Beating the Turkey Hangover

Thanksgiving is over and the food is put away; now what?  As I mentioned in my previous blog Thanksgiving can be a scary time with all of the food around.  How do you bounce back to normal?  Let me start with telling you a little bit about the Paleo Diet I follow.  The good news is this is not a diet it is a way of life.  There are tons of diet programs out there I have named a few, but what happens after the diet is over?  The Paleo plan is a way of life that can adjust to your lifestyle.  We will begin with all of the foods that are encouraged fruits, vegetables, lean meats, nuts and seeds, healthy fat oils, and fish.  It does not limit the amount of food that you eat just as long as you get plenty of vegetables.  It is based on how originally our ancestors ate what they gathered and caught, and takes out foods we added to our diets over the decades such as dairy, grains, processed foods, legumes, fatty meats, vegetable oil, and anything else that has formulated over time unnaturally.  I stick to Paleo 90% of the time; it is my choice because it is a way of life not a diet.  I suffer from digestive issues, and if I eat something high in fat I pay for it so I have found it is best for me to follow the guidelines.  You can measure yourself by how you feel after sticking to Paleo foods and trailing off to a more processed diet.  For more information on this there are some helpful websites.  http://www.paleoplan.com/resources/paleo-plan-food-guide/

 I have tried tons of diets over the years and have spent lots of time jumping from one diet to the next while gaining it all back.  I have been able to find the balance in Paleo eating and have seen the improvements in mine and my husband's health.  Some may argue with this and that is okay, but find what works best in your life.  We have to eat to live and some live to eat, but put everything into balance.  You will make mistakes and may trail off, but you can always come back to what you feel is your healthy you.  When I started this blog I wanted to educate others about all of the misconceptions out there such as dieting. 

In the U.S.:

• 68.8% of adults are overweight or obese; 35.7% are obese.
• 31.8% of children and adolescents are overweight or obese; 16.9% are obese.

http://frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/obesity-in-the-us/

Obesity rates have more than doubled in adults

I am not saying that Paleo is the answer for everyone, but find your healthy.  Make sure and read the labels just because it says skinny, low-fat, fat-free, reduced-fat does not mean that they did not chemically alter the ingredients to make it that way.  Here is an example of a Paleo food pyramid.  See the difference and live the difference. 

 

A Time of Thanksgiving

It's a time for thanks this Holiday Season.  Last week I was in Branson for Matt's Grandparent's 60th Anniversary; wow 60 years.  Marriage these days is not taken as serious as it should; we tend to take things for granted our marriages, relationships, and work.  We live in a time of fast living going from place to place following our agendas and schedules and not stopping to enjoy the moments.  Have you ever caught yourself saying I cannot wait until this such and such vacation or event?  What about today?  What are you thankful for today?  What blessings does the day hold in front of you not the future the present?  Yoga has taught me to be more present in my life to enjoy the moments it is all about finding your inner joy.  This holiday season think about your thanksgiving, and let them know how important they are in your life.  Holidays can also be hard if you lost a loved one, just got out of a relationship, and yes temptation of lots of food.  My mom loved holidays always made them special, and I definitely miss her every holiday and every day.  Holidays for me are a time to be with family and we have our family traditions running the Turkey Trot and then eating a big meal.  I mentioned how holidays can be hard with all of the food around.  How do you deal with all of this temptation, and how do you feel after you eat?  Holidays are filled with tons of food how do you keep yourself healthy?  I will admit holiday's can be scary for me for this reason.  I ran across a few holiday tips that may help.
 http://www.cpmc.org/about/e-health/11-05%20healthy-holidays.html

Ten Tips for Healthy Holiday Eating

1. Be realistic. Don’t try to lose pounds during the holidays, instead try to maintain your current weight.


2. Plan time for exercise. Exercise helps relieve holiday stress and prevent weight gain. A moderate and daily increase in exercise can help partially offset increased holiday eating. Try 10- or 15-minute brisk walks twice a day.


3. Don’t skip meals. Before leaving for a party, eat a light snack like raw vegetables or a piece of fruit to curb your appetite. You will be less tempted to over-indulge.


4. Survey party buffets before filling your plate. Choose your favorite foods and skip your least favorite. Include vegetables and fruits to keep your plate balanced.


