Breaking Your Sugar Addiction

 

For me, my cravings before my surgery revolved around, sweets and salty.  So things like diet soda, chips, ice cream, candy bars, my mothers tremendous homemade pies, coconut cream, deep dish apple, cherry and these kinds of junk food is one reason I put back on 50 pounds of my initial weight loss.  I allowed sugar in many forms to creep back into my daily diet.  This is a long post but stay with me. 

That white, powdery substance just makes you feel good. You can't get it off your mind, and you keep coming back for more. The more you have it, the more you want it! But even when you try to stay away from it, it finds ways to sneak into your life almost daily. What can you do? 

I am not talking about some dangerous or illegal drug here; I am talking about sugar. Although it's considered harmless in comparison, sugar, in excess, can cause a host of problems for a lot of us: cravings, binge eating, weight gain and heart disease among them. According to the USDA, the average American consumed 151 pounds of sugar in 1999—an all time high. Since then, consumption has dropped slightly and in 2010 the average American consumed 132 pounds. (To put that into perspective, consider that the number was just 4 pounds in the year 1700.) At least half of the sugar we consume comes from soft drinks, fruit drinks, and sports drinks. The rest sneaks into our diets in the form of ketchup, teriyaki sauce, chocolate milk and the obvious sweets like cookies, cakes, ice cream and even breakfast cereal. Surprisingly, some "healthy foods" such as yogurt and instant oatmeal can  pack in an additional  20-30 grams (5-7 teaspoons) of unnecessary added sugar! It seems like we're drowning in sugar, and nobody is wearing a life vest.

The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that we limit our daily sugar consumption to 7% or less of our daily calorie intake—that's about 6 teaspoons (100 calories) for women and 9 teaspoons (150 calories) for men. But that adds up fast. Just one 12-ounce can of regular soda contains 8-10 teaspoons of sugar and 130-150 calories. One glazed donut contains 6 teaspoons, and a half cup ice cream (the standard serving size, although most portions are much, much larger) contains 4 grams of added sugar! 

Why Should You Care? Is Sugar Actually Bad for You?

 
Well, aside from the increased bulge around the waistline, diets high in sugar are strongly linked to an increased risk for type 2 diabetes, elevated triglycerides, low HDL (good) cholesterol levels, and heart disease. Sugar intake has also been linked to depression, migraines, poor eyesight, autoimmune diseases (such as arthritis, and multiple sclerosis), gout and osteoporosis.

Recent research has shown that a high intake of carbohydrates, including sugar, releases a feel good chemical in the brain called serotonin. Think of how you feel after indulging in a high sugar meal or treat—almost euphoric, right? The high of a sugar rush is temporary though. After a few hours—or even a few minutes—you start to crash and you become tired, fatigued and lethargic.

Although sweet foods are tempting and delicious to most people (blame Mother Nature for that!), the more sugar you eat, the higher your tolerance becomes. So if you have a strong sweet tooth or intense cravings for sugar, chances are not that you were born that way, but that your dietary habits and food choices created the sugar monster you may have become.

 

Fortunately, we can reverse this tolerance in just a couple of weeks by cutting out sugar. Once you have decreased your threshold, something that tasted perfectly sweet a few weeks ago, will begin to taste too sweet to eat, and that can help you reduce your intake of the sweet stuff.

Cutting Out Sugar: A 4-Week Action Plan
 
While the occasional sweet treat won't make or break your weight loss or your health, many people have trouble stopping after a sensible portion or saying no to sugar when it's available. If you feel out of control around sugar, then a sugar "detox" is a great way to reduce your cravings, eat better, and bring sugar back to where it belongs: as an occasional treat that you consciously choose to eat in a mindful manner, not a daily treat occurrence that controls you.

Follow this month-long plan to break your sugar addiction!

Week 1: Identify Sugar and Where It's Hiding
The first step in conquering your sugar habit is to rid your pantry and refrigerator of added sugar. Some things (think ice cream, cookies and candy) are obvious, but most of us need to look closer at where the sugar in our diets is coming from. This will require a bit of label reading in the beginning, but after a while, it will become easier.

In order to cut back on hidden or added sugar, scan the ingredients list of a food label. If you see any of the following terms listed, then sugar has been added to the product in one form or another and it is best left on the shelf at the store—especially if that sugar shows up within the first five ingredients of any food product.

