For Every Diet, There’s an Equal and Opposing Binge

December 12, 2013 / / Comments Off on For Every Diet, There’s an Equal and Opposing Binge

christmas goodiesI hope I’m not beginning too many posts with “I got an email”, but honestly, I got an email that probably applies to so many of us, that I have to answer it here.

Hi Debbie,

I’ve been reading your blog for a while now. I meant to make this the one December in my life that I didn’t gain so much weight that I hated myself in January.  I was determined to “stay on the wagon” as you put it the other day.  But I’ve fallen off.  I feel hopeless. Between the parties and goodies that people are bringing into the office, I don’t see how I can possibly lose weight in December.

There’s more, but you get the gist.  Here’s my answer:  please don’t give up – and don’t plan on trying to lose weight in December either.  How bout for now, you practice different thoughts ?  That’s the point of the Mantras (this week’s Mantra is “I think long term.”):  to change your actions, and your body,  by changing what goes on in your head.  This takes time, attention, and effort.

Bad habits are so easy to develop; they give this short, momentary pleasure ( hormones and endorphins) that create neural circuits (think: road maps) in your brain.  Deviate from your normal patterns, and those neurons send STRONG signals that COMPEL you to do what you’ve always done in the past (keeping you right where you are).  Breaking habits means muscling through a few of those compelling messages, so that you can create NEW neural circuits.  Here’s the tricky part, I’m using the term ” muscle through “, which implies Will Power. Unfortunately, WillPower is in very limited supply.  Will Powering through situations is going to be a temporary ability.  That’s why, “For Every Diet, There’s An Equal and Opposing Binge That Happens.”  Ever heard that one before?  Ever experienced that?

The trick is to change how you feel about food and eating at the neural/brain level.  Work on that for now: ”  I think long term, I think long term. ”  Keep reading, keep learning, keep thinking about your habits now, and what you want your habits to be a year from now.  Real change is peaceful, not stressful;  you can have real change, but not from a specific diet plan, pill, cleanse, superfood, super drink, etc etc,  Real Change comes from changing your brain.  The time to start practicing is now.

Waiting for the holidays to be over, a new month to begin, soccer season to end, a project at work completed, Monday,  yada yada yada, is a Diet Mentality that keeps you on the Diet Roller coaster.  Get off the roller coaster.  This is your life.  There’s always stress, there’s always complications, and there’s always co-workers, loved ones, and friends, who push food on you.  It’s normal.

***** The Food Isn’t Your Problem.  Your Mind is The Problem. *****  Work on changing your mind and in a year you can be a whole new person.  Keep putting it off, and stay exactly the same.

Category: Mind/Body, Psychology of Eating, Question of the Week / Tags: , , ,

Tire Out Your Kids – Make Them Do Tabata’s With You!

December 10, 2013 / / Comments Off on Tire Out Your Kids – Make Them Do Tabata’s With You!

Right now I’m sitting in my house watching a snowfall that’s supposed to bring 6″ in 6 hours.  For most of us Virginians, that means life comes to a halt, or at least slows down.  I know, I know, for all you New Englanders and Westerners, we’re a joke. I lived in Aspen from 91 to 93, so I get it.  Still, this is what happens here!

This is to all my fellow moms, who won’t be going to the gym today and taking my class, or anyone’s class; and to everyone I won’t be training today:  a Workout to do At Home:)

If you have little kiddos around you, demanding your attention, they’ll enjoy this.  Maybe it’ll head standmake them so tired they’ll take a nap this afternoon, or at least go to bed earlier tonight.  ( Not that us moms count the hours til bedtime……)

tabata timer Install or download a Tabata Timer app on your phone.  Turn the volume all the way up.  You’ll get an Interval timer that will give you 10 seconds to get ready, then for the next 4 minutes, you’ll get a whistle that blows after 20 seconds, and then 10 seconds.    I use this in class all the time, but I also use this at home.  It’s awesome!

