tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13960302501391582522024-03-12T22:51:00.161-07:00Chunky To Cha-ChaMy day-to-day journey of maintaining my 70-pound weight loss!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.comBlogger66125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-73206836063756648382014-07-11T22:02:00.000-07:002014-07-11T22:02:50.842-07:00Moving to THRIVEstyle<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hello All,<br />
I have started a new blog at <a href="http://thrivestylebywendy.blogspot.com/">thrivestylebywendy.blogspot.com</a> and have decided to start adding content there moving forward. THRIVEstyle is the first step in developing my business as a health and lifestyle coach, and I am so excited to embark on this new journey.<br />
<br />
I am so delighted to have had the opportunity to share with you here. It has been such an honor and wonderful experience. I wish you all the best and be sure to visit me on my new site :)<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-69219220515627028802014-04-18T09:29:00.003-07:002014-04-18T09:34:50.042-07:00WendyBurbs Easter CupcakeGood Morning to All!<br />
Happy Good Friday! I wanted to take this opportunity to quickly update my blog with a recipe I am making for Easter this year. It is not low carb, paleo, or any other classification of "diet" however, it fits the macronutrients I need for the recomposition work I am doing right now to build more muscle. I will be writing more on IIFYM at a later time, but for now, here is the recipe, as requested by my gals:<br />
<img alt="" aria-busy="false" aria-describedby="fbPhotosSnowliftCaption" class="spotlight" src="https://scontent-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/t1.0-9/1979613_10203579966000643_8357216223338007668_n.jpg" style="height: 640px; width: 640px;" /><br />
WendyBurbs Easter Cupcake (that's how it's listed in MFP)<br />
<br />
1 box white or yellow cake mix (I used Betty Crocker White Cake with Rainbow Sprinkles)<br />
12 oz. clear diet soda (I used the Wal-Mart Pineapple Coconut sparking water, but you can use Diet 7-up)<br />
1 4 oz package sugar free vanilla jello pudding<br />
2 c. unsweetened vanilla almond milk<br />
8oz. crushed pineapple in juice<br />
24T (360 grams) heavy whipping cream<br />
72 grams shredded coconut (~6 T)<br />
Few drops green food coloring<br />
2 small boxes of Reese's Easter Eggs (they are the like the mini chocolate eggs and are about the size of a peanut m&m)<br />
Splenda/stevia to taste<br />
<br />
<strong>Step 1: </strong>Preheat oven to 350.<br />
<strong>Step 2:</strong>Beat cake mix and soda together in a bowl until well combined and smooth (just a couple minutes)<br />
<strong>Step 3:</strong> Put liners into cupcake tins and divide batter- I just eyeballed it until they were all about half- 2/3 full.<br />
<strong>Step 4:</strong>Cook for ~25 minutes or until cake is set and tops are just golden.<br />
<strong>Step 5:</strong> While cupcakes are cooking combine pineapple with juice and stevia or spenda in a small saucepan (I used splenda, about 8 packets). Cook until boiling. You want to cook it down just a smidge, so that way the juice is evaporated and you have a super sweet pineapple sauce (it will be thick and chunky).<br />
<strong>Step 6: </strong>In a bowl combine sugar free jello pudding and almond milk and beat until there are no lumps and pudding is sett.<br />
<strong>Step 7:</strong> Once cupcakes are done (while they are still hot) poke the tops of them with a fork and scoop a little spoonful of the pineapple over the top- pressing it gently into the cupcakes.<br />
<strong>Step 8</strong>: Spoon pudding over pineapple layer (once again, divide evenly among the 24).<br />
<strong>Step 9: </strong>Refrigerate the cupcakes and allow to cool (I left mine in overnight so the whipped cream would be fresh the next morning, but do what works for you).<br />
<strong>Step 10: </strong>In a medium bowl, beat the heavy whipping cream with splenda or stevia (I used 8 packets of splenda) until it is stiff (but don't beat it too far or it will turn to butter.<br />
<strong>Step 11: </strong>In a small bowl, combine coconut and green food coloring and combine (just use a spoon and mix it all together until your coconut is green).<br />
<strong>Step 12: </strong>Set up an assembly line: Remove cupcakes from the fridge, and get your scale out. Put a cupcake on the scale, zero it out, add 15grams of whipped cream, 3 grams of coconut and 3 little Reese's eggs to the top.<br />
<br />
Serve to your loved ones. Eat. Smile :)<br />
<br />
<br />
<strong>Calories:</strong> 178<br />
<strong>Carbs:</strong> 22<br />
<strong>Fiber:</strong> 1<br />
<strong>Protein:</strong> 2<br />
<strong>Fat:</strong> 9<br />
<br />
<strong>Happy Easter ALL!!!!</strong>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-52717816769809299882014-03-07T09:38:00.000-08:002014-03-12T10:59:39.047-07:00Food in News This Week: Check It Out...Good Morning Friends and Happy Food News Friday!!!!!<br />
<br />
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" 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I come to you particularly impassioned today because this has been a week of crazy news for me. <br />
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As I opened the intranet at work, I was greeted by a news feed article that was headlined, <a href="http://brownfieldagnews.com/2014/03/06/non-gmo-cereals-lack-added-vitamins/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=non-gmo-cereals-lack-added-vitamins">Non-GMO cereals lack added vitamins</a>. <br />
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My personal problem with this is that the author sees the problem being "there are not enough non-GMO vitamins on the market to add as supplements" therefore cereals like Grape-Nuts miss "nutrients" and Cheerios "misses vitamin B-2." OK, lets back up here, because assuming I did eat cereal, I most likely would not be concerned with where I would supplement my vitamin B-2 (or riboflavin). Meaning, I wouldn't purchase a cereal or not if one box said, "Now with Vitamin B-2" and one did not. As a non-cereal/grain eater, I actually find awesome ways to get riboflavin through things like cheese, almonds, beef and lamb steak, oily fish, eggs, pork, mushrooms, spinach, seafood... the list goes on. My point is that the geniuses over at Brownfield Ag News are missing the fact that the massive problem we are facing with food and health isn't lack of B-2, its the fact that these companies are using GMOs to begin with. A-HA!<br />
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<div class="irc_mutc">
<a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&docid=ONxPeLXCWhGZdM&tbnid=m5QTy3BRoxlaFM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.greenamerica.org%2Femails%2Fcanews%2F20121029%2F&ei=hP0ZU4yGHZbkoATlsYDgBw&bvm=bv.62578216,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNFkarQwWYvp_VAi3n8Y0HIcWDgECQ&ust=1394298594967841"><img class="irc_mut" height="255" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTNw0nSlJibWJDwKn4s5r-pn0N36PUqEBCl9oaxLTya6q5D9Zm6mA" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a></div>
According to the American Academy for Environmental Medicine, GMO consumption has been linked to "infertility, immune problems, accelerated aging, faulty insulin regulation, and changes in major organs and the gastrointestinal system" <a href="http://www.responsibletechnology.org/gmo-dangers">(Institute for Responsible Technology)</a>. The popular <a href="http://www.truth-out.org/archive/item/87204:study-proves-three-monsanto-corn-varieties-noxiousness-to-the-organism">Monsanto corn</a>, which has made a bit of news over the last couple years, and is publically known for using GMOs has been linked to cause problems with kidneys and liver. <a href="http://www.globalresearch.ca/potential-health-hazards-of-genetically-engineered-foods/8148">Additional research</a> shows that GMOs also produce havoc on gut bacteria and intestinal health. Ever wonder why so many people have digestive problems (IBS, Chrons, Colitis)???<br />
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Since now more than 80% of processed foods on the market have GMOs and because the USDA will likely NEVER be the institute to educate you about the negative health effects of GMOs- please, please know that articles like the one above are, in my mind, a representation of how stupid the USDA must think consumers are. However, if you're reading this I know you're a rather intelligent (and probably very attractive :) individual, and I would definitely encourage you to see these kinds of articles as a warning and reminder that we have to be our own detectives when it comes to food knowledge.<br />
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OK, next up: <b>Meat as Deadly as Cigarette Smoking!!!??</b><br />
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<img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="D6SszNU8CqR98M:" 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" 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I'm not taking long on this because there's been an awesome rebuttal already done by <a href="http://robbwolf.com/2014/03/04/meat-bad-cigarettes/">Robb Wolf</a>, which adequately explains the validity of the research (spoiler alert... it doesn't pan out) but, here is the basic news piece. A couple days ago, Fox News released an article entitled <a href="http://www.foxnews.com/health/2014/03/04/eating-large-amounts-meat-cheese-may-be-as-deadly-as-smoking-study-shows/">"Eating large amounts of meat, cheese may be as deadly as smoking, study shows"</a> The study is first off complete crap because at their "high end," participants were eating 20% of their diet from protein. If you've ever been on a low carb diet, been a bodybuilder, tracked your macros, pulled your head out of a hole, then you know that 20% of your diet from protein IS NOT HIGH! I don't even want to say much more because clearly there are other things at play here. This is where the importance of being a wise consumer/researcher comes into play. When someone tells us they've done a study of high protein levels, my reaction is that the low level of the participants is 30-50%. But this "research" is clearly fluff; don't buy it!<br />
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OK friends, that's our Food News Friday! I am looking forward to exploring some awesome local food finds this weekend at the <a href="http://www.sonoma-county.org/agcomm/farmers_mkts.htm">Sonoma County Farmer's Market.</a> It's my first venture out since relocating to Nor Cal, so I'm pumped to see what awesome local food finds I will have to brag about next time.<br />
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Have a great day everybody! You are intelligent and attractive--- now act like it :)<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-47303462642780959082014-02-27T21:18:00.002-08:002014-02-28T15:53:14.041-08:00Uncovering the Real Path to Achievement!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTaVuOX2sOFaU_9zGaoUEW5UKpzduk8h4CEc4597c_APN8Afc1yTm62BF6LQn-9F6LqbG2_-yx5RwfdevKO6FGNsaCtmCuVgH47ahFs5DqJ4Nrmdu496g_XCfEbR8x9nsrz0yrzkcraU/s1600/gratitude.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJTaVuOX2sOFaU_9zGaoUEW5UKpzduk8h4CEc4597c_APN8Afc1yTm62BF6LQn-9F6LqbG2_-yx5RwfdevKO6FGNsaCtmCuVgH47ahFs5DqJ4Nrmdu496g_XCfEbR8x9nsrz0yrzkcraU/s320/gratitude.jpg" height="152" width="320" /></a></div>
Hello Friends and Happy Friday!!!!<br />
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I hope you all enjoying your day! I wanted to write a quick blog because one of my resolutions for 2014 is to spend time every day writing about gratitude. While the majority of my gratitude will be condensed in my journal, I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you why I think embracing gratitude is important, especially for those who have not achieved their major goals... yet.<br />
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You see, as part of the human condition, we are trained to think that life will be awesome <i><b>WHEN</b> </i>we finally have <b>X</b> (lose weight, six pack abs, more money, a home, a hot husband, beautiful kids...) you see where I am going. The truth is that while these things are all great (and I fully intend on having a hot husband), we learn more about ourselves during the journey than we do in the acquisition.<br />
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I am often reminded that despite the fact that I have not "arrived," or completed what I would consider my major life objectives up to this point, I am fortunate that I have what exists for me presently. I am enjoying the journey because I know that it's providing me more information about what the future holds. <br />
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Now, I know when you are on a journey, it is difficult to look back and celebrate how far you've come when you still feel you are so far from the finish line. But, if you are anything like me then your goals are not a clear from child-birth, and as I evolve and become better at things that are important to me, I also want to enjoy that this is a new layer of self discovery. However, if I'm busy beating myself up because life isn't perfect, or I don't have a mission statement, or I missed a workout, then am I really enjoying myself?<br />
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I want to share a thought I had the other day because I have been fiddling with my diet lately (as I always do) and have been diving more and more into ketogenic dieting. There are loads of health benefits to a keto diet (including curing cancer and epilepsy) and while I have neither of those ailments, my father died of cancer and my mother has epilepsy, so obviously, I want to take arms against anything that would potentially stifle my personal goal of living to be 100.<br />
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Back to the thought... I had a thought a few days ago that I wish I could just wake up once everything was perfect. Immediately I reminded myself that while this would be awesome <i>in theory</i>, it would completely eliminate my experience of actually having a journey. One of the things in life I value most is that I've had wonderful learning lessons thus far by transforming my body. I didn't get good at working out and eating healthy because I woke up one day and I was "fixed." I got good (if I can be so bold) because I committed to working out every day I went to work. I "got good" because I dared to try something different <b><i>even when it was uncomfortable. </i></b><br />
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Friends, I'm just like you- a person on a journey wanting to be better. When I want to change, it's hard. When I want to grow, it takes significant effort. But, the thing that keeps me going day after day is the fact that there is strong desire within me that tells me that I have the ability to be the greatest version of myself. I am not a super human, but I am a woman on a mission. If you're on a mission, too, then you know that there are changes you have to make: changes that will challenge you, changes that will make you question everything about your heart, body, and soul. But there are changes you will make in this lifetime that will produce a wonderful result if you simply stick with it.<br />
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Every time I overcome an uncomfortable experience, I grow. Every time, I do something that my body or mind tells me is crazy or challenging or hard, I learn something new about myself. Friends, there is power in knowing yourself. There is power in anticipating and embracing your challenges because you know that means you are growing!<br />
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So, I wanted to share with you, friends, that uncovering the real path to achievement actually includes making mistakes, falling down and getting back up again. Dusting your knees off is a far cry from throwing in the towel. So, today I encourage you: grow with me, friend. The real path to achievement is the gratitude for the journey. It may not be perfect yet, but when you are thankful for the process, it can enhance your perspective.<br />
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Have a wonderfully grateful day!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-89111967450923929292014-02-14T06:48:00.000-08:002014-02-14T06:50:44.341-08:00I LOVE YOU!!!!<div class="irc_mutc">
<a class="irc_mutl" data-ved="0CAUQjRw" href="http://www.google.com/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=XZ5Bj1VrckU6PM&tbnid=ACQspPJXAH7fqM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http%3A%2F%2Fshadowness2388.deviantart.com%2Fart%2FRAWR-means-quot-I-love-you-quot-108912864&ei=oCX-UrGUM43xoATU_IH4DA&bvm=bv.61190604,d.cGU&psig=AFQjCNHMHcH9sLSvvcHuRVYWKKSKI_lxTQ&ust=1392473765432309"><img class="irc_mut" height="213" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTiNn64T0QTsR8WIPE1HCbYFOGuR1ksFccG-hTSgvdngpL4ejkPXg" style="margin-top: 90px;" width="350" /></a></div>
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Hi All,</div>
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So, I usually don't get smooshy in my posts, but it is Valentine's Day, and if ever there is a day when getting smooshy is allowable, today is it! You will find that in this post, I am not going to tell you how to eat sugar-free/paleo chocolate and be happy, nor am I going to tell you to count your carbs or what you eat today. My goal today is to inspire you to be healthy in another way- and that is through love.</div>
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When you are not in a relationship, Valentine's Day can honestly seem like (let's be honest) the suckiest day of the year. But, I figured that instead of thinking of the love I don't have in my life, I'd instead focus on the love I do have in my life, and have henceforth dedicated this blog today to celebrating those things. It's not often that I recognize people in my life publicly, so I hope that my friends and family aren't embarassed, but rather I hope they understand that they are what make me whole, and the person who I am am. So, whether you are celebrating with the love of your life today or not, take some time to acknowledge the loves you have, share some gratitude, and celebrate those who have brought you joy. My list is below. I hope this inspires you to acknowledge your loves today, too!</div>
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1. Jesus- you the man!</div>
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2. Mom- you the lady and you brought me into this earth (I think you've told me you could take me out as well, so if I ever go missing, y'all know where to look :)</div>