Agave nectar Agave syrup Barley malt Beet sugar Brown rice syrup Brown sugar Buttered syrup Cane sugar Cane juice Cane juice crystals Carob syrup Confectioner’s sugar Corn syrup High fructose corn syrup Corn sugar Corn sweetener

Corn syrup solids Crystalized fructose Date sugar Dextran Dextrose Diatase Diastatic malt Evaporated cane juice Fructose Fruit juice Fruit juice concentrate Glucose Glucose solids Golden sugar Golden syrup Grape sugar

Grape juice concentrate Honey Invert sugar Lactose Malt Maltodextrain Maltose Maple syrup Molasses Raw sugar Refiner's syrup Sorghum syrup Sucanat Sucrose Sugar Turbinado sugar Yellow sugar

This first week is about awareness. Reading labels before you buy—or bite. How many of your favorite foods contain hidden sugars in the top of their ingredients lists?

Once you have identified the sources of sugar in your diet, clean out your kitchen. Throw out or donate all of the products that contain hidden or added sugars, including any juice, soda, candy, sweets and seemingly healthy snacks like granola bars, fruit and grain bars, instant oatmeal and sports drinks. This may sound drastic, but stay with me!

Remember, you don’t have to throw away everything that is sweet! Natural sugar, like the kind you find in whole fruit, contains vitamins, minerals and fiber, which are lost in the processing of juice. Milk contains naturally occurring sugars, but also provides calcium, vitamin D and protein. So unlike soda, fruit juices and other processed foods, whole fruit and dairy products provide us with essential vitamins and minerals that our bodies need.

Be wary of certain fruit- or milk-based products that contain added sugars though: flavored milk, many yogurts, fruits canned or jellied in added sugar or syrups, and the like. Opt for unflavored skim or 1% milk, plain yogurt or Greek yogurt, and whole pieces of fruit. Remember, we are trying to cut out the 151 pounds a year of added sugar, not the naturally occurring sugar found in whole foods.

When choosing a refreshing beverage to quench your thirst, keep in mind that you want to eat your calories, not drink them. Choose ice cold water flavored with a squeeze of fresh lemon or an orange slice. Or flavor unsweetened iced tea with fresh mint, crushed raspberries, or a squeeze of citrus.

One tip to help you avoid added sugar at the supermarket is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store as much as possible. Think about the general layout of a grocery store: The outside is home to fresh fruits and vegetables, lean meats, dairy products, and whole grain breads and the inside aisles are stocked with cookies, chips, soda, fruit juice, cake mixes, and other processed foods. Spend most of your time on the outside and only go down the inner aisles for specific products, like whole-grain pasta.

Never shop on an empty stomach and always shop with a list. Shopping while hungry can lead you to adding all kinds of snacks and impulse buys to your cart. Meal planning can be a tricky task at first, but following a meal plan is an important part of breaking the sugar addiction. It will help to keep you on track and help prevent stopping for fast food when you don't have a game plan for dinner. Spend a little time on Sunday afternoons jotting down some meal ideas for throughout the week. Make a list of the food items you will need to make the meals you wrote down and stick to it!

                   What About Sugar Substitutes?

Sugar substitutes and sugar alcohols have their place and they may be beneficial in helping you to break the sugar addiction or they may not. You will have to experiment and see how they affect you and your cravings. Even though they may not add additional calories to your diet, sugar substitutes and sugar alcohols might not help you to BREAK the sugar addiction since they are adding the sweet flavor to your diet. In some people, they may even increase your sweet tooth.

Week 3: Stop the Cravings
Now you really start to put your plan into action. You’ve identified the sources of added sugar in your diet and replaced those foods with healthier and more wholesome alternatives. Your kitchen is now set up for success!

This week’s focus should be on making a conscious effort to avoid sugary foods. When a craving strikes, try going for a walk or simply drinking a glass of water. Take a hot bath or get lost in a good book. Typically any craving will pass if you wait it out long enough. But it's important to begin understanding the difference between true hunger and food cravings. If you are truly hungry, a handful of nuts or some raw veggies dipped in hummus will sound appetizing, so go aeat one of your healthy snacks. But if you're craving something sweet or a specific sugary food, use a distraction technique.

The first week of saying no to sugar will be the hardest, but the more diligently you stick to your plan, the better you'll fare in the end. Even a tiny taste of sugar during this time period can lead to setbacks.

