Tag Archives: healthy-living

Tips to a Binge-free, Thin and Healthy Life

Posted on by
20

I have been asked the question about binge eating from mythineats readers and how to overcome this habit.
I believe a lot of people struggle with this, so today I will broach this subject and give you a few tips that work for me; you must remember that I am not a medical or professional or doctor and before you change anything in your life please consult a medical professional.

BINGEING PRESENT PARTICIPLE OF BINGE
Indulge in an activity, esp. eating or drinking, to excess: “she cannot help binging on food”.

This is the dictionary definition. What I mainly want to discuss and help understand is why are we bingeing and how to overcome it.

To me there is a huge difference between eating to excess and eating one more piece of cake. I also believe that the reason people binge is because we are stressed, unhappy, angry, lonely, bored and more than anything tied to the idea that food is bad and we shouldn’t eat it if we want to feel good about ourselves or look like the girl in the magazine then we need to abide by the rule of no eating. Right? Wrong!

Society sets us up to believe that we are gaining weight or miserable because we eat too much, they publish a ton of articles with skinny, long legged models on the cover and then next to it say “want to look like her here is the diet”. So, we go on this diet because for some reason we think that we are going to end up looking just like the model if we do it and then when the diet comes to an end we are left to fend for ourselves except that we feel starved and possibly still unhappy (because not much has changed) that we decide to eat whatever we want because we were good and we did the diet and we deserve this much, and of course not to mention that our body just wants food but we don’t have a guide to follow after the diet so we eat everything and anything and lose control. This is what I think leads to a lot of binges. If we just had a healthy relationship with food we could stop constantly thinking about it and obsessing over everything that we put in our mouth and just really eat when we are hungry and hopefully be conscious about making healthy decisions not just for weight-loss, but mainly for health. If you are unhealthy there is no way that the food you eat is beneficial towards a gorgeous figure but more likely towards healing our bodies, and using up energy just to keep us functioning.

As you know I believe in eating everything in moderation and that if you listen to your body you will know when and what to eat. You are not going to get fat because today you ate a handful of chips, or because you had a piece of chocolate cake after dinner, but you will gain weight (and binge) if you put it off too long, restrict and tell yourself you can’t have it at all; because the minute you are stressed or let your guard down you are going to attack the whole bag of chips or end up eating the whole cake in one sitting, giving you the feeling that you have done something horribly wrong, and punish yourself by never eating a chip or cake again until the next time comes around and you are weak and do it all over again. It’s a cycle.

I’m fortunate enough to have been blessed with good genes and also with healthy eating habits since a very young age, with that being said I still had my shares of struggles. As you know I started cleansing about 7 years ago and after the 3rd time I got pretty addicted to it doing it about twice a year. Initially I started doing it because I really felt and looked good, I had energy, my skin glowed, I felt fantastic; but with that also came 10lbs of weight loss (mostly water and muscle mass) little did I know that I started using it as a crutch, I would cleanse and then when I would come off it in order to maintain I would try to eat about as little as humanly possible.
Let’s say just a green salad all day because I knew that I would gain all weight back if I ate normally, the problem is that you can only go so long (especially if you are a foodie as myself) eating just salads and 10 almonds a day. Then come the weekends and I would allow myself a glass of wine maybe some warm fresh baked bread (my utter addiction) with some cheese, you feel bloated and think “what the hell I ate badly already I might as well have more bread and maybe some chocolate and some of this and some of that”. I never binged to where I would eat a whole pint of ice cream but I definitely felt hopeless at times because I just over did it and started to look for more food in the cupboard to eat because I messed up and needed to punish myself tomorrow by not eating anything so I needed to eat as much as possible today. Then I would cleanse to be able to get “back on track” with my weight and eating only a salad bowl. Bad! But true! So, here as some tips that I use and that have completely and utterly changed my life for the better, I feel great and am in the best shape of my life, but mostly I eat what I want, when I want and I don’t punish myself because of it. Yes, there is bread in my life and many more foods that you would be shocked about (Lasagna, Pasta, Pizza, etc..) I eat it when I really want it and don’t actually crave it as often as you would think because it’s not forbidden it’s allowed and I know I can have it when I want it. It doesn’t have those bad effects on me because my body is in a good shape and these foods are not staples but mere accompaniments to my healthy Lifestyle where I mainly (because I love) eat Vegetables, Fruits, Lean Proteins, Nuts and Whole Grains. I hope that you find these tips helpful.

