Archive for Mind/Body

Don’t Give In Just Because It’s December!

elf eating spaghettiI’ve heard this more than a few times in the past couple of weeks: “Forget trying to be good.  It’s the Holiday’s.  It’s impossible! Can you help me lose weight in January?”

My answer:  Sure I can help you in January, but, GET AHOLD OF YOURSELF.  Having a specific date when you’re going to be “good”… that’s crazy talk.  That’s kickin the can down the road, like our government does with the federal budget (which keeps our debt constantly growing. Make the analogy).

When we pacify ourselves with promises to compensate later for over-indulging today, we actually reinforce the habits and desires that got us either overweight or unhealthy or both.

Here’s some blasts from the past to help you stay committed to Real Whole Food, and making good choices, even in December.  It’s critical to change our thoughts about food; food is medicine, or food is poison.  Food brings us energy and healing and beautiful skin, or food brings cancer, fatigue, gut issues, headaches, diabetes, and heart disease.

Fill your mind with thoughts that make you powerful.  Be purposeful about what you allow your brain to dwell on.

Click on the highlighted link to read the whole post, or just read the displayed paragraphs. Santa-Paws-Christmas-card-holiday-dog-pet-funny-hilarious-saying-sayings-500x338

From December, 2013:

I’ve heard from more than a few people expressing sadness about weight gain, specifically, weight gain since Thanksgiving. You’ve got a choice here, you either go with the line, ” I’ve already blown it, New Years Day is right around the corner, I’ll start then.” or this line, “More vegetables, more fruit, more healthy fats and proteins; I’m going to plan the next few days well and get back on track because I don’t like feeling this way.”

Pick a line and go with it. If it’s the second line, MEDITATE ON IT. Choose your thoughts; quit letting a momentary whim lead to actions that make you feel horrible later. Do this for me: next time you want some food that’s not healthy, set a timer on your phone and see how long the desire lasts. Unless you’re genuinely starving, Hunger Is Temporary. Seriously. If you turn out to still be starving in 15 minutes, evaluate what you ate at your last meal. Was there enough fat, enough protein, enough vegetables, enough Real Whole Foods, or did you do the “diet” thing and now you’re hungry? Give your body the nutrients it needs, and that compulsive desire to eat will start to fade away. Weight loss (if you need it) is a side-effect of eating healthy.

Reasons to be scared of Flour and Sugar:

I’m going to blast some facts at you, because : All Behavior Is Belief Driven. Think it’s hard to walk past platters full of doughnuts, cookies, or bagels without eating any? It depends on your belief: do you believe that flour and sugar are literally toxic to your brain and body, or do you still look at food as calories that you can work-off or starve-off later?

Fact: flours that contain Gluten (a group of proteins that are in grains) have ADDICTIVE properties, they literally stimulate pleasure centers in your brain that make you want more.

Fact: no human being on earth has the digestive enzymes to break down glutens from wheat, barley, or rye. Think you don’t have a problem because you’re not a Celiac? Celiac disease is an AUTO IMMUNE reaction to the glutens. That happens to some people. For the rest of us, the damage accumulates over YEARS: the undigested proteins leak thru the gut wall, inappropriately; our immune system responds to the foreign objects, and wherever we’re most vulnerable (joints, brain, nervous system, thyroid, etc) gets attacked.

Fact: sugar has addictive properties. Studies show that it’s more addictive than Cocaine! In 1700, the average American ate 4 lbs of sugar a year; in 1800 it was 18 lbs; in 1900 it was 90 lbs, in 2009, it was 180 lbs.

Read the details of this Post for supplement and exercise tips; here’s the gist:

Three emails this weekend about Holiday Weight Gain are prompting a Post. Don’t Diet In December; don’t despair if you’ve gained a few pounds since Halloween; don’t “throw in the towel and restart in January”; and don’t kill yourself with extra hard workouts.

All that stuff would be SHORT TERM THINKING, and short term thinking never produces good Long Term Results.

What should you do instead? CHILL. Honestly. It’s the holidays and we’ve all got about 50 extra things on our to-do lists. Stressing about it = CORTISOL, which = WEIGHT GAIN and ILLNESS ( come January or sooner).

In addition to all our “extras”, is the assumption we’ll eat more just because it’s the holidays; constant indulgence = CORTISOL + INSULIN, which = WEIGHT GAIN AND ILLNESS ( come January, or sooner).

Blood sugar becomes a complete mess, and the impulse to soothe stress with food or alcohol feels irresistible. Here’s what to do instead-

And finally, from Holiday Eating Gone Bad, 8 Facts To Scare You Straight:

It’s the holiday season, you’re busy, you’re struggling, you want motivation, so I’ll be fast and effective.

I’ve had several emails and comments in the past two weeks full of regret and remorse over Eating Gone Bad. There’s definitely the sense of, ” I couldn’t help myself because…”

A client friend said to me yesterday, ” I want to become scared of flour and sugar, like you are.” I want ALL OF YOU TO BECOME SCARED OF FLOUR AND SUGAR, like I am! Let me scare you straight, quickly.

Simple carbs from Grains and Sugar cause high levels of sugar and insulin in your blood/arteries/veins. The negative health effects from this are PROFOUND:

1) Excess blood sugar ( from sugar and grains) is converted to Triglycerides and stored in our fat cells.

2) Excess blood sugar “GLYCATES” proteins and lipids in our blood and body. EXAMPLES OF GLYCATION ARE WRINKLES, AGE SPOTS, AND IMPOTENCE. Alzheimer’s is being called Diabetes Type 3 because of the plaques/glycation of the brain, which is composed of fats and proteins.

3) Alzheimer’s, Migraines, Dementia, and all sorts of Neurological Conditions, including ADD and Mood Disorders, are highly associated with high blood sugar and insulin.

4) Cancer cells are covered with Insulin Receptors. Cancer cells eat SUGAR. The insulin receptors that cover cancer cells make sure those cells get all the sugar they want and need to grow and thrive. APPLY THAT THOUGHT TO YOUR KIDS THE NEXT TIME YOU FEED THEM MAC N CHEESE WITH A SIDE OF BREAD. Seriously. That stuff is poison!

5) Heart disease is caused by several conditions initiated by sugar and insulin: excess sugar thickens the blood; excess sugar robs the heart of it’s favorite mineral – Magnesium, and it’s favorite vitamin – the Bs ( that’s because digesting/metabolizing sugar requires an enormous amount of Magnesium and B vitamins ); and excess sugar and insulin severely damage artery walls, in several ways.

6) Damage to the artery walls ( whether those arteries are near your heart, in your neck, or MEN: IN YOUR FAVORITE ORGAN THAT FILLS WITH BLOOD!!) means they need to be “fixed”. In an effort to mitigate the damage we do, the liver puts together PLAQUE patches, and sends them to the sites of the damage. This keeps us alive for years, but eventually, the high blood pressure, the thick blood, the extra stress on the heart, comes back to Bite Us In The Butt.

7) Excess sugars can completely change the Bacterial Composition of your entire gut: from the stomach, which needs to have just a tiny bit of H-Pylori and a TON of acid to be optimal, to the small intestine, which should be intact but more often then not is “LEAKY” or plagued with SIBO ( small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. If you bloat badly, ask me about this.), to the large intestine, which should house at least a few POUNDS of beneficial bacteria that perform literally THOUSANDS of jobs for our bodies. Constipation, Bloat, Reflux, Diarrhea: NOT NORMAL! It means you’re not breaking down and absorbing your nutrients which sets the stage for all sorts of disease and dysfunctions.

8) Excess sugar and insulin suppress your immune system, IMMEDIATELY, for up to 24 hours. This means if you let your kid eat a breakfast of pop tarts or crappy cereal, and then send them to school to sit by someone on the bus or in the classroom who’s coughing or sneezing, they’re an EASY TARGET for the germs to set up house and proliferate. Same for you: a quick muffin or sugar/chemical drink at Starbucks, then off to an office/gym filled with bad germs? You’re a sitting duck!

I could go on and on, but say this to yourself: Food Is Medicine, or Food Is Poison; for me, and for my kids.

