My mission for the past few weeks has been to lighten up, relax, enjoy and have so much fun! :)))
It feels like bliss! And now I know what Joseph Campbell meant by "follow your bliss and the universe will open doors that were not." ...the unfolding of events each day are so fufilling and more moments are becoming RICH and full! :) Life gets better and better.
Bliss feels like everything is available to me and I am completely here and aware.
And there is evidence of it everywhere! :) Here's some I found and felt moved to share with you :)
On the best swing ever at South Bank with my sister Nadine! :)
If you want to feel good and get an amazing workout dance around to this tune! Lol I guarantee you will feel ALIVE after it! Allow your full self express to let loose ;) !!! Haha now I wish I was there to see you do it!
More and more movements like Thrive and ALIVE are being created! :)))
~ Simplicity and Balance in life ~ The synergistic alignment of mind, body and spirit ~ Focusing on the abundance of what the Earth provides naturally ~ Nourishing our bodies with an Organic Lifestyle ~ Awareness of the body's self-healing abilities ~ Igniting passions and embracing our uniqueness ~ Understanding our innate ability to create our own reality ~ Freedom to choose ~ Spreading Joy and Love ~ Education on alternative health and holistic treatments ~ Accountability of our thoughts, words and actions ~ Responsibility for the energy we bring into our environment ~ Sustainability of the environment ~ Living in a state of gratitude ~ Accessing a mindset of abundance ~ People and Companies who are dedicated to the expansion of the Health and Wellness industry
Smiling fufilled people everywhere you look! Even on Istock hehe!
This feeling of Bliss feels so good... like really good... like that joyous feeling I experienced as a child and how everything is an exciting unfolding new adventure. wow what a great time to experience life on earth and consciously create what ever it is we truly want to do.
This guy started a dance movement at a music festival! Love it! :))) ...It's all about the ENERGY :)
Flying high from today's workshop and updating Facebook status from 30,000 feet... just because it's possible! The technology of this time and space is truly a wonderful thing!
Source within you knows you are "magic" because you can find alignment at any time and then manifested reality will follow without fail!
You're supposed to feel bad when you're focused on the stuff you don't want. "You're supposed to feel good and you can - that's it!"
Most people put up with negative emotions because they're used to feeling them, but you don't know what you're missing by not being aligned with who-you-really-are.
When you feel less than bliss, you are focused on a lesser vibration than you - and your son - deserve.
An affirmation from Louise hay! "I create easily and effortlessly when I let my thoughts come from the loving space of my own heart." Louise L. Hay
Suzanne Sommers says "Today, I will work at remembering who I was as a child with all my dreams and fantasies, when the world and life in general was not filled with fear and limitations, before the wondering began and I allowed others and outside influences to convince me that I couldn’t do it. I will try to regain that wonderful feeling that I could do anything."
"When you look inside you, thats where the real truth is". - Dwayne Peachey
When the world comes to understand this great truth, we will be aware that all people are the same; they only appear to be different. - Bob Proctor
“There is no Healing Force Outside the Human body”~Dr Leonard Coldwell
Our energy is infectious! - Anna Scurry Making scumptcious food in the camp oven! Some beef with chopped potatoes, pumpkin, eggplant, zuchinni, onion and red wine in the fire for a couple of hours! mmm :)
And eating Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups as usual! ;) ! The recipe is yours free at www.TheearthDiet.org just ENJOY it fully!
On the ALIVE New York FACEBOOK page.... Does the idea of planting 18 billion trees sound exciting to you...? Hehe if so you can join David Wolfe's mission! David is the president and founder of 'The Fruit Tree Planting Foundation' (www.ftpf.com), a non profit organization with a mission to plant 18 billion fruit trees on plant earth! David's organization has planted, to date, tens of thousands of fruit trees from Africa to Canada, from India to Hawaii. Cool....
Enjoying when our bird friend comes over to visit!
Anthony captured the perfect shot of our bird friend! ;)
What a wonderful world this is! We live in the PERFECT times and PERFECT condition for what we need to do and where we need to be to experience what that feeling is that seems so true, so real, so pure and so fufilling on every single cellular level of all that exists, time as we know it stops and we feel that the entire universe is with us, for us, and how much of a difference we EACH make to this space, our energy is absolutely infectious! ... that feeling that we live for, you are the light and you are capable of creating what ever reality you choose, accept your power ;) mmm can you feel the freedom now? and it is available to us at every SINGLE moment! yehooo! ;) What a powerful reminder!
