Day 180: Never underestimate the power one week can bring.

This past week I cut out a few items in my diet: salt, man-made carbohydrates and sugar. It always surprises me how quickly my body changes if I'm persistent, even for a short period of time.

Salt: the first day I didn't add salt to my cooking, I felt like I was sacrificing a lot and was surprised that it's easier to give up sugar than salt.  Everything I ate tasted bland, and I had to actually put some mental effort not to grab the salt shaker--at one point, I noticed I reached for the shaker without thinking.  I had no idea I had become such a salt fiend.
Surprise: After a day or two, I started to discover the flavor of foods. Things tasted differently to the point that I didn't even miss salt.  Scrambled eggs, homemade salad dressing and sweet potatoes taste fine without salt.  I'm shocked that I noticed a difference after a day and am considering putting the salt shaker back with the rest of the spices in the cupboard.

Man-made Carbs: At the beginning of the week I had a bit of a challenge wrapping my head around finding carbs that were not man made and gluten free.  Bread, we take that for granted.  It's super hard to find gluten free bread that doesn't look dry and cardboard tasting. I plan on making some with rice flour one day soon.  (Note: gluten free is only for a few months to rule out a gluten sensitivity.)
Surprise:By the end of the week, I found that I needed heavier carbs for my energy.  Not being able to grab bread or tortillas or a bun, I noticed that fruit alone wasn't enough carbohydrate load for my body's need.  Adding sweet potatoes, beans and brown rice did the trick.

Sugar:  This is a no brainer.  When is sugar ever a good thing to put in our body?  Sure, it does so much for the soul, but really, we can live healthy without it.  At the beginning of the week, I noticed I did have cravings and I actually took a bite of something the kids were eating, but that was it.  (I won't spend much time on this since I have oodles of other posts on my thoughts and struggles with sugar.)
Surprise: By the end of the week, I once again found the strength to be stronger than the cookie.  We went to a Arrow of Light Cub Scout Ceremony last night and there were some wonderful desserts I would have liked to have a plate of.  I was shocked that I didn't look twice.  (Okay, I'll be honest, I did.) I was ecstatic that I actually took a moment to visualize what I would feel like if I indulged.  I thought about the sugar coated throat I will feel after eating my weights-worth, and I found that a simple whiff of the gooey goodness of Smore brownies was enough to satisfy me.

I feel good.  I feel empowered.  A week ago I felt a bit out of control, like I couldn't say no to the things I loved and that brought comfort.  I honestly started this hormone balancing program with severe doubts since the first month is a bit strict, for obvious reasons.  In weight loss, it's not just about your brain making the decision, it's the way your body reacts to the food you feed it.  Just removing three things from my diet, I can feel my body responding, and this helps when my brain is weak. I am honestly surprised that I feel strong enough to make changes that are going to better my health, only after a week.  Never underestimate the power one week can bring.

Day 15/365 Sugar is Addictive & Artificial Sweeteners Kill

I know I have blogged about this in the past, but it's worth repeating.  I love the taste of sugar.  Who doesn't?  But if we eat it all the time, we pay dearly for it.  Diabeties, weight gain, cravings and cavities, are some of the most common side effects when we consume too much sugar.

Sugar is one of the reasons why I had a hard time getting it in gear at the first of the year. During the holidays, I enjoyed more sweets then I usually do.  Once it's in your system and you are getting regular "fixes" it's really hard to stay ahead of the cravings without a lot of hard work.  And the harder it is to get into a routine, the more likely the routine will never solidify.

So the beginning of last week, I wasn't feeling very good.  I felt slightly nauseated so I didn't eat much.  I drank a lot of Pero with milk and just enough peanut butter filled pretzels so I wasn't hungry.  Light on the stomach, a little protein and a good number of carbs.  It kept my stomach calm and I was able to do my daily routine.

So at the end of the week, when I started to feel better I noticed I wasn't craving a thing.  My appetite came back, but the craving for something crunchy, sweet, salty, smooth, savory, gooey, etc.wasn't there.  It's ALWAYS there, so I thought about what was different?

