’. I like that, but I was thinking more of a ‘You Are Not A Fiat Person’ (with the I crossed out, as you weren’t fit, but now you aren’t fat). Please leave me your thoughts on this and whether you think there really is something to what I am saying here.
September is a strange month for trying to lose weight.
The weather has been unpredictable, to say the least, one morning of brilliant sunshine does not an autumn make.
I’ve had a variety of distractions lately; what to wear to the office, a t-shirt left me too cold, a sweater made me feel to warm, I was positively obsessed with feeling the right temperature for a typical September day.
Not a chance.
Reminded me of those cloudy mornings in New York when you expect it to remain cloudy all day, only to be bathed in glorious sunshine around noon when you’re laden with shopping bags in Macy’s.
Food wise, it has been a mixed bag; salads have sustained me thus far, but the darker evenings and darker mornings have woken my comfort eating beast.
I’ve resisted so far, and when Ben and Jerry came calling today I closed my eyes and carried on walking past the ice cream chiller cabinet in the grocery store.
If this is an indicator of better things to come then bring it on.
The pedometer is my new best friend, and I’ve ditched the weighing scales for how my clothes feel when I get up in the morning, if they feel tight I adjust my intake accordingly.
Life is way too short to be spent getting hung up on a number on a scale.
All my efforts are paying off, as I have had the best blood work results ever, and am feeling really encouraged to continue.
Saturday was one of those lazy cloudy days that threatens rain, keeps you inside and then finally lets loose. It was one of those thunder storms that makes you hide under the covers. I have a lot of windows in my house and I WAS literally hiding from the lightning. But look how pretty after the storm.
heavenly
I was going to a beach clean up but that storm flooded my street and the lightning could probably be felt 20-30 miles away. But we will definitely go next month.
It was a day to snack and snack we did (yet healthy). Got some plantains that were ready (from my back yard )
Sliced them up nice and thin. Sprinkled them with olive oil, garlic salt, pepper and let them bake until they were a nice browned color.
baked plantains and dip
The dip was easy: light sour cream
onion, garlic, lemon n lime juice, cilantro. So refreshing. Went well with the plantains.
My sister in law had never tried tofu and was really wanting some. So I made some, marinaded with a spicy teriyaki sauce and then sauted them with onions. YUM! She loved it with the spinach. Gonna turn her into a veggie lover.
Then we snacked on veggie pizza made by yours truly. Everything went on it!
home made veggie pizza
Hung out with my son and nephews and it made for a great Saturday.
Dave: I‘m an addict and my problem is Dave! My drugs of choice are food addiction and exercise avoidance. I abuse my body with food in order to numb painful emotions (especially fear and rage) and avoid exercise because I lack the discipline to take good care of my body and because I’ve elevated lazyness to an artform. I’m grateful to be experiencing the gift of recovery from both sides of my addiction today — just for today — one day at a time!
Reader Responds: Hi Dave and welcome!!!
As an addict who has a long history of abusing my body with food, for today I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve done some crazy stuff when it comes to acting out with my drugs of choice — especially food. My insane behaviors with food include, but are not limited to…
– Picking up food that I’ve dropped on the floor and then eating it.
– Picking up food that I’ve dropped on the sidewalk or even parking lot and then eating it.
– Eating food that is still half-frozen.
– Eating food that is partially stale.
– Eating food so fast that I don’t even hardly taste what I’m eating.
– Eating food (which includes drinking beverages) so fast that I nearly choke on it.
– Eating so much food that it leaves me over-stuffed and short of breath.
– Eating so much food that it leaves me so lethargic that you would think I was on dope.
– Circa 1984: At one meal eating 19 pieces of Kentucky Fried Chicken, along with all sorts of sides (e.g., mashed potatoes and gravy, slaw, biscuits, baked beans, etc.) while INSISTING on drinking ONLY Diet Coke! My justification was that “real food addicts would have ate 20 pieces of friend chicken, while I _only_ ate 19 pieces!
Other than these things, my behavior with food over the years has been reasonable sane. HA!!!
So I was on my way to shop at my neighborhood Walgreen’s last night and I noticed a gentleman that I assumed to be a Nicotine Addict toss his cigarette (which he didn’t extinguish) on the SIDEWALK in front of the store, only to emerge from said store a few minutes later and proceed to PICK UP AND PLACE IN HIS MOUTH his still-burning cigarette! Honest!!!