Then, delete the ancient notion that eating well means Dieting; eating low fat/no fat chicken and steamed broccoli is a recipe for a Rebound Binge.

That’s why I love the Paleo Diet: Real Whole Food with plenty of good FAT, good meats and proteins, TONS of vegetables, some fruit, some nuts and seeds, and GOOD dairy if you can tolerate it. The Paleo Diet even includes Real Whole Food DESSERTS, what’s not to like? ( Christmas Paleo Party at my house, 12/12/14, from 12 -2. Everyone’s invited, and you’ll get to see just how good Real Whole Food is!)

If Food Addiction is your struggle, then all the common sense/information in the world doesn’t help too much. Read my last post. If you have trouble staying away from grains and sugar, know that they contain compounds that trigger addiction centers in your brain, and your child’s brain. That doesn’t happen with Real Whole Food.

Finally, in this stressful, busy season of the year, acknowledge that “eating for stress relief” doesn’t actually Relieve Your Stress, it makes you MORE STRESSED afterwards. Just the opposite of sitting down to a Real Whole Food meal, which actually satiates your mind and body.

Change today. Don’t wait til the season is over. We’re talking about your health, your mind, and the example you’re instilling in your kids. The food you put in your mouth matters. I’ll say it again: Food is Medicine, or Food is Poison.

Do You Let Bad Days Throw You Off Your Goals?

051215-UFC--Ronda-Rousey-Sports-Illustrated-AS-IA.vadapt.620.high.92Do you guys know who Ronda Rousey is?  She’s the #1 female athlete in the world, she’s a UFC competitor, and she’s got an awesome book out, Rousey, that’s all about being true to yourself and doing the right thing no matter what you feel like.

I’m so loving it!  Here’s a quote from the book, “My mom always says that to be the best in the world, you have to be good enough to win on a bad day because you never know if the Olympics are going to fall on a bad day.”

I’m not going to the Olympics, but I still love this quote.  For me, I just think of every day as my Olympics; I need to be my best everyday, no matter what.  I’ve got kids and a husband and clients and people who take my classes and they all expect me to bring it; and since I’m being paid (by some of them), I better!

It’s all about a mindset.  We either develop a mindset that powers us along towards our goals, or who we want to be; or we feed the mindset that says we can jump off our path every time we have a bad day, a bad moment, or a bad feeling.

Since I’m all about nutrition and wellness, let’s go there.

Our level of health, our energy, our weight, they’re (mostly) a direct reflection of our every day life style habits and actions.

If we let a bad day be an excuse to eat crap, not workout, and feed the whiny -victim part of our soul, even if it’s just a day or two a week, we’re in trouble.  A healthy, fit body means that we do the right thing on good days and bad days.

Moms and dads, isn’t this what we expect from our kids?  Or at least hope for our kids?  That they still do well on their tests, or with their friends, or in their sports, despite bad days?

We’re they’re primary role models; it’s important that we model being our best on a bad day.

What if you’ve conditioned yourself to roll with your bad days, if it’s a norm for you to allow your bad feelings to dictate your actions and choices? Don’t worry!  People change all the time, you can too.  It takes a plan and a focused effort, but if you start now, you could be a whole new you by Christmas.

Purposely fill your mind with information that reinforces 2 things,

1) The fact that our body needs to move Every. Single. Day. A lot.  We don’t have to “workout”, but we do need to move.  Sitting’s the new smoking.  Our body – and our brain – were created to be strengthened and made normal/healthy/functional through movement.  Can’t get to the gym?  Do a 15 minute yoga workout/HITT workout at home, or a cardio machine w/ plank intervals or sprint up and down your driveway/yard/street 5 times.  Walk the stairs at your office, squat for 1 minute every hour,……. do something.

Remember, the Centenarians in the Blue Zones – the longest lived people in the world – don’t “workout”, they walk, they garden, they ride bikes to work,…  they move.

I know I keep talking about my FitBit, but I’ll tell you, those things work!! I have consciously/unconsciously worked a whole bunch more steps into my every day life, usually without thinking about it.

(Oddly, the classes I teach, HITT and yoga, don’t give me many steps, darn-it!)

Sometimes I do think about it though.  Whenever I water the horses, or walk my little dog Reese, I jog in place.  If it’s getting late and I’m not to 10,000 steps, I jog in place.  But I’m having to do that less and less because I’m hitting 10,000 steps more and more often before dinner.

2) the power of Food as Medicine.  Make this belief as powerful and natural as possible so that Will Power – which is limited – isn’t necessary.

There’s a great saying, ” Food can be the most powerful form of medicine, or the slowest form of poison.”  I want you to look at healthy fats and vegetables and clean proteins and fruits, nuts, seeds, herbs and spices and literally be excited.  And I want you to look at processed food like an old, dirty cigarette butt lying on the side walk, smushed onto a piece of old gum.  You’d NEVER put that in your mouth, it’s disgusting!

It’s all about our perspective, right?  Yesterday I was at the Natural Market to have lunch with Shelby. 20150712_101243 While I was waiting, a couple came in and looked around.  They looked in the fridge, they looked at the menu… the guy had such a sour look on his face he looked like he’d sucked on a lemon.  He made disparaging remarks about the green wraps, and how nothing looked good to him.

His wife said, “We’re only here because you said you wanted to get healthy.” And he said, “Yeah, but I didn’t want to eat this kind of stuff.”

They left.  They should have stayed!  The food there is AMAZING and delicious and Real.

Also, everything about him said “heart attack waiting to happen”, but I digress.

Here’s some ammo for the Food Is Medicine part of your brain we’re trying to grow. This is a recent article from the British Medical Journal preaching the science behind food quality when it comes to health, weight, and mortality.

Honestly, this article is fantastic.  It points to study after study proving the positive results of Real Whole Food on heart disease and diabetes.

The 3 co-authoring doctors use a lot of data – data we won’t hear from Main Stream Medicine – to tout the benefits of eating food for it’s nutrients, not it’s calorie count. The research is clear and definitive:  if we want to get healthy/be a normal weight/have less risk of dying from a disease, Real Whole Food trumps medicine and “dieting” by a long shot.

I’m attaching a link to the entire article, but in case you don’t have time to read the whole thing, here’s a few highlights:

*  An energy/calorie unrestricted diet supplemented with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and nuts achieved a 30% reduction in cardiovascular events in over 7,500 high risk individuals – within 3 months.

* In comparison with an American Heart Association “low fat” diet, a Mediterranean diet – post heart attack – is a more powerful coronary intervention tool for mortality than aspirin, statins, or stents.

* The weight loss industry makes $58 BILLION annually in the US, yet all long-term follow up studies reveal that the majority of individuals (almost 100%) regain their lost weight; about 50% gain more than they lost.

I want to end this with a word on Dieting.  Mini meals, special diet foods, diet pills, diet drinks, diet plans…. they make you CRAZY.  It seems like such a great idea:  something that makes you full, takes away your hunger, and still enables you to have your favorite foods ( processed diet food is a multi-billion dollar industry), but dieting doesn’t work in the long run; sometimes it doesn’t work in the short term either.

Weight loss happens when our body becomes NORMAL from eating Real Whole Food.  Diets are anything but Normal.  Diets are ABNORMAL.  Jump off the Diet Roller Coaster!  It’s all been a big hoax and a scheme for companies to make money off us, and it’s worked.  The more we diet, the bigger and more addicted to food we get.

Take back your life and your health and your energy.  Move, eat Real Whole Food, quit being afraid of healthy, real, fats.  Stop counting calories.  Examine the nutrients in foods and relate them to your body and how those nutrients affect you.

You can do this!  I said above, start today, and be a whole new you by Christmas.  It can happen!  If you need help, get in touch with me.  Lots of people change, you can too.

5 Love Languages, Greens, Chocolate, & 10,000 Steps: The Heart Weekend!

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAMark and I are on a Healthy Heart Weekend:  paddle-boarding, sight seeing, and a Marriage Conference with Dr. Gary Chapman of the 5 Love Languages.  We’ve slept in 2 different hotels in 2 days, but we packed all our food, so we’ve managed to eat well, move a lot, and do some Positive Thinking.  In other words, we’re traveling healthy.  I get a lot of emails and questions about traveling, and I want to answer them with a leaning towards Heart Health.

