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Curried Lentil Soup

I discovered lentils a few years ago, now I’m a big fan-This is a simple recipe that we make often. If you come to my house, chances are, you’ll find little bowls of this soup in the freezer, I send it in lunch boxes quite often, its easy to take and very filling, it keeps the boys full until they get home! This is a great dish for me to prepare, it only takes about 15 minutes for me to put together, then I just let it simmer all afternoon. This recipe leaves lots of trimmings from the vegetables, and I hate to waste anything-I keep peels and ends of the onions, carrots and celery in a big tub in my freezer, when it is full, I toss it all in a pot and make my own vegetable stock.

Curried Lentil Soup

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Large Onion-diced

3 Cloves Garlic-minced

3 Carrots-peeled and diced

3 Celery Stalks-diced

1 Red Bell Pepper

3 Tomatoes-peeled, seeded and diced (or you can used canned or bottled tomatoes, but decrease the other liquids accordingly)

6 Cups Vegetable Stock

2 Cups Lentils-picked and rinsed

2 Tbsp Curry Powder (I put more than this in, but my family loves coriander)

1 tsp Coriander

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat, add diced onion, garlic, carrot, celery and bell pepper. Cook, stirring frequently until veggies are tender; it usually takes me 7-10 minutes to get my onions translucent. Add tomatoes, veggie stock, lentils, curry and coriander. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 1-2 hours, until lentils are soft; while the soup is simmering, continue to add water so the lentils can keep absorbing the fluid and getting softer and plumper. I usually puree it to serve it, because my kids prefer it that way, but if I’m just eating it myself I leave it as is and sometimes put a little plain greek yogurt or avocado in it.

Fix your thinking

FIX YOUR THINKING AND YOU FIX YOUR WEIGHT PROBLEMS. 

 If asked which is the biggest problem for addicts to overcome, physical addiction or false and destructive thinking, any therapist would go with the thinking.  The same is true for people with weight problems.  Fix your insane thinking and you solve your weight problem.  Here are some of the most common thinking lies we buy into.

1. “ Something is wrong with me because I have tried over and over to lose weight and failed.”  The truth:  There are very few people who have legitimate physical reasons which keep them from losing weight.  For 99 percent of us, it is simply not knowing how to effectively deal with our food addictions combined with a bunch of bad habits, which includes erroneous thinking.  With a good system, accountability, and determination you absolutely can change the way you think and behave, and lose your weight.  
2. “I must have that cheese cake, warm bread, chocolate, or whatever fattening or unhealthy food you are craving.”  No you don’t.  You don’t have to do any such thing.  You just need to discover and apply a different way of thinking about that food.  Many can do this on their own, and many need coaching and training to learn to do it.  Figure out which is you and go to work on it.  With some effort, you can become one of those people who can say “no” and mean it.
3. “This gimmick diet, potion, pill, or surgery might be the one that will work for me.”  I have some bad news.  There is no gimmick, potion, pill, or surgery that will solve your problem.  What you are trying to do is turn responsibility over to someone or something else.  Healthy weight loss and management is not a mystery.  It is calories in/calories out, combined with changes to a healthier diet---plus some exercise.  Change takes effort and commitment, and for most of us food addicts, some coaching and accountability.
4. “Food is the enemy.”  I guess it would be accurate to say that unhealthy food is the enemy, but healthy food is absolutely not, and you can eat lots of it and get to a healthy weight---and you should.  The fact is, it’s almost impossible to eat enough green vegetables to keep from losing weight.  You can eat an awful lot of whole fruit---and you should.  The problem is not food itself, but unhealthy foods or “bummer foods”, as we choose to call them.  The key is to find ways to replace the foods that are making you sick and fat, such as sugary foods, processed foods, simple carbohydrates, and cheese, with blueberries, almonds, and salad greens.  If you will, over time, you can change your tastes so that your favorites become the ones that make you thin, fit, healthy, and eliminate diseases.

These are a few of the more common thinking lies many people buy into.  There are more.  Finding your fallacious thinking, and changing these fallacies to healthy reality is one of the biggest keys to succeeding at weight loss and becoming healthy.  You can do it.

Take time

If you cannot take time for your health today, 

you will most certainly have to take time to be sick later.

Exercise may be the secret

REGULAR EXERCISE MAY BE THE SECRET INGREDIENT TO YOUR SUCCESS AT CONTROLLING YOUR WEIGHT.  

While it is true that exercise alone is usually not enough to manage weight without changing to healthier eating, so for many of us struggling with compulsive eating, daily exercise, especially with other people, often gives us the additional momentum needed to succeed. 