Before I could cope a totally judgmental attitude toward this smoking stranger, I remembered some of the INSANE things I’d done with food (see my Short List above) and realized that I was in NO position to judge the man who did the SAME behavior with a lit cigarette that I had done with food…even when I’m NOT overeating I have been known to place food in my mouth that has landed on the floor, a sidewalk or parking lot. “There but for the grace of God go I”, eh?
Why be so open about my checkered history with food? Because I learned a long time ago that I/we addicts are only as sick as our worst secrets. Also, when I share my sickest secrets I am much LESS likely to repeat them! To get them “out in the open” also reduces the weight of my guilt and shame that these sick secrets have caused me. In recovery I am afforded many opportunities to come out of secrecy and into the light of honesty.
Type the word “thinspiration” into a search engine and prepare to be appalled. You will find a seemingly endless assortment of eating disorder Web sites – meaning sites that promote eating disorders. Sprinkled amongst them you’ll see blogs by women who are documenting their illness and know they are ill, but most of these sites are all about starving yourself to death.
They have tricks and tips for how avoid eating – or at least digesting. There are strategies for dealing with meddlesome family and friends. And there is reinforcement that it is really those who want you to eat who are ill. Most sites have galleries where the owner and/or members post images of themselves. These pictures remind one of the photos of death camp survivors after World War II. But they almost universally carry captions about how “fat” the subject feels.
There is diet advice. Water and tea are the two main food groups. There is advice for how to deal with those times when you feel you just have to eat, and how to get through it. Eating is treated as an enemy, or a symptom of a disease. Obssession with gaining weight – any tiny amount of weight – is a palpable doom hanging over the commentors in the forums.
And there are images and paeans to role models: Kate Moss is “big” (so to speak). All the ultra-thin models are known by name, endlessly discussed, compared, and admired. And this sub-culture has its martyrs: now and then you encounter an announcement of a death in the community, almost always referred to as if they were a buddy killed in war.
Because this is a war. It’s a war within the mind, amid the artificial pressures our culture forces on young (and not-so-young) women. The agony of mental illness seethes throughout the prose on these Web sites. Sometimes recognized, generally not. They are documents of the ideal of beauty confused with an ideal of death.
Below are the notes I took from a sermon by Brother Denny @ Charity Ministries. You can listen to The Sin of Gluttony, the original sermon, if you like. I feel that its necessary to confess here and now that I have been guilty of this sin for far too long! Yes, I have PCOS. Yes, it causes insulin resistance and weight gain. However, I gave up a long time ago on my responsibility of eating in moderation. I lost my vision, my hope that it would ever get better. That’s not an excuse, but a reason.
I confess this sin here because I am renouncing this sin! I surrender this area of my life to my Lord as I promised I would surrender ALL of me when I was baptized into death and newness of life with Christ. The Lord has put on my heart for a very long time that I need to follow the Raw Diet. Not the lifestyle, with all its new age associations, but the diet.
While the raw and natural, whole foods diet are proven to be better on the body, it doesn’t give us the right to to say then that we are our own god. It doesn’t prove that that mankind has always been capable of divinity through self-awareness and healing, but rather, that we’re built this way. God created us as perfect beings. He gave us mankind a glorious garden to live in and expand upon. We (Adam and Eve, our parents) chose to disobey His command not to eat from one tree. They weren’t limited in food. They could have chosen differently, but they didn’t. We are no longer in that perfect state, but no matter what we change, our diet, our lifestyle, whatever… our abilities will never restore us to perfection. No pratice, no matter how good we are at it, will restore us to God. Only through Jesus Christ, His perfect Son, can we ever hope to reach perfection and that not until He returns. Rather, we will be perfected in Him as we live in His spirit. Praise God Most High!
Having said this… the Lord has made it completely clear that I have made food an idol in my life and I must crush it. I must repent and turn aside from it. To some who read this, it may sound silly. However, to you, food may not be an addiction. Food is an addiction for me. The only addiction I want in my life is more of Jesus! I believe He has been telling me to let go of my eating habits, let go of the addicting foods in my life and live for Him. And I am doing just that. As of … today, when I wake up… I am starting the Lemon Cleanse (aka the Master Cleanse). I’m going to do this for at least 10 days. Then, I will move to the Juice Feast, which is a 92 day program. After that, I feel that God will lead me where He wants me next.
Did you know that Daniel (of the Bible, the Daniel of the Lion’s Den) followed a raw diet? He did!