1. No more Dieting
I know this is hard but trust me they don’t work. Just try to live a healthy life style, food is fuel and it’s what we live on so it will be around your whole life. Make it your friend not your enemy. Eat mainly lean proteins, vegetables, fruits, healthy fats (aka nuts, olive oil, avocados), whole grain carbs and starches. Eat foods in their natural state as much as possible. Like raw sugar vs. white sugar, or dark 70% chocolate vs. white sugary chocolate, or steamed, grilled, baked, roasted, sautéed vegetables, meats vs. fried or battered.
2. Portion Control
Try not to eat out of the carton, bag or box. Serve yourself and let that be your portion. Say you want Almonds, serve yourself a ramekin and take it with you and let that be your portion. Just because they are healthy doesn’t mean you need to eat the whole container today, remember you are not on a diet so you can have them again tomorrow. Same goes for any other food, try to serve your snacks or treats in small bowls or ramekins. Your body will thank you.
3. Listen to your Body
Learn the difference between hunger and cravings. Say you get a sudden craving for sweets but you just ate; drink a nice tall glass of water give it 20 minutes and if you are still craving something sweet have a delicious apple or any fruit. This should satisfy your craving for sweets. Now, if you continue to have the craving the next day or later on in the day I say go for it; serve yourself a scoop of ice cream and enjoy every bite of it. I say no dieting, but make mindful decisions also. Choose the best for your health, what is going to make you feel better about yourself, not disgusting and gross.
4. Keep a food Journal
I started keeping a food journal about 5 years ago, I write everything I eat throughout the day and how I feel. I have since figured that I am intolerant to soy (because although everyone said that it was good for me and milk was bad) I still always felt fatigued, bloated and really uncomfortable, turns out I am really intolerant and have a very hard time processing it. I eliminated it from my life and I am back to enjoying my cappuccino in the morning. Again this journal helps with listening to your body and its needs, but also helps you with tips 1 & 2 because you need to write everything down and sometimes you don’t want to write down “ate pint of ice cream today”. Catch my drift. 😉
5. Don’t deprive yourself
If you forbid or deprive yourself from foods that you might crave but don’t necessarily fall in the “good for you list” don’t put it off too long or you will be just setting yourself up for failure and a binge. Remember tips 2 & 3 and enjoy! Don’t overly restrict your diet. I like to follow the 80/20 rule which is you eat healthy 80% of the time and then you can indulge 20% of the time it’s easy and fair.
6. Move on
Come to terms with the fact that no one is perfect and there will be times when you might not be able to say no (say Christmas,  Holidays, your Birthday or Special Occasions) you had a piece of cake more, well move on. No one got fat off eating 2 pieces of cake you don’t have to go on a binge to punish yourself. You indulged now make better choices for your next meals. Maybe instead of having a scoop of ice cream for dessert have a fruit. It’s ok!
7. Set yourself up for success
You will reach your goal of weight loss or feeling fantastic. No one got toned and looks fantastic from starving and bingeing. It takes determination! Live a healthy lifestyle and try to go for walk, get some exercise these are the only ways you are going to get rewarded for the hard work you are putting into your life. Starving will only make you lose mass and without mass you get skinny fat, which means that if you binge you gain weight and if you gain weight without muscle mass you look bloated and soft, no definition and you retain a lot more fluids. So, set yourself up that if you do eat a cake for dessert you won’t lose all the hard work of eating healthy and exercising that you put in everyday. It might be a slower process but its long lasting. Believe you me.
Also don’t buy a bag of chips if you know that you can’t control yourself around them. Don’t spend money on failure. Why are you going to buy the bag of chips for just incase you start craving them you have them around? The store doesn’t go anywhere, so leave them at the store and if you get a real bad craving for them and really, really want them at 10 o’clock at night get dressed, get out of your comfy, warm clothes and go to the store to buy them, make it to where failure is harder to achieve not right there in your cupboard.
8. Take Control
Most importantly you need to remember that you are in control of your body and you make the decision of what you feel like eating or need to eat based on how you feel or what you want for yourself. No one can tell you what to do. Suggestions are welcome but don’t allow them to overwhelm you. We are all different and respond to foods differently. Just because I can’t drink soy and feel better on lactose-free organic milk doesn’t mean that you can’t feel great on soy or drink it. Don’t stress if you are invited to a restaurant to have dinner with friends just because you feel that you are going to lose control remember what you had the day before or for lunch and balance your meals out. If you feel like ordering the baked potato go for it, try to have it as healthy as possible (like just the sour cream, or just the butter and chives, not cheese, bacon, sour cream, etc.. all at once), and if you do and you really were craving it then don’t order the fried chicken or fried shrimp as well order a nice side salad, some steamed veggies and some grilled protein. Balance! Train yourself to remember that this is not your last meal; today you are craving the baked potato, eat it. If you still want the molten lava cake then come back tomorrow and order it. It’s not your last meal; it’s one of many to come. Take control of your life and enjoy it.

