Eat for Your Own Metabolism

Do you know what kind of metabolism you have? In my constant effort to learn about my body and what is best for it, I have been reading about metabolism. Per the definition, Metabolism is the chemical process occurring in a living cell or organism that are necessary for the maintenance of life. So what does this mean for humans? In simple terms, it is the rate that our bodies burn calories to sustain life. That's pretty easy right?

So why am I even asking this? The more and more I learn, I started wondering why I was still struggling to lose weight. I eat healthy 85% of the time, I get in (typically) 5-6 days of cardio, and I drink a minimum of 96oz of water a day. Yet, I still struggle. I figured that I was eating the wrong kinds of things. Years ago I cut out anything white, 99% of the time. I greatly reduced my sugar intake. I made small changes this year in my diet that I do believe have helped. My most favored change is drinking Shakeology. This drink helps me get in my 7 servings of fruits & veggies per day.

I have determined that I am an endo-meso body. This means I have an athletic build underneath a layer of fat. It's more challenging to lose weight if you do not eat the proper foods. I learned that I need to eat natural grains such as brown rice and low-sugar fruits such as grapefruit or berries. I should avoid red meat since that helps my body type to gain muscle and fat. Lean proteins such as turkey, chicken and seafoods are my friends. Lots of greens, especially asparagus and cucumber. Did you know that both are natural diuretic?

Today is day one of eating a regime where I ensure that I eat every two-three hours. This will help me speed my metabolism up. As for exercise, I need to take a walk for 45-60mins plus some strength training. Unfortunately, at the moment, I have to lay off my beloved Zumba and refrain from walks for one more week. I am resting my foot for a possible stress fracture..

Typical menu =

Bfast: 3 scrambled egg whites + 1/2 grapefruit

Snack: 2oz of lean protein + 1 cup greens + cucumber vinaigrette

Lunch: 3oz of chicken + 1/2 cup brown rice + 1 cup steamed mixed veggies

Snack: 3oz canned low-sodium tuna + 1 cup greens

Dinner: 4oz chicken + 1/2 cup brown rice + 1 cup steamed mixed veggies

For dinner tonight, I rubbed a piece of chicken with garlic and then lemon juice and pepper. I let the chicken marinate for a while. Popped it into the oven and baked it for 40mins in the lemon juice. I also had the brown rice and 1 cup mixed cauliflower + broccoli.

So far, it was not a difficult day except that I have a cold. I was very tired today. Tomorrow, I will definitely do my Slim in 6 workout! I have attached a picture of my dinner.

On to day two!

The Middle of October

Where is the year going? It's amazing to me that we are two months & 10 days away from Christmas. Isn't that just crazy?

I know that so often, we kind of wish our lives away. Do you know what I mean? Usually it's in anticipation of an event. "Oh I hope the next few weeks fly by because my vacation will be here!" Stuff like that! I know for a fact that I wished, prayed, lit candles (ok, maybe not that extreme) my summer away. My job is such that our summers are the busiest time of the year. As a regional director, I go from working at the office until 5:30pm (Mon-Fri) to 7:00pm. PLUS, I have to work 3-4 hours in the office on both Saturday & Sunday. That schedule goes on for 8-10 weeks. Oh and just because I'm not in the office doesn't mean my work stops... I still can get phone calls up to almost 11pm! It's an absolutely draining schedule. For me, it takes away my social time, my exercise time, my time to just dedicate to me. All I want to do is crash when I get home! Forget going out to dinner or even just for a drink with friends. Come Friday night & even Saturday afternoons, all I want to do is veg out in front of the television. My one saving grace this summer was Shakeology.

What is Shakeology? Well, it's this super fantastic, super yummy meal replacement shake. It's created by Beachbody. It has the most amazing ingredients. You couldn't possibly afford to create this on your own. Besides, you'd be driving all over tarnation just trying to find all of the ingredients! Can you tell I'm a huge fan??? I have a chocolate Shakeology every morning for breakfast and I have one for dinner twice a week (my Zumba nights). I mix mine with unsweetened original or vanilla almond milk (my preference over cow milk these days, a bit less in calories & sugar). I then add frozen fruit - pineapple, 1/2 banana, dark sweet cherries (my fav!) or a tropical mix. Personally, I'm not a huge fan of strawberries or raspberries because of the seeds. That's just my personal preference - texture thing. ☺ So I then add 1-2 Tbs of peanut butter, lots and lots of ice which makes it thick.