Sending love to you now! :) Do ya feel it? Hehe enjoy :))) see ya again soon! ;)
PS Tammy! Thank you for the comment on the sweet sugar blog, you are beautiful and I am excited to meet you one day when the timing is perfect! :)
In the 1970s, as the modern obesity epidemic was just getting started, investigators were searching for new animal models of diet-induced obesity. They tried all sorts of things, from sugar to various types of fats, but none of them caused obesity as rapidly and reproducibly as desired*. 1976, Anthony Sclafani tried something new, and disarmingly simple, which he called the "supermarket diet": he gave his rats access to a variety of palatable human foods, in addition to standard rodent chow. They immediately ignored the chow, instead gorging on the palatable food and rapidly becoming obese (1). Later renamed the "cafeteria diet", it remains the most rapid and effective way of producing dietary obesity and metabolic syndrome in rodents using solid food (2).
I just returned from two weeks abroad, 24-7 vacationing with my husband of 25 years (and yes, we still remain happily married). One week hiking in the Swiss alps, one week eating and drinking my way through Italy’s Piedmont and Tuscany regions have left me with so many thoughts to share. So enjoy the photos and commentary in the next several posts, and please share your thoughts and comments with me!
The lovely town center of Bagno Vignoni we pushed our bikes to.
I get it now.
This week I was struck by how much I utilize, maybe even rely on nutrition information to make my eating decisions. Sure, I eat intuitively, and I stand by absolutely everything I’ve told you throughout Drop It And Eat’s many posts. But I had an interesting revelation this week while in Tuscany. Until then, I hadn’t fully realized just how much nutrition info is a part of me, my food choices, my portioning. It came to light in a big way this Wednesday in Italy.
A lovely lunch, except for the 1/2 cup of oil!
Of course I’m aware that information impacts what I purchase. That includes higher fiber cereals, to keep things moving, as well as desserts with real butter, (because of the knowledge that I like the taste); white meat poultry, lower in saturated fats associated with cholesterol levels and cardiac risk, and whole grains for their mineral content, fiber as well as my awareness that I love their chewy texture. And while my awareness of the nutritional content of rich pastries doesn’t stop me from eating them, nor from thoroughly enjoying every bite, it makes me mindful to savor these items and to consume them in modest amounts.
18 euros, about $26 for these two fellas!
Twenty-five years as a nutritionist yet, I take knowledge for granted; I never really acknowledge its impact on my diet. No, I don’t calorie count, or tally my fat grams. And I don’t use a meal plan of any kind. Nor do I weigh my food.
But at home, nutrition guidance surely impacts my life. When I buy fish, I ask for the amount based on an estimate of the number of ounces our family needs per person; ¾ pound for the two of us is not an unusual request. In contrast, most people I see approach the fish counter saying “I’ll have those two fillets” or “3 salmon steaks for the three of us”, without regard to the portion size.
I know how I like my food prepared; I enjoy good tasting meals with added fats—flavorful oils and butter—but I do add them sparingly, knowing they are calorically dense. Over time, I’ve learned how much rice I need at a meal, and just how much will serve my family, preparing accordingly. When I eat out, as you’d have guessed by now, I’m vocal, requesting foods the way I want it—light on the oil, or with extra basil or cilantro, or with added tofu or vegetables—whatever. Are you cringing just thinking about us dining out together?
Given the price of olive oil I considered getting this oil to go.
So imagine this. I’m in a country where I could barely order off the menu with minimal understanding of what I’m ordering. Culturally, I have virtually no awareness about regional preparation of the dishes. Imagine my surprise when I was served this veggie and cheese plate (right).
Earlier in the day, we ventured into the local fish market to plan for our home-cooked dinner in our apartment. Unlike what I am accustomed to, the fish are sold whole—then weighed, cleaned, and filleted—so we had no idea just how adequate a single fish would be. God forbid we should go hungry! So we ordered two whole fish. The price of 19 euros (approximately $26) should have been a red flag—a mighty expensive dinner for two! But what did we know?
Our home-cooked fish dinner, made with onion, peppers, fennel, capers, garlic, white wine, and did I mention olive oil?
That evening, after cooking the meal—roasted branzino fish, risotto, cheese and figs—I realized that this meal was truly enough for four people, versus two. I had no knowledge of the food’s weight, the cheese was bought as a round single unit, and we just ate it. Slowly, we sat enjoying our delicious meal, together with a lovely white wine from the region.
And then it struck me. I had felt, at first, handicapped, yearning for my usual knowledge-based cues to assist me that day. How much oil is in this dish at lunch? How many ounces of cheese am I eating? How many people should this fish dinner serve? But I let it go.