I hope that this helps answer how you too can live a healthy and binge free, balanced lifestyle. No more punishments and no more restrictions. Just try to make healthy choices and train your body to crave good for you pick me up foods not the bad foods that make you feel worse about yourself after the 2 seconds are passed. Enjoy life and mostly the array of foods this world has to offer. Here and here you can learn some healthy eating habits. Regain control of your life and know that you are gorgeous and there is only one of you so no need to compare because no one in this world will ever be you! Have a fantastic week.

This is me and I had just ate a plate of pasta with my sister.This is me at the beginning of The 90 Day Tracy Anderson Metamorphosis Method. I started doing it in November of 2012 and I will post about that and how it’s going soon. A lot has changed and I feel fantastic considering that I’m up to day 130….My body looks and feels great. It’s tighter, way more toned (yes I have kind of a six pack). I’ll post about that and a new picture too soon. For now I just wanted to show you that you can eat and be in shape too! That’s why I picked a picture of only eating healthy without the workout body! Ciao

Advertisement

Healthy Eating New Years Resolutions – My Thoughts and Life

Posted on by
22

As I was surfing the net today and yesterday; I noticed how many posts were about losing the Holiday weight, getting back in shape, cleansing, dieting, detoxying; etc.

I started thinking about when was the last time that I have felt like that after the Holidays. I think that it’s maybe because I am so busy, hosting, prepping and running around that I really don’t actually gain weight during the Holidays. Don’t get me wrong I can’t wait to go back to eating healthier foods, eating at decent times, drinking a little less and staying at home a little more after the Holidays; but gross to the point of having to do a hardcore detox just hasn’t been on my to-do list.
But, I do know what it feels like and I do know what a nice detox does to the body. I’ve been there, done that and stressed about it just like everyone else. The thing that got me to writing this post is that once you start that detox/cleanse/diet you get back on track lose the weight and then reward yourself by going back to the same eating habits that brought you to do this in the first place. So, you go right back to square one.  Hence beginning a yo-yo effect. Then your body gets used to you doing this every so often that you don’t get the same results that you did the first time so you have to be a little more drastic each time and be more strict even while rewarding yourself.
So, I thought that I would give you some insight on how to get back on track and what I do to feel good again. It’s nothing crazy and it isn’t unachievable, you don’t have to sacrifice on the important foods and no you don’t have to blend everything.
You can eat and be thin too!

Often times too many we can’t wait to eat that piece of cake that’s in front of us. We can’t wait to have that huge plate of fries with that bigger than life burger. We think about eating that whole bag of chips (because we were good). Well I have news for you; I’m not saying that you can’t do that. I’m not saying that you’re a failure if you do that. And I am not even going to say that you’re an alien for even considering something like that. What I am going to say is that you need to reconsider if that’s what you really want to do? If that’s really what you’re body is craving? Is that something that is going to give you the energy to do something positive for yourself? Is it going to make you want to workout harder? Is it going to make you feel proud for making that decision? Is it going to give you the energy to go outside and play with your children for a bit? Is it going to give you the inner peace of mind that everything is going to be all right? Is it going to make that zipper on your favorite jeans go up? Is it going to make you feel light and healthy? Is it going to give you pure and utter satisfaction that when you are done you’ll want to get cozy with your husband, boyfriend or lover because you look and feel fine f@&king-tastic? If you don’t have one is it going to make you want to go out and find one?

Well if it doesn’t then why do it? Why even go there? I know sometimes we just really are craving it and one little piece won’t hurt; well that’s true one bite or piece won’t hurt. But do you have the willpower to say that’s enough! Do you have the will power to stop at that one piece or that one bite? Or are you going to excuse yourself every single time this situation presents itself? First; it’ll be because you were really good and ate really healthy so reward yourself. Then it’s because it’s the weekend. Then it’s going to be because it’s your friend’s birthday. Then it’s girl’s night. Then because it’s Easter, Memorial day, Summer Vacation, Independence Day, Winter, Christmas, NYE and there you have it a whole year of pure excuses that you seem to have no control over because you never told yourself that you don’t need that in order to be happy. It’s food! Not Eternal Salvation!

