It just makes sense!!! :)

Good morning. Happy Thursday. 

I have been getting emails and posts on my profile on My Fitness Pal with people saying they are enjoying my blog and that I am inspiring them in various ways. Eating Kale, doing planks again, even not obsessing over the scale so much. I really can't tell you how happy that makes me feel. It is exactly why I started this blog. To sort of hold your hand and help to guide you to the finish line. To be a voice of reason and encouragement when you start to feel defeated. If nothing else you know someone who did it and keeps doing it. And did it using simplicity and not gimmicks or fad diets. 

For some they don't care why something works as long as it does. For me, I have to understand why. Like with the intermittent fasting or 8-hour diet. That makes sense to me when I really think about it and why it works for some. 

For me, the reason why my way of living works also makes sense. It's as simple as the comparison of our bodies to a car. And in order for it to run properly you have to fuel it sufficiently and with great products and take care of it. The day we realize that eating too few calories can hurt your weight loss and maintenance, is such a great day! Also there is a quote I talk about with some that says if you focus on change you'll get results, if you focus on results you'll never change. Pretty simple right?

Of all the diets out there I do think Weight Watchers is a good one. They do the calorie counting for you and make it easy. It is essentially what I did just in a different way. I have done WW in the past and had brief success. The problem I had was sometimes when you guesstimate the points and often would say "This appears to be about 5 points, etc". I realized I needed to do the counting myself to really understand how it works. And why fiber makes a difference. In my opinion, protein and fiber are a necessity to weight-loss and maintenance. Without them, you just won't feel satisfied. When I buy bread, I make sure it has 5 or more grams of fiber per slice. Cereal is the same way. Women need to focus on 25g or more a day and men need 30g. Be careful and try to slowly up your fiber intake as a sudden onslaught can make your digestive system all wonky...briefly! :) 

Also, a food scale is a great tool, especially early on. So much of our trouble here in the United States is portion size. Even with something like McDonalds did you know that the main meal back when they opened was what is essentially a Happy Meal now? The small burger and fries. Makes you think, doesn't it? We just eat way too much at times. Everything is super sized in this country. The only things I consume in large quantities is water and fruit and vegetables. Many veggies are 0 calories and water based and can be munched on all day! I love different colored bell pepper, cucumbers, carrots, celery. A food scale can help you educate yourself in proper portion size. What exactly 3 or 4 ounces of meat is. And as obsessive as it seems, even measuring things like BBQ sauce or salad dressing can help. Seeing what a tablespoon is. I don't measure these things anymore but by doing it I was able to learn and know how to eyeball it better. 

And activity. A lack of it is not going to help matters at all. I know so many don't like to exercise but it really is so good for you. If you make it a necessity to your life as anything else is. Make it a part of your daily/weekly routine and incorporate it at times that make sense and you can stick with. Between time with my boys, work and when the gym daycare opens, I can only get to the gym three days but I make those three days count with a great calorie burn. My work schedule may be changing and with my boys being with their father on Tuesday nights, it means I may be getting to the gym about 5:30 in the morning on Wednesdays since I won't be able to on Thursday evenings anymore. You have to take one for the team sometimes to stay in shape! And excuses will never help. Also, as hard as it is to work out early in the morning, it really does make you feel awesome all day. And at home I focus on strength moves when I can. Even at work while I was assisting with a visual field and monitoring the four minute test as the patient took it, I was doing calf raises! haha! 

See what I mean about it making sense? It has to make sense to work I think. I don't take diet pills or water pills. The only things I take are vitamins. And if I feel bloated, I drink a ton of lemon water which is a natural diuretic. You will be pee'ing non-stop if you drink that!! lol!  It's also a benefit of that cleanse I have talked about in previous blog posts. You are eliminating all added salt for five days so it allows your body to shed all that bloat. You feel light as a feather by day 5! The interesting thing about the cleanse is late on day 2 you start to get bored and want to quit and think you won't be able to eat another raspberry or another bite of spinach again in your whole life. If you stick with it, by the end....and when you go back to your normal foods, the first thing you notice is everything is way too salty. And then you start craving berries, spinach and eggs again. Try it, you'll see! :) 

So out with the gimmicks and pills and quick fixes. They just don't work because they don't make sense. If you want to be trendy, eat Kale (my friend Shellie resists but I will get her to eat it. Mark my words!!), try Pilates, Yoga or Zumba, get a juicer and put a bunch of fruit and veggies in there! Get turmeric and sprinkle it on your salads and dishes. These are all real. Nothing fake. And they make sense. 

I found this awesome website last night with great recipes. They have a bunch of Middle Eastern recipes which is a simple way to get turmeric into your diet and super flavorful!! The Edible Mosaic! Check it out. I am thinking of making the Chicken Mulligatawny and a Moroccan Spiced Chicken Stew. Both look amazing as do most of the recipes. :) Quinoa corncakes and butternut-maple butter. Maple-Mustard Glazed Chicken with an ingredient list of: Chicken cutlets, salt, black pepper, chicken broth, fresh thyme, maple syrup, garlic, apple cider vinegar and stone-ground mustard. Clean, simple, delicious! 

http://www.anediblemosaic.com/

Have a lovely day everyone!!

God Bless!
Tami