STAY THE COURSE

Stay the course

Recently, I have been teaming with some co-workers for a series of one-month challenges to lose 10 pounds a month. At the end of the first month, one person lost 12 pounds, which is fantastic. The rest of us did well but then gained some of the weight back toward the end of the month. I have to admit it was discouraging to lose 9 pounds then gain back 5. I can tell why I did well, and then went backward. I stayed very strong for the first three weeks, counted calories and felt encouraged. At the three-week mark a couple of things happened. 1) I let my guard down. By reaching a good weight and feeling motivated I thought to myself “this is easy, I don’t have to keep working so hard.” I lied. Although it was pretty easy to follow the program, I DID need to keep at it. 2) I caught a cold and got off track. With a sore throat and feverish feeling, I gave into cravings for salty snacks, comfort foods like mashed potatoes, and ice cream. 3) I slacked on tracking. My daytime routine stayed pretty consistent but by the end of the night I got lazy in recording my calories. Writing it all down is very important.

Anyway, the point is that as long as you are moving in the right direction and don’t give up, applaud yourself. The only way to fail is to quit!

Thank you Dee–we all need a little cheerleading every now and again! Don’t quit!!! Guilt and self-punishment aren’t options and tomorrow is always a new day! We all need some lessons on being our own best cheerleader–not enemy! Keep on keeping on my friend.

For more great advice from Dee visit her SITE

Have a great weekend!!!!!

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Angela in Body, Diet, Weight Loss Leave a comment

Loving the Unsolicited Feedback!

“Dr Angela,

Just thought that you would like to know that I have been mostly gluten-free since Friday when I saw you.

I have a had a few moments when I did indulge but I am happy to report that I am already 7 pounds lighter! I am so happy and I noticed that my feet are not as swollen anymore.

I could actually lace my shoes tighter!

This is a big deal for me because for the last 2 years putting on my shoes has been a daily reminder of the weight I was gaining and risk I was putting my health in.

I have also cut caffeine completely.

My GI issues also seem to have been greatly improved.

This has been such a blessing.

Thank you”

Need I say more? I love that this is really happening for patients! I couldn’t make this up if I tried. Have I told you lately that sooooo many patients are getting better with this “Food is thy Medicine” thing. Quackery, it is not. This sh&% really works!!

Don’t worry-I plan to keep annoying and preaching to you regularly. I honestly think that hearing the results from other patients is much more inspiring than hearing me preach to you. So Game On! Look forward to more inspiring patient stories!

Also, please realize this is really hard for my family and I as well. Staying healthy is expensive, takes a lot of effort, and isn’t fun. Jeez, it’s almost a full-time job. Caving into guilt and exhaustion this last week, I took both of my girls to McDonald’s for dinner (YUCK). That must be rock bottom!

This is hard –and it’s best to take Baby Steps– One baby step at a time!

That’s just about all I can say! Next week, I think I’ll move to Australia (Alexander and the horrible, terrible, no good, very bad, day)

Posted on August 29, 2013 by Angela in Nutrition, Uncategorized, Whole Food Leave a comment

Benefits of Gelatin

Gelatin- a virtual wonder drug! Remember, the days when your grandmother boiled the chicken soup for close to 24 hours and you got all the warm healing properties from the bone broth? That’s precisely where the amazing nutritional benefit came from—the collagen and gelatin that comes from the marrow of the bones. Gelatin is a purified protein, derived from the hydrolysis of collagen. Collagen is the organic component of the bones and skins of mammals. Here are just a few quick reasons why gelatin is such a nutrient.

1. Gelatin binds to H2o in the gut–this helps to improve digestion and essentially slicks up the GI tract for easy movement.

2. Gelatin can help to reduce food intolerance by forming a protective barrier across the gut mucosa.

3. The amino acids in gelatin help to strengthen bones and joint tissues.

4. Gelatin helps detoxify the liver –the major detox organ of the body.

5. Keratin found in gelatin is an essential building block for the teeth, hair and nails.

6. Concentrated collagen found in gelatin helps give the skin a natural boost and prevents wrinkles.

7. Last but not least, it improves sleep quality.

Here is an excellent tutorial on how to make a killer bone broth at home.