Daniel 1:10-17 says, “And the prince of the eunuchs said unto Daniel, I fear my lord the king, who hath appointed your meat and your drink: for why should he see your faces worse liking than the children which are of your sort? then shall ye make me endanger my head to the king. Then said Daniel to Melzar, whom the prince of the eunuchs had set over Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, Prove thy servants, I beseech thee, ten days; and let them give us pulse to eat, and water to drink. Then let our countenances be looked upon before thee, and the countenance of the children that eat of the portion of the king’s meat: and as thou seest, deal with thy servants. So he consented to them in this matter, and proved them ten days. And at the end of ten days their countenances appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat. Thus Melzar took away the portion of their meat, and the wine that they should drink; and gave them pulse. As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.”
Pulse means the edible seeds of certain leguminous plants, as peas, beans, or lentils and/or a plant producing such seeds. They ate veggies and water. And the Bible says “their countenances (appearances, demeanors) appeared fairer and fatter in flesh than all the children which did eat the portion of the king’s meat.” They were healthier!
So… on to the notes:
America is a land of plenty. So we can often get caught up in excess if we aren’t careful. The Bible has many (as much as for intoxicating drink) scriptures about gluttony. We need to be reminded of, because it can sneak up on us very subtly.
Gluttony is eating more than we need. And here in America, we think we need a whole lot more than our bodies actually need. Just a reminder, we don’t have to be fat to be a glutton. There are people who are skinny and can put away far more food than they need.
Food is not wrong. And God meant for man to enjoy food. But we must look at in perspective. We should eat for strength. Not for drunkenness. God’s will is that we eat for strength. Eat to live, not live to eat.
Proverbs 23:1-3 says, “When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat.” Notice God says to consider diligently the food set before you. Put a knife to your throat rather than take in the fancy meal, if you’re given to appetite!
Proverbs 23:19-21 says, “Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.” An overeater is always drowsy, because the body is working overtime. (And in my case, always HOT. I walk around feeling like my internal furnace is above 110!)
Deuteronomy 21:20, 21 says, “And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear.” Wow! Stoned to death was a serious penalty for sin! Right up there with adultery!
In America, the two words (drunkenness and overeating) aren’t often put together. Drink is taboo in many Christian circles, but not overeating.
Numbers 11:1-9 says, “And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp. And the people cried unto Moses; and when Moses prayed unto the LORD, the fire was quenched. And he called the name of the place Taberah: because the fire of the LORD burnt among them. And the mixt multitude that was among them fell a lusting: and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat? We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely; the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick: But now our soul is dried away: there is nothing at all, beside this manna, before our eyes. And the manna was as coriander seed, and the colour thereof as the colour of bdellium. And the people went about, and gathered it, and ground it in mills, or beat it in a mortar, and baked it in pans, and made cakes of it: and the taste of it was as the taste of fresh oil. And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.”
Note vs. 4 - they fell a lusting. Whining. Complaining. They weren’t satisfied with the manna.
Numbers 11:31-34 says, “And there went forth a wind from the LORD, and brought quails from the sea, and let them fall by the camp, as it were a day’s journey on this side, and as it were a day’s journey on the other side, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the people stood up all that day, and all that night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: he that gathered least gathered ten homers: and they spread them all abroad for themselves round about the camp. And while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was kindled against the people, and the LORD smote the people with a very great plague. And he called the name of that place Kibrothhattaavah: because there they buried the people that lusted.”
God gave them quail. But the people were so lustful, they ate the meat with abandon. They ate without a thought to God. They were LUSTFUL (lecherous, carnal, as if given over to unrestrained or excessive indulgence of sexual desire.) Yuck! That sounds just horrid! No wonder Jehovah was so disgusted!
Its not wrong to eat meat, but perhaps we should consume far less than we do. In other countries, the amount of meat consumed is much, much less than in America. Just a thought.
Ezekiel 16:49 says, “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom, pride, fulness of bread, and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.” The failures of Sodom and Gomorrah had a beginning point that eventually caused them to be destroyed. Notice “fullness of bread”.
God warned the nation of Israel, before entering the Promised Land, beware lest when you get full in your bellies, you forget God. Look at the food choices we have in America. Land of restaurants. Overeating is iniquity, perverted natural desire, SIN.
Luke 21:34-36 says, “And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”
Serfiting is overeating. Your heart can be overcharged, made dull, by overeating and drunkenness. Your spiritual life will be rendered ineffective. You may not see the sign of Christ’s return. Take heed!
1 Peter 4:1-7 says, “Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries: Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you: Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead. For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit. But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.”
No longer live in the lusts of men, but walk in the Spirit of God. The early Christians didn’t do the “banquetings” and the world thought them strange.
1 Peter 2:11 says, “Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.” Fleshly, those things of the body. The lust of eating.