It is possible to lose weight without exercising much.  I had to lose some weight before I could do most kinds of exercise because of back and joint problems.  Still, if you are struggling with compulsive eating and bad habits, here is another mighty weapon, which might just get you sailing along.  Healthy diet, exercise, and overall successful weight management usually go together. 

Exercise and diet changes combined can create enough endorphins and rhythm to get many people over the hump and out of their negative thinking patterns and ruts.  We can never be completely on top of our game emotionally until we get out and get exercising.

Some good suggestions:

1.        Set exercise goals such as running in a pre-determined 5-K race, four-nights-a-week of Zumba, or      taking an exciting cycling trip.

2.       Start where you are.  If all you can do is 10 minutes of stairs, walking, or exercise bike two times a day, start there.  Even that much exercise will make a huge difference over time.

3.       Be sure and have a physical exam before starting if you have been sedentary for a long time, or if you are significantly over weight or over 40.

4.       Partner up or form a group.  This will keep you going and make it more fun.

5.       Don’t over-do or over-expect, especially in the beginning.  Setting your expectations too high, especially if you are comparing yourself with others, could push you back into an, “I’m a failure” thinking rut.  Be realistic about what you can do, but do it, and find a way to make it fun.

If you have struggled with weight loss before, you need to use all the weapons at your disposal.  This one, especially, may be the difference.

***By the way, when I exercise 200 minutes per week consistently, I have found that my body uses 100-150 calories more per day, which I can choose to use however I want-eating more or losing weight faster.

digging

“If you find yourself in a hole, stop digging.”  

-Will Rogers

Zucchini Lasagna

My family loves lasagna, but lets face it, when you're trying to fuel your body with whole foods, traditional lasagna leaves a lot to be desired.  So, we worked on substitutions and found this option.  It is very tasty and satisfying, even my picky eaters love it!

Zucchini Lasagna

3 Medium Zucchinis

1-1.25 lb ground turkey breast (sometimes I can even find some with Italian spices in it, I have been known to substitute chick peas or white beans for the ground turkey if I want a meatless meal)

1 Large Onion, chopped

1 tsp Garlic Powder

24 Oz Fat Free Cottage Cheese (you can use ricotta if you prefer)

1-24 oz jar of Marinara Sauce-with the least sodium you can find, or, better yet, make your own!

1 Cup Shredded Low Fat Mozzarella Cheese

¼ Cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese

Peel zucchini (this step is unnecessary, I peel my zucchini because I’m trying not to draw attention to the fact that my children are eating vegetables, my life is much easier if they don’t notice that fact!).  Use a sharp knife or a mandolin slicer to slice zucchini the long way to make thin “noodles.”  Place zucchini noodles in a salt water bath (a large bowl of cool water and about ¼-1/2 cup of salt added) and let soak for about 30 minutes- if you are watching your salt intake then skip this step, it just draws some of the water out of the zucchini so that your lasagna is not quite as soupy.  Preheat oven to 350.  While zucchini is bathing, use a large non stick skillet and begin to brown the turkey meat.  Add onions and garlic powder (I puree the onions before I add them to the meat-again, dinner time goes smoother if the wee ones don’t know they’re eating veggies and I'm sneaky like that).  Cook meat mixture until browned.  Drain and rinse zucchini then use about half of zucchini to layer in the bottom of the dish, overlapping a little, just like you would regular lasagna noodles, so that the bottom of the dish is completely covered.  Next sprinkle half of the meat mixture over zucchini.  Spread half of the cottage cheese over meat and pour half of the marinara sauce over cottage cheese.  Repeat the layering, zucchini, meat, cottage cheese and marinara then top with mozzarella and Parmesan.  Cover and bake at 350 for 60-90 minutes, until zucchini is tender.  Keep in mind, this lasagna is quite soupy when it first comes out of the oven, as it cools it will thicken, though ours doesn't usually last until then!  When cut into 12 slices this is 185 calories, 7.1 grams of fat, 10.5 grams of carbohydrates and 19.9 grams of protein per serving*.

*I have done these calculations based on the specific brands of ingredients I used, individual results may vary.   

Reality

REALITY

If I have spent decades gaining weight, wallowing in food addictions and persisting with bad habits, is it reasonable to believe that I can turn that all around in a couple of weeks?  Or that it will be easy?  And that I can do it and then go back to eating and living just like I always have?  If you watch all the promotional hype in ads and on TV selling shows, as they try to out shout each other, they would have you believe that their gimmick, potion, or surgery is a silver bullet.  Common sense suggests otherwise.

WHEN WORKING TO LOSE WEIGHT, WHAT YOU SHOULD EXPECT IF YOU ARE RATIONAL…AND SERIOUS:

1.       You are not defective or deficient if you have not succeeded before.  You can do just as well as me or anyone else who has succeeded.  You CAN do it, BUT:

2.       You must be willing to make REAL changes…and they must be sustainable.  If you go back to doing what you were doing, you will go back to getting what you were getting.

