This holiday season, you swear that you’ll

stick to your diet plan, but how do you avoid

the deadly diet destructors? Here’s how!

This year, the holiday season is going to be different, you vow. No more

overindulging and no guilty mornings after. You're going to make better

eating choices and achieve the fat loss success you’ve always wanted.

And for a while everything goes as planned. But just as you're cruising along

on your balanced healthy diet, wham! You're derailed at a party by one of

the Diet Destructors. These invisible dark forces can set you back in your fat

loss success, blowing your confidence and motivation in the process.

As anyone who has ever faced a buffet table loaded with tasty holiday hors

d'oeuvres knows, it's not easy to make good food choices in certain

surroundings. "For every step forward we take, our food environment can

send us back two steps," says Janet Washington, M.P.H., R.D., coordinator

of the sports nutrition program at Simmons College in Boston. Learning

where the Diet Destructors lurk and how to combat them is the key to your

weight loss success.

Read on to discover situations where you're most likely to encounter the Diet

Destructors and simple strategies to keep them from sabotaging your

healthy diet.

Balanced Healthy Diet Danger Zone 1: parties, special

occasions and holiday celebrations

You can stick to your balanced healthy diet plan without being a party

pooper. Before heading out the door, decide what your limit will be. Will you

have a big plate of salad or raw veggies and just a bit of the cold cuts from

the meat and cheese tray? Make those choices before the event.And, just for 

extra insurance, set a goal for morning-after damage control.

For example, you might decide that if you overindulge, you'll drink plenty of

cinnamon tea for a few days afterward and increase your cardio workouts.

Balanced Healthy Diet Danger Zone 2: work

With holiday cookies, vending machines and sweet treats around virtually

every corner, there are very few places the Diet Destructors love more than

the workplace. Your best chance for weight loss success while at work is to

enlist help from like-minded colleagues.

Consider taking turns bringing healthful foods to meetings, or ask the person

in charge of refreshments to offer some healthier options such as fresh

veggies.

For maximum control of work-time eating, you'll need to plan ahead and

bring your own healthful lunch and snacks from home. Keep Ideal Protein

packet in a desk drawer and have a protein drink and some sliced

cucumbers instead of a candy bar when an afternoon slump hits. For around

125 calories you'll get a balanced mini-meal with about 20 grams of protein.

Balanced Healthy Diet Danger Zone 3: the gym

Gyms and health clubs have expanded into the lucrative fast-food market,

selling everything from energy bars and sports waters to smoothies and

protein drinks. But just because these foods are available at your gym

doesn't mean they're low in fat or calories.

Judy Phillips, M.S., R.D., project manager of the childhood obesity program

at South End Community Health Center in Boston, recommends saving

calories and money by skipping these tempting products. "If you're eating

normal, well-spaced meals throughout the day, don't bother with food at the

gym. Bring protein snack for after exercise if you feel you need it," she says.

Balanced Healthy Diet Danger Zone 4: vacations

Vacations are all about taking a break from our normal routines, which

includes your balanced healthy diet. As a result, we often end up breaking

our diet rules and gaining weight. All-inclusive vacations and cruises in

particular can be challenging. Being on a luxury liner is like being on a

floating island loaded with fabulous, free food, says Karl Muhlberger,

corporate executive chef for the five-star Cunard cruise line. "Most people

feel like, 'Hey, I paid for this and I want to enjoy it.'"

But it is possible to maintain your fat loss success by choosing the right

vacation. Many resorts and cruises offer vegetarian, low-carb and low fat

options. Just do your research before you go and know what your options

are.

No matter what your vacation destination, avoid packing on the pounds by

planning how you'll eat before you go. One solution is to choose to phase off

correctly before you go and then treat yourself on even days and practice

moderation on odd days. Or, if you decide you want to enjoy whatever you

want whenever you want it, include a plan for getting back on track as soon

as you return home.

The best plan for the holiday diet destructors is to have a plan that is well

thought out in advance. 

Why You Got Fat

Inspiration

Cravings

Why do you crave chocolate in the middle of the afternoon while your husband craves steak at the end of the day? Why do pregnant women have peculiar cravings and why do women crave more carbs in the days prior to their period? These and other questions plague people who want to maintain a healthy diet, yet feel undermined by their own body’s insistent demands for off-limits foods.

