Tag Archives: lose weight

Skinny Break

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I took a break to deal with Skinny-Rules to deal with a close relative.  She called me scared because she is pre-diabetic and almost diabetic, after many warnings.

The issue is that she lives to eat and she has hardly moved her body since I have known her.  She eats whatever she wants and gives to thought to looking at labels and doesn’t really even know what to look for.  She eats what she likes and it hasn’t helped her health.

I had weight problems as a kid with this as a learned eating style in my family.  And if anyone with bad eating habits doesn’t change their ways, they will affect others too-like their children.

As a kid, my mother tried to give us vegetables, but they were all starches–peas, carrots, corn and potatoes.  Her meat was really fatty or processed, lots of white pasta, sauces, bread, sandwiches, Hawaiian rolls, fried chicken, pizza dripping in oil, Hostess items, Ritz crackers, movie popcorn, iceberg lettuce and thousand island dressing, pies, bundt cake, etc.  She knew little about nutrition and didn’t really care.

The weight issue was always with me, minus when I was in college and ate salads a lot…but as soon as I was around home more, I gained it back.

I learned the rules and weight fell off, but my relative’s bad eating habits  continued.  And yes, your choices affect your health, as well as your body.  My thyroid kicked out and I got Fibromyalgia and gained weight.  My relative has ended up with high blood pressure, high cholesterol and high blood glucose.  I could have ended up like her and worse–and she is still in danger of a stroke at 60 pounds too heavy.

So, I have supplied her with the tools.

The rest is now up to her.  She is stubborn and she might die soon because of it…or suffer horrible complications from diabetes.  This is happening because she is addicted to sugar.  I wish she had more fortitude to fight it.  I understand it because I was addicted too.

You have to go out of your way to find low sugar replacements and cut out sugar for weeks before it gets better.  I hardly ever have a craving anymore for any sugar.  This does happen when you get your brain off of this killer substance.  I am healthier, stronger and I look better than ever.  It can be done. Thank GOD I did it and I continue to share my knowledge with others, in hopes that I will help more than one person!

So, please don’t wait until you are 80-years-old or sick to do it!  Love yourself!  Eat food to live and don’t live to eat.  Exercise.

love-yourself

Leptin Resistance and Obesity…is this the problem in losing weight? What can we do about it?

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There was a study that came out recently.  In a nutshell:  Research subjects were then given diets intended to maintain their weight loss. A year after the subjects had lost the weight, the researchers repeated their measurements. The subjects were gaining the weight back despite the maintenance diet — on average, gaining back half of what they had lost — and the hormone levels offered a possible explanation.  Their hormones were working against them!

Crave-Foods-Could-be-your-Leptin-levels-how-to-fix-it

One hormone, leptin, which tells the brain how much body fat is present, fell by two-thirds immediately after the subjects lost weight. When leptin falls, appetite increases and metabolism slows. A year after the weight loss diet, leptin levels were still one-third lower than they were at the start of the study, and leptin levels increased as subjects regained their weight.

Other hormones that stimulate hunger, in particular ghrelin, whose levels increased, and peptide YY, whose levels decreased, were also changed a year later in a way that made the subjects’ appetites stronger than at the start of the study.

It was determined that the dieters are putting their bodies into a circumstance that it will resist.

A solution might be to restore hormones to normal levels by giving drugs after dieters lose weight. But, researchers just do not know enough about obesity to prescribe solutions.  GREAT!??!

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/10/27/health/biological-changes-thwart-weight-loss-efforts-study-finds.html?_r=0

SO, what do we do?

Dr. Mercola (well-known writer/doctor) writes about Leptin resistance.  http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2012/10/29/leptin-resistance.aspx

Dr. Mercola’s Leptin Resistance Summary

Insulin and leptin resistance are core factors in obesity, which in turn is a risk factor for cancer and may boost tumor growth. But the answer lies not in a pill. To reverse insulin and leptin resistance:

  • Avoid, sugar, fructose, grains, and processed foods
  • Eat a healthful diet of whole foods, ideally organic, and replace the grain carbs with:
    • No-to-low sugar and grain carbs
    • Low-to-moderate amount of protein 
    • As much highly quality healthful fat as you want (saturated and monosaturated). Most people need upwards of 50-70 percent fats in their diet for optimal health. Good sources include coconut and coconut oil, avocados, butter, nuts, and animal fats. Also take a high-quality source of animal-based omega-3 fat, such as krill oil

Similarly, while researchers investigate the pharmaceutical avenues to convert white fat cells to brown in an effort to reduce the potential for cancer growth, other research has already shown that this can likely be achieved through exercise.