Ok, now those words were hard for me to say because I love food. I have and will always love food, and yes I’m going to saying it: Food Makes Me Happy!
But food makes me happy because my relationship with food is: eat to feel good, not eat to feel bad.
When I eat, it’s to have a positive effect on my body not the negative effect. I like to eat, indulge, know my limits and walk away. I’m not saying that you can’t eat that cake, or fries or whatever. I am saying that you shouldn’t look at it and say “that’s bad for me and I’m going to feel bloated in the morning” and then eat it anyways this way creating a negative effect with food because now you can only relate it to bad, and thus using it to punish yourself when you feel like you have gone too far. Instead of saying that is going to make me feel fantastic tomorrow and give you the energy you are lacking.  I eat and I know what is going to make me feel one way or the other. Say I don’t like Burgers, I’m not saying they aren’t good for you but they aren’t the best option either; so I’m not going out to eat one and I’m not going to eat it if it’s in front of me just because I am at a friend’s house or feel peer pressured. I don’t feel like I nourished my body and don’t like the after effects. I like pasta but I don’t eat it at every meal and I certainly don’t eat it when I feel like crap. I eat it when I feel good this way I look at it as a friend and not the enemy, this way I don’t have to eat it always. I know I can have it whenever I want; it’s a friendly food and I just don’t need it all the time.

What I know that I do need all the time is Vegetables, Fruits, Lean Proteins and Healthy fats and this is what consistently live off of. The rests are just fillers. I have lasagna, pasta, bread; I have cake, cookies, gelato; I don’t ever have sodas of any sort. I don’t have canned foods (besides beans and tuna). I don’t have white sugar in the house. I only cook with Olive oil. I try to eat only whole grain. I don’t eat processed foods if I can at all help it, so none of that is in the house.
I have formed healthy habits that I just will not touch certain foods, but because they literally disgust me. And for the rest I just eat them on occasion and when presented more often (like say the Holidays) I just eat a small portion and fill up on my veggies because I literally cannot live without them. That’s all. If you just cut back on the stuff that really doesn’t fill your heart, and just gives you a bloated belly. And start eating more whole; you can have miracles happen to your body.
Make your own salad dressing: 2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive oil, some fresh squeezed Lemon (or Vinegar I like Apple cider) some salt and pepper. That’s delicious and great for you and you’ll really enjoy it.

You’ll notice that your body won’t ever crave those foods anymore. And yes, you will be able to make all types of foods your friend and not cause you to feel so miserable after enjoying it.
Your New Years resolution should be about rediscovering yourself and changing your eating habits one step at a time. Food is good you just need to know when no is no. It’s obvious that if you are going to a party and you know you’ll have say a burger and fries, or pizza; well then start your day with fresh fruit, eat a nice salad with chicken or salmon for lunch and avoid eating crappy. You’ll fill up on good for you foods and won’t be starving for dinner and you’ll probably not even want to eat that dinner because your body is in ‘healthy mode’ all day it’ll know what it wants for dinner. Trust me. Your body is so freaking intelligent you don’t always have to over ride the cravings. If you feed it healthy it craves healthy.

As for drinking I know everyone says not to drink. I can’t do that! I like drinking and I’m married and my Husband likes to drink. What to do? Well, drinking isn’t bad you just have to watch what you drink. I love wine, I enjoy it and my Husband loves wine as well, so we drink wine. Not every night and not a bottle each time. We enjoy it, we can have it whenever and a glass isn’t going to damage anything. I don’t really drink anything else besides the occasional Skinnygirl Margarita or a Vodka Soda with 2 pieces of Lime squeezed in it. They are light and I still enjoy them if wine isn’t available.
I do like Mojitos, Caipirinha, Caipiroska, Pina Colada, Americano, Spritz, etc; but the thing with these drinks is that they are so sugary that you can really only drink one of them occasionally to not have negative effects on the body that I just opt out and prefer to stick to my glass of wine. Gives me more satisfaction. Period! I do give my body a break sometimes I tell my Husband that I am not going to drink for 2 weeks or something like that but it has to be an achievable goal and when drinking I try to limit 1-2 glasses a night. I’m not perfect I have those nights when I drink way too much, but it’s ok I am aware and I am having a good time. What is life without the occasional slip up. Just don’t regret it and punish yourself. It’s life move on. Make healthy choices and don’t put it off till tomorrow.