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3. Bros- You are so special to me, and I am fortunate to have been raised in a community of such amazing men. I love you all dearly, Paul, Jeremiah, and Leonard. You have really made me the cool person (I think) I am today.</div>
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4. Aunt Suzie, Uncle Tom, Jeania, Tim, Courrtney Sam- You all make me smile. I love that even though we spent time apart in our early years that we immediately all felt like family.</div>
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5. Uncle Jimmy- I laughed so hard the other day when you called the railroad crossing sign the RXR. Ha ha!</div>
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6. Ana and James Fread- You were my surrogate San Diego family. I love that you have brought a beautiful baby girl in this world to share your legacy. Ana you have really saved me so many times- I love you, amiga!</div>
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7. Nick and Heather- Super pumped for your wedding, and so excited for what is ahead for you two. Thanks for always visiting me when you came back to town- it really means a lot.</div>
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8. Stacie Meyers- We have been friends almost 30 years and we still laugh- I love that! So happy to see you with your beautiful family.</div>
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9. Carley Smith- You taught me how to keep going and push my body even when my mind stopped.</div>
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10. Jeli- You are my sister from another mister. I am so blessed to have you in my life-- there is still more to come!</div>
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11. Cash Flow- I just love you guys (and Jessy). Its always good to have a group of good looking men (and a hot lady) in tour life to dish out advice and show a girl a good time :)</div>
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12. Roy Lindenmeyer: You are hilarious!</div>
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13. Ebony Pearcy- Filter-free Friday! ;)</div>
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14. Maxberg- You have been my mentor and you give me awesome pants. What's not to love!? Many people come in and out of life, but I am grateful for all the years of advice you've given me. I will always be a better woman because of you!</div>
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15. Mary Southall- I would not be the woman I am today without you. I am so grateful for all the encouraging words over the years.</div>
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16. Jeanne and Leanne- I can tell you guys anything, and we have shared so many wonderful stories over the years. I love your friendship, charisma, and sense of adventure! </div>
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17. Tracy Lynn- You always have wonderful things to bring to my life- thank you!!!!<br />
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OK- I've already passed my writing limit for the day, and I figured that it's better to skips a few people than to miss out on an opportunity to tell people in my life who have inspired me: I LOVE YOU! Have a great day all!!!!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-63301950343460378212013-12-29T13:34:00.001-08:002013-12-29T13:36:11.160-08:00New Year, New You- Accountability Team or Not!<br />
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Hello and Happy Holidays to everyone!<br />
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I have been off the map lately because I have recently made a huge (no wait, HUGE!) life change and relocated myself from beautiful, sunny San Diego, up to Sonoma County, CA (also beautiful, just less sun :) to spend some quality time with family. I figured I would use this opportunity to share a very real challenge that people face not only when they are relocating, but as they are looking at the new year ahead: goal-setting and self-motivation.<br />
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Now, as someone who has made countless attempts to lose weight and be fit in the past, one of my sticking points was that I was frequently going at it alone. If I would have had a consistent partner to train with and keep accountable with my diet, then I'm sure things would have gone a lot smoother, faster, easier, etc. I have personally seen this play out beautifully at work where a good portion of our crew all worked out together at the same gym, which created not just an opportunity for people to get more fit, but it also served to provide a great community of friendships. If this is something that you have available to you then awesome! Go for it!<br />
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But, for me, early on in my journey, I always seemed to be going at my efforts alone, and I also found that when I did have a partner, I had to be the one to motivate them. So not only did I have to overcome my own struggles with whether or not I should have a cheat, but then was getting sucked into <i>their </i>derailment plans as well. This is what I would call the opposite of effective. If you have found yourself in this situation, then I recommend graciously removing yourself from it.<br />
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Case in point: in college I was doing Weight Watchers, and although I had already achieved my lifetime goal on my own, I had started to gain some weight back, so I decided to return to meetings every week to tighten things up. I saw a girl in one of the weekend meetings that I recognized from my Renaissance Literature course, and when we realized that we were on the same path, we decided to be each others accountability partners. What I didn't know at that time is that I was really signing up to be her coach (big mistake at the time). While this individual was a great friend, she was a horrible accountability partner for dieting. She was consistently making comments like- "I really want to go get Mexican food when we study" or "We should make cupcakes tonight" or "This diet isn't really working for me." You can guess what happened with my intentions of getting back on track. <i>Total disaster, anyone?</i><br />
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I mention this only because when selecting a new path, there are times in life when you will easily find and maintain relationships naturally that support your goals, and then there are times when you will have to go at it alone. If you are someone who has a great community to support you, then you are on the right path. If, however, you are going at it alone, then I definitely want to encourage you to keep on going. Despite the fact that the road is lonely now, the habits you are creating for yourself will serve to keep you on track regardless of the situations you are in, whether people come or go, whether you move or stay.<br />
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That being said, if you are new to fitness and health, you want to get started and you don't know where to go, here are some tips that may help...<br />
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<b>1. Find a plan that serves you. </b><br />
While I have had success with a variety of eating styles and workout regimes, when people ask me for a recommendation on what to do, I usually respond with something like, "do the plan you can stick with that makes you feel awesome." That will be different for everyone, and you know what? That is the way it should be! You are a unique individual, and unlike anyone else on this planet. The greatest pitfall you could happen into is one where you feel like you have to follow a diet out of a book because an author "says so." I am a huge fan of self-experimentation and manipulating my macronutrients, so please find what works best for you. If an IIFYM plan is exciting to you, do it! If low-carb sounds good, do it. The point is: do something that <b>YOU</b> like.<br />
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<b>2. Work out when its convenient for you.</b><br />
Full disclosure: for the last several years, I've been waking up most days around 4am to go to the gym. My usual work day looks like this:<br />
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<li>4am: Wake-up, coffee, reading</li>
<li>5am: Workout</li>
<li>6am: Post WO meal, shower, pack lunch, prep for work</li>
<li>7:30: Arrive at work</li>
<li>8:30: Meal 2</li>
<li>10: Meal 3</li>
<li>12:30: Lunch</li>
<li>3: Meal 5</li>
<li>6:30: Dinner</li>
<li>7:45: Remove makeup, brush teeth, prep am coffee, read, then bed by 8:30</li>
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I wake up before the sun because I know that if I wait until after work to do my workout then it never happens: I get tired, people want to go out, I get tired, I have to work late... you get the picture. The point is that I realized that working out after work never happened for me, but when I scheduled workouts before breakfast that I did them consistently.<br />
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<b>3. Eliminate negativity!</b><br />
When you are on a path for greatness, you will find that some crazy stuff comes out of the woodwork: negative people suddenly appear, nay-sayers suddenly have opinions, and people who are threatened by your success and dedication will no doubt be (even subconsciously) trying to knock you down. The truth is that this doesn't just start with fitness, friends, this is everywhere... (warning, rabbit trail ahead)...<br />
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So, my brother, who is a gem of a human, recently finished his GED. When we were in high school he was busy whooping it up while I was studying, and his long-term career plan was to be a rock star. While I have always supported this endeavor, believed in his talent, and felt like anyone would be lucky to have them in their band, at some point he realized that the long-term sustainability of this career endeavor was netting him many years of day-job work at Costco. When he wanted to make the change to go back to school at the age of 36, many people were aghast that he would even consider leaving a "good" job at Costco to pursue his own academic endeavors.<br />
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Since my own day job is interviewing people, and advising them on their careers, I immediately informed him that what he was experiencing was that many people are remorseful when they haven't made the personal change to achieve greatness when they should. If someone is being negative toward your achievement goals, then they are most likely just disappointed in themselves and looking to share their disappointment with others: DON'T BUY IN! Be strong in what <i><b>YOU</b></i> want. This is <i><b>YOUR </b></i>life, and you only get one, so give the Negative Nancy's a nice kick!<br />
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<b>4. Do not focus on the past!</b><br />
<a href="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/quotes/1378736678p8/319477.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" class="irc_mut" height="320" id="irc_mi" src="http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/quotes/1378736678p8/319477.jpg" style="margin-top: 0px;" width="320" /></a>While modern psychology tells us that the best predictor of future behavior is past performance, ask anyone who has been successful at anything how many times they ate it before they actually succeeded. Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Einstein... all failures. You can check out this video <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLYECIjmnQs" target="_blank">So You Think You're A Failure?</a> to see some of the cool people we respect in life and in business who have also failed. You know what separates them from you today? They kept going; they didn't let <i>no </i>stop them.<br />
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It is a misconception that success only happens to successful people. Guess where successful people were before they hit it big? They were in your shoes, making another attempt. Once you achieve success, it is then easier to identify other opportunities, but don't let lack of success in previous efforts keep you from what you deserve today. What you deserve is to live the life you want, and to stop being afraid of getting what you truly deserve!<br />
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<b>5. REMEMBER THE WHY! Y>X!</b><br />
In order to keep your goal at the forefront of your mind, you have to remember your why. The Y (why/reason) must be greater than X (your excuses). I find that listening to podcasts in the morning when I am getting ready or driving to the gym is one of the things that keeps me beyond motivated to pursue my goals with passion every day. The latest on my personal list is <a href="http://lewishowes.com/category/podcast/" target="_blank">School of Greatness</a>. There was one of Lewis Howes interviewing <a href="http://lewishowes.com/?s=jamie+eason" target="_blank">Jamie Eason</a> that knocked my socks off. You think you got it hard? Try fighting cancer, and today being a fitness model. So cool!<br />
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The point is that when you wake up and get ready for your day there may not be days when you feel like actually doing anything. You may think about your goals and think: who has time? This is too hard! And you need an anchor to remind yourself what you are doing this for.<br />
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Friends, by taking the time to make yourself accountable to yourself, first, then you will not only be a great accountability partner (when the opportunity arrives), but you will ensure that you will achieve your own goals for this year. And who knows- you will probably inspire others along the way, too :)<br />
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Happy New Year! <br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-79637248543936343682013-09-07T09:00:00.000-07:002013-09-07T09:01:33.041-07:00Stop Weighing Yourself Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi Friends,</div>
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Hope your day is off to a nice start. I just woke up from a great rest, and went downstairs to make my coffee. As I shuffled into the bathroom, closed the door, removed every stitch of clothing and pressed the "On" button of my scale with my big toe (as I do practically every day), I was suddenly alerted to the fact that there was no beep (signaling power) and nothing was happening to the digital screen in front of me. So I did what every other smart person would do, I pressed the button again (though this time, admittedly harder). The scale remained silent, sleeping. I know it is Saturday morning, so I applied more force, this time practically kicking the digital demon, and raising it up and repeatedly hitting the on button with my finger. No response. Before I launch into a total meltdown and start tearing apart my office supplies looking for new batteries, I had a brief recollection of a post from Jonathan Bailor over at the <a href="http://thesmarterscienceofslim.com/" target="_blank">Smarter Science of Slim</a>.</div>
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I've mentioned Jonathan's work a lot in previous blogs, but I wanted to mention it again because he posted something the other day on twitter that caught my eye. Jonathan frequently makes mention to the fact that he is (by American weight standard's) "obese" and his wife is "overweight." He then proceeded to post a video of their wedding day, where you see two (very attractive people) in very healthy, fit bodies, starting their journey as man and wife. While Jonathan does a great job at explaining more about this in his <a href="http://thesmarterscienceofslim.com/were-overweight-fortunately-weight-is-irrelevant/#.Uii3LifemPU.twitter" target="_blank">article </a>the point is that we are all obsessed with the numbers on the scale as opposed to how we actually feel, what we are eating, and a muriad of other factors. While I could literally write a whole post on the other things we should be focusing on instead of the number scale, I want to keep this (somewhat brief), so I will focus on my personal story in hopes that it resonates with you.</div>
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Here's where it gets real. Since I have lost 80 pounds, I have a strong attachment to that specific number. At my highest weight of 206, losing 80 lbs means that I am at 126. I have made a ritual of weighing myself every day because I want to make sure that: </div>
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<b>1. </b>I am being honest with myself, </div>
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<b>2.</b> I stay connected with where I am at in my journey, and even though my weight may fluctuate, I am still keeping myself accountable for maintaining my weight loss.</div>
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<b>3.</b> I know that it is a slippery slope when you start gaining weight and that 5 pounds easily turns in to 10, 20, 30, etc. It's the whole "eating because I ate" philosophy that gets us all into trouble. For example: I had a fro yo <i>and that's not paleo,</i> so to make up for it, I will also eat an apple fritter, <i>which is not low-carb</i>, a load of white chocolate macadamia nut cookies, <i>which who cares since my insulin is spiked already</i>, and top it off with a box of Lucky Charms,<i> since I'm now magically in my own hell</i>. You may have something similar you deal with. The point is, that I have used that weight number to keep myself in check.</div>
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Recently, I've noticed that to keep my weight within my safety zone, that I have manipulated my diet to a point where I am not holding onto muscle. As I am a big fan in the <a href="http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/n1" target="_blank">n=1</a> theory of self experimentation to find out what works for you, I find that some things I was doing in my diet were not effective at preserving muscle, but they were good at keeping my weight down, so I kind of shrugged it off until the other day. </div>
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The last weeks I have spent a greater amount of time at the gym focusing on my lifting as opposed to any formal cardio, but I have noticed that my shoulder (albeit, post-competition) which have maintained a nice cap for some time are now just FLAT, like pancakes, though I don't eat pancakes. The point is that I have lost muscle, and I know that my muscle loss has been due to the fact that I have been so focused on the number on the scale that I don't give myself any flexibility around my diet. <i>Whoa there, cowgirl!</i></div>