Dinner included delicious goat cheese with black truffles. Lunch featured the regional specialty of Pecorino, a sheep's milk cheese.
While I didn’t have the concrete information I usually rely on, I still had my experience—my knowledge of just how much I usually eat, which allows me to maintain a healthy weight. And I retained my internal knowledge—the physical signals that told me when I had had enough food and was satisfied.
When I reflected on this day, consuming ½ an Italian bread (no, I am not exaggerating), cheese, and god-knows-how-much olive oil in my lunch, I realized that I hadn’t gotten hungry throughout the afternoon; in fact, I seemed to have skipped my usual afternoon snack, inadvertently.
Trust
So it still comes down to trust. If you’re maintaining a healthy weight, your usual portions will suffice. Need to gain or lose? Modify your portions accordingly. Eventually your physical signals will resume, so you can finally distinguish physical hunger from all the other reasons you do or don’t eat.
If you speak the language, then speak up! Ask for foods the way you’d like them, and request a doggie bag for leftovers. And trust that all is not lost (gained?) if a meal is different from your norm. I personally would never choose to use half a cup of oil on my veggies, even good tasting extra virgin olive oil, but as I told my husband at lunch, “at least it’s good for my coat!”
I got more of an upper body workout than I bargained for.
In the end, in the two weeks I had had much more wine than I ever consume, significantly more fats of all types, more meals out, and more frequent desserts. Swiss chocolate is divine, and there were times we had some with breakfast. I biked less than planned, walked more than expected (including walking the bikes in terrain I couldn’t manage), and was generally more active than usual, especially given the length of our hikes.
Sometimes, all we can do is to laugh at the situations we encounter!
And for the record, my weight is exactly the same, as it should be, as I’d expect. But most importantly, I enjoyed it all, even playing with the leftover oil-soaked food at lunch. Because life’s too short to diet.
Chris Armstrong, creator of the website Celiac Handbook, has designed a new non-commercial website called Primal Docs to help people connect with ancestral health-oriented physicians. It's currently fairly small, but as more physicians join, it will become more useful. If you are a patient looking for such a physician in your area, or an ancestral health-oriented physician looking for more exposure, it's worth having a look at his site:
Update 9/22: apparently there is already another website that serves a similar purpose and has many more physicians enrolled: Paleo Physicians Network.
A pan of rich, dark chocolate brownies- gluten-free and dairy-free.
Yes, I've been tinkering. But first I have a question. Why bake a gluten-free brownie from scratch and not a mix? While baking mixes are perfectly acceptable in a pinch, and no doubt a boon to busy cooks on a gluten-free diet (well, honestly, who isn't busy these days, I ask you?), your taste buds will tell you why. In a heart beat, Darling. A dark chocolate brownie made from scratch is deeply delicious and decadent. Even, impressive. Company worthy. Dare I say, date night worthy. I'm not kidding. This brownie recipe is swoon inducing. You know what they say about chocolate.
But here's the best part. Throwing this recipe together takes only a few minutes longer than opening up a box. You can whip up these luscious gooey babies in a mere ten minutes. In less time than it takes you to scan your Pinterest feed. Or catch up on Facebook. Seriously. So what is more rewarding? Watching kittens on YouTube or stirring together this rich, tender, dark chocolate brownie recipe, one of the most loved and printed recipes here on Gluten-Free Goddess. Using just a scant amount of brown rice flour and almond meal gives these brownies a melt-in-your-mouth texture reminiscent of flourless chocolate cake. Without all the fuss. And now I've updated the recipe, using coconut oil and 70% cocoa dark chocolate. There is no xanthan gum, and no starch. Read more + get the recipe >>
Inspiration for this blog: ... for people to feel good :)))
Sugar is something most people like. It is consumed by most humans, in most parts of the world.
Sugar is produced in 121 Countries and global production exceeds 120 Million tons a year. Approximately 70% is produced from sugar cane, a very tall grass with big stems which is largely grown in the tropical countries. The remaining 30% is produced from sugar beet, a root crop resembling a large parsnip grown mostly in the temperate zones of the north.
In India I learned how sugar cane is processed into refined sugar and how that process changes the sugar molecular structure.
After sugar is extracted from sugar cane it then goes through a process of heating, melting and evaporation. Sugar is refined by pouring the sugar syrup over char filters; the impurities in the sugar that make it have color stick to the char filter and what comes out on the other side is the clear sugar syrup that turns into white refined sugar.
White refined sugar is an industrially processed chemical not found in nature.
Why should I eat less refined processed sugar?