I can’t stand when people say. I feel like shit. I ate like shit, I need to start a diet or to eat healthy, but today I already started out unhealthy so I’ll do it tomorrow; oh wait after tomorrow because tomorrow I have to go out or blah, blah, blah. It’s an excuse! Just because you go out doesn’t mean you can’t make a healthy choice. So what if your friends are ordering crap. You’re paying for your food; eat what you want. Order a nice piece of salmon with roasted veggies and a glass of crisp white wine. Or do you really want that Burger with fries and a beer? If you do, go for it. You see I know how I would feel the minute I finished something like that and that’s gross! Unless I’m not making it at home with grass-fed meat, fresh veggies, a nice whole grain bun, some real cheese; then I don’t care for it. And especially not if I’m trying to be healthy.  You control your body and what goes in it. Healthy is so delicious. Start making small changes now and next year you won’t have to go on a diet after the Holidays. Yes You Can Do It!

Here’s a small list of my all-time favorites for a healthier lifestyle:

  • Drink a glass of water first thing in the morning
    (if you can squeeze 1/2 a lemon even better)
  • Eat fresh Fruit for breakfast (have an apple cut it into pieces and sprinkle cinnamon on it, or a nice fruit salad)
  • Serve yourself a ramekin of Almonds for a snack (or whatever nuts you like)
  • Eat a vegetable at every meal, and pick one night a week where it’s the star of the dish.
  • Don’t buy junk, you won’t eat junk.
  • Make healthy snacks and keep them around for when you get that hunger pang.
  • Don’t drink Sodas, and unless it’s completely 100% natural try to eat your fruit not drink it.
  • Eat a square of Dark pure Chocolate instead of dessert, and absolutely no Candy.
  • Make your own salad dressing, I don’t care if what you’re buying says low-fat, fat-free, all-natural, whatever make your own.
  • Avoid fried foods. Try roasted, baked, steamed, sautéed, grilled or boiled. Just top off with a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, salt and pepper if it’s bland. It’ll be Delish!
  • Drink hot herbal or green teas throughout the day, and don’t put sugar. If you must a drizzle of honey, or brown sugar.
  • No artificial flavorings, foods, ingredients or drinks. If you can’t spell it out don’t ingest it.
  • Try to eat whole grains. Not wheat, whole-grain.
  • Incorporate more Lean proteins a.k.a Fish, Veal, Chicken, Turkey and some lean Red meat.
  • Eggs aren’t your enemy eating them at least once a week is good for you.
  • Eat Natural, Organic and try to stay away from anything in a box or can.
  • Drink wine instead of hard liquor, and if you drink hard liquor make sure it’s at least clear.
  • Keep it simple. Don’t over season or flavor your food. Leave out all those sauces. Stay all-natural, need some pizzaz use Extra Virgin olive oil.
  • Listen to your body, if you don’t like Soy or feel good when you drink it then don’t. Just because people say it’s better or good for you doesn’t mean you have to have it. I feel horrible and bloated when I drink Soy so I drink Lactose-free milk now and feel great.
  • Workout. You have to get off your butt and move that gorgeous body of yours. You have 24 hours in a day – 8 for sleeping = 16 hrs – 8 for work = 8 – 3 for meals = 5 -1 for working out still leaves you 3 hours. And if you don’t work that means taking out the 8 hrs for sleep, 3 hrs for meals = 13 hours left to work out. Do it! Find what you like and incorporate it in your long term lifestyle. Whether it be running, aerobics, yoga, pilates, kickboxing, rowing, cycling you need to find what you like and enjoy doing it because that the only way it’s going to last it you actually like the way it makes you feel.

I’m not a nutritionist or doctor. And please consult a specialist before stopping or starting anything new in your life. What I am is a girl that is 28 going on 29 and am in the best shape that I have ever been in my life after experimenting with all the possible, cleanses, detoxes, and trying a lot of different things I always went back to what I was trying to change. I finally figured it out. It’s a journey, a lifestyle and it doesn’t happen overnight but it does stay. And yes, you are going to look and feel much better forever.

Be healthy + eating healthy = Happy and Happy = Gorgeous body! Happy New Years.

