Please Weigh In...

Happy Friday, lovely readers.

Just a super quick post to get your opinions on the scale. Yes I am talking about the bathroom scale, the very device that has held the attention of women everywhere, often holding us hostage and making us do unthinkable things like eat purred sweet potato and a concoction called Choco-Chestnut pudding. Anyone remember those days?

In any case, as you know I have been trying to shed the last five pounds as thankfully everything over and above that has finally come off with the AHS. But the other day when I stepped on the scale and it had the nerve to say to me: Bitch PLEASE, one at a time! I was like whoa! What's going on here? How is it that I have suddenly shot up by seven pounds overnight, yet my trousers still fit? Something had to be amiss. 

Now I know Tracy Anderson asks us to step on the scale daily. This is especially helpful when we get to the maintenance phase because you can see if you're up by two or three pounds then course correct so you're never again in the unenviable position of having to shed ten or more pounds. But other schools of thought are no, never weigh in more than once a week or a couple of times a month. Obviously as women our weight is going to fluctuate around that time of the month as we retain water etc. but most of us have a general idea (or at least I hope we do) of our healthy weight set point and we can sort of float above or below that number by a few pounds without having to worry too much. 

So my first question is how often do you weigh in and what do you think is healthy or normal? I know there are going to be a few of you who have tossed the scale, never use it and just judge where you are by the fit of your clothing. I applaud you. I adore you. I will never be one of you. (sorry, not sorry?)

But my other question is a little more um... I dunno... odd maybe? And maybe you won't have the answer but I'd really like your thoughts, ideas and opinions on this.

So my mean scale that told me there were too many of us on it at one time (it didn't really, I was being funny, or at least I hope I was) did tell me that I'd put on all this extra weight. Then I stepped on it again and it told me I was a mere 4 pounds. Right... I wasn't even 4 pounds at birth, so I knew for sure my scale was having a nervous breakdown. Was I overworking her? Or were her batteries low? I don't know. But to be honest I have never really liked her because she has always told me I was "a little heavy". So what's a girl to do?

Why go out and get a new scale obviously. But I was sick to death of the ones that operate on battery because it's a pain to have to run around trying to locate the exact one for your scale (first world probs I know, don't judge) but I also don't want one that is going to read my BMI, body fat percentage, bone density, and keep track of today's weight compared to the last time I weighed in. Been there done that. How can a scale possibly know all of that crap anyway??

I just wanted a simple old school scale. So this is what I got.

It may not have been my wisest move as I can barely read the numbers on it. Oh the joys of middle age - your waist expands, your hair greys, and your eyesight goes. Boo.

Anyway, my thought was that this is a similar scale to what you weigh your produce on at the supermarket right? Simple. Its only task is to judge weight, it doesn't require a battery and should last forever.

But I was nervous. So I did what any smart woman would do, I had my beloved, He Who Shall Not Be Named, test it out first! So he got on and he hated it immediately. First for the obvious reason that he could barely see the number. But secondly because it told him he had gained weight. I chimed in helpfully with: "well dear, you did eat an awful lot of toast yesterday." Funny, not as helpful as you'd think. Anyway, he got on the old digital one and it said that his weight was the same as it was the day before. Hmmm. Interesting. Was this new scale going to kick me off like the last one did? 

To my shock, it said that not only had I NOT gained 7 new pounds, but that I had in fact lost 4. WTF? That's a total difference of 11 pounds. What gives?

I had to test both scales out to see who was telling the truth. So I gathered my two sets of dumbells, my 2's and my 3's that by my calculations should add up to 10 pounds. I put them on the old scale and it read 10. I put them on the new scale and it read 10. So according to both scales, my dumbells have neither lost nor gained an ounce. Well good for them, all they ever do is workout anyway. Boring. Some of us need a life you know!

But what about me? Even though I'd love to just "believe" that I have lost a magical 4 pounds and now quite literally only have a pound to go, I don't feel like that in my body and there is a voice in my head that says the old scale knows better.

It's such a stupid conundrum that I feel like a bit of an idiot even coming here to ask, because I know you're all likely going to say, go with the new scale! It tells you what you want to hear. But when you have a problem and you go to your friends, do you go to the friend who will call it like it is and just give it to you straight or do you go to the one who sugar-coats it for you? Frankly I'm sugar free and don't even have friends who know HOW to sugar coat and that's just the way I like them. But I am at a loss. It really is stuck in my craw, under my skin, on my last nerve. I'm tempted to dismantle the old scale find the freaking battery and replace it just to settle this. Geez, maybe I should have just done that in the first place.

Please weigh in. Yes, I know that there are fires in Fort McMurray, there are refugees fleeing from Syria, slaves in Nigeria, garment workers in India that are forced to work in unsafe working conditions and a third of Canada's indigenous communities are under a boil water advisory because the water where they live is unsafe to drink. I know all that. This is entirely and wholly insignificant compared to all of that. Our world is a mess. I ask you to consider this (not real) problem I'm having in order to forget all of that, if even just for a moment.