What does Shakeology do for you, or at least for me? Well, I do not yet have scientific proof, but I do believe that it's helping to lower my cholesterol. Beachbody did a 90-day-test. On average, the group lowered their bad cholesterol by 38% and their overall cholesterol by 30%. I feel energized more than ever! I almost never NEED coffee anymore in the morning. And I just feel sooooo much better when I have at least one a day! I truly can't gush enough about how much I love this stuff!

Are you curious about Shakeology? Would you like a sample? You can also purchase a month's worth of Shakeology and get this - they have a money back guarantee! If in 30 days, you do not absolutely love this product, you can return the empty bag! How crazy is that?! I seriously swear by this product! I got my Mom hooked too. She especially loves having this as a dinner replacement because she frequently feels so stuffed at night after a "real meal" and goes to bed feeling icky. She does not feel that way after having a Shake. Oh and yes folks, it really and truly does fill you up enough to satisfy you for a full meal. If I have one for breakfast, I can go until 1pm before I need to eat again. If I have one for dinner, I have absolutely no sweet cravings and I wake up ready to have breakfast.

Ok, enough about the miracle product... well, to me it is!

So, 11 weeks remaining in 2010. What to do with that time? Here are my goals for the next 11 weeks.

1. Stick to a workout regime where I workout at a minimum 5 days per week
2. Include 2-3 days of strength training
3. Get certified to teach Zumba (November 14th)
4. Start the certification to become a personal trainer
5. Lose 20lbs
6. Spend as much time with my family, especially my darling brother as he will be deploying to Afghanistan for a year *insert sniffles here*

Whose with me?? Who wants encouragement? Who wants workout ideas or suggestions for supplements?

I would love to help you & in turn have you help me. Let's do this together! Let's end 2010 on a HIGH note!

Stay Tuned!

Hypocrite?

So, it's been well over a year since I started my blog with the intention of writing these devastatingly insightful posts on a daily or possibly weekly basis. HA! That hasn't happened! Sad?? Well, maybe... I think sometimes we begin something with these amazing intentions and then for so many, many reasons, we allow ourselves to disregard those intentions. Do we not want to look at ourselves in an authentic manner? Do we really want to see the truth about ourselves? Do we really want to put forth the effort? Well, I can say that for most of these questions, I can honestly say NO!

See, if I actually put my reality down on paper (or rather the tree-saving medium of blogging), then I have to truly face my downfalls. On one hand, that seems so very freeing but so very scary! I mean, come on, I might actually have to admit that I had that Chinese food for lunch instead of the healthy lunch I meant to have. Or that I didn't workout when I planned or needed to! And gosh darn it, I have to actually focus and get my act together enough to post on a regular basis. Let me tell you, I'm QUEEN of procrastination and letting life get in my way!

So, here I start again with good intentions. You know, though, I think this little blog could actually help me. Oh and it might, just might, help someone else. There might just be one or two (or even more) out there just like me *insert Stuart Smiley here*. I crack myself up!

Since my last ditch attempt at brilliant quips, what have I been up to? Well, my parents are legally divorced; started taking & fell in love with Zumba; my father married his tramp; my brother was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and received orders to be deployed to Afghanistan (leaves in a month); stayed at my job; made it through another not-so-fun summer of working 7-days/week; visited Thailand; became a Beachbody Coach; and on the upside, officially lost 10lbs and have kept it off. It's not exactly headline newsworthy, but all-in-all, a decent year.

What is my focus these days? Honestly, trying to figure out what path my life should go in! Aren't we all in this similar boat? Rowing, rowing, rowing and not really making it anywhere. I'm super excited in that one month from today, I will become certified to teach Zumba. I'm really thrilled to have found a workout that I love to do, never get tired of doing and actually want to teach! I'm contemplating spending some more money and becoming certified as a personal trainer. I want to take my life in a new direction, in a direction where I don't necessarily sit behind a desk every single day. I love working with and helping people. I think somewhere in the craziness of my life and my history, I might actually be able to teach others. Help others not to make the same mistakes that I have. Oh and actually help others to get a clue long before I did. I mean, gosh, I'm five months away from turning 35 and I'm just FINALLY figuring out how to lose weight. That being the bane of my existence for probably the past 20 years!

