Weight Loss/Health Challenge

[Absinthe d'Accalia]

I bought that 8 Minutes in the Morning book by Jorge Cruise this past weekend. I'm reading through it - looks good.

One of the things he has you do is take 'before' pictures. I've learned a very big lesson this past weekend - DO NOT TAKE 'BEFORE' PICS WHEN YOU'RE PMS-ING & ARE HAVING A CASE OF THE 'UGLIES'!!! I had my hubby take the pics with the digital camera, I downloaded them, opened them up and proceeded to bawl. Gah, what was I thinking? I know in some rational part of my mind, it was saying - self, you might want to wait a week to take/view these pics...but no, I forged forth and did it anyway. Dontcha just love hormones?Oy.

On a brighter note - I bought another little book A Morning Cup of Tai Chi (I almost typed 'a morning cup of chai tea...yummmmm). It comes with a 15 minute audio CD - it's very cool. The author breaks down the movements into number shapes (1-10) and associates words (representing feeling/emotion/action) with each number. Definitely makes it easier to remember! The dogs were funny when I was doing the CD last night - Maisy kept putting her paw out to me and Smokey would come and lie down right where I was stepping to put my foot down.

[Isabella]

Here's some imput that I've used while loosing weight from my health food store here locally. It's the owners weight lost list of things to do.

From www.susansnaturalworld.com

I am not a doctor or dietician, so please use my suggestions wisely. Check with
your doctor and/or pharmacist if you are taking prescription drugs, especially
before using herbal products.


On the subject of natural weight control, I feel I can shed light on habits and helpers found in nature.

It is very important to adopt an attitude of eating to live rather than living to eat. We must eat
a variety of food groups and many colors and textures daily. In them, we find fibers,
pectins, enzymes and phytonutrients which support the functions of our metabolic systems.

Ten Things To Do:

Drink water (divide body weight in half, drink that many ounces daily).
Eat small, frequent meals to balance blood sugar and energy levels.
Eat a rainbow every day. The colors of the foods are vital. The darker the colors,
the more nutrients, as a rule.
Aid the digestion by eating living foods with naturally-occurring enzymes (yogurt, apples, papayas, pineapples, etc.).
Eat high-fiber foods, such as, grains, beans, seeds, nuts, berries, etc.
Eat a variety of organic fruits and vegetables daily, all colors.
Eat a variety of healthy fats, such as, avocados, nuts, seeds, flax, olive oil, and grapeseed. (Omega 3's are important fats to eat while dieting and not dieting. They help relubricate the human body "engine" and help us run better. They lubrcate between bones, and help us feel less "creeky". They also help us feel more "full". I take two a day. I buy them at CVS for 6.99 for 100 count. Cheap but effective!)
Eat high quality protein foods, such as grains, beans, seeds, nuts, organic eggs, organic (Almonds can be stored in Altoid Tins for a good diet high in protien and great for omega 3s and colon and for men prostate health! -Isabella)
dairy and soy cheeses, fish from deep, cold water (salmon, halibut, tuna).
Don't overeat fish. (High levels of mercury are harmful for women of child barring ages, so be careful of the types of fish you injest. -Isabella)
Drink teas that aid in digestion, such as, peppermint, red clover, burdock,
milk thistle, green tea.
Breathe deeply every day and find a form of exercise that you enjoy and do it
on a regular basis. I dance and walk while wearing light ankle and wrist weights.

Ten Things Not To Do:

Avoid hydrogenated and partially-hydrogenated fats, ALL OF THEM.
Avoid all soft drinks, bad for bone density.
Avoid all white flour (breads, crackers, cookies, etc.).
Avoid all refined sugar. Use raw honey, maple syrup, molasses. (I use steeva, it's from South America and wonderful as a sugar replacer. -Isabella)
Avoid processed meats, such as, bacon, luncheon meats, hot dogs. The preservatives are carcinogenic.
Avoid all "fake foods" (artificial sweeteners, flavorings, colors).
Avoid processed fruit juice drinks. (Fruit drinks are high in sugars that can cause in some women an accessive bloat in their large intestion leading to the colon. It can be uncomfterable and cause problems with all sorts of digestion. -Isabella)
Avoid excessive saturated fat. Eat a variety of good fats.
Avoid canned foods loaded with too much salt.
Avoid eating out frequently. You can't control the quality of ingredients.

