Posted by admin on August 31st, 2007 — Posted in Diet
OK, it's been two weeks on the low-carb diet, and here are the results:
I've lost 6 pounds.
Those jeans that Land's End sent that were a little too small fit now.
Those jeans that Land's End sent that fit just right are a little loose now.
Those jeans that Land's End sent that were a little loose are even looser now. (Yes, all three pairs were the same style and supposedly the same size. I credit the fine Malaysian craftsmanship.)
No cravings for sugar, bread, pasta, potatoes, etc.
Caffeine now makes me nuts, so I quit cold turkey with no bad effects.
I've gone for a walk just about every day at lunch, plus my 2 25-minute walks to get to and from work.
The neuropathy in my hands is better, though not totally gone.
My energy level is more consistent - I can walk for roughly an hour a day and still have energy for chores, gardening, and unpacking (current task - hundreds of books).
I'm sleeping better, and probably as a consequence, needing less sleep.
My concentration has improved slightly.
It's too soon, of course, to know whether this is having any effect on PCOS, but as I continue to read more and more about PCOS, the link between insulin resistance and PCOS becomes stronger and stronger in my mind.
Your mileage, of course, may vary. But I'm still kicking myself for ever getting off the low-carb diet in the first place.
Posted by admin on August 31st, 2007 — Posted in Diet
First, I'm no doctor so I'm attaching a link that goes into the science. .
With that out of the way, here's an answer to a question posed to me in the post of a couple of days ago.
"Anyway, this article doesn’t mention leptin levels, which as I understand it, are the hormones that create “famine brain” where your body believes it’s starving. The way I understand it is a splurge meal fools the brain into thinking that it’s not starving after all. Am I totally wrong?"
No, you are not wrong that leptin levels trigger the faminine response in the brain. Excellent question.
What I believe is that people mistake the splurge meal as the only way to counteract this effect. One big meal a week isn't going to do that for a long period of time. The BEST way to avoid the leptin effect is to eat slightly in caloric deficit filling your body with good, clean, healthy foods.
Most people believe they can't lose fat without starving. They want to cut calories down to ridiculous levels like 1200 calories a day. Then they start an exercise program that is vigorous and like no other attempted in their life. This is a recipe to crash and burn with diet and exercise. Not only are you starving your body, but you send yourself into deep punishment and deprivation mode. Your body starts screaming at you for some food and rather than just upping your calories with good food, what do you do? Fat Girl Thinking kicks in and you start having all the comfort foods, feel horrible about it, and give up.
I advocate eating as much as you can while losing fat so that you have success. Example: I have many Weight Watcher people plead for help because they are exercising for an hour five times a week, eat 20 points a day, and they are tired, hungry, and not losing. They just don't get why they can't have long-term success.
20 points a day is eating 1200 calories a day. The average woman needs 1400 just to lay in bed, have three squares, and make a poop. Pile 300-500 cals burned in exercise and this person is giving their body a whopping 700-900 cals a day to function. You know what? We haven't even added in calories to go to work and chase kids! No wonder their body thinks they are starving. They are!!!
I would have the same person eat activity points and divide out their weekly flex points so that each day they are eating 25 points on non-exercise days and 28-30 points on exercise days. In regular terms that's 1500-1800 calories a day. On top of that, you have one splurge meal a week. 60 minutes of fun if you want it. You'll still lose. It's exactly what I did before I even knew what I was really doing. LOL!
Now, I assume you are strength training with good, heavy weight and doing moderate high cardio...right? If not, dig through this blog for articles on that.
So, to sum it up:
- Leptin levels do effect obesity.
- Leptin levels wouldn't be your issue if you eat right under your fat burning zone.
- Leptin levels are not effected enough by splurge meals to make a big difference in the long-term.
- Eat clean, exercise, and don't starve. You will lose fat.
___________
Daily Workout: Shoulders and 40 min. of Mod High Intensity Cardio. I'll probably do the elliptical tonight since I ran yesterday.
Seated OH Presses SS with Leg Raises
Front Plate Raises SS with Lateral Raises
Bent Over Rear Delts SS with Crunches
Front Rope Pull SS with Bike Crunches
1/2 Way to Top Straight Bar Curls SS Hammer Curls
Daily Food:
B - Energy Bar and coffee
S - Protein Shake
L - Eating Out - probably nice salad somewhere or grilled fish and veggies
S - Peanut Butter and Apple pre evening cardio
D - EAS Shake right after workout and then 30 min later eat tuna on salad with WW toast
S - Fage
Posted by admin on August 31st, 2007 — Posted in Diet
Calcium could be the key nutrient needed to help you lose weight, according to a growing consensus of new research examining the mineral. Calcium not only helps with hypertension, the research shows: it also appears to support healthy physiology in a way that results in the loss of excess body fat.