400 years ago the only sugar available to man came naturally from earth, like honey and fruits. These kinds of whole foods containing natural sugar also contained complex carbohydrates which convert to energy relatively slowly. Refined sugar is a poisonous drug. The dictionary provides a definition of poison: “To exert a harmful influence on, or to pervert.” Dr Martin classifies refined sugar as poison because it has been depleted of its life forces, vitamins and nutrients. The body cannot effectively utilize this refined starch. When we eat sugar pyruvic acid accumulates in the brain and nervous system, and in the red blood cells. These metabolites interfere with the respiration of the cells. They can’t get sufficient oxygen to survive and function normally. In time some of the cells die which interferes with the functioning of the part of the body and is the beginning of degenerative disease.
Daily intake of sugar produces a continuously over acid condition and as a consequence minerals are then required from body tissues such as bones and teeth in order to compensate the acidic environment and rectify the imbalance. This is when decay and weakening begin. Excess sugar eventually affects every organ in the body.
Why does processed refined sugar make me gain weight?
In the liver, excess sugar is stored in the form of glucose (glycogen). Since the liver’s capacity is limited, a regular intake of refined sugar soon makes the liver expand. When the liver is filled to the max capacity, the excess glycogen is returned to the blood in the form of fatty acids. These fatty acids are then taken to every part of the body and stored as fat, usually in the most inactive areas like the belly, bottom, breasts and thighs.
There is a difference of physical appearance between people who eat refined processed sugar and people who don't...
Check out this before and after of Angi, who totally transformed her physical appearance by living a sugarless raw foods lifestyle. She took part of a Raw Transition program with The Garden Diet :) (Some might think The Garden Diet is a competition company to The Earth Diet - but I say we are all after the same health mission here and am very happy to promote the Talifero family! ;))
Sugar could be one of the most addictive substances, and is added to nearly 90% of processed and packaged food items. Sugar is in our soft drinks, fruit juices, sports drinks, and in almost all processed foods from tomato sauce, vegemite, bread, cheese and toothpaste. And now most infant formula has the sugar equivalent of one can of Coca-Cola, so babies are being metabolically poisoned from day one if taking formula.
It is obviously something we like, need and want for the make up of the human body.
I read this conversation on Saint Loius Sucre...
Why do I like sugar so much? Our sense of taste comprises four basic components known as ‘fundamental tastes’: sweet, salty, bitter and acid. From the earliest age, babies demonstrate a particular predilection for sweet milk, with which they associate the notion of pleasure. This predilection, which varies from person to person and depending on a subject’s social and cultural background, is reinforced by sugar’s sweetening effect, which imparts a sweet taste to many foods, thus heightening their taste. Indeed, for a long time, sugar was considered as a spice.
What is sugar from a nutritional point of view? Sugar, also known as sucrose, is a member of the glucides family. Together with lipids and amino-acids, it constitutes one of the three groups of nutrients that are vital to the human body. Glucides supply the energy required for the operation of the body. Simple glucides (glucose, fructose, lactose) contained in fruits have a characteristically sweet taste, unlike complex glucides (e.g. starch).
Elisha Yarrington!
Elisha a beautiful friend of mine writes a blog called "Mind, Body, Spirit" and has said this about sugar:
'Read these SIMPLE dot points about sugar, and what it does to YOU. Even if you only remember one of them, you may think twice next time you eat processed packaged food.. Remember knowledge is power.. Ignorance is bliss, we are evolving and growing into more intelligent, conscious being's so be OPEN to information that comes to you.. Read it. Analyze it. and Do your own research!
1. Sugar can suppress your immune system and impair your defenses against infectious disease 2. Sugar upsets the mineral relationships in your body: causes chromium and copper deficiencies and interferes with absorption of calcium and magnesium. 3. Sugar can cause a rapid rise of adrenaline, hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children. 4. Sugar can produce a significant rise in total cholesterol, triglycerides and bad cholesterol and a decrease in good cholesterol. 5. Sugar causes a loss of tissue elasticity and function. 6. Sugar feeds cancer cells and has been connected with the development of cancer of the breast, ovaries, prostate, rectum, pancreas, biliary tract, lung, gallbladder and stomach. 7. Sugar can cause many problems with the gastrointestinal tract including: an acidic digestive tract, indigestion, malabsorption in patients with functional bowel disease, increased risk of Crohn's disease, and ulceration colitis. 8. Sugar can cause premature aging. In fact, the single most important factor that accelerates aging is insulin, which is triggered by sugar.