Here’s 2 workouts, do one or do both, depending on time and (kid) demand :

jumping jacks for 20 seconds  ( bad bladders, pee before hand)

squat and hold for 10 seconds,   do this for the whole 4 minutes

********

mountain climb for 20 seconds

rest for the 10 seconds

jump squat for 20 seconds

rest for the 10 seconds,  keep repeating for 4 minutes

Here’s my biggest piece of advice for today:  Don’t give in to  (regrettable) desires to pig-out.  Remember the Mantra of the week:  “I think Long Term.”  Stay away from crackers, ice cream, and Christmas cookies. Better yet, if you have these, throw them in the trash and pour dish soap on them. No one needs them.  Focus on eating good fats, good proteins, and tons of vegetables and fruits.; use the day to cook casseroles or meals that you can freeze/store/eat later.

If you do Fall Off The Wagon, GET BACK ON THE WAGON.  One or two slips-ups aren’t as bad as a full day of slip-ups.  Really there’s nothing that can’t be fixed or undone.  Positive thoughts, positive actions.  I’m off to workout!

 

 

 

Category: Mind/Body / Tags: , , ,

Bad Eating on a Snow Day; and Insulin Resistance

December 9, 2013 / / Comments Off on Bad Eating on a Snow Day; and Insulin Resistance

snow hereOh man I love snow days!! The house is decorated, we watched a movie with Shelby, the horses got their blankets on, and Mark put together his annual yearly picture collage with a couple hundred photos.  It feels good to get things done:)  You know what didn’t happen?  Bad eating, and that feels great!  When we ate munchie foods and snacks, we always kept them in the house;  now that we don’t snack between meals, there’s nothing calling us from the Pantry or Fridge!  No markcrackers, no chips, no cookies, nothing.  Between not having the junk in the house, and eating our high fat meals, Cravings Are Gone.   I know from my emails, and I remember myself, how loudly food can call to you;  change your thoughts, change your kitchen, change the way you cook, and those food voices get softer and softer until they disappear.  Honest.  You don’t have to Change Everything All At Once; just have a plan.  Make one small change every week.  Write it out.  Stick to it, be determined even in the face of set backs.  It’ll happen, I promise.

 

shelby mad

The picture on the right is Mark making the collage.  The picture on the left is Shelby pouting because we have no junk food; she had to cook up a snack of chicken sausage and was wishing she’d spent the snow day at a friends house.  Kids….

That leads to the Change your Mind / Change your Body plan.  The mantra for this week is “I think Long Term.”    So often we just think with a little spot in the brain that’s full of  “addicted neurons”; think Long Term and you’re using consequences to guide your behavior instead of momentary desires.  Your body and  your health will permanently change when your thinking does, so solidify in your mind why food matters.  Here’s some fodder:

I got another good question this weekend,  “what exactly is Insulin Resistance?”.  One of my nutrition clients is trying to figure this out, but we all need to know the answer because according to pubmed, at least 25% of the US population is Insulin Resistant.  Tests are showing that some babies are actually born insulin resistant (moms- cigarettes and alcohol aren’t the only thing you should avoid when pregnant, grains and sugar do damage too.).

Insulin Resistance is the condition before full blown Diabetes Type 2; here’s what happens (the short answer):  When  you eat carbohydrates (any and all) they break down to Glucose.  The Pancreas releases Insulin to shuttle the Glucose out of the blood.  It takes it to the muscle cells for fuel, the liver for storage, and then takes it to a different part of the liver where all the leftover glucose gets converted to triglycerides/fat, and stores it.

Go back to the muscle cells:  Insulin is a Caustic, Irritating, Damaging hormone.  (It wrecks havoc on our arteries as it courses through our veins).  When there’s not too much of it, the muscle cell doors “open” to let the insulin carry the glucose, and other nutrients, in.  When there’s too much insulin, from eating carbs all day and keeping blood sugars high, the cell doors “close”.  They say “NO” to the insulin.  Glucose and nutrients can’t get in.  That’s Insulin Resistance.

