39 Days | It's a Journey...

40 Days | DYOH Book Study Chapters 9 & 10

Chapter 9 – First Steps:  Your Choice of Health as a Priority

Our New Health Orientation:  Our Primary Choice, which is the most important to us, guides us to do the secondary actions that support it.  If the Primary Choice is Optimal Health then our secondary choices (healthy eating, exercise, stress reduction, restorative sleep) will support the primary choice for Optimal Health.

In order to bring focus to habits of health (our secondary choices), we need to create skills, strategies, and tools to make optimal health a reality.

    - Mindfulness – be aware of emotions, triggers and stress that can cause us to lose focus

    - Visit the doctor – knowledge is power; find out if there are any health issues that you need to focus on

    - Visit the dentist – dental health is also important as it can be directly tied to longevity

Question:  What secondary action may cause you to stumble on the road to optimal health?

Chapter 10 – Crating Your Healthy New World

    - Modify Your Surroundings

    - Establish a Stong Support Network

    - Put Yourself at the Center – 12-Week Health Transformation

12-Week Health Transformation - www.stopchallengechoose.com 

    - Practice Mindfulness and Relaxation

    - Tame Your Inner Self – STOP-CHALLENGE-CHOOSE

Question:  What changes to your environment will be difficult?

For Further Reading:

Dr. A’s Habits of Health

Chapter 4:  Health is All About Choice

Chapter 6: Your Blueprint for Safe, Rapid Weight Loss

41 Days | Learning to Cut the Sugar

Yesterday's post on sugar hit a lot of you very strongly.  And one of the resounding questions was, "How do we walk away from it?"  

Know this--no one said it was easy.

For me and many others on this 90 day challenge, we something specific--a plan that had tight boundaries, but was also healthy and helpful and easy to follow.  The 5/1 plan was (and is) one rehabilitation option. It uses incredibly scientific, perfectly portion, nutrition controlled meals that most of us don't have the time, energy or know-how to prepare for ourselves.  It isn't sugar-free and carb-free, it is sugar and carb controlled.  And while you are detoxing and regaining health, you have the freedom to practice new habits that are all-important for longterm change.

But it is not the ONLY way.  It is possible to detox on your own.  It will take extreme commitment, but anything worth doing requires commitment, right?

This is a FANTASTIC article by a man named Nahad O'Connor.  It is entitled, "Learning to Cut the Sugar" and he makes some excellent points.  He helps people detox from sugar.

In case you decide not to read the article, I want to make sure you hear this one very important point:

What are your thoughts on diets that focus on calories?

A.

I’m not against reducing calories. But if that’s all you’re doing, it can’t work. It depends what those calories are. Everything that comes in a 100-calorie container, half of it is sugar, whether it’s yogurt, or cookies, or whatever. If a calorie is a calorie, then it should work. But it doesn’t, because a calorie is not a calorie. And this is the thing that we have to get past. 

The other thing I loved in the article is that they took families and showed them that kids WILL eat healthy food, that parents will too, and that MANY children enjoyed the healthy foods, it wasn't just a fluke.  Additionally, they showed them grocery bills to prove that they also could afford to eat healthily.  They debunked the excuses--the excuses we all make.

Sugar (in all of its various forms and names) certainly isn't the only thing that hurts us, but killing it is a very good start toward slaying the dragon.  

42 Days | Sugar is NOT So Sweet!

You MUST read this article about SUGAR!  If you still want to consume sugar after you read this article, please comment and let me know...

YOU WILL NOT WANT TO EAT SUGAR IF YOU UNDERSTAND A FEW THINGS...

43 Days | The Primary Choices of Optimal Health

"THESE CHOICES ARE JUST THE BEGINNING. OPTIMAL HEALTH IS BUILT ON A FOUNDATION OF BEHAVIORS THAT TOGETHER CREATE A LIFESTYLE THAT SUSTAINS BODY AND MIND IN THIS HEALTHY STATE INDEFINITELY. THIS FOUNDATION SUPPORTS YOUR HIGHEST GOAL—THE FUNDAMENTAL CHOICE OF OPTIMAL HEALTH."  -Dr. A

What are the foundations of Health?