3.       Progress will be incremental.  You can make some changes in a few weeks, and subsequent change will take a few more.  If you persist, a year from now you will be doing much better than you are now---in two years much better still.

4.       During the first part of this process, you will have some setbacks, problems, discouragement, and dilemmas to figure out.

5.       These are real addictions and deeply ingrained bad habits we’re dealing with here.  Managing them at first will probably require some help in the form of training and accountability, motivation, and support…and some humility.

6.       You will have to give up some dearly defended and long held beliefs and traditions about food and eating.

7.       Your grandmother did not have access to the knowledge you have about anything.  In fact, her set of problems, which included how to keep a bunch of hard-working men and boys full on a very small budget while using mostly foods raised at home, was completely different from yours.  And so she wasn’t cooking for your family’s health.  She did miracles with the knowledge and resources she had.  The food you have access to is different.  Your family’s lifestyle is different.  Unless you want your family to be sick and obese, you must change fundamentally.  

“Reality is that which, when you stop believing it, doesn’t go away.”

                                                                Phillip K. Dick

Eat Like A Gorilla

Instead of eating out of bad habits, addiction, or compulsion, begin eating for life, for maximum health, fitness, and to reduce your risk of horrible chronic disease; eat like a gorilla. 

A gorilla diet is filled with lots and lots of greens and other vegetables, plenty of fruits of all kinds, some nuts, seeds, legumes, and grains.  And every once in a while a gorilla will add a little meat to his diet in the form of a small animal or a bug that found its way into the gorilla’s mouth when he wasn’t paying attention.  You can choose to skip the bugs and small animals in favor of fish, poultry, or other lean meat once or twice a week.  Eat like a gorilla and you will lose weight and be amazed how good you feel.

winners

“Failures pursue pleasurable activities.  Winners pursue pleasurable results.” 

Dennis Waitley

veggie scramble

MY SECOND-FAVORITE 200 CALORIE BREAKFAST  VEGGIE SCRAMBLE

Place ¼ inch of water in a frying pan and bring it to a boil.  (0 Calories)

Add one cup of your favorite chopped vegetables.  I like onions, peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, carrots, spinach, cauliflower, and tomatoes.  (approximately 50 calories) 

Cover and cook vegies for five minutes, or until softened as you like them.

Stir in two large eggs.  (150 calories)

Cover and simmer until egg is thoroughly cooked. 

Total-200 calories.

Eat just as is, or add pepper, salsa, or Tobasco.  To make it a three-hundred calorie breakfast, eat with a 100-calorie piece of whole-grain or sprouted toast, preferably un-buttered.

I don’ have time to cook every day, and I only like to eat eggs once or twice-a-week, So on days when I have time to cook, I usually get up early and have a 100-calorie piece of fruit at 6:00 or 7:00 A.M.  Then eat this breakfast at about 8:00 as part of my 100-calorie-per-hour strategy or as one of my four meals during a four-meal day.  My target is usually 1500 calories on weight losing days, and 1800 calories on maintenance days.

WHAT ABOUT EATING MEAT?

WHAT ABOUT EATING MEAT?

First, I am not a vegetarian or vegan, though I respect those who are.  Understanding the science of being carnivores, however, is important to all of our health.

A multitude of studies examining cultures of all kinds, demonstrates that those whose diets are low in animal products (meat and dairy) and high in plant foods including vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, live much longer than those whose diets are the opposite: that is, high in animal products, including meat and dairy, and low in plant foods.   Those cultures who eat mostly whole grains, nuts, vegetables and fruit, along with little animal products, also are mostly free to completely free from heart disease, stroke, arthritis, dementia, diabetes, most cancers, and many other degenerative diseases.

Studies also show that the lower a person’s consumption of animal products, the lower the risk of getting heart disease, arthritis, and the above-mentioned chronic diseases---that is, to a point.  The body of research seems to demonstrate that our benefit diminishes the more meat and dairy consumption drops, until it is below 1 or 2 servings-per-week.  At which point there seems to be no further benefit. 

In other words, for optimum health, longevity, and for minimal risk of most dreaded degenerative diseases, we should cut back eating of meat and dairy to only a couple of modest servings-per-week.  There seems to be no health benefit from cutting them out completely.  However, eating bacon and eggs for breakfast, hamburgers and fries for lunch, and a steak for dinner-meat and dairy at every meal-is a physical train wreck.  Entire countries and cultures who eat mostly vegetable-based diets routinely live to be over 100 years old without ever getting arthritis, dementia, heart disease, strokes, diabetes, and the like.

