Mind Over Body

Diet. A word I absolutely HATE! When I think of that word, I think, “I’m going to be hungry”. I also think, I can only eat what “someone” tells me to eat. Rather difficult if you are as picky of an eater as I am. I don’t eat red meat and I’m allergic to shell fish, (which is not so bad since I don’t like fish!) hate mushrooms, tomatoes, olives, to name a few. So, where do we go from here?

What if we think of the word “diet” as a lifestyle change? Not so bad then, huh? My body doesn’t like yeast…yes, I could eat it, and my body reacts accordingly. So, I stay away from it. Same thing with wheat. I recently discovered that I need to stay away from wheat. At first you think, ugh…what can I eat?

Diet is also short term. Lifestyle change is long term. About 10 years ago, I cut yeast out of my “diet” and have never looked back. That was a lifestyle change. I went to the health food store and bought a yeast free, sugar free bread. Yes, I had to try several before I found one I liked. Since there are no preservatives, you just have to toast it first. No big deal…I made sandwiches, french toast, etc. I changed my “diet” (short term) and made a lifestyle change (long term) and have not had problems.

A Naturopath I started seeing earlier this year, suggested I cut wheat out of my “diet”. So I did. The bread I loved so much, that I mentioned above, has wheat! So, I go to the health food store and ask them for a wheat free, yeast free bread. They suggested a Millet bread, which is rice based. Love it!!! Again you have to toast it. I made another lifestyle change. The wheat was affecting my sinuses/allergies. Since cutting wheat out of my “diet” my breathing has been sooooo much better. Amazing! For many years, I was trying to figure out what was bothering me. My trial and error never seemed to work when I would eliminate a food from my “diet”. Now I know. Again, I can eat foods with wheat, and my body reacts accordingly.

I have been buying gluten free products and ‘testing’ them. Bob’s Red Mill and Pamela’s products are yummy! Cookies, brownies, pancakes are incredible. I would put Pamela’s pancake mix against any. You would be hard pressed to know it is gluten/wheat free. Same goes with Bob’s products.

Here are some differences between diet and lifestyle:

Diet: The goal is self-limiting. When you get to your goal weight, you stop the diet.
Lifestyle: The goal is open-ended. Weight management becomes part of your daily life, with strategies that vary as circumstances, priorities, and needs change.

Diet: A diet is a surface level change. It involves simple changes in behaviors you are already doing (or not doing). You take in fewer calories from food and (maybe) expend more calories on activity. Foods are “good” or “bad” based on calorie content.
Lifestyle: Lifestyle changes are made on many levels. In addition to healthy changes in your relationship with food and exercise, you will challenge the basic attitudes, beliefs, thoughts and feelings that made you overweight (and unhappy) to begin with.

Diet: Progress and success are measured by the scale. Anything that results in weight loss is considered acceptable, even if it poses potential problems or risks. Failure to lose weight as fast as desired is very upsetting, and the process feels like a constant battle. High stress is constant.
Lifestyle: Progress and success are measured in terms of satisfaction & quality of life.
Weight loss and maintenance continue to be important, but are put in perspective as one way you can move towards larger, more rewarding goals. Daily ups and downs become much less stressful.

Diet: Results don’t last. Even if you manage to stick with all the unpleasantness of a diet long enough to reach your weight goal, your odds of keeping it off permanently are less than one in twenty.
Lifestyle: Results are lasting. Your lifestyle change is an open-ended, ongoing process with goals that continue to expand and grow. There is no reason to go back to the habits that got you overweight in the first place.

Just make one lifestyle change today…

To Your Health!

Debbie James
www.YourDreamSize.com
850.450.2000

Energy Flows Where Attention Goes

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Do NOT Starve Yourself

Since I was a teenager, I have “struggled” with my weight. I was so skinny before that time, that my mom had trouble find a belt to fit me! That all changed when I hit my teen years.