5. Eat until you are satisfied, not stuffed. Savor your favorite holiday treats while eating small portions. Sit down, get comfortable, and enjoy.


6. Be careful with beverages. Alcohol can lessen inhibitions and induce overeating; non-alcoholic beverages can be full of calories and sugar.


7. If you overeat at one meal go light on the next. It takes 500 calories per day (or 3,500 calories per week) above your normal/maintenance consumption to gain one pound. It is impossible to gain weight from one piece of pie!


8. Take the focus off food. Turn candy and cookie making time into non-edible projects like making wreaths, dough art decorations or a gingerbread house. Plan group activities with family and friends that aren’t all about food. Try serving a holiday meal to the community, playing games or going on a walking tour of decorated homes.


9. Bring your own healthy dish to a holiday gathering.


10. Practice Healthy Holiday Cooking. Preparing favorite dishes lower in fat and calories will help promote healthy holiday eating. Incorporate some of these simple-cooking tips in traditional holiday recipes to make them healthier.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving.  Enjoy the moments in life each and every single day.  Be sure to tell others your thanksgivings and how much they mean in your life.  You are a thanksgiving to me, and I appreciate all of the love and support from each one of you.

Why is Healthy so hard sometimes?

First off I would like to say thank you so much for the support on my last blog.  That was hard to write and share, but I am so glad I did.  I hope my journey helps others find their own way to healthy.  Looking at society it is not a surprise that so many are so confused on how to be healthy and what that means?  Most people go from diet to diet and gain more weight then when they started.  I know I have been this way in the past.  In the 90's there was all of the low-fat and fat free diets.  If you don't eat fat then you will not get fat was the idea behind this.  The problem is all of the perservatives that are put into this food and in the end you have no idea what you are really eating.  I will name a few Snackwell cookies, 100 calorie packs, and the worst diet sodas.  I will dig into all of these a little more, but there is not any wonder we do not know where to turn for healthy weight loss or maintenance.  There are low carb diets and no carb diets such as Atkins and South Beach Diet.  I have learned with all of the confusing nature to stick to what is best for you and not to change it up too much.  As I mentioned on the previous blog I follow a Paleo natural foods diet 90% of the time.  It has really helped me understand what real food is and the benefits it can bring to my body.  Let's talk about artificial sweetners a topic that has been in and out of controversary for most diets.  On most low fat and fat free diets this is acceptable because it's calorie free it must be good right?   Read a little about it and the dangers; this is one of many links that address this in detail.  http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/nutrition/artificial-sweeteners
These artificial sweetener additives mimic the flavor of sugar but with virtually no useful energy. There are five dangerous sugar substitutes that are approved for consumer use: saccharin, neotame, acesulfame potassium, aspartame, and sucralose. Of the five, sucralose and aspartame are the most pervasive and dangerous substitute found in products on store shelves today.  They say you are what you eat that may or may not be a good sign.  I am not saying that artificial sweeteners are the absolute worst thing for you in the world, but at least know what you are putting into your month.  Too much of anything can be bad.  I am not perfect, and if something has an artificial sweetener I try not to eat it, but it may sneak in my food from time to time.  I do understand the difference and what is good for me and not and sometimes I will take the gamble.  I actually recently found out that one of the products I was taking for energy and mental alertness contains sucralose; this is good to know and it is more of a caution of whether or not I will put this in my body.  As I mentioned know what you are eating.  Make sure and check the labels on your food if you do not know what it is find out before you put it in your mouth.  I am not a Nutritionist and do not claim to be one; I just know what works in my life again you may be different.  I have a very sensitive stomach so I have been spent lots of time trying to figure this out; sometimes it is a trial and error. The media does a great job of telling us what we should be doing and describing our healthy for us.  There are so many products out there that claim to be healthy, but do your research.  I believe that the world as a whole is making steps in the right direction to become more healthy, but there is lots of work to do about all of the misconceptions.  There is a picture below of the side effects of Diet Soda; you decide.  If you are a Diet Soda drinker this is not meant to be scary just know the truth about your beverage choice.  I hope this helps you understand that just because it says diet, low-fat, or fat-free it does not mean you should eat it and it is healthy.