My personal experience bears this out.  By cutting way back on meat and dairy and loading up on green vegetables and fruit, not only did I lose a bunch of weight, but my chronic joint and back pain disappeared, my blood pressure dropped, and my mind became noticeably clearer and more vigorous, and my allergies cleared up.  After a couple of years of concentrating on a vegetable centered diet, now, if I indulge on meat like I once used to routinely, I feel awful.  And prolonged high meat and milk consumption begins to bring back all my old chronic problems.  

200 CALORIE, HIGH-ENERGY, CLEAR-MINDED BREAKFAST

MY FAVORITE 200 CALORIE, HIGH-ENERGY, CLEAR-MINDED BREAKFAST Place the following in a bowl: 1/3 cup rolled oats (about 100 calories) 1/3 cup fat free plain yogurt (about 50 calories) ½ cup blueberries, strawberries, banana, sliced apple, or other fresh fruit or substitute dried fruit to about 50 calories. Enjoy! Most mornings this is how I start my day. If I am doing my 100-calorie-per hour to 1500 calorie strategy, I usually eat a 100 calorie small banana at 7:00 A.M. and then this 200 calorie breakfast at 8:00. If I am eating four meals-a-day, I increase the amounts to around 350 calories and get my day off to a great start.

Italian Sausage Recipe

Italian Sausage 

(that is actually good for you- say what?)

1 lb. pure ground turkey

1 Tbsp honey

1 tsp molasses

½ tsp crushed red pepper

1 tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp sage

1 tsp salt

Thaw meat. Blend all ingredients in mixing bowl and patty
or just cook for crumbled sausage.

 This is so delicious you won’t ever miss the fatty alternative. 

I like to mix up a large batch and then freeze for later use. 

It is awesome on pizza, mixed with casseroles, breakfast skillets, or anything.

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Fast, Easy, Healthy, & Delectable. 

So good for you there is no reason not to eat pie for breakfast ;)

1 (29 oz) can pumpkin

1 (13 oz) can coconut milk

¾ cup honey

1 tsp salt

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp ginger

½ tsp cloves

4 eggs

Add all ingredients and mix. 

Pour into 2 unbaked deep dish pie crusts. 

Bake 15 min. at 450 degrees then turn oven down to
350 degrees for 40-50 minutes until done. 

Cool and serve with whipped coconut cream.

 (Don’t eat when warm, you will automatically think you baked the worst pie ever. 

It is only amazing when served chilled!)

Pina Colada Recipe

Pina Colada Recipe

Fast, and easy to make. 

This Pina Colada is to die for. 

I can’t ever get enough and it disappears very quickly when I am feeling nice and share it.

Ingredients:

2 frozen bananas

1 (12 oz.) can pineapple juice concentrate

2 cups rice milk

½ (13 oz.) can coconut milk

2 cups ice

½ cup honey (melted in microwave)

Blend all ingredients and savor.

Tip: all of those over ripe bananas that you just didn’t eat rather than throwing them away, peel them and stick them in a freezer bag and you will be ready to enjoy Pina Coladas any time.

Your Recipes Wanted!

THE RULES FOR RECIPES

Our tastes in food are constantly evolving.  Every time we try a new recipe, they evolve in that direction.  Being human we have the ability to take our passion for good food in the direction of healthy food---if we will. 

The purpose of the recipes on his site is to help those who will move their taste toward a satisfying diet filled with nutrient rich foods and away from toxic, addictive, and nutritionally bankrupt eating.  To that end we encourage everyone to add their favorites for all to enjoy.

THE RECIPE RULES:

1. Your recipe must contribute to the following: 

-Help reduce addiction to sugar, simple carbs, fats, oils, fried foods, salt, and chemicals.

-Help move processed ingredients, dairy, and meats-especially fatty meats-from the centerpiece of all our meals to just another minor ingredient.

        2. Your recipe must be made of mostly nutrient rich ingredients (high in nutrients while low in calories), whole vegetables, whole fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds with a minimum of processed ingredients.

        3. Your recipe must include an explanation of how you use it in your healthy diet strategy, or how you use it in your strategy to help you get to a better place.  (This can be very brief.)  A description of calories is also helpful, but not required.

Please send your recipes to the75percentstrategy@gmail.com and we will review them, post them, and enjoy them.

Honey Peach Frozen Yogurt Recipe

My family absolutley loves this frozen yogurt! We have been making this to replace our my serious evening ice cream addiction  It is so easy, healthy, and inexpensive to make! Enjoy!

Honey Peach Frozen Yogurt: 

Makes about 1 quart 

Ingredients: 

3 ripe peaches, peeled and cut into chunks. 