After a couple sugar-free weeks, your sugar threshold will start to decrease and you will find that you no longer crave sugar or sweets as you once did. As with any lifestyle change, the first couple of weeks are the hardest. Eventually, it will become habit to reach for a mint tea or piece of fruit instead of juice and candy.

Week 4: Game Plan for Life
Now that you have yanked that sweet tooth, it's time to devise a plan to prevent a sugar relapse. Although sugar isn't necessary for health and it's perfectly fine if you want to continue avoiding it, it probably isn't realistic for most people to avoid all forms of sugar forever.

So if you want to allow a little sweetness back into your life, that's OK. Moderation is key. Don't let sugar and sweets become a daily habit. Instead, consider them to be special occasion treats only. With your lowered threshold for sweetness, that shouldn't be too hard. But if you begin to indulge too often or overindulge over a short period of time (such as a week long vacation), you could find yourself back in trouble with sugar all over again.

If you slip up, don’t beat yourself up over it. Accept your action and decide to make a better decision next time and move on. Continue to experiment with your new, healthy foods and recipes. You'd be surprised at how many ways you can make treats healthier and use far less sugar than a recipe suggests.

And remember: It generally takes about 3-4 weeks for a new behavior to become habit, the most important thing is to stick with it.

I still after four years cannot stand the taste of soda.  I will tell you that I did for a few months start drinking Orange Crush and quickly saw my sugar cravings return. The colas taste horrible to me now. This proved to myself that once it is eradicated from our daily life it is much easier to recognize that we do not want it.  I was a Mountain Dew Whore.  I drank it like water before my surgery, and I drank the diet kind. (smiling here) trust me those so called diet drinks that we all thought were keeping our asses slimmer, only increased our craving for sugar and carbs.  Remind yourself to look at the soda and vending machines sometime.  The person who is getting their diet soda's are not skinny usually, and they always want something to go with it, chips, candy bars.   There is truth to this claim.

I know this was a very long post, and I hope that it helps some.  For me, I allowed sugar to come back into my diet and this was a huge mistake.  I thought I could control it.  Little did I know, about the power of SUGAR!

Measuring Progress Without The Scale!

An Arsenal of Tools for Your Motivation

 

Are you Frustrated,  Disappointed, Hopeless, Skeptical?


Whichever one you choose, these emotions are enemies of people trying to lose weight—especially when you feel like you have done everything right. For many of us, who are trying to shed these pounds, the elation from that initial weight loss is brought to a screeching halt when the scale stops moving, or moves slower than it did in the beginning. But instead of viewing this as a setback, look for other ways to measure your progress besides your scale.

Losing weight usually involves a relatively simple calorie equation: burn off more calories with daily activity than you consume through food. So what happens when these numbers indicate progress, but the scale doesn’t? Before the aggravation sets in, consider why this might be the case. If you’ve been hitting the gym on a regular basis, participating in both cardiovascular and strengthening exercises, then chances are good that you have shed some fat. But the scale might not indicate this because you have also been building lean muscle. Since muscle is dense (a small volume of muscle weighs more than the same volume of fat), the scale might not reflect your hard work. 

                            4    Non-Scale Signs of Progress

Or in Lap Band talk Non Scale Victories or NSV's 

1. See results by taking a trip to your very own closet. Take out a pair of pants that fit snugly before you began your new, healthy  habits. Are you able to ease into them, when before you had to sit (or lie) down and yank them up your legs? This is a sure sign of progress toward a leaner you! What about an old shirt? Is it now a little loose around your waist or arms? Also look for improved muscle definition when you check out your body in the mirror. There are many everyday indicators that you are firming up your body, from how your clothes fit to sitting more comfortably in a booth or small chair. 

2. Aside from weight, use other numerical signs of progress. When you first start your program, take measurements of your waist, arms, neck and hips. Even if you are not losing pounds, you very well may be losing inches all over your body as your figure slims down and tones up with muscles. Measuring your body is more reliable than the scale alone. Other numerical indicators include a reduction of blood pressure or cholesterol, heart rate, and body fat percentage. 

3. Monitor how a healthy diet and regular exercise affects your energy levels. Not only will you be able to work out for longer intervals of time, but everyday chores will also become easier. Whether cutting the grass or simply walking up the stairs, these behaviors will come effortlessly. Think of all the daily activities you could use more energy for—grocery shopping, house cleaning, playing with your kids, and more. Pretty soon you’ll be training for your first 5K! 