There is no reason why you can't enjoy delicious, scrumptious, divine, lush desserts that are SWEET! Here are some of my favourite desserts on The Earth Diet that are sugar free... (and also dairy free & soy free!)
Raw Chocolate Ice Cream, ingredients are cashews, cacao, vanilla bean, agave/or dates and water! Recipe HERE!
Anzac Biscuits! Recipe is in my blog this week at KORA Organics by Miranda Kerr HERE!
Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter cups! Ingredients are: Cacao, Cacao Butter, Almonds, Peanuts and Agave! Recipe HERE! They are part of The Earth Diet food line that is available in New York, and stocked daily at Organic Corner!
All recipes on The Earth Diet are sugar free! :) www.TheEarthDiet.org for free recipes :)
What other affects does sugar have on the body? When the areas of the belly, bottom, breasts and thighs are filled with fat, fatty acids are then distributed among active organs like the heart, liver ad kidneys. These organs begin to slow down and finally these tissues degenerate and turn to fat. The entire body is then affected by their reduced ability and so high blood pressure results as a consequence. The autonomic nervous system is then affected as processed sugar is a powerful stimulator of the sympathetic branch of the nervous system. The circulatory and lymphatic system is also invaded and then the quality of the red blood cells begin to change.
When you ingest processed sugars the body responds by releasing insulin, a hormone that reduces blood sugar levels and commonly results in a blood sugar crash, or hypoglycemic state. The body must then respond to this immediately as if not the brain will run out of blood sugar to operate on and you’ll go into a coma. This emergency situation results in the release of powerful stress hormones, one of which is cortisol. In the midst of all this, most people respond to the hypoglycemic, or low-blood sugar state by drinking coffee, soda or something sweet. The body craves sweet. This starts the entire process all over again :-/ After a while your body becomes insensitive to insulin. This is the first step towards diabetes. And also an accumulation of fat around the midsection.
The constant hormonal roller coaster also overworks the adrenal glands and they finally become exhausted by producing excessive cortisol. When the hormonal system becomes unbalance like this pathological conditions soon manifest like degenerative disease, allergies, obesity, alcoholism, drug addiction, depression, behavioral problems, kidney disease, liver disease, bone loss, tooth decay, colon cancer, diseases of malnutrition and more.
Why can I eat so much sugar and not feel full and just keep eating?
When you ingest sugar your taste buds know ‘sweet stuff has arrived’ and to the brain means ‘nutrition has arrived’. When the sugar reaches the small intestine the receptors find no nutrition sending a message to the brain ‘We’ve been tricked there’s no nutrition here’. The appestat (the part of your brain that that triggers satiety) sends the message to keep eating because we need nutrition to help process all of this fake food and run your body. Sugars and artificial sweetners have been found by researchers to be neurotoxins that can damage the brain and nervous system.
Some foods don’t say ‘sugar’ on the label, but I know it is there because it is so artificially sweet… why is this?
Food manufacturers are aware of increased awareness of the affects of sugar and so sometimes disguise the use of sugar in the food. Instead of saying ‘sugar’ they list the ingredients as sucrose, glucose, arabinose, maltose, dextrose, fructose, galactose, arabinose, ribose, xylose, deoxyribose, lactose, trehalose or cane sugar. Anything with ‘ose’ at the end indicates sugar use.
Should I drink fruit juices? Only if they are freshly squeezed or you make them yourself. Much of the marketing hype around fruit juices is that they are healthy, when actually they are laden with sugar which is needed to preserve the juice.
If you want to learn about the damage caused by sugary food check out the video below with Robert H. Lustig, MD, UCSF Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Endocrinology who explores that fructose (too much) and fiber (not enough) appear to be cornerstones of the obesity epidemic through their effects on insulin.
One of the endless possibilities inside The Earth Diet is replacing processed and refined sugars, to sugars that are provided whole & naturally by the earth - like sugar cane! Have you ever sucked the sweetness out of one of those things - it's like beautiful crisp sweetness mmm :) And pineapple, and honey, cherries, nectarines, apples, sweet sweet lichees, peaches, ooh grapes, oranges, SWEET potatoes, and mandarins or clementines as some say, water melon and this list could go on and on and there are fruits I am sure I haven't even heard of yet!