Heart Disease is the #1 killer in America, and it’s something we should all be working to prevent.  It’s showing up in children now – moms, here’s where we step in.

Heart disease is a LIFESTYLE DISEASE.  High blood pressure, plaque, heavy-dense cholesterol, high blood sugar, hard arteries….. these are caused by the what we put in our mouth, the exercise we don’t get, and the stress we don’t manage.

No one has heart disease because they’re low in statins.

Whether we’re traveling or home, it’s important to take the steps to make our body healthy.

Let’s start with food.  Our heart primarily runs on fatty acids for fuel.  Surprising? It’s the truth, so feed your heart healthy fats!  Have you read that the new Dietary Guidelines will “un-vilify” cholesterol as a cause of heart disease?  It’s true!

“Previously the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommended that cholesterol intake be limited to no more than 300 mg/day. The 2015 DGAC (Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee) will not bring forward this recommendation because available evidence shows no appreciable relationship between consumption of dietary cholesterol and serum cholesterol, consistent with the conclusions of the AHA/ACC (American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology report. Cholesterol is not a nutrient of concern for overconsumption.”

What about the fact that Saturated Fat has NEVER been scientifically proven to cause heart disease?

“Saturated fat has remained the main dietary villain for heart disease for over 50 years. Last year a meta-analysis of 72 studies with more than 600,000 participants determined that there was no association between how much saturated fat people ate and their risk of having a fatal or nonfatal heart attack (Annals of Internal Medicine, March 18, 2014).”

This isn’t carte blanche to eat any thing we want.  Fats are very unique and different; some are great, some are good, and some are horrible.

Stay away from vegetable oils, margarines, and trans fats, they’re always bad, always.

Eat up grass fed butter and ghee, extra virgin olive oil, coconut butter, avocados, and nuts.  Bonus: these fats have anti-fungal/bacterial/viral properties, immune boosting properties, anti-inflammatory properties, and are even healthy for our brain.

The heart also loves amino acids/protein (it is a muscle after all, and needs to rebuild it’s cells), and vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients.

You know how I always say “eat a TON of vegetables”?  Herbs and spices too;  Moms, stay strong when it comes to vegetables and picky kids.  You’ve GOT to win this battle.  Here’s why.

The heart (and the arteries in the penis, the neurotransmitters in the brain, the lining of the gut, bone remodeling, and white blood cell function) heavily depends on Nitric Oxide (NO).  NO is a vasodilator that relaxes the lining of the arteries and increases blood flow.  If there’s any damage to the arteries at all, which is where a lot of that NO is made, then there’s NO deficiency.

Here’s a list of foods high in natural nitrates ( which convert to NO):

*Garlic
*Beets
*Greens
*Walnuts
*Cranberries
*Honey
*Black Tea
*Pistachios
*Salmon
*Animal Organs
*Shrimp
*Onions
*Peanut Butter

Cool fact: chew your food well, because it’s the bacteria in our mouth that convert the nitrates to NO – who knew!!!

We want to leverage all the colors of the vegetable (and fruit) kingdom, because they have nutrients, besides their vitamins and minerals which are vital, called phytonutrients, that scientists are really just beginning to discover.  Nutrients called lycopene, lutein, alpha carotene, and beta carotene.

Studies show that bodies with higher levels of these nutrients have less stroke and heart attack.

What’d we pack to eat this weekend?  Chicken (already cooked), eggs, salad greens, zucchinis, cukes, tomatoes, onion, garlic, sea salt, EVOO and balsamic, roasted potatoes (left over from Wednesday- so I just warmed them) dates, peaches, nuts, Jay Robb protein powder, raw milk, raw cream, and kerry gold butter.  Oh, plus organic chocolate and coffee!  We stay in Residence Inns whenever we can because they have kitchens.

Exercise: almost as critical for the heart as food.  Have I told you I LOVE MY FITBIT??  Even on days like yesterday, where we were in a seminar from 9 to 3:30, we managed to get over 10,000 steps in.  We walked on each break, plus lunch, and again after dinner.  Had I not had the Fitbit, we’d never had taken that many steps. Most phones have counters on them if you don’t have a smart watch yet.  Friday we paddle boarded a few miles, and then walked a battlefield and Civil War Park.  Links are attached if you’re looking for fun in Richmond, Va.  Today:  lifting with Macy at the VCU gym!

5 Love Languages – for heart health?  YES!  Have you ever read the book, The Blue Zones?  It’s about the 4 places on earth with the largest populations of centenarians, or people who live past 100.  I’ve been obsessed with it for years, the same with any story I see of a Centenarian, or studies on Centenarians.

What do these people have in common, is it Kale Smoothies or Cross Fit or Veganism?  NOPE!  The biggest common link is community, usefulness, and purpose.  In other words, they’re fulfilled and happy. They have love in their life.

That’s where the 5 Love Languages comes in.  Mark and I are regular pursuers of both Happy Marriage and Happy Minds.  I say “pursuer” because happiness doesn’t just drop on our heads, it’s something we have to focus on and work for.  That’s really what “stress management” is about, right?  It’s how we handle life that matters, and the 5 Love Languages has great advice for communicating and getting along.

On that note, our heart apparently THRIVES on happy hormones and chemicals, and can be destroyed by destructive hormones (cortisol and insulin) and chemicals.  This is a big deal, and an area of growing research.

Meditation is part of progressive heart disease reversal programs because it’s been proven again and again to work.  There’s too much evidence to ignore: if leading with our negative emotions is our normal go-to, then all the good food and exercise in the world could be negated when it comes to heart health.

I’m leaving you with a few really great heart health resources, please check them out.  What we hear in our doctors offices often doesn’t correlate with the latest in the scientific research.

Most research on reversing heart disease, (not merely managing symptoms) is based on Life Style answers, like food, exercise, stress management, and sleep.

NO ONE’S MAKING MONEY OFF THOSE REMEDIES; the likely hood of a stress management rep, or a Real Whole Food rep, walking into our doctors office to sell him/her on the latest and greatest reasons to use these tools isn’t going to happen.

We’re going to have to do this on our own.

Dr. Mercola/fats/heart health.

Dr. Davis/fats/heart health.

Dr. Wortman/fats/heart health.

Podcast/Dr. Kahn/heart health and testing – FASCINATING & INFORMATIVE.

Will Crunches Give You A Six Pack?

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI’m away at my annual fitness convention, the DCAC, So Fun! I’m here with my sister Christy, who’s a trainer and pilates instructor; and my daughter Macy, – I love it!  Macy plans on becoming a yoga teacher after graduation, and this place is a great intro to the industry.

I’ve been in this business for 28 years.  Things have changed!  We’re having a greater awareness of why we need to exercise, which I’ve written about in a few recents Posts, here, and here.  We all know we’re in a stressed filled environment, and that exercise helps that, tremendously.

(Stressing about our body fat can make us fatter!)

Why do so many still pursue the 6 Pack? Why is weight loss still the number one goal of new gym members?  Smart marketing; promising weight loss hooks people.

It’s a lie, trust me, because weight loss and 6 packs come from the kitchen, not the gym.  It’s FOOD!  Food is so important!  Not just for losing weight or getting lean, but for how we feel day to day.

You know my mantra:  eat clean proteins, good fats, a TON of vegetables, some fruit, some nuts, some beans, good dairy if you tolerate it, and stay far away from flours, sugar, chemicals, and hydrogenated fats.

But about that 6 Pack, and weight loss: what negative goals, honestly!  Exercising to pursue those intents is just so…….. gloomy, and stressful! Delete!  Exercise for your mind. Exercise for your mood.  Exercise for your longevity and immune system and hormones.

It’s the same with eating well; eat Real Whole Foods because you’ll feel so darned good afterwards!

Guess what happens if we eat well and exercise every day? We lose weight. We become healthier, we feel more energetic, we’re happier, we cope with stress better, and we sleep better.  Why would we NOT eat right and exercise everyday?  It’s the consistency of our good habits, the repetition, that make us who we are.

Back to my conference:)  Have any of you ever taken Piloxing Barre?  O.M.G! What fun!