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Back to Saturday morning, I was thinking that while perhaps all my scale needs is new batteries, perhaps what I need is a reality check, <i>BINGO</i>!, and so I am taking on the stop weighing myself challenge for 21 days. I'll be honest, it freaks me out! But as my friend, Paul Shively (and so many other great motivational speakers) says, "if it scares you, you should do it." So, I am launching into my tape measure/feel good in my jeans/get my shoulders back without weighing myself experiment. While I suspect that it will be about 4 weeks for some good, identifiable progress in that department, I thought 21 days seems like an achievable number for a short weighing break. If after 21 days I want to try to fix the scale then I'll revisit it at that time.</div>
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So, my question to you is this? Are you constantly weighing yourself and then beating yourself up because of the numbers on the scale? Is your performance where it needs to be, or is it somehow lacking because you aren't eating enough? I would definitely, then, encourage you to take a break from weighing yourself. Join me in a 21 day scale-free challenge. Are you ready??? I am. I will be posting more on this as we go through the next 21 days, so feel free to hop on board whenever you're ready!</div>
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Have a great day!</div>
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-59285093154079836502013-08-31T16:31:00.002-07:002013-08-31T16:36:31.877-07:00Small Changes and Massive Results<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Hi All,<br />
So it seems that August has just flown by for me. I hope everyone enjoyed their summer. Today, I am sharing with you some great resources I have recently discovered, and sharing some thoughts about making change. <br />
<br />
First, I had a really cool opportunity over the summer to meet Gary, the Primal Guy. He has an awesome company, <a href="http://www.newamericannutrition.com/" target="_blank">New American Nutrition</a>, a couple great books, <a href="http://www.newamericannutrition.com/primal-power-method/" target="_blank"><i>Primal Power Method </i>and <i>Primal Power Method Meal Guide</i></a>, and a ton of great <a href="http://www.garyshealthtips.com/email/newsletter-signup/" target="_blank">free resources</a> online. Gary's story is very unique to this community, as he is a former USDA Special Agent, and has been exposed first hand to what is really happening with food in this country <a href="http://www.garyshealthtips.com/about/" target="_blank">(you can read his full story here)</a>. I totally love the way he makes primal living and eating as it should be: simple. So feel free to check out any of the bazillion links I've provided above.<br />
<br />
Second, I want to talk about making change. Lately, I've seen a lot of information out there about getting detoxed and/or cleansed from cravings and food addiction. It seems that everyone and their momma' is selling a story that goes like this: do this super extreme diet that is totally different from your usual lifestyle for 3, 4, 12 weeks or more and lose a bunch of weight/optimize your health, and you, too can finally get in shape/have ripped abs/lose body fat, etc. While I have no problems with any of those things, the thing that makes me cringe about these plans is that people really commit themselves to the stringent measures prescribed, but only with the hope of what they can do once it's all over. What happens on day 1 of your real life again? Seriously, what good is a program if its design is so restrictive that all you can think about while you are on it is what you're going to eat as soon as you get off it?<br />
<br />
While I am the first to admit that I have fallen prey to the lure of a 6-pack in 6 weeks, I have really been doing a lot more searching on what makes people adapt to changes in order to reach their long-term goals, and I've come across a couple very useful tools below.<br />
<br />
<b>#1: The Power of Perception</b> We all make decisions: am I going to make my bed today, or am I going to leave it a mess? Am I going to eat to fuel my body, or eat to fuel my addiction to sugar? It's all a choice, but at the same time, how we perceive our power in this choice is a critical factor. <a href="http://jamesclear.com/" target="_blank">James Clear</a>, is a self-proclaimed entrepreneur and weight lifter who has some great content out there on transforming your habits. In the <a href="http://www.thelivinlowcarbshow.com/shownotes/8306/705-james-clear-says-the-key-to-success-in-anything-is-forming-good-habits/" target="_blank">podcast</a> I where I was introduced to James, he discussed the difference between people who are on a specific meal plan and who say that they "can't" have a treat and those who say they "don't" have treats. While saying "can't" implies helplessness, saying "don't" actually implies making a choice and taking control.<br />
<br />
<b>#2: Make Small Changes </b>The second component of looking at change stems from something I learned yesterday from a personal development training at work. This particular training was called "What Makes People Great" and was conducted by Pat Precourt, who is a total genius in the field of real estate. One of Pat's points was that great people set goals that are a stretch from where you are today, but are still achievable. So, they set goals that they can meet by changing one thing, not setting goals that they will have to drastically change 10 things at once to achieve. At my company, we use what we refer to as SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely), and it falls under the same guise. <br />
<br />
While there are times in life when I believe that an overhaul can be necessary, I think that employing these two tactics combined is a great recipe for initiating change.Think of it this way: what is one thing you can do today to get you closer to creating a long-term habit of people who are in great physical shape or have exceptional health? Is it going to the gym? Swapping out one fast food meal per week for a home made meal? Taking supplements? The take away is to find what that one thing is that you can achieve and do it. Then don't look at your old habit as something you "can't" do, but more so as something you just "don't" do.<br />
<br />
I hope you are all motivated to take a look at your big, long term goals, and identify simple things you can change. Though it may seam small now, over time these changes will be the building blocks to massive future transformation.<br />
<br />
Have a great day all!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-25116777102449819302013-07-30T19:35:00.000-07:002013-07-30T19:37:54.610-07:00Your Ideal Plan: How To Find What Works for You!!!!<div style="text-align: center;">
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<br />
Hi All,<br />
I have been launching into 35 with total gusto this month, so I am happy to report that my work on self-improvement, has provided me with some awesome content to share with you all. Have you ever tried something and it didn't work out? I know I have (plenty of times)! Whenever I seem to come near technology it seems I have the God-given talent to cause it to freeze, shut down, overheat, or explode. Why is it that when it comes to our weight, we don't see it as something not working, but rather that there exists some defect within us that doesn't enable our bodies to respond to the program? Granted, while we can take an iPhone back to the Apple store, we often throw diet books into the trash and resolve to the fact that we are just destined to be fat losers. If you've ever had this thought, do me a huge favor and <b>STOP RIGHT NOW!!!!!</b> While you may get curious looks from Barnes and Noble employees for returning a diet book <b>(GUILTY :)</b>, do not let one unsuccessful attempt stop you from achieving your destiny to have a wonderfully healthy being to support you through life.<br />
<br />
From the years I've spent dieting, I know that the most world-renowned professionals in health and fitness can come up with a canned diet plan, but despite their attempts to brainwash me into thinking that their plan is right, the only thing that I honestly believe in these days is the power of an individual to put themselves into the drivers seat to determine what works best.Unfortunately, I will tell you right now, that this process is more involved than taking a green tea pill or dropper of raspberry ketones. Yes, friends, it means that it will take a little more work now, but when you know what works best, it will create more time down the road because you won't have to deal with the devil on your shoulder telling you to try something because you will know what works and what doesn't.<br />
<br />
I was listening to a podcast from Jonathan Bailor recently and I loved that he said- America's obesity crisis is NOT due to a raspberry ketone deficiency, and I have to say that I agree. I think our obesity crisis is more closely related to a real food deficiency. However, it is easy to sell people on the idea that all they need to do is to take a pill because it makes a heck of a lot more money than telling them they just need to start cooking their own meals and do the work of finding what best serves their bodies. <br />
<br />
I know that the various bits of conflicting information out there can be confusing, but I find that the best way to create my own ideal plan is to find practices that make the most sense to me, and of course, what responds most effectively in my body. So what am I proposing? Well, lately, there have been a slew of really great nutrition books that have emerged, and there are a ton of great free resources available on podcasts, blogs, and various websites. Every day I find I literally have a little more awareness than I did the day before about how to improve my health.<br />
<br />
While it may seem overwhelming to look at this information, my approach has often been to create my own identity by finding what aligns most closely with what I believe to be true for my body, and then stretch myself to the next level. I often discover that if I can look at one thing I could change from where I am today, that over time it gets me closer to being a healthier version of myself without creating the anxiety of total immersion.<br />
<br />
So, what if you are early into your journey and you are just getting started. What, then is a girl (or boy) to do?<br />
<br />
Well, friends, I think we are left with a few options here:<br />
<br />
<b>1.</b> Look at them all, and see what makes the most sense to you based on your history, what you know about your body, and what resonates best with you.If you aren't sure where to start, then let me give you my short-list of resources...<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.livinlavidalowcarb.com/">Jimmy Moore</a><br />
<a href="http://drnoel.fixyournutrition.com/">Dr. Lo- Naturopath</a><br />
<a href="http://balancedbites.com/">Diane Sanfilippo- Sugar Detox/Paleo</a><br />
<a href="http://www.firstourselves.org/">Karly Pitman- Emotional Eating/Overcoming Sugar Addiction</a><br />
<a href="http://www.fatburningman.com/">Abel James- Fat Burning Man</a><br />
<a href="http://whole9life.com/start/">Whole30</a><br />
<a href="http://thesmarterscienceofslim.com/">Smarter Science of Slim</a><br />
<a href="http://thevirgindiet.com/">The Virgin Diet</a><br />
<br />
OK, I know, not a short list, but a good starting place. And let's be honest, if you are going to get real with yourself, you will need resources. You will find that each of the websites I linked above share generally similar principals, so I shared them because in some way they all resonate with ME, and YOU may find that what serves you best is different, but you won't know what that is until you start your own search :)<br />
<br />
<b>2. </b>Find the similar theme among them all and create a plan for yourself based on the consistent recommendations.<br />
<br />
<b>3.</b> Back-door your way in and eliminate something they all agree is bad (ie- artificial sweetener, alcohol, etc.).<br />
<br />
<b>4. </b>Conduct research on each of them, and completely adhere to the one that you feel is most congruent with your long-term lifestyle. <br />
<br />
Earlier this year, Jimmy Moore completed a year-long n=1 self study <a href="http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/n1">http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/blog/n1</a> where he goes into great detail about his commitment to understand his body, what works, and the need for individuals to self-test. Now, Jimmy is a very thorough guy and unlike most people, he really left no stone unturned in his quest to maintain his nutritional ketosis over the course of the year. I am not saying that anyone has to go that extreme (testing blood ketones and such); however, for me the lesson from this is that we should not look at our bodies as broken, but organisms that need to be understood in such away that we (the operators) fuel our bodies the most effective outcome. Instead of taking all the information out there as a place of confusion, we can break it down into finding what works best for our bodies.<br />
<br />
At no point in my journey has starvation ever been appealing to me, and as I spend more time getting to understand myself as an individual, the more I enjoy the fact that I am strong and healthy with a good portion of healthy female muscle on my body. I don't look like a body-builder, but at 35, I am still keeping things relatively dialed in. However, over time, I know that metabolically, my body does occassionally require some adjustments for me to maintain my fitness at a certain level. What that translates for me now is that while I used to be able to rely on a lot of shakes, bars and supplements to get through the day, I now have to feed my body real food, which means more prep on the weekend, but also provides the benefit of giving me a greater nutritional punch (think about it: chicken and peppers cooked in coconut oil vs. a protein bar-- yea, my body is a lot happier, too).<br />
<br />
Another great habit I have made for myself is to look at my weight fluctuations with the thought "that's interesting" rather than "I'm a failure." I'm not a failure, I am a healthy eater, and when I commit to fueling my body and I have something that doesn't agree with me or causes weight gain, I know that is a sign that I simply need to make a tweak with my intake. It's not bad, its just information.<br />
<br />
<b>ACTION:</b> So, what is your take-away? Well, lets think about this: are you trying something new? Are you giving it time to work, or are you just sailing through and wondering why you are not able to lose weight and get healthier? Take this opportunity to make a change and come from a place of curiosity about your body. I can assure you that when you see your body as your partner in life and not your enemy, you create an alliance for overall positive healthy behaviors. The point is to start NOW, and find a method that feels most natural for you. If you listen to what you know intuitively works for your body, whether it is eliminating foods, crowding out the bad with good, or starting small, don't wait to make peace with your body. Learn what it needs today so it will keep you healthy for many tomorrows.<br />
<br />
Have a great day!<br />
XOAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-28245245815006725712013-07-12T17:03:00.000-07:002013-07-12T17:03:05.350-07:00THRIVE AT 35: OFFICIAL LISTOK, so this is possibly the most most simple, boring-looking blog I will write, ever. However, I believe delivery is more important than packaging at this point, so as promised, I am posting my list.<br />
<br />
Ladies and Gentlemen, I give to you, <b>THRIVE AT 35</b>:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ol>
<li><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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</xml><![endif]-->Catch up with friends who I haven’t seen in more
than a year.</li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Call my
grandma and get her recipe for Spanish Pork chops.</li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Donate anything I haven’t used in a year that
does not hold legacy or historical value.</li>
<li>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Go horseback riding</li>
<li>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Make a meal for someone I care about</li>
<li>
Shake my booty</li>
<li>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Go to yoga class</li>
<li>
Passionately kiss someone</li>
<li>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Send 10 hand-written thank you notes</li>
<li>
Help someone find a job (not for work)</li>
<li>
Start every day with gratitude, inspiration and
motivation.</li>
<li>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>No negative self-talk: foster a positive
environment.</li>
<li>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Buy and finish <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The War of Art</i></li>
<li>
Buy a
bikini I really like- not from Target.</li>
<li>
Throw away or donate anything with a negative
association (old clothes, love letters)</li>
<li> <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Buy
something for a stranger</li>
<li>
Take care of my sleep needs</li>
<li>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Forgive someone</li>
<li>
Visit Apple Farm</li>
<li>
Create a
new tradition</li>
<li>
Drink a really great glass of red wine and buy
fancy make-up (also not from Target)</li>
<li>
Create a multi-media presentation</li>
<li>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Do something <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">en
francais</i></li>
<li>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span>Be honest about my feelings</li>
<li>
Get a massage</li>
<li>
Leave any date immediately once I’ve said “that’s
interesting after the 15<sup>th</sup> time.</li>
<li>
Do a pull up (parallel bars ok)</li>
<li>
Move business forward. Get website up.</li>
<li>
<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Read my
coaching manual</li>
<li>
Go ice skating</li>
<li>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Find a niche market</li>
<li><span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"><span style="font: 7.0pt "Times New Roman";"></span></span></span>Go see fireworks at Sunset Cliffs</li>
<li>
Give someone a thoughtful gift- just because</li>
<li>
Ask for feedback, even when its hard</li>
<li>
<span style="mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-latin;"><span style="mso-list: Ignore;"></span></span>Don’t apologize for not liking something or for
being assertive.</li>
<li>And one to grow on... Try something new, even if its uncomfortable.</li>
</ol>
Here's to a great year, friends! Can't wait to blog about these experiences for you over the next year :) <br /><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-89620763318937503032013-07-09T19:09:00.001-07:002013-07-12T16:52:50.281-07:00THRIVE at 35: Launching into a great, new year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Happy Birthday to Me!!!!!!!!!<br />