80 percent of the health benefits you reap from a healthy lifestyle comes from your diet, and the remaining 20 percent from exercise – but it’s a very important 20 percent, as it acts in tandem with and boosts the benefits derived from a proper diet. For maximum benefits, you’ll want to make sure to include high-intensity interval training.

Can you take leptin or supplements to stimulate leptin to help?  There is no proof of it helping, except in very rare cases.  The suggestions are rather than taking supplements that haven’t been fully proven to help, overweight people have other options to aid leptin functioning.  So therefore, you have to reduce resistance to insulin (a hormone that controls blood sugar) and to bring down high levels of triglycerides (a blood lipid).

Insulin resistance generates leptin resistance. The practical advice is: Get your insulin down by cutting the sugar down, and your insulin resistance would improve and that would help with the weight loss.

sugar

So, we are back to sugar again as the enemy.  CUT OUT SUGAR AND cut down on UNHEALTHY carbs.  Stick with only natural healthy carbs! And watch the amount of fruit you eat.  Fruit has fructose (sugar).

My Weight Loss Rules That Made Me Skinny and Kept me Skinny, and I EAT!

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 rulesfat
So, if you want to lose weight, you have to choose to eat better.  You have to make a difference, makes some sacrifices and make a lifestyle change because you have allowed food addiction to rule you and take over your body.
If you choose to lose, here are my rules.  I am still a size 2 (down from a 10 or 12), two and a half years after I changed my ways, and you can be a lower size too.  You are allowed 50-100 carbs a day.  So, you have to count and you will get used to it.

Basically what I do:  6 meals a day, every two to three hours.  You eat every 3-4 hours because you will get hungry and when you eat, then your metabolism will not slow down and burn off slowly.  Believe it or not, eating this way makes your body BURN!   You might even feel hot. 
1.  I basically have a meat and veg salad two times a day, lunch and dinner
2.  I have two small fruit servings a day
3.  I have  an egg, and try to have it different most days and I might make an omelette and throw a piece of low fat cheese in it.
4.  Spinach helps lower food cravings.
5.  If you are hungry, drink something or have a small protein to tide you over, like low-fat baby bell cheese or some kind of low fat cheese or meat.
6.  I eat three protein snacks a day and I vary it between something from Lindora.com, or a protein bar or shake.
7.  Also, you can have nuts and seeds as a protein.  You are better off with unsalted and you need to measure it out.  For example, a measured cup of mixed nuts can be 30g of carbs.  If you want to lose weight, that is like a third of your day’s carbs. So, have half a cup and a piece of cheese, but you are better off not eating an entire cup.  Sunflower and sunflower seeds has a similar carb count at 28g for a full cup.  (sugar is low, so you that is good)
1.  Breakfast:
PROTEIN NUMBER ONE.  I do an egg.  If it makes you happy, have an egg with some bacon or turkey sausage by Jenny-O.
Have a piece of Fruit.  You are better off with berries or citrus.  So have half a grapefruit or some strawberries.  Go ahead, spray whipped cream on it–no carbs or sugar.
Look at the portion size of fruit in the paperwork.  I do half a banana, but I stick to the lowest in carbs–berries and citrus.  Some fruits like Apples and Bananas are high in carbs/sugar.
2.  Snack:  
 
PROTEIN NUMBER TWO: A protein of your choice.  
PROTEIN CHOICES:  Eggs, cheese, turkey, chicken, sausage, hot dog, etc. You can do a yogurt, but you should try Greek Yogurt, tastes SO much better than regular yogurt and healthier too.  Dannon lite and fit makes a GREEK YOGURT that is really good and low in carbs and sugar.  Get the cherry or raspberry one.  They use beatles for color in their strawberry and blueberry one and that makes me want to puke.  There is low-fat Cottage Cheese too.
Another kind of protein you can do is a protein bar….pick one from the choices and the right size.  Power Crunch bar, the chocolate one and the peanut butter one are two very good flavors. These taste like delicious wafer bars.  There are more at Smart and Final, but these two are the best and Trader Joes prices are slightly better.  The Trader Joe’s protein shakes in a can are really low in carbs (taste better cold).  These are not the thickest shakes, so if you mix in some almond milk, that would be better.
You should try UNSWEETENED vanilla almond milk.  LOW in sugar and carbs and really not bad at all.  Healthier for you and better for a diet.  It is in the refrigerated section near the milk in Trader Joes.
 