Summer Shape Up Part 4: You Don’t Deserve A Treat/Moral Licensing/Tomorrow Logic.

20150620_125014 (1)Hello from Aspen, Colorado!  Mark and I lived here in the early 90s, and we’re back for a long weekend.  I’d forgotten how majestic the Rockies are!

Pictures that have absolutely nothing to do with this Post will be randomly sprinkled throughout:)  You’ll see Maroon Bells, Ajax Mountain, and a 20150619_195723Food Festival – OMGosh.  Grilled Gizzards are now my new favorite food.

Did you catch my title?  If you take my group fitness classes, you’ve heard me say this a 1000 times at the end of the class.  Then I usually say, “it was just a workout, we didn’t do anything to make the world a better place.”  And therein lies my purpose in today’s piece.

There’s a theory called the “Moral Licensing Loophole”;  I learned that term in Gretchen Rubin’s book on Habits, called Better Than Before.  ( I’m ALL about habits.)  The Moral Licensing Loophole means that we give ourselves permission to do something “bad”, because we feel we’ve been “good”. (This is a continuation of my assertion that our thoughts are more important than a food plan.)

In my 28 years of working in health and fitness, I see this theory used all. the. time.  Heck.  I’ve used this theory!

Here’s some examples:

*That class was so hard, I can definitely afford wine tonight.

* That run was so long, I deserve ice cream.

* I just did 100 lunges! The french fries and cookies won’t even register with my body!

* I’ve worked out every day this week – I must have Calorie Deficit going on, potato chips and beer won’t even bring me back to normal!

* I’m going to overeat today and just work it off tomorrow, and probably the next day too.  So this doesn’t really count.

20150620_171446(0)Actually, that last one also falls under the “tomorrow logic” category.  As in, Now doesn’t matter because I’m going to follow good habits Tomorrow.

I’ve even fooled myself into thinking that extreme indulgence today will give me extra self control tomorrow.  Does that sound familiar?

Here’s some facts, followed by thoughts we need to cement in our brain:

1) Studies show that Rewards inspire TEMPORARY behavior.

2) Everything we do counts. We are the culmination of our every day habits.

3) Tomorrow-logic doesn’t work, because our actions and behaviors cause brain chemistry that perpetuates more of the same behavior, not different behavior.

Let’s look at these points a little deeper.

“Rewards only inspire temporary behavior”.  That’s a well studied, well 20150619_203249documented fact, yet rewards are used so often to motivate behavior change that you’d never know it. Think about all those 12 week weight loss contests.  Or attempts at losing weight before a wedding or a beach vacation. Who do you know that’s actually kept the weight off once the designated time frame is over?  I have to keep beating this drum:  weight loss is NEVER a big enough motivation to eat healthy and exercise forever.  If it was, 95% of everyone who goes on a diet wouldn’t gain their weight – plus a few extra pounds – back.

A “reward” implies an “end”.  When this is about weight loss, that translates to a temporary, and often heroic, effort at Deprivation, feelings of Sacrifice, and a sense of Hardship.  All of these are Negative Values.  They make us feel as if we deserve some sort of Prize at the end, usually a food prize.

SOLUTION:

20150619_200732Change your thoughts about the food you eat.  This was what my last Post focused on, but there’s more.  In addition to looking at Bad Foods as potentially cancer causing, or migraine causing, or heart disease causing, what about framing Good Foods and Good Choices in a positive light.

*”Thank goodness I don’t eat after dinner anymore, I sleep so much better now.”

*”Thank goodness I don’t drink alcohol every night, I sleep better, my face isn’t puffy, and I have better energy in the morning.”

*”Thank goodness I started packing lunch every day.  I can’t remember the last time I felt sleepy in the afternoon.”

*”Thank goodness I’ve gotten rid of the starchy and sugary carbs, my stomach is so flat!”

Positive Assertions!  Friday night we went to a food festival, which was amazing!  We both ate a lot of food, and felt pretty full.   Alright, we probably ate too much, BUT, no bread and no pasta.  ( there were no desserts, so that wasn’t even a temptation)  We got back (walked home up a mountain!), feeling stuffed, but our stomachs looked fine – honestly.

Not being bloated and sick and gassy, it’s WONDERFUL. That’s our motivation for not eating grainy, sugary carbs.  We Feel So NORMAL and good that it’s worth it.

“Everything we do counts. We’re the culmination of our every day habits.” 20150620_171508 This is why I counsel my clients to start eating well RIGHT NOW.  Don’t wait for Sunday, or the 1st, start now.  It’s not about weight, it’s about whether you’re putting foods in your mouth that make you feel good or make you feel like crap – in the long term.

No fooling ourselves that a little bit of poison doesn’t matter.  Or that falling off the wagon won’t hurt.  Everything counts.  Look down at your stomach – is it flat or puffy?  Are you energetic and clear thinking, or tired and foggy?  How’s your skin?  How’s your sleep?  Do you digest without bloating, farting or burping?

Everything counts, and here’s why:

“Tomorrow-logic doesn’t work, because our actions and behaviors always cause brain chemistry that perpetuates more of the same behavior, not different behavior.”

When we tell ourselves that we’re not going to drink the wine or eat the pasta or have the chips, and then we do, we STRENGTHEN the habit in our brain.  We don’t weaken it with our actions or our pledge to be better tomorrow, ever.  The action creates chemicals that create substance -matter- in our brain. The action makes it harder to resist next time, not easier.  If over indulgence was a deterrent, we’d have no obese people, no alcoholics, no drug addicts, no gamblers, etc.  

Indulgence begets more indulgence.  Always.

Solution:  In addition to changing your thoughts about what makes you feel good and happy, access your circumstances and surroundings.  What do you need to change there?

Could you:

*Keep your home a junk free zone.

*Pack a lunch every day.

* Make enough dinner that you have leftovers for lunch.

*Pledge to quit depriving yourself, and eat 3 meals a day of Real Whole Food.

*Make butter, olive oil, and coconut oil regular additions to each of your meals so that you’re not starving.

*Set aside time to plan your whole week, so you can schedule grocery shopping, packing, and cooking, and power cooking.

*Want a sweet or a salty?  Make It Yourself.  Learn how to bake cookies with almond flour, honey, and dark chocolate.  Learn how to bake homemade french fries in your oven. Learn how to make homemade ice cream, with real cream, swerve, and vanilla or cocoa powder.

Back to the word “deprivation”, that’s not what being healthy is about, but that’s the term and the attitude that’s been instilled in all of us since the 1970s, right?  “If you want to be healthy, you need to eat boiled chicken and steamed broccoli.”  That’s such bull crap!

I still remember Mrs Poland from my high school saying, “if you’re not hungry, you’re not losing weight”.  I believed that for decades, and it’s so wrong! Hunger and deprivation set us up to Fail, not Win.

Hunger’s the enemy, and we can keep it at bay by having hearty meals full of good fats, good proteins, and a TON of vegetables; not over exercising, and working hard at getting enough sleep.

Those are the secrets and the tricks to being a Normal Weight, feeling good, being healthy, and having nice skin.  Honest.  Get in touch with me if you need help. 

Part 2 of Summer Shape Up: Stressing About Our Body Fat Just Makes Us Fatter – Really.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERALet me say that again:  Stressing about our body fat just makes us fatter. It’s true; and as woo-woo as that may sound, it’s very grounded in science.

Remember in my last Post  I said that when it comes to weight and our health, our thoughts are more important than a food plan?  If a good food plan was all it took, no one would be fat and sick.

One of my favorite quotes is:  “Our body isn’t a math equation, it’s a chemistry set.”  This is why low calorie, low fat diets don’t work in the long run.  We upset our chemistry when we eat that way.

I’m continuing my series on taking control of our thoughts to get control of our body.  Many of us constantly bemoan our butts, our stomach’s, our thighs, and our batwings. Constantly.

How’s that negative thinking working?

A favorite quote, “What we think about, we bring about.”   More science, more chemistry; our brain LISTENS to our words and creates chemicals and structures in response to those words.  Seriously.