Big hugs.
Shan

Phase II Wrap Up and Phase III Intro

How was your weekend? It was a long weekend here in Canada, what we call the May two-four and it's generally the weekend that suggests to Canadians nationwide that, regardless of what's happening with the weather -- rain or shine or snow -- this is the official kick-off to summer. For once the weather in Toronto cooperated and nature is in full bloom. Leaves sprung forth from nowhere, flowers shot up out of the earth, bumble bees have began the rounds and the birds are singing their tunes at the top of their little bird lungs. It's amazing. Did I say fall was my favorite season? I might have lied. 

I love these early warm pre-summer says before it gets so stinking hot you fear you might melt like a candle in an inferno.

Right enough about the weather, lets talk about burning fat.

If you've been following along, you know that I have embarked upon a dietary journey (I say dietary as I am not on a diet but rather attempting to make permanent lasting changes in the way I eat in order to achieve radiant health) put together by Dr. David Ludwig, lovingly referred to here as Dr. Dave, called The Always Hungry Solution. It's a plan to increase consumption of good healthy fats and lean protein, while limiting your intake of refined carbs (crap like cereal, bread, pasta and cake) to help your body shift from being a sugar burner to being a fat burner. If you want to get the full scoop, you can click on the tab above called My Solution and it's all there.

So in Phase one, I had some struggles with what the diet consisted of because many of the foods on the approved list caused inflammation in my body. Stuff like dairy and soy so off the top I was gaining weight like crazy. Once I got off that stuff and made the program my own, the added weight came off plus another couple of pounds. At the end of week two I'd lost 3/4 of an inch off my midsection which was a huge win for me. I have always had a thick waist and the second I gain any weight it goes straight to my belly.

Now here at the end of week three and the end of Phase 2, I don't have a whole heck of a lot to report. My weight is holding pretty steady, and there hasn't been any change in my waist or anywhere else on my body for that matter. While I do have another 5 or 6 pounds to shed, (those stubborn last ones are always the hardest) I'm not actually all that worried about it because something rather significant has taken place this past week. Today is 55 days sugar free AND I have PMS - yet I don't feel bloated, I don't have cravings and yesterday was the first day in practically forever that I did not even feel like snacking between meals. I ate until I was full, felt full for hours afterwards and was satisfied with what I'd eaten so snacking wasn't even on my mind. That has NEVER HAPPENED!

Thank you Dr. Dave for teaching me that fat is not only okay, it's good and healthy for me. While I'm still not sleeping fabulously, I am sleeping for longer stretches and feel more awake when I wake up. Additionally I am waking earlier naturally. It's so odd. This extra time in the morning is allowing me to get in a bit of meditation as well so I feel just generally better, more grounded and well.

Would you EVER expect side-effects such as these after three weeks of starting a new dietary program? Isn't it generally the opposite? You're bitchy and angry and craving everything in sight and while you may have lost ten pounds you are on the verge of a raging binge that keeps the good folks at Ben & Jerry's in business? Or is that just me?

So what's the plan for Phase III then? Apparently it's time to take off the training wheels.

It's about losing weight permanently. The proverbial maintenance phase that not one single diet I have ever been on has talked about. That's why I'm not calling this a Diet. See?

Phase III is about creating your own menu plan with the new skills you've learned and it's also about finding your individual tolerance level to processed carbs. Or that's the highly simplified version anyway. I am not there yet and not sure I will ever get there. First off because I have yet to reach my lower set point for weight, I need to stick with Phase II a little longer. So why am I making the jump into talking about a phase I'm not at yet? Because if you are on the program or have been following along, I thought you might be curious. 

So the question you need to ask yourself at the end of Phase II is: How well did I respond in Phase I without any starchy foods or added sugar? Have your hunger and food cravings increased with the addition of these foods in Phase II? If so, reduce or eliminate grains, potatoes and added sugar for a while and instead increase fat intake (nuts, olive oil etc) And make sure to have protein at every meal.

I did notice that without any unrefined carbs during Phase I, I had more snack attacks and sugar cravings. During Phase II if I had more than one serving of carbs in a day, I didn't feel great. So for example one day I had a gluten free brown rice tuna wrap at lunch and a serving of brown rice for dinner. I felt bloated and not great. But having say a salad with tuna at lunch then some rice or Quinoa at dinner was just right. It was my Goldilocks position. So the idea of adding in more carbs doesn't feel right for me. But let me explain Dr. Dave's thinking as I understand it.

He wants you to find out how you do with more carbs so that if you visit Paris you can enjoy a pastry or if you're out to dinner with friends at an Italian restaurant and want to enjoy a bowl of pasta you can.

