Monday, November 26, 2012

Balanced Blood Sugar

If you find at this point that you are having problems losing weight, if you find yourself feeling tired or moody, then the problem may be your Blood Sugar.  If you are having any of these problems, then eating a that is on the moderate to low glycemic index.  What the glycemic index does is measure how a given food blood-sugar level with each food being assigned a numbered rating.  The lower the rating, the more gradual the infusion of sugars into the bloodstream and the more balanced the blood sugar. 

High glycemic meals cause you to feel hungry soon after you eat.  Eating low glycemic meals reduces hunger cravings.  Foods that elevate your blood sugar can be foods high in sugar, pastas, bread, potatoes, white rice and high glycemic fruits. 

Staying away from foods that are high on the glycemic index will help you feel better as you are losing weight, you will have more energy, and you will lose weight quicker.   There are many books and websites that will tell you the glycemic numbers of many common foods. 

Of course you also want to keep in mind the other things we have discussed regarding what foods to eat and what foods to stay away from.  First make sure that the foods you are eating are clean, allergen free and that they have a low glycemic number.


Friday, November 16, 2012

Eliminating Allergenic and Addictive Foods

If you ask some people, they would tell you that they do not have any food allergies, because they only looked at allergies one way.  This was me, when I thought of food allergies, I thought of people that I knew that were allergic to strawberries or peanuts and if they ate those foods they would immediately have an allergic reaction and swell up, have a hard time breathing, maybe even need to go to the hospital.  So since I have never had a reaction like that to food, then I must not have any food allergies.
If this is you, this may or may not be true.  There are many reactions to food that indicates a food allergy, that we may have been ignoring.  Things like bloating, stuffy nose, constant colds, weight gain and other symptoms.  The problem is that we have been just living with these symptoms for so long, that we have just ignored them.  Remember food is to nourish your body, it is the fuel you need to be active, if you feel worse after a meal or tired and need a nap, then the food you eat is not doing what it supposed to do.   And to make matters worse, we often crave the foods that are killing us.
Some common foods that people are allergic to are gluten, dairy, soy and refined sugar.  Gluten is found in grains, it is the thick gooey stuff that makes things stick together.  Sensitivities to gluten can include bloating and feeling sick after a meal.
The best way to see if you have any of these common food allergies is to eliminate them from you diet for at least 30 days.  Once you do that, and are eating a clean diet, then you can reintroduce these foods one at a time over several days or weeks.  You may find that when  you eat any of these foods you feel sick right away or maybe can't sleep, or maybe feel sick the next day, or that you have gained weight over night.
Try this and you will have a better understanding of your body and what it needs and doesn't need to survive.

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Increasing our Nutrient Intake

When you think of being malnourished, what comes to mind, starving kids in Africa, anorexic fashion models?   Do you know that you can be overweight and still be malnourished.  Malnourished just means, "poorly or wrongly fed; having poor or inadequate diet"  and that could describe most of the people living in the US today.
Most of our diets have an abundance of pre-packaged and/or fast food, with little or no nutrient value to what we eat.  We are eating and we are getting full, but we are not eating foods that actually help our bodies function.  Nutrients are the chemicals that our bodies need to live and grow.  They are used to build and repair tissues, regulate body processes and are converted to use for energy.
Nutrients can fall under two major categories,  micronutrients and macronutrients.  Micronutrients are required by our bodies in small quantities, whereas macronutrients are needed in larger quantities.  Micronutrients include Vitamins A-K and carotenoids. while macronutrients include cargohydrates, proteins and fats.   Although both are needed, most people get too much macronutrients and not enough micronutrients. 
Also, not only are we not eating the right foods that contain the nutrients that we need, there is a serious deficiency of micronutrients in the foods that should provide these nutrients.  50% of the world cereal soils are deficient in zinc, and 30% of cultivated soils are deficient in iron. 
So besides eating whole foods everyone needs to add good supplements to fill the void created from the deficient soils. 
To see the supplements I take, click here. or contact me directly.