IMG_3895

Healthy Eating Habits That Can Also Help you Lose Weight

Posted on by
8

Healthy eating habits are about making smart food choices that you can incorporate into your daily life and live with forever. I don’t personally believe in making a change in your routine that you don’t see yourself doing in the long-term or converting into a habit. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you can’t switch up what you eat or do different things in your daily diet. I am talking about getting rid of unhealthy food choices and replacing them with healthy choices.
Let’s say that you are somebody that loves to snack on Potato Chips, you know that that should not be your go to snack not only because it’s going to make you pack on pounds but also because it’s not a healthy snack choice. You could have a fruit, handful of nuts, a vegetable, yogurt, maybe some whole grain crackers/bread/pretzels with a nut butter of your choice, a few slices of turkey meat with lettuce or vegetable of your choice, some cheese (I like Parmigiano Reggiano), or anything that is going to nurture and benefit your body and you don’t have to eat the whole bag and still feel unsatisfied and hungry.

   VS      

It’s all about the choices we make. I used to be 18 and what I would drink and snack on would be chips, snickers bars or what we have her in Italy would be Tronky/Hanuta/Duplo/ Kinder or a Luik (which is a type of Lemon Ice Cream on a Liquorice stick), and then possibly accompanied by a soda Fanta, Coke or Lipton Iced tea.
Oh my, so not nutritious, Packed with sugar, additives and whatnot. I wasn’t fat or anything of the sort but I did look older and I know that I was unhealthy. I decided that I would do a master cleanse at age 20 (oh did I mention I smoked from ages 19-20ish about 2 packs a day, gross) the reason for the master cleanse was a personal challenge and I thought that if other people could do it then so could I.
I did the whole 21 days (I never in my life up until that point skipped a meal, or a snack…NEVER).
I got off the cleanse and felt like I had won the lottery, I felt energized, I felt light, I felt younger, and most of all I was healthy. I never touched a soda again, I am 28 and only drink water I mean it doesn’t even cross my mind to grab anything other than a bottle of water or a tea (hot and no sugar) when I am thirsty. It’s amazing. Just that right there is a healthy choice and this is what I mean by letting your choices become a habit, a lifestyle if you may. To me it became a habit because now it would probably taste nasty to me, but also because I look at it as not worth it. It’s not worth it because it has absolutely no good effect on what my body needs and so I don’t want it. I have friends that live off this stuff, like many of you out there that sit in front of me, offer it to me and it doesn’t even phase me. I mean now that I am talking about it, it does but generally it’s a subconscious reaction to reject it.
I have had the occasional chip, keyword ‘occasional’, not habitual snack. They are yummy especially now they have the baked, the Adzuki, the Sweet Potato, the Rice, etc….but they are chips non the less and not the best snack, maybe small occasional indulgence.

Ok, so to follow are a few life changing Healthy Eating Habits, let’s get healthy together.

Drink Plenty of Water:
Water helps you feel full throughout your day. Water also provides innumerable health benefits to your skin and your digestive and circulatory systems.

Eat Slowly:
Your food isn’t going anywhere, so sit down enjoy every bite and put your fork down in-between bites. It takes your body about 20 minutes to register that you’re eating and to turn off the hunger signal.

Eat Vegetables as the Main Course at every Meal:
Vegetables should be the star of your meal they are packed with fiber and few calories. They fill you up and you end up eating less of the high-caloric food on your plate. If you have to pick what to finish always opt for the vegetable.

Evaluate your Eating Habits:
Are you nibbling while cooking, are you finishing the food off your husband’s or kid’s plate, are you eating in bed? Think about it and try to not eat until you finished cooking, or leave the food on your husband’s plate, (he left it why should you eat it?!) See what you can change.

Shop on a full Stomach:
Make a list so you keep impulse buying at bay. When you shop hungry it’s a recipe for disaster in your refrigerator and in your wallet. You have to buy healthy food and when your ravenous it makes that nearly impossible because of everything you see and smell.

Switch to Healthy Snacks:
The most nutritious snacks contain complex carbohydrates and a small amount of protein and fat. Like nut butter on apple slices, they will make you feel full longer.

Eat regular meals. Figure out the frequency of your meals that works best in your life and stick to it. Regular meals help prevent bingeing.

Keep a Food Diary:
This way you can see what you’ve eaten throughout the day and help balance out your next meals/snacks. It makes you more conscious about what is going in your mouth.