Having done Dr. Junger's CLEAN program I know that I don't do well on wheat at all. Bread is out, I don't want pasta and I am a certified Sugar-holic so cookies, cakes, and pastries are not an option for me. I have no "off button" when it comes to these foods, so therefore I just say no. It's easier. Some people do well with moderation, others do well being abstemious. I am of the latter variety.

In any case the food ratios for Phase III look like this:

If you look back at Phase II you will see that your protein intake doesn't not change, just the percentages have shifted as you eat more of other foods. According to Dr. Dave (and I think this is particularly fascinating) the above proportions resemble those of the US diet in the mid-twentieth century, before the low-fat craze and it's similar to typical Mediterranean diets consumed today. With approximately equal contributions from fat and carbs, you do not have to restrict any major nutrient and can enjoy freedom in food choices.

So what's the plan moving forward? I know sugar and the sugar industry are evil so I am not even going to go there. Once I cross the 90 day sugar free mark, I may look at introducing some naturally sweetened foods, things like dates or maple syrup if a recipe calls for it for a special occasion. There is a great looking recipe for raw vegan brownies I'd love to try out. For a sneak peak, go here. If you are on the fence about kicking sugar I suggest that you watch THAT SUGAR FILM, it might help convince you.

I think wheat is also evil  (I know I have been promising a post on what I have learned but it's going to likely be a long one so I keep putting it off. I'm sorry, I suck) so I won't be having bread or pasta any time soon, but I also won't feel bad about having an egg on a piece of gluten free toast as a special treat. But this is not the sort of thing I'll have regularly. I think for the most part I will stick to what's been working this past week, for even though I've not seen a change in weight or measurement I feel good. (read: not a crazy person trying to decide what to eat and eating take out because I was too lazy to make something).

I know, it's not profound. It isn't entirely the outcome I'd hoped for 24 days into this, but at least I'm holding steady and that's new. Before Dr. Dave, I'd lose 2 pounds and gain 4, so this is progress. Take the tiny victories people, for they're the good stuff of life!

Big hugs.
Shan

Method to the Madness

Happy Monday. 

Can you even believe that May is halfway over already? Another two weeks and we are halfway through 2016. Yikes, time really does fly as we get older.

I know I was pretty discouraged in my last post and many of you reached out with such sage wisdom and warm support. I really appreciate you taking the time to share this journey with me. Since then some interesting things have happened. For one, the weight gained from the Indian dinner as since dispersed, yay! But the really big bonus is the difference in my measurements this week. 

Dr. Dave did warn me that this might be the case, we might not see the scale budge straight off the bat, but that if we stuck with the program, that stubborn abdominal fat would begin to go. Sure enough, I have lost 3/4 of an inch off my waist. Can I get an AMEN?

Praise be to Dr. Dave and THE ALWAYS HUNGRY SOLUTION!

I want to take this opportunity to share with you some things that Dr. Dave has written in the book at the end of Phase I and had I read all of this prior to writing my last post, I'm fairly certain that I might have been singing a different tune. Just goes to show that we cannot always know what is happening beneath the surface on the road to radiant health...

Here's what he says in summary. 

If you're like the majority of our pilot program participants you've lost between 1 and 5 lbs (it's been two weeks so far so that is a healthy and respectable rate of weight loss), but the amount doesn't much matter right now. With calorie restricted diets, weight loss occurs relatively easily for only a few weeks (and much of that is from body water or lean tissue rather than fat.) Then the real work starts as you struggle to keep the weight off. In contrast, the AHS becomes progressively easier with time. If in the last two weeks you've experienced decreased hunger, fewer cravings, longer lasting satiety after eating, or improved energy (and ideally, a combination of them), you can have confidence that the program is working from the inside out.

You hear that? I have had decreased hunger, fewer cravings and longer lasting satiety along with improved energy. It's working! And I lost 3/4 of an inch off my waist! It's working! My organs are feeling happier already.

And this is how I know he really loves me --

He writes: 

Embrace the Teaching Moment.

Nobody's perfect. There will inevitably be a time when you overindulge, eat too much of the wrong foods, and have a negative reaction.  (The man is talking directly to me! Hello Indian food.)  Perhaps you splurged at a party on cake and ice cream (I'd never do THAT Dr. Dave, my name is Shannon and I'm a sugar-holic, I don't participate in cake). Or maybe you grabbed a bagel for breakfast in a rush instead of something more balanced and nourishing. Soon thereafter, you might feel physically uncomfortable, experience a fall-off in energy level, become irritable, or maybe even develop a headache. A couple of hours later you might get excessively hungry and battle food cravings. (I remember having a Shamandment on my old blog that stated "carbs trigger sugar cravings" so avoid them. And by carbs I mean refined ones like white bread or pasta.) At these times it's important not to be too hard on yourself. (Another Shamandment, no being a hateful meanie to myself.) Don't engage in self-blame. Remember -- getting back on track is just one meal away. Instead of judging yourself severely, think of these small slips as natural experiments -- opportunities to learn about how your body responds to variations in food quality and discover more about what your body actually needs. With mindfulness, these teaching moments can be powerful guides on the path to optimal health.

