"I Could Have Done Better"

This is what i heard from one of the participants of our health program, Total Transformation. I took that statement with mixed emotions. At first i immediately thought of my own journey these past 8 weeks: I KNOW i could have done better. Overall i really ate healthily and kept up with the exericse through zumba of course, but also did extra that i normally did not do. But i had my moments, the ones where i ate greedily the things i had been depriving myself (more on that in a minute). I drank wine, many times more than the allotted 5oz per day that every book, article, etc. i have ever read said is actually good for you. BUT I WILL ANALYZE MY BEHAVIORS AND TRY TO FOCUS ON PERHAPS ONE OF THEM I WOULD LIKE TO SEE IMPROVE.

So the next thing that came to mind when i heard this is: You should be proud of what you have accomplished: paying attention to what you are eating. Learning about what foods will spike your blood sugar, cause inflammation and a host of other problems..., exercising regularly which i think for most of the participants can almost be called a HEALTHY HABIT because they will continue this.

Now the next thought: If participants, including me, truly want a TOTAL TRANSFORMATION, PERHAPS THEY ABSOLUTELY NEED TO DO BETTER ON THE DIET PART. I know i do. So what i will focus on:

Portions: i eat way too much. Yes, Natural peanut butter is on the list but while high in protein, it is also high in fat. Nuts too. So if you are having these foods, great but they need to be measured and monitored to avoid too much fat and calories in your diet. Even if its good fat (goes for olive oil, avacadoes too)

Wine and Dark Chocolate. Life is too short and deprivation is not my thing. So a LITTLE each day and i think i would be able to move on.

HABITS THAT I WILL STICK WITH: Water each morning. I grab a bottle when i walk the dog and finish that up, then come in and refill that. I like to multitask.

No whites! No white flour, sugar (not white processed anyway, unless it is in an irresistable dessert, then maybe once in a great while), no white pasta or bread. This is easy for me to stick to...i love multigrain foods so i am great with that.

For a reward at the end of the program i gave everyone a healthy living themed book. Mine is absolutely awesome (if you haven't gotten yours, see me) It is called The Sugar Solution: balance your blood sugar naturally to avoid disease, lose weight, gain energy and feel great. Do you suffer from memory lapses, mood swings, weight issues, mental fuzziness? This book explains the sugar connection to all of these issues.

I will be sharing this info with you. Here is an excerpt that helped me understand better: Foods high in fiber (aka complex carbs) slows the absorbption of glucose (the sugar molecules that fuel every cell in your body)into the bloodstream, which helps control blood sugar levels. In other words, white carbs spike blood sugar levels because the glucose is immediatlely absorbed into the blood stream RATHER THAN Getting in to the cells to help them function properly.
Insulin (the hormone that helps usher blood sugar to the cells)is helped by moderate exercise to get the sugar into cells. Being a couch potato makes your cells insulin resistant, so your blood sugar builds up in the blood instead, and get stored to FAT!

Normalizing blood sugar and insulin levels will encourage the breakdown of stored fats and keep food cravings in check.

More tomorrow including those recipes i promised! This is enough for today.