(about 3 cups of cut fruit and you can use a mix of white and yellow)

 ¼ cup honey 

2 ½ cups Greek yogurt 

Method: 

With a blender or a hand blender, puree peaches. Add, honey and yogurt and puree more.. Pour contents into ice cream maker and turn on for 25 to 30 minutes, until mixture is stiff and bunching into the blades. Remove all frozen yogurt from ice cream maker and serve! Store left overs (ya right ;0) in an air tight container in the freezer!

Insanity

Insanity:  Continuing to do the same things, but expecting different results

-Albert Einstein

CHOCAHOLICS

CHOCAHOLICS, AND SUGAR JUNKIES, HERE IS HELP.  When we eat sweets, sugar is absorbed rapidly into the blood stream.  Our pancreas then responds by shooting a blast of insulin.  The insulin drives the sugar into the cells where the cells burn what they can use.  Whatever they can’t use at the moment is stored as fat.  Within a short time our pancreas gets the sugar cleaned up.  The hypothalamus recognizes that a drop in sugar has occurred and signals for the appetite to return with a vengeance.  This causes us to crave more and starts the cycle all over again. 

At the same time these sugars are also acting much like hard drugs in one special way.  They cause the brain to release endorphins CHOCAHOLICS, AND SUGAR JUNKIES, HERE IS HELP.  When we eat sweets, sugar is absorbed rapidly into the blood stream.  Our pancreas then responds by shooting a blast of insulin.  The insulin drives the sugar into the cells where the cells burn what they can use.  Whatever they can’t use at the moment is stored as fat.  Within a short time our pancreas gets the sugar cleaned up.  The hypothalamus recognizes that a drop in sugar has occurred and signals for the appetite to return with a vengeance.  This causes us to crave more and starts the cycle all over again. 

At the same time these sugars are also acting much like hard drugs in one special way.  They cause the brain to release endorphins, or natural opioids.  These neurotransmitters are a natural morphine.  They go right to the pleasure center of the brain and give a small burst of euphoria. 

The problem is the rate at which sugar is absorbed.  If the substance, in this case sugar, is absorbed quickly, the rush is more intense.  If it is absorbed more slowly, the good feeling is more prolonged and moderate.  Drug addicts do what they can to make their rush as intense as possible-creating a high risk of overdose.  We love sugar because it is absorbed quickly causing a bigger rush than foods that are absorbed more slowly.

The good news is that the amounts and intensity of the natural morphine created by your body is much milder than the stuff that is manufactured and concentrated by medical professionals to manage the pain of extreme trauma from surgery and from bad injuries, or by illegal drug dealers to achieve maximum addiction.  The bad news is these are, in fact, addictions and behave in much the same way.  While there are some exceptions, most can be managed using some basic principles.  (Incidentally, these are some of the same principles that apply to much more severe addiction.)

First, replace sugar with whole or natural foods that are processed much slower by the body.  For example, an apple, while containing a fair amount of sugar, is also filled with fiber, and the fructose (sugar) is locked into cells that take a while for the body to break down to get to the sugar.  If you eat whole fruit instead of a food with processed, concentrated sugar, the sugar will be processed much more gradually, thus moderating the euphoric feeling and avoiding the rush and sharp insulin-appetite swings.  Avoid foods containing processed sugar and replace them with whole, natural foods that will take more time for your body to process.

Second, our sugar addiction is a real problem for most of us, especially as we first try to attack it.  We need some help in the form of a trainer or counsellor and group to hold us accountable and keep us motivated.  Most of us need to have a system that can work as a scaffolding and enable us to replace bad habits and compulsions with healthier ways of behaving and thinking.

Third, a huge part of the problem is our culture, which surrounds us with these foods to which we are addicted.  Other sugar addicts, many of whom we dearly love, push sweets upon us, often as an expression of love.  This can be tough!  Imagine an alcoholic trying to recover while working in a bar.  While this can be done, it is much easier if we work to educate others in our lives so they aren’t constantly sabotaging our efforts, especially as we are just beginning to try to make changes.

This posting would not be complete without also noting that there is little difference between sugared sweets and other finely processed foods such as pastas and breads.  These are absorbed instantly and act almost exactly the same as sugar once they get into your blood stream.  That’s why we crave breads, rolls, and pastas pretty much the same as sweets.  The solutions are the same.  Replace anything made with fine ground flour with more coarsely ground grains and other substitutes, which take much longer for the body to break down and are thus absorbed much more slowly. 

, or natural opioids.  These neurotransmitters are a natural morphine.  They go right to the pleasure center of the brain and give a small burst of euphoria. 

