WHATEVER IT TAKES

Are you REALLY willing to do whatever it takes to lose weight? My "whatever it takes" philosophy was recently challenged...

I signed up with a fitness coach who has helped thousands of people lose weight. She told me to trust her advice to take what added up to seven supplements a day, which included CLA and lecithin. "It's a science" she said referring to weight loss. She's a cool coach who has a big heart for helping people and I respect her, but sirens sounded in my head at the thought of having to swallow a handful of pills every day. I have a borderline phobia of taking pills. (Why is a long story for another post or one you can figure out after reading my Break The Cycle books). Some of the pills she said I needed to take three times a day. Whoa, I thought the whole idea of getting healthy is to not have to take pills in any form. I questioned her and myself. Was I REALLY willing to do whatever it takes? It's holistic she assured me. "Trust me!" 

"Trust, but verify." I first heard those words from Bruce Fowler who is a motivating personal development guy I follow on Facebook. That phrase kept flashing in my mind like a neon sign. I followed up on my instincts with some research on the supplements and found some were made from animal products and had a list of side effects. 

My coach also recommended that I eat several eggs a day which I had almost completely gotten away from eating as I am wanting to progress from a vegetarian to a totally plant-based vegan lifestyle. I used to love omelets, but watching Earthlings changed me. I now associate eggs with the image of 55 gallon barrels being filled with live baby chicks that are being disposed of like garbage. Between that image and knowing that an egg is a chicken's ovulation makes it not so appetizing to me anymore. On top of that I see the studies where cholesterol increases significantly when we consume eggs. I am also a big fan of Dr. Colin Campbell who has proven that animal protein causes cancer...

So, do I follow the advice of a fitness coach who has helped thousands of people lose significant amounts of weight or do l follow the recommendation of a doctor who has 40 years of experience and scientific data to back him up? Most of all, do I go against my conscious to further support the slaughter of innocent animals so I can "lose weight" and go on a program that I know from the start will not be sustainable? 

The answer for me became a clear NO. I am not willing to do "whatever it takes" to lose weight. I am not willing to go against what I believe in my soul is right. 

I know the price for this decision. I know that it means I may continue to struggle with losing weight. It's a chance I'm willing to take to stand up for what I believe is the right thing for me. 

What about you? Are you willing to do "whatever it takes" to lose weight? It's not always an easy question to answer. It may take some soul searching and sacrifices to make the right decision. 

Kathy 

www.twitter.com/liveempowered 

Hello Summer!

Hello Summer!

Can you believe Saturday is the first day of summer? Spring and summer seem to go by so quickly. One of my favorite treats of summer used to be ice cream. Now, I rarely use any dairy products and the few times I have been out of almond milk and used a bit of milk in mashed potatoes or decided to have a few bites of my husband's butter pecan (his favorite), I got gas and stomach cramps, so somewhere along the way in the past few years that I have been a vegetarian, I must have developed lactose intolerance or maybe it was there all along and I just didn't make the connection. I still like to have ice cream on hot days, but now I have discovered the secret of having delicious ice cream without dairy and that is FROZEN BANANAS! It tastes just like ice cream. You just blend up some frozen bananas with a little bit of your favorite non dairy milk. I use almond milk, but coconut milk is delicious too. Fully Raw Kristina has a delicious recipe for Banana Peach "Nice Cream" as she calls it. I'm looking forward to trying this one! 

 


Kristina is also doing a fully raw challenge. This one has already started, but you can jump in and still see the videos and exercises that go with each day. I really want to do a fully raw food challenge, but first I need to make it through a week without eating junk food! I do fine as long as I don't go to long without eating or drinking water. More than a few hours and my blood sugar drops which creates a food emergency as it's called in The Daniel Plan. If I ever figure this out, I will have the key to success that has eluded me for so many years. I just keep on trying. I figure if I get whole, fresh foods in my body, that's better than nothing. Getting healthy is a continuous work in progress. 

I hope you enjoy the first day of summer! I will be in Celina set up with my husband showing our landscape pilings. We will be set up to support a Lupus fundraiser. If you are in the area, stop by and say hi!

Kathy

Cravings, Willpower and Shakeology... Keeping It Real

There are times when I just want to give up the pursuit of a "healthy" lifestyle. It shouldn't be this hard. I should want to eat nutritious food and exercise and drink lots of water but the truth is sometimes I don't and I pay a high price for that choice. The price I am paying now for eating junk "crap" food is that I feel like crap and it becomes a vicious cycle. I get tired easy and feel lethargic. Winded. I just want to sit down. Rest. That's not how I want to live my life. That's why I keep trying. Keep chugging along, no matter how many times I fail.