Watch your Portions:
Piling food onto your plate can make you feel pressured to eat it all. Serve yourself a small portion when you’re done wait 10 minutes and if your still hungry serve yourself a little more. Keep in mind that your stomach will grumble early on, until it has shrunk to adapt to the smaller meals you’re now eating.

Healthy does not occur overnight, despite what you may think it takes sometime. Listen to your body and try to make little changes eliminate fried and have baked, replace white sugar with raw sugar, replace sweet iced tea, with hot green tea and no sugar, eventually it will become a part of your lifestyle.

           VS          

 

 

DETOX ….The Master Cleanse it is!

Posted on by
22

We all know how I feel about Food; I love eating it, I love cooking it, and I love shopping for it. Food is a big staple in my life as I am sure in most people’s lives.
However, lately I have been feeling kind of in a slump about it, I feel like I am so consumed with the many recent changes going on, with summer headed our way, the allergies I have due to the pollen and so on.
So after much consideration I have decided that I will do the ‘Master Cleanse’ a combination of water, lemon, maple syrup and cayenne pepper. I have done this cleanse a few times already and it always makes me feel fantastic it gives me that extra energy I need during times when I am not feeling so great.

The Benefits of a Detox

Besides the usual benefits of increased energy, clear eyes, skin and regulated moods, Detoxing has many other benefits:

  • Improves our Immune Function
  • Reduce the amount of toxins and pollution into our body to lessen the burden against the detoxification organs
  • Promote healthy eating, nutrition and supplementation to help our body effectively clear the toxins
  • Scavenge free radicals and eliminate toxins
  • Strengthen body’s fight against cancer cells and generate healthy cells in our body
  • Cleanse mucous, congestion, fermentation, inflammation in our digestive tract
  • Purify our blood
  • Reform our lifestyle addictions for sugar, salt, high glycemic carbohydrates, alcohol, junk foods, nicotine, etc

The first time I did “The Master Cleanse” was back in 2005 everyone had said that I would not be able to go without food for 21 days and it kinda kicked something in me to prove them wrong. I had started to smoke in 2004 and went from hating smoke to smoking about a pack or more a day, I never had it in me to quit and didn’t even want to.
So when I started the cleanse I hadn’t thought of the fact that I wouldn’t be able to smoke either. And, obviously after reading everything carefully and really soaking in the words “DETOX” I realized that I had embarked one tough journey. The first 3 days were torturous I had a horrible headaches from the caffeine withdrawal, I was craving my cigarettes, had muscle and body aches and I didn’t know if I would be able to complete it. However, although every single day I thought about quitting (sincerely only because I missed and craved the food), I started noticing how energetic and wonderful I was feeling, I would wake up in great moods, I had tons of energy (sexually as well, ha!) and felt like I was a new person; and the bonus was that I also lost a few lbs.

When I got off the cleanse I had no desire to put a cigarette in my mouth and felt so great. It was a way for me to push the button and start anew. I felt fantastic. I have consistently done the cleanse just about once a year, right when I start feeling sluggish and not so great, with the weather changes and my not so inspirational mood I know that I need to reset myself and this seems to work fantastic for me.

I only do it for 10 days, I have never re-done the 21 days I initially did. I don’t really know of any other detox because I generally stick to what I like. This one worked for me so I do it. However, you have to know that you are not allowed to eat anything at all, you can only drink the lemon mix, water and herbal teas. So, I don’t suggest everyone to do it because it is tough, there are other cleanses that are less drastic, I will list them below. I do however suggest an occasional detox, it’s good to give your body a break so that it can focus solely on you and help give that extra spark back in your everyday life. However, if you are doing this exclusively to lose weight I would suggest other things and always remember to contact your physician before starting any cleanse/detox. And remember to follow the guidelines carefully, you have to introduce the right foods back into your body slowly, I have attached the original link to the Master Cleanse for instruction.  Ciao

Master Cleanse:

  1. Nightly Laxatives (Herbal tea called “Smooth Move”) you can find it in any health store
  2. Salt Water Flush

Prior to your first day on The Lemonade Diet you should have taken your Nightly Laxative. On your first full day you do not need to do the SWF so you can start drinking your Lemonade immediately upon waking.

Lemonade Diet Recipe

Mix each of the following lemonade diet ingredients into a large glass:

  • 2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
  • 2 Tablespoons Grade B Maple Syrup
  • 1/10 Teaspoon of  Cayenne Pepper Powder – or to taste (as much as you can stand)
  • 8 ounces (250 milliliters of Pure Water)

Little tip: Roll each lemon firmly between your palm and the counter. Put sufficient downward pressure as you rock the lemon back and forth under your hand. You are softening the lemon to make the extraction of juice more efficient.