When the Glucose can’t get in the cells, the Pancreas gets a signal that blood sugar is high, and makes more Insulin.  More Insulin courses through our body, causing more damage.  More Glucose is converted to Fat, since the muscle cells can’t use it.  The excess glucose and insulin stay in the blood stream too long, causing free radicals, and damaging the cells on the back of the eyes, the kidney, and the extremities – these cells can’t resist.  ( a condition Diabetics are all too familiar with).

What else happens during Insulin Resistance?   It’s not a good list:  nerve damage, high blood pressure, high triglycerides, high LDL, coronary artery disease, fatty liver, wrinkles and age spots, impotence, polycystic ovary disease, and I could go on and on and on.  Insulin Resistance can last for years before full Type 2 develops.

High blood sugar and high circulating Insulin are really really bad for you. What we eat matters!  What we eat determines our weight, our moods, our skin, our energy levels, our health.  Insulin Resistance is reversible, and preventable.  Choose wisely, choose Real Whole Food.  Check my What I Eat Page for Ideas, and if you’re in the area, drop in this Friday, December 13, between 12 and 2, for my Paleo Christmas Party!  Taste delicious Paleo foods without causing the blood sugar and insulin spikes:)

Category: Mind/Body, Psychology of Eating, Question of the Week /

Want to lose weight? Quit Eating Grains and Sugars.

December 7, 2013 / / Comments Off on Want to lose weight? Quit Eating Grains and Sugars.

debbie (12)I got a great email from someone new to the blog, and interested in weight loss.  She’s confused because her doctor gave her a diet handout that used the government sponsored “my plate” as a weight loss guide.  She’s discouraged because she feels she’s been eating pretty healthy, and actually very close to the “my plate” guide lines, yet she’s overweight and has just been labeled “pre-diabetic” according to her fasting blood sugars and A1C.  Hmmmm.  She only eats whole wheat or whole grain products, and often even chooses gluten-free grains.

She’s wondering how whole grains can be bad, and asked why I’ve advised people to avoid them when her doctor says they’re healthy.  I love this because it gives me a chance to dive into our Plan for Change:  change our body by changing our minds.  All behavior is belief driven.  If you believe that weight loss is just about math ( calories in / calories out), and you eat accordingly,  one of two things will happen:  you might lose weight, but you will probably gain all of it back plus a few pounds (that’s a statistic: more than 95% of everyone who loses weight gains it back), or,  (2) you won’t lose any weight at all.  That seems to be happening more and more these days as more and more people are “broken” after years of the Standard American Diet.

Your body’s not a math equation, it’s a chemistry set.  When you eat grains and sugars, and your blood glucose rises above normal, hormonal shifts happen that make weight loss IMPOSSIBLE and weight gain a CERTAINTY.

High blood sugar, which happens easily with grains and sugars, causes the release of Insulin, a hormone that stores and builds.  Insulin takes excess blood sugar to the liver, where it gets remade into triglycerides, or FAT, and then deposited into fat cells in the abdominal area.  Remember our mantra for the week?  “Grains and Sugars are deadly and fattening” ?  That’s no exaggeration.

In addition to fat deposit and weight gain, high blood sugar and high insulin:  suppress the immune system, cause high cortisol, suppress thyroid hormone, shrink brain tissue, make blood thick and sticky, create inflammation throughout the body, creates free radicals, inhibits cellular uptake of vitamins and minerals, damages artery walls, raises blood pressure, raises the “bad” cholesterol, decreases HDL, narrows the vasculature of the eyes, kidneys, feet, and brain, causes headaches, and causes depression.