The Earth Diet replaces processed sugars with sweets that the earth provides naturally :) The healthiest sugar alternatives are:
1. Honey is great for immune function. If honey has been pasteurized or filtered it is not ‘food’ just a by-product so make sure it is unprocessed and unfiltered. You won’t be able to see through it and it will have chunks of bees wax. Avoid cooking with honey as it is not heat stable and can create toxins when heated to high for to long. 2. Dates - a sweet simple snack! Blend them with walnuts in a food processor and roll them into balls! :) 3. Maple Syrup - extracted from the Maple Tree 4. Agave - extracted from the Agave cactus (also makes Tequila!) 5. Fruit! Eat a piece of fruit when you have a craving for sugar...suddenly that impulse to go for processed sugars, lollies/candy, chocolate etc won't be as strong!
6. Stevia is a herb and about 100 sweeter than sugar. Stevia is also known to balance blood sugar levels and is a great alternative for sweetner in tea and coffee.
Resources include only highly respected health professionals that all have the same intention for global human health rather than for profit. These people included Paul Chek, Dr Martin, The Safe Shopper’s Bible, Harvard Medical School, US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Kevin Trudeau and findings that I have come to find true and authentic since I began The Earth Diet lifestyle. –Liana Werner-Gray
Sunday seems to stir up all kinds of sneaky devils and hungry ghosts in the guise of food nostalgia. I dreamed up my last post about Zucchini Gratin on a Sunday, stirring up a bread crumbed casserole of desire fraught with secret emotions and sticky attachments. Food as familial. Food evoking a warm embrace. Food as a way to connect our twenty-one grams of soul to this earth. The ground of being.
I think I know why I'm tip toeing in the garden of nostalgia lately.
My tribe is expanding.
The family my husband and I created when we held hands and promised I do through a veil of mutual tears is now plus one. I have a new daughter-in-law I regard with deep affection. She brings a fresh focus to our four-squared history. And I see us in a slightly altered light, looking at our shared quirks and wrinkles and dreams with renewed optimism. Our clan now feels stronger. Our humble, wacky tribe feels enriched.
I lost a bit of weight then, but it was unintentional. It’s hard to recall the details—it was 25 years ago—but I certainly recall my pre-wedding jitters, my perseveration over details of this NY Wedding’s menus and seating and flowers, and the stress of commuting to work 3 hours daily. And then there was the wedding gown hype (Imagine Say Yes To the Dress; I bought it at the same Kleinfeld’s of TV fame).
But as PJ points out in her guest post below I was not typical—I did not try to lose weight before the big day. And who buys a pink wedding gown, like I did, anyway?
Who Is PJ Anyway?
First and foremost, she’s a bright, sweet, thoughtful, determined Follower of this blog, who I adore. She’s an Aussie, a mother of three young children and an adult new to acknowledging and tackling her own long-standing eating disorder. And she’s approaching her recovery with gusto, true to her nature. She’s using her resources 100%, while painfully honest about her struggles and her slips.
Welcome PJ, who miraculously knew I’d be in a bind this week, unable to write a timely post.
Read her fabulous blog, Recovery, PJ Style, for more honest writing, incredible wisdom, and support.
The Truth about the Wedding Diet
Ever planned to lose weight for a big event? How did you get on? And, probably more importantly, what happened after? Well, let’s start by seeing what Lori has to say on the topic. In her post the Graduation Diet, Lori describes a woman named Amy determined to lose 15 pounds in the 6 weeks leading up to her son’s graduation. But despite Lori’s warning/prediction:
“Dramatic changes in eating and activity are rarely sustainable. And they never occur without a cost”
We never did find out how Amy fared. What do you think?
At the recent conference for the Australian and New Zealand Academy for Eating Disorders, a researcher named Ivanka Pritchard from Flinders University, gave us the answer. Pritchard recruited 343 brides-to-be from a bridal expo and asked them a series of questions; including whether or not they planned to lose weight before the wedding and whether or not they had been told to lose weight (this pressure came from a variety of sources such as family, friends and even the wedding dress saleswoman!). Pritchard reported that over 50% of brides-to-be wanted to lose weight before the wedding (approx 8kg) and around 13% had been told to lose weight.
Pritchard also collected data on starting weights and then followed up at 1-month pre-wedding and 6-months post-wedding.
Of the first group (those that wanted to lose weight), what do you think the average weight loss was? Nothing. That’s right, at1-month pre-wedding there had been no change in the weight of this group. However at the 6-month post-wedding follow-up there most certainly had been a change. This group had gained an average of about 2kg. Pritchard called this the ‘oh-thank-god-that’s-over-now-I-can-eat-what-ever-I-want’ effect.
The second group (those that were told to lose weight) did show some slight weight loss pre-wedding but gained significantly more post-wedding than the first group.