Susan's (the owner) Favorite Weight Control Helpers

Spirulina - controls appetite, balances blood sugar.
Green tea extract - helps liver to cleanse toxins, hormones, and fat.
L-carnitine - fat-burning amino acid, use on empty stomach.
Enteric-coated acidolphilus - I use Pearls by Enzymatic Therapy.
Calcium pyruvate - fat-absorbing fiber from apples.
Digestive enzymes with major meals.
Calcium, magnesium formula - take at bedtime.
Holy Basil - balances sugar and controls stress.
Chromium picolinate - balances blood sugars and metabolizes fats.
Relora - for overeating caused by anxiety.


Also if your going to eat box TV dinners, check that they don't have more than 42grams of Carbohydrates a serving. Too many accessive carbs and the more water you'll have to consume.

I do the half my weight in water a day. It is a struggle, but when I get it ALL in, it's fantastic. If you worry about not getting it all, I carry bottles of water in rubbermaid drinking containers with me EVERYWHERE. I've got water bottle hand! If you have issues with water, try adding two drops of orange essencial oils or lemon essencial oil to your water to taste. It's very strong so for a gallon work with how many drops, between 3 to 7 should do the trick. Makes drinking all that water fun too!

Changing eatting habits over night is rough, but if it's slow and introduced over right it'll work out great, and you'll feel fantastic! I promise! I lost 10lbs with drinking half my weight in water, realize that the insentive is that when you loose weight, you are going down in Ounces of water a day, so it's not like you'll consume gallons after gallon once you've started loosing. I'm getting back onto the water kick, so I'm starting at square one too. I drink tap and spring water (if I'm out and run out of water) so either doesn't matter, it's just that you GET your water. ;)

Isabella

[Isabella]

[quote="Absinthe d'Accalia"]I bought that 8 Minutes in the Morning book by Jorge Cruise this past weekend. I'm reading through it - looks good.

I LOVE this book! It's fantastic for it's wealth of information about eatting! It's where I got into my Omega 3 kick. ;)

OOoo Good Butter guys is Bremmel and Brown's Butter, made with Soy and Yogert. No Transfats and it's wonderful! ;)

[Sunshine O'Brightly]

Official Friday Weigh-In

I lost a pound this week! Yeh for me!
Thanks for all the suggestions Isabella!

Y'all have a great day.
Sunshine

[Isabella]

If my bloat wasn't too bad looks like I went down a lb. and a quarter. ;) Woot!

No problem Sunshine. ;) Glad to offer them up. :)

[Sunshine O'Brightly]

Isabella - you go girl.

Say ladies - my computer got zapped by the storm. I'm sitting at the library catching up a bit - but it looks like I'll be out till Monday and I can get back to work.

Have a great weekend.
Sunshine

[Isabella]

Aww, zapped? Is it gonna recover?

[Sunshine O'Brightly]

Well after an amazingly good phone call with Dell India, we discovered that it is only the modem card. I just ordered a new one.

I was really afraid of getting a service person from India - in that I didn't know if we would be able to communicate well. But, he was very patient with me (it took over an hour to crack open and trouble shoot the computer) and we had some good laughs.

He said his name was "Carl". I asked him if that was his real name and he said 'that is my official name'. He spelled out his real name and I tried to say it (too funny). He had a good sense of humor. We discussed the weather in India and it was 3 in the morning there.

So, I hope other people have good experiences with service folks in India - the person I got really tried hard and knew his "stuff".

He is supposed to call me back on Saturday for a follow-up phone call to make sure I get may card and it get's set up properly - amazing.