1 Corinthians 10:6-11 says, “Now these things were our examples, to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer. Now all these things happened unto them for examples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.”
Don’t lust after evil things, like the children of Israel. Don’t lust after food, don’t be idolaters, fornicators and provoke God’s wrath. These were given us as an example. Let’s use it! Don’t give your heart over to the lust of food.
Philipians 3:17-19 says, “Brethren, be followers together of me, and mark them which walk so as ye have us for an ensample. (For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.)” Spirit-filled believers – be careful! The of their bellies… they walk after the flesh.
What would Jesus do? When you think of Jesus do you picture Him a man given over to His appetite? Heavy set? What of Paul?
Paul said at 1 Corinthians 6: 12, 13: “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.” If you are sure you’re not under the power of something, try giving it up and find out for sure!
Paul also said at 1 Corinthians 9:27: “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” I tell my body what to do!
Eat to live! Not live to eat!
I add: Our bodies are the temple of God. Why would the Holy Spirit want to reside in a temple we desecrate? God was specific about the Levites and the cleansing rituals before they could enter the Holy of Holies (Leviticus 10:1-3). Why should we think we can be different, just because we live under grace and not the Law? Its a heart issue, really…
A recent study in the New England Journal of Medicine examined various eating patterns to see which one was the healthiest; which one lowered weight the easiest and was the easiest to keep weight off. The results showed a low-glycemic, Mediterranean diet was best. Now, a new study from the Annals of Internal Medicine reiterates these findings. It appears the low-fat diet recommended by the American Heart Association is not the best diet for avoiding medication in type 2 diabetics. Participants who followed the Mediterranean diet were half as likely to need diabetic medications and had more weight reduction from baseline.
For a lifestyle intervention that creates a palatable, healthful eating pattern, the Mediterranean diet was much more impressive than the low-fat diet. For those attempting to increase their health, decrease abdominal girth and prevent diabetes and its terrible complications, it appears the low-glycemic, Mediterranean-style eating pattern is the easiest and most effective.
I told you that I’d post the week’s challenge just before so here is your Week 1 Challenge (remember this begins on Sunday):
This week you will exercise 6 days – 3 days of 30 minutes (minimum) of cardio exercise and 3 days of strength training exercise.
Some examples of cardio would be fast walking, jogging, swimming laps, dancing, kickboxing, elliptical machine, or any of 100 other exercises. This also means that you must keep your heart rate within your “Fat Burning Zone” for the entire 30 minutes. So, no, your warm up and cool down don’t count in the 30 minute time.
How do you know your “zone?” An easy calculation is to subtract your age from 220 and then multiply the result by .65 and .80. Keep your heartrate beating between these two numbers/minute and you’re in the “zone.” You can either time your heartrate per full minute or, even easier, count for 10 seconds and multiply by 6 for your result.
Eg. a 30 year old woman’s zone would be 220-30= 190x.65= 123 and 190x.85=161…her heartrateshould be 12-16 beats/10 seconds.
Strength exercise doesn’t have to be going to the gym and pumping huge dumbbells or using heavy weight machines with a belt strapped on like a bodybuilder! Exercise bands, small weights, even water bottles or milk jugs can work. Use what you have at home and spend 3 days hitting every major muscle group – shoulders, back, biceps, triceps (the back of the arms), abs, quads (front of your thighs), hamstrings (back of your thighs), glutes (your rear end) and calves. This may sound complicated but pushups, squats, lunges, bicep curls, tricep extentions, shoulder press, chest fly, crunches and calf raises will hit all of these muscle groups. It should take about 30 minutes per session depending on how many sets and reps you do of each exercise.
This gives you a basic idea of the exercises you should be doing, or make it easy on yourself, take a look at the Beachbody programs offered here and see if you don’t find one that interests you. ALL of them incorporate both strength training and cardio into them AND you get a sound diet plan as well! Personally, I am doing ChaLEAN Extreme with other cardio videos mixed in for variety (jogging, P90X, Rockin Body, Insanity, Hip Hop Abs and Turbo Jam mostly).
Whatever you chose, pick something that you ENJOY and find interesting and fun. You want it to be a challenge but a challenge that you can find pleasure in and see yourself doing for a long time. Also, don’t forget to log your workouts into the FREE WOWY virtual gym for a chance to win up to $1000 (I have several friends who HAVE won!) at www.mercedfitclub.com.
Don’t forget that we will be meeting at Woodward Community Park on Monday mornings (9-10 a.m.) for a cardio workout together! See the Events tab for more info!