That’s a short list, but it makes my point that Grains and Sugars are deadly and fattening.  Want to lose weight?  Go back to my statement, all behavior is belief driven.  When you believe grains and sugars are deadly and fattening, real change happens.  You can get all the carbohydrate your body needs for fuel from vegetables and fruit, which also come with whopper doses of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and fiber.  Check out my What I Eat page if you’re wondering what’s left when you cut out pasta, bread, and cereal.  Keep learning, keep reading, keep focusing, keep saying the mantras.  You really can change your body, but you have to change your thoughts first.  You can do this!

Category: Carbs, Looks Healthy But Isn't, Sugar / Tags: , ,

Magic Cookie Bars!

December 5, 2013 / / Comments Off on Magic Cookie Bars!

Magic-Cookie-Bars-6Hope you all don’t mind another post on desserts, but I’m just like everyone else:  “Tis the Season”, you know?  I don’t mean to give the impression that I want everyone to have a sweet every day, but I know a lot of people do have a sweet everyday, and asking them to stop cold-turkey is rarely successful, especially at this time of year.   Desserts seem to pull at our heart strings and our minds; sometimes, we just want them, and sometimes, we need them.  Like sometimes I need chocolate.

The most recent issue of Time Magazine sites a study:  according to Canadian researchers, putting foods on your do-not-eat list makes you crave them more.   ( How much money did they spend to prove something so obvious?)  Sounds like even more reason to bake homemade Paleo Desserts!

Here’s links to two recipes I made this week:  Peanut Butter Cookies ( I used butter instead of coconut oil, and Swerve instead of honey), and Magic Cookie Bars (OMG – homemade sweetened condensed milk is from heaven.)  The condensed milk takes a while, just like caramel.  If you have a kid, maybe you can pay them to stir.  Since I didn’t, I made it while I was in the kitchen cleaning.

dinner every nightI get a lot of comments on cooking:  it’s hard, I’m not that good, my kids don’t eat the recipes I try, I’m too tired, my family’s picky….  Oh come on!!!  Food’s IMPORTANT.  Every cell in our body gets remade or repaired from the food we put in our mouth.  Junk in is honestly junk out.  It’s not immediately apparent, but that’s the truth.   Cooking’s only hard when it’s not a habit.  Everything’s an effort til it’s a habit, then it’s just normal.   To all the mom’s out there, your kids deserve Real Whole Food: their minds, their body, their energy level, their ability to learn, it’s about the food.  The same goes for you.  Plan, shop, prep, cook, pack, and freeze;  you can do it.

Check out the recipes, and if you want to see more ideas, check out my Pintrest page – I’m obsessed with Pintrest!! It’s so fun!  Oh, and don’t forget this week’s Mantra:  Grains and Sugars are deadly and fattening.

 

Category: Cooking, RWF / Tags: , ,

What’s So Good About Paleo Desserts? A Lot.

December 2, 2013 / / Comments Off on What’s So Good About Paleo Desserts? A Lot.

hunters headOhhh!  Four questions on the worthiness or effectiveness of “Paleo Desserts”! I get it:  how can sweets made with almond and coconut flour, which aren’t low fat or calorie free, be good for us?  We’ve been told for 25 years that if we want to “cheat”, we need to either eat the fake low cal/low fat stuff, or make it a “real” cheat day and just go for it, then diet later.  How’s that working out for America?

Here’s a few reasons why desserts made without grains and sugar are actually good for you.  One, they’re made without grains and sugar, two of the MOST ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCES IN THE WORLD.   According to both old and new research, foods made with flour and sugar are MORE desirable than cocaine in rat, mouse, and human studies.  It makes sense:  these substances trigger “opioid / pleasure” centers in your brain.

Most of us know this feeling:  we have a cookie or a piece of cake, and it sets off a craving for more, independent of how full or hungry we are.  What about moderation?  I admit that works for some people ( that number’s getting smaller as more and more people develop food addictions), but not most.  Alcoholics and Drug Addicts can’t “moderate” their substance abuse, they have to stay away from it because even a little bit triggers the desire.  It’s the same with flours and sugars.  It doesn’t take much. Heck! It doesn’t even take putting it in your mouth!  Sometimes the THOUGHT/SMELL/SIGHT of foods made with flour and sugar set off the desire. That’s how powerful they are.