I grew up riding horses where weight was always an issue. My riding instructor would always make us conscious of our weight. And I was ALWAYS trying to lose weight. It wasn’t until I got married, divorced and started to work out with a personal trainer, Lance, that I hit my dream size. Lance taught me how to work out properly and more importantly my diet.

Some people, like my husband’s family has a metabolism that we all dream of. They can eat what ever, when ever and not gain weight. The total opposite of me. I’m sure you have friends like that..you secretly hate them Me too! hehehe

So, now, 13 years later, I am not at my dream size anymore. I could practically starve myself and NOT lose weight. Why?? Because what people don’t realize is that lowering your calorie intake puts your body into what is called starvation mode, where your metabolism slows enormously. If you don’t eat enough your body will hold on to what little food you give it, making losing weight difficult because you will feel hungry and deprived. It is also extremely difficult to workout on a low-to-no calorie diet, because your body feels weak due to the lack of food. Exercise can feel impossible.

Calories are often the first thing people take into action when they begin their fitness plans. Many people think that “starving” themselves is the best way to lose weight. WRONG!

Calories are the energy for the body. It is like fuel in an engine, they ‘burn’ in order for your body to function properly. It is pointless to try and starve yourself to death. As a matter of fact, it is one of the worst things you can do if you want to lose weight. You will be losing precious muscles that will help you to burn fat and you will wind up even ‘fatter’ than before! Yes…you can starve yourself (very low calorie diet), and in the short term you can lose weight, temporarily…in the long run you will gain it all back, and then some. Why do you think diets don’t work? Why do you think the yo-yo diets don’t work?

It’s always better to be smart, eat smart and healthy, and workout regularly. This is the key to losing weight.

So, what am I doing to get back to my dream size? Stay tuned to find out…

To Your Health…

Debbie James
www.YourDreamSize.com
850.450.2000

Energy Flows Where Attention Goes

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What Are Your Goals?

How much weight / inches do you want to lose and what are you going to do to get there? UGH! I really think men should have been the ones to always have to “worry” about this. lol. And women should be able to lose weight easier then men…every time my mom would go on a diet, my step-dad would lose weight!

Think about what you are eating. Many women will starve themselves thinking this is the best way to lose weight. It’s not. In fact, that’s the worst thing you can do. Your body will go into survival mode and actually store fat! Geoff Kalmbrach is a personal trainer in my area who writes a column for our local paper. Here is tip from one of his newsletters which talks about what I just mentioned…

Eat regularly throughout the day.  Fasting or overly restrictive diets will enable you to lose weight – in the short run.  Because the weight you lose is primarily water weight and lean muscle mass. But in the long-run, it has exactly the opposite effect you want. When you restrict your diet, your body instinctively thinks it’s being starved and shifts into a protective mode by storing fat. Energy expenditures are fueled by your lean muscles.  Therefore your body fat remains essentially the same and you lose vital fluids and muscle instead.  The less muscle you have, the slower your metabolism becomes, and the less fat you burn.  You should be eating three nutritionally balanced meals each day, and you should have at least one or two healthy snacks.  This keeps your metabolic furnace stoked, so you burn more at a faster rate.  I know, it’s counter-intuitive, but it’s the gospel truth!

When setting your workout goals, figure out what you like to do when you exercise. Make sure it’s fun! Otherwise you won’t want to do it on a regular basis. Make sure your goals are obtainable! You are not going to lose 10 lbs over night! I wish I had a magic pill for that, believe me! I’m all about exercise today, obtain your goals tomorrow. Here is something else Geoff mentions in his newsletter…

Set realistically attainable goals.  You must have tangible, quantifiable, short-term and long-term goals for your fitness program so you can gauge your progress.  It’s crucial to have a “baseline” before you begin, so you can measure success.  Your health club or personal trainer can give you a complete fitness analysis (don’t be shy – you need this) that will aid you or your trainer in developing a personalized fitness program which addresses your particular needs.  Having goals, particularly short-term goals, allows you to track your progress and keep you motivated when times are tough and you don’t feel like exercising. Keeping a journal of your cardio and resistance training workouts, as well as tracking what you eat is truly a fitness success “secret.”  Just remember that your goals should be realistic and attainable.  The best way for you to understand what is realistic and attainable for you is to talk to a fitness professional – not to buy into the “hype” of infomercials, diet and fitness products that blatantly mislead.