I came to this conclusion on my own eventually, but could have avoided much heartache had I just read ahead in the book and trusted the plan.

Ha, another lesson learned just then. Have a great week and I'll look forward to chiming in soon with a post about WHEAT and a follow up to Phase II.

Big hugs,

Shan

 

Week Two Round Up

You know those days where you just don't want to get out of bed and the fact that the sun is shining outside just makes it that much worse? Like how could the sun have the audacity to shine when you feel so crappy? Yeah, me today.

That image alone should give you some idea of how week two has gone on my AHS plan.

It has not been a successful week for me, but let me be clear... this is not Dr. Dave's fault at all. This is my fault. I got into a funny place in my head and for whatever reason I have bucked the idea of a diet. So where did that lead? To a bit of a downturn. I don't weigh in or measure up officially until tomorrow so will definitely turn this ship around today but I'll be honest, I'm bummed. Like why the hell did I think it would be a good idea to write about a diet?!? WTF. That's never a good I idea when it comes to me because I am no good at dieting. I am just not a rule follower. Period. I wrote "I will not obey" into my wedding vows for crying out loud!

Anyway. I think things really started to go wrong when I had to go rogue at the end of week one on account of many of the foods on the menu generating inflammation in my body. Then looking at the menu plan for week two and hating pretty much every food on there pushed me even farther out onto the skinny branches. Well then I was just basically on my own so I became unable (Read:unwilling) to go without carbs and I am not talking about the good kinds of carbs like quinoa, nope. I'm talking popcorn, tortilla chips - junk food! Junk food!!! On a diet plan! That's an epic fail right there, folks.

Things were looking up at the start of the week as I was being careful and sticking to my safe foods, but boredom and rebellion kicked in and I blew it. I have one more week - and this week puts me into phase two.

In Phase Two - this is from the book - you will slightly decrease your fat to 40% of your total calories and increase non-refined carbs to 35%. (we were 50% fat and 25% carbs in phase one). We do this by adding whole kernel grains like brown rice, steel-cut oats, or quinoa and some starchy veggies other than potato. Protein remains the same at 25%. Phase two is designed to retrain your fat cells so that your weight decreases progressively until stabilizing at its new, lower set point. This process can take a few weeks or months for some people. Phase two is intended to be your basic plan, to which you can always return as needed. If you're sensitive to processed carbs (which we test in phase three) you may do best remaining in phase two indefinitely. As with all phases we let hunger guide us.

To be honest, part of my problem is that because I am not following the menu to the tee, I may not have my percentages just right but here is what I can tell you so far after nearly two weeks in. 

I am not hungry most of the time since starting Dr. Dave's plan. Eating fat works.

While I am a sugar-holic junkie ho who has 44 days clean and sober (meaning off all sugar except that which naturally occurs in whole {non-tropical} fruits and veggies) I still get mad cravings for sweets. Yes, even 44 days later. Ugh. It's hell.

I wake up feeling more awake. That never used to be the case. I was always in a fog. Today was the exception. I was exhausted and did not want to leave my bed. But guess what??? I had Indian Takeaway last night. SOOOOOO not on the plan. So carb heavy. So filled with sodium! I was a lump this morning and at 10:45am I could absolutely go back to bed right now. Let that be a lesson to you. Indian take away is no bueno when you are trying to make a life change in your diet dammit.

I'm not sure how I will fair on week three - Phase two. I kind of just want to quit and go back to Dr. Junger's Clean. I did (at the persuasion of my gloriously intelligent and super supportive mate Sophie) get a copy of Dr. J's latest book Clean Gut. Who knows where this road could lead to. Anyway, that's enough of my moping for one sitting I think!

Have a great weekend.
Shan

A Cinderella Story

Good Morning Noble Readers.

Please allow me to start this Monday on a grateful note. I'd like to just say thank you for allowing me to share this journey mucking around my mysterious mid-life as I make my way toward good health with you. It's much nicer to do it out here among friends rather than in dim dark solitude.

With that, allow me to present my musings on this Cinderella story. I have been reading one of my favorite authors, Lindsey Kelk and toward the end of her book "A Girl's Best Friend", the characters are dissecting the story of Cinderella.

I'll paraphrase but this is the gist of their conversation...

The first character laments on the state of her life which is disarray of course and she's wishing that she had a fairy Godmother. To which the other character replies that he 

"never much cared for Cinderella, she never had enough gumption for me."

The first character protests saying maybe not but she did end up marrying a prince.

This is where it gets good because the guy who doesn't care for Cinderella argues that while sure, she married the prince, she really didn't do much to help herself. 

"As soon as the magic wore off, she hotfooted it back to the kitchen without a second thought." And that's what this character in the book I'm reading could never understand.