• Healthy eating, including vita-nutrient support.
• A healthy weight and a normal waist size
• An active lifestyle, including a daily activity program, a walking program, strength conditioning, flexibility, agility
• Recuperative sleep
• Relaxation
• A microenvironment of health
• Well-being, including social activities, limited stress, a sense of purpose and meaning, spiritual health, and personal fulfillment
• A support system

Using these foundations and the goals, list 10 primary choices that you will make or are making for Optimal Health. These primary choices will help to guide your secondary choices. And remember, these aren't things you necessarily want to do. For example, you my not really like to go to the trainer and work out, but you do it because you like to be strong and healthy so you can do other things you REALLY WANT to do!  

44 Days | Strong Mental Focus & Good Strategy

"A healthy weight is the result of a strong mental focus and a well-planned eating strategy."

From Dr. A:

Create a New Energy Management System

To reach and maintain a healthy weight, you need to take control of your energy management system—that is, calories in and calories out. It’s also critical to get your body out of fat-storage mode and into fat-burning mode by controlling your body’s release of insulin.

Take a look at this chart of our typical eating pattern. Does this resemble the way you eat or how you used to eat? When we eat meals that are high in fat, sugar, and simple carbohydrates, our blood sugar and insulin levels increase and facilitate the accumulation of excess fat. This lesson is designed to help you fire your current energy management system and enter your new leptogenic world through a comprehensive approach that puts you in charge.

Eating a little healthier or walking a little more isn’t going to get you to your healthy weight because the evil forces out there—tempting you with calories and offering you a nice, cushy ride in place of exercises—are just too powerful. The steady-as-you-go approach just isn’t going to work for most of us, but it does provide a foundation for us to begin using our biological design to our advantage.

We’ll start by giving you a new eating strategy. Look at it this way: if I can help you lose one to two pounds each week while keeping you from being hungry and eliminating your cravings for carbohydrates, and if a little later (after you have lost some weight) all I ask of you is 30 minutes of your time for a nice walk, will you do it? I hope your answer is yes.

The Logistics of Healthy Eating

Can you eat every three hours? If so, you can change your life. A study by David Jenkins, MD, PhD—the University of Toronto pioneer in low-glycemic eating—demonstrates that eating small portions at frequent intervals is good for your health in a number of important, even remarkable ways. Among those benefits are weight loss, hunger control, reduced blood insulin, and reduced LDL (“bad”) cholesterol. If you are following this program with Medifast meal replacements, you are already enjoying the benefits of properly timing your portions, but now you can better understand the science behind your choices.

Here’s the schedule that you’ll use during your weight-loss phase, which I call Phase I in my book The Habits of Health:

• 7:00 a.m. breakfast
• 10:00 a.m. nourishment
• 1:00 p.m. nourishment (or small lunch)
• 4:00 p.m. nourishment
• 7:00 p.m. dinner
• 9:30-10:00 p.m. small nourishment

Whether you are using our Medifast meal replacements (The 5 & 1 Plan*) or doing this with your own foods, you should be eating every two to three hours. 

Continue the process of discovering Optimal Health by creating a microenvironment of health. I hope you’re thirsty, because you should already be drinking your first 8-ounce glass of water!

*For those of you on the 5 & 1 Plan, one of those meals will be a Lean & Green™ Meal; the rest will be Medifast Meals.  Follow the guidelines in the Quick Start Guide, and work with your Health Coach until you reach a healthy weight. You will then transition to all of the ideas presented in the next few e-mails. The good news is that you are starting to learn the Habits of Healthy eating for life while using the simple, effective 5 & 1 Plan.

