Paleo, Is it All That?

Yep, I am going to think out loud right now. I have been tossing this post around in my head for awhile knowing that I won't agree with everyone on this.

Here's a little back story:

As many of you know, I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism over 12 years ago. Looking back I think my doctor put me on thyroid meds because I wanted an "easy" way out of my struggles with maintaining my weight. I think if I hadn't pushed it I would not have started down the path that I am on. Fast forward 5 years later and my hypothyroidism had developed into Hashimoto's, an autoimmune disease in which your immune system attacks your thyroid. In short, my body thinks my thyroid is a disease. This is not a convenient situation as my body desperately needs my thyroid to regulate my mood, weight, body temperature, my digestion, memory, hair growth and blood sugar, to name a few. As you can imagine it has been very frustrating to have it functioning so poorly for the last 12 years.

Over this course of time I have tried so many different ways to take the stress off my thyroid with dreams of one day curing my disease. I became a Raw vegan because I had heard of several people that cured their Hashimoto's with this lifestyle. After 2 years I had lost about 30 lbs. but my weight started to go up again so I decided to add cooked grains and vegetables to my diet hoping the change would shock my system. I usually find that changing things up a bit helps my weight go back down but this time it didn't. I was desperate so I went to an Ayurvedic endocrinologist to get his opinion. He did an expanded blood panel on me and said everything looked fantastic and that I "should" be feeling great. Yeah, I'm glad the tests said that, now if I could just feel that way!

Well, a few months ago I decided to get the opinion of yet another health professional. This time I went to a Naturopath that my sister had her son going to. The only problem is that he was in Kansas. I had an hour consultation with him over the phone and we decided that it was best for me to add fish into my diet. He is a firm believer in healthy fats and he felt that I was not getting enough in my current diet. He also wanted me to avoid all grains and corn. My sister and her family were on a Paleo diet so I knew the basic parameters and it sounded like the diet he wanted me to do was a loose version of Paleo. "No problem", I said. I figured I've been strictly following these other eating plans, I can do this. And it wasn't a problem, still isn't. This is because I follow it loosely! Oh this doesn't mean I'm not completely rigid with what I eat, I am (It's called OCD!). I just don't subscribe to every detail of the Paleo mindset, and here's my top 10 reasons why:

1. I don't think eating excessive amounts of bacon will ever be healthy.
2. I don't think a lot of society has the money to eat the high quality meats that would be a "healthier"  option so they just eat the commercially available, grain-fed, junk meat.
3. I don't think being Paleo should be an excuse to eat way too much meat.
4. Just because they call it Paleo doesn't mean it's not just another low-carb diet.
5. This diet/ lifestyle, like others, can be abused and contorted to an unhealthy one.
6. I don't think alcohol should be encouraged on any healthy eating plan.
7. I have a problem with beans not being allowed. (my vegan tendencies:)
8. I don't think cavemen should be an example of healthy living.
9. I like peanut butter too much. (organic, of course)
10. I can't afford Cross Fit so I feel like less of a person....

I know, I know, I just really annoyed some of my readers!! This is not intentional and as I said in most of my reasons, these are just my personal thoughts about the whole Paleo idea. I encourage you to respond to my thoughts. Go for it!

BTW, my thoughts on the whole meat issue do not stem from my being vegan, that was a choice I made NOT for animal rights reasons but for my personal quest to heal my body. Guess what? It didn't work for me. There is not a diet/ lifestyle out there that works for every single person. There never will be.

In August I went to Kansas and met with my Naturopath in person. What a helpful meeting this was! After a biofeedback test as well as several other tests, he concluded that my thyroid was functioning wonderfully. Halleluiah! Wait. If it's functioning fabulously, why am I still feeling crappy? Oh, that's what I found the answer to. Turns out my hypothalamus and pituitary gland are not functioning so fabulously. Here are some of the symptoms: hair loss, weight gain, moodiness, bad digestion, depression, fatigue. Hey, wait a minute. That sounds like the same symptoms as a malfunctioning thyroid! Heavens to Betsy, it is!! Maybe there is a light at the end of this really long tunnel! I was put on a natural medication to combat the hypothalamus/ pituitary gland problem. Here goes nothing!