Cravings: The Driving Forces

Cravings — defined as “an intense desire to eat a certain food” — are both psychological and biological. "It's definitely a mixture,” says nutrition researcher Susan B. Roberts, PhD, a senior scientist at Tufts University in Medford, Mass.

Researchers have proposed various theories to explain why just about everyone struggles with cravings:

• Your body learns, over time and exposure, that certain foods trigger a positive response. That’s why you continue to crave the “comfort foods" you grew up with.
• Some foods may trigger a neuro-chemical response that releases pleasure hormones, such as dopamine, after eating them.
• The sight or thought of certain foods causes another chemical cascade that compels you to believe the food in question will be very tasty (which is a good argument for keeping the foods you crave out of sight!)
• Your diet may lack variety, which causes you to want a change.
• You may need some nutrient or component of the food that your diet is lacking.
• Your diet lacks your favorite foods, and you miss them.
• You’re hungry.

Cravings: The Diet Impact

The impact of cravings on a set diet has been widely researched. Roberts and colleagues studied food cravings and behavior reported by 32 adult women participating in a six-month low-calorie diet. They learned that:

• A person’s highest weight over her lifetime was related to the amount she ate when she gave in to cravings: the greater her weight had ever been, the more she ate.
• People who were less active tended to crave fattier foods.
• The most commonly craved foods were about twice as calorie-dense as the person’s prescribed diet foods and 30 percent higher in fat, while being 50 percent lower in protein and 30 percent lower in fiber.
• Craved foods tended to be a mix of carbohydrates and fats, which Roberts argues may double the pleasure in terms of the body’s reward system.
• Chocolate was the most commonly craved food, followed by salty snacks.
• People who successfully lost weight on the diet had just as many cravings for high-calorie foods as their peers, but they gave in to them a lot less often.

The take-home message: People who want to lose weight should accept the fact that cravings will happen while they are dieting. Once they have reached their weight-loss goals, they need to develop a strategy to give in to cravings on a limited basis and in a portion-controlled manner.

Cravings: Women vs. Men

Everyone has his or her own special weakness, but cravings do tend to break down along gender lines and seasons of life.

“Women tend to crave sweet stuff — chocolate, candy, cookies. Men tend to crave steak, chips, salty stuff,” says Roberts, who has authored a diet book based on managing cravings, The Instinct Diet: Use Your Five Food Instincts to Lose Weight and Keep it Off. “Pregnant women have cravings that are all over the map, up to and including pica — eating things like clay — occasionally. We don't know why there is a difference between men and women; research hasn't gotten that far yet.”

Scientists continue to examine the relationship between cravings and weight loss (or gain), but in the meantime, experts like Roberts recommend accepting the universal nature of cravings. Work with them instead of trying to suppress them.

Mock Garlic Mashed Potatoes {Phase1-4}

Ingredients description

1 Head of Cauliflower - steamed until tender

1 Clove of Garlic - Minced

1/2 Cup Fat-Free Chicken Broth

1 Tbsp Olive or Grapeseed Oil

Sea Salt & Pepper to taste

Preparation

Using blender or bullet, whip cauliflower then add in remaining ingredients.  Enjoy!

Getting Ready

Being ready to lose weight involves many things. There is definite preparation to be done, and without the right kind of preparation, it is unlikely that you will be able to maintain your weight-loss effort.

If weight control is a serious issue in your life, you need new awareness and insight into your problem before you can solve it. A one-sided food solution superimposed on a multifaceted problem is doomed to fail. Even the best techniques won't be effective if you are not prepared to change.

Don't equate action with change. Taking action may be the most visible, obvious step to you and to those around you. But there are things that need to happen before you take an action like starting a diet. Here are some things that will help you get ready.

Try to make your goal crystal clear. One way to do this is to imagine a time in the future, maybe the moment when you step on the scale and the number reads the way you want it to read. Then, in your mind's eye, conjure an image of yourself at this weight. Try as much as possible to keep this image in your mind's eye. This will help you keep your goal in front of you.