45 Days | Home Makeover for Healthy Success

The Kitchen Makeover

Portion control is important, and you can start by using a nine-inch plate to control your intake. For example, on a nine-inch plate, 50% of the plate should be taken up by vegetables and fruits, 25% by protein, and 25% by starches. Medifast meal replacements do this work for you, but knowing these rules will be important for when you transition. Here are some other tips for controlling your portions:

• Put away your large plates and bowls and replace them with nine-inch plates and cup-sized bowls. Use only small forks and spoons.
• Use a food scale and measuring cups to regulate portion size.
• Put the proper amount of food onto your plate in the kitchen and then leave the kitchen and sit in the dining room. Don’t place serving dishes on the table that may tempt you to take a second helping.
• Consider painting your kitchen blue and using blue plates and placements. The color blue is known to decrease appetite, while yellow and red increase it.
• Keep the lights on. Studies show that we tend to eat less in bright light.

And here’s a kitchen checklist to make sure that you have the essentials:

• Food scale
• Measuring cups
• Small cups and bowls
• Seven- to nine-inch dinner plates
• Teaspoons and salad forks
• Blue placemats and plates
• Bright lights

Refrigerator and Cupboard Makeover

Make it easy to avoid high-calorie, high-fat meals and snacks by getting rid of the following:

• Whole-fat dairy products (whole milk, cheese, yogurt, cottage cheese, butter, and mayonnaise)
• Processed deli meats
• Fattening salad dressings
• White bread, pasta, rice, and flour
• Fruit drinks
• Cookies

And before you reach for a handful of Oreos, do not use this exercise as a last chance to eat all of your unhealthy food. Instead, give foods away to your neighbor or food bank. Once you get to your healthy weight, you can have an occasional Oreo if you want it.

Now, restock your fridge and cupboards with these:

• Medifast meals and snacks
• Fat-free or low-fat dairy products (skim milk, low-fat yogurt, low-fat cheeses)
• Lean proteins (skinless chicken, turkey breast, fish)
• Whole-grain bread and pasta, brown rice
• Beans
• Fresh fruits and vegetables
• Olive oil, vinegar, spray-type salad dressings
• Herbs and spices

If other members of your household are not working to achieve Optimal Health, you may need to claim a cupboard for yourself. Better yet, challenge them to put an end to their unhealthy eating habits!

Healthy Snacks

Replace high-calorie foods like peanuts and chips with fresh green vegetables and fruits (if your eating plan permits fruit; check with your Health Coach to be sure). Here are some great low-calorie snacks:

• Asparagus (1/2 cup = 18 cal, 3 carbs)
• Broccoli (1 cup = 44 cal, 8 carbs)
• Sugar-free Jello (1 snack cup = 10 cal, 0 carbs)
• Cauliflower (2 oz = 12 cal, 2 carbs)
• Celery (1 stalk = 6 cal, 1 carb)
• Dill pickle (1 = 4 cal, 1 carb)
• Radishes (1 oz = 8 cal, 2 carbs)
• Spinach (1 cup = 6 cal, 1 carb)
• Bouillon (1 cup = 10 cal, 1 carb)
• Cucumber (1 cup = 15 cal, 3 carbs)
• Lettuce (1 cup = 2 cal, 0 carbs)
• Spinach (1 cup = 6 cal, 1 carb)

And remember: before you grab something to eat, make sure you’re actually hungry and not just thirsty. Around 30 percent of the time, thirst is disguised as hunger, so try drinking a big glass of water and waiting 10 minutes. You may not need that snack after all!

Bedroom Makeover

Studies show that sleep is key—not just to our overall health, but to our ability to lose and maintain weight. That’s why it’s so important to get at least seven hours of sleep every night (eight for men). Design your bedroom for relaxation by using relaxing scents and light and calming colors like peach, yellow, or lavender. Stay away from late-night TV, and read a motivational book instead, or write out your affirmations in your journal. Get rid of clutter in your bedroom and closets, and take any clothes that are too big for you to a consignment shop—and never look back!

Your New Home

We covered a lot of changes today. Do your best to complete as much of the makeover as you can today. Suggestions like repainting your kitchen take more time, but they make a big difference. You may also find it helpful to print this lesson out and hang a copy of it somewhere prominent for reference later.