How to Prevent or Delay Diabetes

In my last post you saw a video about people who changed their diet and their blood sugar levels came down. If that wasn’t enough evidence, the American Diabetes Association talks about how to prevent or delay diabetes.

Why would you want to be insulin dependent for the rest of your life? While a lot of “our makeup” is genetic, so much can be changed thru diet, exercise and supplements…all natural of course!

To Your Health…

Debbie James
www.HealthyLifeWithMax.com
850.450.2000

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Change Your Diet, Change Your Health

Tomorrow’s an exciting day! I’m going to be featured on SoWalScene’s website! Yippee!!! Check it out and let me know what you think.

This is truly amazing and is just additional proof about the foods you eat. I found this video on YouTube and felt it is worth sharing. Consult with a doctor before doing anything…A Natural Doctor, of course 🙂

Did you ever see the documentary Super Size Me? Director Morgan Spurlock takes a hilarious and often terrifying look at the effects of fast food on the human body. For one month, Spurlock eats nothing but McDonald’s food, ordering everything on the menu at least once and “super-sizing” his order if asked. With 2 out of 3 American’s overweight, Spurlock’s film begs the question: Where does personal responsibility end and corporate responsibility begin?

Why won’t people take their own responsibility for becoming healthier?

What are your thoughts?

To Your Health…

Debbie James
www.HealthyLifeWithMax.com
850.450.2000

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Not Just Weight Loss – Only A Name Change

It occurred to me the other day, after speaking with my mentor and good friend Tricia, that I don’t want my readers thinking all my blog is about is weight loss. I want it to be so much more….about your health. Of course, being over weight is a major health issue in today’s society…2 out of 3 Americans are over weight!

What about… Raising your energy level? Improving your focus? Strengthening your immune system? Lowering your leptin levels? Increasing your body’s production of it’s master anti-oxidant, Glutathione? Improve heart and lung function? Diet and exercise? And even slowing down the aging process!!! There is so much that is tied to your ultimate health, besides just weight loss.

In today’s society, too many doctors look at the symptoms and prescribe medication based on that. What they don’t look at, is what is causing those symptoms. I believe in doctors, and believe they are very important to us. From my own recent experience, I learned my lesson not to just listen and do what the doctor says. Get a 2nd opinion.

Here’s an example my husband, Michael, went thru: Back in 2004 Michael, got so tired after eating a meal, he had to take a nap. Obviously, something was not right. We went to a doctor, who we thought was a natural doctor, to come away with the doctor hinting Michael had diabetes. We had a cat that was on and off diabetic for years and knew just enough to know Michael did NOT have diabetes. A good friend of ours referred us to a true natural doctor in Atlanta (she has severe food allergies and this doctor helped her). After many tests, it was discovered Michael is allergic to yeast!!! He immediately changed his diet and instantly felt better. Today, if he eats something with yeast, it makes him tired. At least he knows what the cause and effect is if he eats food with yeast as one of the ingredients. Could you imagine if we went down the first path???? Did you also know that just about every American has a food allergy? (More about that in another post).

The medical industry has come so far as natural supplements go. Look at Chinese medicine…they have been successful for thousands of years. All I’m asking is to take a hard look at what is causing your symptoms vs. just treating them.

With all that said, I have decided to change the name of my blog from: Your Dream Size TO: Healthy Life With Max.

It’s about your mind, body and spirit. My good friend, Lance, says “A strong mind, makes a strong body“.

To Your Health…

Debbie James
www.HealthyLifeWithMax.com
850.450.2000

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What is Leptin?

And Why Am I Still Fat?

Fat cells produce the powerful hormone leptin, a primary force instructing metabolism, weight loss, and hormone balance. Leptin communicates directly to your brain, telling the brain how much fat is in storage. It controls appetite, energy, and metabolic rate. Leptin problems are the primary reason for food cravings, overeating, faulty metabolism, the obsession with food, and heart disease. Yikes!

So, is your brain listening to your body talking? If you’re like me, I never lose an argument with myself…except this time. My brain was NOT listening. And neither is yours…until now. It is so important to understand how all the “pieces” fit together in order to lose weight. Kind of like when all the stars are in alignment 🙂 The same is true for weight loss. Don’t expect to take a supplement(s), and eat McDonalds and chocolate sundaes everyday and lose weight. I’m sorry, it’s just not going to happen. Good food doesn’t have to taste bad! More about some of that in another post.

Check this out: The University of Minnesota picked up on a major scientific discovery back in 1994 by Jeffrey Friedman at Rockefeller University regarding a fat hormone called Leptin.

“It was discovered that leptin sends messages to the brain related to appetite and fat storage. Excessive leptin levels create a resistance so the brain sends the erroneous message to eat more food, store fat in the cells, and not release stored fat from the cells.”

The more fat we have the more Leptin we have, creating an unending cycle.