Use this visualization technique often. Now that you can see your goal clearly, begin to think about your feelings, your self-image, your attitudes, the pressures in your life. Consider whether any of these things have been getting in the way, keeping you from achieving your goal. Make a list of those things that you think may be undermining your desire to lose weight.

Consider what your real needs are. Are you meeting your needs in other areas of your life? Write down ways in which overeating may be an attempt at meeting these needs. Then you can think of ways to answer your needs that would be much more effective in your life than overeating.

Think about three times in your life when you had the most trouble controlling your weight. Try to remember if there was anything stressful going on at those times. If there was, see if there is a connection between those stresses and your eating. This will give you greater understanding of your eating patterns.

See if you can team up with a friend who is also interested in losing weight. You can decide to lean on each other, take courage from each other, listen to each other, help each other over the rough spots. This kind of helping, supportive relationship will strengthen your commitment, give you courage, and make the process more enjoyable.

FACEBOOK

We are on Facebook now!! Like us!! This will be fun to share our weight loss doings!! Recipes, successes, struggles and generally helping one another!! Ideal Pro Weight Management invites you to join!!

Miracle Noodles

Miracle noodles are allowed on the Ideal Protein Protocol

The Miracle Noodles

by Dr. Kyle Remmel on July 19th, 2011

Imagine a World Where the Noodles are Calorie Free.

The Calorie Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free noodles Japanese Women Eat to Stay Thin

Why Is The Miracle Noodle So Healthy?

The answer to this questions lies in understanding the role of fiber in our diets. Our noodle is made mainly of soluble fiber. Soluble fiber acts to slow digestion. By doing this, it allows for the slower absorption of glucose and is the reason behind its beneficial effects in diabetes.

The soluble fiber found in the Miracle Noodle slows digestion and prolongs the sensation of fullness and is an essential part of any weight loss program. You also absorb more nutrients in the foods you eat with The Miracle Noodle due to the slowing of digestion.

How Can The Miracle Noodle Help Me In My Weight Loss Goal?

Just by replacing one meal per day with our noodles will significantly raise your needed fiber intake and dramatically lower your total calorie intake. In combination with raising your metabolic rate with moderate exercise, you have just found the tasty weight loss plan you have been looking for.

Can the soluble fiber in The Miracle Noodle help my cholesterol?

Yes! Soluble fiber binds bile acids that are secreted from the gall bladder. These bile acids have cholesterol in them and are bound up by the soluble fiber in the Miracle Noodle and then excreted. See the 3rd study on the left for specific documentation.

How does The Miracle Noodle help Type II Diabetes?

By slowing the digestive process, there is a slower absorption of glucose which then requires a slower release of insulin from the pancreas which aids in the normalization of blood glucose after eating a meal.

MIRACLE NOODLES ARE INSTANTLY READY!

1. Just drain the pack and rinse in a strainer or collander for a couple of minutes.
2. Lightly boil for 1 min.
3. It can be added to cooking dishes to absorb the flavor all the while retaining its consistency.
4. Slurp loudly and enjoy with family and friends!

The Importance of Taking Your Supplements!

Supplement Overview Michael P. Ciell, R.Ph., -Chief Science Officer & Vice President of Clinical Operations

The three supplements that are required as part of the Ideal Protein Weight Loss Method have been formulated specifically to ensure that the dieter receives the minimum daily recommended amounts of essential nutrients based on RDA guidelines for a typically healthy person age 19 to 50. As with the amount of protein in our protocol, it must be stressed that these are the minimum amounts required by the body daily and that there is not any amount of nutrient (macro or micro) that would be considered a “high –dose” or hyper amount. Occasionally a dieter may need additional supplementation (due to age or particular medical condition) and that would be addressed under the guidance of his or her medical professional. These supplements are given merely to make up any short coming the dieter may experience while temporarily omitting certain food groups (i.e. fruits, dairy products, grains, root vegetables and legumes) from their daily meals while on the weight loss portions of the Ideal Protein Weight-loss Method.

CALCIUM

884 mgs. of elemental calcium is supplied by the daily servings of our three supplements.

600 mgs. in the form of calcium citrate comes from the “CAL-MAG”. 200 mgs. as calcium carbonate, is supplied by the “POTASSIUM CALCIUM”.