The prince had already gotten down on one knee and professed his love. What stopped Cinder from explaining her situation? From being dead honest with him and saying: 'Look, shit's complicated, I'm like totally not a princess or anything so help a sister out would ya?' (this is me paraphrasing sorry Lindsey)

Did she not trust the prince? The love of her life?

The point is that things could have been different for her if she'd just explained her situation in the first place, because what would have happened if he'd have found another girl who had the same sized feet? "One minute she's the love of his life and the next he doesn't recognize her when she's staring him in the face." 

Who is this moron?

"She would have still been scrubbing floors if everyone else in the village hadn't been born with giant cloddhoppers. And all because she waited around for someone to save her."

Then they go on to dis the fairy Godmother for putting a glass shoe on a girl who runs around barefoot all day, one trip or slip and she slices her foot off. Geez. But that's not what we are concerned with here, we're concerned more with the passive princess.

I related to this because so many of us who have not been blessed or gifted with magic genetics are always looking for someone to come around and save us with the next "best diet" or quick fix. Yet we still literally want our cake and eat it too kind of thing. We want a fairy Godmother to take away our love handles and bat wings and giggly thighs when we can't be asked to actually get involved by paying attention to all the subtle and not so subtle ways our bodies are reacting to the foods we're feeding it. If we did, we'd start to understand that no "one" diet is going to the our glass slipper. 

Girls, we gotta make our own moccasins is what I'm saying.

As I am transitioning through week two of Dr. Dave's plan, The Always Hungry Solution, I have found that certain foods just don't work for me whether I like them or not. Just because they are listed on the menu does not make it okay for me to eat them if I want to stop the inflammatory response in my body. I have got to make smart choices and tailor food intake to my own biology. 

Not an easy task but I believe it will be worth it in the long run.

Just to keep you posted on what's happening, my girl Natalia lost 3.5 lbs on the program week one and my mamma lost 2, so this stuff works folks but again, we've got to be our own detectives. I chose to step on the scale today to measure my progress since gaining weight midway through last week and I was happy to report that after four days of cutting out the big things that were causing me issues, I have lost the bit I'd gained along with an additional 6 ounces. Not huge by any means, but progress is progress and I'm into celebrating the small victories of everyday life.

xoxo
Shan

Week One Round Up and HORMONES!

Happy Friday friends.

Hope it's been a beautiful week for you. I was able to get my fingers in the dirt this morning and plant a wee window box of herbs. Next thing you know they'll be calling me the urban gardener. Ha. Not likely. Generally my green thumb is more of a gangrene thumb but I'm trying.

Yes that is a church right next door, so hopefully these little guys will get an extra blessing. And as you can see the sun came out just for them this morning so everyone here (me and Herb, Herb, Herb, and Herb) are all feeling especially grateful.

Really this is my way of trying to distract you from the bad news I have to deliver. If you read my previous post you are already aware that my body has not reacted well to some of the foods included on Dr. Dave's plan. Grrrr. Because of that, said body went into an inflammatory state that has caused all sorts of backlash. If you haven't had a chance to read what I've been writing about all week, simply click the MY SOLUTION tab in the bar above and it's all there but the cliff notes version is that when your body takes in a food that it doesn't like (it might be a food or beverage that you personally love like cheese cake, wine, or even tomatoes) it throws your system into panic and survival mode, inflammation happens which creates antibodies, which then signals the body to create fat cells to protect the organs, but then the fat cells create more inflammation and the cycle continues until we can root out these foods that don't agree with us.

Needless to say, weigh in and measurement day today was not pretty in the Masters' household. That said, because I took a course correction on day five and six, I suspect it could have been much worse. I didn't gain inches around my waist or belly. My butt and thighs gained a little but I'm not horribly worried about that at the moment, I'm more focusing on the midsection. And I gained a bit of weight. Don't worry. I'm not.

I am suspending disappointment here because I am not looking for a quick fix or dramatic over-night results. I am looking for the ultimate solution that will create balance and allow my body to find it's natural healthy set point. I know I am not there yet because of the muffin top and feeling crappy, so please stay with me here.

The sort of sad news is that I took a quick look at the meal plan for week two of Dr. Dave's plan and it's not looking good for Shan folks. I mean to tell you I think I have an aversion to just about everything in there, so what's a girl to do? Make it your own bitches! So that's what I aim to do. 

I found that I really liked the trail mix recipe provided but this week calls for Herb Roasted Chickpeas. While no doubt delicious, I am staying away from beans right now so I wanted an alternative and frankly, I wanted something that would speak to my palette, sweet yo! So I found a recipe for Cinnamon Almonds. No sugar or any other kind of sweetener added! Yay for the sugar free warriors out there that are providing us with options. 

It's such a super simple recipe I have to share it here quickly and then I want to talk to you a bit about that above inflammatory response and what is actually contributing to it.

So....