3.  Lunch: 
PROTEIN NUMBER THREE: 
I have a protein, but I throw the protein in a salad and make it a big salad.  You have to have salad twice a day.
There is a choice of two veggies (check portion size) to put in the salad if you want.
2 cups lettuce in that salad.  I just do a good salad and I throw in
You can have a fruit serving.  Check size.
4.  Snack:
PROTEIN NUMBER FOUR:
A protein again.  (see above)
5.  Dinner:
PROTEIN NUMBER FIVE:
just like lunch.  (see lunch)
6.  Snack:  A protein again.
PROTEIN NUMBER SIX:
I do a small Carbolite (now only at a few places like the yogurt store next to Ralphs on Ventura and Topanga and a few out-of-the-way places) or low sugar ice cream like Breyer’s has or Dreyers (usually says no sugar added).  Just a cup of it.  Measure and look at the serving size and carbs on the label.  But, you have to look at how many carbs have added up to pick.  Most proteins have no carbs.  You can have another power crunch bar too.
 
Miscellaneous:
You can drink Splenda type soda, but get in 80 ounces of fluid a day!
Coffee:  Non fat dairy creamer can be used and Splenda type sweetener
Non Fat salad dressing on salad, I use Trader Joe’s Ginger Soy Non fat and it is so good.  Look at labels.  Balsamic vinaigrette is good and low fat Ranch is usually good.
Take Potassium Glutonate and a multi vitamin daily.
 
Consider a multi B vitamin to keep your energy up!  I get two B shots a week and weight often.  You should weigh daily and see how it is going!
You can do a grain or bread instead of a protein, but only 3 times a week and look at the size.  Instead of a protein, for example, you can do a slice of wheat toast.  Oatmeal is only half a cup.  Get bread that is low carb and high fiber.  Dave’s Killer Bread at Pavillions and other places…you can look online.  It is good and high in protein and a lot of fiber.  Ezekiel bread at Trader Joes is one of the best.  But, only two slices a week!!  There are low-carb tortillas available at Trader Joes and Costco.  There is a huge difference between a regular carb tortilla and low-carb tortilla.  One is almost 40 carbs and one is under 10.  Also, Western Bagel has low carb (10g) Perfect 10 bagels.  They are tasty and such a great carb count!  And they have protein too.
Restricted diet!!!    But, it works and if you are eating about every 2-3 hours, you won’t die!

To Bread or Not to Bread

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I follow Food Babe’s blog about what healthy foods we should be eating and what are actually just making us sick.

Bread is a big issue for me.  It is loaded with carbs and I don’t do well with gluten or wheat.  However, once or twice a week, I like to have something like a decent piece of bread.  I really like Western Bagel’s Perfect 10 Bagels because one whole bagel is just 10g of net carbs.

But, as far as regular bread.  It turns out a lot of bread has some pretty disgusting ingredients in it, like the stuff that they put in yoga mats.

yogamatbread

http://foodbabe.com/2014/02/24/healthiest-bread-on-the-market/

So, I am turning to Food Babe’s suggestions.  She really like Ezekiel bread.  Good and good for you!  It is available at many places, including Trader Joes.

My husband tried Dave’s Killer Bread, because it is also filled with good organic ingredients.  There are two kinds at his market, Vons Pavillions–the cracked wheat one 21g of carbs, 5g of fiber (making the next carb 16g) and 5g of protein. The sprouted wheat one is at 17g of carbs, 4g of fiber (making the net carb 13g) and 6g of protein.

Look at all of the good things about it!  It is Organic, GMO free, Vegan, 100% whole grain, has a lot of fiber, protein and Omega 3.

http://www.daveskillerbread.com/breads/

Remember, if you want to lose weight, the number of carbs per day should stick to between 50 and 100g a day.  So, if you do have a slice of bread once or twice a week, make sure it is tasty and heatlhy, with low carbs and high protein.  Have it in place of a fruit out of your two fruits for the day.  Use real butter like KerryGold and try to steer clear of GMO and non-organic food, which will only bloat you and confuse your metabolism with toxins.