What is my current food plan? Here it is:

Fish
Seafood
Eggs (limited)
Beans (limited)
Vegetables (kale, spinach, zucchini, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, etc.)
Fruit (berries, melons)
Salad
Smoothies(coconut milk, Sun Warrior Warrior Blend protein powder, fruit)
Coconut Milk
Coconut Oil
Goat's milk yogurt
Goat's milk cheese
Kombucha (yum!)
Nuts & Seeds(limited)
Honey Mints(from Trader Joe's) Yep, it's a food group!
Chocolate(for a special treat)

It sounds limited and at times it can be, but I am so used to it that I don't mind at all.

Okay, go ahead, I want to hear what you have to say : )

Nicole

Great Post about Sugar and our Bodies

A blog I follow wrote a great post about the effects of sugar and I just wanted to share it with you. Click on the link below:

Why Christmas Makes You Fat

My Daily Nutrition Must-Haves

I know this is a fitness blog but I would be doing you a disservice if I didn't mention the importance of your diet. Diet does about 80% of the work and workouts have a 20% impact on your physique. I learned that long ago from Tosca Reno and I know from experience that it's true. I can gain weight easily, even when I'm working out 6 days a week if my diet isn't spot on.

Everyday I have my staple foods that are always found in my kitchen and they make keeping my eating on track so much easier. I know I've told you in the past about my food choices but I haven't updated you all in a while. I am still a Vegan but have added a few bread products into my diet that don't seem to bother my finicky digestion. I do not eat gluten so you may be surprised to here me say that bread is on the menu. The two products I added are sprouted and do not have wheat gluten added like most sprouted bread products. For those of you who don't have Trader Joe's I apologize in advance...

Must Have #1: TJ's Organic Flourless Sprouted Bread

 I love this bread toasted with some almond butter and all-fruit jam. Yum!


Must Have #2: Ezekiel 4:9 Cinnamon Raisin Flourless Sprouted English Muffins

A little Earth Balance on one of these and I'm a happy camper!


Must Have #3, 4 & 5:TJ's Almond Milk, Rainbow Light Vanilla Protein Energizer & Green Juice

Every morning I wake up and have my green juice straight away. I use a large bunch of parsley, a few stalks of celery and a couple carrots so I can get it down. This is a non-negotiable habit! I wait about 20-60 minutes, I workout and then I have my yummy protein drink. I really don't get too frilly with it, just the almond milk and protein powder in the blender, whirl and drink. Anyone can do that : ) The best part is that I buy it through Amazon with Subscribe & Save and it is really inexpensive.

Must Have #6: Goddess Dressing:

I am a huge salad fan during the summer! I chop up some lettuce, add every vegetable I have along with a pile of black beans and top it with a little Goddess Dressing. Delicious!

So, those are a few of my must-haves, I hope you can enjoy some of them where you are! Do you have any "must-haves"? If you have any of the ones I mentioned let me know what you think.

Nicole

Motivation to Workout

I would have to say the number one question I get asked is, "How do I get motivated to workout?". This is not a cut and dry answer as everyone's lives are different in so many ways. My number one response is make it a PRIORITY!

This may sound absurd or unrealistic to some of you, but working out is second only to God and my family. I schedule appointments around it, I rework my schedule to include it, I get up at the crack of dawn and I sacrifice other things to get it done. If your life depended on it, you'd figure out how to fit it in. For this next week I want you to pretend your life depends on it because in the scheme of things, it does!

Keep pictures up of whatever motivates you around your house. For some of you that could be an outfit, an event or some amazing abs! Whatever it is keep it at the forefront of your mind. If you don't have reminders around you, you may forget and I don't want you to do that! I keep my blood tests and body analysis on the fridge to remind myself of why I workout regularly. That may be very real for a lot of you and is a very serious motivator, trust me.

