Healthy Weight Loss

[Lady_Di]

For fiber... I happen to really love Oat Bran, which I learned about from exploring the Dukan Diet, which is not a bad diet, per se. I like to make the oat bran as a hot drink in the morning, I like my cereals savory, versus sweet, so I add some Real Salt and lots of boiling purified water. I suppose it is like a gruel, but I like it. In fact I love the taste, which surprised the heck out of me. I thought I would hate it, as I do not like mushy oatmeal one darned bit. Though I have forced myself to consume it on more than one occasion. Though I agree with the Steel Cuts oats suggestion from Cajun Dee, you could also make it savory with other additions, or go the sweet route, or basic plain. You are only limited by your imagination and taste buds. Oprah's chef enjoys his oatmeal made like risotto, with parmesean cheese. Why not, if there can be cheesy grits... Obviously you could create a oatmeal cookie or some such, a home made granola that is helpful, not full of refined anything.

I like to remember my mantra, I have never met a veggie I did not like. And it is true. I try to find new ones and explore tastes, ways to consume them, cooked or raw. One smart idea is to add pureed veggies in unexpected places. All veggies have a significant amount of fiber and little fat, and what fat it is, is good fat. From pumpkin, to califlower, the list is endless. Jerry Seinfeld's wife wrote a book how she snuck in veggies to pretty much everything, which greatly increased not only fiber but other nutrients into her family's diet. Smart woman.

Anyhows, just know there are basically two kinds of fiber. Soluble and Insoluble. Both are good and can really help you in many ways. That apple a day is chock full of some lovely fiber, and satiates, fills one up. The Belly Fat Cure I think is the one that suggests an apple a half hour before your lunch, not just to fill your stomach up but for some of the other goodies it gives. I also happen to love dried fruits, especially prunes. I know they have a bad rap, but they are lower on the glycemic index than many others. I dry them out to make them super chewy. The harder the better. Though my grandparents used to stew them and make them soft and keep them in the fridge. They are also good to cook and puree and use instead of butter/sugar say in a brownie. Prunes... My grandpa was wise - Once you have had a bowel obstruction, you too might make them part of your daily diet, lol.

Back to fiber though, when you eat say rice, make it a brown rice which keeps the fiber intact. There are some wonderful ones now on the market, like Jasmine Brown Rice. Very fragrant and lovely.

Whole wheat, versus white refined wheat. The point is you have to read the ingredient list. The least refined, and hence the highest fiber products often times have a single ingredient list or not ingredient list at all, like carrots. Or say beans. Pinto Beans. lol... Love your veggies, they all have fiber. Some more than others. Leave the skin on for an extra punch of fiber and nutrients.

Some of the Swedish flat breads are 100% whole grain and very crispy, no sugars or additives at all. Those Swedes are smart. Like Rye Crisps, there 100's of choices, keep trying em til you find one or two you like. Whole grain crackers are a good choice with say an unrefined nut butter. Or cheese if you like it, a protein topper of some sort, like hummus. Beans btw, have the soluble fiber and are very good nutritionally. And I concur, the Flax Seed is one of the best, you can add it to all sorts of things. They pop if you eat them whole, makes you have to chew them to get any benefit, which is a good thing, as we tend to not chew long enough... most of us. Chia seeds too, hemp seeds... the list goes on.

Good to see some folks discussing Spark People, besides me! The fellow that started this website is beyond awe inspiring. He is simply amazing. His book, The Spark: The 28 Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life, which I keep referring to can change your life, seriously. I believe in spreading the Spark. Passing it along. Because it works to develop a community that is on the same path as you are.

[ame="http://www.amazon.com/The-Spark-Breakthrough-Getting-Transforming/dp/1401926460/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1335923210&sr=1-2"]Amazon.com: The Spark: The 28-Day Breakthrough Plan for Losing Weight, Getting Fit, and Transforming Your Life (9781401926465): Chris Downie: Books[/ame]

***and yes, by getting the book, you get to add to your points! Reading it is a wonderful investment in you though, a gift that will keep on giving***

Chris Downie has so much insight to his own journey on this path less traveled. I love his examples from his own life, from his vision board to his real life examples that are doable long term for the rest of your life. I mean who can't do some activity for 10 min? Anything over 10 min he says is extra credit for him, for the way he thinks and frames things. I love that concept, because it allows you to be successful and consistent, rather than beating our selves up for not being perfect and pushing ourselves to the limits each and everyday. We really can move for 10 min a day, even if you are laid up with a total knee replacement, as I am right now.