Kickstart Your Diet! Stop the Sweets and Detox with this Sweet Anti-Inflammatory Drink

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Food Babe’s Ginger Berry Anti-Inflammatory Smoothie
drink
Prep time
5 mins
Total time
5 mins
Servs: 1
Ingredients
  • 3 tablespoons Nutiva hemp protein powder  (you want an organic protein powder and not all are)
  • 2 inch piece of ginger (peeled if not organic)
  • 2 cups of leafy greens (kale, collards, romaine, spinach, chard, etc.)
  • 1 cup of celery
  • 1 cup of mixed frozen berries of your choice (strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, etc)
  • ½ cup filtered water
Instructions
  1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend for 1 min or until smooth
  2. Serve immediately or store in airtight container for up to 1 day
Notes
***Please choose all organic ingredients if possible***

Chipotle Diet Plan

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My husband told me he is on a mission to lose some weight and buff up!  All right, he has come to the right person!

So, we went to Chipotle and I told him to order differently.  He usually gets a bowl, because he thinks it is healthier than the burrito (the tortilla is about 41g of carbs).  However,even the rice/bean bowl is fattening too–based on what you put in it.

Chipotle is great in that it is organic, fresh and they have a nutritional menu builder, where you can pile on things and watch the calories or carbs grow.

HIS OLD WAY:

So, if he were to have a bowl with chicken, salsa, cheese and beans and rice, that is 53g of carbs, which in my book–is a lot of carbs!  The rice is about 20 plus grams of carbs, and the beans are about the same too.  If you add corn to that, it is another 15g of carbs–making this full bowl about 68g of carbs.  If you are only supposed to have between 50g to 100g of carbs per day to lose/maintain weight–then that is a lot of your count in ONE meal.

chipotle bowlMY WAY:

So, he tried the way I eat at Chipotle.  I had the chicken salad bowl.  Only has lettuce, meat (chicken), a little dressing, sour cream, cheese, salsa–all at 7g of carbs.  

chipotle-chicken-salad_0

He ate it and guess what?  HE LOVED IT!  He said, “Why didn’t you tell me that it was this good?”  He loves it because the lettuce is so fresh and everything tastes so good.  Also, their dressing is zingy!  So, now, that is all he will eat there.  (I did tell him, he just chose not to hear me)

Guacamole is extra, and it is an extra 8g of carbs, but with the fiber in it, net carbs is only about 2g and it is a healthy fat.  So, don’t worry about guacamole, but consider it your one of two fruits for the day.

So, try it this way and save yourself over 50g of carbs and still enjoy your meal!  And skip the chips at 70g of carbs per bag!

http://www.chipotlecaloriecalculator.com/

Treats on a DIET

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I talked to a friend today who started her diet again.  I wish her all the best of luck.  

The problem with starting any diet is that it is harder to do if you are surrounded by other people in the house who are eating cookies and other good things.  It is really hard to stay focused because you see the cookie.

It is important to surround yourself with things that you can have daily that will satisfy you, so you won’t feel left out or deprived.

I keep Amberlynne.com chocolate in my house, plus good tasting protein bars like Power Crunch, etc.  I use them as one of my six proteins for the day and they taste good.

Also, find recipes for things that you can make.  My friend made Jorge Cruise’s chocolate cake in a mug.  I have had those, and they are easy and good.

Flour choices:

1.  Coconut Flour.  High in protein and fiber and low in digestible carbs.  Use it to make breaded foods.

2.  Almond Flour.  healthy fats, high in protein and monounsaturated fats.Use it for baking. It adds moistness and a rich nutty taste.

3.  Flaxseed Flour.   Rich in fiber and omega-3 fatty acids.  Use it to make cookies, pancakes, muffins and cakes.

 

Recipe for Chocolate Cake in a Mug

chocolatecakemug


2-Minute Cake With Almond Flour

Ingredients
1/4 cup Truvia Baking Blend
1/2 cup almond flour
3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 tbsp coconut oil
1 egg
2 tbsp half & half

Directions
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl until the mixture is even and smooth (no lumps).