I have a huge library of workout DVD's. Working out at home is more practical for some of you. Think about it, you're already there and all you have to do is get dressed and pop in the DVD. You don't have to haul all of your stuff to the gym to wait in line for the treadmill, get half of a workout and rush to get showered and off to work or somewhere else. I have so enjoyed my workouts at home for the last 7 years. I have all of my equipment hidden away in my tiny living room. For those of you who think you don't have room for equipment at home, I give you Exhibit #1:

Yep, it's all neatly hidden away yet accessible. Come on, join me in the fun! I'll give you as many tips and suggestions as you want. I think I own or have done about every DVD out there: ) The library also has a ton of DVD's to choose from. Rent it, try it and if you like it, buy it. They even have a ton on Netflix if you want to try some of the newest ones. I purchase a lot of mine from Collage Video and Amazon. If I get sick of a workout I put it on The Video Fitness Exchange. It's so cool, you offer up your DVD's and have a wish list of the workouts you want. Turns out a lot of people have been sick of some of the workouts I want and vice versa. Everyone is happy : )

For those of you who can get to the gym, GO! Yes, you have the time! Skip coffee with the girls or beer with the guys and invest in your health. It will bring you so much more happiness than the latter. Make working out your "me" time. If you don't put your body and your health at the top of your priority list no one will. One of my favorite magazines, Oxygen Magazine, has new workouts every month. You can type out the workouts and take them to the gym with you. It's like having a personal trainer at your fingertips. I am excited to take them with me in the fall when I return to the gym. My youngest will be starting kindergarten so I have decided that I will drop him off, go to the gym and workout then take a shower there and go pick him up. He will only be in half days so it will work out perfectly!

I want to hear from all of you! What do you do to stay motivated? What's your favorite workout? Is exercise a priority for you? E-mail me anytime with questions or motivation. I want you to enjoy working out and forget what life was like without it : )

P.S. Take before photos NOW!!  I am so glad I did. You will see so much more change if you have proof of where you were before you started your workout journey.

Nicole

What's up? and a Food Challenge

How's everybody doing? I want to hear from you! Are you sticking to your New Years resolutions or are little treats and missed workouts sneaking in already? I hope that the Healthy You 2010 Series helped jump start your resolve to live healthier and happier life from here on out. I know I need a reminder every now and again so just writing the series helped me big time. For all those of you who have been sticking to your clean eating lifestyle, how do you do it? Do you have any secrets that would help others stick to the plan? I would LOVE to hear from all of you!!

The road blocks I have been coming across lately is that I'm wanting to eat out of boredom or eat to relax. One of the biggest no-no's for me is eating in front of the TV or the computer. Recently I have taken to eating blueberries while watching my shows or blogging. I know, I know, you're thinking blueberries? What's wrong with that? Well, my brain now triggers a response to my body that if I am sitting down watching TV or typing that I need to be eating something. Now for most of us a bowl of blueberries wouldn't be a problem, but what if you're out of blueberries and your brain tells you, "TV/computer time, it's time to eat"? Guess what, those blueberries may turn into a bowl of ice cream or other bad food choices. Another problem with eating while distracted is that we eat much more. You're brain has a hard time being satiated when it wasn't really involved in the eating process. We need to PAY ATTENTION to our food! It gets so lonely when it's ignored ; ) So, what are we going to do about it?

Here's a challenge for you, I want you to make a concerted effort this week to eat ONLY when you're at the dining table or other area that is designated solely for eating. Let me know if it helps kick those bad food triggers! I'm in it with you because I'm going to try it too. It's going to be tough because I like to multi-task and eat lunch while blogging and checking e-mails. Whatever will I do with my time? Maybe I can workout more : )

Nicole

Fitness Success

Well, I put aside my workout phobia and I took a total cardio/weight break for my active rest week last week. Guess what? I didn't die and I didn't gain 10 lbs., shocker! I did yoga everyday in place of my usual light weights and cardio and it felt so nice. In fact, in felt so good I think I just may make it a regular thing, for my rest week that is. When I started my new rotation this week I felt more excited and ready to start it then I had in awhile.