Constantly bemoaning our weight and our shape and our health is called STRESS.  “Stress” is a chemical state in our body that’s really only good if we need to run away from a bad guy or perform a heroic feat.  Other than that, it works against us. (Actually, there’s more to the stress story.  “Temporary” stress can help us solve problems and get out of jams. It’s “Chronic” stress that hurts us – and makes us fat.)

A stressed-out state, for ANY reason (mental, physical, emotional, REAL OR FAKE), causes the same chemical response: an increase in hormones that dump lots of SUGAR into the blood stream.  Nothing is easier and faster for our cells to use in an emergency than sugar.  Not fat, not protein, but SUGAR.

When we feel stressed from a kid or a spouse or a co-worker or traffic or from agonizing over our weight or stressing about food or exercise, our glands squirt FIGHT AND FLIGHT HORMONES (chemicals) into our blood stream.

These hormones do a number on us:

– they inhibit fat burning in cells (never good for healthy body weight!)

– they dump loads of sugar/glucose from the liver into the blood

– they break down muscle tissue to convert to glucose (fitness friends, take note – we want that muscle!)

– they make us hungry and crave more sugar – just in case the stress is chronic (“stress eating”)

– they slow down the thyroid (not a priority), slow down digestion (not a priority), slow down sex hormone production (not a priority)

– they suppress the immune system (not a priority, and this is why stress is associated with being sick more often)

And that’s just the starter list!  The gist:  Stress Makes Us Fat and Sick, not lean and healthy.

I know I already said this, but I’m saying it again:  stressing over our weight or our food or our workouts is EXACTLY the same as stressing over a bad guy or money or a fight.  Stress is stress is stress is stress.  The same chemicals are released into the body.

Action Plan to Combat Stressing About Our Fat:

1) Quit comparing ourselves to any woman on a magazine cover.  I quit buying women’s magazines 15 years ago.  I didn’t want my 4 daughters influenced by those faked and unrealistic images. Woo-hoo! FREEDOM.  Seriously, have you ever googled what they do to those cover images to make them look so perfect?

Having those images around is like having our favorite trigger food in the pantry.  Bad stuff happens.  Set yourself up for success and control your surroundings as much as possible.

Temptations CAUSE stress.  Get rid of them.

2) Quit comparing ourselves to anyone at the gym, or in our circles, who has a better body than us.  STOP IT.  What a waste of a brain space!  And it’s stressful!  We have friends and family who need our help and our prayers.  We have a home and jobs and people who need our attention. There’s turmoil and starvation and war going on, and we’re stressing about our butt and our weight?  Let’s focus on important issues.

The Bible says to focus on Love, Joy, Appreciation, and Gratitude.  Meditation books say the same thing.  What we focus on has a CHEMICAL CONSEQUENCE.  (Hey!  Food also has chemical consequences!)

3) DEEP BREATHING.  Humming.  Singing. Breath Patterns.  Yep, really. For weight loss!  These actions stimulate our Vagus Nerve, the nerve that runs from the brain stem to every organ in our body.  When we stimulate it with deep breath, humming, and singing, it releases Happy Chemicals.

This is the polar opposite of our Fight and Flight/Sympathetic nervous system, which is the system that releases cortisol, adrenalin, and more.

The Vagus Nerve releases chemicals that actually benefit our DNA, and make our brain more creative, problem solving, and powerful.   Fight/flight chemicals (chronically produced) damage our DNA and inhibit problem solving and creativeness.

Fight/fight chemicals also deplete our willpower.

The Vagus Nerve meanders all the way into the belly; spreading fibers to the tongue, pharynx, vocal chords, lungs, heart, stomach, intestines and glands that produce the anti-stress enzymes and hormones: Acetylcholine, Prolactin, Vasopressin, and Oxytocin. These chemicals make digestion, metabolism and relaxation BETTER.

They even make us poop better!

4) Gratitude, appreciation, love for your body. Yes, you need these for weight loss.  Honestly, even a year ago, I wouldn’t have written that.  I’ve read this, been taught this, for years, but it never sunk in.  I’m wired pretty happy, so I never thought I needed this advice.  I was wrong.  We all need this advice.

Again, stressing over our body, picking apart it’s “defects”, is just “stress”.  Stress is a chemical state that inhibits fat loss, and encourages fat deposition.

I really believe this explains the strict diet and exercisers, who are just doing it for weight loss – not health, who never seem to lose weight.  

When we eat for health, our thought patterns are something like this:  “I haven’t had any fish in a few days and I really need that Omega 3.”  Or, “My throat hurts, I need some garlic.”  Or, “If I eat that, I’ll have bloat and foggy brain the rest of the day. Better stay away.” Eating for health means looking at food as Medicine, and it’s empowering!

Counting calories, measuring, white-knuckling up some willpower – NOT empowering.  At all.  It’s draining.

Try this: next time negative beliefs about your body consume your thoughts, stop them, and replace them with 5 different gratitudes about your body.

If you have difficulty thinking of 5 gratitudes, you’ve got a bigger problem than your weight!

Resource for improving your mind:  Battlefield of the Mind, by Joyce Meyers.

Learn more about the Vagus Nerve here.

Reinforce Food is Medicine here.

Go think about what you’re thinking about!

Guest Post By Megan: How To Eat Well On Vacation Or While Traveling

IMG_20150407_114757I get asked all the time “what should I eat while I’m on vacation in ________?”  Usually, I answer on a case by case basis, but I think the ACTUAL issue, is:  “Usually on vacation I pig out and gain weight, because it’s vacation and that means I can eat whatever I want when I want.”   Ohh, wrong mind set; let’s change it.

My oldest daughter, Megan, has been traveling the world for 4 years this coming May.  Seriously, she comes home and works to make some money for a few months here and there, and then she leaves again.  She’s lived in IMG_20150411_094940Alaska, Hawaii, Central America, South America, and Europe.  Right now, she’s in Guatemala.

She’s been able to do this through a couple “work-for-room-and-food” sites, called WWOOF ( world wide organization of organic farms ) and Help-eX ( Help-Exchange).  I’ll let her tell you more about them in future Posts, but for now, if you really want advice on what to eat while you’re _______, read her Post.  If anyone can answer that question, she can.

As to the actual discipline of eating healthy while you’re away from home and your kitchen and your grocery store, the answer to that is Mind Set and Planning.

Seriously.  If you’ve been dreaming about all the food you’re going to eat and indulge in on your trip, you’re doomed to go overboard, gain weight, and possibly have a hard time getting back on the wagon.  If you don’t plan on eating healthy, and the steps you need to take to do that, it won’t happen.

If you don’t eat processed foods and flour and chemicals and overdose on alcohol, because you think they cause cancer, inflammation, stomach bloat and disease, then it’s really not that hard to stay away from them.  Practice the mental associations that lead to that mind set!

FB_IMG_1428767563713Here’s Megan’s Post, along with some of her latest pictures.  If you’re interested in following this particular journey that started December 31, 2014, check out michaellibis.com blog that I’ve attached at the end of this piece.

Health and travel are two of my greatest passions. I’ve been living and traveling around the world budget-backpacker-style for nearly four years now, and I plan to continue traveling for quite some time. I find deep joy and fulfillment in discovering creative new ways of eating healthily while I’m on the go. Throughout my journey, I’ve learned that it is ALWAYS possible to make healthy eating choices on the road, regardless of location, accessibility, or budget. However it does require taking the initiative, trying new things, thinking outside of the box and the willingness to stay true to your commitment towards a healthy lifestyle. Luckily, it’s a lot easier than you might think, not to mention, the challenge is fun and rewarding on so many levels.

Here are some healthy tips for clean eating away from home:

1. Plan ahead. Stock up on nutrient-dense foods that travel well and are convenient for snacking when you need to refuel on the go. Try packing nuts, seeds, dried and fresh fruits, nut butters, hard boiled eggs, veggie sticks, good quality dark chocolate, coconut butter or jars of fermented vegetables. Before I go on a road trip or hop on a plane I’ll eat a pretty large meal beforehand to avoid buying food at an airport or gas station. If my accommodation provides a place to cook, I always carry along some cooking staple items with me, like coconut oil, salt, pepper, a knife, etc.