The problem is the rate at which sugar is absorbed.  If the substance, in this case sugar, is absorbed quickly, the rush is more intense.  If it is absorbed more slowly, the good feeling is more prolonged and moderate.  Drug addicts do what they can to make their rush as intense as possible-creating a high risk of overdose.  We love sugar because it is absorbed quickly causing a bigger rush than foods that are absorbed more slowly.

The good news is that the amounts and intensity of the natural morphine created by your body is much milder than the stuff that is manufactured and concentrated by medical professionals to manage the pain of extreme trauma from surgery and from bad injuries, or by illegal drug dealers to achieve maximum addiction.  The bad news is these are, in fact, addictions and behave in much the same way.  While there are some exceptions, most can be managed using some basic principles.  (Incidentally, these are some of the same principles that apply to much more severe addiction.)

First, replace sugar with whole or natural foods that are processed much slower by the body.  For example, an apple, while containing a fair amount of sugar, is also filled with fiber, and the fructose (sugar) is locked into cells that take a while for the body to break down to get to the sugar.  If you eat whole fruit instead of a food with processed, concentrated sugar, the sugar will be processed much more gradually, thus moderating the euphoric feeling and avoiding the rush and sharp insulin-appetite swings.  Avoid foods containing processed sugar and replace them with whole, natural foods that will take more time for your body to process.

Second, our sugar addiction is a real problem for most of us, especially as we first try to attack it.  We need some help in the form of a trainer or counsellor and group to hold us accountable and keep us motivated.  Most of us need to have a system that can work as a scaffolding and enable us to replace bad habits and compulsions with healthier ways of behaving and thinking.

Third, a huge part of the problem is our culture, which surrounds us with these foods to which we are addicted.  Other sugar addicts, many of whom we dearly love, push sweets upon us, often as an expression of love.  This can be tough!  Imagine an alcoholic trying to recover while working in a bar.  While this can be done, it is much easier if we work to educate others in our lives so they aren’t constantly sabotaging our efforts, especially as we are just beginning to try to make changes.

This posting would not be complete without also noting that there is little difference between sugared sweets and other finely processed foods such as pastas and breads.  These are absorbed instantly and act almost exactly the same as sugar once they get into your blood stream.  That’s why we crave breads, rolls, and pastas pretty much the same as sweets.  The solutions are the same.  Replace anything made with fine ground flour with more coarsely ground grains and other substitutes, which take much longer for the body to break down and are thus absorbed much more slowly.  

This Is How Wayne Did It

Overcoming Food Addictions

TO OVERCOME FOOD ADDICTIONS, BAD HABITS, AND COMPULSIVE EATING

To start getting weight under control, most people must have two tools:  First, a strategy that works for them, and second, accountability.  No one strategy works for everyone.  We and our lives are all too different.  The following strategy has worked for many, many people: 

ONE REALLY GOOD STRATEGY WE RECOMMEND:  Eating 100 calories-per-hour of simple, whole, healthy food throughout the day.  If a person starts at 7:00 A.M. and eats approximately 100 calories-per-hour and stops eating at 6:00 P.M., she/he will have eaten about 1200 calories that day.  This is a good amount of calories for most women to start with.  If they eat a variety of mostly whole vegetables, fruit, whole grains, nuts, and seeds, they will get enough nutrition to thrive.  To lose weight, some women can eat a few more, and some a little less.  Men can usually eat a few more than this, though most men can get adequate nutrition on 1200 calories. 

These recommendations are only a stating place.  Everyone is different.  Early in the process, it’s a good idea to find your break even point.  Your break-even point will be a combination of your weight, age, percent body fat, the amount of exercise you get, and other factors that makeup your metabolism.  A rule of thumb is that your break even calories will be around ten times your weight.  An average person who weighs 200 pounds can eat around 2000 calories-per-day and stay even.  If he is very sedentary or has relatively little muscle mass, it will be less.  If she is active and has a lot of muscle, it will be more.  You can increase your metabolism and the number of calories you can eat by doing regular exercise and building muscle mass. 

Calories in, calories out---one way to lower your metabolism is to eat too few calories causing your body to conserve energy and fight against your efforts to lose weight.  The secret to long term success is to find a good place where your body can get adequate nutrition and still shed pounds.  Find an amount where you lose weight fast enough to stay motivated, but not so fast you have to keep lowering the calories you eat.  Our body will change in the process and you will need to make adjustments.

NOTE:  If you have years of bad habits and are used to eating thousands of unhealthy calories every day, it’s not reasonable to think that you will be able to change without being hungry or uncomfortable for a while.  Withdrawal will be the toughest part as you work on these physical and psychological cravings.  Most people who persist find that after the first period, which can last for a few days or weeks, the intense cravings diminish.  For as long as you continue eating healthy, your tastes will continue to evolve.  You will come to enjoy healthy food more and more and lose your desire to eat the unhealthy stuff.  This period of withdrawal is one important reason why most people can’t do it alone. This gets us to the second important tool you will likely need:

  

ACCOUNTABILITY.  Here are some tips that will help.  Alcoholics are instructed to tell a trusted friend of their resolve.  This is good advice for anyone trying to lose weight, too and provides a starting point for accountability. 