4. Lastly, be conscious of how you feel emotionally. You’ve been working hard to reach your goals. Hopefully, the hard work will come with a boost in self-esteem, confidence, and happiness. Are you beginning to feel more comfortable in your own body? Work to build a positive vocabulary to stay motivated. 



Just because the scale has stopped moving doesn’t mean that you’ve hit a plateau in reaching your goals. Don’t give up out of frustration—all healthy behaviors are well worth the effort. Whether it’s better sleep at night or more energy throughout the day, start listening to the signs your body gives you that all of your hard work is paying off! 

 Nichole and I took our measurements, it has been 30 days since we last did.  I was surprised at only 7 inches difference over all of my body parts.  I thought it would be so much more, as my clothes are getting really baggy.  I feel a difference which is the main thing.  I keep telling myself that it all takes time.  I cannot expect complete results today.  Slow and steady wins this race!


I just know how it feels to drop 5 or 6 pounds all at once, and I just want that to continue.  Laughing here cause I know it DOES not work that way!


Happy Friday!

To all those who lost their lives, loved ones, and children on September 11, 2001.  "You Are Remembered and Never Shall Be Forgotten"

The Mystery of Motivation

How does motivation work? What makes us pick up our feet and do what we gotta do?

Well, for me, motivation works the same way, backwards and forwards. It's like this...

BACKWARDS:

I eat one Hershey's Kiss. I am motivated to eat more.

My job is mostly sedentary. I am motivated to be less active.

My co-workers  like to snack (on unhealthy foods). I am motivated to do the same.

I find comfort in certain foods. I am motivated to drug myself with them.

None of this takes much effort. I am motivated to do even less.

FORWARDS:

I read a success-story blog like Catherine's or Jacquie. My endorphins kick in. I am motivated to want success.

I skip an unhealthy snack. It isn't as hard as I thought it would be. I am motivated to do it again.

No pasta or pizza till I can't breathe, and I sleep better. I am motivated to eat more healthfully and lightly.

Moving, even a little bit, raises my energy. I am motivated to move more.

What we feed grows. 

 

If we feed the negative in our lives, it gets bigger. It becomes an unending cycle of drudgery and pain. And it continually gets worse. I am an EXPERT at feeding the negative. I think we all know how to do that.

If we feed the positive in our lives, it gets bigger. The cycle is now made up of health, strength, and energy. Feeding the positive, well, that's a learning experience for me. It takes planning, effort and action. It takes overcoming LAZINESS, which I believe is a huge part of my negative cycle. I have never been good at feeding the positive, but I am getting better.  I am learning that I am worth it!

 

This week I have been positive.  I've fed my positive cycle with lots of water and some great physical exertion. It's a start. My goal is to replace the negative with positive. Looks like my work is cut out for me. No one ever said this journey would be easy!  Where on earth was or is that written? 

How do you feed the positive in your life? What makes you pick up your feet and do what you gotta do? 

 

Break Through Your Plateaus

We hear it all the time, you changed your habits and lost weight steadily, but after awhile, that progress halted.  You have been stuck at the same weight for days, weeks or even months.  There is nothing more frustrating than trying your best, feeling like you are doing everything under the sun, yet not making any progress towards your weight loss goals.

Before you inhale that bag of cookies to console yourself, realize that weight loss takes work, and isn't always perfect.  But that there are plenty of ways to re-energize your program along with your motivation, to bust through your weight loss plateau.

But…what is a plateau anyway?
If you’ve been exercising and cutting calories for several weeks, and you’re no longer seeing the same results that you experienced in the beginning, then you’ve probably hit a plateau. This occurs when your progress comes to a standstill, and can be described as not making any “gains” (such as improving your fitness level or losing weight), but not necessarily moving backward (losing endurance or gaining weight). 

Because every individual is unique, there’s no way to actually predict when a plateau might happen. However, the following principles of nutrition, rest, and variation will jump start your body, mind, and metabolism. 
With just a little tweaking, you’ll be in your skinny jeans in no time! 

Add Variety to Your Workouts
Incorporate variation into each workout. Variety is critical because your muscles become very efficient at the exercises they are accustomed to doing. Switching things up or doing something radically different during each workout session is more challenging to your muscles. This concept should be applied to both aerobic exercise and strength training.

An individual who always does the same exercises will usually plateau sooner than someone who continually makes changes. If you don’t feel comfortable doing a different workout each time you hit the gym, try to change your exercise routine at least every 6-8 weeks. Changing your routine is crucial to keeping your body/muscles surprised. They'll have to work harder, you'll be challenged, and you'll burn more calories and build more lean muscle in the process. 