Reason 2:  unless you’re allergic to nuts and eggs, Paleo desserts won’t trigger or cause inflammation, headaches, stomach bloat, immune suppression, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, high bad LDL, or any of the other illnesses, mood disorders, or diseases that Grains and Sugar cause.  As a matter of fact, if Nutrient Density is your goal, most of the desserts are pretty Nutrient Dense.  Eat foods that are Nutrient Dense and your BODY RUNS BETTER.

Reason 3:  eliminate foods with Grains and Sugar, up your Fat and Protein,  and your ENTIRE APPETITE DECREASES.  Honest.  The constant hunger, the eating every couple of hours, the obsessive thoughts of food, they disappear when you’re not consuming carbs that burn up in a few hours.  Ping-ponging Blood Sugar has BAD consequences for our weight and our health.  I get all my Nutrition clients to buy Glucometers and test their blood sugar.  I do it too.  Trust me, these Paleo Desserts DON’T MESS WITH THE BLOOD SUGAR, and that’s a BIG DEAL.  We Want Even Blood Sugars ALL DAY LONG.  Eliminate flours and sugars and that happens.

All behavior is BELIEF DRIVEN.  If you don’t smoke, it’s because you think smoking is gross and deadly.  If you don’t drink, it’s because you know hangovers hurt, and you could do something real dumb while you’re drunk.  If you don’t do Heroin or Cocaine, it’s because you know they’re dangerous.

Believe This:  Grains and Sugars are deadly and fattening.  (Let this be your MANTRA this week.) Every time and for every body, even kids.  Become Passionately Averse to them, and life becomes so much better:  weight, mood, inflammation, hormones, etc etc etc.    Drop your fear of fat.  Your body is made out of Water, Fat, and Protein.  Carbohydrates are used to build nothing. We need some carbs for energy and vegetables and fruits supply more than enough.

Back to the original question, are Paleo Desserts really better than Normal Desserts?  YES!! Speaking of Paleo Desserts, if you’re in the area, I’m having a Paleo Indulgences Christmas Party Friday, December 13, from noon to 2.  Everyone’s Invited!  Need recipe ideas?               All Day I Dream About Food, PaleoOMG, and Elana’s Pantry are great places to start.  It’s wonderful to be able to indulge without the bloat, the guilt, or the food hangover.  Trust me.

Here’s a pic of some Peanut Butter cookies I made last night, which were EXCELLENT! Here’s the recipe .

peanut butter cookies

 

Category: Cooking, Question of the Week / Tags: , , , ,

Thanksgiving Recap, and Choose Your Attitude

November 30, 2013 / / Comments Off on Thanksgiving Recap, and Choose Your Attitude

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and a good start to the holidays; we did at our house:)  All four daughters were home, even the one who’s working in Puerto Rico; 3 boyfriends joined us, and we had our first 100% Flour Free, Sugar Free Feast.

Here’s a picture of everyone:

thanksgiving group

 

And here’s the menu:  Turkey from Dark Hollow Farm in Markham, Va ( shout out – they raise them in the woods and they’re delicious!).  Oh, I have to stop here.  We decided to roast the turkey in our Big Green Egg, which we’ve used for several roasts and a couple big chickens this past year, so I felt comfortable.  We live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia, and it’s been super cold; when we went to light up the Egg, it was frozen shut!  Woops.  Mark was able to feed some starter bricks in the bottom, but even when the inside temp was 400*, the lid stayed frozen.   A little panic set in.  He poured water on it over and over and it eventually opened, but our dinner was a slightly delayed because of this.  Lesson learned though: the Big Green Egg can freeze shut in the right weather.  Plan accordingly.