I didn't have enough almonds this morning so I threw in some pecans and walnuts as well. They are cooling as we speak. Hope they taste as great as they smell. Get 'a load 'a me!?! All cooking and prepping and planting, this process might make a domestic outta me yet. 

I got so much great information from the TRUTH ABOUT FAT LOSS Summit, I think I could go broke just ordering all of the books written by so many of the great speakers I've listened to, but for today I want to talk about Dr. Sara Gottfried and her research into women, weight loss, and hormones. Check her out HERE.

First, let me get straight that I am not advocating for you to run out and buy all the books of the people I mention, I have not read her book, but it sounds amazing. Nor am I telling you to run out and buy Dr. Dave's ALWAYS HUNGRY SOLUTION Book, I'm just letting you know that this is where some of these ideas are coming from and that they make sense (to me) and are helping me piece this midlife middle-aged-spread puzzle together. Got it? Good.

The only two things that I feel like I know for sure is that sugar makes you fat because it spikes your insulin -- which put plainly is your fat  storing hormone -- and fat, the good healthy kinds of fat that you eat (not the stuff currently accumulating around my tummy) has absolutely no effect on insulin. So these are what I am building on along with Dr. Dave's solution for one more week of:

So Dr. S. (Short for Sara Gottfried) says that there are seven major hormones that effect your weight I don't know what all of them are exactly but trust me these are not just old lady hormones I'm talking about here okay? These are hormones that can contribute to obesity in children if shit gets out 'a whack.

Cortisol - the stress hormone
Estrogen - the lady hormone - we don't want it to be too high or too low
Testosterone - the man hormone
Growth hormone
Thyroid - metabolism hormone
Insulin - the fat hormone
Leptin - known as the MASTER hormone (no, we're not related) it's produced by fat cells and it regulates your weight - so yeah, he's a heavy-weight in the hormone world no pun intended.

So Dr. S in her wisdom has come up with a plan that helps to reset these puppies by making dietary changes for differing periods of time. Again, not read the book so don't know the specifics but she has you go Meatless, Sugarless, Fruitless, Caffeineless, Dairyless (I know it should be dairy free and caffeine free but I was constructing a theme, just let me) grainless and toxinless.

Each one of these suspect foods causes a spike in a specific hormone level that then contribute to the perfect storm of stubborn fat that we cannot seem to shift even though we appear to be doing all the right things, eating healthy, counting calories, portion control, spending hours working out etc. For example all you meat eaters out there if you're not eating the happy healthy grass-fed cows you're likely eating animals that are pumped full of growth hormones, antibiotics, crappy food and all sorts - not to mention the fear you take on that that animal felt as it was being slaughtered. Enjoy that steak. Sorry had to. What I'm sayin' is meat can cause a spike in your estrogen that then throws off your progesterone and will cause weight gain specifically for women, guys will see fun things like man-boobs and fuller hips oh joy. So if you are eating meat, make healthier choices for both you and the cows, pigs, chickens etc, cut those portion sizes way back and up your fibre intake so you can get rid of the nasty stuff.

Fruit is not necessarily bad, but in the early stages of weight loss you want to stay away from the tropical more sweet varieties because they are high in fructose (just stay off sugar period, that goes without saying). By lowering your fructose intake this resets your Leptin hormone - remember? The Master Hormone. And think about this. The kinds of apples that our grandmothers ate were tiny tart little green things. The apples we eat today are giant red sugar bombs so go forth and make good choices.

Grainless is a trickier one. Gluten and wheat are just no go's. I will get to WHEAT next week I promise but for now just trust me on this.

Grains can trigger that insulin response we talked about earlier, but they also have an effect on the thyroid. So you want to stay off them when you are resetting your hormones - Dr. S says that for women it's a maximum of 7 days off because if you get into too much of a ketosis state, you become acidic and do you remember what happens when you get acidic? Inflammation! That's exactly right. Additionally carb restriction raises cortisol, our stress hormone which is no bueno! So we want to keep certain good ones in our diet to keep us stable.

The trick according to Dr. S is to find what she calls YOUR Goldilocks position, by getting enough fat to keep you feeling full and satisfied, having the right amount of good carbs things like sweet potatoes and lentils, and the right kinds of lean protein. Essentially she is saying a lot of the same things that Dr. Dave says.

If you're reading this and thinking: "I hate you! I don't want to give up my cheese, bacon, snickers, wine, chips, pineapple, ice cream, cookies, cake, bread, snicker doodles!" all I can say is I hear you. I didn't want to give up sugar. But I'm still here. The world didn't come to an end. I think perhaps the larger take away here is that we can transition away from some of these things slowly, stuff we're sure we can't live without maybe try to moderate. You gotta find and do what works for you. No one can tell you eat this and not that. Because the bulletproof dude is going to say eat meat and drink coffee with fat in it, while Kimberly Snyder and Cynthia Pasquella will say plant based diet only people, still Dr. Tom O'Bryan will say no wheat ever and in fact every grain is suspect. 