<br />
Hi Everyone! First I must apologize profusely for taking so long to post on my blog. I know its been way too long, but that seems to happen when I'm in a true phase of self discovery and reflection. Those times of learning are always like cocooning away for me while I am trying to grow.<br />
<br />
So, tomorrow is my birthday, and I am going to take this opportunity to share less on diet and what is happening in the world of nutrition, and more time for self indulgence and overall sharing. I am not doing this because I am a particular fan of tooting my own horn (well, sometimes I am), but because I think that there are times in life when a little self reflection is good for the soul and facilitates our own understanding of who we are as individuals.<br />
<br />
This past year has been particularly challenging for me, but before I jump into difficulties, I think that there are some great things I have to be thankful for.<br />
<ol>
<li>I completed a bikini competition-- probably something I will never do again, but a huge accomplishment, nonetheless.</li>
<li>I completed my Master's Degree in Human Resources.</li>
<li>I moved: 5 times!!!!!!!</li>
<li>I started a new job.</li>
<li>I survived heart break (again).</li>
<li>I really connected with family this year.</li>
<li>I experienced living in a way that is consistent with my true self.</li>
<li>I learned to focus on what I have, and harness my desires to create action plans to get what I want.</li>
<li>I identified specific life goals and how to achieve them.</li>
<li>I helped a lot of people while also learned to create boundaries for myself (still learning). </li>
</ol>
Since 10 of anything seems to be enough, I'll stop and take a moment to explain more about what is going on with me. Going into this year, if you would have asked me what my goal was for 34 I would have said to compete, finish my masters, and to find the love of my life. While I did compete and finish my masters, I feel like I am in a different place regarding love. While I still desire to have the love I know is out there for me, I feel like I've made being honest with myself more of a priority. One of the things I didn't make a goal for being 34 was to live with integrity; however, it is the one goal I achieved that has surpassed the value of the other goals. <br />
<br />
This past year, I started working at a great company, FortuneBuilders, and one of the awesome things about being a FortuneBuilder is that I am consistently reminded of my personal and professional goals, and I am also challenged to be my best in every area of my life. After completing some self-reflection activities in my new hire training, I realized that I had so many areas to grow; yet, I had so many areas also to give.<br />
<br />
While writing this blog is my passion and is the thing I would do if no one paid me (clearly no one is paying me), it is a small piece of myself that I want to further explore- and that is that I am not a perfect person, but that I have a lot of great tools I have picked up, and that I can only imagine how others lives can be improved as a result of experiencing some of the things I have learned along the way. As a result, I have started an accountability group to support me in meeting my goals, and I have made some interesting connections that have opened some doors to opportunities for future business opportunities.<br />
<br />
I don't want to get too tangented here, though, because my goal for this blog today is not to discuss new business, but to talk about the place where I am today: the day before my 35th year. As I was thinking about turning 35, I can definitely tell you that I never imagined that I would be in this phase of my life unmarried and childless, but I also believe that everything happens for a reason. I know God has a plan, and that in order to accomplish the awesome things I have awaiting me, it is important that I walk boldly into this phase of my life as someone who is confident that I need this time to focus on my life's higher calling/greater purpose/ideal plan.<br />
<br />
That being said, it is my hope to enlist my blog readers (if there is anyone other than my mother who reads this) to set goals for themselves and to achieve those goals. While I initially thought the goals I was setting for myself would be accomplished just this month, I realized that I don't want to have a lot of awesome all at once (this is never good- for those of you who saw the San Diego fireworks display on 4th of July 2012, you know what I mean). Rather, what I'd like to do is to create a year of goals and successes that I can experience all year long.<br />
<br />
So, as I prepare my list for this year it is my hope that you will also be inspired to create your own list of goals and achievements that you can accomplish throughout the year. I will post mine over the next week or so, and if you have a list to share then please feel free to do so as well.<br />
<br />
Thanks friends! I would not be where I am today without you all!<br />
<br />
XXOO<br />
W<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-88001733153999391652013-05-23T20:21:00.000-07:002013-05-23T20:21:15.036-07:00You CAN Achieve Your Goals. Here is how to do it!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Friends,<br />
I write to you today from my usual state of gratitude and delight that you are even reading this blog, but from an unusual place of desperation, and also of hope. If you are anything like me, then you have relied on others to set deadlines for your dreams and have found comfort in finding accountability in external events. But today's blog is a little different because I don't just want to share information, I want to inspire actual change.<br />
<br />
Yesterday, my BFF and best mother in the world, Ana Fread, sent me pics of my bikini competition last year, and all I could think of was how great I looked (please pard the self-indulgence, but looking back to that day, I can see NOW how awesome I looked). And for a moment or two, I thought about the experience of competing and a hi-light real of all the good things flashed through my head: doing crunches while having a six-pack, seeing a waif-like reflection in the mirror, and all the practice sessions I did on posing in various bikinis. It was a very self-indulgent life that I mostly hated because I was starving all the time, but the pictures brought me back to the good times.<br />
<br />
I am mentioning this only because competing was a great achievement for me. I wanted to compete for the longest time, but I never went through with it because when I first learned about competing, I was married and my husband really didn't understand the physical, mental, and emotional toll that it took on me and my body. When I did gain the courage to compete, it was solely out of my own desire to achieve, and the reason I succeeded at getting to the stage was because I knew this time that I had to do it for myself and no one else.<br />
<br />
As I was reminiscing yesterday, I really felt tugs at my heart strings because I realized that this was an event that was going to happen with or without me, and the only difference in the end for me was whether or not I participated or not: the event would still happen if I was #137 or if I never showed up. I then realized that the thing I really wanted for my future was to of course look like a bikini model, but without the external necessity of tanning, wearing a blinged bikini, and standing with my arms perpendicular to my body for 36 hours so my sweat didn't streak my tan. I realized that I didn't want the competition, but rather, I wanted the sense of accomplishment.<br />
<br />
Sometimes, I think that those of us who strive for achievement use things like race days, competitions, or final events as external deadlines to create an end result, and what I realized this morning was that I have long-term goals I want to achieve, and I can't wait for an accomodating date to suddenly arise. I have to use life as my opportunity to make things happen.<br />
<br />
In 48 days I will be turning 35 and what I want more now than ever is most likely what you want: to live your best life NOW! But, a lot of times we feel there are barriers or limitations to get to what we want so we tell ourselves, "I can't have X until Y happens," and then we live our lives waiting for X to come along when we could have been getting Y for years! When I had this little apiphany, I realized that I needed to address it like every major event in my life; I needed to post it on Facebook.<br />
<br />
Within minutes, I updated my status to announce that I was launching Thrive at 35, my own campaign to get what I want. My gal pal, Tracy Russell messaged me about it all and before I knew it we were creating plans for our achievements and what we wanted for ourselves, including things that would happen if we didn't pursue our goals.<br />
<br />
Friends, this was a wide-eyed, blink to cow eyes moment for me because I realized that not only do I have BIG goals for my life, but that everyone else does, and perhaps there are very minor things in our lives keeping us from achieving the levels of greatness that we were intended for.<br />
<br />
As much as I believe in the power of setting your mind to a goal to make it happen, I believe that people everywhere- you, me, your mama, brother, boss, cousin, sister, best friend.... EVERYONE has a goal for SOMETHING and a lot of us don't understand that we can have it, we just need to actualize how it will happen, and we need to look at the REAL steps necessary to actualize that potential.<br />
<br />
Now, I am not an expert, but I do wear a ring that says "believe" because I think that it's important to constantly remind myself that there is more for me, and that I have just not discovered the direct path to it yet. However, I WILL tell you that as life goes on I acknowledge that my opportunities for creating my ideal life are diminishing, and that if I don't take full advantage of opportunities available to me TODAY that those moments may pass by, and I am determined to live without regret, and instead look forward to my future with open arms.<br />
<br />
My motivational plan for my life is to thrive, not only at 35( but also at 45, 55, 65, 75, 85, 95, and if I live to 105, then I think I'd be a pretty blessed woman) but to look at what I really want, and think about how to get it. What are the minor things getting in the way? How do I overcome those challenges, and how do I get directly to my end result? Well, as my mom always said, "when God closes a door, he opens a window." So, look at your goals the same way- what are your doors and things keeping you from you heart's desire, and what are the the windows that can get you to your goals in a different way?<br />
<br />
I hope that if nothing else, this blog has inspired you to think about where you want to be, and that you consider those tiny hinderances as now stepping stones to achievement. Please feel free to share your experiences, questions, and comments. I wish you all the best for your lives each and every day!<br />
XXOO<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-70977886946570427342013-04-27T15:30:00.000-07:002013-04-27T15:31:56.589-07:00I Met My Hero, Personal Diet Updates, and Why I Can't Stop Smiling!!!!!<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img alt="" class="spotlight" src="https://sphotos-b.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/374643_10201015272724914_1174229027_n.jpg" style="height: 520px; width: 388px;" /> </div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
Hi All!</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
For those of you know have previously read ANY of my blogs, you will know that I OBSESSED with Jimmy Moore and his <a href="http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/">Livin' La Vida Low Carb </a>blog and podcast. So, when I heard that Jimmy was going to be in San Diego this weekend, I knew I had to high-tail my booty over to the Hilton for some Paleo Food Truck lunchin' so I could meet a man who truly knows how to pay-it-forward and provide a wealth of knowledge about all things paleo, real food, low carb, anti-sugar, anti-wheat, ketogenic, motivational, and ultimately how to live your best life when you break up with your obese body.</div>
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<br /></div>
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As someone who has lost more than 80 lbs, I find that having a mentor to fuel my creativity and consistently keep relevant nutritional developments at the forefront of my mind is a key to my success. So, of course, when I met Jimmy I couldn't stop hugging him, telling him how great he is, and at the same time sweating like crazy because I was so nervous. He was just as funny, kind and warm individual in person as he is on his shows, and even introduced me to San Diego's own <a href="http://www.undergroundwellness.com/">Sean Croxton</a>. The funny thing about this was that I had listened to Sean's podcast, <a href="http://undergroundwellness.com/radio/">Underground Wellness</a> just days ago for the first time, and I have to tell you that it was an honor for me to meet these two great guys!</div>
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So, back at the ranch, I have been off artificial sweeteners in a big way, and I cannot believe how I feel like my life has transformed. For all these years, I have had that nagging feeling like I always need to eat something even when I was bursting at the seams, and it feels like overnight I am a new person. I honestly can tell you that as someone who has been a Diet Coke junkie and totally addicted to sweeteners, my cravings for real sugar were only slightly muffled under my fake sugar craze, and I honestly believe that piling sweetener onto everything I ate for so long never really gave me a chance to uncover real cravings, and start to heal.</div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
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While it has taken a little more creativity, I have still been able to enjoy the items I ate previously with some simple modifications. Let me show you what I mean.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>Before: </b>Artificially sweetened low carb yogurt</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="odv-Fzp271mL4M:" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR-R5Kkpy-kHEmQlmjcqDxxjuZ_eZzsXHG0y7ghAcZrtp5fsPIb" style="height: 160px; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 152px;" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b>After:</b> Full-fat Greek Yogurt with stevia </div>
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<img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="EkfC5q63vePC9M:" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQmKG0x9MFuscsPqaq2Qt3aY0jP89Y9IBr8Pxyum1Viehe2KVJ8aw" style="height: 186px; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: -4px; width: 169px;" /> </div>
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<b>Before:</b> Diet Coke</div>
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<img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="bknwilVWiwBBlM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTRmIcf71CPVoMrYnZU_y5VQJXVmf8C74JhE6DAqTh3DX4cTv70Qw" style="height: 165px; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 305px;" /> </div>
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<b>After: </b>Homemade lemonade (lemons, water, stevia, ice)</div>
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<img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="vmdLG2ZY2eJLxM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTRy4pDfq6g4ftSZ5yX9DT9wjKcJdQrrTElxGrx7aFpTn-9067Mog" style="height: 185px; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 204px;" /> </div>
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<b>Before:</b> Coffee with sugar free syrup</div>
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<b>After: </b>Coffee with stevia... <i>are you noticing a pattern?</i></div>
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<i><img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="c_WKE-hmsAKggM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn2.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcSMnjxpB0CDLNrta2kHaWc6P4WfyuB3KF8uIRL9-Y6uM4bbDhe_yA" style="height: 164px; margin-left: -1px; margin-top: 0px; width: 234px;" /> </i></div>
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Another key element for me has been proper supplementation. I worked with <a href="http://www.dietitiancassie.com/">Dietitian Cassie</a> to find a unique combination of vitamins and amino acids to get my cravings under control, balance my body, and improve my sleep. A great one for anyone who suffers from sugar cravings is L-Glutamine. I take a 500 mg capsule before meals and it definitely gets the job done.</div>
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Finally, by eating regularly (6 meals a day) balanced (protein, fat and veggie or fruit carbs) meals, I am getting lots more calories, fueling my system, avoiding hunger, avoiding anxiety, and TOTALLY ELIMINATING MY DESIRES TO EAT CRAP! YEAH!!!!!!!!!</div>
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<img class="rg_i" data-sz="f" name="VJJ7H3lIkn3FuM:" src="https://encrypted-tbn3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQgNdBF40eHQyATRT81X4KA_X0mgo0GqooUrry-OtaSLW2AOZxT" style="height: 171px; margin-left: 0px; margin-top: 0px; width: 195px;" /> </div>
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I never imagined I could feel as good as I do today, and it's because of people who are spreading the good news about this lifestyle that my life has become completely transformed.</div>
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Have a great day everyone! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-37983167797044688052013-04-25T09:32:00.002-07:002013-04-25T09:34:16.539-07:00Eliminate Fake Stuff, Eat Real Food and BLOW UP YOUR METABOLISM<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Good Morning All,<br />
<br />
Over the last few years as I have been exploring more and more about improving my fitness and overall physique, I have come against some controversy around artificial sweeteners. Over the last few years I have personally spent thousands of dollars on trainers, health coaches, nutritionists and registered dietitians to learn how to dial-in to what is best for my body, and despite the fact that they offered a variety of different approaches, the ones who have been the most valuable to me and provided me an opportunity to better understand my body have discouraged my massive consumption of artifical sweeteners.<br />
<br />