Pour 1/4 of the mixture into a mug and microwave for 2 minutes.

Refrigerate remaining batter for later! I put whipped cream on mine.

 

So, if you want to be successful on your diet, find these low-carb treat cheats to be successful!

Plateau Diet Weekend

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Since my thyroid issues, I need to drop a couple of pounds.  Despite exercise and eating well, when your thyroid is out of whack, so is your weight.  (Some of you might need it after Valentine’s Day!)

Diet_Plateau_cartoon

Today/Tomorrow Plateau Menu:

Morning:  Egg, spinach, 1/2 grapefruit

Snack:  Liquid protein drink

Lunch: Salad with fish (tuna for me) and 1/2 grapefruit

Snack:  Liquid protein

Dinner:  Salad and fish or chicken and 1/2 grapefruit

Snack:  Liquid protein

By the end of the two or three days (depends on how the scale looks), I could lose about 2-3 pounds. This plateau breaker works…done it before. Every diet hits a plateau.  It is temporary and you just make the best fo it.

Drink lots of water, take potassium and take a multi vitamin supplement.

If you can exercise, that is a bonus!

 

 

Is Your Thyroid Making You Fat?

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For about three-quarters of a year now, I have been having low energy and battling keeping my weight from going up.  I have managed to keep it down to a 21 BMI, but I want to get back to 19.  I have eaten correctly, I have exercised a lot, and I am so frustrated and pissed off because I work hard daily to have better conrol on the numbers.  I finally saw my doctor and it was my thyroid.

thyroid def

I have been on medication for my thyroid for years and it my body was now needing a change.  My tests came back showing I need  I have been battling new numbers and weeks of waiting for the medications to kick in and balance.  It has been a real hassle and hard because I have to be even more careful to eat closer to 50g of carbs per day.  And it is hard to exercise when you feel like you could just lay down and die.

thyroid-weightgain

I started to lose weight easily when my medication kicked in, but it adjusted again and now it is hard again until my new medication arrives in the mail, that is if my insurance company can finally send it to me!

My point: If you are following the rules and you are still having trouble with your weight, get your thyroid checked out. And don’t let them do just one test, which could show nothing. Ask for the whole shebang.

The experts at About.com Thyroid page say:

“Many practitioners believe that for thyroid patients who want to lose weight, the first step is to optimize — not just normalize — your thyroid treatment. What is considered “optimal?” Not only are TSH, Free T4 and Free T3 levels considered important, but Reverse T3, ferritin, leptin, and other issues come into play in terms of optimal thyroid treatment.”

http://thyroid.about.com/od/loseweightsuccessfully/a/Help-Thyroid-Diet-Lose-Weight-Loss.htm

Thyroid-symptons

So, ask for this.  See your doctor and ask.  It will be easier to control weight if your body is your friend and not your enemy!

Low-Fat or Low-Carb Diets-Which is the best?

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Study by twin doctors was done about weight loss–fats vs. carbs.

good-carb-2

http://www.medicaldaily.com/foods-weight-loss-van-tulleken-twins-both-doctors-dieted-decide-which-worse-sugar-or-fat-video

Cutting most of both items out of the diet turned out to be miserable.  Which is better?

“The answer is probably “neither.” Completely eliminating anything from one’s diet — whether it be sugar, or fat, or even meat — isn’t necessarily the way to end up with a more fit physique.

A balanced diet, which includes fruits, veggies, proteins, and good carbohydrates will put you on the right track better than eliminating any certain food group.”

If you want to lose weight it will be much easier if you avoid processed foods made with sugar and fat. These foods affect your brain in a completely different way from natural foods and it’s hard for anyone to resist eating too much. And any diet that eliminates fat or sugar will be unpalatable, hard to sustain and probably be bad for your health, too.”

You can have a decent amount of healthy carbs in 50g to 100g of carbs per day is enough for the human body.  If you increase that amount, you will not lose weight and you will gain weight.  Stick with fruits, vegetables, and proteins.  Stay away from starches and wheat products and you will do great.  As it is, fruit and vegetables have enough carbs in them.  You can also have nuts and watch the carbs in those too.  Pasta and bread is not necessary in a diet and doesn’t help you lose weight.  And eat healthy fats like in oil, proteins and avocados.  A Mediterranean or Paleo diet allows or it and those diets work!