Target achieved

Usually, there is little to be happy about when you lose something: when your investments lose value; when you lose an object you value like your watch that great aunt Agatha gave you 5 Christmases ago; or when you lose a loved one.

However, I have lost something and I am deliriously happy about it. No it wasn’t Aunt Agatha’s UNWANTED Christmas gift of last year!

My problems began years ago but I won’t dwell on them. I hope that by publishing this part of my story I will be committed better to ensuring that my past, often repeated experiences will not come back to haunt me again and again.

About 5 weeks ago, no actually it was longer back than that, when the rain started. I stopped taking the dogs on VERY long walks. They might have enjoyed it but I wouldn’t have enjoyed it getting them dried, de-muddied etc. So my daily 2 or 3 mile walks stopped. Abruptly.

What I failed to understand fully was what its immediate effect would be – I put on weight – ever so gradually and as the scales crept up through each extra pound, I became more and more anxious. Why am I putting on weight? ObviouslyI hadn’t made the connection !

So that you understand this properly, at New Year I made an accidental New Year Resolution which I stuck to. I decided to take the dogs a walk and because I was so fed up with the tediousness of that particular day, and decided it would be a long walk. While on the long walk, I decided I would do this every day because I enjoyed it so much and until mid June, I did, with the walks and distances becoming progressively more challenging. My Blood pressure improved massively and I was amazed – the doctor had been saying that with exercise my BP would get better and sure enough it did.

Anyhow, it came time for my regular BP checkup – through the roof! Won’t bore you with the number. Cholesterol – still above OK. Prescription? Not the Statins I expected…

“Lose weight and get walking again. I don’t care if it rains”, she said, “it’s only water.”

So after 1 more day – it was wet that day! – I restarted the process of walking for exercise. For those who don’t know what that means, it means walking at postman speed 15-18 minutes per hour. You should feel hot and just sweaty when you finish (sorry for those who are delicate linguistically). So I’ve been doing that for just over 5 weeks I guess and it’s great. Funny thing is, it’s not rained once while I’ve been out.

Coupled with my diet I’ve lost a stone in weight (14 pounds!). I’m happy as that was my target for September. October will be more difficult as we’re going on holiday to the US the week before my checkup. Thankfully, a diet of steak and veg will suit me right down to the ground but maybe not my cholesterol. I just need to avoid Taco Bell, more’s the pity, and root beer floats, key lime pie, donuts, grits, fries, dogs,….

JohnF

Jennifer’s Weight Loss Journey

Welcome to the return of my Thursday blog where we follow along with one of my client’s weight loss journey.

Unfortunately, Leigh has decided that she’s ready to commit to her journey at this point in time so we will be moving on to our next person who is ready and has been waiting for just the right time to make her move. Guess what? Now is the time, Jennifer is stoked and ready to take charge of her life once again.

Jennifer (her name has been changed to protect her identity) is a 37 year old single mother of one. Leigh has 50lbs to lose, has high cholesterol and has been told by her doctor that her risk of heart attack is high. She eats healthy for the most part but doesn’t always have the time or energy to maintain her healthy eating habits or an exercise regime. Jennifer is currently unemployed but does volunteer work that she finds very satisfying.

A review of Leigh’s nutritional questionnaires shows that the digestive system, colon and pituitary all require attention. She is also deficient in both chromium and choline; something that can be attributed to weight gain.

I had also asked Jennifer to keep a food journal for 3 days. Her journal shows that she isn’t eating as healthy as she thought. Jennifer doesn’t eat nearly enough as she should which has more than likely contributed to her metabolism working at a slow crawl.

Recommendations:

I have provided Jennifer with a list of foods that I would like her to follow for the next 3 weeks. These foods will allow Jennifer’s digestive system to take a break and begin to heal while addressing her high cholesterol and deficiencies in chromium and choline. The fiber content of these foods will also support her intestinal tract. Her diet will consist of lots of fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains. There will be no red meat, wheat products, dairy products or convenience foods consumed for the next few weeks.

Food combining is going very important for Jennifer in order help her digestive system return to normal. To help, I’ve provided her with a food combining chart to assist her with her meal planning.

SUPPLEMENTS:

A good quality multi-vitamin to be taken daily
A digestive enzyme to support her digestive system to be taken with each meal
A good quality Essential Fatty Acid (Flax seed oil or Omega 3) to be taken daily

LIFESTYLE:

Exercise! Jennifer wants to lose weight and changes in diet alone will not do it. It is recommended that Jennifer start with 3-5 days of cardio exercise (walking, swimming, aerobics, etc) for 30-45 minutes at a time. After a few weeks, we’ll look at adding some resistance training to her exercise program and adjust her cardio.