84 mgs. as calcium citrate is supplied in the “MULTI – VITA”.

The use of different forms of calcium (or “salts”) is a common practice in pharmacy and is usually indicative of a ‘higher quality’ supplement. Calcium citrate contains less elemental calcium (21% by weight) compared to calcium carbonate (about 40%) but is generally viewed as being more absorbable (bio-available). Calcium carbonate on the other hand is more alkaline than the citrate salt and helps support the body’s acid / base balance.

If a person were to have three servings of a high calcium food per day they would be receiving about 900 mgs of elemental calcium. Eight ounces of whole milk provide about 291 mgs, skim milk about 302 and 2% and 1%, 297 and 300 mgs respectively. An eight ounce glass of calcium fortified orange juice contains roughly the same (about 300 mgs). Cheeses average about 175 mgs per serving (mozzarella, 147, cheddar roughly 200).

1Eight ounces of yogurt yields about 300 mgs and a cup of ice cream supplies around 160 mgs1. People on the IDEAL PROTEIN WEIGHT LOSS METHOD will not be eating these foods (while on the weight loss phase) so you see our supplements are merely supplying them with the nutrients they would be getting from these commonly consumed foods.

IDEAL PROTIEN DIETERS are required to eat 4 cups of vegetables, two green salads and one serving of a whole protein food (meat, fish or fowl) per day. These foods will amply supply the remaining calcium and ensure our program adheres to the US and Canadian RDA guidelines.

POTASSIUM

332 mgs. of elemental potassium is supplied in the daily servings of two of our products.

312 mgs. are supplied by the 800 mgs. of potassium bicarbonate in the “POTASSIUM – CALCIUM” tablets. 20 mgs. in the form of potassium citrate comes from the “MULTI–VITA”.

Potassium is an extremely important element or electrolyte in human physiology. It is involved with maintaining proper fluid and mineral balance, cardiac function and nerve transmission. Our bodies exquisitely regulate the amount of potassium in our blood stream and when these controls become compromised (as in disease states like renal failure) the patient generally requires constant medical supervision. A healthy adult usually looses about 2,000mgs of potassium per day (via urine, perspiration and feces) and generally accepted guidelines recommend replacing that amount daily through our foods. These folks could easily take in twice that amount with no ill effects and athletes or people involved in strenuous activity will normally supplement to avoid becoming hypokalemic due to increase potassium loss through excessive perspiration.

Again, the Ideal Protein Weight-loss Method focuses on the minimum daily requirements and, because we are not consuming some food groups which are common sources of the daily potassium requirement, we must supplement while on the weight loss phase of the program. For example, a small banana contains 467 mgs of potassium, a third of a cup of raisins 363, one-half of a medium potato (with skin) about 422 mgs, one small orange roughly 240 mgs and one cup of 2% milk 377 mgs. We use our supplements only to replace what we are missing while temporarily giving up some of our common sources of potassium. Remember our dieters are required to consume 4 cups of vegetables, two green salads and a portion of whole protein per day. One-half cup of cooked mushrooms contains 277 mgs. of potassium, one cup of cooked asparagus (277), one cup of cooked zucchini or summer squash (346) and one cup of iceberg lettuce (87). Two examples of whole proteins would be: three ounces of baked or broiled salmon contain (319 mgs) while three ounces of roasted turkey (dark meat) have (259 mgs). When we “do the math” we can easily see that our dietary protocol comes in right about “dead- on” to the 2,000 mgs / day (between diet and supplements) that is recommended.

1 Drugs.com (an online pharmacy information service). www.drugs.com

2

Now the question that always comes up is this: “Yes, but my doctor has already given me a prescription potassium supplement, why do I need to take yours too?” To this I reply: “Your doctor has your serum potassium levels titrated to the proper amount. If your “previous” daily diet usually includes a glass of orange juice, a glass of milk, a potato or a banana or many other fruits and dairy products, the answer is yes, otherwise you will be getting less potassium than your doctor expects and your next blood work-up will likely show a deficiency in this important element!”

MAGNESIUM

320 mgs. of elemental magnesium are in the daily servings of two of our products.

300 mgs. in the form of magnesium citrate come from the “CAL – MAG”. 20 mgs. in the same form come from our “MULTI – VITA” vitamin.