Pritchard concluded her presentation by highlighting the need for awareness campaigns to reduce the pressure on these woman to fit some societal ideal for the perfect bride – especially in the face of the competition they are up against: both Jenny Craig and Weight Watchers, as well as a selection of health clubs all had stalls at this expo.
So there’s your answer. And although in the scientific world we don’t call it proof, merely evidence, you’d have to agree it’s pretty compelling evidence to say the least.
The Wedding Diet will NOT result in weight loss. But it will result in weight GAIN. Darn. Oh well, at least we still have Drop it and Eat.
In this post, I'll discuss a few more facts pertaining to the idea that elevated insulin promotes the accumulation of fat mass.
Insulin Action on Fat Cells Over the Course of Fat Gain
The idea that insulin acts on fat cells to promote obesity requires that insulin suppress fat release in people with more fat (or people who are gaining fat) to a greater extent than in lean people. As I have written before, this is not the case, and in fact the reverse is true. The fat tissue of obese people fails to normally suppress fatty acid release in response to an increase in insulin caused by a meal or an insulin injection, indicating that insulin's ability to suppress fat release is impaired in obesity (1, 2, 3). The reason for that is simple: the fat tissue of obese people is insulin resistant.
There has been some question around the blogosphere about when insulin resistance in fat tissue occurs. Is it only observed in obese people, or does it occur to a lesser extent in people who carry less excess fat mass and are perhaps on a trajectory of fat gain? To answer this question, let's turn the clocks back to 1968, a year before Neil Armstrong first set foot on the moon.
From my seat in the kitchen I could only see his butt. But I could hear the probing of his snout, which piqued my curiosity. Then his head emerged, his eyes beaming at mine. After catching my glance he guided me with the movement of his head, pointing toward the 25-pound bag of kibble.
Waiting patiently for his favorite biscuits.
What could he want, I wondered. He has food in his bowl. He repeated this gesture talking to me without my comprehending. But then my husband got it (he speaks dog better than I do). He wants the fresh, new dog food, he realized. The stuff in the bowl was from the end of the last large bag and it’s just not what he wants.
So my husband opened the new bag, a new variety in fact, replacing the previous batch. And he chowed down (my dog, I mean, not my husband).
Yes, even my dog Mica has absorbed the lessons living in this household. Maybe the quality of the older food was sub-par, or perhaps it was the allure of something new. But for some reason, he was triggered to sniff out something more desirable, and make his needs known to us.
Milanos, one of my favorite cookies. But I prefer the mint variety to the orange!
There’s meeting your needs for fuel, the most basic in the hierarchy of eating needs. But then there’s eating to satisfy on other levels— to have what you really desire, to enjoy the flavor and textures of great tasting food, to avoid limiting food choices to shoulds.
Admittedly, it is challenging at first.
It requires:
Taking a leap of faith, a bit of risk taking. Ask yourself “What’s the worst thing that can really happen?” When you realize that the risk is quite miniscule, you’ll likely find it’s easier.
It may mean choosing to step out only with people who know and understand your struggle, who you know will be supportive.
It involves asking for things the way you want them, when eating out. Trust me, you are not the first to assert yourself when dining out! And with the exception of buffets, the food isn’t prepared until you order. So no great hassle to accommodate you.
It requires feeling entitled, deserving of the pleasure of eating. This allows you to find your voice to vocalize what you’d like and how you want it.
When my mother comes to visit from out of state we often dine out for a dinner. Time after time, this is how it goes:
Me: “So what do you feel like eating tonight?”
Mom: “Oh, anything. I don’t care. Whatever you guys feel like. I’ll do anything”
Me: “Really? Anything? You’d be equally happy with Thai food as with Indian? Seafood or salad would satisfy as well as steak and fries? Gooey cheesy Mexican will work for you as easily as sushi and miso soup?”
No, it’s not easy being my mom. I long to hear a passion for food, an interest in truly enjoying a meal, not simply a need to ingest food and limit her calories until she’s full. Like you, I need to be patient.
You'll rest better once you start enjoying what you eat.
At this point, perhaps you’ve progressed to listening to your hunger and honoring it, to noting your fullness, and trusting there will always be a chance to eat again—when you should need to. Now consider this next level, beyond simply meeting your needs for fuel. Challenge yourself to step out of your safe place, slowly moving to truly enjoy what you eat. And release yourself of the guilt of not following rigid diet rules, set either by others or by your irrational self.
Rumor has it baking weather is just around the corner. Though you'd never know it by looking out the window here in Southern California. Texting skateboarders whip by in short shorts, bikini clad surfer girls are paddling out on their long boards, and jewel-studded flip-flops remain the shoe du jour. It feels more like July than September. It's hot.