I love how I feel when I eat lots of fresh fruits and veggies. I can tell that it gives me more energy. So why, why, why do I keep buying and eating the crap food? The chips, the cookies, the pizza. I say I want to change, I truly do, but it's the commitment that's so hard to keep. I've ran out of excuses. I want to give excuses. I want to say the stress is high and that I don't have time because I have so many other things going on, but those words are hot air that wouldn't even hold up a balloon. I know better. I have been off track for weeks. I have gained back all the weight I worked so hard to lose at the first of the year. My weight is hovering around 300 again. So, what am I going to do about it? That's the question. What are you going to do about it? Am I going to keep following this roller coaster ride to health my entire life? I really want to get a grip. Sometimes I wish I could just go to a retreat like Gabriel Cousins or the McDougall's have. Just stay somewhere for a couple months to detox and clean up my body, mind and spirit. Environment makes a huge difference, I know that. I know that I can't be surrounded by junk food and expect my willpower to remain high. I keep doing fitness Challenges hoping that will keep me motivated to stay on track. It helps in the beginning. I get all fired up, but then it fizzles out like a fireworks. It's beautiful for a moment, but quickly burns out.

Here is one thing I know. I have been out of vegan Shakeology for a couple months and my cravings have been out of control. So, from what I am seeing it's drink Shakeology cravings OFF, don't drink Shakeology cravings ON. I know it's best to eat clean, natural, fresh, unprocessed food, but if I'm going to eat junk food what am I accomplishing. I was going to try Vega One because I heard the ingredients were similar with the exception of MSM which I purchased separately on Amazon. Vega One is half the price of Shakeology, so I'm curious to see if it works as well. I have tried just fruit and veggie smoothies and it does not control my cravings. I know I need to drink more water too, but I want to do what works, what I will stick with doing on a consistent basis. I loved it when I drank Shakeology (by the way I am no longer a Beachbody coach, so I have nothing to gain from anything I say about their products). It was quick, easy, and kept me feeling satiated for 3-4 hours. AND I didn't have those little joint aches like in my elbows and knees. I found out that it is the MSM that helps with that.

So, that's where I'm at. I am starting another 30 day Challenge June 1st. I would LOVE to also do a RAW Food Challenge during that time too. We will see. I'm learning to take baby steps when it comes to transforming to a healthier lifestyle.

I wish everyone who happens upon this blog abundant peace, love, health and happiness!

Kathy

www.facebook.com/expectsuccess
www.twitter.com/liveempowered

Vegan vs Vegetarian

So much for my going "vegan" plan. This is the third time I've tried it and I keep going back because of cheese on pizza which I have almost every week. I still want to try making my own pizza at home using non-dairy cheese and see how that goes. I often get asked what the difference between vegetarian and vegan is. Vegan's do not eat anything animal related which means no milk, cheese, eggs, or honey (some vegans eat honey, but most don't. I guess the vegans who eat honey would be called "beegans" :). Vegetarians don't eat meat but do occasionally consume honey, eggs and dairy. I love honey. There is a difference between the honey that is in the big box stores and raw, organic honey from your local bee farmer. I always buy local. I once used honey and lemon to overcome a year long lung infection. I am totally sold on the medicinal properties in honey. 

Regardless of vegetarian or vegan, there are still many junk foods available on both lifestyles which is why "plant-based" is really the diet I should be pursuing. I'm working on it. It's a process, but I have to admit when the stress level is high as it has been the past couple months, I revert  back to comfort foods. It's an automatic habit that I am working hard to overcome. 

This is also the last week of our group book study of The Daniel Plan. I really liked all the information, but the program was a little confusing to follow since I didn't read ahead. I plan to go through the program again in a few weeks. I want to offer it online for those who cannot attend a meetup in person. Now that I'm more familiar with it, I plan to follow the detox program this next time through. Even though I was going to the meetings, I really wasn't all in and following the suggested plan. I will write up a review and what I got out of the program and post it next week. There was one thing that really stood out to me and that is how dangerous it is to sit for long periods of time. They said it's the same as smoking a pack of cigarettes! I have sat down for every job I have ever had except when I was 16 and working in the cornfields. I really need to make an effort to get up and move more often instead of sitting still for long periods of time in front of a computer screen. The study they talk about in the book said sitting still stops your ability to burn fat. Makes sense to me since it seems like an uphill battle to lose weight. I will not give up though. I will keep making incremental improvements until it all accumulates into taking me to my ideal weight and abundant health. That's the plan!

I hope you have a healthy and happy weekend!

Kathy

It's Prep Day!

One thing I have noticed about people who have successfully lost weight and kept it off is they prepare their meals on Sunday for the coming week so they are not tempted to eat things not on their plan or stop for fast food. 

SALAD IN A JAR is one of the things I am prepping today. I haven't done this before, but I think it's a great idea. I will more likely eat a salad when it's already prepared and it will make an easy thing to grab when I'm on the go! 

You could put your favorite salad ingredients in it, mine is vegetarian:

THE ARRANGEMENT:
From BOTTOM to TOP
Dressing
Shredded carrots
Cherry tomatoes

Onions
Sunflower seeds
Raisins

Fresh spinach

DIRECTIONS
1) Arrange ingredients in a large mason jar
2) Store in fridge for up to a week
3) When ready to eat: shake jar, place on a plate, and eat!

You can make any arrangement you want… you can add cucumbers, radishes or peppers. Always remember to put the dressing at the bottom and the lettuce at the top.