For those a little less motivated —-Great Lakes has a great gelatin

Posted on August 17, 2013 by Angela in Diet, disease, Nutrition, Supplements, Whole Food Leave a comment

All About the Numbers

Thanks Dee–this is just more proof that a calorie doesn’t equal a calorie—Check out a little about Johnny Bowden who gives a great explanation on this topic. All calories are not created equal. And Snicker’s doesn’t satisfy!

Dee writes:

We recently had a dietician come to my work to talk about reading food labels and she gave a great presentation about the acceptable levels of sugar, sodium, trans fat, protein and carbohydrates. One thing that she said about calories was funny, that you could do a Snickers bar diet. What she meant was that I could consume all 1200 of my daily calories in the form of Snickers bars — about 5 a day — and lose weight. If you create a negative net calorie point, you lose weight. You need to burn more calories than you consume. Twelve hundred calories of sugar and fat however, will not lead to any long-term benefit PLUS you’ll be starving all the time from the high sugar, simple carb rush. The trick is to get your 1200 (or whatever) calories in each day in the form of colorful, nutrient-rich, raw or minimally processed fruits, veggies, lean proteins and whole grains. That is what keeps you feeling full, energized and ultimately healthy in the long run.

Posted on August 16, 2013 by Angela in Body, Diet, Nutrition, Weight Loss, Whole Food Comments Off

Dee’s Race! On Your Mark!

I’m sharing Dee’s latest post. She is building a tribe to help with accountability which is so great!. Look forward to more posts coming once school starts. I have great posts coming on water enhancers, sustainable farming, and autoimmune disease.

On Your Mark, Get Set

See, even in a race you get to mentally prepare for the sound of the starting gun. As much as I love food, and I mean really love food, I can’t believe how exciting it is to think about not eating food tomorrow. Of course I’ll eat, but smart choices make me feel so much better.I’ve recruited some friends to join the challenge to lose 10 pounds in August. Even though we all know a lot about what to do to be healthy and fit, there is an extra difficulty in trying to achieve this goal alone. Accountability to one another will be the key to success this month. Just get your head in the game and realize that you have a bunch of other folks going through the same exact steps. Most importantly, make sure you realize that this is ultimately about a lot more than extra weight. Getting to a healthy weight is REALLY about better health. So many illnesses can be stopped, stalled and even reversed through diet alone. Hippocrates: “Let food be thy medicine…”The first few days are the hardest because your body will go through some change. Don’t let your brain trick you into thinking that you’ll die of starvation if you don’t eat more at night. You won’t. Get to your magic number of calories needed and then stop eating. Period.You will wake up feeling better and by the third day you will notice your tastes changing, leaning toward healthier food.

Visit Dee’s site at http://www.gettingthebestoffood.com

Posted on July 31, 2013 by Angela in Body, Exercise, Nutrition, Weight Loss Leave a comment

The Infamous Fish Oil/Prostate Cancer Study?

“Too Much Fish Oil Might Increase Cancer Risk”

Wait? Isn’t Fish Oil Supposed to be Good for Me???

The Journal of the National Cancer Institute recently reported data from the selenium and vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT) that supported evidence that fish oil supplementation may increase the risk of prostate cancer.

Before we freak out here let’s look a little further into the data.

First, the primary goal of the SELECT study was to determine if vitamin E could be used to prevent prostate cancer. The data concluded that patient’s taking 400 IU of Vitamin E had a 17% increased risk of prostate cancer. The study was not designed to evaluate the role of fish oil supplementation in prostate risk.

The fish oil data was gathered because they measured plasma fatty acids (plasma phospholipids) –ironically, these levels tend to fluctuate after a meal is consumed. A better study would measure the red blood cell concentration of fatty acids which is a better indicator of actual omega 3 consumption over the past 4-6 weeks.

The difference in data in the two groups was 0.2% which is virtually nothing.

The study did conclude that the that the patients with the highest concentration of EPA/DPA and DHA-3 fatty acids had a 71% increased risk of prostate cancer.