I have been pushing my body 6 days a week with hard cardio and weights for over 7 years now. Even my active rest weeks have become extra "active". It's like I'm addicted to the burn and the sweat. I am afraid sometimes that if I stop pushing hard in my workouts that my weight will come back on so I just keep going unless my body stops me. Most of the time my body stops me by yelling really loud from my back. I have had back issues for years but I am glad to say it hasn't bothered me for quite a while, yay! Oh no, did I just say that out loud?

Since I lost 30 lbs. I have had many people ask me, "How did you do it"? When I say diet and exercise they get all bummed out like they wanted to hear it was a magic pill or something. I'm telling you right now, there is NO magic pill that is going to help you reach your goals. It would be like if Oprah said, "Oh I just sat back and watched the money roll in"! I don't think so! Losing and maintaining weight takes a lot of hard work and determination and as far as I'm concerned, it doesn't get "easier". It becomes more normal and doable but never easier.

Now don't get me wrong, I LOVE my workouts and I LOVE my eating lifestyle, I just want everyone reading this to know that there is no easy way to success. If it was easy, it wouldn't be a stand out success, it would be everyday life. I want to encourage all of you to keep going and working hard at your goals in life and health, you WILL get there! If you want anything bad enough it's worth fighting for!!

If any of you have any questions about your fitness goals or eating dilemmas just e-mail me: thefitnessfreak@cox.net. I also am on facebook so just click on the tab on your right and visit! I am not a licensed physician or personal trainer but this is what I love to do! I have devoured all the information I can for about 15 years now and I love sharing it with others : )

How many of you find it hard to take a break from your workouts? How many of you are finding it hard to start a fitness routine?

Nicole

Are You Really Hungry?

How many times a day do you find yourself meandering towards the kitchen in search of something to eat? I know for myself eating is on my mind many times throughout the day. Is it boredom, is it a distraction from work or is it a true hunger? Today I will differentiate between these various eating "triggers".

What Is Hunger?

Hunger is an urge to eat. Appeasing the urge creates satiety, after which no desire to eat exists. In contrast, appetite—"trigger", refers to signals that guide dietary selection, often in the absence of obvious hunger. Appetite comes mostly from a psychological state but can also have a physiological dimension, such as the desire for salty or sweet foods. Further, these forces mainly are “positive” signals.

Social influences like religion, philosophy, presence of others, taste, anxiety, stress, psychological disturbances, environmental factors such as climate and metabolic factors (hormone levels, caloric requirements), aromas, meal time, memories, and certain food advertisements are the external factors that influence our eating habits and patterns.
Hunger is mostly regulated by internal cues to eating, while it is largely the external influences that govern appetite. The physiologic basis of appetite and hunger is not completely understood but it is clear that both internal and external cues regulate how we eat.

Hunger That Means the Body Is Ready for More Food

What is true hunger? True hunger means that the stomach is finished digesting the last meal and is ready to begin digesting more food. On average it takes the stomach about 3 1/2 hours to empty itself after a meal. If less time has passed than this and you are feeling hungry you can do a simple test to find out if your sensation of hunger is actually stemming from an real emptiness of the stomach or your appetite is at work. Offer yourself a salad. Does that sound satisfying? If you truly are hungry, a healthy meal will sound good to you. If you are simply wanting to entertain yourself with food you will want something more interesting like a processed carbohydrate or refined food that is more of a "fun food".

Hunger Stemming From Anxiety

Food is comforting. Often times a person will feel hungry because they need comforting. Food is often used to self-medicate by numbing or calming oneself with the comforting feeling that food offers. If you just ate two hours ago and you are feeling hungry, sit down and ask yourself if you are anxious, upset or stressed out about something. Often times, recognizing your emotions and comfirming them along with some deep breathing can alleviate the need to calm yourself with food.