Change your cardio activity:

• Change the type of exercise you usually do. The possibilities of aerobic exercise are endless. If you walk, try cycling. If you take kickboxing, try the elliptical. Consider adding some of these possibilities to your routine: running, jogging, walking, elliptical machine, swimming, cycling, indoor exercise, outdoor exercise, hiking, fitness videos/DVDS, group fitness classes like kickboxing, aerobics, spinning, stair steppers, etc.—anything, just change it up!
• Change the duration of your workouts. Try to increase your minutes as you become fitter, and occasionally, try a shorter (but more intense) workout.

• Change the intensity of your workouts. This is something you can play with on a daily basis. This includes working at an incline or harder level, sprint work, distance work, maintaining intensity, or interval work (shifting between fast/hard and easy/recovery intervals).

 
Change your Strength Training Routine: 

 

• Change the mode of exercise. If you are using machines, move to free weights. If you are using body weight, try resistance bands. If you are doing free weights, add a stability element like a BOSU ball or stability ball. Try doing exercises while balancing on one foot or switch between any and all of these.

• Change the exercises you actually do. If you have been doing chest press, change to a chest fly or use the pec deck machine. Think of an alternative exercise for each muscle group and you’ll have an entirely new workout!

•  Change your resistance level and/or number of repetitions. Be sure to increase your weight regularly. Make sure you are lifting to fatigue with each set. If you typically lift 12-15 reps, try doing 8-10 (with a higher weight) or vice versa. Play with your weight and reps in each set. Try lifting (as an example) 25 pounds for 15 reps, then 30 pounds for 12, then 35 pounds for 10 reps on your third set. You can also do it backwards, starting with high weight/low reps and working the weight down.

 There are lots of ways to add variety to your workouts—and it's SO important that you do, to continue losing weight and improving your fitness level. By always challenging yourself, you will avoid hitting a plateau in the first place, and overcome the one you're stuck in now.


The principles of nutrition, rest and variation all work closely together. When not followed properly, they can instigate a negative snowball effect: Repeating the same exercises can cause over training, which leads to plateaus and an inability to sleep. Lack of rest hinders you progress, making recovery take much longer, especially if you are not well-nourished and hydrated. 

The human body is amazingly adaptable. By making a few changes in these areas, you can jump start your routine and see those positive results in no time. 

I practice what I preach here, as I hit a plateau recently for three weeks.  I knew that I had become comfortable in working out.  My routines were well routine.  I did the same class on Monday's and Wednesdays ZUMBA.  I did YOGA on Saturday mornings and I would walk on the treadmill or track on the other days.  10 days ago, I began swimming laps.  I have finally begun to lose again.  So it does work.  Most important thing is to not get discouraged or lose your motivation.  

I was frustrated, and upset that the scale was not moving, but I can see differences in myself even when the numbers weren't dropping, so things are shifting, rearranging if you will.  Nichole and I take our measurements today.  It has been one month since we took our 1st ones.  It will be interesting to see if there has been any changes.  I will let you know what I find out.

Kristin's Fabulous Low Cal Guacamole

Ingredients

3 - 4 Lg Avocados (flesh only)
1/2 Medium onion, chopped
1/4 Cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine
1 Serrano pepper, chopped fine
1 Clove garlic, chopped fine
1 Lime, juiced
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions

Mix all ingredients in a bowl with a masher until smooth. Salt and pepper to taste. Serve with vegetables or baked tortilla chips.

Note: Some serrano peppers are very spicy, some milder. Add half, taste, and than add more if desired. Remove seeds first if you want a mild guac. Remember to keep your hands away from your eyes when handling and chopping peppers.

Number of Servings: 10

This is an incredible dish.  I use it on top of veggie burgers, with eggs, and you name it.  I never knew how good it was till about 4 years ago.


Enjoy!

Bathroom Rennovation and lots of swimming!

I had an amazing weekend!  Three whole days away from work.  I got my homework done early.  Because I knew that I had lots that I wanted to get done this weekend. I had pulled off the old and dilapidated wallpaper from my master bathroom walls last weekend.  So I was ready to paint.  I spent Saturday and Sunday painting and finishing.  I love it.  It is clean and looks so much better.  I am trying to do one room at a time.  My house is only 18 years old but it is need of repainting really badly.