You’re probably asking yourself “so, how do I lower my Leptin levels”? Well, funny you should ask that question! I just happen to have the solution. (You just knew that was coming). All I ask is for you go to my website, www.YourDreamSize.com and listen and learn! If you have been struggling to lose weight, like me, you owe it to yourself to watch and listen. (The video at the top of the page is only 5 min 24 sec.). Then click on the link that says “MaxWLX Introduction”, watch that video, which is about 14 minutes…Just watch, listen and learn.

To Your Health…

Debbie James
www.YourDreamSize.com
850.450.2000

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7 Week Progress Update

It’s been 7 weeks already since I started. Boy, how time flies when we are having fun and working toward our dream size! 🙂

Thankfully, I have been seeing a Naturopath. She is wonderful and I am making great progress. My challenge is my thyroid and adrenal levels are still to low. Both of which, when in balance, help you to lose weight. That being said, for me, right now, it’s like pushing an elephant. Not impossible, just very difficult…ok maybe impossible (my Mom always says “the impossible just takes a bit longer”). Add to the fact I was (yes was) eating bananas everyday. I know bananas have sugar, at least the “good” kind. What I didn’t know is that if you eat a banana everday, DO NOT expect to lose weight. (Unless of course you are working out 8 hours a day)!

Dr. Leesa explained that when I would eat a banana, before working out, I was burning sugar, not fat. I would have to work out for hours before all the sugar was burned off. OOopppsssss. At least I found out now and not 90 days from now. The banana also goes back to the glycemic index. They are on the high glycemic index list. When losing weight you really need to eat low glycemic index foods.

I have been reading a fabulous book by Rick Gallop called “The Glycemic Index Diet”. He does a wonderful job at explaining why you want to eat low glycemic foods while losing weight. (Go to my post on “What is the Glycemic Index” for a video and website with great information).

Given that information, here’s how I have done over the past 7 weeks. To start I have lost 4 lbs. Now, I know people are going to say, only 4 lbs in 7 weeks?? To me, here’s the best part. I am down 8 1/4 total inches. Here are the areas where I have had the biggest results are:

Waist – 1.375″
Chest – 1″
Belly – 1.5″
Hips – .5″
Left thigh – 1.375″
Right thigh – 1.125″

I’ve had some reductions in my upper arms, knees and calves. Probably from lifting weights. The above are really the areas I care about. Here’s the best part…the weight loss supplement I am taking, is working!! It has been clinically proven to help reduce fat in your mid-section. It’s about the fat loss, not so much the weight. It takes time to reduce your Leptin levels (more about Leptin in my next post).

I’m about to kick things up a notch and I made changes to my eating, too! There is no magic pill to all this. If there was, I would be a gazillionaire ’cause I would have invented it. I don’t have patience, I’m the first to admit it. I would at least like to see progress, and progress we have.

Sorry, no video this time. Stay tuned for my next update in 2 weeks.

To Your Health…

Debbie James
www.YourDreamSize.com
850.450.2000

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Why Do Diets Fail?

While reading thru a bunch of websites and blogs, I found these 7 bullet points that I wanted to share. DIETS DON’T WORK, long-term. Remember you must make lifestyle changes and change your eating habits. Besides, I hate that 4 letter word…diet!!

• Dieters often underestimate the number of calories in foods and overestimate the number of calories burned through exercise
  —Dr. Barbel Knauper, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
• Nearly 1 in 5 people have tried to diet six or more times over the past 24 months
  —PacificHealth Laboratories, Inc. Diet Survey
• Socializing is one of the top three reasons people eventually fail with a diet
  —Dr. Michael Dansinger, Tufts-New England Medical Center
• 2 out of 3 people say they are most likely to go off of a diet between the hours of 5 PM and midnight
  —PacificHealth Laboratories, Inc. Diet Survey
• The number one predictor of weight loss relapse is stress
  —Dr. John P. Foreyt, Baylor College of Medicine
• Nearly 40% of women say they did not have enough willpower to stay on their diet
  —PacificHealth Laboratories, Inc. Diet Survey
• Satiety is the missing ingredient in most weight loss programs
  —Dr. Barbara J. Rolls, Penn State University Department of Nutritional Sciences

Why put yourself thru this agony? All you will end up doing is binging…I know, I’ve done it! You deprive yourself of say, chocolate, and then get so upset, mad, irritated, hungry, or whatever else and then eat more than you should. All you end up with is a tummy ache. Now you’re mad because you know you should not have binged.

Don’t diet! Just make some “tweaks” to your eating and make a lifestyle change. Just one…take baby steps if you must. I recently had to cut wheat out of my “diet” and there are some really yummy foods…try Millet bread (I buy this at my local health food store and you should toast it) and Bob’s Red Mill Gluten free brownies (I buy Bob’s brand at my local Publix).

To Your Health!

Debbie James
850.450.2000

Energy Flows Where Attention Goes

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