Saturday, June 25, 2011

The 'Poopie' Talk

Okay, I am finally tackling the needed addition to protein, red wine, and why to eat on-time with correct foods.  Pull up a toilet because it is time for fiber and veggies, the know-all guide to pooping.

Question ladies, let's get personal.  Have you ever notice the fluctuations in bloating?  I am positive you have, so the important question is, what are you going to do about it?  I, along with majority of women, want to end the vicious cycle of feeling normal for a week and then discomfort for the next three weeks.  As your body cycles, the amount of sodium and fiber is going to play a large role into making you feel like a man does, focusing only on the bloating portion and not sex, yet!  Yes, men bloat and eat wrong too, but they seem to bounce back rather quickly, don't they?  So let's gear up to feel normal 28 or so days of the month.

Key component is fiber.  Imagine toxins circulating from your stomach to your head because you haven't defecated since last week.  Imagine the lymphatic system being unable to release the toxins due to its inability to 'pump.' Because guess what?  Your inactive state is not helping the elimination process to occur. 

Listen, before any exercise talk, let's first poop right.  Seriously.  You have to consume at or above 30g of fiber a day and eight or more glasses of water.  This is an easy task, especially if you are eating all sorts of beans I described in 'Going Against the Grain' section.  For some reason though, many of us don't make the cut.  Three days can pass, a week, and you are all crabby and stuffed, with crap!  So let's be happy and poop.

Remind yourself to look at the fiber content of everything we are consuming so you have an idea of how much your getting.  Write it down to keep track until you are in the swing of things.  The key proponent to really know you are pooping correctly, well, is to look and examine.  If it is hard in anyway, or you struggled for a half hour to an hour, this is not satisfactory.  I guarantee that thing has been sitting in there awhile.  So, take supplements for fiber if needed, slowly increasing your doses so you can get use to it and reaching the ideal 'poop texture.'  Diarrhea the next day is not ideal.

The ideal poop texture and time?  Soft, being super easy to eliminate without it being diarrhea, but you have the 'urge' to go every morning and at a specific time while nearly filling the entire bowl.  Clog the toilet if you wish.  I will pat you on the back!  Get it out of your system though since the longer it stays, the more toxic it is for you.  Also, several small trips to the bathroom throughout the day is quite alright, it won't be as satisfying as the AM.  Just remember, the most important one is the AM.

Which veggies do you eat?  All of them, except corn.  Eat all colors and variety, fresh is best, frozen is good, and canned is okay if you wash them off because it lowers sodium, or save yourself and buy no sodium added veggies.

Another important note, I will not discuss fruits.  Stay away from them during the six day 'lifestyle change' (not diet) because they are high in sugar.

Happy Pooping!  More to come - JLO      

Friday, June 24, 2011

Emotions When Eating Incorrectly.. Does This Sound Like You?

When eating properly, it is less likely to experience the wide array of aggravations and irritants.  I purposely ate incorrectly for a couple days, my symptoms were horrendous even after a day.

Possible emotions that can occur are:
1)  Extreme tiredness after being mentally focused (school/work)
2)  Inability to focus on playtime with Ava, who is 5 years old
3)  Unmotivated to cook, clean, or other household chores
4)  Lack of concentration to do homework and at-home work projects
5)  Headache
6)  Extreme thirst (sodium overload)
7)  Irritation, Impatience, Aggravation
8)  Muscle Spasms (especially under eye area)
9)  Slow to react or want to motivate
10)  Negativity
11)  Constipation
12)  Dehydration
13)  Feeling 'heavy' and 'full' which did not dissipate - leading into negative thoughts
14)  Depression from feeling out of order
15)  Anxious
16)  Worrisome
17)  Sleepy at 7pm

What did I not do correctly?

Eat high fiber and high protein being less than 30g total (recommended amount is 65g and above depending on male/female)
Had at or less than 1500 calories one day, then advanced to 2300 the next day
Ate sugary products and high carbohydrates in moderation
Drink enough purified water


The result is to eat correctly and effectively, you will be not only healthier, but more enjoyable to be around as well.  Again, I am not a doctor, (yet lol) in which case none of this is for use as medical advice so please see a physician or a Naturopathic caretaker, whichever you prefer to dicuss your symptoms.

Don't know what a Naturopathic does?  It is a holistic and synergistic health and wellness guru, sometimes with MD credentials, who focuses on your systematic functions in unison.  Meaning they don't segregate your body into separate sections to cure an ailment by use of pill.  Look into Western Medicine vs Eastern Medicine.  The key is to know your body needs to function in homeostasis, a balancing act within you, that keeps you happy.  For instance, your blood is neutral at 7.0 on pH scale, if something where to change that it will work its hardest to get back to 7.0 pH.

Think, if your body is on double-time from trying to reach homeostasis internally because of the food you are consuming, it is no wonder you are tired!

Stick around, more to come - JLO

Monday, June 20, 2011

Low Fructose Wines

It is really exciting to be sharing the knowledge I have gained over a short period of time.  The best part is drinking red, dry wine while caring for your health!  My favorite is Pinot Noir, of all makers and brands.  The reason is complex, although I am here to help you through your new-found knowledge to effective nutrition.  Before getting into veggies, I want to cover why red, dry wines are okay to have when eating correctly.

Red, dry wines do not appear to have any sort of fat gaining effects on the body (unlike beer) when wanting to 1) lose weight and 2) maintain weight.  The reason?  When used in moderation, approximately two glasses a night at most, do not have a fructose level that of fruit, white wines, champagne, fruit juices, or anything enhanced with high fructose corn syrup.  The body will not store the sugars as fat which is a beautiful reward at the end of the night. 