Magnesium is another extremely important element in our diet. A deficiency in magnesium can increase aldosterone (hormone) secretion leading excessive potassium loss. Magnesium is also an alkaline element (as are calcium, potassium and sodium) and plays a role in the body’s acid / base balancing. Magnesium is vital to more than 300 biochemical reactions in the body. The ratio of calcium to magnesium is very important, as they physiologically oppose each other in some respects. Calcium can increase muscle tone (i.e. “tighten” muscles) while magnesium “relaxes” them. This is why we often prescribe ‘calcium channel blockers’ for hypertension – preventing calcium’s effects on the muscles of the vascular system relaxes or dilates them and the blood pressure (or peripheral resistance) goes down. In the bowel, magnesium relaxes the smooth muscles of the digestive tract, allowing for normal peristalsis or “good bowel habits”. Too much calcium in relation to magnesium can lead to constipation. This is why it is added to antacids like “Maalox” (literally magnesium, aluminum oxide)...aluminum and calcium tend to constipate, and supplying enough magnesium tends to offset this effect. Magnesium is hugely important not only in the body’s ability to produce insulin, but also on the sensitivity of the cells’ insulin receptors. Type II diabetes and pre-diabetes (a.k.a. Syndrome X) are characterized by a lack of sensitivity of the body’s insulin receptors, so the pancreas is forced to produce more insulin in an “attempt to slam the receptors” into working. Now here’s where it gets doubly bad: insulin tells the body to store magnesium, when the cells “don’t listen to insulin” anymore (i.e. are insulin resistant) insulin is lost in the urine and the problem gets much worse. There are many studies showing the benefits of adding magnesium supplements to those suffering from TYPE II diabetes as well as “Syndrome X”.

U.S. guidelines recommend adult women to receive 320 mgs. daily (more if pregnant) and men to receive 420 mgs.2 Most common dietary sources of magnesium are nuts, legumes, cereals and grains, dairy products and dark green leafy vegetables. With the exception of the last, these foods will not be consumed during our weight loss phase, hence the need for supplementation. Once again, THE IDEAL DIET ensures our dieters get the adequate amounts of necessary nutrients.....never too much.

2 National Institute of Health, Office of Dietary Supplements. http://dietarysupplements.info.nih.gov/factsheet/magnesium.asp

3

Vitamin A (as beta-carotene) Vitamin C (as ascorbic acid) Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol) Vitamin E (as d-gamma, d-delta,

d-alpha, d-beta tocopherols) Thiamine (as thiamine mononitrate) Riboflavin (as riboflavin %-phosphate) Niacine (as niacinamide and niacin) Vitamin B6 (as pryridoxine hydrochloride) Folate (as folic acid) Vitamin B12 (cyanocobalamine) Biotine

66% 333% 44%

466% 2 666% 411% 200% 1 900% 65% 2 566% 83%

NATURA CAL-MAG 120 tablets

Serving Size: 4 tablets daily Serving Per Container: 30

Vitamin D (as cholecalciferol) Calcium (as calcium citrate)

Magnesium (as magnesium citrate) Zinc (as zinc)

260IU

600mg 300mg

20mg

65%

60% 75%

133%

Other Ingredients: Microcristalline cellulose, sodium croscarmellose, magnesium stearate, carboxymethylcellulose, hydroxyopropyl methylcellulose, stearic acid, polyethylene glycol, carnauba wax.

NATURA POTASSIUM CALCIUM 100 tablets

Serving Size: 1 tablet Servings Per Container: 100

Potassium (potassium bicarbonate) 800mg 22% Calcium (as calcium carbonate) 200mg 20%

Other ingredients: Microcristalline cellulose, povidone, titanium dioxide, polyethylene glycol, colloidal silicon dioxide, magnesium stearate, polysorbate 80, hypromellose.