 I now have three rooms done!  The two bathrooms and the boys bedroom.  My brother is an artist and this summer he spent two months in the boys room painting murals on the walls.  Adam loves dinosaurs and Cole is into Super Mario Brothers.  I will post some pictures of that with another post. I don't have access to them on this computer.  It turned out amazing!

I am thrilled to announce that my swimming laps is going very, very well.  I used to believe that I would always be the one on the side watching others do their laps in the pool.  Nichole and I have been treading water for 40 minutes for about a month now.  10 days ago I said to her,  you know we could be like those people in the lap pool.  She laughed at me.  I said "no, we could be, honest".  She smiled and said well lets give it a try.  So we started 10 days ago.  The first night it was for 15 minutes.  I thought I had died for a moment.  I could hardly breathe, my legs felt like razors were piercing them.  My heart felt like it was jumping or leaping from my chest.  The next night, it was still hard, but we made it the full 15 minutes.  Then something started to happen.  It began to get a little bit easier.  By the 4th day we had increased to 30 minutes.  I was actually swimming laps for 30 "freaking minutes".  I was amazed and not only that but I felt so accomplished.  Especially when I logged my exercise and realized how many calories were being burned by this effort.

I have been swimming laps  now, every day since last Monday!  Yesterday I swam for 45 minutes,  it is getting easier, to do it longer each and every time.  I am increasing it by 5 minutes when I can.  Nichole is amazing, she keeps me focused we both are doing this together.  I look forward to the time with her.  

My scale has been stuck for three weeks!  The increase in cardio was my tipping point.  I am back to losing.  I lost 2.6 pounds last week.  I know it is from the swimming.  I am addicted now.  I am looking forward to swimming every day!  I plan on just increasing my time slowly each day.

I hope everyone had as productive a weekend as I did.  We cooked out on Sunday and Monday with friends and that was really nice.  I am able to eat small amounts and feel satisfied.  I love this band.  It truly is my "best friend".

Not All Carbs Are Created Equal

It's true, a carbohydrate rich diet can inflate appetite and increase girth.  There is no secret here, we all are aware of this.  Low-carb diets do promote short-term weight loss, but are accompanied by some sever dangers.  So what should you do?  The truth is you CAN have your Carbs and eat them to - - you just have to know how to choose them.

The TRUTH about carbohydrates:

• Carbohydrates are the body's ideal fuel for most functions. They supply the body with the energy needed for the muscles, brain and central nervous system. In fact, the human brain depends exclusively on carbohydrates for its energy.
• Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, beans, dairy products, foods made from grain products, and sweeteners such as sugar, honey, molasses, and corn syrup.
• The body converts digestible (non-fiber) carbohydrates into glucose, which our cells use as fuel. Some carbs (simple) break down quickly into glucose while others (complex) are slowly broken down and enter the bloodstream more gradually.

• During digestion, all carbohydrates are broken down into glucose before they can enter the bloodstream where insulin helps the glucose enter the body’s cells. Some glucose is stored as glycogen in the liver and muscles for future use, like fueling a workout. If there is extra glucose, the body will store it as fat.

All carbohydrates are not created equal.
There are basically three types of carbohydrates:

1. Simple carbohydrates are composed of 1 or 2 sugar units that are broken down and digested quickly.
   
   Recent research has shown that certain simple carbohydrate foods can cause extreme surges in blood sugar levels, which also increases insulin release. This can elevate appetite and the risk of excess fat storage.
   
   
2. Complex carbohydrates (also referred to as starch) are made up of many sugar units and are found in both natural (brown rice) and refined (white bread) form. They are structurally more complex and take longer to be broken down and digested.
   
   Complex carbohydrate foods have been shown to enter the blood stream gradually and trigger only a moderate rise in insulin levels, which stabilizes appetite and results in fewer carbohydrates that are stored as fat. Unrefined or ‘whole grain’ carbohydrates found in products like brown rice, whole wheat pasta and bran cereals are digested slowly. They contain vitamins, minerals and fiber which promote health. Fiber and nutrient-rich vegetables, fruits and beans which are carbohydrates also have many important functions for the body and are important for good health.
   
   
3. Indigestible carbohydrates are also called fiber. The body is unable to breakdown fiber into small enough units for absorption. It is therefore not an energy source for the body but does promote health in many other ways. 