So do you think anyone would actually want me for their personal trainer? I'm certainly not Barbie-thin. I'm not the poster-child for healthy eating or sticking to a workout routine 7 days a week. Are these all signs of the perfect personal trainer? Orrrrrrrr, is the fact that I'm not the perfect eater or worker-outer actually to my benefit? (oh and yes, I do realize that I've made up some words here. I do actually have a college education and know proper English grammar)

I also think that by my helping others, they will be helping me! Heck, I may actually figure out a healthy way to deal with the emotional BS stemming from my parents' divorce and the fact that my father has abandoned me (even at my age) that I just keep stuffing, stuffing, stuffing down inside. I pondered the other night with my Mom, wondering when that stuffing might actually explode on me? Some day down the road I suppose. And maybe, my lack of proper eating and inability to stick to a workout routine 7 days a week all stems from that emotional burial?

Stay tuned and we'll find out together.

My Journey Begins...

I decided that I would start a blog about my journey. I believe that I find myself at a crossroads. My life is filled with drama, that I pray is near it's end. This drama has definitely affected my life in so many ways, and not exactly in the most positive ways either. Yet, I am finally starting to really feel good about myself and happy with me. I think with the light at the end of the tunnel in sight, I can see that a new chapter is about to turn.

See, September 19, 2008 was a night that changed my life. I discovered my father was having an affair. 46 1/2 years of marriage is at an end. My father is dead to me. He has not even been the honorable man he should be as a retired Lieutenent Colonel in the Army. He has made no efforts to keep a relationship with his children. This woman and her adult children are his new life & family. My mom is the most remarkable woman in the world! She has handled this crisis with humor and grace. I pray that if I ever face anything half as devastating as this, that I will handle it half as well as her.

Another big part of my life's journey to date has been a struggle to lose weight. I've probably had a battle since high school... and let's just say that that was a while ago. Yet, I believe that I have finally found what works for me! It's a life-time commitment and I am only four weeks into this part of my journey. It is called The Belly Fat Cure. Jorge Cruise, who is a diet and fitness guru. He had his own weight issues and became known for his 8 Minutes in the Morning exercises and the 3-Hour Diet. Jorge believes (and I'm a new believer as well) that a low-sugar and low-carb diet is the way to go. He believes that most people who have belly fat are really having issues with unhealthy bowels. False belly fat is actually your intestines backed up with layers upon layers of fecal matter. I know, not the most glamorous topic, but still important. So, the overall premise is 15 grams of sugar & 6 servings (approx 120 grams) of carbs per day.

I have been eating this new way for four weeks. While I have yet to see the dramatic weight loss, I have seen 4 1/2" lost and 2lbs. I'm happy with the inches lost! I'm even happier with the fact that I just feel GOOD! My job is such that the summers are super, super crazy! I work 7 days a week and push 70 hours a week. That crazy schedule does not leave a lot of room for eating healthy, exercising and just overall well-being. Add the family drama on top of that, the dream that I would lose weight was just not a reality. By mid-September, I was feeling horrible about myself. I felt beyond overweight, I was thinking of all the different ways I could lose weight quick... I started Jenny Craig - yeah, that was just outrageously expensive! I tried the colon cleanse - yeah, that wasn't really a way to go either. Then came a week-long business trip to Mexico. It's all about eating, eating, eating and more eating. Oh and throw drinking, drinking, drinking in there! So I returned from that trip just feeling overwhelmed with the stage my health was at. Oh and let's never forget the ongoing divorce drama...

Cutting my sugar intake has not been as challenging as I anticipated. Now cutting carbs to only 6 servings. YIKES! That is difficult, especially if I do not plan my meals out well in advance. I have given up Diet Coke with not a major headache. I have been shocked, to say the least, at the sugar contents of food. It's outrageous! I am FINALLY starting to get the hang of it. I believe for the first time in four weeks, I see what I need to do.

So, I'm going to end this short novel here. Tomorrow morning, I will get up 40mins early and do a workout. I'm not a morning person at all, yet, I know that 20-30mins of exercise a day will do wonders for my weight and my emotional well-being.

I sign off with the promise of even more information to come.

Upcoming topics:
-The pink, yellow & blue packets that are killing us
-What sugar does
-Gut bacteria
-Tap water and the evil chlorine