Jennifer will be implementing the suggestions and recommendations I have made tomorrow. I will post her progress in my blog every Thursday after her weekly check in.

If you would like a personalized nutritional recommendation, please contact me through my blog or by visiting my website listed below.

Yours in health,
 

Tammy

www.freeyourthyme.weebly.com

**Please contact me for personalized nutritional recommendations. This blog has been condensed and does not include many additional factors. This blog is not meant to be followed as a recommended diet or nutrition program for any one but “Jennifer”.

Eat smart and live well

Do you love fast food? All of us know that consuming too much fatty foods can put you at risk of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure and hypertension. Yet many people continue to indulge in food with relatively high saturated fat, with eight in every 10 exceeding the recommended limit.

This is a worrying trend; The young with more financial independance and a lack of parental guidance, continue to show a fondness for fast food.Citing this finding from 2004 National Nutrition Survey (NNS), Dr Stanley Liew, a specialist in endocrinology with Raffles Hospital, says: “The  Student Health Survey in 2004 showed that the intake of deep-fried foods among secondary students approximated that of the adult Singaporean population with 52 percent in both groups having two helpings of fast food per week.

He adds that it is generally recommended that one should eat less fried food, not exceeding twice a week. On this the Health Promotion Board (HPB) says: “Fast food is often high in energy and contains high amounts of fat and salt. It is also often low in fibre, vitamins and minerals.

However, fast food can be part of one’s diet provided it is eaten in small portions occasionally.Health Promotion Board suggestion is avoid or add less condiments such as butter, margarine, salt and salad dressings. Choose salad or fruit  instead of meals that come with french fries and soft drinks. Remember to choose “small” instead of “large” or/and “upsize” food items which are high in fat, salt and sugar.

Dr. Liew says that over-eating is mostly to be the main culprit  for the rise in obesity in the developed world. Poor diet and obesity can also contribute to the development of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Accounting to the above, hypertension also, are the top lifestyle diseases in Singapore.

Associated with heart attack and stroke, diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol are “silent” ailments because those who are affected  do not feel well. Therefore it is important for people to undergo health screening and understand their health condition.

Even though there is positive changes in dietary practices among the adult population, aged between 18-69, compared to 1998, there is still room for further improvement.”These included a significant increase in the proportion of Singaporeans who were meeting the recommended intakes for fruit, vegetables and whole grain foods. The intake of saturated fats can be further reduced.

Singaporeans are consuming more energy, contributed by increased consumption of most food groups and foods prepared with fat or oil, for example are stir-fried foods and those with coconut milk.

Health Promotion Board observes that although the average Singaporean’s fat intake was within the recommended limit, now, there was an increase in the number who exceeded this limit that is 42.7 percent in year 2004 survey as compared with 24.9 percent in year 1998.

Singapore Health Promotion Board adopts a holistic approach in encouraging and facilitating a healthy national diet. It proactively engages food suppliers, food vendors and retailers to ensure availability of healthier food choices and promotes public education  to empower  Singaporeans with information about the importance of healthy eating. Dr. Liew also wants the schools and parents to drive home this health message, “Schools can help guide the choice of food in their canteens but parental and peer influences are important to this age group,”he adds.

The advice for good health is well known: Have a consistently healthy diet and exercise regularly.

To maintain your health and make sure your body’s functions are performing well, our herbal concentrated foods and herbal beverages, herbal supplements manufactured based on the blueprint “Philosophy of Regeneration” are the best. You are welcome to visit Family Wellness your supermart shop at East Coast Road, #01-03 Ocean Park Oranda Block. There is a wide range of products for your nutrition, drinks, personal care, skincare, household, SPA and colour cosmetics.

Is Fast Food Your Ticket to Good Health?

You’ve probably heard it said a million times before: fast food is poison…it’s largely responsible for America’s growing obesity problem…it’s completely incompatible with a healthy lifestyle. By and large, these things are all true. As a society, we have supersized our way into an epidemic of obesity, cancer, heart disease, diabetes and a variety of other ailments. In America, beach season is looking more and more like beached whale season as scads of increasingly gelatinous citizens take to the shores in tiny bikinis that can scarcely be seen beneath massive rolls of hanging fat.

And of course, we’re all to blame. Sometimes fast food is just easier. It’s certainly less expensive than casual dining establishments, and cleanup is as simple as sliding a tray into a trashcan at a downward slant. And then there are those times when fast food is unavoidable: you’re late for work and can’t find the time to scrounge together a balanced breakfast; or you’re with your friends on a Saturday afternoon and your travels inevitably lead you to the local Burger King.

Fortunately, the fast food industry is starting (and I do mean starting) to get wise to America’s increasing health concerns. Taco Bell, for instance, has unveiled what they refer to as their Fresco menu, eliminating fatty sauces and cheeses; McDonalds has introduced a variety of salads, fruit options and grilled chicken meals; Burger King carries the BK veggie (a meatless hamburger) and Subway prides themselves on their low fat/low calorie options.