Not only does red, dry wine make you feel free from 'dieting,' it also enhances the antioxidant levels in your body which fight free radicals and aging.  Fun Fact:  Did you know this aids in internal sunblock also?  The more antioxidants present in your body, the less likely you are to be susceptible to fragile skin.  This isn't the only benefit though.      

What types of wines can I have, specifically?

Pinot Noir
Merlot
Cabernet

What types of wines do I avoid?

Malbec
Temperanio
Zinfindel
White Wines
Chardonnay 
Riesling
Champagne
Wine Coolers

Do avoid mixtures of Pinot Noir, or other dry wines, with any of these above said wines in any sort of combination

Again, avoid any wines with a high possibility fructose, it will just break down into simple sugar leading to weight gain. This also applies to every other alcohol like beer.  Do not consume this except on the seventh day free-be's.  You will be surprised to taste how sweet beer is and you may not even like it.  Taste buds adjust rather quickly and will pick up on too much of one thing after lowering intake levels of sodium and sugar.


Happy Drinking!  More to come -JLO

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Go Against the Grain

I am eating tuna fish and peas right now, stirred together in an ordinary plastic bowl that was warmed in the microwave.  Both came from a can in our pantry, from the organic section at the grocer's. Exciting, right?  Of course it is!

Why?

First, we are going to explain EFFECTIVE nutrition and on a budget.  Eating fresh can be expensive, so I advise to grow your veggies in the backyard or even inside, whichever suits you.  Don't know how?  Learn.  Change your attitude so you can succeed in weight-loss.  The moment you start to think you need to complicate the process by purchasing weird things you have never eaten before will cause you to relapse, so don't buy it, or grow it.  Stick with what you know and like.  It is key for success.  This is effective nutrition, not Frilly Tilly Weight-loss Program.


You cannot do yourself a better lifestyle change by dropping the high carbohydrate items, meaning all bread and pasta, including whole grain products, while increasing protein.  Fast-carbohydrates mask your hunger for nutrients and if you're not eating every 3-5 hours depending on activity, you are wrong.  (Don't worry because six days you eat right and the seventh day I am giving you free range on what you want to devour, continuously, not just one week either people!)  This is why:


An entire can of tuna fish in water, not oil, has:
2 servings = combined total of 120 calories, plus
23g of protein, plus
1g of fat, and most importantly
NO carbohydrates.

I will tackle sodium later because I want to focus on the protein content of this item.  Protein is essential due to the fact your body consumes protein well before fat.  If you deprive yourself of the magnificent nutrient, your body will consume the protein presently in the muscle.  So, ladies quit starving yourself by skipping meals thinking you are losing weight.  Your losing muscle and keeping your fat.  The metabolic fluctuations get so inconsistent that you're causing yourself to maintain the weight you have or worse, gain in areas you never thought possible plus be flabby.  That looks great and all, but there is a better way to tackle weight sustainability and fat loss.  Mind you, I am not talking about exercise right now.

The calorie content is low enough that you can devour tuna fish along with other items.  It is also a nutrient dense food giving what your body is begging for.  The low-carbohydrates, or slow-carbohydrates, content of this item is beneficial because you are not going to maintain heaviness compared to the grain and bread category.  Understand you are unconsciously causing yourself to be sluggish and tired at the end of the day because you are eating fast-carbohydrates in breads, pastas, rice, etc...  Whole grain or not.  Do not touch it.

Protein fullness dissipates in the body quickly as the energy is being use correctly, which is why you are hungry sooner.  Not a bad thing, so eat, eat, eat. (The right foods, of course.)  

What are the right proteins to be eating?

Legumes, canned and all sorts (rinse them off in strainer before eating or cooking, to prevent flatulence)

Examples are:   Re-Fried Beans (watch Sodium = Bloating)
                          Kidney Beans
                          Black Beans
Lean Meat, Seafood
Tuna and Chicken, (In to-go pouches are handy)
Eggs, Fat Free Cottage Cheese (they have travel sizes)
Nuts, Nut Butters (I love Almond Butter)
Almond Milk 

So, what are the proteins not to eat?  The goal is to stay away from anything WHITE.
Dairy Products
Examples are:  Milk, of any kind
Yogurt 
Cheeses, of any color (With fat-free cottage cheese exception)
Anything processed and enhanced with protein

Are you concerned about the discontinue of milk?  If you are truly serious and want a change in your current nutrition, health, beauty, energy level, then taking out the dairy is going to make you feel better.  Not only that, if you have acne, it will  help clear the skin.  Dairy has artificial hormones interfering your biophysiological makeup.  Your hormones do one thing and the interference of artificial hormones are disrupting your natural processes.  Stop the madness!

The only other topic I need to cover before we head into fiber and vegetables is water, preferably purified water.  You need to drink a lot, more like a gallon of water a day, I don't care if you reached eight glasses and it is noon.  Keep drinking water because headaches are caused by one of two things most of the time and they are:

1) Not drinking enough water
2) Not eating enough (of the correct foods)

For breakfast, eat within one hour of waking, if not, you will not succeed effectively.  I want you to succeed so breakfast needs to look like lunch, check this out:

Caveman Breakfast Omelet
(Use a small amount of real butter, no salt added, to cook with otherwise use unrefined cold-pressed oils)
2-5 Organic Eggs, depending on male or female and hunger
Legumes, any kind
Peppers
Onions
Spinach
Tomatoes

Eat until you are rolling on the floor stuffed because you will be hungry really quick thereafter, save some if overly stuffed for when hunger hits.  When hunger hits, it is on, nothing can get in your way to eat so watch out.  Have fresh veggies and nuts available for snacking and a lot of water!

Each feeding needs to consists of at least 20g of protein.  Do it for one week and you will see instant results.

Stay tuned, more to come - JLO