For the whole week, eating like a bird, I didn't have anything sugary.  It reminded me that when we can get the sugar out of our system (which takes a few days) we don't have that pull to get more.  Why can't I just remember such a thing and ward off sugar for the rest of my life?  Weight control would be a cinch!    Because life is made up of sugar moments.  That's how we celebrate, through sweets.

Some say, "Well that's easy.  You can have your sweet without the effects of sugar by consuming sugar-free foods."  Yes, that is a solution, but not one I am willing to take.  Sweet chemicals are worse on your body than the real thing.  They're chemicals and there are many ramifications for putting such gunk into your body.  A great article HERE that shows the positive/negatives of many artificial sweeteners.

When I was in school studying Holistic Nutrition, one of our texts was: "Excitoxins:The Taste that Kills" by Russell L. Blaylock.  After reading this book, I was convinced to NEVER touch another artificial sweetener again.  It explains that certain additives in our food excite our brain so much, that it kills the neurons.  Makes sense when the sweetener you are consuming is 160-220 times sweeter than sugar.

So if you want something sweet, by all means, choose something made with sugar!  Just know that it will cause cravings and that to rid yourself of cravings, you'll have to avoid it for a bit until you get control of your system.  You don't get something for nothing, everything has consequences.  You just need to be responsible with it like anything else we consume, and you'll be fine.  Understanding our bodies and how sugar effects our efforts, is half the battle in the weight lost journey.

This is what I did today:
Elliptical: 15 min @ level 10 
Hundred Push-up Challenge: Week 3 Day 1 (80 push-ups)

Habits

So the habit of last year's 365 day work out goal has stuck with me. So far this year, I have worked out everyday but Sundays. It's my sabbath day and I am going to rest! Keeping with the "Can't miss a day" is really motivating for me. It's amazing to have a workout goal stick for a change. I am indeed grateful!

One week down with the push-up challenge and I'm feeling good. I feel hopeful and strong. The thought of busting out 100 push-ups in a row still seems like crazy thoughts, but I am up for the challenge. 5 more weeks to go!

As for eating, the holidays found a few bothersome habits, namely, sugar. It takes me several days of determination to get that stuff out of my system so it no longer bothers me, and I haven't had the chance to really focus on that. So I am going to give up sugar entirely for awhile. Can't promise that tomorrow will be the first day of sugar abstinence, but it's coming soon.

Day 336 - A Little Kettlebell

Since I accept the fact that I will unlikely loose 8 pounds this month, that doesn't mean I don't have a plan. A dear friend of mine got some wonderful results from adding Kettlebell to her workout. I am going to add it to mine and try to firm up a bit this month. There are a ton of videos online that show kettlebell exercises. No matter what, you build muscle when you use them!

Today I have had some fierce cravings for some sweets. I had sweets over Thanksgiving weekend, and with leftovers, a few now and then the last few days. I have learned that it takes a few days to get it out of your system. Sugar is really an addictive substance because you crave it when you don't have it. Luckily, it's not hard to kick if you are at home, have no plans to leave and there aren't any sweets in the house. By tomorrow the cravings will subside, or at least lesson.

I now look at sugar and know that I will have to battle the cravings later. Understanding how sugar effects your body gives you information to use to your advantage later. So much better than wondering why I have such cravings. I used to hate to have such strong cravings I couldn't really control. I felt out of control and I would eat so much because of it. Now, understanding what sugar does, I can control IT much better. I can stay in control and keep my weight where I want it.

Day 332-Thanksgiving Weekend

Prayers were answered and I was able to taste my plate at our family dinner feast.  It was an interesting year since most of us were either getting over a virus or beginning one!  I was touch and go there for a bit, but about an hour before we ate, I suddenly felt clear and not stuffy, I felt pretty good!

I had been taking Emergen'C since the very first moment I felt like I was getting sick.  I swear by this stuff!  I think this is the reason I made it through the holiday without being stuck in bed.  I even had the energy to be able to help my mom out, she was really sick but pushed herself through so that we could enjoy a lovely Thanksgiving.