NATURA MULTI-VITA 60 tablets

Serving Size: 2 tablets Serving Per Container: 30

3 320 IU 200mg 150 IU

140 IU 30mg 6mg 30mg 30mg 260ug 164ug 260ug

4

Pantothenic acid (as calcium pantothenate) Calcium (as calcium citrate) Iodine (as potassium iodide) Magnesium (as magnesium citrate)

150mg 1 500% 84mg 11% 76ug 50% 42mg 10% 5mg 33% 100ug 142% 5mg 250% 90ug 75% 100ug 133% 20mg 1%

Zinc (as zinc citrate) Selenium (as selenium citrate) Manganese (as manganese citrate) Chromium (as chromium citrate) Molybdenum (as molybdenum citrate) Potassium (as potassium citrate) Vanadium (as vanadium citrate) 100ug Choline (as choline citrate) 20mg

Other Ingredients: Microcristalline cellulose, magnesium stearate, silica gel

How to RewireYour Brain To End Food Cravings!!

***This article is from Dr. Mark Hyman who wrote the bestseller, The Blood Sugar Solution.

I’m a food Addict. We all are. Our brains are biologically driven to seek and devour high-calorie, fatty foods. The difference is that I have learned how to control those primitive parts of my brain. Anyone can this if they know how. In this article, I will share 3 steps to help you counteract those primitive parts of your brain that have you chasing high-calorie, nutrient-poor foods. But before you can update your brain’s biological software, you’ve got to understand why it developed in the first place.

Calories = Survival

The brain’s desire to binge on rich food is a genetic holdover from the days of hunter-gatherers. Given what scientists know today about our early ancestors it makes sense that our brains are hardwired to fixate on high-calorie foods. It’s a survival mechanism. Eating as many calories as possible, whenever possible, allowed our ancestors to store excess calories as fat and survive lean times. That approach worked well for 2.4 million years, but today it’s making us sick and fat.

That’s because our brains haven’t evolved as fast as our food environment. The human brain evolved over 2.5 million years. And, with the exception of the last 10,000 years, people only ate animals they could hunt and wild-plants they could gather. Imagine if you could only eat what you caught or picked! The variety of foods hunter-gatherers ate paled in comparison to the 40,000 different food items we can buy in the average big-box grocery store today(1).

No cinnamon buns for them!

And whereas we have easy access to food 24/7, drive-thru meals were not an option for hunter-gatherers. Not to mention that hunting and gathering was hard work. Early humans expended lots of calories acquiring their food, so they needed to eat high-calorie foods to offset the loss. The average hunter-gatherer got up to 60 percent of his calories from animal foods, such as muscle meat, fat, and organ meat, and the other 40 percent from plants(2).

That balance between protein and carbohydrates in the diet is where the problem lies, but it’s not what you think. Carbohydrates have gotten a bad rap, but they are the single most important nutrient for long-term health and weight loss. But I’m not talking about bagels and donuts. I’m talking about plant foods that more closely resemble what our ancestors ate. Hunter-gatherers ate fruit, tubers, seeds, and nuts. These are whole foods. They are full of fiber, vitamins, minerals and disease- and weight-busting colorful phytochemicals. They also take time to digest. Therefore, they raise blood sugar slowly, which balances metabolism and offers a steady stream of energy. Whole foods have all the right information and turn on all the right genes.

But the past 10,000 years saw the advent of both agriculture and industrialization. And, in the blink of an eye (by evolutionary standards), the human diet got turned upside down. Today, 60 percent of our calories come from things that hunter-gatherers wouldn’t even recognize as food. The bulk of those items—cereal grains, sugary drinks, refined oils and dressings—are simple carbohydrates(3). The primitive brain sees an endless supply of easy energy. Left unchecked, our bodies pay the price. The result is a two-fronted epidemic of obesity and diabetes in our country—what I call diabesity.

The Blood Sugar Cascade

When you eat simple carbohydrates, whether as sugar or as starch, they pass almost instantaneously from the gut into the bloodstream. Within seconds blood sugar levels start to rise. To counter the increase in sugar, the body releases insulin. Insulin is the key that unlocks the cells and allows sugar to enter. As sugar enters the cells, the amount of sugar in the blood declines and the body restores homeostasis.
An abundance of simple sugars in the diet goads the body into releasing more and more insulin. Eventually, the cellular locks get worn down from overuse. Like a key that’s lost its teeth, insulin loses its ability to easily open the cellular door. The cells become numb to the effects of insulin. As a result, the body pumps out more and more of the hormone to keep its blood sugar levels in check. Eventually, this cycle leads to a dangerous condition called insulin resistance. Insulin resistance—at the root of diabesity—causes you to gain belly fat, raises your blood pressure, messes up your cholesterol, makes you infertile, kills your sex drive, makes you depressed, tired, and demented, and even causes cancer.