However, as thick-headed as I am, I never listened. I always thought that if I did exactly what they said, but still added splenda to my coffee and drank my diet coke that I would still be fine. What I have experienced, however, is that I am not fine, I am now damaged and run around like a crazy person with this sugar monkey on my back that I can't get rid of.<br />
<br />
While we like to think that using sugar substitues frees us of sugar addiction, it can actually be fuel for the fire because there is never a break from the sweet flavor. A study published in the <em>Yale Journal of Biology and Medicine</em>, called, "Gain weight by 'going diet?' Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings" (2010) confirmed through several studies that tasting sweet increases the desire for consuming sweet and leads to overall increases in daily caloric intake.<br />
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Since I have become less focused on calories and more focused on the quality of my food, I only mentioned that study because the idea behind artificial sweeteners is that they are prescribed to support a diet where you count calories. And while a packet of artificial sweetener is low in carbohydrates (yeah!), it may be actually causing more damage than you think (boo, hiss!!!!!). According to Registered Dietitian, Cassie Bjork, "the original intent behind artificial sweeteners was that because your body doesn’t know how to metabolize them, they don’t contribute any calories" (Bjork, 2012).<br />
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Let's further explore this. If your body doesn't know how to metabolize artificial sweeteners, then what part of your body do you think is most affected by the addition of them? Maybe your metabolism? I'll admit, I'm no expert, but I will tell you that after my Artificial-Sweetener-Free Wednesday, I may actually be a convert. My usual diet is heavily-laden with artificial stuff, which leads me to consume MORE of it, and after changing things around yesterday, and using stevia for the few sweet things I ate, I noticed the following:<br />
<ul>
<li>Improved focus</li>
<li>Ability to accomplish multiple things in the day</li>
<li>Increased confidence in my choices for food</li>
<li>Lack of obsession with my food</li>
<li>Lack of desire to binge</li>
<li>Lack of feeling like what I was eating was a bummer because it didn't have sugar in it.</li>
</ul>
So, this list is pretty short, but to notice so many changes in a day is certainly a significance for me.<br />
<br />
Finally, I noticed that while I ate a ton of food yesterday, I didn't experience my usual bloating. To give you an idea, here's what my diet looked like:<br />
Breakfast: beef patty with sauteed peppers and brocolli (this was weird, but I was craving meat at breakfast)<br />
Morning snack: Chia seed/protein fauxmeal (half a scoop of protein powder, 1 T chia seeds, 1 c. unsweetened almond milk microwaved for 1 minute and then finished with 1 T. flax seeds and stevia)<br />
Lunch: Gigantic salad with mixed greens, 4 oz. dark meat chicken, 1 T. EVOO, lemons, sea salt, pepper, baby tomatoes<br />
Snack: 2 oz chicken, brocolli, peppers, grape tomatoes, and half an avocado<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHw-lHZltTtP_Ju0ZqZHJH9EBMbR9YnwLDRhnbyKrKO03koCgiw5lyxAx8JoqklowqZlrql42cgUcs2z8Is38jlpW-UC7KsRMmuP37Wp4RPcjacW2OwL-I3QEKPDS7SmiygEJejZmUaM/s640/blogger-image--1760208413.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIHw-lHZltTtP_Ju0ZqZHJH9EBMbR9YnwLDRhnbyKrKO03koCgiw5lyxAx8JoqklowqZlrql42cgUcs2z8Is38jlpW-UC7KsRMmuP37Wp4RPcjacW2OwL-I3QEKPDS7SmiygEJejZmUaM/s640/blogger-image--1760208413.jpg" /></a></div>
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Dinner: grilled chicken and half a burger with sautéed zucchini (and wine- ya, Im not perfect)<br />
Evening snack: chia seed pudding with almond milk and stevia. <br />
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Overall, I would call this day a success and I look to many more real food days in my future. <br />
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Have a great day all!!!<br />
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Sources:<br />
Bjork, C (2012). <em>Skip the splenda (and all other chemical sweeteners). </em><br />
<em><a href="http://www.dietitiancassie.com/skip-the-splenda-and-all-other-chemical-sweeteners/">http://www.dietitiancassie.com/skip-the-splenda-and-all-other-chemical-sweeteners/</a></em>Yang, Q (2010). <em>Gain weight by "going diet?" Artificial sweeteners and the neurobiology of sugar cravings. </em>Yale Journal of Biology and Mediciene. <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/">http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2892765/</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-86279886589444503512013-04-22T20:13:00.000-07:002013-04-22T20:14:17.820-07:00Hate Your Body? Hate Your Job? Want a New Life? Here's How To Change!<br />
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Hi All,<br />
Have you ever had a day (or week, or year, or decade) where you feel like you hate your body or job or life? Well, today's blog is about how you have the power to change it all. Of course, I'm not going to give you the answer right away, I have a story first...<br />
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Have you ever had the opportunity to be at the beach when the sun is rising? If you have ever seen the sun peeking up over the water, or winking from over a mountain top, then you know that getting up early has some rewards. The reason for this particular blog today is that I happened upon a great site over the last few weeks that I wanted to share with you all. While I am an early riser, myself, I think that my personal motivations for waking early may be vastly different from the arduous pain most people associate with the thought of their alarm clocks going off before sunrise.<br />
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While many who follow this blog know that I frequently listen to Jimmy Moore's awesome podcast, <i>Livin' La Vida Low Carb </i>(www.livinlavidalowcarb.com), and from that podcast I often learn about other podcasts, ways of living, nutritional information, etc. I would say that Jimmy's podcast is a great tool for helping me keep on track with my nutritional goals. From time-to-time, Jimmy will interview someone who has their own podcast and sometimes I'll check it out to find that I love that one, too. As of today, I have about 196 podcasts in my itunes queue, and while I'm pretty comfortable with the fact that I may never listen to them all, I am convinced that all of this information is beneficial, and instead of feeling overwhelmed about all the information I will never learn, I now go through and skim the titles and pick and choose what sounds good to me.<br />
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All of this is to say that as I was listening to a great podcast called Fat Burning Man by Abel James <a href="http://www.fatburningman.com/">http://www.fatburningman.com/</a> where he interviewed a gentleman by the name of Craig Ballentyne. And while Craig has achieved a lot of acclaim through his massively effective workout/transformation system, Turbulence Training <a href="http://turbulencetraining.blogspot.com/">http://turbulencetraining.blogspot.com/</a>, he also has a website that specifically focuses on personal development that really has fitness as a core element. The reason why this is so appealing to me and while it may be equally appealing to you is because I believe that true mental transformation occurred for me after my physical transformation happened.<br />
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While it is easy to make small accomplishments and brush them off as no big deal, when you do something amazing in your life (like lose 80 pounds and keep the weight off, as opposed to becoming a statistically reported 90%+ of dieters who lose weight and gain it back), then its hard to think of yourself as anything less than an achiever, and you really start to actualize your true potential.<br />
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As I was listening to Craig's podcast, he mentioned that his other site, Early To Rise, <a href="http://www.earlytorise.com/">www.earlytorise.com</a> is for people who are seeking inspiraton for their lives, health, and business. As an aspiring entrepreneur, I was impressed and inspired by his American Dream program so much that I had to share the basic concept with you. The American Dream program is really a combination of all the best practices to keep your life on track to your goals and really helps individuals make plans for their change in their lives. So, my gift to you if this is area where you would like to change- check it out, and thank me later.<br />
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The American Dream is really a program to help anyone set goals in health, wealth, and business. For me, I find it appealing because one of the first instructions is to create a list of rules to live by. Ballentyne has a list of 12 that include everything from waking up and going to bed at the same time every day, to setting aside designated time in your day for checking emails, handling phone calls, etc. One of the items specifically that intrigued me was Ballentyne's encouragement of framing your own diet rules. While a friend of mine hates this idea and finds it restrictive, I come from the school of thought that its actually a liberating activity because it eliminates a lot of mental guess work and negotiation that I know I suffer when I'm not adhering to a plan. For example, if I have a rule that I don't eat wheat and sugar unless its for a pre-determined cheat day, then I know that when I go to work and the sales manager has brought in a load of dutch apple cinnamon bagels with honey shmear that my automatic response is: this isn't a cheat meal for me, so I am going to eat my yogurt. There's no consideration given to any potential cheats because its not part of my rules. I know I could get the same bagel at Einstein's on my cheat day if I wanted, but for today, its going to save me from second-guessing my good food choices.<br />
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While the above is just one example of some cool tools on Craig's website, I thought I would give it a nice shout out today in case anyone has never had the opportunity to consider personal development for their lives. Its a great arena to explore, and whether your a personal development novice, looking for something new, or you are ready today to make a total life overhaul, then definitely check out Craig's site-- it's definitely worth a visit.<br />
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Have a great day all!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-34840737866565318922013-04-08T09:35:00.000-07:002013-04-08T09:35:44.409-07:00Eating On-The-Go!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Good Morning All!<br />
<br />
I wanted to start this week off with a quick post about eating on-the-go. While it is no secret that eating whole, real foods is better than eating processed food and that eating at home is better than eating out, at the end of the day, I have a full-time job, I have a life, and like you all, I am constantly wondering when I will have time to cook and prep foods. While I do make grocery shopping and food prep a priority, there are times when my good intentions go to the wayside, and I am stuck with eating on the go. While I have always found eating out on a low carb diet to be awesome, I thought it would be, perhaps, insightful to post some pretty typical selections from my week.<br />
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First off, I have to say that of all the various on-the-go snacks that I have, the one I definitely LOVE is Quest Bars. Unlike a lot of other "low carb" bars on the market, they have no sugar alcohols- at least not in the chocolate brownie one that is totally awesome. At only 170 calories, this bad boy packs a whopping 20 grams of protein, 5 grams of net carbs, and is loaded with fiber! The cheapest place I have found them is at The Vitamin Shoppe because I can get a 12-pack for $26.99. It still makes them about $2.25 each, but I don't have to pay for shipping since there is one here in San Diego. You can of course get them online at <a href="http://www.questproteinbar.com/">http://www.questproteinbar.com/</a> and you can tell them I sent you (maybe I'll get freebies some day :)<br />
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Also, if you've been looking to check out some new blogs and awesome podcasts, definitely take a look at Jonathan Bailor's awesome site (and book) <a href="http://thesmarterscienceofslim.com/">http://thesmarterscienceofslim.com/</a>. Mr. Bailor has several great videos on YouTube, and a very fun podcast with some incredible information. I am going to listen to a few more and write a blog about it soon, but essentially, Jonathan identifies Quest Bars as, of all protein bars available, literally, the "SANE"-est one on the market. Therefore, I am glad to see that of all the things Jonathan may not enjoy about some of the items I am going to share with you on my eating on-the-go blog, that he would perhaps agree with this one as a good choice!<br />
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I ate this yesterday, it was a Farmer's Scramble from Corner Bakery. I made it low-carb by skipping the potatoes and toast. It was pretty tasty, and only $5.95 a la carte, which is awesome (because I'm also cheap, and I hate having to pay extra for carby sides I don't eat).<br />
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This was a Cobb Omlette that I got from Penfold's Cafe and Bakery in Temecula. I'll be honest, I was not that excited about it (mostly because the eggs were overcooked and I'm picky), but I didn't pack food for the day, and had to make do. I subbed out the carby sides for some cottage cheese, which I sprinkled with splenda. I spent ~$11 for this, and the only reason why I'm including it is because I want to share some options that are pretty reasonable. If you are not a fan of cottage cheese, then you can just skip the sides because the portion of eggs was huge!<br />
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This was a Chopped Chicken Cobb salad from Panera for lunch- It was about $10, which is a little more than I'd like to spend on a salad, but it was definitely tasty and got the job done! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAReoYQk2bNbao4fANP5S8e5q9pRNQYklpGSRBVWmu-Z5EPAGituHZ_ENILAZOcB_G2_VSVikOp835uV8ki1l_RSj2iusdDk5j2EbXLUSotqBh5LxAQm0YWarqj3xve-tZZELPDnnvLEI/s640/blogger-image--1868427904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAReoYQk2bNbao4fANP5S8e5q9pRNQYklpGSRBVWmu-Z5EPAGituHZ_ENILAZOcB_G2_VSVikOp835uV8ki1l_RSj2iusdDk5j2EbXLUSotqBh5LxAQm0YWarqj3xve-tZZELPDnnvLEI/s320/blogger-image--1868427904.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
<img height="96" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZc5QuK1zNeB4jDS3uSbc-aAUEm8APKXhu8fr6WN8khiVdt-bn62UC6U7nDlsBOudzqE-X4q9hqLe8eorCkyC2oIm5UlW-uKkioTGQTnz2CCWu9uh3YWbQrJTAseljTOBW4FauV1hYQzo/s640/blogger-image--644863445.jpg" style="filter: alpha(opacity=30); left: 322px; opacity: 0.3; position: absolute; top: 2238px;" width="71" />This is a vodka-soda I had from Il Postino :) I also had an appetizer portion of their Scallops in White Wine Cream Sauce (no toast) and I always add a scoop of the marinara the serve with bread, and 2 heaping spoonfulls of parmesan cheese, so while this isn't exactly the same, it does look like this (but with tons more sauce)...<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbFldsC29Y4tKJSQu8Kj3BwwGcsc5m3Rd0CWOkzaz_jULvBBdPP7X8QEBdUXJOCokNt0OREj-65KWaY078IzVNe4mRtbmaPddDaX62-RfFJuyQLnTPkI3RE4Iv_ppEqmum7EX6ahyHPQ/s1600/scallops.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinbFldsC29Y4tKJSQu8Kj3BwwGcsc5m3Rd0CWOkzaz_jULvBBdPP7X8QEBdUXJOCokNt0OREj-65KWaY078IzVNe4mRtbmaPddDaX62-RfFJuyQLnTPkI3RE4Iv_ppEqmum7EX6ahyHPQ/s320/scallops.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
Another day I had a reunion happy hour, so my dinner looked like this...<br />
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Followed by <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtuhjleRnMm1SBzbPWho9ALrORXz9c6RMY-omHxJoQBAwgFgyi1kZmebg7IuM-Nf6oFX57TevHZPasBriiw2JUBl7o_NnmPwIaYpk9scZ6TRQi3PPf_udAnLeZjsYuBJs0GUoZ1c3BBE/s1600/11447976-sugar-free-gluten-free-fat-free-and-more.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigtuhjleRnMm1SBzbPWho9ALrORXz9c6RMY-omHxJoQBAwgFgyi1kZmebg7IuM-Nf6oFX57TevHZPasBriiw2JUBl7o_NnmPwIaYpk9scZ6TRQi3PPf_udAnLeZjsYuBJs0GUoZ1c3BBE/s320/11447976-sugar-free-gluten-free-fat-free-and-more.jpg" width="238" /></a></div>
Low Carb Fro Yo from Paradise Yogurt ($3.95 for a large). I added some nuts and had a protein shake before I left, so while this would not be an awesome meal all the time, I didn't end up chowing down on a bunch of pizza at the party I went to, so I was able to stay in control and actually enjoy myself without waking up with tight pants the next day = mission accomplished!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhad4m1yjwABJZ4HO4pfk__C2OlwSO9cCEnXVezIw05i03THebyfQRp8URpwz7d3eAU7VvsVRgCdGYFaDmUtxRgqXm9wEuKBk5FM3I4mspejs-zf-avXbyxo8j-ICbSlXAclo6uDSlBYBc/s1600/blogger-image-1720951584.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhad4m1yjwABJZ4HO4pfk__C2OlwSO9cCEnXVezIw05i03THebyfQRp8URpwz7d3eAU7VvsVRgCdGYFaDmUtxRgqXm9wEuKBk5FM3I4mspejs-zf-avXbyxo8j-ICbSlXAclo6uDSlBYBc/s320/blogger-image-1720951584.jpg" width="239" /></a></div>
Finally, these two bad boys have been a long-standing staple in my diet. While some may balk and scoff at them because they are not organic, and yes, I know they are both (eek) processed, I include them because I need to have food available that doesn't require prep, and that I don't have to think about. These two choices are both packed with protein and low in carb, and I know that I can eat one, or both of these items and my body will automatically tell me when I'm full, and in my mind, it is a good on-the-go food for me. <br />
And just a quick FYI for those of you who are exploring low-carb as a lifestyle, here are some tips to low-carb your meals at restaurants:<br />
<ul>
<li>Skip the potatoes, toast and bread-based items at breakfast and get an omlet or scramble loaded with veggies, cheese and avocado instead.</li>
<li>When looking for snacks at convenience stores, go for prepped cheese, celery and peanut butter, string cheese, beef jerkey, nuts, and protein shakes- watch the carbs on these guys and make sure there is no added sugar.</li>
<li>When shooting for lunch or dinner out, have what you want! </li>
<li>If you want a burger, get it wrapped in lettuce. </li>
<li>If you want pizza, order a salad with it and just eat the pizza topping (if having the bread even present will throw you off, then ask the waiter to make you a pizza on top of veggies or spinach (believe me, it sound weird, but will still be awesome).</li>