And it feels good.
It was a coolish summer for those of us on the South Bay coast. June Gloom stuck around long past its expiration date. Until this week, in fact, I was walking my morning ritual loop in my thickest hooded sweatshirt, fingers tucked up inside the sleeves for warmth (what visitors to Los Angeles assume is smog is actually fog that hugs the coast, blanketing our beaches- and west side- with a fuzzy soft marine layer). It's lovely for baking. But chilly for fingers and toes.
Is Elevated Insulin the Cause or Effect of Obesity?
The carbohydrate hypothesis, in its most popular current incarnation, states that elevated insulin acts on fat cells to cause fat storage, leading to obesity. This is due to its ability to increase the activity of lipoprotein lipase and decrease the activity of hormone-sensitive lipase, thus creating a net flux of fat into fat cells. I'm still not sure why this would be the case, considering that fat tissue becomes more insulin resistant as body fat accumulates, therefore insulin action on it is not necessarily increased. Total fat release from fat tissue increases with total fat mass (1), demonstrating that insulin is not able to do its job of suppressing fat release as effectively in people who carry excess fat. But let's put that problem aside for the moment and keep trucking.
Hey guys! Since my last blog Hello September... 7 days ago... which felt like billions of moments ago! ;) ...
... India was incredible! 11 days vibrant contrast of people, places, food, smells and so much more... ;) To be able to connect with the vast cultural differences required an 'adjustment' from me, a constant letting go of attachment to luxuries and pleasures that are so conveniently available in Western society. Having food like Somosa and Garlic Chapatis is a great motivation hehehe ;)
Cows at the train station! Seeing them in the street always makes me smile! ;)
At "The Man In The Maze" film premier in Mumbai :) Wearing a beautiful dress by designers "Meher & Alkesh Ramwani'.
Simple effortless moments are my favourite :) Refreshing...
Some people truly make my heart beat, or it is I make my heart beat around these people...?! :) Here with Mitesh (Director of MIM), Shivram and beautiful wonderful wow Amee...
Quite willing...Peace!
Ladies riding the train!
What I listened to often in India... ;)
Thanks to you all for making life so sweet! ;) There are like people here everywhere :)
Had so much fun with the crew at Red FM 93.5 ... dancing! ;)
I am in Brisbane now, one of my favourite cities in Australia :)
The palm trees I was laying under today...
...with my favourite little man Bernie...!
Edele a new friend from Ireland said 'absolutely fab' in her Irish accent and it was ... haha blissful! See if you can find an Irish person to say it... you might love it also LOL;)
P.S Nadine says I should stop using 'LOL'... what do you think? (lol ;))
I created a new recipe today by the request of my sister on facebook haha,
"Raw Chocolate Peanut Butter Clusters" :)
Here is the recipe: (use almond butter if you prefer)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup cacao
40 grams of cacao butter
3 tablespoons of agave or/honey/maple syrup (add more if you like very sweet)
1/3 cup almond meal (ground up almonds)
a handful of whole peanuts
3 tablespoons of organic raw peanut butter (or blend your own peanuts to make butter)
Action: 1.) Stir the cacao butter, cacao and agave in a bowl. (To melt the cacao let it sit in the sun for some minutes or heat in a saucepan on very low heat. It doesn't take much melt it and keep it being 'raw') 2. ) Stir in the almond meal and then whole peanuts. 3. ) Scoop some of the mixture on a tray. Spoon some peanut butter on top and then another spoon of mixture. Put some peanuts on top. (It will look like a chocolate peanut butter sandwhich.) 4. ) Set in the freezer for 15 mins! Eat and enjoy!
"There are no happier people on this planet than those who decide that they want something, define what they want, get hold of the feeling of it even before it's manifestation and then joyously watch the unfolding as, piece by piece by piece, it begins to unfold. That's the feeling of your hands in the clay."
I got the message: Find what you really want to do, and do that :) My mission in life is to be fully where I am always in every moment, a feat I know is possible if one chooses a consistent 'letting go' to the experience and choosing always to focus and find the peace and love. I realize there are other ways to 'be' and I've tried them all out, and peace and love are the most fun, rewarding and fulfilling experiences. When I operate from peace and love I experience what it is to be ALIVE. I was speaking with my Dad about this today (Happy Fathers day for Sunday Dad!) how I want to die in a moment that I am peaceful and fulfilled ... and since I don't know what moment it is I will die... I should be this way in every one! ;)
Absolutely loving the ride with the crew of ALIVE! Connect with us on facebook :)