Hunger As a Result of Boredom

What is hunger from boredom? Sometimes we find ourselves hungry even though we have just had a meal an hour or two ago. A good thing to do at this point is simply to find something to do for an hour or so and set a timer so you do not eat before the hour is up. Hunger from boredom is very common and can easily be averted by simply finding something to do other than eat. Eating out of boredom is a habit that can be broken fairly easily by practicing a pattern interrupt. This is when we break a habit like eating of boredom by adding a new habit to our routine. This could be going for a walk when you feel hunger from boredom or drinking tea(one of my faves) instead of eating, etc... Just develop a habit that is different from the one that was not serving you in a positive way such as eating when bored.

Hunger Because of Nutritional Deficiency

The main purpose of consuming food is to give our body nutrients which are fuel for our body so it can function properly. When we eat foods with other than optimal nutritional value and the body does not receive the minerals, fats, vitamins and fibers that it needs, it will send out a hunger signal to let you know that it still needs some nutrients. This is why a person that eats an other than optimal diet can continue to experience hunger even though they have just had a meal. Remember though that this is not true hunger but appetite disguised as hunger. This appetite may also trigger cravings of certain foods that the body needs more of for the nutritional value. A person who eats an optimal diet will require far less food than a person who consumes a Standard American Diet (SAD) because all of the food they put into their systems gives the body the necessary nutrients for optimal functioning.

Hunger From Food Cravings

A food craving(social trigger) is an insatiable desire for a certain food that may not go away until that particular food is consumed. One way to test if you are actually hungry or if you are just experiencing a craving is to ask yourself if a salad would satisfy you in the moment you are craving something. If you truly are hungry, a salad will probably be a welcome meal. If you are having a chocolate craving and are not actually hungry, a salad will not seem appetizing. When I worked at Jenny Craig I would tell clients that if they were craving something to distract themselves for an hour or so and if the craving did not go away to have a small amount of what they were craving. Usually if you give yourself time to think about it you will realize you did not really need that particular food. The best part is the feeling of empowerment when you resist the temptation. You will also create a new habit and resisting will get easier and easier!

I hope this will help all of you pinpoint particular eating "triggers" and make new, healthy habits in there place! For healthy eating tips, check out my Healthy You Series.

Nicole

Focus on Health

People will quit if they focus only on losing weight when trying some new diet. Diets are tough and as soon as it gets hard or you stop losing weight, you quit! Your goal needs to be to create health in this body. When creating health, there can be a delay in noticing actual weight loss results. If you stop focusing on weight loss and instead focus on your health, the weight will come off.  You will first get confirmation of health in the form of improved energy, fewer cravings and feeling better overall. If you start focusing on the small changes, they will soon become big changes. 

Don’t do what everyone else is doing—trying to lose weight. There needs to be a viewpoint shift, and sometimes it takes a sledgehammer to pound it in. It's not often I hear someone say, “I really need to lose the weight because obesity is a health risk.” Instead it's, "I want to lose weight to fit into this dress for my wedding". Many of us want to lose weight for appearances while ignoring the negative effects the excess weight is having on our bodies. The lack of energy your feeling, the lack of sex drive, the irritability, the stack of pills you're taking, are all signs that something isn't right in your body. Stress is also a huge culprit standing in the way of health and many of us are so used to it that we pass it off as the way life is supposed to be, it's NOT! Many of the contestants from "The Biggest Loser" go back to being heavy because they never fixed the real problem. We have to get mad at ourselves. We have to say enough is enough, I'm not living like this anymore. I want to get healthy, feel better, have more energy, love life and then as a bonus the weight will come off steadily. Losing weight and inches is a benefit of becoming healthy.

Stop treating the symptoms and try fixing the big problem, some of us are UNHEALTHY! If you stick to clean eating and consistent exercise it will work! You will have patience and know that it’s normal to lose one to two pounds per week; and because you’ll be experiencing improved health, you’ll stick to it.


Focus on becoming healthy and you WILL NOT have a weight problem.

Nicole