He is all about lifestyle changes that are sustainable. Permanent change. Tools that can be used by anyone, adapted to whatever you may be doing. Though if you use the suggested diet based on your own stats, you will succeed. Like WW, there is no illegal food, per se. That diet is just not for me, because I know what sugar does to me and I know what it does to us all on a cellular level. I am extremely carb sensitive and I know it. But there is room for all kinds here, there is no judgement.

I also respect and absolutely love anyone that willingly offers up 5 million of his own hard earned dollars to give this gift to us all. He has created something very very special. And the experts that have jumped on board to help with this site are amazing. The motivational expert, a shrink that has been very educational for me. The coach, Nicole. Wow, her suggestions and video work outs are easy to follow and do right there in your own home. I have learned a lot from the videos there about things such as correct form in lifting weights, to Pliates.

I love that it is free. It is about being accountable to one's own self and developing support system for whatever you may be centering on. There are even a lot of WW folks there. Tons of different teams you can join. Feel free to friend me there, I am dianegloria there. And please come on over to the Butch Femme group over at Spark People that Dressy Femme started a while back. We need more active folks. Me included. I know I need to get back into the Spark People saddle. They make it so dang easy and you can do as little or as much as you want. But I found that wanting to get the points for the bonus spin was sort of fun. The gamer in me enjoyed the challenge. And the whole point is suiting up and showing up. Tracking the food, the nutrition is a dang good start and wake up call for any of us. Then the exercise tracking, very informative. Reality wake up call, I call it.


One of my friends there posted this in their blog post, after she first described how her husband who is 130 pounds for the last 20 years, went on a cruise with her. And ate plate after plate, piled as high as he could. Ate constantly the whole 8 days, and did not gain an oz. She however who ate sensibly gained 2 lbs. Metabolism plays a part, genetics. Nature vs nuture, both count. But some of us have a much harder road to hoe.

http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.p...ple-arent-fat/

I loved the debate it ignited afterward. In my opinion, not all calories are created equal! But dang some people are stubborn as all get out!!!

Then I was aghast at this insanity about a blogger in trouble from the dieticians in NC

http://www.fathead-movie.com/index.p...ter-a-blogger/

People really do not understand Paleo and love to attack what they do not understand. Even though, it is commonly understood in medical circles that some high fat diets can actually cure some diseases, there is an epic case study about a hospital dietician who utilized a very high fat diet in a child who had uncontrollable seizures, I think was the disease process. I know it was neurological, having to do directly with myelin sheathes, which are comprised mostly of fats. When the myelin sheath is upset or break down, all sorts of bad things can occur.

anyhows, those links have on the side bar a ton of links to many sites that help explain Paleo and why low carb works on many levels. I know too many folks that have essentially cured their diabetes by eating like their ancestors did centuries ago, when sugar was a rare commodity that only the rich enjoyed regularly.

I like to think of what a caveman was able to eat, what he could pick, what he could kill. It was obviously all organic, grass fed. Nothing was processed or refined. And for those that say the cavemen died at around 30 years old, it was not from diet. Anyhows, I know it is not for everyone. But it works for me.

Now to get back into the habit of checking in, getting those silly points. I like goals, that is something I realize when I was going for the Dr. Oz Transformation Challenge, which I succeeded at, btw. Today I started with a summer challenge over on Spark People, and the competitive part of me wants to kick some ass.

Sorry to meander and babble on, blame it on the narcotics, which I am sooooo not used to taking. But they are better than the pain!

[justkim]

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I do love my veggies, I think I just need to increase them. I also make a mean turkey chili using black beans so I have the bean part down as I love my chili.
Dee, please I would love your red beans and rice... I know anybody can make it but your red beans and rice were my first... that has set the bar rather high...
To everyone else... keep up the great work you are all doing...