<li>For Mexican food get a taco salad with no shell or refried beans, or get polla asada nachos with no chips or beans. Once again, the first time you do it you may get a strange look, but when you start coming back to restaurants again and again because they accomodate your needs, they will get it.</li>
<li>For Starbucks: Get a sugar free syrup (or pack your own stevia or sweetner of choice) and swap your non fat milk for half-and-half or heavy whipping cream).</li>
<li>For Italian: Get an appetizer portion of seafood (I do this with shrimp and scallops) and have a side salad, or get an antipasto salad.</li>
<li>For Chipotle: Get a chicken salad, no rice or beans, add fajita veggies, sour cream, cheese, tomato salsa and guac- me gusta mucho!</li>
</ul>
The point is to be creative, and not to be afraid to ask for what you want. Eating low carb on-the-go, isn't hard, it just requires a little tweaking. Once you give it a shot, then believe me, you will be hooked in no time. And if you have any great low carb on-the-go snacks or meals you love, send them over to me, or tag me in a tweet <a href="https://twitter.com/wendyburbridge" target="_blank">@wendyburbridge</a>.<br />
<br />
Have a great day everyone!!!!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-60216823596035134292013-03-29T21:07:00.000-07:002013-04-08T09:37:12.775-07:00Don't Let the Diet Po-Po Get You Down!!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnXSVcrDXoy_wshlmIrQynSlk6Wji-Ywh1mrcmfMDoUdUlFshmk9gSlARvy8asfDQZ6hULu2rk609WYGfzai2xdX3xRATQUWp1GaxHmK__ZJGwWw4iykVTuEkqCATeQ3zKlAFasms004/s1600/Diet-police.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTnXSVcrDXoy_wshlmIrQynSlk6Wji-Ywh1mrcmfMDoUdUlFshmk9gSlARvy8asfDQZ6hULu2rk609WYGfzai2xdX3xRATQUWp1GaxHmK__ZJGwWw4iykVTuEkqCATeQ3zKlAFasms004/s320/Diet-police.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Hi All,<br />
So, recently I have heard more and more about the term, "orthorextic" or "orthorexia." In laymen's terms it essentially means a person who is obsessed with avoiding unhealthy food. Maybe you've seen these people on your Facebook page who constantly post pictures of snacks and meals of only healthy meals to let everyone in the world know that they are abiding by their diet's prescribed rules, only to leave you feeling shamed and embarrassed that you tried X diet and after X days fell off the *&$)%@* wagon. I have seen this a lot with the gaining popularity around the paleo movement when people identify themselves as "paleo" yet they eat dairy, or they label themselves as "primal" but still have artificial sweeteners.<br />
<br />
Well, let me break it down for you, friends, the only reason I have been able to maintain a low-carb life for the last few years is that because a genius of a man, Robb Wolf (<a href="http://www.robbwolf.com/">www.robbwolf.com</a>) explained in <i>The Paleo Solution</i> that the problem isn't that we eat grassfed organic meat or not, its that we see that we cannot afford grassfed meat and therefore do not make the change. Meaning, people say, "oh grassfed beef is too expensive, so I will keep eating mac-n-cheese instead of chicken" (or something like that). Robb is an awesome guy, so I'm sure he'll be fine with my paraphrasing. The point is that I always felt like I had to be perfect: grass-fed meat, organic produce, cage-free eggs, etc. However, like any other working class gal, I understood very quickly that free-range eggs from the farmer's market in San Diego are $8/dozen (= yikes = freakout time = I continue my usual, stupid, low fat diet). The thing I love about Robb, however, is that he explains that while it is awesome to get organic, free-range products, lack of finances should not be keeping you from transforming your life TODAY! However, he also mentioned that just doing this 80% of the time was enough to see results.<br />
<br />
RRRRRRrrrrr (tires squeeling, and the world comes to a hault)! So, what I am telling you now, is that you don't HAVE to do everything perfectly, but you have to do something. Its actually quite simple... find a plan that is effective for your body, and don't let the diet police get you down.<br />
<br />
I think I've mentioned a few times before about how much I love Jimmy Moore's podcast, Livin' La Vida Low Carb (<a href="http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/">Livinlavidalowcarb.com</a>). If you've never heard it before, I would definitely encourage you to check it out. While Jimmy interviews everyone from leading medical experts in the fields of science and nutrition, this morning I listened to one particular podcast that really hit home for me. The interview was with Terri and Suz McDonald of <a href="http://www.yourlifeownersmanual.com/" target="_blank">Your Life An Owner's Manual</a> Terri and Suz McDonald are my new favorite people to stalk online because not only do I want to be them in 25 years, but they have an AMAZING PODCAST THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE FOREVER, and their goal is to help people like you and me understand how to live our best lives. More specifically, this dynamic duo focus on a synergistic combination of elements that cover nutrition, but also focus career, spirituality, relationships, etc. Friends, this is great news because when it comes to nutrition it doesn't matter how committed we are to healthy eating-- if we have a toxic lifestyle, then your healthy eating don't mean diddly.And, if your life is polluted with unhappiness then sticking to an eating plan can be challenging, even when its one you would otherwise thrive on.<br />
<br />
While Terri and Suz's focus is really on "Living the Good Life," the thing I found most interesting is their commitment to balanced living (not obsession, not orthorexia, not 100% perfection). Their commitment isn't to a diet, their commitment is to each other, living healthful lives and not missing out on opportunities. How many times have you skipped an exquisite meal because it wasn't on your "diet" plan? I know I've missed far too many! And when I listened to Terri and Suz today, all I could think of was, "how many people would experience freedom TODAY if they knew they didn't have to be perfect, they just had to follow a general practice?"<br />
<br />
Please allow me to further explain... when I was downing carbs like they were going out of style and living a vegan/high-carb/raw food lifestyle, I maintained my weight, but at 5 ft 4, I was in the higher region of my weight range, and for the intensity of my workouts and commitment to my diet I still feel like I had considerable body fat, which I did. At that time it was about 25-30% , and my dieting felt like a struggle. When I cut my carbs, eliminated sugar and wheat, my body naturally shed 10 lbs (even though I wasn't really strict with my diet, and ate considerably more than I did as a vegan). While I hate talking numbers because I don't think that life is a competition, I think its important to mention that the changes I made were very minimal for awesome results.<br />
<br />
However, I would have never achieved ANY weight loss or satiety if I felt like I had to be 100% on track all the time. Having the freedom to know that I really only had to follow my desired meal plan about 80% of the time put it all into perspective for me. Could I be "good" all the time? Sure, but would I be having any fun? Or, would I feel like a slave to dieting?<br />
<br />
The point of all of this, is that people who you admire online probably have off-days, and if they won't admit to it, then I definitely will! Despite all of my knowledge about high carbs and sugar, I still indulge from time-to-time. That doesn't make me bad; it makes me human. If you have had the Diet Po-Po on your back, I would say to let it go, and do what feels most natural to you. Life is not a competition, what matters most is how you feel about yourself at the end of the day.<br />
<br />
Love you all, have a great day!<br />
XXOO,<br />
WAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-53292896672289964772013-03-27T18:22:00.000-07:002013-04-08T09:45:31.021-07:00Self-Experimentation: I'm a Fan, Here's Why!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijC8IyVeMI0xS7DG6Lp3AeBlU8I3rN-NJwNY19V70gT2yMteE1sH62deU0oddV2nHbwqsF1Iaqc6k7hfovik4WwjrUa9HpDD69xGobRej6FrEZBYRTfJW3gD5m7JTtT0tkpnpEsABGXZU/s1600/jennifer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="192" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijC8IyVeMI0xS7DG6Lp3AeBlU8I3rN-NJwNY19V70gT2yMteE1sH62deU0oddV2nHbwqsF1Iaqc6k7hfovik4WwjrUa9HpDD69xGobRej6FrEZBYRTfJW3gD5m7JTtT0tkpnpEsABGXZU/s320/jennifer.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
Hi All,<br />
I am a huge fan of (well, to be honest) a lot of things: one is self-experimentation, and another is this quote from Jennifer Aniston. I like this quote because I think
one of the great things about life is getting to know who you are, what
makes you unique, and not making excuses for it, but embracing it and
moving ahead full-speed with your passion.<br />
<br />
Self experimentation; however, falls into a similar category because it says: I know what makes me tick, and identifies me as an individual amongst the billions of other people in this world. I feel like my body is a unique entity that is made up of every food, chemical, nutrient, stress, experience and process I have subjected it to over the last 34 years, and no amount of medical history forms, 5 second conversations with my doctor, or consultations with "specialists" will dial anyone into the awareness that comes from recognizing an ailment, proactively making changes, and measuring the results.<br />
<br />
Please don't get me wrong here, I do believe that some medical professionals can be helpful in situations: for example, if I was in a car accident and badly injured, I would want to go to an emergency room; however, if I have just a scrape, do I need a surgeon, or could a nurse practitioner or medical assistant help me just as well? If I wanted to go to a doctor of Chinese medicine for a cold then I could learn a new way of healing myself than I would if I went to a health clinic. You get where I'm going, right?<br />
<br />
So, a couple years ago when I read <i>Why We Get Fat</i> by Gary Taubes (<a href="http://garytaubes.com/">http://garytaubes.com/</a>), I became completely enchanted with understanding the concepts behind low carb living, and I started to read every book and blog I could get my hands (or really, eyeballs) on that explained why I was eating a miniscule amount of calories at that time and still dealing with phenomenal weight gain. What I learned is that my body is extremely sensitive to sugar (carbohydrates) and when my body is running in overdrive to produce enough insulin so I can down a ton of carbohydrates, it is not resting enough to burn fat. When I gave the insulin a break, I can start to produce more glucogon (my fat-burning BFF). So, if I wanted to lose weight I needed to cut the carbs and boost the fat.<br />
<br />
Jump to last year to my post-competition phase when I was literally terrified to eat anything, and for months after my show I was still within 2 pounds of my competition weight- not healthy. However, I realized this was a problem and started to once again seek out solutions. I hired a coach for my competition, so I hired a coach for my anti-competition (basic maintenance), and I will tell you that I had some enlightening experiences.<br />
<br />
What I discovered is that engaging a professional who has not explored and understood the necessity of a low carb diet for someone who has sugar intolerance (yep, that's me) is like taking an already obese child and putting it on a sugar fast (ie- a recipe for disaster/hot mess/Cha-Cha gets chunky/all hell breaks loose). After living the insane life of a massive carb consumer (as recommended by the RD I hired), I have learned a gigantic heap about myself and my needs. If you are also a low-carber, these are things that may interest/intrigue/help you as well.<br />
<br />
1.When I eat high-sugar (wheat, high-sugar, super-sweet) products, I crave nothing but high-sugar items: After experimenting with eating cereal and bananas for breakfast, I now know (for sure) that the only thing I want to eat after that meal is more of the same thing: sugar.For me, it doesn't matter if its toast, bananas, or donuts, its sugar, sugar, sugar, so for me no bueno.<br />
<br />
2. Eating sugar kills my satiety cues: When I attempted eating sugar/wheat/carby items, I could eat an<br />
endless supply, and still be craving more. I could be mentally bursting at the seems with an abundance of consumption, but nothing would tell me, "Hey Genius, stop now, you're full!"<br />
<br />
3. Eating a high fat diet kills my food noise: Do you ever eat something that spikes your insulin and then suddenly your brain starts telling you: eat more, eat more, EAT MORE! I definitely have, and I can tell you that no matter how much I try to "practice" eating Pop-Tarts, there is no way to shut that noise up for me than by kicking the toaster to the curb and piling some awesome fats on top of protein on top of veggies!<br />
<br />
4. There are other people like you who TOTALLY GET IT! So, after feeling like a loser at the "regular eating plan" I knew there had to be another way. When life gives me lemons, I do what every smart, low-carbing gal does and I turn to Jimmy Moore (<a href="http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/">http://livinlavidalowcarb.com/</a>)! Not only does Jimmy have an awesome list of low-carb doctors, but he also had a link to a great kow carb loving RD, Dietitian Cassie (<a href="http://www.dietitiancassie.com/">http://www.dietitiancassie.com/</a>). So, after massive email communications (what can I say, I'm high maintenance), Cassie agreed to take me on to get me back on track into my awesome Cha-Cha life! From our first communication, I knew we were MFEO (made for each other) and everything she had to say to me had light-bulbs going off like crazy!<br />
<br />
5. Knowing your body is the best gift you can give yourself: While you may be someone who has sugar sensitivities like me, or you may not, but either way the best advice I could ever give anyone is to know yourself, know what your body responds to, what foods affect you, what foods you like, and what your needs are for happiness. I wouldn't eat low carb if it felt like a chore, but honestly, when I eat low carb veggies, protein, and fat, I feel not only balanced, but at times I kind of feel like I won the lottery (seriously, you should see the burgers I chow down at Slaters 50/50, its impressive). <br />
<br />
I feel so rejuvenated with my love for low carbing, and hope you all enjoy hearing my about my new adventures of exploring low carb in a new, enlightened way.<br />
<br />
Good healthy and yummy eating to everyone!<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-5481921807327983532013-01-27T16:28:00.002-08:002013-04-22T20:15:33.951-07:00Big Brother, Big Food, and What We Can Do About It!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVC2qv6l5gRpCnSLyfTdJwEqckggoqY0Sikp9daYAYJfxQF8BjVAvF9d0I8_BrukAuosmfxoYf-0pf58AHXrE0Xdqwk479bNVFBf06GnRNpTNIx65lhsI-wMEWvPVowir2kUWABspGaJM/s1600/cdc_obesity.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="232" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVC2qv6l5gRpCnSLyfTdJwEqckggoqY0Sikp9daYAYJfxQF8BjVAvF9d0I8_BrukAuosmfxoYf-0pf58AHXrE0Xdqwk479bNVFBf06GnRNpTNIx65lhsI-wMEWvPVowir2kUWABspGaJM/s400/cdc_obesity.png" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
Hi All,<br />
<br />
I wanted to write a quick blog to share some information I have recently learned...<br />
While I find that I am consistently hungry for more information about good health and nutrition, I am ravenous for information about obesity and how our country has arrived at this point (see map above).<br />
<br />
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, more that one-third of U.S. adults are obese, meaning a BMI of over 30. For someone my height (5'4") that is 30 pounds over the "healthy range." The "healthy range" for my height is 120-150 lbs, so this data is not even including people who are considered overweight (150-180 lbs for my height), but only counts those who are over 180 lbs. I want to be clear about this because the numbers including overweight and obese are double what they are for obesity (http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/overwt.htm).That link to the CDC demonstrates that for 2009-2010, overweight adults were 33.3% and obese adults were 35.9%, but back to my point...<br />
<br />
While that tells me that there are 30% of Americans who are suffering as a result of obesity, the astonishing fact to me, is the rapid increase of obesity in the last 20 years. American have not always been overweight, yet alone obese, and in 1985, obesity was a rarity. In fact, only 8 states had an obesity rate of 10-14%, 13 states had an obesity rate of less than 10%, and the remaining states had no data at all because obesity was so uncommon. I shared this slide in a training and development course and the room was silent. <br />
<br />
I am passionate about this topic because, as someone who was once 86 pound heavier, I remember the struggles I had as an obese teenager, and I am very well aware of what condition my health would be in these days if I hadn't made a change. I also know that people who are wanting to make a change are completely confused by all the mixed messages they are receiving, and it is frustrating to anyone to feel like you are following the rules and still not winning. <br />
<br />
So, how did this start? How did we go from being a country with little to no obesity to a country who just 20 years later has found themselves spending a significant portion on obesity-related medical expenses, prescription drugs, and still, dieting? Well, lately I have become increasingly interested in how this has all happened, and have started conducting some research that I can't help but share.<br />
<br />
For those of you who don't know, the Institute for Integrative Nutrition is an organization committed to sharing the truth about nutrition to people who want to become health coaches. Since they are not government funded, they have the freedom to share information regarding government agencies-- even the ones who are supposed to be providing valuable nutrition information to Americans.<br />
<br />
While, I find I align with their belief system surrounding food, I believe that regardless of who you are and what your belief system currently is, there are astonishing facts that Americans in general should be aware of the next time they think about putting their faith in the USDA, ADA, or any other government-sponsored nutrition adviser. The following facts are from Joseph Rosenthal's book, <i>Integrative Nutrition. </i><br />
<ul>
<li>"Our biological individuality allows one person to thrive on a diet that is terrible for someone else. Following a diet plan designed by someone whose genetic makeup and nutritional needs are different from our own cannot restore our inner knowing."</li>