Most of us need more than just this minimal support.  Gathering a group of others trying to make similar changes can provide that support.  Our social media sites and website are intended for this purpose, but your changes will come easier if you can get your spouse, kids, friends, relatives, and others close to you on board.  The more, the merrier (easier).  Many succeed all alone, but it’s much more fun and easier if we have some company.

Food addictions and habits can be tough, and so can the fact that we live in a culture so hostile to healthy life styles and eating.  It is perplexing and a little ironic that we show caring, consideration, and love by preparing and giving food that will make our loved ones fat and sick.  We guarantee those we cook for, even our children, a future of obesity and degenerative diseases by giving meals and snacks that will cause obesity, arthritis, heart disease, immune issues, and a host of other degenerative health problems.  Reality is that we live in such a culture, and these cultural patterns can make it a real challenge to live healthy.  The good news is that we can do it.  And we can succeed gracefully and enjoy the changes if we want to.  Daily, we will give you ample support including tools and information to enable you to succeed.

Most can give themselves the best chance of success by hiring a personal trainer.  We can usually recommend some qualified trainers, who will make a real difference and who can adapt a program to your goals and lifestyle. 

For some of us, unhealthy patterns are so entrenched, or we have other health problems such as diabetes, or deep seeded emotional eating issues that sabotage their success.  Don’t be afraid to seek additional help from professional counsellors, which may be the key to getting over the hump.  And of course, everyone should have his or her personal physician in the loop.

MORE ABOUT EATING HEALTHY

Our bodies need thousands of nutrients: vitamins, minerals, proteins, carbohydrates, calories, micro nutrients, etc…  Some are not fully understood or possibly even discovered yet.  If we are deficient in any of these over a long period, we will develop health problems and diseases such as osteoporosis, arthritis, cancers, heart disease, eye problems, and so forth.  It is not possible to be healthy unless we eat a wide variety of whole foods.  These include vegetables, fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds. Those who say something like, “I don’t eat vegetables” doom themselves to degenerative diseases.  It is not possible to lose weight, keep it off, AND be healthy without a nutrient-rich diet.  One way to tell if a weight loss strategy can succeed long term is to determine whether or not it includes complete nutrition.  This standard excludes virtually all gimmick and fad diets, along with potions and pills.  

On the other hand, too much of anything is also harmful.  Everything we eat in excess creates a problem for our bodies; it must be stored as fat, or filtered out through the kidneys. (Dialysis is a huge growth industry now in America.)  Fat, all by itself is the leading cause of most health problems today.  Toxins stored in fat cause all kinds of health problems including cancers.

And there are some foods we absolutely shouldn’t eat or that we should cut way back on. 

SOME FOODS TO AVOID: 

1. Fried foods are filled with cancer-causing free radicals, have lots of fat, and almost no nutritional benefit. 

2.  Processed foods, including packaged and fast foods are loaded with chemicals and devoid of nutrition.  With heavily processed foods, you get all the sick, lots of cravings, and no nutrition.  Eat whole foods. 

3. Sugar and finely ground flour pack on the calories and have almost zero nutritional benefit.  They also cause inflammation and are behind arthritis, and heart problems. 

4. Most of us eat way too much dairy for good health.  If we are to get enough calcium from dairy to avoid osteoporosis, we are guaranteed hard arteries, heart problems, obesity, and allergies.  We can get more than enough calcium the same way cows do, from eating leafy greens. 

5.  Most of us need to cut way back on meat consumption, especially fatty and processed meats.  Too much meat is linked to heart problems, allergies and immune issues, obesity, arthritis, digestive issues, and cancer.  Research shows risk of the above-mentioned diseases declines as meat consumption declines to a point.  And that point seems to be about one modest helping per week. 

ONE FINAL TIP

We call this the 75% strategy, because most of us can succeed and see miraculous changes by eating 75% healthy.  In fact, for many of us, an all-or-nothing attitude could cause us to fail in the beginning. Concentrate on eating 100 calories-per-hour, get some serious support and accountability and eat 75% healthy.  String a few days of this together and you will see serious weight loss.  Repeat this as needed and a person can make huge changes persisting over time.

This is a good, broad overview that will suffice to get you started.  Much more specific information will be posted o tis site regularly.     