[Lady_Di]

Originally Posted by justkim

Thank you everyone for your suggestions. I do love my veggies, I think I just need to increase them. I also make a mean turkey chili using black beans so I have the bean part down as I love my chili.
Dee, please I would love your red beans and rice... I know anybody can make it but your red beans and rice were my first... that has set the bar rather high...
To everyone else... keep up the great work you are all doing...

Would love to see your recipe for turkey chile! Red chile, right? Oh yeah, I see it is chili, with an 'i'. That is always red, right? I adore chile or chili, every incarnation I have found of the stuff. Yummmy and really good eats.

I am from New Mexico and we do chile two ways, red or green. Or you can get it Christmas, both red and green, half and half. I love seeing a huevos rancheros half the plate with some awesome red chile sauce and the other half a killer Hatch green chile sauce.

Another delicious NM green chile dish is calabacitas. Yummmy and full of fiber, very low calorie and huge on flavour. Also is cheap eats. Who does not have a glut of squash every year, or know someone who's garden runneth over with zucchini and the like. Which reminds me, time to plant some zucchini and yellow squashes!

http://www.adobenido.com/blog/2010/n...ipe-muy-bueno/

I have never added the cheese as they do in this basic recipe. But this recipe is pretty basic and easy to tweek. I know my brother and sister-in-law for Christmas this year added a granny smith apple to the calabacitas and omg, it was fabulous. They said they used whatever it was they had around. Basically what you taste is veggie heaven and the Hatch Green Chile, which is the flavour of home to me.

Now I am hungry! Time to make something yummmy...

[Lady_Di]

Originally Posted by JustJo

Fiber is definitely your friend.

Raw veggies, lightly steamed veggies, raw whole fruit (including the peels), sweet potatoes....and we swear by Benefiber, which stirs in to beverages without even being detectable (except carbonated stuff....but that stuff is bad anyway).

Just a flash thought about the benefiber and other soluble fibers...

Cinnamon.

I did an experiment a few years back after we had been advising diabetics to get cinnamon into their diets everyday. I was curious as to why. Turns out it is a soluble fiber. *probably some other things in it as well, that help lower and stablize blood sugars*

Just put like a teaspoon of cinnamon into a cup of coffee, for example. If you forget about your cup for a while and forget to stir it, you will find it has gelled up on the bottle of your cup. That is what soluble fiber does, it is why oatmeal gets that gelatinous quality to it. Amazing stuff this fiber.

Just do it.

[thedivahrrrself]

Down 6 pounds from last week!

[starryeyes]

Well, I have been on track and lost 6lbs last week. I know most of it is the result of not eating junk and my bloat going away but it feels good to see the scale going the other way! My goal is to lose 20lbs before the reunion. That's less than 5lbs a month and totally attainable! I wanna wear a hot dress to the prom with Justin so that's my motivation! Ya :-D

[Cowboi]

Put in a 12 hour day today, and I am ready to relax and watch some tv.
Gonna have a salad for supper , wash it down with some H2O with some green apple flavored BCAA's mixed in. I will have a chocolate peanut butter casein shake before bed.
Hope that everybody had a great hump day!!!!

[deedarino]

I thought I was doing so terrible but after looking at a back post, I have lost another 10lbs in the last month!

Talkin of chili, I usually keep a pot of it going at all times. I use black beans, and throw in whatever veggies I have. I have come to really love carrots, celery, bells, onions, green chilis, etc. in my chili. It is my go to food when I am feeling extra hungry.

[JAGG]

I am proud to report that TheDivaHerself has lost 6 lbs so far! Yeah Diva! She has really been doing everything it takes to change bad habits with good ones. She is motivated and I hope every week whether she loses weight or not she keeps her motivation. And I know she will stick to her workouts while I am gone. When I get back from vacation Iwill have some special workouts in store for her poor fragile blistered feet. Lol

[Leigh]

Gooooooooooood morning healthies,

I wanted to come in and say that I am very impressed with how everyone is doing so well ~ we all kick ass! I have been using SparkPeople for about two months now pretty religiously and its been helping me alot. From blogging about my experiences with weight loss to tracking what I eat everyday, its been a big help to me and its showing. Last time I weighed myself I was 345 lbs, that was about a month and a half ago, and now I went to the doctor yesterday where she weighed me ........... I am now down to 330! She even told me that if my blood work I did today comes back and things are on track she may be able to reduce the amount of metformin that I am taking for my diabetes

It truly is amazing what taking care of yourself can do, and I am very excited to see where things go in the future!