Simple carbs, complex carbs, and fiber are found in many foods. Some provide important nutrients that promote health while others simply provide calories that promote girth.

• Sugar, syrup, candy, honey, jams, jelly, molasses, and soft drinks contain simple carbohydrates and little if any nutrients.
• Fruits contain primarily simple carbohydrate but also valuable vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water.
• Vegetables contain varying amounts of simple and complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, fiber, and water.
• Legumes such as beans, peas, lentils and soybeans contain complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein.
• Milk products contain simple carbohydrates along with protein, calcium and other nutrients.
• Grain products contain complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein. The amounts vary depending on the type of grain used and the amount of processing. Selecting whole grain options whenever possible is recommended. 

What You Should Know About Low-Carbohydrate Diets
Following an extremely low-carbohydrate diet is disastrous, dangerous, and above all—boring! Carbohydrates are NOT the enemy. Including the appropriate amounts and types of carbohydrate-rich foods in your diet is essential for long-term health and weight loss/maintenance.

The Body’s Immediate Reaction to Very Low Carbohydrate Diets
When there is a severe deficit of carbohydrates, the body has several immediate reactions:

• With no glucose available for energy, the body starts using protein from food for energy. Therefore this protein is no longer available for more important functions, such as making new cells, tissues, enzymes, hormones, and antibodies and the regulation of fluid balance.
• When carbohydrates are lacking, the body cannot burn fat in the correct way. Normally carbs combine with fat fragments to be used as energy. When carbs are not available, there is an incomplete breakdown of fat that produces a by-product called ketones. These ketones accumulate in the blood and in the urine causing ketosis, which is an abnormal state. Ketosis does cause a decrease in appetite because it's one of the body's protection mechanisms. It's an advantage to someone in a famine (which the body thinks it's experiencing) to lack an appetite because the search for food would be a waste of time and additional energy.
• Due to the lack of energy and the accumulation of ketones, low-carb diets are often accompanied by nausea, headaches, dizziness, fatigue, bad breath, and dehydration.
• Because of dehydration and a lack of fiber, constipation can result.
• Exercise and fitness performance is reduced on a low-carb diet. Do not be surprised if your energy level is so low that you cannot make it through your normal workout routine.

 

The Long-Term Effects of Low Carbohydrate Diets
When you severely restrict carbohydrates, your consumption of protein and fat increases, which has several long-term effects:

• The risk of many cancers increases when fruits, vegetables, whole grain products, and beans are eliminated from the diet.
• Protein foods are also high in purines, which are broken down into uric acid. Elevated levels of uric acid in the blood may lead to needle-like uric acid crystals in joints, causing gout.
• Kidney stones are more likely to form on high protein, ketosis-producing diets.
• Over time, high protein diets can cause a loss of calcium and lead to osteoporosis.
• The risk of heart disease is greatly increased on a low-carb diet that is high in protein, cholesterol, fat, and saturated fat. A temporary reduction in cholesterol levels may be experienced, but this is common with any weight loss.

The Million Dollar Question
How do you include carbohydrates in you diet in a safe, effective, and controlled way? The “Please KISS Me” (Please Keep It So Simple for Me) plan for carbohydrate control is a wonderful tool that only contains 3 simple rules:

RULE 1: Include the following in your diet:

• Fruits: 2-4 servings daily
• Vegetables: 3-5 servings daily
• Whole grain breads, muffins, bagels, rolls, pasta, noodles, crackers, cereal, and brown rice: 6-11 servings daily
• Legumes, beans and peas: 1-2 servings daily
• Low-fat and non-fat dairy products: 3 servings daily

RULE 2: Limit the following to less than 2 servings daily:

• Fruit Juice
• Refined and processed white flour products (bread, muffins, bagels, rolls, pasta, noodles, crackers, cereal)
• White rice
• French fries
• Fried vegetables

RULE 3: Eliminate the following from your diet or eat only on occasion:

• Sugary desserts, cookies, cakes, pies, candies
• Doughnuts and pastries
• Chips, cola and carbonated beverages
• Sugar, honey, syrup, jam, jelly, molasses

That’s it! A simple, effective carbohydrate-controlling plan that, when combined with your LapBand, allows you to reap the countless benefits of complex carbohydrates and fiber while enhancing your health and maintaining a healthy weight. The long term result will be a healthy you! 

