I was a strength trainer and power lifter for years. I developed a wonderful nutrition program that worked incredibly well...but I studied many years before coming up with nutrition program that took off pounds and gave me the results I wanted. It also helped being on testosterone. T doesn't give you muscle, it thickens them.

Start with "brown." Everything "brown." Brown rice, whole wheat products and so forth. It is a medical fact that "brown" foods eat belly fat. You can cross-reference this on WebMD for starters. Make sure you cook with olive oil, extra virgin, first pressing and Canola oil. Your olive oil should always be the cheapest and the greenest. No yellowish hue.

I love cooking and that's because of my friend Rhonda in N.C. who is an Executive Chef. Her culinary achievements have received favorable reviews in Bon Apetite, Wine Spectator and the New York Times. She taught me to cook to achieve weight loss and muscle growth and to do so inexpensively. With her help, I learned what to buy and why. Because of her knowledge of foods from most every cuisine, she was able to recommend everything I needed to power train and lose unwanted weight in the process.

Searching for the best "brown" foods? Here is a starting reference guide on products and reading labels:

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http://www.cspinet.org/nah/wwheat.html
THE WHOLE GRAIN GUIDE

Quinoa and oatmeal are whole grains. Bulgur and couscous sometimes are and sometimes aren't.

In theory, multi-grain, rye, and pumpernickel breads can be all or mostly whole grain. In most of the U.S. and Canada, however, only whole wheat bread is (see "The Bread & Cracker Box").

Uncle Ben's may be convenient. But "enriched" white rice, the only kind most Americans are used to eating, is nutritionally bankrupt.
Sure, you get the three B-vitamins and iron that are added to all enriched grains. But you lose the fiber, magnesium, vitamins E and B-6, copper, zinc, and who-knows-what phytochemicals that are in the whole grain.
The solution: Be adventurous.

Try brown rice instead of plain white. You can even get brown basmati or quick-cooking brown rice. Or give amaranth, buckwheat groats (kasha), or whole grain bulgur a try.

Pepperidge Farm Natural Whole Grains Crunchy Grains bread is mostly whole grain. Pepperidge Farm Light Style Seven Grain bread isn't.
Nabisco Reduced Fat Triscuits and Wheat Thins are all or mostly whole grain. Nabisco Wheatsworth crackers aren't.

Marketers seem bent on feeding us white flour while making us think we're eating whole grains. Here are some tips to see through their schemes:
1. If you don't like the taste of whole wheat bread or crackers, try a brand that lists a whole grain first in the ingredient list. (That means the bread is mostly whole grain.) Remember: "wheat flour" and "unbleached wheat flour" are not whole grain.
2. Don't rely on fiber numbers to find whole grains. Breads, especially "light" loaves, may have added processed fiber from peas or other foods. It may help prevent constipation and diverticulosis, but it doesn't have the "package" of antioxidants and phytochemicals in whole grains.
3. Read labels carefully. Whole wheat and oatmeal are whole grains. But "oatmeal bread" and crackers that are "made with whole wheat" are mostly refined. Here's what the words usually mean when they appear on the front of bread and cracker labels.

It's whole grain if the front label says: rye (crispbread crackers), whole grain, or whole wheat.

It's mostly reflned grain if the front label says: cracked wheat, made with whole grain, made with whole wheat, multi-grain, oat bran, oatmeal, pumpernickel, rye (breads), seven-bran, 12-bran, etc., seven-grain, nine-grain, etc., stoned wheat, wheat, wheatberry, whole bran.

Cereals

Whole grain
Mostly refined grain Whole grain Mostly refined grain
Cheerios
Granola or muesli
Grape-Nuts
Nutri-Grain
Raisin bran
Quaker Multigrain
Shredded wheat
Wheatena
Total
Wheat germ
Wheaties
Roman meal
Ralston High Fiber

If you can't find whole grain pastas in your supermarket, try calling these numbers (better yet, get your supermarket to call):
Cleopatra's Kamut (818) 964-2324
Hodgson Mill (217) 857-6491
DeBoles (800) 749-0730
Pritikin (201) 338-0300
DeCecco (212) 582-6500 ext. 21
Vita Spelt (517) 351-9231
Eden (800) 248-0301
Westbrae (310) 886-8200

Please note that these phone#s may be out of date since being in my files, but you can ask your grocer about suppliers and products.
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Two things had to work together: nutrition and my strength program. I leaned up and became very strong because of strength training. I'm not a bodybuilder, I lifted for power and strength only. It was her input and help on foods and cooking that really accelerated the results.

Once you learn to really cook, you can begin to put together a nutrition program suited to weight-loss, muscle gain and heart-healthy living depending on your goals. Learn to cook well—you'll save a ton of money in the process.

Good luck!

I resolve to close my shop and go back to my former careers in mental health, social service or education. I love my shop but it is physically taxing on me and financially draining. I am putting more energy and money into it than I can afford to do so. Its a huge success in my hometown so I am going out on the upswing but I just dont have it in me to do another year and a half to see it to a firm stabilization. And truthfully...my heart is in my old careers. I keep coming up with ideas to do them thru my store...like workshops or volunteer drives or blanket and coat drives for the homeless. I miss working in my old fields and I just need to own that.

I am expecting my first grandchild too. I want to be around for her. Her name is Violet and she will announce herself sometime in april. I was a good mother but I want to be an incredible grandmother!

I have one more health matter to clear up...more hiatal hernia repair. (If I need surgery, I will have to close the shop anyway...that kind of surgery took me down for three months.)

I have kinda lost parts of myself I gave up in the past 4 years. Like feeding the birds. Herb gardening. Making my own tinctures. Designing homemade jewelry. I just havent had the time or the money. Without the shop I should have both.

And I vow to call Jo at least once a week. He needs me to bother him...lol

Resolute.
 

~ honestly I cant even commit right now to a new years resolution ~ :) I'm self committing ~ if u get my drift ~

I hate commitments
 

This year I resolve to re-frame the idea of self care(like drinking water, walking,hiking, eating quality food)as how I reward myself ...instead of that list of things I do to have time to do. I anticipate this to be a challenge as my son will be born in 3 months making time for addressing anything outside of providing for him difficult so I think this resolution is important.

ah what a wonderful approach, pearlsnlace... I've been working on trying to do similar... look after myself wholistically.

I have in the past tried to do way too much and overwhelmed myself so this year I'm keeping it simple...

- Lose the weight I gained so I can fit back into all my gorgeous clothing!
- Build a successful nail art business for myself
- Do more social things and work on nurturing my existing friendships
- Get back into swing dancing and perhaps start a martial art to channel my anger
- Have my back injury looked at and treated

I think I'd like to, over the course of the year, clear a lot of stuff out from my house and rehome some clothes too.

And keep myself open to the possibility of meeting someone. :)

That's more than enough!

My 2014 New Year's Resolutions are set
with the idea of avoiding failure. Very simply:

!. Drink more water
2. Get more sleep

Yuppers! :p

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/c9/90/16/c...esolutions.jpg

All I know is I haven't smoked this time for 5 months and my resolution is to keep that up NO MATTER WHAT.

2019 ideas for progress...
 

-- take my medicine on time (I'm getting forgetful, lately)

-- invent new ways to not be exhausted (lol, or not)

-- be present, as much as I can (day dream more at night, rather than during the day)

-- keep working on personal goals (to keep moving forward)

-- to find more alternative desserts I can enjoy

-- and last but not least, to keep up with mindfulness practices (releasing more, to not hang on, etc).

:bunchflowers::bunchflowers::bunchflowers:

Oh I just love love love New Years