3 Ways to Reprogram your Brain

Luckily there are ways to rewire the primitive parts of your brain by making good food choices. Here are 3 ways to get started. For more suggestions on how to wrestle control from your reptilian brain, see Chapter 15 of The Blood Sugar Solution.

• Balance blood sugar. Blood sugar highs and lows drive primitive food cravings. If you get famished between meals, that’s a sign that your blood sugar is crashing. When blood sugar is low, you’ll eat anything. To better balance blood sugar, eat a small meal or snack that includes healthy protein, like seeds or nuts, every 3 to 4 hours.
• Eliminate liquid calories and artificial sweeteners. Early humans didn’t reach for soda or fruit juices when they got thirsty. Sodas are full of chemicals and high fructose corn syrup. Processed fruit juices are awash in sugar. Try sticking with water and green tea. Green tea contains plant chemicals that are good for your health. And, last but not least, don’t succumb to the diet-drink trap. The artificial sweeteners in diet drinks fool the body into thinking it is ingesting sugar, which creates the same insulin spike as regular sugar.
• Eat a high-quality protein at breakfast. Ideally, you’re eating quality protein at every meal, but, if you need to prioritize one meal, choose breakfast. Studies show that waking up to a healthy protein, such as eggs, nuts, seeds, nut butters or a protein shake (see my UltraShake recipe) help people lose weight, reduce cravings and burn calories.

Ultimately, you may not control your genes but you do control what and how you eat. Since taking control and changing my diet, my brain no longer caves into the cravings and urgings that seduce the reptilian brain. The most powerful tool you have to transform your health is your fork! Use it well and you will thrive.

Motivation Part 2

{Sorry for the delay in posting - internet issues}

Affirmations

What you put your attention on grows. The law of attraction states that you attract to you what you think and feel most about. Your mind is like a powerful magnet attracting to you people and events that energetically match the content or vibration of your thoughts and feelings.


All thought is creative. You can use your mind to create good with the use of positive thought, or you can use your mind to destroy by focusing on negative thoughts.  Our bodies actually have a physical chemical reaction to the content of our thoughts. Negative thinking makes our bodies produce cortisol and other stress hormones, which make us store fat around our bellies.


Positive thinking has the power to unleash endorphins and other feel good chemicals throughout our body.  Most of us have far more negative thought than positive ones.  Yet, most of us go through our days unaware of the negative content of our minds, Then we wonder why we feel so badly.  


Each of us is responsible for the content of our own minds. You have a choice as to the content of what you program your mind with.  I like the saying, "Garbage in garbage out."  It reminds me to become more conscious of what I put into my mind.  If I want to feel good and create positive actions and results in my life, I need to feed my mind a steady diet of positive thoughts.


Affirmations create powerful intent. Repeated often enough they will create a powerful shift in your reality.  Most people do not use affirmations correctly and therefore have minimal success with them.  
They either choose ineffective wording that is not meaningful to them or they do not use affirmations long enough to effectively reprogram the mind. They give up on them too quickly.


When you begin to use affirmations for weight loss, or any other goal in life, it is important to choose an affirmation that matches your desires and emotions. It must feel right to you.  If you weigh 250 pounds and start to use an affirmation that says, "I now weigh 110 pounds," it will feel like a lie to you.  It's just not realistic.


It is best to start your affirmations that are more realistic and achievable. A better one in this situation is, " I'm getting thinner everyday!" By making your affirmations more realistic they will become reality sooner.  Break down your weight loss goals and affirmations in small, doable increments. You want to build success quickly as that will build the positive energy and momentum for more success!


When you begin to use affirmations for weight loss you may notice resistance coming up for you in a matter of days. This is to be expected.  Most people give up this time. This resistance is the analytical, critical side of your brain saying things like, "This is dumb,"  "This will never work."  Or, "You'll never lose this weight, etc."  This is also the voice of the saboteur inside of you.  This is part of you that does not want change. It has a vested interest in keeping you fat.