So, my plans were changed.  I wasn't able to work out as much as I wanted or hoped to.  I did smaller workouts because I was just too achy and weak to do full workouts.  The whole weekend I struggled with sugar cravings and portions.  I honestly felt like I used to.  Crazy how you can spend a whole year changing habits and behaviors, and within a couple of days you can resort back to what you are trying to avoid.

I learned something HUGE.  I have said it before, I honestly believe it, but this extended holiday weekend just proved it once again.  It's ALL ABOUT EXERCISE!!  Without my typical, sweaty workout, I had a hard time with my eating, the way I felt, my time on the scale.  (It was up a pound)  I did a full workout today.  At first it was way hard!  I wondered if I hadn't yet fully recovered from my illness.  Luckily something interesting was on the TV and I was able to push through and get it done, but I am surprised by how much and how fast a body can change when you deviate from routine.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend.  I had a wonderful time with family, had wonderful meals with everyone, and I learned a lot!  You can try to loose weight by your food choices alone, but it can be very slow and challenging.  You can also try to loose weight solely by working out, but if you don't change your eating habits, although you are gaining a better heart and body, you may not be seeing the results on the scale as fast as you would like and end up giving up the much needed exercise.  You need both to have results!  Eating better makes it easier to workout and working out makes it easier to eat better.  It has been proven to me once again.

Day 303 - The Danger of Sugar

I know sugar is bad.  You know sugar is bad.  We all know sugar is bad news!!  If given the choice though between sugar and artificial sweenteners, hands down, I'll take sugar!  It's natural, not made in a lab!

For the last year I have been trying to keep my sugar consumption in moderation.  I admit, I LOVE Sweetarts and all things sour gummy, but I really try to avoid the sweets because at the end of the day, you feel lousy and your teeth are all fuzzy against your tongue.  (Ever notice that after a day of sugar?)

So yesterday a dear family friend of ours dropped by to give the kids some Halloween bags of treats.  I asked for a vanilla Toosie Roll and a red Dot.  I was good to go.  But the kids kept sharing with me in their excitement to eat more.  So I ended up eating a couple more pieces.  It wasn't that much, not even close to what I normally would have consumed, but more than I have been used to.

The strangest thing happened at dinner time.  I felt like I was STARVING!!!  You know the feeling.  When you are in such a craze of hunger, you can't think straight.  When the Papa Murphy's Gourmet Veggie came out of the oven, if my mouth had been big enough, I would have jammed the whole thing in.  I was ravenous!  I haven't felt like this in a loooooooooong time!  I barely got through the blessing on the food, I felt like I was going to cry if I had to wait any longer, and I took a huge mouthful within 1 millisecond after saying "Amen."  After a few minutes of eating, as my mood slowly returned to normal, I thought about what the heck I just experienced.  When you feel like that, not only can you 1. not control yourself but 2. there is no way of keeping track of what you eat.  How can a person be successful in the weight loss journey or maintence control when feeling like that?  You can't!

I recognized that feeling, it wasn't completely unformailiar, but it's something I haven't experienced in at least a year.  Looking over the past year, I have been able to control my appetite much better they I usually do.  I have also been watching my intake of sugar.  Pondering, and putting two and two together I realized it had to be the sugar factor!! I had some candy around 2 and by the time 6 rolled around, I felt out of control.  More candy = increased appetite.  Now I didn't eat the whole pizza, but I did eat more than I usually do.  In fact, I ate so fast I am not sure how many pieces I actually ate.  3? maybe 4?  So to be on the safe side, being tired or not, I found a TV show to focus on and I did 30 minutes until I was sweating hard.  I probably should have done it longer, but my hubby was waiting to hop on.  :o)

So lesson learned.  If you want to stay in control of your appetite, which is important because then you can better control your eating, AVOID SUGAR especially CANDY that is made out of straight sugar.  It just sets you up for failure!!

Day 161

A few things I have learned on my journey

1. If I go to bed just a bit hungry, not starving, just the feeling that I could eat a little bit, I will loose weight. Over a couple of days, the effort shows up on the scale.