HATPICS-003202. Prepare your own meals. If your accommodation or hotel has a kitchen, try to make time to cook and prepare your own meals, it’s always the healthiest option. Bring containers so that you can pack prepared meals for busy days that you’ll be out and about. When grocery shopping, focus on stocking up on whole, fresh foods. No matter where I am, I religiously avoid pre-packaged, processed, refined food items and anything containing gluten, wheat or sugar. I’m also a vegetarian so I personally choose to avoid meat and dairy, but if it pleases you and you have access to good quality meats and/or raw dairy items, seek out these ingredients to incorporate into your prepared meals. Prioritizing high-quality, nutrient-dense food over IMG_20150411_094546prepackaged conveniences is perhaps the most important component of staying healthy on the go. I am currently living in a small apartment on the side of a cliff in a remote village in Guatemala where the nearest vegetable and fruit stand is a 20 minute walk away. I regularly stock up on plantains, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, pastured-eggs, beets, carrots, cucumbers, onions, avocado, lettuce, etc. I’ve created a wide variety of different dishes since I’ve been here just using these basic few ingredients like hash browns, potato pancakes, veggie scrambles, curries, veggie frittatas, roasted vegetables, plantain pancakes, veggie burgers, salads, lettuce wraps, etc. I’ve learned it is really important to be willing to get creative with whatever is available, especially when it feels like the options are limited. If you’re in need of extra help and inspiration for recipes, try websites like Supercook.com where you can do recipe searches based on the ingredients you have in your fridge.

3. While eating out, scan the menu for real, whole food options. Restaurant menus are often filled with plenty of tempting items that don’t serve your health, so scan the menu for foods that you feel genuinely good about putting into your body. Look for dishes that incorporate as many fresh and nutritious ingredients as possible, choose real food options over the processed ones. Most of the time restaurants are happy to accommodate your dietary needs if you speak up, and nowadays most places have plenty of gluten-free, vegetarian and fresh-food options available right on the menu. Free apps like AroundMe and HappyCow are incredibly helpful tools to finding organic, locally sourced, grass-fed or gluten-free restaurant options near you in any city or country around the world.

4. Don’t stress. Be flexible and adaptable. Enjoy yourself. It is likely that there will be different options available to you when you’re traveling than what you’re used to back at home. Don’t let this derail you from your commitment to healthy eating, but even more megbraidimportantly don’t let it stress you out. Sometimes you’re going to have to think outside the box or eat something that normally would avoid, but that’s ok, just try your best. Be sure to spend more of your time enjoying yourself and soaking up the moment than stressing about what you’re going to eat.

5. Utilize the resources that are available to you; open up and try new things. Visiting new places equates to leaving your comfort zone, so use this as an opportunity to open up and try things that aren’t normally as accessible to you. Try foods that are native to where you are, if you’re visiting the tropics, snack on tropical fruit; if you’re in Alaska try the fresh caught salmon, etc. Before I lived in the Caribbean, I had never eaten a plantain but I quickly discovered that they were a main staple down there, not to mention incredibly cheap and nutritious; they soon became one of my favorite foods and I learned how to incorporate them into most of my meals.

lunch on beach6. Listen to your body. Your body may have different needs than you’re used to depending on where you’re traveling, especially if you’re traveling to a different climate zone. I find that when I’m visiting cold places I crave slightly heavier foods that warm me up from the inside out and ground me, like root vegetables, spicy curries, soups, legumes and grains like oats and quinoa. While in the tropics, my body wants lighter, fresher foods, like smoothies, salads, and raw fruits and veggies. Tune in and and listen to the unique and ever-changing nutritional needs of your body.

And there you have it: advice on eating well while traveling the world.

BTW:  The first several pictures were taken recently of Meg by her boyfriend Michael Libis, a Travel and Photography expert; his blog link’s in the Resource links.  The last pic is a phone photo of us visiting Meg last year when she was working at a B&B in Culebra, Puerto Rico, taken by Mark, who’s NOT a photography expert.

However, he is a “eat well on business trips” expert, so I’m going to get him to write a Post on Business Travel soon, as that’s another question I get often.  He didn’t know that til just now, but he loves me and loves to do me favors, so I’m sure he’ll be happy about it.

I also asked my other daughters to write Posts on, 1) eating well when you’re Epileptic and in College, and food choices really DO make a difference in day to day health , and 2) eating Real Whole Foods in college.

Moms and Dads, our examples are ENORMOUS sources of influence and behavior, so it really, really matters what choices we make while on vacation, or travel, and obviously, every day.  Be determined to develop a Mind Set about Food that leads to feeling Healthy and Energetic and happy with ourselves; not Bloated, Tired, Sick and mad at ourselves.

Resources:

Questions about traveling on the cheap, or clean eating in different areas of the world?  Reach out to Meg on FaceBook: Megan Abbott.

Wondering where to go on Vacation, or want to be transported somewhere else right now?  Check out Mike’s Travel Blog, get in touch with him, and yes, he’s a professional, that’s why the pics are so amazing:

http://www.michaellibis.com/

https://www.helpx.net/

http://www.wwoof.net/

 

I’m 50! Here’s my Diet and Body Image Story, See If You Relate.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERATomorrow I turn 50, woo-hoo!  Big day, and I thank God for all my blessings.  One of those blessings is that I’m healthier at 50 than I was at 40, and even 35.  Are my abs leaner? No. But that’s about the only health marker that hasn’t improved in the past several years since I gave up Dieting and switched to Real Whole Food.

Confession:  I used to be a food addict; and I had an obsession with wanting to be thinner and leaner. Now, after 28 years in the fitness and nutrition business, I can definitely say that way too many women feel the same way, and those thoughts rule the mind, and ruin the body.

It doesn’t have to be like that!

Here’s my story of dieting and negative body image, see if you relate.

I was a typical female teenager. I’d read Teen Magazine and Seventeen, stare at the models, and dream of looking like them. My first diet started when I was 15. I’d busted through the 114 pound weight limit I set for myself in 9th grade, which compelled me to sneak home a pack of Dexatrim – it worked, for a while. Til it didn’t. Next, I tried the Fruit Only diet; which worked less well than Dexatrim. In 12th grade I bought a pair of special pants that – for real here – attached to our vacuum cleaner, and I had to wear them while exercising – while the vacuum was running. I believed in those pants, but they didn’t work either. I still just looked like me.

Reality Check: at 5’6 and 128 pounds, I wasn’t overweight; I just didn’t look like the girls in the magazines, or on TV. And it bugged me.

Fast forward to 1987, I’d graduated from college and married Mark. My 4 years of college had me totally committed to the world of fitness,  I loved exercising!  Not only did I get a serious endorphin rush from workouts, (and still do) but I fully, deeply believed that exercise would keep me slim; the whole “calories in – calories out” theory. I took a full time job managing the Aerobics Department at a local gym, and my career was born. Through the rest of the 80’s, and the 90’s, my desire to be fit – and weigh less – never waned.

Well, actually, after my first baby, Megan, in 1990, between heavy nursing and working out, I got down to 114, my 9th grade goal weight! Let me tell you all: Happy. Days. But then she quit nursing and I got pregnant again (Amanda), and again (Macy), and again (Shelby).

Through constant diet efforts, I managed to stay around 128, but I never looked like Cindy Crawford. It bugged me. I wanted that thigh gap.

Sometime in the mid 90s, I switched from reading regular women’s magazines, to body builder women’s magazine. This did so much for my self esteem! Now my dream shape wasn’t just thin; it was ripped, lean, and muscular. (Strong is the new skinny.) Since I was a group ex instructor, and personal trainer, I had the opportunity to workout hours a day. I fueled myself with frozen diet meals, diet desserts, diet drinks, cereals that had more fiber than hay, and (thank you mom! ) vegetables. Meat was a rarity, and fat was an absolute no-way. I ate 5 to 6 “mini-meals” a day, carried my protein bars with me everywhere (I was scared I’d get hungry), and counted the hours to the recommended “cheat meals”, which sometimes consisted of a whole pizza and a pint of ice cream. No, actually, and honestly, that was just starter food; because I was never full from crap like that; I was just triggered to eat more.