Healthy; it is the Way of Life

 

This is a long one because I have lots to say on this topic in fact I could probably write a book; maybe I will one day, but for now let's first start with misconceptions of dieting. I was sharing recently some of the misconceptions I had when I was a little kid I quit eating fries at McDonald's to go to Baked Apple Pies yes very strange. I would eat biscuits and gravy for lunch in Middle School and Frito Pies and again I thought this was good for me I did not understand the difference and all the additives and how bad this all was for my body. I have been active my whole life and in sports. I ran cross country in Middle School and played soccer in High School. I am not really sure when this all turned around I went from not really focusing on what went into my body to stressing about everything that went into it. I started working out my Sophomore Year of High School and my Junior Year of High School I was diagnosed with an eating disorder where every time I ate I would have to exercise to feel better sounds practical, but unhealthy because it was an obsession. I had a Nutritionist and a Psychologist and I was not a fan of the Psychologist at all I felt like he was trying to diagnose me instead of help. The Psychologist told me that this was the one area in my life that I could control so I did. This theory was based on having to deal with my parents fighting and feeling helpless. The Nutritionist was more comforting though she told me to take your biggest fear and multiply it by 3 and that is how I felt when I ate. This is how she explained eating disorders to other people. I was also doing a little modeling so I am sure that this did not help my self- image. I remember thinking in school one day how is this person eating M&Ms and still thin? Yes sometimes I still think this way no judgment just have to work really hard to stay thin, but definitely worth it carbs are not my friend more on this with the Paleo diet. I did get through the eating disorder although yes I will always have to be careful and my husband keeps me on my toes since he knows my struggles. In College I lost 20 pounds my Freshman summer yes I lost weight instead of gained by doing Herbal Life protein shakes and was not heavy by any means just never been what you would call one of those thin girls always had muscles. Calories in calories out makes sense right, but the problem is I was not eating enough. I remember logging my food for a gym class on the pyramid and it had 3 Slim Fast bars for the day hmm yeah definitely not healthy, but it felt good to be thin. The major problem was I would not eat all day, but then I would binge eat when I drank and then go run in the morning. It was a constant guilt. A couple of years after college I realized because of the protein shakes I did not know how to eat normal and I felt bad for eating real meals. I had to teach myself when I was full and what portion size I needed for my body. This was not an everyday struggle just a realization looking back. So with all this said what has changed? Honestly I still struggle, but what really changed in my life with the relationship with food is when I went through Yoga Teacher Training. It changed my life in more ways than one. I can't explain it, but something just clicked the awareness of it is okay to not eat perfect every day and you make a choice and live with your choice. It taught me balance with food. I realized what I was doing was a tit for tat system basically punishing myself. I know when I overeat I still don't feel good, but I am aware of my choices and I do it consciously. If I have desert I acknowledge that I enjoyed it and I do not have to feel guilty I chose to eat this. I still have my weaknesses and have to watch my alcohol intake. We all know alcohol makes us less aware of what we put into our bodies; right? A drink or 2 is fine, but know your weaknesses. I know that if I do drink it takes my body awhile to recover to get back to its healthy state so I find myself wanting to go through that process less and less. I currently follow a Paleo way of life which is no processed foods, no dairy, no grains, and no legumes. This diet is based upon eating wholesome, contemporary foods from the food groups our hunter-gatherer ancestors would have thrived on during the Paleolithic era, the time period from about 2.6 million years ago to the beginning of the agricultural revolution, about 10,000 years ago. These foods include fresh meats (preferably grass-produced or free-ranging beef, pork, lamb, poultry, and game meat, if you can get it), fish, seafood, fresh fruits, vegetables, seeds, nuts, and healthful oils (olive, coconut, avocado, macadamia, walnut and flaxseed). More on the Paleo Diet in the following blogs, but it works for my body. I eat foods in the natural state they come. I am not perfect when it comes to food, and I still struggle it is not that I do not like other foods I have learned that my body cannot handle it. I still drink protein shakes and still have new ways to try to lose weight. I guess the truth is I like the feeling of losing weight, but as my husband says some people are just meant to be a certain weight. I will never be stick thin without being really unhealthy I realize this, but it will probably always be in the back of my mind.  Find something that makes you happy life is a balance do not let anything define you. I work out because I love it, and it will always be a part of my life; find healthy in your life.