However, the study contained no documentation of any patient taking fish oil or even eating fish in their diet.

So how does that extrapolate out?

My suggestion is to continue to do your research, and hopefully this will stimulate more studies researching actual fish oil supplementation and diet in correlation to disease. My bet is that Fish Oil and Omega 3 supplementation will prove beneficial like all of the other studies.

For more science details for you nerdy types like me –please visit the following:

http://www.greenmedinfo.com/blog/how-selected-bad-study-became-big-news

So don’t trash your fish oil yet!!! REMEMBER–if you get the “Fish Burps”–put those babies in the freezer! And if you want a really good brand—I recommend the green pasture.com FERMENTED COD LIVER OIL (no financial investment–it’s just what I take)

Posted on July 17, 2013 by Angela in cancer, Diet, disease, Nutrition, Supplements, Whole Food Leave a comment

Sweet Deception–Exposing Artificial Sweeteners

A big shout out to Dr. Chris for sharing this great video with us —please visit his site http://www.yourpersonalwellness.com for more great information.

Posted on July 9, 2013 by Angela in Body, Diet, Nutrition, Whole Food Leave a comment

Yummy Paleo Burgers

Happy 4th of July

4th of July Triple Protein Burgers

Check out this great recipe for some paleo burgers for your 4th of July cookout!!!

Posted on July 4, 2013 by Angela in Nutrition, Whole Food Leave a comment

Breaking Habits

I spent some time with Dee this weekend! She looks great and is feeling confident and down 15lbs. She is keeping it off and doing it the right way. Here is one of her great posts on breaking habits. Happy Saturday!

Dee writes:

Breaking a Habit

When you are in the middle of a challenge, it’s hard to imagine coming through the other side. If you are looking at getting healthy this year, you may remember all of the times you’ve failed. But take a moment and remember other major obstacles that you’ve encountered and conquered in life. When you are in the midst of the crisis it seems insurmountable. But you lived, the crisis is behind you and you probably learned that you are stronger than you thought you were.

Remembering those triumphant times will help you know that you have the strength to do this too. My downfall has always been at night. I can normally spend all day eating well, including a decent dinner. After dishes, some laundry and household chores, I tend to sit down for television with my family for an hour or so before bed. Sixty minutes can undo 14 hours of hard work.

To substitute this bad habit with a good one, I’ve come up with some ideas to keep from snacking on junk food at night.

Skip TV if it’s associated with food (plus commercials showing food make you want to eat)
Pamper yourself and get to sleep earlier than normal for a well-rested night (sleep aids in weight loss plus you won’t be around temptations)
Brew hot decaffeinated tea and read a good book
Light a candle and listen to favorite music

Posted on June 29, 2013 by Angela in Body, Diet, Nutrition, Weight Loss, Whole Food Leave a comment

Getting Your Greens–by Dee

Getting Your Greens

I am so excited about spinach right now I can’t even stand it. It’s a beautiful sunny day in Florida and most normal people are excited about body surfing in the Gulf of Mexico. But I’m not normal, so I am happy that I just found two great ways to put spinach in my lunch.

Keep this in mind when you get out your blender — can I add a handful of spinach? If it’s a margarita, the answer is no. But if it’s homemade fruit vinaigrette or a smoothie, throw it in. I made pear vinaigrette (one peeled pear, one orange squeezed plus the zest, a pinch of thyme, 2 T of pear infused balsamic vinegar and 1 T of olive oil). It was really good but when I blended in a cup of spinach it was even better.

I bottled it up and went to get a bowl of bean soup for lunch out of my Crock Pot. Before ladling in the soup, I chopped up another handful of spinach. Pouring the hot soup on top caused the spinach to wilt, which is what I wanted. It added a pretty color to the beige soup and added a whole lot of health. Only 7 calories per cup adds half a day’s supply of Vitamin A, 14% of your Vitamin C, 5% Iron and a gram each of fiber and protein. Best of all, your mama would be so proud!

For more posts by Dee–visit http://www.gettingthebestoffood.com