If you're still overwhelmed and are thinking that you have no idea what works or doesn't work for you, relax and go back to what we know for sure. Sugar causes your insulin to spike and insulin is the fat hormone, while fat does not affect insulin and instead makes you feel full - maybe just go and make some guacamole. Um but don't eat it with corn chips because corn is often genetically modified and therefore bad. Sorry.

Still love me? I love you. Have a great weekend.
xoxo
Shan

Day Five - Course Correction

Hey!
How's your week going? Eating healthy and feeling well I hope. Me? Ugh, not so much.

As I said right up front (or at least I hope I did) this ALWAYS HUNGRY SOLUTION is an experiment on myself. The idea being that I want to work within my own unique biology and create a plan that works for me and I have been learning so much I don't even know where to start. Bottom line, I want to be a fat burner.

If you're just catching up and want to know the whole story, you can click the MY SOLUTION link in the bar above and I've put all the AHS posts in one place. How convenient right? I still have no idea how to organize a blog so it's easy to find and search stuff so that was the least I could do.

Getting back to the topic at hand, I am on day five of Dr. Dave's diet plan with my own tweaks in place and things are not going well at all. I have been bloated, tired, low energy, head ache and worst of all...

Gassy. I mean to tell you that I have been letting rip the mother of all brother-in-law stink bombs that are so rank even my dog can't stand to be in the same room as me! So what gives? It's not the plan itself, it is my biology and certain foods that I know I have sensitivities around. They are the usual suspects, soy, dairy, sugar (I know it's not that this time around as I am still off the sweet stuff) and wheat. (same goes I'm off it) so it's got to be the soy and dairy in addition to certain beans. My weekly plan has been filled with chick peas, black beans, and tofu oh my. Add to that full fat milk, yogurt and cheese and well folks, we have a storm brewing. Quite literally. Hold your nose, she could blow at any time!

As I have been listening to all of the speakers that I could find time for during last week's THE TRUTH ABOUT FAT LOSS SUMMIT, some very common themes emerged. The most important message I got? Inflammation is no bueno! Without going into a whole lotta education or scientific jargon that I could never hope to pull off, inflammation is the root cause of ALL stubborn fat that won't seem to budge. We have biofeedback mechanisms in place in our bodies that are a cascade of cause and effect and this is what it breaks down to at its simplest. Certain foods do not agree with us. Let's use sugar as an example.

Refined sugar like the stuff you find in cakes and cookies and even certain boxed cereals that disguise themselves as healthy cause an inflammatory response in your body. (they release insulin and play up certain hormones which are all part of this cause and effect, but like I said keeping it simple) Do not be fooled friends, anything that comes from a box in the centre  aisles of your supermarket generally look like this on the inside!

When you get inflammation, your body produces antibodies to protect itself because our bodies were designed for survival and when we eat sugar the body thinks it's being attacked. (why the heck does it taste so good then, answer me that!) Anyway, these antibodies trigger your body to produce fat cells, mostly around your abdomen because the body is laying down a cushion to protect your organs. Increased fat cells however cause more inflammation which then trigger the antibodies which then trigger the production of even more fat cells, then more inflammation and you suddenly find yourself on a hamster wheel  going round and round eating what you think are all the right foods, killing yourself on the treadmill or in my case in the mat with Tracy Anderson or Katia Price and you still cannot shake the weight.

Shit! So what to do? How do you know what foods cause inflammation? As I said the general culprits are wheat, dairy, sugar, corn, soy, and meat. How do you find out what affects you personally? An elimination diet like CLEAN and then trial and error as you reintroduce the foods back in one at a time. I do want to discuss some things like WHEAT specifically and also certain foods that trigger HORMONES in the body but those deserve their own posts. I have highlighted them in blue so I can come back here and quickly remember what it was I wanted to talk about later. For now, suffice it to say having gone through Clean I know that I do not do well with eggs, dairy, wheat, and soy. I am off sugar and don't eat meat so basically everything is a trigger for me. That might not be food specific it may have more to do with LEAKY GUT but more on that in the wheat post.

With all of that in mind, it now makes perfect sense why five days in I have actually gained some weight (I know we are not supposed to weigh in until the end of the week but I just saw my belly growing so I had to) and am bloated, irritable and feel generally crappy. Full? Yes. Cravings? Not so much. But rotten? Oh hell yeah.

So I'm going back to my roots.

The idea that there is a one size fits all diet for everyone out there is absurd since we each have our own unique make up. Secondly no one knows my body better than me so why am I so quick to outsource my decisions on what to eat? Because it's easier, I don't want to have to think. News flash people, we can still prepare and plan ahead of time, then not have to think when it comes to the day to day. So what's next then.