How much Lemonade should you drink during the day?

You will drink between 6 and 12 glasses of Lemonade each day (some people drink as much as 26 glasses per day). The more you can drink, the better. I try to drink at least 8 glasses each day. This will depend on how big or small you currently are (caloric needs), your tolerance to physical and psychological urges to eat, and your desire to to lose weight.

Here is the official Website: http://themastercleanse.org/

Here are some other types of Detox/Cleanses:

1) http://www.cleanprogram.com/

2) http://www.justcleansing.com/juicefasting.htm

3) http://detox-resource.com/10/fruit-flush-3-day-detox-diet-detox-made-easy/

 

 

 

Eating Habits of Naturally Thin People

Posted on by
115

I know that we all have ways we like to eat. But sometimes it’s our eating habits that can cause us to feel unhappy with our bodies and ourselves, we form these habits without even knowing that it’s a habit and maybe not such a good one at that. Eating is an essential part of our daily lives and who doesn’t love to eat?! But, we do have to watch at times how we eat. This is why I want to share with you the (secret) actually; known but not practiced eating habits of thin people.
They are simple steps we all know about and actually not that hard to follow if we make them our habits too, it will help our over all mood and way we look. Let’s see:

 

Naturally Thin Habit #1 – Don’t Overeat

Have you ever noticed that naturally thin people don’t over stuff themselves with excess amounts of food? They rarely eat larger portions or go back for seconds, but more often than not they have a natural awareness of their bodies and stop eating when they recognize that little signal that says, “Thank you, I’ve had enough to eat for now.”

Start applying this habit in your own life by paying close attention to how your body feels as you eat. When your body starts communicating that it is now satisfied, stop eating.

Naturally Thin Habit #2 – Get Rid of Guilt

Naturally thin people don’t beat themselves up for eating something they shouldn’t have – in fact, there are no forbidden foods in their world. They eat what they want, but they don’t overdo it. If they do eat something they would consider to be more fattening than their normal food choices, they don’t obsess over it for days. They don’t beat themselves up for eating it, and they don’t jump to conclusions like they are out of control and can’t be trusted to make wise decisions. They simply accept that they ate the food, and move on. No regrets, no guilt.

How freeing would it feel to adopt this habit yourself? Give it a try and notice how much better it feels to not have to carry such a heavy burden of guilt on your shoulders all the time.

Naturally Thin Habit #3 – Fill Up On Greens

Eat a side salad or green vegetable like broccoli to help fill your stomach. This gives you the volume of food that you’re used to without a lot of calories. Then, eat something that will satisfy your taste buds. An example would be an appetizer of a side salad to tame my hunger, then an appropriate portion of whatever sounds good to you. Maybe it’s a juicy steak or a pasta dish that looks good. A smaller portion of pasta will go a long way when you’re already partly satisfied from the greens.

Naturally Thin Habit #4 -Don’t be Obsessive

Don’t Get Obsessive About Losing Weight. When you first decide that you want to start losing weight it’s really easy to get obsessed with it. You may find yourself spending a lot of time thinking about what you’re going to eat or Googling weight loss topics online. This will only backfire on you. What goes up must come down. The key is to fit your “diet” into your life instead of trying to fit into your “diet.” Naturally thin people don’t obsess about working out and burning calories. They think positive and maintain a healthy exercise routine, if they miss one day there is always tomorrow.

Exercise is good, just don’t over do it. Almost all of your weight loss will be a result of your “diet.”

Naturally Thin Habit #5 – Find What Works for You

Naturally thin people eat what works with their body type. They listen to their body, some can stomach grapefruit, other can’t. Some can stomach soy milk, other can’t. Some eat dairy, other don’t. Some eat beans, others don’t.

You have to listen to your body and know what makes you feel good, some food bloat certain people and others don’t so you really have to learn to listen to your body and notice what is working for you in that moment. With this being said, we can all agree that too much sugar, junk food, sodas or artificial stuff doesn’t work great for anyone.
This is just some personal habits that I find to work for me, my husband and all the fellow Mythineaters out there.Thin people shouldn’t have to worry about what they eat, because they know themselves well and don’t feel controlled by food. Have a wonderful day!! Cheers to better eating habits from my Husband and I