</ul>
Translation: Anyone who wants to prescribe a one size fits all diet plan is not doing you any service because everyone is different, has different needs, and responds to foods in ways miraculously different from anyone else in this world. You are an individual, and you should have a plan that suits you, not millions of other people. This is why your doctor may tell you to eat a low fat diet filled with whole grains and you still can't lose weight!<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>"The food industry's greatest allies are in Congress. It's the job of these politicians to protect the interests of their states, which includes not only the citizens but also the corporations and industries that live there. So, a senator from Texas will support the cattle industry. A senator from Wisconsin is going to fight for dairy by not allowing any wording into government guidelines that will negatively affect the dairy industry. Politicians with skilled, well-paid lobbyists, control legislation and nutritional information put out by the government."</li>
</ul>
This goes for a multitude of industries now. Big Sugar and Big Corn are also in on this, so if you see anything on a nutritional label that has any corn- anything, then unless its corn, its not really food. If you've never seen Food, Inc., then definitely watch it. There is some great information about the difference between anything produced in a factory fashion versus things naturally produced out on the farm.<br />
<ul>
<li>"The ADA is heavily funded by the food industry, receiving millions of dollars a year from agricultural organizations and corporations that manufacture food and food additives."</li>
</ul>
They (American Dietetics Association) does this because while their motto is "eat right" they recommend things on their website like fat free ranch dressing and slow churned light ice cream. Umm... I don't know about you, but I don't recall the last time I read a book on thriving health that included recommendations for eating a chemical-laden donkey load! Just so you know, the ADA accepts money from companies like Hellman's and Wendy's, as well as from the sugar industry, so once again, do not trust them!<br />
<br />
I could go on and on with more data (Big Pharma escaped this rant), but the thing I wanted to express was that the agencies we expect to protect us, are really not so interested in protecting our health, and as wise consumers we have to be aware that anything in a package may not be what we really think it is. In fact, if you don't know what it is, then don't eat it at all! I don't even want to get started on partially hydrogenated oils being a molecule away from plastic in the body! Oy!<br />
<br />
Food has become a money-making business for the government, and if you have a country full of sick, obese people who are reliant on medications that means you have a government official who is getting a big FAT paycheck. If everyone gets well and no one is purchasing manufactured garbage, and we all get healthy and don't need prescriptions, then there is no need for Big Food to bribe lawmakers, right?<br />
<br />
In an effort to not just be a windbag, and in order to make a change at the grassroots level, I have really decided that I want to use my passion for change. While I feel like sharing this information through my blog is a good start, I am also believe that encouraging others to commit to reducing and eliminating processed foods from their diets. What that means to me is that instead of eating pre-packaged foods because they are convenient, low-calorie. low-carb, or sugar-free, I am going to spend more time getting my butt in the kitchen cooking and preparing real food. By spending my money on real food and not fake junk in a box, I believe that I am voting with my dollar.In fact, I just realized that I didn't read the label on my yogurt, and I should probably do that before I eat it (oops)!<br />
<br />
So this is what my groceries were looking like this week (see below). <br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvV5AJ25geY16FUVlGgJpD0uFyNY-gEtiNnrW0MhxHtoloBdxIpUQwktHXsYuGPNIinKO-jRFm3P3b0UQ7Ou9KGBBqvu6hBLDto-DqJegIjmPtj_PzSLQ_bCwVtNXLF9ATW9PkU8hlTYY/s1600/shopping.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvV5AJ25geY16FUVlGgJpD0uFyNY-gEtiNnrW0MhxHtoloBdxIpUQwktHXsYuGPNIinKO-jRFm3P3b0UQ7Ou9KGBBqvu6hBLDto-DqJegIjmPtj_PzSLQ_bCwVtNXLF9ATW9PkU8hlTYY/s320/shopping.jpg" width="238" /></a><br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
You will notice that I don't have any meat in the picture, and that is
only because I want to make a conscious effort to cook all my veggies,
so I will add in some fish and meat later. I am also without anyone to cook for this week, so I want to make sure that I buy it fresh (from the farmer's market if I can).You will also notice that I
have fruit in the picture because I have been experimenting with little
bits throughout the day. Overall, you will notice that a majority of
what I have is from the produce department, and around the exterior
portion of the store. While it may be a small effort, I feel like this is my contribution this week to doing my part to share information, stay strong, and healthy on!<br />
<br />
Have a great week everyone!<br />
<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-74588990593228162552013-01-10T11:04:00.000-08:002013-01-12T16:53:36.083-08:00Make an Easy Change to Start Long-Term Success!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5_joFk6x51uoiM-8xPQOwlqmdS1bovBLMDeOMqujXmIedR-qbNFoH4Pdp6KH6wfk7szsqXHyv53LgbaPl3tB3JPyD5JLsLROxf-DZZ-13MbAGoZnCQH8aPsYPqD0jzkR_weitoJopgY/s1600/Wheat+Belly.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv5_joFk6x51uoiM-8xPQOwlqmdS1bovBLMDeOMqujXmIedR-qbNFoH4Pdp6KH6wfk7szsqXHyv53LgbaPl3tB3JPyD5JLsLROxf-DZZ-13MbAGoZnCQH8aPsYPqD0jzkR_weitoJopgY/s1600/Wheat+Belly.jpg" /></a></div>Hi All,<br />
<br />
I have started several blogs posts over the holidays, but between traveling, finishing school, the holidays, work, working out, and trying to maintain sanity, I never actually finished any of them. So, I figured that short is better than nothing, so here we go.<br />
<br />
I have been particularly motivated to write a new blog lately because of a trip I had home to Northern California over the holidays, and I realized how much I had personally changed my eating habits over the last few years. My mom was particularly concerned with what to feed me since I no longer eat wheat, grains, and sugar. While I am surrounded by tons of health-conscious people in San Diego, and everyone either is or knows someone who is on a Paleo or low carb plan, when I go home, it takes a little more explaining. More than once I had a conversation with people about my particular diet and why high fructose corn syrup and any kind of processed anything is less than ideal. However, I don't want to get too far ahead of myself here.<br />
<br />
As I was explaining the phenomenal benefits of a ketogenic diet to my mom, I saw her look at me with kind of a blank stare as she tried to understand what I was saying without being totally confused. While I don't consider myself a great science mind, I am consistently hungry for information about my body and how things respond inside my body. While some of the articles I was telling her about were even a little over my head, I promised her that I would make an attempt to synthesize information a little more clearly in my blog, which I learned that she actually reads (thanks, mom)!<br />
<br />
First off, before I start to break down the ins and outs of all the changes one would need to make to jump into a ketogenic diet, I think it is best to actually talk about the small steps first. You have to walk before you can run, and you have to crawl before you can walk. Lets say that in the diet scheme if running is understanding the keto diet, that we are still in the drooling on ourselves phase and that over time, we will get to crawling and walking, and then eventually to runnning.<br />
<br />
Next, I think the most important part of any diet transformation is to consider what changes you can make now without feeling like you are losing your head. I would not have imagined a life without bread years ago, but through making gradual changes, I now happily pass up sandwiches, burgers and pizza because I have learned that there are times when I ate bread and didn't care about it. Have you ever eaten something and realized that it really didn't matter, but that you were eating it because it was there? That's kind of how I used to feel about whole grain tortilla wraps. I ate them because I was told they were "healthy" by the clever packaging and due to the fact that they were on several low cal websites, but I never enjoyed them. Substituting the wrap for avocado and having a turkey salad with avocado instead of a bland turkey wrap then became a no-brainer for me. Now, if you think that I did not crush a handful of sugar cookies at my bestie's baby shower last weekend then you would be wrong. While I am diligent about my diet, I think that in order to maintain a somewhat normal sense of being that having a cheat here and there is a good mental break. You may agree or you may not, but that is your call. In my mind, everyone has to do what works best for themselves.<br />
<br />
Now, our short lesson for today is to find a way to eliminate a sugar or wheat in your life that you don't enjoy it. The reason why we want to eliminate wheat and sugar from our diets is because both wheat and sugar increase our insulin. Now, you are probably thinking, "Wendy, I don't have diabetes, so I don't need to worry about that." Well, I would tell you that you are wrong. According to Dr. William Davis, <span class="userContent"> "The higher the blood glucose after consumption of food, the greater the insulin level, the more fat is deposited. This is why, say, eating a 3-egg omelet that triggers no increase in glucose does not add to body fat, while two slices of whole wheat bread increases blood glucose to high levels, triggering insulin and growth of fat, particularly abdominal or deep visceral fat." I have included a pic of <i>Wheat Belly</i> here because Dr. Davis does a great job explaining the dangers of eating wheat (even if you don't have diabetes or celiac disease). One quick one for you is that wheat consumed by our grandparents was not a problem like it is today due to the fact that it was less genetically modified. Did you know the wheat we eat now has a protein in it that allows it to withstand pesticides? Nice to have that poison in your body, right? </span><br />
<span class="userContent"><br />
</span><span class="userContent"><br />
</span><span class="userContent">I am going in guns blazing on both wheat and sugar here because I know how it goes with nutrition advice. I will say, don't eat wheat and you will go eat a candy bar or a white chocolate mocha ;) Im not asking for balls to the walls commitment, here, just one thing you eat that you could give up with ease: 1 sugar item and 1 wheat item. </span><br />
<br />
Think about it... what matters to you and what could you effortlessly give up this week to make a positive change and become one step closer to reducing wheat and sugar. Can't wait to hear your feedback. <br />
<br />
Have a healthy day!<br />
Wendy <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-368119924617963932012-11-12T09:18:00.000-08:002012-11-12T09:18:14.737-08:00I Did It: I Competed... and Learned a Lesson!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRW-ZHi9M0EPk_qOSMlG3a0sPXL67qSjeb_lEP0qIjazPt9XZAZjy_8Bl1VN2_ekECBKaJ9p0QLgsfnwK808N32H0uTyx0SiZkXAkg1XPpSQ00upAIE-27_OjtwvveD1Vdp0knq3OiGPQ/s1600/Competition.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRW-ZHi9M0EPk_qOSMlG3a0sPXL67qSjeb_lEP0qIjazPt9XZAZjy_8Bl1VN2_ekECBKaJ9p0QLgsfnwK808N32H0uTyx0SiZkXAkg1XPpSQ00upAIE-27_OjtwvveD1Vdp0knq3OiGPQ/s320/Competition.jpg" width="151" /></a></div>
Hi Everyone!<br />
For those of you who follow me, you know that I recently competed in my first ever bikini competition. I have been off the map for quite a while, and am now just starting to see the light of day, so I thought I'd go ahead and finally write a blog about my experience.<br />
<br />
First off, the pictures on stage did not come out at all the way I thought they would, and my favorite competition photo is this one right here- in the hotel after hair, makeup and tan, so this is the one I will always use (even though I had no jewelry on).<br />
<br />
Competing for me was not an option, it was an absolute necessity. I know that seems like a weird statement, but the truth is that I've had a long, arduous journey to get to this point in my life, and competing was a necessary step for me personally to acknowledge the extreme other side of where I've come from. I've hired two competition coaches in the past, and for one reason or another things fell through. For me, competing was about taking care of business, and finishing what I started, so there was no way I was quitting this time.<br />
<br />
I never would have imagined when I started my quest to lose weight when I was 206 lbs that I would arrive at the place I was in this picture: a 116-pound mess. I say that a little tongue-in-cheek, because anyone who thinks that how you look on stage or at competition time is any reflection of how you should normally live is completely mistaken. While a competition diet and exercise routine will make you very lean, it is not normal, healthy way to live.<br />
<br />
People were messaging and texting me left and right during my prep asking me what I was eating and how much I was working out in order to attempt the same practice, and every time, I always responded that I would never recommend this diet for ANYONE, EVER. Literally, there were days, no weeks, where I was burning more calories than I was eating. I was starving all the time, cranky, underfed, deprived, and in general, a total B-word. I was absent-minded a lot and made mistakes with school work and at my job. Fortunately, everyone at work was sympathetic to my situation, and understood the importance of this goal, but it was certainly not a sustainable way to live.<br />
<br />
While I had many challenges to get to this day, the hardest part was the fact that I was literally doing this all on my own. I had hired a coach for training and nutrition help, but she was 2000 miles away, and if it wasn't for all the support I got from Meriza Deguzman Ciccone, and Michael Bautista and his amazing team, I swear I would have never made it to the stage. What I didn't realize when I embarked on this endeavor is the level of support required to make it happen. Having a team of people to help you train, eat, supplement, pose, dress, tan, style, primp and even pee, is an absolute necessity-- especially for your first show, and I felt so unprepared for it all. Not only did I have to hunt down my own suit designer, but I had to make decisions about cut, color, fabric, and a million other things that I could care less about. All I wanted was a snack or more to eat, or rest, or a day off from the gym, but I had to carry on and make decisions about my personal life and the show. It was an exhausting experience.<br />
<br />
Once it was all over, my take-aways were that I was happy that I had accomplished what I set out to do, but that I NEVER want to compete again. I am much happier living a normal, balanced life, and if I ever mention this being something I want to pursue again as long as I live, I pray to God that someone will beat me with blunt object. I also learned that my normal regimen is just fine. I love the way my normal life is and that I typically follow a structured workout and eating routine, but there are also days where I totally let it go and eat whatever I want-- the thing I've learned is to embrace my style and live with balance.<br />
<br />
As I close this chapter of my competition journey, a lot of people have asked me... what next? Well, as far as I can tell, the what next for me is finishing my degree, enjoying the holidays and planning for 2013. I recently moved back into my old condo, and something about being in a familiar place makes me want to just get into the kitchen and try every new recipe I haven't had a chance to make while I've been dieting. I have loaded up my pinterest board with more recipes than I could get through in a lifetime, so I am looking forward to the weather cooling off, long sleeves, new boots, and the smell of coconut flour pumpkin bread cooking in the oven. Oh, and wine. Lots and lots of good, red wine.<br />
<br />
Hope you are all kicking your fall seasons off to a good start and that you are planning some fun activities for this holiday season. I'll be sure to blog more now that I can eat again, and I hope you will all continue to follow.<br />
<br />
Have a great day!<br />
<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-85990067920460223442012-09-22T12:16:00.000-07:002012-09-22T12:16:08.118-07:00I Earned It: A Treat Meal on My Prep<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm03Vpj03PQEFJ6ADZIrat9zGFninPp3ivED1YWTKXu5Wwzavx0SChYStE9UkkYKOYwi6brx_rknIdEVStm0ad1OPYeXAZYVbHQXaZ5_SrsvK9w82suPBD02TBABOEIlEH5dPUOs64Oy0/s1600/Border+States+5+Weeks+Out+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm03Vpj03PQEFJ6ADZIrat9zGFninPp3ivED1YWTKXu5Wwzavx0SChYStE9UkkYKOYwi6brx_rknIdEVStm0ad1OPYeXAZYVbHQXaZ5_SrsvK9w82suPBD02TBABOEIlEH5dPUOs64Oy0/s200/Border+States+5+Weeks+Out+010.JPG" width="111" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front Shot- 5 Weeks Out</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYn50vS1WYw6NTImReDVKGCaEotnpkUPrHBlCkTsIrOQFPeViFVkct5kVzsgm8Ra8cQINpNwx2SdHq8Tfguni_kBQF0FumLZbfUtgyvUp-tdL-Veb4eBizfA922_9iV5WpHjrqCA5cvI/s1600/Border+States+5+Weeks+Out+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEYn50vS1WYw6NTImReDVKGCaEotnpkUPrHBlCkTsIrOQFPeViFVkct5kVzsgm8Ra8cQINpNwx2SdHq8Tfguni_kBQF0FumLZbfUtgyvUp-tdL-Veb4eBizfA922_9iV5WpHjrqCA5cvI/s200/Border+States+5+Weeks+Out+011.JPG" width="118" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back Shot- 5 weeks Out</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
Hi All,<br />
I wanted to start out with some front and back update pics because its been a while since I've posted any and I wanted to share my progress. First off, my show is 5 weeks away! Yeah! I can't believe I've been training for the last 10 weeks, and while I am TIRED and SICK OF EATING THE SAME THING, I'm also super psyched about my progress. While having the personal satisfaction of looking in the mirror and seeing positive changes is good, I was beyond thrilled when I got the following email from my trainer today. I was really concerned about my rear coming in flat, and here's what she had to say...<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: x-small;">Wendy-</span><br /><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: x-small;">You're
SPOT on for 5 weeks out. Your front pose is utterly BEAUTIFUL.