[thedivahrrrself]

Originally Posted by JAGG

I am proud to report that TheDivaHerself has lost 6 lbs so far! Yeah Diva! She has really been doing everything it takes to change bad habits with good ones. She is motivated and I hope every week whether she loses weight or not she keeps her motivation. And I know she will stick to her workouts while I am gone. When I get back from vacation Iwill have some special workouts in store for her poor fragile blistered feet. Lol

Thanks, JAGG, I'll be good with the workouts until it turns about 100 degrees out there, then I may have to start waking up at 4am or something!!

I love getting outside in this weather. The food is harder, but now I've been taught the African Guilt Trip method, hopefully bad food will be easier to resist! LOL

[JAGG]

Originally Posted by Liem

I live by 'if it wasn't around 200 years ago, don't eat it'

I like that Liem. I live by "if it tastes like crap don't eat it. Life is too short to eat food you don't like." Ha just joking... Sort of.

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by Cajun_dee

i LOVE ginger, can you share the recipe for the dressing? i used to have a Ginger wasabi finishing sauce for the grill, it was delish!

Actually it's just ginger dressing in a jar! That I got at Trader Joe's. I'll look at the label tonight. It's really good—but there are a lot of products like that in jars. I don't know how to make it from scratch!

[Ginger]

Originally Posted by JustJo

Absolutely true...one of the "inspirations" for me to get healthier was being aware of the horrible death experienced by my aunt from diabetic complications in her late 50s, and the knowledge that, of my father's 8 siblings, only one has made it past age 60.

Heart disease and diabetes has decimated my family....and they have participated in generating their own health problems through the way they eat and (don't) exercise.

My father was 45 when he died, and I am 50.

For me, this journey isn't about the number on the scale or the size pants I wear (although those are fun things to see improving )....it is purely and simply about staying alive and healthy enough to see my son grow up and, hopefully, to enjoy a long retirement and eventual grandchildren.

I honestly don't give a crap about society's messages that "thin is beautiful" and that you can't wear more than a size 8 and be desirable. I do care a great deal about keeping my vision, and my feet, and living long enough to enjoy the non-working part of my life.

I'm fortunate that my diabetes was caught early enough to be treated with oral meds....so I am not insulin-dependent....and I have never been a "fragile" diabetic. My doctor describes me as a "sturdy diabetic"....and that works for me. My genetics pretty much guarantee that my diabetes isn't going anywhere....but if I can control it with metformin, improved eating habits and regular exercise....then I can live with that.

You are really doing a great job, it sounds like. Plus with each generation there are more ways to manage diabetes and live healthily with it. My nephew is diabetic and I learned about it through feeding him. He started givign himself the injections at around 12. I admire your attitude!!!!!

[Gemme]

11 Ways to Achieve a Healthier Life

If I were to boil down all of the lessons I've learned in my career into one statement it'd be this: Always be the student.

The game of health is one that you can easily win, as long as you're willing to learn, accept that multiple approaches to fitness and nutrition work, and that trends and opinions can change. Some people interpret this as hypocritical--I consider it a realistic and sustainable approach to living a better life. As a new month descends upon us, I want to make the smartest experts more available to you. So I reached out to the best doctors, nutritionists, and strength coaches in the industry--the real heroes of health and fitness--and had them compile their favorite life lessons. Grab your notebook because the best health course ever created is officially in session.