We all know this is not as simple as it sounds.  I was a carb addict!  I could not wait to get my fix of carbs, and when I did I was thinking about the next, and the next.  It is a viscous cycle the carb addiction.  This country caters to it, in print advertising as well as TV and Internet.  

I know that I have to gain complete control over this aspect of my diet, for me to be successful in my long term goal and to maintain it.


Happy Friday Everyone, Have A Safe Labor Day Weekend!

How Is Blogging Helping Me To Reach My Goals?

Before beginning my blog here, I have to admit I thought Blogs were sort of lame.  I mean why would you want to lay out your life, for everyone to read.  Why would you want to admit your failures, and share pictures of your fat self to the world?  

I am one month into my blog and I am discovering that, blogging is a great way to get your feelings out, it gives me a way to express anger, regret, happiness, sadness, grief and whatever else I may be feeling at the moment.

Often times before my blog, these types of emotions would cause me to eat!  I would eat in isolation, I would pretend no one knew I was eating that "Snickers bar" or whole BAG of  Snickers bars.  I admit I felt like nobody would understand and that I was alone in my feelings.  What I have come to know now one month later.  Is that I am not alone, there are others out there who are going through the same things.  I have realized I am a part of something bigger through my blogging.

You find kindred spirits, people who touch you with their own struggles with weight, and how it effected their lives and how the Band has helped them through it, but more importantly how this community of incredible supporters has helped them through.

I found Catherine's blog first and I set out to read it from the first post to the last.  It was the end of June.  I was captivated by this woman's story.  She was so honest, so real.  It was not at all what I expected from a Blog.  I was hooked, I could not wait to read another Blog.  This one was Jacquie, she had an incredible story as well, I started to feel a connection to these women.  They all had been just like me, obese and fat and now they weren't.  If they can do it so can I.  Then I found LapBandGal and she truly inspires those who read her blog as well.  Stephanie also gave me courage to pick up my big girl panties and stop the whining about how I had screwed up my band journey and start a new. Cat also gave me motivation, there are so many here who have.  I have a huge list of blogs that I follow!  I am learning something from each and everyone of them.

I did not think I would have time to blog, well perhaps in the beginning it is easier to stay focused, I do not know.  I do know that I look forward to my blog now.  It has become an obsession of sorts.  I want to write, I want to read and read and read.  When you look in through the window of a person's blog, and you find honesty, and often times, very painful admissions, it helps you to work through your own.

Now, when I think I am hungry, I stop and ask myself, is this my stomach or is this my head?  I don't think I will ever have to stop doing this, for me emotional eating has always been my downfall.  If I am feeling emotional then I will log on here and read blogs, or write on my own.  What a great way to NOT turn to food for that comfort.  I have found that I always feel better after my dose of blogging.

How will blogging help take my weight off and keep it off? 
The answer is that it helps quell the emotional storm raging inside of you if you are an emotional eater.  If you aren’t an emotional eater, it distracts you and gives you time for the cravings to pass.  It also gives you a platform to think out loud about why you want to eat and what your long-term goals might be.  Others can learn from your blogging, as well.  You never know how many people are going through the same thoughts or will go through them by the time they read your blog.

By taking time to write out your thoughts, or the events of the day, or emotions at the moment, you may find a solution to the problem that would otherwise leave you holding a bag of cookies or chips.  Chips are a quick bandage to what ails me.  When I do not want to face it, and I just have to cope and move on.  I used food to stuff those emotions.

Distraction and water are great "hunger stoppers".  Hunger and thirst are are sensed by the same part of the brain.  Sometimes we get the signals confused and we think we are hungry when we are actually thirsty.  By trying a large glass of water before you eat any food, helps you to determine if it is real hunger or simple thirst that has you wanting to eat everything in sight.  The distraction of writing can help you to wait the 20 minutes to give the water time to do it's job of quenching your thirst.  If you are still hungry after 20 minutes then you probably need a snack or a meal.

So what do you do if a computer is not around when you need your blog fix?  In today's technological world you can blog on your Smart Phone.  I love my Android! You can keep a notebook handy wherever you go for any writing you need to get out of your system.  You could even type it up as a blog later.  As you look back at all the writing and blogs you have done, you will be amazed at your personal growth and all you have learned.  You will also be amazed at how much more resolve you have to reach your goals.  You may even notice your goals have evolved into bigger and better things.

I am so thankful for finding BOOBS!  I am thrilled to be a part of it this year, and I look so forward to meeting the women here who have inspired me to keep moving!