We also had:  stuffing made with coconut flour bread; mashed potatoes, sweet potato muffins made with coconut flour, brussels with bacon, green beans, mushroom sauce/gravy which I thickened with a tablespoon of arrowroot starch(worked perfect), and carrots with butter and cinnamon.

coconut and barkFor dessert, we had pumpkin pie with a nut crust, apple caramel cake (OMG!!), homemade ice cream w/coconut milk, regular vanilla ice cream from the store, chocolate pomegranate bark, pecan pie bark, and toasted coconut flakes.   The pumpkin pie, apple caramel cake, the barks, and the mushroom sauce/gravy are all on my Pintrest page, but here’s the change we made:  we used Swerve Sweetener – and LOVED it!!  Definitely my new Go-To.

Paleo Cookie Exchange at my house on December 13, from noon to 2.  Bring a flour free/sugar free dessert – or don’t!  I’ll have plenty and everyone’s invited!

Are you remembering your mantra?  “Attitudes don’t just happen, they’re the product of our choosing?”  Our eating habits, our response to situations, how we react to people, these are all ACTIONS we can change or improve.  Nothing about us is set in stone, but plastic.  If you want to change your body, you have to change your mind first, this is an absolute.  If your thinking doesn’t change, nothing changes.  Instead of fixating over weight or thighs or food, think about your heart, your mind, and the vibrations and energy you give off or give away.  You can either start the changes today (or continue the changes you’ve started), and be a new person by January 1, 2014; or you can keep doing the same old thoughts, actions, habits, and attitudes and be the EXACT same person.

Enjoy your Holiday Weekend!  We’re off to the gym for HITT cardio, and biceps/triceps.  Catching Fire Tonight!!!

Category: Mind/Body, RWF / Tags: , , , , , ,

Holiday Baking Supplies and Links – For Good Paleo Food:)

November 27, 2013 / / Comments Off on Holiday Baking Supplies and Links – For Good Paleo Food:)

paleo free thanksgivingHoliday Baking has begun, and I’ve had a bunch of questions on where to find the ingredients used in Paleo recipes, and also where to source local meat, eggs, and dairy.  It’s a lot easier than you might imagine if you haven’t done this yet.

(Speaking of Paleo baking, remember:  PALEO COOKIE EXCHANGE at my house, Friday, December 13, noon to 2.  More details after Thanksgiving, but EVERYONE is invited!)

I’m just going to make lists, ready?

For any local meats, dairy, or eggs, go to local harvest.org., or eat wild.org; and this one, which is cool because it even has restaurants, eatwellguide.org.  If you haven’t checked out these sites, I bet you’ll be shocked to see what’s available: dozens of small farms in your vicinity, that either have co-ops, deliveries, stores, or SHIP DIRECTLY.  Check them out.

What’s the point of the extra effort, when you could just go to Wegman’s, Whole Foods, or any other grocery store?  Small local farmers are following a trending movement of feeding their livestock traditional foods (grasses/hay) instead of just grains.  If you’re avoiding grains because of digestive and immune issues, you’ll want to avoid eating animals that eat them also.  Whether the gluten proteins that cause so many problems passes on to humans via turkeymeats/animal products is an issue that’s HOTLY debated; but here’s a certainty:  grain fed meats, eggs, and dairy contain high amounts of Omega 6s fats (inflammatory), and not much if any Omega 3s fats (anti-inflammatory).  Omega 3s come from grasses, and Omega 6s come from grains.  One of the biggest reasons red meats cause inflammation is because MOST PEOPLE EAT MEAT FROM ANIMALS FED INFLAMMATORY GRAINS.  We are what we eat.

Next, paleo/low carb flours that don’t contain gluten and don’t spike blood sugar.  The most common ones you’ll see in recipes are almond flour and coconut flour.  There’s also plantain and sweet potato flour for those with auto-immune issues who are trying to avoid nuts.  Most grocery stores are carrying almond flour and coconut flour, but there’s a bunch of sites selling them online: here’s a link to VitaCost options,  and here’s a page from Google.