When this resistance comes up use on of the following affirmations:


I AM WILLING TO CHANGE!!
I CAN DO THIS!!
I HAVE THE POWER TO CHANGE MY LIFE!!
YES I CAN!!


Repeat hese 100-200 times a day until you feel less resistance.  Remember, your weight has been serving you in some way. It has been filling a void or need in your life. Along with doing affirmations and visualizations, you must find out what that void or need is and find a way to healthier, positive way of filling it. If you do not, you will quickly lapse back into your old destructive behaviors.  
This is one of the main reasons diets fail.


Affirmations are powerful to use when you are going into situations that cause you to overeat.  If your at a restaurant or party where you are tempted by food you can repeatedly say one of the following affirmations.


I EAT ONLY WHAT I NEED.
I CHOOSE TO EAT HEALTHY FOOD.
I CHOOSE TO STAY ON TRACK.
I AM COMMITTED TO MY GOALS.
I EFFORTLESSLY STAY ON TRACK.
I EAT FOODS THAT SUPPORT MY NEW WEIGHT.
I EAT LIKE A THIN PERSON.


Repeating affirmations at these times will keep you focused and on track.


Using affirmations will help you begin self-nurturing. If you beat yourself up about your weight, or if you say negative things about your body, use affirmations instead.  If when looking in the mirror you say things like, "You have such thunder thighs."  "Look at that cellulite." "I hate my butt, stomach, body, etc."  Choose to say positive affirmations like this:


THANK YOU FOR SERVING ME!
I AM GETTING STRONGER AND SLIMMER EVERYDAY!
I TREAT MY BODY WITH LOVE AND KINDNESS!!
MY BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF MY SPIRIT!!


Every time you catch yourself speaking or thinking negatively turn it around to something positive. Negative thinking is just a bad habit. It will take some time but it can be turned around. It can even lead to depression.


Affirmations do take some work.  That work will pay off for you.  They are not a quick fix. They are however a powerful tool in your weight loss toolbox.  Hopefully you have already come to the realization that all your efforts at dieting and search for the magic bullet has not paid off.
Think of this work as an investment in your thinner and inner life!!!

Motivation

Motivation is Mental!

Mind over matter!! Studies have shown that sticking to regular schedule of exercise and eating right really is an exertion of your mental muscles. Turns out that exercising not only your body but also your brain is proving to be effective in helping people make smarter choices when it comes to healthy habits

Memory building activities & positive thinking can help control our impulses to choose unhealthy habits. Research shows that people who followed challenging cognitive training regimens like memory building activities made fewer bad or un-healthy choices. Besides brain training activities, you can also practice positive thinking to make healthy changes in your life.

Write down your goals and talk to yourself in proactive terms. Rather than making sure that you do NOT miss going to the gym or that you do NOT eat an unhealthy snack, tell yourself when you plan to go to the gym and what you will

eat when you are hungry, instead of what you will NOT.

There is a true science behind portion control. Studies have shown that people with incredible willpower have different brain activity than those with no control, and that "training or exercising" the part of the brain that controls willpower can increase brain activity.  The prefrontal cortex is the area of the brain responsible for the brain processes involved in planning, impulse control,

willpower, and abstract thinking. Researchers found that dieters, who were making a concerted effort to eat better and lose weight, had a different brain response in their prefrontal cortex than non dieters. The dieters showed increased brain response to health and tastiness, while the non dieters only responded to tastiness.

Be specific if you want to train your brain to choose healthy foods over fattening ones. There are two kinds of intentions: "goal" intentions which are broad and general (I need to eat better) and "implementation" intentions that are more specific (I need to only eat meals that I prepare myself). When you are too general, the brain is less likely to change its behavior, however, when you are more specific, it has to do less work on its own to help you achieve your goal. This is especially true of weight loss stategies.

Physical fitness is mental. More benefit can be seen from doing physical exercise and brain training together. Studies have found that exercise can lead to new brain cells being formed and exercising your brain can help to increase willpower. So, doing both together can help yourself even harder. But even if you exercise your body alone, you will reap the benefits. When you exercise on a regular schedule and for a duration of at least 6 months, you can actually change your brain to respond differently to food cues.