2. I am a mom. I prefer, and do cook most meals at home, but there are times, where fast food just happens. There are only a few places I can stand to go to and not leave full of guilt. One of which is In N Out. It's a basic menu, they use basic ingredients, some of them even fresh not frozen. How can you not love that!?! If Panera Bread had a drive through, I would be all over that. I have learned that you can not only eat somewhat healthy if you choose right, you can even keep from gaining from the experience. I find that if I can just eat 1 serving of one thing I can enjoy the experience without stressing out. I use to figure and count and figure again to see what I could order, what would be the lightest, what wouldn't do any "damage". I find that by going infrequently when we do somewhere like In N Out, if I choose a burger, without cheese and with a few fries, I can enjoy the meal, not feel guilty and still stay within my goals. I think the key is to eat just enough to kill the hunger but not stuffed. Even allow yourself to be a little bit hungry at the end.

3. Remember that fat is important. We hear about good fats and bad fats. We know that too much fat is just as bad as not enough fat. Fat is what makes you feel full!! Ever notice you can just pack in the low fat carbs and never really feel full even though you have consumed a ton of calories? It's all about balance! One of my most favorite snacks in nuts. If you are feeling a little bit hungry, grab a handful of nuts and a glass of water. I have found that this kills the hunger and holds me until meal time.

4. I have heard that if you can purge yourself of sugar you no longer crave it. I always thought that hard to believe, probably because I was still getting sugar somewhere since it's a hard habit to break! While I was pregnant with my last baby, I didn't eat sugar for a space of time (I tend to loose my appetite with pregnancy because the baby pushes on the tummy and messes with that whole system) I realized that I wasn't craving sugar and therefore didn't miss it. I thought I would test this theory after the delivery. As soon as I would eat something with sugar, I found myself having cravings, strong ones! But as soon as I stopped eating the sugar for a few days, my control against it got stronger. My favorite thing to do in the evening (when my cravings can be all consuming) is to drink an herbal tea. Some herbal teas can have a sweeter flavor simply from the herbs themselves. I enjoy an added shot of milk which makes the drink get creamy. It's a wonderful evening treat. Now that the weather is getting warmer, I found that if I chill the tea first, it's just as good. Some nights, especially after eating sugar the day before or that day (life happens) I find myself drinking a few mugs of tea. For me, it's a great substitute for eating in the evening.

5. It is all about the water. We see it everywhere, we know we need to, but some days, I just forget to drink it!! Especially if it's not warm outside. But it's a must, must, MUST! A lot of times when we are craving food, it actually means we are thirsty!! Sometimes, if the tea just isn't working for me, if I chug a big glass of water, I can curb a difficult craving. Think of it as drowning your enemy!!

I do not have this perfected yet, I am still learning, but I am finding that this is working for me right now.

Artificial Sugar - Less Calories, More Side Effects

Google "Aspartame Side Effects"
Artificial sweeteners are just as evil as sugar itself. There is an endless list of side effects that you can get from aspartame. Just google "Aspartame Side Effects" and you will know. The best thing to do is to avoid all artificial and chemical sweetener substitutes. Aspartame is the most common form of artificial 'low calorie' sugar. It is found in most diet products and diet sodas. It is also found as a tabletop sweetener for coffee or tea.
Quick Weight Loss Tips

Cut the Sugar - Cut the Fat

Cut down the sugar intake - Excessive intake of sugar often leads to weight gain and hence cutting down the sugar intake can actually work wonders for you. The more refined it comes, the more your body is going to react negatively to it. Try and substitute synthetic sugar with natural sugar sources like fruits or honey. Sugar in fruits are better for you than the sugar in candy bars, cakes and icecreams(empty calories). Fruits are high fiber foods and packed with vitamins and antioxidants.
Google "Aspartame Side Effects" -Artificial sweeteners are just as evil as sugar itself. Just google "Aspartame Side Effects" and you will know.The best thing to do is to avoid all artificial and chemical sweetener substitutes. Aspartame is the most common form of artificial 'low calorie' sugar. It is found in most diet products and diet sodas. It is also found as a tabletop sweetener for coffee or tea.There is an endless list of side effects that you can get from aspartame.