Weight loss Fundamentals

THOSE WHO DO-WEIGHT LOSS SOLUTIONS

THIS WEBSITE IS FOR ALL WHO ARE SERIOUS ABOUT LOSING WEIGHT, KEEPING IT OFF, AND TRANSFORMING THE CULTURE IN THEIR LIVES TO A HEALTHIER ONE.  OUR PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE INFORMATION AND MOTIVATION SO YOU WILL SUCCEED. 

THIS INFORMATION IS FREE.  WE COVER OUR COSTS THROUGH ADVERTISING.  WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO SUPPORT THE ADVERTISERS ON THIS SITE SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE THIS SERVICE.

WE ARE NOT DOCTORS.  WE ARE NOT ACTORS.  WE ARE JOURNALISTS AND PEOPLE FROM A VARIETY OF BACKGROUNDS AND OCCUPATIONS WHO HAVE FOUND WAYS TO SUCCEED AT LOSING WEIGHT, KEEPING IT OFF, AND CHANGING THE CULTURE IN OUR LIVES TO A HEALTHIER ONE.  THE FOLLOWING ARE PRINCIPLES AND STRATEGIES THAT ARE WORKING FOR US.

EVERYONE IS DIFFERENT.  NO ONE EXACT STRATEGY WILL WORK FOR EVERYONE.  HOWEVER, CERTAIN FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES WILL APPLY TO NEARLY EVERYONE.  HERE ARE SOME OF THOSE PRINCIPLES.

BASIC PRINCIPLES:

ANY WEIGHT LOSS STRATEGY THAT DOES NOT INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING PRINCIPLES WILL NOT PROVIDE LASTING SUCCESS.  ANY WEIGHT LOSS STRATEGY THAT INCLUDES THESE KEY PRINCIPLES WILL LIKELY WORK AND BE MAINTAINABLE. 

1. WEIGHT LOSS IS CALORIES IN-CALORIES OUT.  MANY WOULD HAVE YOU BELIEVE THERE IS SOME GIMMICK NEEDED.  THEY ARE USUALLY SELLING SOMETHING.

2. MOST PEOPLE WHO ARE OVERWEIGHT EAT WAY TOO MANY CALORIES.  AT THE SAME TIME, THEY GENERALLY DO NOT GET ENOUGH NUTRITION. TO SUCCEED AT LOSING WEIGHT AND KEEPING IT OFF LONG TERM, A PERSON MUST GET THE RIGHT AMOUNT OF CALORIES AND COMPLETE NUTRITION. IF YOU ARE REDUCING CALORIES TO LOSE WEIGHT, YOU SHOULD EAT EXTRA NUTRIENT-DENSE FOODS.  WHATEVER ELSE YOU DO OR DON’T DO, IF YOU DO NOT GET COMPLETE NUTRITION YOU WILL DEVELOP ILLNESS.  INADEQUATE NUTRITION ALSO MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO KEEP WEIGHT OFF SINCE YOUR BODY WILL CRAVE FOODS TO REPLENISH DEFICIENCIES.  MOST GIMMICKS AND FAD DIETS ARE INADEQUATE AND WILL MAKE YOU SICK.

3.  THERE IS NOW A WONDERFUL BODY OF GOOD SCIENCE ABOUT NUTRITION AVAILABLE.  THIS INFORMATION HAS EVOLVED OVER TIME.   SOME IS NOT CONSISTENT WITH OUR TRADITIONS AND HABITS OR IS NOT BENEFICIAL TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE PRODUCTS TO SELL.  MANY ARE IGNORANT AND SOME INCLINED NOT TO BELIEVE IT.  IT IS TRUE NONETHELESS.

4. MOST OF US KNOW MUCH MORE THAN WE EVER PUT INTO PRACTICE.  USUALLY THIS IS BECAUSE WE HAVE BAD HABITS, COMPULSIVE EATING ISSUES, AND FOOD ADDICTIONS.  TO SUCCEED WE MUST PERSIST AT APPLYING PROVEN STRATEGIES TO OVERCOME THESE HABITS AND ADDICTIONS.

5.  SOME CAN SUCCEED WITHOUT TRAINING, ACCOUNTABILITY, AND SUPPORT.  MOST CANNOT.  JUST ABOUT EVERYONE CAN BENEFIT FROM A SKILLED TRAINER OR PARTNER.  SOME NEED EVEN MORE HELP IN THE FORM OF A NUTRITION ORIENTED DOCTOR OR THERAPIST.

6.   WE ALL NEED TO DO SOME EXERCISE TO BE HEALTHY.

7.  WITH THE PROPER INFORMATION, A LITTLE ACCOUNTABILITY, AND MOTIVATION, NEARLY EVERYONE CAN SUCCEED, EVEN YOU.

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