Specifically, one study reported that has a strongtly positive impact on weight loss programs. The prescription of 3 servings of fat-free yogurt increased weight loss especially around the abdomen.
For 12 weeks, the first group ate three 6-ounce servings of fat-free yogurt providing about 1,100 milligrams of calcium per day; the other group ate only one serving of dairy providing 400-500 milligrams of calcium per day. Both groups ate a controlled diet that contained 500 fewer calories than normal to stimulate weight loss.
As expected, all of the participants lost weight as a result of the calorie restriction. But the study showed that both weight and fat loss were significantly greater in the yogurt group.
For example, those on the low-calcium diet lost an average of 11 pounds, but those on the high-calcium yogurt diet lost an average of more than 14 pounds.
Participants on the yogurt diet also lost 81% more fat in the stomach area, which is the most dangerous type of fat. Excess fat in the midsection has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and some forms of cancer.
Posted by admin on August 31st, 2007 — Posted in Diet
Lets face it - nothing is sexier than a nice pair of abs, the only thing is knowing how to get 6 pack abs. In your search on how to get 6 pack abs, you have most likely ran across many supplements and crash diets that the advertisers want you to believe work. DON’T FALL FOR IT! Crash dieting and taking silly abs supplements do not work, and will only empty out your pockets while leaving your midsection just as it was before. If you want to know how to get 6 pack abs, continue reading. In this article, you will learn the two tried and true methods on how to get 6 pack abs, without spending a fortune trying to figure it out.
Posted by admin on August 31st, 2007 — Posted in Diet
One of the gretest supplement facts in the history of sport may be that muscle creatine stores could be increased by orally taking creatine. Creatine supplements can improve strength and power and may also improve interval type aerobic performance. Here are some important facts about creatine, it’s mechanism and it’s usage:
*Creatinine is naturally produced in your body from various amino acids. It can be found in foods such as meat, fish, and milk.
*Creatine is effective because it plays a role in the energy mechanisms of muscle tissue. Raising your muscle creatine through supplementation is likely to produce an increased rate of recovery of PCr which is the primary energy source for shorter, more intense bouts of exercise.
Posted by admin on August 31st, 2007 — Posted in Diet
Sorry for not writing for very long. I've been busy in the mornings. This week I properly started to walk for about 20 mins to half an hour in the mornings. Alas this means getting up at 5.30am and when one doesn't sleep brilliantly (last night I woke up at 12.30am for an hour) it doesn't bode well.
How are you all?
The other day I had a row with C on . She hasn't taken it too well. She doesn't eat or can't eat (I don't know) and like I suggested she went on the juice thingy to supplement her vits and help her potentially put on a bit of weight and she went ape. The fact of the matter is that whilst she may have more debt than me, she also gets more benefits than me and like why can't she just invest £100 in a decent juicer (the I have is brilliant! And also the best you can get on a budget. Just read the reviews online They also do a cheaper plastic one exactly the same but I have the alu one) and at least try to have two to three of Jason Vale's juices a day to get some much needed nutrition in here without running to the medics every 30 seconds? I mean surely that would be her, whilst not curing her condition, at least trying to manage it better. And then she's like 'och but I'm veggie'. Well stop being veggie if it's making you sick and get some food down ya. Sorry to shout (I know she could have avocados and seeds and things and that would be just as good but she's just not doing that. I personally am not veggie because it's not Christian but our first parents were veggie and they did okay out of it). I don't believe that animals have more rights than humans and whilst I believe in taking good care of them I just can't assimilate that something that walks or crawls in a lateral position often (I know, ya going to witter on about birds here but I'm trying to keep this diversion brief) has more rights than us. Even babies have to trained and aided. But they eventually walk UPRIGHTLY. When have you seen an aardvark without a severe curvature of the spine? Exactly. And what do aardvarks eat? Ants! Exactly and what do beasties eat? My knickers - exactly. So something that essential lives off my dung can only be stinking dung! (maybe that's taking the point too far but never mind)
On Tuesday came to my day centre and like did a cardmaking workshop. Finally something positive is happening with regards that craft group. Taken there's not as much room as there is at the one at the left wing looney bin so numbers were always going to be smaller but it was really fun and they got some good sales out of me. As a result I've gone a bit hyper (I was a tad low yesterday).
