Fat Chance

As I have mentioned I am a bit of a book worm.  I just finished the most fantastic book about the obesity pandemic that is a problem not only in our nation but world wide.  The book is Fat Chance: Beating the Odds Against Sugar, Processed Food, Obesity, and Disease By Robert H. Lustig, M.D.  He is a pediatrician on a mission to help combat the obesity pandemic that is plaguing our world.

As a population we are increasingly getting larger.  He addresses many of the reasons why this is happening, there is so much information in this book that answered so many of my personal questions.  But here are a few main things that he talks about and how you can help yourself to be healthier and by being healthier the weight will take care of itself.  He talks about how a calorie is not a calorie, so the whole theory of calories in vs. calories out does not apply.  This made sense to me as I have struggled to loose weight when just monitoring my calorie intake and adding in exercise.  Your body processes different foods differently and therefore, has a different reaction.  Your body likes real food!  It does not like things from a package.

First off eat your fruits and veggies, don't juice them, but eat them so you get the fiber.  He talks a lot about fiber and how important it is in our diet.  It is my new mission to get more fiber, as this is something I rarely pay much attention to.

Eliminate or at least limit your sugar intake.  Sugar is toxic and addictive.  He talks about how the chemical reaction that takes place in our brain when we eat sugar is similar to that of consuming alcohol.  He talks about how fruit has sugar in it but with the combination of fiber our bodies understand how to process it, but when you eliminate the fiber our body doesn't like it near as well and the consequence of this is we slowly put on the weight.  He also talks about how fruit juice has more sugar in a serving than a can of soda!! YIKES!!!

His recommendations if you must eat something out of a package it needs to:

• Don't consume your calories through liquid form unless it is in milk he says that our bodies process the sugar in milk (lactose) differently than other sugars.
• have no fewer than 3g fiber (my trip to the grocery store was very interesting I couldn't find a bread that had 3g of fiber per serving in it).  
• Sugar no matter what form its listed in (there are about 40 different names for sugar, but dextrose, fructose, glucose, sugar, cane sugar, beet sugar, corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup are a few) should  not be in the first 3-5 ingredients.
• No hydrogenated or partially hydrogenated oils (this is code for trans fat)
• Skip the fast food
• If you must go out, order something green, skip the frappuccinos and smoothies, make sure you get some form of lean protein.

He talks in his book about all the different diets from Vegan to Paleolithic diets and many in between and the reason that most people have success with these types of diets is because they are eliminating sugar... that is one component all the diets have in common.  He also talks about hormonal imbalances in our bodies and how to adjust to help yourself.  

He talks about exercise and how when most people begin exercising it is with weight loss in mind, and are sometimes defeated when the number on the scale doesn't budge too much.  Studies show that exercise alone will account for only 2-3lb weight loss, it is your diet that changes the number on the scale.  Exercise is a great way to improve your health and build muscle, but not a great component for weight loss.  Here is the book from Amazon, and I highly recommend it!  There is more information in the book than I can share with you in one little blog post but I felt like I hit some of the most important parts in the book.

Physical book Kindle Book The cookbook that is supposed to be amazing!! I just ordered it myself!

Green Smoothie Basics

I have to be honest, I am a terrible eater, I am addicted to sugar and I don't love my veggies.  Yikes, can't believe I just admitted that.  However, I have to find ways around my bad habits and cravings to trick my tongue into believing we are having a treat.  So one of my go to "treats" is a green smoothie, and me the veggie hater loves them!  I get asked a lot what I put in them, or how to make them so I thought I would give you all the run down and basics of how I make a green smoothie.

First off you want to have a liquid so everything will blend, I usually choose from the following and use about a cup: (I will also add in the juice of about 1/2 a lemon)

• Water
• Aloe Vera Juice
• Berry flavored aloe vera juice
• Coconut water
• Almond Milk (usually this is rare for me)

Then you want to choose your greens and/or veggies, I usually choose from the following, and use 2-5 fist fulls:

• Baby Spinach (this is my favorite, and usual go to green, because it has a more mild taste)
• Kale (this is a strong taste and one I have to build up to)
• Mixed greens
• Beet Greens
• Cucumbers
• Carrots
• Celery
• Beets

If I haven't pre-made and frozen a bunch in advance I will usually mix these together to get my greens/veggies a really good blending.

I then add my fruits to sweeten things up and cover the veggie taste, I usually use about a cup of frozen fruit of any variety, my favorite is the tropical blend, but I have used all kinds of frozen fruits, and I sometimes will throw in an apple, pear, banana or anything else that I might need to get used up before it goes bad.

I then add in some healthy fats from the following, just a bit here, I usually do a TBSP of most of these, think thumb sized portion, but I will do a bit more avacado:

• Chia seeds
• Ground flax seeds
• Almonds
• Walnuts
• Coconut oil
• Avacado (this makes it really creamy and delish!)

I then mix it all together, and believe it or not my youngest is always fighting me for some!  This is perfect for me in the mornings, or if I get a sweet craving during the day.  Be careful and measure as you can add up quick calories with smoothies. 

If I am doing strength workouts or following The Zone, trying to keep my blood sugar level, or playing game on diet I will add in a bit of protein as well, I have done greek yogurt or protein powders, I really like the one from DoTERRA, and the one from www.tryabouttime.com, or I will pair my smoothie with a boiled egg or something so I am giving myself a well rounded meal.

My go to favorite is
1 cup Berry flavored aloe vera
3-4 fist fulls of spinach
2 tsp Chia Seeds
1 cup Frozen tropical fruit mix
1 scoop Vanilla DoTERRA Trim shake.

What smoothies have you put together that you really enjoy?

Here are a few items I like

The Spark

I have a huge love for all kinds of books but mostly the kinds where I can learn and or improve myself.  I know I am such a nerd!  Here is one of my favorites that I wanted to share with you.

For the Kindle Actual Book

This is such an inspiring book, and has great tips and tricks for getting healthy and setting great habits.

"Elephant trainers tether a baby elephant by a thick rope to a stake hammered into the ground in order to limit his range.  Whenever the elephant tries to escape, he is quickly restrained by the bond, and he learns that he does not have the strength to break away.  As the baby matures, the trainers reinforce the boundary set by this rope.  By the time the elephant is an adult he is massive, weighing several tons and capable of enormous feats of strength.  But now the trainer could tether him by a slender thread and he still would not try to escape.  The elephant has grown so accustomed to being restrained that he has no idea of the strength he possesses to free himself.

All of us are conditioned to live within a limited perception of our own power to transform our lives - moving through our days with invisible tethers that hold us back from becoming who we really are.  But while the elephant submits to its restricted boundaries, we possess the freedom to set the scope of our own dreams.  We're free to move out of the dusty circle where we've stood, stuck and discouraged, and into a new terrain that offers a landscape of vast potential."1

I hope this story is as motivating to you as it is to me!  If you enjoy a great motivational, and transformational  health and fitness book, this is a great read.

1  The spark, Chris Downie, Hay House, Inc.  2009