Monday, November 12, 2012

Eating Clean

Maybe you are familiar with the term, "Eating Clean", maybe you have heard the term and not sure if you know what it means and maybe this is a new term for you.  Whatever the case, I am going to explain what I mean when I say, "eating clean" just so we are all on the same page.
Eating clean means eating whole foods that are organic, free from preservatives, additives, pesticides, hormones, antibiotics, artificial flavors and other toxins.  It's getting as close as possible to eating food how God intended for us to eat.
If you think about it, God made us so He knows what is the best fuel to put in our bodies so that we operate most efficiently. 
It's like when you buy a vehicle, the manufacturer will tell you what kind of fuel is needed to make the vehicle operated efficiently.  If you don't follow the manufactures suggestions then you may find that your vehicle, is sluggish, knocks, etc.  Just doesn't run right. 
Will God is our manufacturer and if we eat food the way he made it, free from all the things listed above then we, like our vehicle will run better. 
Now there are things that we put in our bodies, that let's face we all know is not good for us.  Things that are processed and man-made.  So one of the first things to do, is to clean out the cupboards of all processed food.  Process foods are toxic, poison.  And just like you probably wouldn't knowingly swallow a bottle of poison, we eat these foods every day and they are slowly poisoning us.
Now the harder problem comes when you don't know what is in your foods.  Often we think we are eating healthy, not knowing that the ear of corn you are eating has been genetically modified, or sprayed with pesticides, or that piece of chicken you are eating has been shot up with hormones or antibiotics and other poisons that we may not know about, so what you think you are eating, you are not.
I remember once I went to the gas station to put gas in my car, something that is supposed to be good for my car, and did not realize that somehow water had gotten into the gas lines.  Water is not something that you want to put into your gas tank, and when I went to start my car it wouldn't start.  I had given my car poison.  The poor gas station owner did not know that he was giving us poison for our cars, and immediately shut down all the pumps and called a mechanic out to fix not only my car but several other cars who had also had this poison put into their gas tanks.
Just like my car, there are times when you know immediately that you have put poison into your body.  You may be tired after eating, think about it food is the fuel to make your body run does it make since for you to feel tired immediately after eating?  Other affects of eating the wrong things, you may not feel right away, but maybe you will feel bloated, sick, gain weight, etc.  These are all signs that you have put poisons or toxins into your body.
So on this program we want to eat whole foods that are not toxic. 
We will get into exactly what to eat later on, but for today, why not clean out your cupboards of processed foods, and fill your refrigerator of lots of organic fresh veggies and berries. 

Friday, November 9, 2012

The Next Chapter

Yesterday I allowed myself some leeway in my eating, and you know I really didn't enjoy it.  What tasted good as I was eating, made me just feel sick and tired as the night went on.  I didn't even eat that much, and ate early in the day and still it effected my whole night.
Very excited to be starting my new diet plan today.  Now it is about focusing on five key area of health and training my body to eat healthy.  I will be focused on eating clean, increasing my nutrient intake, eliminating allergenic and addictive foods, balancing my blood sugar and supporting elimination organs.
By focusing on these areas I will be using for the correct way to nourish and feed my body, not for reasons of comfort or boredom.  Many times we eat for all the wrong reasons, so I want to not only concentrate on eating correctly, but really listening to my body and meeting the needs of my body.  The body will tell you when to eat, how much to eat and what to eat.  The problem is that we have ignored our bodies for so long, that we can no longer hear what it is saying to us.  We feel sick, but we don't know why, we eat when we are full and don't listen to our bodies saying enough already, we eat food that doesn't do anything to help our bodies function correctly and find ourselves slowly killing ourselves.
So coming off the juice fast is a good time, to get to know my body, start listening to it, and giving it what it needs to survive.
Tomorrow, I will talk about eating clean, what does that mean and why do it.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

Next Chapter

Well, I have completed my juice fast and now I"m ready for the next chapter in my overall transformation to a new lighter, healthier me.  I am happy to say that I am down over 10 pounds from when I started the juice fast.  I feel better, my clothes fit better and yesterday I was able to get into a pair a jeans that I had in the back of my closet because they were too tight.  I wore them yesterday and what a since of accomplishment wearing something that I once could not button. 
So today, I am continuing with my exercise routine in the morning, but feeling now that I will be adding more food and protein to my diet, I will add in an evening weight routine, to start reshaping my body.
I will now do a protein shake in the morning, instead of a juice, which I did this morning, and will go shopping today to make sure that I have my kitchen stocked with the foods needed to start the new phase tomorrow.  My husband and I are going to go to lunch today, so I will allow myself something healthy off the menu.
I will not only be sharing with you how this new phase is going, but I will be sharing some tips, information, and advise to anyone else who would like to start to change their lives and their bodies.
Can't wait to get started, come back tomorrow for the beginning of chapter 2.

Wednesday, November 7, 2012

Finishing Strong

They say it's not how you start, it's how you finish the race that counts.  So, today we are on the last day of our juice fast, the finish line is in view and the taste of victory is at hand.  I have to tell you though yesterday the voices in my head were trying to derail my from the reaching the finish line. 
This is how those voices were going, "you already have done so well, one day won't matter", "you already have done more than most people, what does it matter if it's nine days or ten days", it amazing how much we can fight against ourselves when we are trying to accomplish something.  When we are trying to pursue our goals, our passions, our purpose.
It is something that I must work on constantly, I am getting better about distancing myself from others that try to deter me, but distancing myself from myself now that is a different matter altogether. 
The Bible tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds, and that is where it starts.  Whenever we try to do something different, something that seems out of the norm for our bodies or mind, our bodies and minds want to go back to what is known, what is comfortable, even if that is destructive and doesn't serve us.  So renewing our minds is very important and essential.  The word used for renewing means a renovation, a complete change for the better.  That is what we need a renovation.  If you have ever renovated a part of your home, you know that they will tear out and get rid of the parts that don't serve the new design and get rid of it.  They will then replace the part that has been torn out with new, things that are in alignment with the vision for the project.  In the same way, we must tear out, get rid of the things in our minds that are not in alignment with our renovation, and replace those thoughts that are in alignment. 
We do this by what we allow to fill our minds, what we read, what we watch, what we listen to, who we listen to, what we think about, what we meditate on. 
This is where the real change comes from, this is where true transformation comes from. 

Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Down to the last couple of days

Here we are down to the last couple of days.  I have today and tomorrow left on my 10 day juice fast.  Its very exciting to see how my body is changing, my clothes are fitting better and I feel better about how I look, so I can feel myself walk differently and present myself differently.  When you feel better about yourself, you whole outlook starts to change and then that starts to poor over into all other areas of life.  In your relationships, your business, your spiritual life, every area. 
The thing we get hung up on is trying change everything at once.  We sit down with a whole host of goals that seem so big and we try, try, try to accomplish them and then when we fail, we give up and believe ourselves to be loses.  But if we start with small things, maybe just one area of life that we want to change and concentrate on the area with small daily activities then we can give ourselves a since of accomplishment that will help us tackle other areas of life.  With each small victory we grow stronger and stronger, being able to look at ourselves with "Wow, I did that", and if "I did that, what else can I do today?".  We are made in the image of an awesome God, so the next time you want to be hard on yourself and beat yourself up, just remember whose image you carry around with you. 
Today do something awesome and enjoy the accomplishment.  You may have to change your thinking about what awesome is, remember its pretty awesome to wake up in the morning and be able to get out of bed and go for a walk, sit at the feet of God and spend time alone with him, to make a phone call to a love one you haven't spoken to in awhile, to forgive, to love. 
YOU ARE AWESOME!!!!!

Monday, November 5, 2012

Day Eight and Making it through the Weekend

So here I am on day eight of the 10 day juice fast.  I'm surprised but it really has gone by quickly.  Made it through the weekend, which tend to be harder for me generally, because it feels like your routine just get's messed up.  You may go out, do something different, whatever, just isn't the normal day to day routine that I'm used to. 
Did go out yesterday, went downtown to walk around and visits shops.  It was a very enjoyable day, but still since my friend is not fasting, it was hard when she was hungry to watch her eat.  But I stayed focus on what was important to me and also how well I had done up until then, so I stayed true to my fast. 
You know being on this fast has turned out to be about more than a chance to jump start my weight loss and health, it is also been about a since of accomplishment, and overcoming obstacles.  I hear from so many people, "I could never do that", I now I know that I can.  So if I can do this what else could I do.  Where in my life have I told myself that "I could never or I can't"  Or when I have started something and then quit because of some difficulty or obstacle.  I know have a frame of reference that says I did something that others thought was too difficult, something that others were afraid to even try, that is pretty cool. 
This should help me in so many areas of my life.
Well this fast is almost to the end, but it will not be the end of my blogging. More tomorrow.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Day 5 Made it Half Way

Well today is day five of my 10 day juice fast.  Made it half way, so that's pretty exciting.  Feeling good, lost another half a pound.  As I get to day five, I 'm starting to think what's next.  After I finish this juice fast what next for my eating and diet.  I have decided to go from the 10 day juice fast to the Arbonne 30 days to fit program.  That way I will begin eating food, but still maintain a healthy lifestyle.  Plus it will be easy on my system as to not make me sick.  Looking forward to the continued change in my overall health and well-being.   Feeling healthy and strong that is good, clothes are lose, so I guess for Christmas and Birthday this year I will ask for clothes of gift certificates for new clothing.
I have decided that I will keep juicing as part of my diet and lifestyle for ever, for the vitamins and nutrients that I get in each glass. 
Ok, so well I thought I had lost my post, because the computer messed up and all I saw was a blank page, but no worries it was saved and I found it.  Don't you hate when things like that happen.
So that is enough for today, looking forward to the weekend, staying strong continued juicing.

Thursday, November 1, 2012

Day 4 and Going Strong

   Yesterday was a pretty good day, did not feel hungry like the previous two days.  Down another pound today, so very excited about that.  I'm actually starting to feel more energy, less tired like I can do more each day.  Glad to be over the initial hump where I was feeling week and tired.  Going through lots of fruits and vegetables though, need to go to the store every couple of days to pick something up, was out of oranges this morning, which I really missed particularly in my morning juice. 
   It's amazing the flavors you get just by mixing and combining different fruits and vegetables.
You start to really taste the flavors of the ingredients.  Celery can be a little over powering, so I limit the number of celery stocks that I use to just one per juice.  Really enjoy the spinach and kale, this I try to make the majority of my juice.  Always put in one apple, I like the tartness of the green apples, however others seem to like the red ones.  Then try to have some sort of citrus fruit.  Besides that, it's just whatever I find at the store, opting for organic produce whenever I can find it.  Don't want to ruin the effects of the juice with a lot of chemicals.
   Hoping today will be a great day.  Come back tomorrow to hear more how me juice fast is going.
HAPPY JUICING ALL!!!