Honestly. I don't want ANY changes just yet. We hit the four week mark
this coming weekend so we will re-assess then.</span><br /><br />
<span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS; font-size: x-small;">Tonight
I'd like you to have a caloric increase a bit. We are going to keep it
clean, just an influx of clean calories...<span style="font-family: Times,"Times New Roman",serif;"> (I worked some mind judo on her later and got the thumbs up for some non-clean, too. Ha ha).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;">I
think with your butt, it's going to be the last thing to pop in, and
that's okay. You're way ahead in terms of your lower body from the front
pose and your abs. I'm super super proud of your progress!!!!! </span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">So, I have to say, I am super excited to not only be on target for my show, but to also be getting a treat meal tonight! Yeah!</span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">I was thinking when I started this venture that I would have a lot of time to blog about my experience, when in reality, it has taken a lot more emotionally energy than I initially anticipated. While I have been moving right along with progress, I will be honest that I have been exhausted a lot of the time, and that there are days where I have had to literally get my butt up and just go to the gym even though I'm tired, my body is sore, and I felt like I had nothing left to give. I have had a lot of days where I whine and cry that I can't eat something, and feel like a hermit because I can't go out and be social with my friends.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">However, despite the sacrifices I have made for this pursuit, I can see the light at the end of the tunnel. When I was training for competitions before I never took it this far. I never bought my shoes and suit, I never made it past 6 weeks, and I definitely never earned a special treat meal. But, I think that just being consistent on my plan even when I don't feel like it, has given me the stamina to keep going.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">I was recently contacted by someone who was a total stranger to me, but someone at her gym told her about my blog, so she emailed to ask me for tips on working out and such. I was so excited because my goal with this whole blog is to inspire and motivate people to make changes in their life. While I know that competing is certainly the most extreme version of this, I also know that it has been a great experience thus far because it has definitely forced me to face things I am afraid of: boredom, being by myself, eating boring food, isolation, etc. </span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">When I was first starting out on my journey, I didn't know how I would go one day without a donut, and now I think about it, but I know that nothing will ever give me the satisfaction that I feel when I look in the mirror and see my abs-- which now kind of frighten me. Ha ha. The point of all this is that, in order to get to where we want to be, sometimes we have to just take small steps, one after the other, and instead of looking at your whole journey as something that needs to be accomplished in 12 weeks or less, look at it as the rest of your life. Where do you want to be? What do you want to acheive? And what can you go without (or with less of) today to get you there? There are a lot of times when I don't want to eat the same food on my plan, but all I think is- can I do it for this meal? I can, and you can too. Sometimes refocusing that way is the best way to realize that that's how change is made. It doesn't have to be radical or grandiose, it just has to be authentic to you and help you achieve the goal of being your true self.</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;">Have a great day everyone!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Comic Sans MS;"><span style="font-family: Times, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: small;"> </span> </span></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-8862391202155174382012-08-12T09:07:00.001-07:002012-08-12T11:28:28.673-07:00Y>X<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNb0aHGlmL1hPt-SvFt5Y7pL_bqrv7vWzZoRCAmFgDvb74gVFl80yofJtn1hdgTFTmZb1QRIPFui_B1nD95G-NUX0MCfqYHuvPv9ALKB8gb_ioYgL82b96J08lvXhfcEnbfbu8ksWw9fk/s1600/Maple+Donut.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNb0aHGlmL1hPt-SvFt5Y7pL_bqrv7vWzZoRCAmFgDvb74gVFl80yofJtn1hdgTFTmZb1QRIPFui_B1nD95G-NUX0MCfqYHuvPv9ALKB8gb_ioYgL82b96J08lvXhfcEnbfbu8ksWw9fk/s320/Maple+Donut.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Good Morning Friends!<br />
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I am writing this blog post today based on something I learned a long time ago from a friend and nutritionist, Tara Coleman. When I started getting serious about training and getting leaner (in 2007) I met Tara and worked with her for a period of time to lose those last stubborn 5-10 pounds and reduce my body fat. And if you are in San Diego, and looking for someone who will work with you one-on-one, Tara is a genuinely sweet and wonderful person, and I would recommend her to anyone who is looking to improve their health <a href="http://www.taracoleman.com/">www.taracoleman.com</a><br />
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One day when I was sitting in Tara's office, I noticed she had a sign posted that said "Y>X" and I asked her what it meant. She told me that it meant that your Y (why- reasons you are doing whatever you are trying to achieve) has to be greater than your X (variable of anything that can get in your way). It made sense to me so much so, that here I am 5 years later still thinking about it.<br />
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Now, you are probably wondering what all of this has to do with a picture of the delicious maple old fashioned donut I have mercilessly included at the top of my blog today.Well, I will tell you...<br />
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Many of you know I am competing in a Bikini (division of bodybuilding) Competition in now less than 11 weeks. I mention that its in bodybuilding so you get the idea that this is not a Hawaiian Tropic show for teenagers who are genetically blessed with bodies that won't think about being 30 for another 10 years. This competition is for athletes, and requires discipline, focus, and quite a lot of hard work. Competition prep is like a marathon, not a sprint, so for someone like me who has been motivated by the number on the scale, its a little challenging to re-frame and think that what matters is my progress pictures at the end of the week and not my weight or body fat.<br />
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Competing at this level means that my diet has to be very specific, and that there are things I would generally enjoy as a treat normally that I need to abstain from for now in order to produce a specific result for the show: tight, small body with well-rounded, symmetrical tone. For those of you who know me personally, y'all understand my genuine adoration with the worst carb-offender out there: the donut. While I keep my diet nice and tight 95% of the time, I will confess that Tony at Donut Plus has seen me in my pajamas on more than one occasion. :0<br />
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Now, with my training, I have had to give up my beloved D in order to stay on plan, and I wanted to blog about it because I had to really focus last night. I was home alone, and I had eaten all I should have for the day, but I was tired and worn out. After a tough week of working out, and spending the day in the sun helping a friend move, I wanted nothing more than to go chow down on some burgers and drinks, but I went home, ate my food plan, and did my laundry while watching Bridget Jones's Diary. As I sat there, the big D craving kicked in and I was about to lose it. I tried to re-adjust my thinking, refocus on my goals, but my mind was reeling! I thought, you know what, forget it, I'm gonna' go for it. So, I took my recently finished copy of <i>50 Shades</i> (there is a book share at Donut Plus, ha ha), and put my sweater on and proceeded out the door.<br />
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Before I could even lock the door behind me I thought- do I really want this X (maple donut) more than I want the success of waking up leaner tomorrow? I really had to stop and think about it, and I came back inside, made some lemonade and then went to bed. It sounds simple, but in reality it was a nail-biting, carpet-pacing experience and really forced me to think about what I want. The donut is delicious and I enjoy it for the 12 seconds it would take me to eat it, but then what? Well, for one, I know that it wouldn't just be one, and then I thought about the morning-after feeling, waking up with a guilty tinge of pain in my belly as I walk of shamed my white donut bag to the trash. I then thought about the remorse I would feel and the days of recovery I would have to do to compensate for something that gave me about 12 seconds of enjoyment. When I thought about it like that, the decision was pretty clear.<br />
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The reason I am sharing this with you all is because despite the fact that I have this high goal of competing, I also still deal with the day to day temptations that haunt every person who has ever loved a carb. While I can generally keep a lid on it, competition prep seems to have amplified my cravings because I am now limited to a select few things to eat during the day. And yes, I get bored, I get hungry, I get tired, but I also know that finishing strong is greater than any satisfaction I would gain from eating some crap at this point. My Y is definitely greater than my X today! Hope yours is too!<br />
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Have a great day!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-4567360077226544822012-08-04T16:37:00.000-07:002012-08-04T16:37:16.262-07:0012 Weeks Out and Getting My Head in the Game<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well folks, it's get real time for me. As you can see from my pic, I am officially in training mode, and am spending as much time as I can focusing on a positive result for my show (and clearly less time trying to learn how to use the timer and functions on my camera). This is my 12-weeks out progress pic, and despite the fact that I still have a lot of work to do, I wanted to post my pic because I want to demonstrate that all of this is a process, and while I can see incremental changes, its not an overnight change.<br />
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I have had quite a few struggles the last few weeks because it's been a big adjustment getting used to competition life. I don't eat out like I used to, I have to cook ALL THE TIME, and I have to make sure I get enough sleep for recovery. Despite the fact that I have been tired a lot this past week, the greatest challenge is the mental aspect of all of this.<br />
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Everywhere I go, people are eating things I want to eat, drinking things I want to drink, and its easy to get sucked into the thought that "poor me, I don't get to have a cookie or a glass of wine." I was at Costco yesterday and greeted by gigantic chocolate chip cookies that were screaming my name. Positioned just in front of the display was a very large woman who had just loaded a dozen into her cart, and I had to acknowledge that eating that kind of food leads me down the same self destructive path. I know everyone is on their own journey, and it is likely that woman was on a diet and purchasing the cookies for her family or church, but all I needed to do was think about how they effect ME.<br />
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When I eat that kind of food (cookies, donuts, literally anything with sugar), then all I want is more of it. There is an insatiable force that gets re-born inside me every time I make myself open to the opportunity of eating bad food, and it is a beast that requires maintenance. I really have to remind myself that inside I am the same person I was at 206 lbs. Losing 80 pounds is awesome, and I am really good at saying no to a lot of foods a lot of time, but a competition diet really brings those old demons to the surface. <br />
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So, how do I do it? How do I say no to so many things when in my head everything wants me to say yes? Well, my friends, I find that my best defense against myself is to keep in a positive state of mind all of the time. I know that if I let doubt or fear settle in that it will take over and lead me down a path of negativity, so instead, I decided to create a positive mantra for myself to mentally stoke my motivational fire all day long. While you may not be a fan of mantra's, Brian Tracy says that you become what you think about all the time, so for the next 83 days, this is what is going to be on my mind...<br />
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I am a COMPETITOR. I take my mental, physical, and spiritual well-being seriously. I feed myself to fuel my workouts because I know that at the end of 83 days I will be at my physical peak. I want to use this experience to learn that I am stronger than I ever thought, and that I can be an inspiration to others. I now have a small, dedicated window of opportunity to truly learn how much I can accomplish when I become focused. I understand that each day I will strive for 100% perfection, and that while looking great on stage is the ultimate goal, that it can only be achieved through a healthy, sound mind. I understand that there will be temptations, but that in order to truly get what I want I will sacrifice things that are not directly related to helping me achieve my goal. I understand that I will be tired, but there will be years of my life to sleep away. I understand that I will be hungry, but I have millions of meals still to eat. I understand that there are days when I will cry, want to give up, and think this is too hard. From those tears I will gain strength because I know that crying them releases my fear of being imperfect. From this day and for the next 83, I choose to be fierce, committed, and dedicated to my goal. I embrace this journey, its trials, and the end result with all my heart.<br />
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Have a great day everyone!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1396030250139158252.post-46952085953061735732012-07-21T08:26:00.002-07:002012-07-21T08:27:06.228-07:00One Week Down, 14 to Go!!!!!!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Good Morning Friends and Happy Saturday!<br />
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First off, this pic is not me. Ha ha! My first set of progress pics aren't due until next week, so I figured I'd steal someone elses hot abs for today.I know its been a couple weeks since I've blogged, but I have had a roller coaster of a month! WOW! I wanted to just do a quick write up today because I have completed my first week on contest prep and all I can say is OUCH! Can I have more sleep/food/rest please?<br />
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For those of you who don't know, I am preparing for my first bikini competition October 27th- the NPC Border States show in San Diego, CA. Competing is different from just training because unlike training, which for me is the consistent effort to make progress over an indefinite period of time, competing has a deadline, so EVERYTHING counts. Every workout, every meal, every night of rest all contributes to whether or not I make it to the stage just looking good, or really looking phenomenal. Since I have no intention of doing anything in life just good, I really have to hunker down and prepare for this journey and focus on it entirely.<br />
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Some of the major changes I've had to adapt to are:<br />
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1. Supplements: I take about 14 different vitamins, minerals, and various other supplements to help boost my immunity, help with recovery, prevent fatigue, beat bloat, aid in digestion, and 9 million other things. As someone who barely remembers to take my multi-vitamin, this has been a BIG change. I feel like an old lady as I swallow my meal-sized hand-full of pills every morning.<br />
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2. Eating real food all the time. While I know that real food is obviously best and most nutrient-dense, I have to confess that I've become exceedingly reliant on RTD (ready to drink) shakes and bars for a good part of my nutritional requirements in the past. Since the only food I don't have to cook myself now is protein powder, this has been a HUGE change for me. Not only do I have to take a lot more time with food prep, but I have to take time to stop and eat. This is hard because it means that I have to make myself a priority in a way I never have. Hmmmm.... sound familiar??? As I go through all of this I am reminded that the person I want to be makes demands and its ok. I deserve it, and you do to!<br />
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3. Increased time at the gym: This hasn't been too bad for me yet because my cardio sessions are only 30-40 minutes now and I typically like working out. The change for me was that I had to switch gyms this week, and that was a little challenging. The bonus, however, has been that my new gym has tanning beds :)<br />
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4. Really committing to the process. While we all like the idea of a get-fit-quick schtick, the truth of the matter is that changes aren't going to happen over night, they are going to happen over time. I was reading a blog the other day from Terry Stokes, who has written a Figure Competitor's Guide <a href="http://figurecompetitor.me/">http://figurecompetitor.me/</a> and one of the things that he said he sees quite frequently is that people want results right out of the gate (or in some instances want to overcompensate for having a cheat meal), so they cut carbs, increase cardio, and pull every card from the get-go, and that leaves them 3 weeks into their prep completely exhausted, depleted, and over-trained, with still 9 weeks to go. In order to commit to the process, it means that I will have a period of time where my body adapts to my diet, I learn how to do all the exercises in my workouts, and I follow the plan- the results will come.<br />
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Thinking about all of this really makes me think about any effort in life: the results will come, you just have to do the work. I hope as you are going through your day today and this week, that you are thinking about what goals you want to achieve and that you take time to ask yourself what you need to move that goal forward? Sometimes, like with a physical goal, there is nothing you can do, you just have to wait. I can workout, eat the right food, and rest and my six pack will not just appear on the front of my body by lunch- I have to wait, and the results will be the true testament of the hard work I've done. Other times, you need a swift kick, need to get your butt up and going to the gym, and you need to step away from the cookie dough-- that's what I like to call- results through action! We all have choices, so make the choice for yourself today that you will be proud of tomorrow.<br />
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Have a great day everyone!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15600766288491524159noreply@blogger.com0