Zoe Harcombe, The Obestity Fighter
I'll keep this simple: If nature provides it, eat it. If man made it, don’t go near it. Real food is what we evolved to eat. Man-made food is the major cause of man-made illness (obesity, heart disease and more). Unless you want to be fat and sick you need to trust Mother Nature not Ronald McDonald! Here's how to do it: Base your meals on: meat, eggs and dairy foods from grass living animals; fish; quality (non-GM, non-pesticide) vegetables & salads; nuts & seeds and local fruits in season. Treats can include at least 70% cocoa dark chocolate (ideally 85-90%+), red wine and cream, but what are steak and pork crackling if not treats?! If active and slim, brown rice, cous cous and other non-wheat whole grains can be an enjoyable part of one’s diet (modern wheat has mutated too far to be of benefit to any human). If you’ve got weight to lose you need to give your body the chance to burn that fat and that can’t happen if you keep putting fuel (carbohydrates) in the tank.

Jim Smith, The Life Changer
The fitness industry is very unique. It has a staggering failure rate, yet still grosses billions of dollars per year. So why aren't people reaching their goals when they are clearly spending their hard-earned money to support every new fitness fad that hits the market? Achieving your fitness goals and the getting the body you want doesn't have anything to do with the latest fancy gadgets or today's most popular workout routine - it all depends on YOU. Our daily lives are filled with negativity from going to a job we don't like, allowing negative people into our circle of friends and from trying to escape our past. These roadblocks and self-imposed self-doubt can many times prevent us from achieving any goal we set for ourselves in and out of the gym – and from living the life of our dreams.

If you ever want to achieve great things in your life, you must first start with belief in yourself. This small spark can turn into a raging fire that can burn down the bridges to your past and help you eliminate the obstacles that you face every day. Once you have this belief, you will become unstoppable if you also take action. Focus on small progress every day and live every moment - and don't fear failure. You don't have to be perfect, just persistent. Realize that every second that you are not taking action is another day living the life you so desperately want to change.

Alan Aragon, The Food Realist
I've designed thousands of diets in my life, and here's something I know that works: Flexibility. I give myself anywhere from 10 to 20 percent of my calories to come from whatever foods I want. This can be daily or weekly, depending on my preference at the time. This accomplishes 3 main things. First off, it reminds me to predominate my diet (80-90%) with whole and minimally processed foods. Secondly, it allows for indulgence foods such as sugary desserts or fried dishes to be consumed in a controlled manner; in moderation. Thirdly, it allows me to feel free and more experimental with the foods I bring into dietary rotation. Trying new things – regardless of their supposed “junkiness” – can end up contributing to the spectrum of nutrients consumed. Collectively, this “discretionary” calorie allotment allows me to enjoy eating in all situations (social & other), while maintaining a healthy diet overall.

John Romaniello, Captain Obvious
Take time to figure out the YOU diet. Popular diets like those recommended on LIVESTRONG.COM are great, but everything is better with customization. More importantly, not everything works for everybody, and not everyone needs to be completely compliant with a dietary dogma to get results. For example, “primal” eating plans like the Paleo Diet CAN work for anybody but they’re NOT necessary for everybody--a great many people need to eliminate gluten, but many do not. On the opposite side of that coin, many people find a change to a vegan diet helps them lose weight and get healthy, but it’s certainly not written in stone that everyone “needs” to eliminate animal products. Personally, I like intermittent fasting, and use it for my clients, but it’s not a cure-all--some people do better when they eat more regularly.

The best way to ensure that you know exactly what you need to do to make progress is to experiment with periods of elimination: one month, go gluten free; another month, dairy free. Also try different diets: perhaps intermittent fasting one month, carb-backloading the next; within 4 to 5 months, you’ll figure out what works best for you--what you NEED to do to make the fastest progress--and you’ll be able to develop your own customized plan that you can follow for the rest of your life.

Dr. Mark Cheng, Master of Human Performance
With the recent press that high-intensity, hardcore training has been getting, it’s little wonder that we’re seeing more muscular, sexier bodies. Yet with higher output comes greater risk, and when you strengthen the body’s engine, you also need to make sure to check the alignment, lest ye suffer a crippling blowout. The most important areas of alignment, you ask? Posture & breath.

Posture is a fancy word for joint alignment. It doesn’t mean sitting or standing like you’ve suddenly found yourself in the USMC on line for inspection. It means using proper biomechanics CONSTANTLY whether you’re in motion or still. Movement under competitive circumstances may momentarily drive you out of alignment on occasion, but in your training and in your activities of daily life, your joint alignment should be uncompromising. Similarly, your breath should be the picture of relaxation and efficiency. Whether you’re in the gym or in the office, your breathing should be easy, unrestricted, and energizing. The diaphragm is perhaps the most important muscle in respiration, and when it’s not functioning properly, your core is crippled.