One of my favorite sites?? Tropical Traditions!! What don’t they carry:  every and any coconut product you can imagine, plus hundreds of other different and fun baking, beauty, and home products that are natural and non toxic.  They even sell, and ship, eggs that are special because they feed the chickens coconut, which leaves the yolks rich in Medium Chain Triglycerides and Lauric Acid (trust me, you want those things).

Next up, sweeteners.  I use a lot of Stevia in the Raw.  I’ve just bought my first bag of Swerve and can’t wait to try that.  I also use liquid Stevia.  I’ve tried Truvia, and while it bakes well, I’m a little leary of it.  We do use honey and maple syrup in some of our baked goods.  Monk Fruit sugar is in a lot of recipes I see, and they just started selling that at our local grocery store.

Lastly some Recipe Sites, these are fun!  The Paleo Mom,  All Day I Dream About Food, Elanaspie Pantry, and Civilized Caveman.  Paleo, Low Carb, Gluten Free sites are so popular on the web that I haven’t bought a cookbook in years, I just use the computer.  I’ve also joined Pintrest and I think that’s a great way to keep a “recipe file”.

That’s it for on the cooking end. I have to finish this post with a reminder of this weeks mantra, “Attitudes don’t just happen, they’re the product of our choosing.”  We can choose to make this holiday about family and friends and community, or we can choose to make it about gorging ourselves into a coma.  Whichever of those we focus on is going to happen.  Choose your thoughts wisely, and let me know what you’re making for Thanksgiving!

Category: Cooking, Psychology of Eating / Tags: , , , , , , ,

Addictive Behavior, Diet Strategies over the Holidays, and a Paleo Cookie Exchange

November 25, 2013 / / Comments Off on Addictive Behavior, Diet Strategies over the Holidays, and a Paleo Cookie Exchange

motivation and habitI got a great email yesterday from someone who says she loves my “Change Plan“, and she’s going to start it as soon as the holidays are over…………………..  Ummm.

If you want to change your weight, your life, your outlook, your health, or the health of your family, you’ll want to start right now.

(Don’t worry, I’ve already emailed her and given her a heads-up about this.)

Waiting for all the Stars to Align is a “diet strategy”.  Diet Strategies NEVER work (statistically, more than 95% of everyone who loses weight on a diet gains it back.).  The Change Plan is about stopping that Diet Mentality, and getting off flours, sugars, and chemicals forever because they’re really, really bad for you.

Here’s a couple of thoughts for the week:  one, flours and sugars trigger “opioid centers” in the brain.  That means they literally stimulate neurons that make us feel pleasure, and then later those same neurons send out signals telling us to go find more flour and sugar so they can feel that way again.  This is real.  This is a scientific fact.  Even those “healthy whole grains” with the AHA seal of approval do this.  It’s easy to see that smokers and drug users have addictions, but honestly, flour and sugar create the same addictive brain patterns.

Another thought (this is the mantra for the week), “Attitudes don’t just happen, they’re the products of our choosing.”  This is a Joyce Meyers quote from her book, Power Thoughts.  She goes on to say that we establish thought patterns in our minds so easily that much of our life runs on “autopilot”, and we respond to certain situations out of habit, as opposed to what would be best.  We need to PRACTICE interrupting those autopilot situations and replacing them with thoughts, attitudes, and actions that lead to a better long term outcome.

Which brings me back to this ladies statement about waiting til after the holidays.  The assumption is that she’s going to be so surrounded by irresistible food that she either can’t or doesn’t want to say no.  Did you know that if you count holidays, weekends, birthdays, etc, it adds up to over a third of the year?    This is just plain, normal life.   The stars are aligned and we all need to start eating healthier and thinking healthier today.

Take it from a former food addict/diet addict/binger/every Monday it’s time to buckle down:  It’s totally doable, I swear.  Start with baby steps, practice your mantras, learn about the effects foods have on your moods, your hormones, your health and your biology, and it gets easier and more natural every day.   Our body and our mind thrives on Real Whole Foods.