Anyway, I thought it was such a great Diet Plan! Just like the women in the magazines! Except for when I fell off the wagon, which happened all the time. And not for a meal, but for a day, or two, or more. I lived on what I call the Diet Roller Coaster: Starve – Feast – Starve – Feast, for years. My weight actually averaged out, but it was all so consuming that I started to worry about myself. I didn’t want my 4 daughters disliking their body, or obsessing about food, like me.

I began to see the insanity of this cycle, but I couldn’t stop. I wanted to stop, badly, but I literally couldn’t. I went to a counselor sometime in my late 30s to describe what I guessed was bulimia, or food addiction. He told me I was probably either depressed or anxious, and did I want a prescription. I was neither, and I was pissed he’d even suggested that.

(Ever notice how often a doctors default with a woman’s health issues is, “do you want an anti-depressant?” )

This is when my health started to take a nose dive. Really, it started to go downhill at 30, when I developed asthma, but it took 10 years for me to see what was happening. (Inflammation from the crap I ate) The asthma came on quick and strong, and I was put on 3 separate daily drugs to “manage” it.

Then, after my 4th baby at 31, severe IBS began. Severe. Like, sometime starting in my mid 30s, my stomach would bloat every afternoon to the point of me looking 5 months pregnant.  And.. I had bad gas. It was awful. I thought it was a side effect of eating so healthfully….

Right around then my period stopped, for the first of many times. My GYN ran a blood test which determined I was so low in estrogen that the lab listed me as “post-menopausal”. I was 34. The solution? Put me on The Pill to force a period, and make me “normal” again. I did it, but it kept happening, for years. (Today I know that low estrogen isn’t normal, and it’s fixable.)

At 36, fatigue and low energy set in; a test showed my thyroid hormones were low, which meant daily thyroid meds. At this point, our medicine cabinet was loaded with drugs to deal with all the symptoms I considered completely normal: Gas X, Beano, Tums, Seravent, Advar, Fast Acting Inhalers, Armor, the Pill, Midol, and Advil. I popped these things in my mouth every day without a thought. I carried them in my car…. Now I carry systemic enzymes and “bitters”.

The final straw, my Ah-Ha moment, came at 40. I got my second blood clot. My doctor told me that since this was my second one, I needed to go on Coumadin, a blood thinner. OMG. Grandmas take that stuff! Thank you God for the clot, because THAT was my wake up call. Instead of Coumadin, I went to a Functional MD, and was put on systemic enzymes and big doses of fish oil, (actually, those were my starter supplements). Every blood test I’ve had since then has shown zero “sticky blood”, just normal blood.

For the first time, I started to look and connect what I ate, with the health problems I was having. Up til then, I’d just Dieted, which I thought was supposed to make me healthy, but it hadn’t. The big shocker: I realized that the majority of what I put in my mouth wasn’t actual food, it was Pretend Food that looked real and tasted great, or at least I thought it did at the time. But except for pretty big daily serving of vegetables, I lived on processed foods high in carbs, chemicals, and bad oils; in other words, pure crap.

I served COMPANY frozen diet dinners with vegetables added, topped with slices of fat free cheese! I thought I was a smart Gourmet! I wasn’t.  Those “foods” slowly made me sick, and kept me constantly hungry.

Over the next few years, I morphed from a “Diet” based paradigm, to a Real Whole Foods paradigm, eating (seriously) copious amounts of healthy fats, healthy meats, and absolute loads of vegetables.

I quit eating grains, then sugar. That was hard because I was addicted, but I preserved, and thank goodness! Today I use ZERO effort or will power to stay away from that stuff.

The “no grain/no sugar” scares people, but consider this. Imagine what it’s like to never have gas, bloat, or constipation. I said my stomach’s not as lean, but it’s flattish! Or to not constantly think about food.  Or to have more energy at 50 than at 40? My asthma’s gone. My thyroid labs are normal. My estrogen’s still low, but I made it through menopause, fully, without one hot flash or night sweat.

Best part? My weight’s not an issue. Not because I weigh 114 or 128, but because the obsession is over. The Diet Roller Coaster, which was caused by dieting, is over. I don’t gain every weekend and lose every week. I don’t promise myself every Monday morning that “this will be the week I lose weight.” I’m just…. stable, and normal. There’s still no thigh gap. I don’t for a moment look 20, but, I look fine.

I’ve stopped being so ridiculously hard on myself.

I feel like I used to live “Under The Dome”, but now I see how I was manipulated into wanting someone else’s unattainable ideal body image. Those images are just Temptations, trying to entice us to spend our money on products!

This brings me to the point of my piece: Women, I think many (most?) of us are the victims of slick marketing created to make us feel bad about our looks.

I think said marketing conspires to convince us that we’re too fat, too busy, too depressed, too stressed, and too inadequate to handle life with out special diet food, diet pills, diet aids and diet groups. Science Daily reports a study that says 75% of American women surveyed report unhealthy thoughts, feelings or behaviors related to food or their bodies.

Really? 75% of us feel badly about ourselves and/or food? Is this what we’re teaching our daughters? Talking about with girlfriends? We’re being duped into wasting most of our lives stressing and obsessing about our weight! This is criminal, and the efforts aren’t just making companies money (billions!) while we continue to gain weight; they’re making us sick, which leads to pharmaceutical drugs, which have side effects, which leads to more drugs.

Yes, I’m a conspiracy theorist. Here’s a few statistics that I base my conspiracy theories on: In 1960, about 10% of Americans were obese and an overweight child was a rarity. Today, we have 68% of our adult population either overweight or obese, and 1 out of 3 kids. In the 1970s, new Federal policy stated that Americans needed to lower their intake of fat and cholesterol from animal or tropical sources, which they did. Butter decreased and margarine and vegetable oils increased. Weight, Heart Disease, and Cancer rose.

In the 1970s, the same policy recommended that Grains comprise a majority of our diet, up to 12 servings a day, which we did; consumption of grains – and sugar – skyrocketed. Weight, Heart Disease, and Cancer rose. As weight and heart disease and cancer continued to rise, our doctors medicated us for the ills, and told us to eat less and exercise more. We have. Weight and disease continue to rise.

In the 1980s, weight loss centers, diet foods, and diet drugs, as a business, were booming. Today, Dieting is a multi billion dollar industry. We’re all dieting, and yet weight and disease continue to rise. This makes us feel pretty badly about ourselves.

Meanwhile, in 2015, 1 out of 4 American women are on a psychiatric drug. Read that sentence again. It doesn’t have to be like this. Women, we don’t have to be fat, bloated, tired, and unhappy. We’ve fallen prey to companies and foods that cause addictive behavior, that lead to weight ups and downs which cause depression, and Moms, if we don’t stop the cycle, our kids won’t just be on the same boat we are, they’ll be on a worse boat.

The Surgeon General says that there’s a strong possibility that todays children might be there first generation of American children to have a shorter life span than their parents.

I started by opening up to you about a decades long body issue and food battle. I put myself through some crazy crap, which I know from my work with other women is not unique. I don’t do crazy anymore, I changed. You can change. Anyone can change. Everyone can break cycles and habits.

If you’re ready to change, evaluate what you’ve been doing. Get in touch with me. The definition of insanity is doing the same old thing and expecting a different outcome, right? Change your belief system from Calories In Calories Out, Low Fat blah blah blah, to Food Is Medicine, or Food Is Poison.

Understand that good fat is good for us; starving ourselves backfires; our hormones always rule; and small plates and baby forks for weight control are Dumb. Come on! We can be positive examples for our kids; we can be the one in our circle to stop the cycle and start a trend; and let’s not waste another minute lamenting our stomach, thighs, butt, or weight. There’s so much more to life than that.

Fat makes us Lean, Fat makes us Smart, Fat gives us Energy. Step out of 1980 and into 2015.

20150201_071721These candies have 2 names: Fat Bombs and Brain Candy; and OMGosh are they delicious, and easy!  Scared of the them?  Thinking that maybe a low calorie treat would be better for your weight?  You’re wrong.  After this recipe, I’ll tell you why.  Here’s the ingredients:

1/4 c coconut butter
1/2 c coconut oil
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1 heaping spoonful of Nuttzo/favorite nut butter
a few turns of your salt shaker
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBSP of MCT oil (not crucial to flavor, just for brain)
Heat gently then whisk in
2 TBSP  SWERVE – confectioners kind (if you only have granulated, run it thru your coffee grinder to make it powdery)
Or use stevia ( big dropper full)  after it’s cooled for a moment and off the burner.   Pour into mini muffin cups and freeze.
More recipes at the end of the Post.