So how can you partake of the fast food giant without becoming a giant yourself? Here are a few tips:

1) Skip the sugary sodas with all of their empty calories, and opt instead for diet cola, iced tea (sans sugar) or water.

2) Pay attention to the numbers. With new legislation requiring restaurants to post their nutrition info, this is easier than ever. You might be amazed by the fat/cholesterol/calorie content of some of your favorite items. For example, did you know that a 5-piece order of Chicken Selects Premium Breast Strips from McDonalds contains 55 grams of fat?

3) Avoid anything fried and go easy on the red meat. Grilled chicken, fish and vegetarian options are best.

4) See if the restaurant has any healthier alternatives to French fries, such as apple wedges or a garden salad.

5) Sometimes even small things, like eliminating cheese or sour cream, can make a huge difference.

[Via http://fastfooddiet.wordpress.com]

Happy secrets of your food

That garlic is good for you is a fact but researches have shown some side-effects. When scientists are testing garlic for the positive influence at the blood and cholesterol, they have noticed that the mood of the garlic-eaters has been lifted very much. The test-groups got a feeling of more wellness, less tiredness, nervousness and anxiety.

Maybe this is one of the reasons garlic-products are the most popular kind of natural medicine without prescription in countries like Germany.

If you use garlic when cooking , don`t be afraid to use 3or 4 times as much as the recipe tells you because in hot food it is difficult to taste the difference except for more positive feedback which is my experience.

Another way to get happy through your food is by eating chili-pepper. It has been discovered that the hot stuff in chili is able to evoke endorphins from the brain which gives a short feeling of being “high”. The more hot chili you eat, the stronger is the feeling and lots of people get a kind of addicted to chili.

A third group of “happy” food is fish and shellfish because of the high level of the mineral selenium. Researches have shown that depressed people don`t get enough selenium and by giving them an extra dose their mental condition will be improved. It is not completely known why selenium has a positive effect at our mood but maybe it is because of the oxidizing characteristics.

By combination of selenium and vitamin E both mood and mental functions can be improved, beside an increased blood-supply to the brain.

Some other foodstuffs to improve your mood by selenium are to eat 1 Brazil-nut a day( but only 1because of the unusual high level of selenium) some canned tuna, swordfish, mussels, sunflower-seeds or chicken-liver once I a while.

Green vegetables like spinach and dried beans are important to prevent psychological diseases. Also coffee contains healthy ingredients which lifts your mood. 1 to 3 cups of coffee a day will improve the mood and increase performance but too much coffee will be unhealthy for your mentality and well being.

Through research  a round the world it is proved that by eating or drinking specific foodstuffs we are able to lift our mood and prevent psychological diseases just by making sure to get enough of some specific nutrients on a regular basis.

 

www.gelonline.iamagel.com

[Via http://lisbethbregnhardt.wordpress.com]

208.8

I was never happier to hear the two words the Wii Fit said to me after my Sunday workout.  After nearly a year of the d#*% thing telling me “that’s obese” whenever it weighed me, today it said “that’s overweight,” meaning my BMI was under 30 (29.89 to be exact).  It’s listing me at 208.8 pounds after a very busy Sunday of yard work, putting a table together and exercise.

Made my goal!

I thought I’d be lucky to match last week’s weight.  The guy who’s been leading the weight loss contest at work since week 1 will be out of town on weigh-in day this week, so I knew that unless someone else has an incredible week, I’d have at least one week at number one. Knowing that, I indulged myself more than a bit, eating almost normally all week, even letting one of the other producers at work treat me to ribs for lunch on Friday. Then I had a big lunch on Saturday before heading off to a shrimp boil at a friend’s house.

Even after a little French toast on Sunday, I was able to burn off a lot more weight than I expected.  Even better, I was at the doctor’s office on Thursday, my cholesterol is down around 150 (lowest in years) and my blood pressure was 110/60 (also lowest in years).  It’s either the exercise or the fact I’m away from the big boss at my old job (who’s main purpose in life seems to be making people miserable).

My doc and his medical student even had some good advice to help me deal with the tweak in my left knee.  I though without being able to run, I would be able to drop much weight.  Doesn’t look like that’s going to be a problem. In fact, I should be able to let the inflammation heal while continuing to lose. Yay me!

When I started all this, I was willing to be content to get down to around 210, particularly since it’s not so easy for me to lose weight anymore.  Now that I’m past that, I’m going to go ahead and attempt to get down to 200.  I’m just glad I kept all my small pants from the last time I was this size.

[Via http://wdjohnson.wordpress.com]