Here’s a quote from Brian Tracy: “Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off your goals.” Focus on the end result. Visualize how you will feel when you reach your goal, how you will look, what size you will be, how much you will weigh, etc. Write a list of “I Am” statements and read them outloud many times per day. For example: “I am a size “X”.

Keep a workout journal and be true to yourself.

To your health.

Debbie James
www.YourDreamSize.com
850.450.2000

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You Are What You Eat?

Why is it that over the years the “gurus” would say that? I guess, to a certain extent, it’s true. What I know is true, is the fact that you need to pay attention to how your body reacts to different foods. For example, whenever I would have dairy products, I would get very congested. (Which can be normal for a lot of people!) As I mentioned in my first post, years ago I had yeast issues. While I don’t eat “regular” bread (OK, I do cheat when my husband and I go to Carrabba’s…their bread is irresistable!!), I feel it the next day…bloated, congested and I know my body reacts negatively to it.

Did you know that yeast and molds can build up very quickly on foods stored in the refrigerator? Because of this, you should avoid leftovers as much as possible. If you do eat leftovers, heat them well to kill the yeast and molds. And if you are like me, always busy, no time to cook and don’t want to cook, I eat leftovers. In today’s day and age, we want it bigger, better, faster. Unfortunately, that is not so in the world of healthy eating.

Not too long ago I discovered the crockpot. Now, that is the best invention, EVER!! Put all the ingredients in the crockpot in the morning, and by the time I get home, dinner is ready! That is my kind of cooking. I made a reciepe, Chicken & Potato Curry. Oh my gosh was it yummy, and healthy!! It has chicken, potoatos, onions, pepper, tons of spices, chopped tomatos (I used a can of diced tomatos), and some chicken broth.

Eating healthy doesn’t mean food doesn’t taste good!!

To your health.

Debbie James
Energy Flows Where Attention Goes

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Are You Healthy?

 

 

 

What is Your Dream Size? What are you doing to get there? What are you eating? Are you eating healthy? Are you exercising? These are just some of the questions we will answer. I have had yeast issues and food allergies and will share my experiences and what I have done to correct these problems. It is truly amazing how much food can effect our everyday lives and how simple it is to fix…if you know what to do.

I am not a doctor, and will not make any medical claims or anything like that. I just want to help educate you and share experiences I have had along with the experiences of my friends and family. Please be open minded as far as learning about all natural products/supplements, and what food can do to your body. I’m not saying that I don’t believe in prescriptions and doctors…what I am saying is that there can be other alternatives to drugs. There is a time and place for everything.

In today’s day and age, so many of us go to a doctor, where they diagnose the problem, prescribe medication and send you on your merry way. We never get to the “root” of the situation. Doctors treat from the outside, in. With alternative medicine, the treat from the inside out. Huge difference. They are not just looking to treat the symptoms, they are looking at what is causing the symptoms and the reason why.

Many, many years ago, I had yeast issues. I went to the doctor and was prescribed an antibiotic. Yes, my yeast infection went away, and then it would come back. Obviously, something was causing this. Before I had yeast problems, I didn’t know any different either. I have learned a lot over the years, and continue to learn about how different foods can effect us.

If you are having problems, been to doctors over the years and still have no answers, maybe it’s time to try something different. Be open minded when it comes to alternative medicine, natural remedies and supplements. It could just be the answer you don’t even know you are looking for.

To your health!

Debbie James
Energy Flows Where Attention Goes

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