Speaking of Real Whole Foods, I’m hosting a Paleo Cookie Exchange on Friday, December 13th, from noon to 2.  If you’re in the area, please, please plan on attending.  If you want to bake and bring something, that’s great.  If you don’t – come anyway! I’ll make sure there’s plenty to share.   This way you can see how sweets made with coconut and almond flour taste.  More on this later, but save the date now.

 

Category: Mind/Body, Psychology of Eating / Tags: , , , , ,

Is Quinoa Paleo? A Travel Workout; a Vacation Cut Short, and THANKSGIVING

November 24, 2013 / / Comments Off on Is Quinoa Paleo? A Travel Workout; a Vacation Cut Short, and THANKSGIVING

Our anniversary weekend was cut a little short thanks to snow – we brought a car that DOESN’T drive well on slippery roads 🙁   We still had a great two days, got to see a part of fallingwaterSouthWestern Pa I hadn’t seen before ( beautiful! ) and take a tour of Fallingwater, the home Frank Lloyd Wright built in 1936 over a waterfall.  If you’re in the area, or interested in architecture, this is a Must See.

We did have a great workout yesterday in the Nemacolin Spa/Gym, who wouldn’t?? The stone, the wood, the giant walls of glass so that you felt like you were outside – it was inspiring!   Here’s what I did (Travel Gym Workout):  7 rounds of leg press (25 reps) with 2 minutes on the elliptical after each set,  then 2 rounds of abductor/adductor machines with 2 minutes elliptical after each set, then 4 rounds assisted pull ups (12), 15 push ups, with 2 minutes elliptical after each set, and ball pullovers to finish up.

eggs and vegAfterwards, we had a quick lunch before we checked out: the leftover vegetables from the night before mixed with 6 eggs (yes, we eat the yolks – they’re nutrient BOMBS).  Then I ate a small bag of nuts and seeds in the car.

Dinner was back at home, and I just made what I was going to make anyway:  burgers stuffed with slow roasted tomatoes, topped with thick cheddar, a pot of vegetables cooked in bacon fat and butter (cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, onion, and kale), a big sweet potato cut up and roasted, then doused in butter.  Two of our girls were home so I made a lot, but there’s vegetables left over to mix with eggs again this morning.

Now to the Quinoa question:  is Quinoa paleo?  Is it healthy? Is it a good substitute for bread crumbs in meatloaf?  Do I eat quinoa?  Answers:  quinoa is a seed not a grain, technically, seeds are paleo.  However, the carb count is high:  1 cup is 109 grams of carbs, that’ll send your blood sugar soaring.  It’s also got some of the anti-nutrients you’d find in grains, which means say hi to digestive/stomach issues.  Do I eat it?  Not in years.  I OD’d on grains and gut disruptive foods for so long, that I have NO leeway in messing with them; a couple years ago I even tried sprouted quinoa, and 30 minutes later I was in stomach bloat misery.  What about the meatloaf?  You can use almond flour, coconut flour, or ……. no flour binder whatsoever.  Have you googled Paleo Meatloaf recipes?  There’s about a million;  I never use a recipe, I just throw in whatever I’m craving or whatever’s available.  Meatloaf’s kind of a no-brainer in that it’s EASY to make it delicious.  Try this one:http://nomnompaleo.com/post/62028051471/quick-easy-paleo-comfort-foods-the-recipe-for-meat.

turkeysEnough about all that now, it’s Thanksgiving week!!!  We’ve been pouring over recipes  and this morning we’ve watched the Contessa, Giada, and Pioneer Woman.  I’ve started saving recipes on Pintrest, and we’re about to head to Wegmans.  We’re planning a solid, 100% Paleo/Gluten Free Thanksgiving ( sorry Shelby!).   What are you all making?

 

 

Category: Cooking, Question of the Week, RWF / Tags: , , , ,
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