The diet has gone to pot.
I binged last night and put back on the 3 lbs I'd lost.Grace says I haven't given it a good enough go but like I was getting so hungry I was eating after 6pm and then making myself sick and on Tuesday night I put my fingers down my throat for the first time. That can't continue even if means I put on a few pounds for a wee while. I will get back into and I'm keeping up the exercise but for now I just need to READ THE DARN BOOK.
And my latest pics and things can be found on my bebo page.
Posted by admin on August 31st, 2007 — Posted in Diet
A bullet pointed post for today as I want to peruse my blog roll as well as needing to pack to go to my parent's tomorrow (until Thursday).
Camping was very hit and miss
The site manager didn't check names as people turned up
The boss didn't always record bookings in the diary
Because we arrived relatively late we were left without a pitch and were left with a small space by the front gate
Under a light sensitive flood light
Despite being listed in the diary
Site manager was sweet once he'd got over his anger at his boss for putting him in this position
The munchkin refused to settle to sleep the first night
She screamed so much she was sick all over her travel cot
She ended up sleeping in our bed, we slept very little
She left like a log in her own cot the second night
We had a lovely day in Cambridge shopping for a rucksack for me for this coming weekend
We got sunburnt as I forgot the sunscreen and my hat (thankfully the munchkin was ok, I'd remembered her hat and Mr H's hat)
We had a lovely lunch with a friend from the church we went to there
She's lost 5 1/2 stone (77 lbs) since January and looks great
I'm feeling a tiny bit more inspired with my diet
We also spent £70 on Sabatier knives and a knife block in TK Maxx (rrp £230!)
They're fab, but we're skint anyway
The munchkin loved the ducks on the river in Ely (where we went on Sunday), she was pulling herself as close to the fence as possible (she was in her pushchair) so she could see them better.
She said wack, wack (quack, quack) a lot and used the hand movement to go with it
She's gone a little bit duck mad at the moment
I had to go and see the dermatologist yesterday
I think I'm confusing the doctors a bit
The doctor who spoke to me first had to get the consultant himself to talk to me
Even though the prick test for latex was negative he's running blood tests and wants to tape a latex glove to my back to 48 hours
That'll be fun.....not
Within an hour I was itchy from the tape put on my arm where the blood was taken
The biggest problem is not the latex reaction (though that makes buying certain things a hell of a lot more expensive....), but my reaction to adhesives (even hypoallergenic ones)
48 hours with tape on my back could be awful (though I'm trying not to think like that
The consultant also looked at my face (I think around my eyes) and the lines on my hand and said that I'm someone who's prone to allergies (?!? - has anyone else heard of this?)
He looked at the munchkin and said that she will be too
Thanks.....like I don't worry enough about her at times
He did say that despite my allergies and Mr H's asthma we should be ok to try the munchkin with peanuts now
We have a huge amount of sorting to go in the house over the next couple of weeks
The munchkin's God-mother R is coming to stay here for a while
She's left her job (fantastic)
She's not got one to go to (not good)
She won't be able to afford the rent on her place in a month or so
So to enable her to stay near here where her church and many friends are we have offered her our spare room
Which is full of junk
The bed is covered with paperwork for filing
Oh dear
Mr H is going to take a couple of days off work to get it sorted
R may have to sleep on the living room floor for a couple of nights
But the tidying is going to have to wait
I need to spend today packing my rucksack, sorting washing and dishwasher and browsing some of my blogroll (for my sanity)
Tidying begins in earnest next week
Well, that was a flying visit though my week, until next week (hopefully!), goodbye!
Posted by admin on August 31st, 2007 — Posted in Diet
Do you know what is burning fat? Burning fat is all about using up more calories than take in. If you eat foods with more calories than your body uses throughout the day, these excess calories will be stored as body fat. I wonder why most people want to know more about definition of “burning fat”, but I think you do not need to know more than that. Just a simple definition and do not forget to take action after you read this. Remember, you need to take action. You are stupid if you know much about how to burn fat but you never take action to burn your fat.
Do you want tips how to lose fat faster than ever? I have some.