So throughout your day, no matter what you’re doing, check your posture, find height to align your spine, relax your limbs and your breathing. These are some of the subtle secrets to achieve strong health and an efficient, durable body.

John Berardi, The Transformation Specialist
At Precision Nutrition we believe in something we call deep health. Deep health doesn't come from a pill or an operation. Deep health comes from a balanced diet of fresh, whole foods. It comes from sufficient exercise combined with genuine rest. It comes from clean air and clean water. And it comes from living with purpose and joy, and using your life as an expression of these things. That's our philosophy of health and fitness. And it's one we're passionate about sharing with as many people as possible.

Kris Carr, Crazy, Sexy Inspiration
Make juice, not war. A nutrient dense, anti-inflammatory green juice is a terrific way to get an instant blast of sustainable energy. Green smoothies are fantastic too. Adding healthy fats like avocado or raw almond butter to your smoothie will help you feel satisfied longer. Here's an idea, reach for a fresh organic vegetable juice or smoothie, instead of your morning cup of java. Your body will thank you!

Make Juice Not War Green Drink
It’s our motto and our morning beverage. This recipe makes almost 32 ounces.
- 2 large cucumbers (peeled if not organic)
- A big fistful of kale and romaine (or spinach, chard etc)
- 4-5 stalks celery
- 1-2 big broccoli stems (adds sweetness)
- 1-2 green apples
- 1/2 lemon
Wash and prep ingredients, put them through your juicer. Cheers!

Martin Rooney, The Warrior Creator
As your day becomes “busier” with each passing year, sleep has become expendable. In fact, I would be bold enough to say that the human species is the only one on the planet that is sleep deprived (just think about how many times you wake a week without an alarm clock). Although many of us understand the effects of a lack of proper exercise and nutrition, I think few of us appreciate the negative physical and mental repercussions due to a lack of sleep. Both the healing of the body and mind occur during sleep, and most of us know we are not getting enough. I, however, take my sleep very seriously. Just as I try to train and eat like a champion athlete, I try to sleep like one as well.

The following are some of my tips for getting a champion’s night sleep: Make sure you have a bedtime routine. I consider this just as important as my dynamic warmup before training or the way that I pmartinrepare my food. To begin my routine, I make sure to hydrate with about 16 ounces of water. Following this, I make sure that the TV, computer, and phone is off, and my blinds are pulled tightly shut to prevent light from leaking in. I keep my room cool at about 68 degrees and check my heart rate each night before I close my eyes to sleep. I finish with deep breathing to calm my mind and clear my thoughts. At that point, I am always out like a light.

Yoni Freedhoff, The Weight Loss Savant
My favorite tip for how to improve any aspect of your health is to ask yourself better questions. Whether you’re setting out to improve your fitness, your diet, your relationships or your mental health, given the dynamic nature of living real lives, your efforts will have both their ups, and their downs.

The most common lines of internal questioning when things aren’t going well go something like this: “What’s wrong with me?”, “What’s my problem?”, “Why
can’t I do X, Y or Z?”, or “Why does this always happen to me?”. Your brain, truly your ever faithful servant, isn’t going to hesitate to answer and without missing a beat, it’ll tell you what’s “wrong with you” - after all, that’s what you’ve asked it to do! “You’re a loser”, “You don’t deserve it”, “You’re weak.” Sugar-coating isn’t our brain's strongest asset.

Do you really think you’re going to be able to build a lifelong change on the basis of repeatedly mentally beating yourself up? I don’t. If you want to build a lifelong change, then you need to build it on the shoulders of pride, because pride provides powerful forward momentum.

So how do you build pride in the face of struggles? You ask your brain two new questions.

The first? “What can I do right now that’s going to help even a little bit?”
And the second, “What can I do today that I can be proud of?”

Your faithful servant will once again provide you with answers, only this time they’ll help build you up, not help tear yourself down. It of course goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyways), once your brain provides you with answers to your new questions, if you want to benefit from them, you need to act on them.