We’ve all heard that EATING FAT MAKES US FAT, and CHOLESTEROL IS BAD BECAUSE IT CAUSES HEART DISEASE. The science disputing these false premises has never been louder or more clear, yet it’s hard to change course.

I’m telling, you need to change course. Now. Our bodies want and need fat and cholesterol to thrive.  Healthy fat makes a healthy body; healthy bodies are healthy weights.  Here’s a short science list, followed with recipe inspiration. The more we know, the less stressful good choices become.

1) fat and cholesterol make up the cell membrane of every single cell in our body

2) fat and cholesterol make all our sex and adrenal hormones

3) fat and cholesterol make up about 60% of the dry matter of the brain

4) cholesterol is an anti-oxidant and a healing molecule

5) there’s a direct link between low cholesterol and suicide, depression, and violence

6) saturated fats allow minerals to be absorbed into our bones

7) fats are an essential part of our immune system

8) fats have anti-viral and anti-bacterial properties

9) fats allow fat soluble vitamins (A,D,E,K) to be absorbed and used

10) Pretty skin, good hair, great energy – FAT FAT FAT.

That part’s easy to absorb; this isn’t: when you eat MORE fat, and nix the grains and sugars, you get leaner and leaner and healthier and healthier. When you eat MORE fat, and nix the grains and sugars, your appetite becomes normal, and being controlled by hunger is a thing of the past.

I emphasized the “MORE” part because for many, that’s what’s missing. It’s not enough to just eat a bunch of vegetables and lean proteins with a drizzle of olive oil. You’ll still be hungry because you’re skimping on a key constituent of your bodies make-up:  fat.

Mark and I, and our daughters, are amazed at how much fat we eat (in the absence of grains) without gaining weight.  I can’t say we eat like Grandma ate, because Grandma only ate seasonally and locally and didn’t have near the options we do.  But Grandma would LOVE the food in our house, because it’s just Real Whole Food, with a ton of vegetables and fats, good meats, a little fruit, and some nuts and seeds.

Eating Real Whole Food with a lot of fat satisfies – physiologically and mentally – our body and our brain.

Here’s some of our meals from this past week:

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Twice Baked Potatoes:  bake whole at 425 for an hour/til soft, scoop out, and in a bowl mix the potato with broth and butter.  Put that back in the skin and flatten with the back of a spoon.  Top with sausage or bacon ( I did both), onions, chopped kale, garlic, oregano, tomatoes, and more cheese.  Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.  These keep in the fridge perfectly for about 5 days and are easy to reheat.

MOMS:  kids LOVE these.

YES, these are white potatoes.  They’re not the devil unless you’re pre-diabetic or diabetic.

 

 

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This is Nameless:  mushrooms, garlic, and onions sautéed in 2 cups of broth and 6 tbsp of butter w Italian herbs, cauliflower, 3 left over meatballs, collards, and bacon – this was delicious!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Right here you’re looking at all the ingredients for Kale Chips:  about a quarter of the bag of kale (remove all the big stems), massage (with your hands) on: 1/4 cup olive oil, 1/2 to 1 tsp of garam marsala, 1/2 tsp of salt, and a sprinkle of pepper.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, then turn the oven to 170 and let them stay in there for about an hour, longer if you can.  Shelby eats this whole thing by herself, with it resting on her lap. She’s amazing.  She eats with one hand and texts with the other.               20150126_174444

Finished Product

 

 

 

I get emails all the time about not being able to stick to a healthy eating plan, questions about tricks and secrets to keep on track.

Here’s my answer:  Add Fat now.  Force yourself to drop your fear of fat.  Make yourself act and think differently.  Grab ahold of your thoughts.  Read the following links for more science:

http://www.westonaprice.org/health-topics/the-skinny-on-fats/

http://www.westonaprice.org/modern-diseases/beyond-cholesterol/

http://www.amazon.com/The-Big-Fat-Surprise-Healthy/dp/1451624425

How to make bone broth for your recipes:http://www.rocksolidnutritionandwellness.com/working-man-parts-weight-loss-youthful-skin-joint-pain-what-do-they-have-in-common-they-all-benefit-from-bone-broth-and-gelatin/

6 Tips to Avoid Holiday Weight Gain and a Paleo Cookie Recipe

debbieThree emails this weekend about Holiday Weight Gain are prompting a Post.  Don’t Diet In December; don’t despair if you’ve gained a few pounds since Halloween; don’t “throw in the towel and restart in January”; and don’t kill yourself with extra hard workouts.

All that stuff would be SHORT TERM THINKING, and short term thinking never produces good Long Term Results.

What should you do instead?  CHILL.  Honestly.  It’s the holidays and we’ve all got about 50 extra things on our to-do lists.  Stressing about it = CORTISOL, which = WEIGHT GAIN and ILLNESS ( come January or sooner).

In addition to all our “extras”, is the assumption we’ll eat more just because it’s the holidays; constant indulgence = CORTISOL + INSULIN, which = WEIGHT GAIN AND ILLNESS ( come January, or sooner).

Blood sugar becomes a complete mess, and the impulse to soothe stress with food or alcohol feels irresistible.  Here’s what to do instead-

1) SUPPLEMENTS and FOOD for Stress and Blood Sugar Control:  Fish oil/Omega 3s ( you don’t need the 6’s or 9’s, you already get enough); Cinnamon/Ginger/Turmeric ( blood sugar and inflammation from Cortisol);  B Vitamins and Magnesium  ( critical when stressed!!); Probiotics ( stress and sugar destroy the good bacteria in our gut).

2) When the going gets tough, strive to make the best choices possible.  Extra food, extra alcohol, or skipping too many workouts NEVER ever makes us feel better, ever.  There’s always mental and physical regret from that.   Going to a party? Bring a vegetable dish so you know there’s at least one item you can eat.  Limit your alcohol to just 1 drink, and don’t make it a sugary one ( alcohol = liquid doughnuts!).  Going out to a holiday dinner?  Set your mind ahead of time that you’re ordering Meat and Vegetables.  Look forward to it, think about how good you’ll feel the next morning.

3) If you’ve blown it several times since Halloween, GET OVER IT. Regret and worry keep us living in the past, doing the wrong things over and over.  Yesterday is gone, tomorrow’s not here, FOCUS ON TODAY.  Make healthy choices today.  The mindset of blowing-it/punishment diets MAKES US FAT AND SICK.

4) Exercise as often as possible, but be realistic this month.  Can’t make it to the gym for an hour long class or lift?  Do 100 push-ups at home.  Do wall squats.  Do Tabata’s – they’ll kick your butt in 4 minutes!  Walk at lunch for 15 minutes.  It’s important to move, but weight loss and weight control is really all about the food we put in our mouths and the hormone response that food causes.

5) Feel too busy to cook this month?  Think and plan ahead so that you’re not tempted by Fast Food. Buy frozen vegetables, they’re just as nutrient filled as fresh and sometimes MORE nutrient filled than fresh; or buy already cut-up veggies.   Throw burger patties, chicken breasts, or a roast in a crock pot with a little water.  Make sure you have plenty of butter/olive oil and shredded cheese in your house.  Buy the already prepared meatballs/kabobs/fish from the Butcher. Boil a dozen eggs to keep in the fridge.  Make sure you have string cheese, fresh fruit, and carrots and celery available.  Nut butters and nuts are also easy and quick.  Cook big batches of food on the weekends; and keep a running grocery list handy.

6) Read this Post on Diets and Mindset.

In other words, despite the Holiday Season’s extra demand’s, we don’t have to Gain Weight, Get Sick, or Go Crazy.  It’s all about planning and mindset.

Lastly, here’s a recipe from my Paleo Christmas Party that’s going to be a Holiday Tradition at our house:  Pecan Pie Cookies.   DELICIOUS!!  My picky/suspicious eater (Shelby) loved them, and so did everyone else.