Be constructive, not destructive – life will be much more enjoyable that way.

Eric Cressey, The Sports Specialist
Without a doubt, I’d tell folks to have their vitamin D checked (as part of comprehensive blood work). It has so many implications in terms of both health and performance, whether we’re talking about endocrine implications, immune health, soft tissue quality, or any of a number of other benefits. I always tell folks that you can’t run a race if you don’t know where the starting line is, and that’s what blood testing will give you.

Andy Bellatti, The Food Crusader
One of the best things people can do is get out of the “low-carb” and “low-fat” mentality and instead prioritize “low-processed” foods. Highly processed foods are generally low in vitamins, minerals, and fiber, and offer refined grains, unhealthy fats, artificial additives, and chemical ingredients that don’t do our bodies any favors.

I always encourage people to eat real food. An avocado is a high-fat food, and a pear is not low-carb, but they are whole foods that confer a multitude of health benefits. Those two foods will always surpass a low-fat and low-sugar “energy bar” made with artificial sweeteners.”

Jason Ferruggia, The Renegade
I specialize in helping skinny guys gain size and strength. One thing that is probably the biggest thing holding these guys back is their never ending worrying. They over-think and over-analyze everything, much to their detriment. They obsessively count calories and change their diets and workouts every week, then they wonder if they are overtraining or not doing enough. They second guess EVERYTHING.

This type of constant worrying is hurtful in so many ways--regardless of your goal. First, you never get anywhere. If you always second guess what you’re doing and don’t believe in it you will never make progress. NEVER. Do you think Arnold or Dorian Yates or Walter Payton or Michael Jordan lived with constant worrying and doubt? Of course not. They went to the gym or field every day and worked their asses off with complete confidence that they were doing exactly what it took to be the best. They weren’t switching up their workouts or their shooting or running style each week.

When you lean to worry less about things like this you can actually start to enjoy your training and your life. For too many people today, training is a source of stress more than a stress relief. Stop over thinking it and learn to enjoy the process.

Of course, just telling someone not to worry isn’t enough. If only it were that easy. Learning to worry less is a skill. And like any skill you want to master it must be practiced religiously. This is no different than learning to play the guitar or perform the Olympic lifts. You need to read books like “F*ck It” and anything by Leo Babauta. Associate yourself with people who have already mastered this skill. And look to guys who seem physically incapable of worrying or hearing negativity of any kind, like Donald Trump and Magic Johnson.

Assign a reward and punishment to your behaviors. Let others know what your goal is and then whenever they hear you expressing these negative thoughts they are to call you on it.

Eventually this will improve just like any other skill you constantly practice. And when it does you will be leaner, stronger, healthier, happier and more successful.

-Adam Bornstein

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/blog/11-wa...#ixzz1tr6LMrfu

[Cowboi]

Hooorah!!!!! My Marine is kickin some major butt!!! Had a great workout today. I think we are about to turn up the heat! LoL

Had some grilled catfish, veggies, and iced tea for dinner, sittin out watching the sunset on da bayou.
Life is good!!! Hope y'all had a great day!! Its almost friday.....

[Leigh]

glad to have my laptop back up and running

[thedivahrrrself]

OMG the people at work are trying to kill me!!! I walked into the breakroom this afternoon to fix my lunch, and there are muffins. Not just any muffins, but gourmet, giant, delicious-looking CHOCOLATE muffins! With icing! ARG! I stared for a while and then made the choice to eat my turkey sandwich instead.

I go back for dinner later that evening, and open the freezer to grab a Lean Cuisine. The whole effing freezer is full of ICE CREAM! Ice cream sandwiches, those little chocolate lined cone thingies, fruit dream bars, every type of ice cream imaginable. I guess they had some sort of birthday party or something in one of the departments.

FML. I warmed up my frozen dinner and pouted for a few minutes, but I'm glad I made the right choices.

[thedivahrrrself]

They brought freakin' PIES today!! They're killing me with this crap!

Instead of pie, I will have applesauce. ugh.

[Thinker]

Another 1/4 inch. Too slowwwwww.

I'm gonna have to get some cardio goin'.