I am still committed to Ludwig (Not the loving Dr. Dave anymore is he? lol) and the Phases of this plan, Phase 1 being 50% healthy fats, 25% lean protein, and 25% unrefined carbs. I just won't be getting my fats from cheese or my protein from beans or soy. Thankfully I'm totally cool with lentils. Yay! I won't be eliminating dairy altogether as I've got to have my splash of milk in my tea. 

I was worried at the start about reintroducing dairy as I had been off it for a little over two weeks. Self-fulfilling prophesy? Dunno, just know my tummy aches.

Today began the course correction. I had more veggie cold-cut lettuce boats on the menu for lunch, but have since discovered that my beloved Tofurkey is made with Wheat Gluten. Bummer. So instead, I made a salmon salad with wild caught salmon, 1/2 an avocado, a couple of walnuts, topped off with a generous helping of micro-greens and a dollop of full fat ranch dressing. Both Dr. Junger and Dr. Ludwig would be proud.

Additionally I have made some Vegan Bone Broth. No, I didn't make it out of the bones of Vegans! That would be cannibalism silly. Everyone has been touting the benefits of sipping bone broth daily but since I don't eat meat I made a vegan variety. Again the VEGAN BONE BROTH deserves it's own post, so lots to come noble reader as I continue to figure this all out!

Gianormous hugs and good health to you all.
Thanks for stopping by.
xoxo
Shan

PH Balance and your Alkaline Flush

What is PH balance and why should we care? I want to preface this post with the fact that I am not a doctor, nor am I a nutritionist or naturopath or anything with a fancy title. Just a writer over here mucking my way though midlife. However, those of you who know me may also know that I love Kimberly Snyder, author of THE BEAUTY DETOX SOLUTION and other diet/nutrition books. One of Kimberly's main talking points is PH balance in the body and aging. She says that the more acid our PH is, the quicker we are prone to aging.

It's a little too much to go into within the scope of today's short (hopefully) post. But essentially PH (the concentration of hydrogen ions in any given solution) where we're concerned is the balance between alkalinity and acidity in the body. The scale ranges from totally acidic at 0.0 to totally alkaline at 14.0 making 7.0 neutral. All foods leave either an alkaline or acidic residue in the bloodstream. What's important for our health, according to Kimberly, is the way foods break down in our body and the residue that they leave behind. Different areas of the body require a varying degree of PH, for example our tissues should be slightly alkaline, while the colon needs to be slightly acidic. Overall though, the net average would optimally be slightly alkaline.

So why the heck am I bringing this up on day 4 of my Always Hungry Solution? Because while this eating plan is not carb free, it does have less carbs and somewhat higher protein than what most of us may be used to. Again, why should we care? Are you at all familiar with the Atkins diet? The Paleo diet? Many people have heard of these and swear by them. They are high in proteins and healthy fats, similar to Dr. Dave's plan (that's Dr. David Ludwig, author of the ALWAYS HUNGRY SOLUTION for those of you just getting caught up) but the above mentioned don't really want you to eat grains, legumes or starches. Ever. Have people felt good on these plans? Yes. Have they had success and lost weight? Absolutely? So what's the problem? I'm not saying there is a problem at all. For men. But for women there actually is. Almost every single study on the overall effects on health for these plans was done on men. But ladies and gentlemen I have an announcement to make, the chemical make-up of men's and women's bodies are very different. 

I recently had the great pleasure of listening to Dr. Anna Cabeca, who spoke online as part of THE TRUTH ABOUT FAT LOSS SUMMIT.  For more info on her check out her BLOG.

Dr. Cabeca's main topic of discussion was the Keto-Alkaline solution and why Paleo is not great for women. In a nutshell, when women take on a Paleo type diet we don't react to it the same way men do. Have you ever tried to lose weight at the same time as your husband? He drops 30 pounds in the time it takes you to lose ten? Or maybe your guy can eat what he wants and never gain weight while we women can never seem to do that? It's because we were built for creating life, our bodies naturally want to store fat. The aim of the Paleo type diet is to get your body into a ketogenic state. What's that? I'm so glad you asked. 

Ketosis is the state at which the body has an extremely high fat-burning rate. And we all want to be fat burners right? If you go back to my first POST about Dr. Dave's program, you'll see I have written under my BIG WHY that one of the reasons I'm doing this is to become a fat burner, so what gives? Ketosis is what we want no? Well yes and no. For women, natural fat storers, when our body gets into ketosis and stays there for too long guess what happens? We go into an acid state and things get toxic. We get inflammation and our body begins to hold onto its fat stores, exactly the thing we were trying to get rid of in the first place. See I had a point. The point is that for women, carbs are not the enemy that we've been lead to believe. I think this is part of the reason why Dr. Dave allows for things like beans and lentils in Phase 1 of the program and that he only keeps us here for two weeks.

But additionally there was another take away from Dr. Anna Cabeca's talk that folded in brilliantly with the things that Kimberly Snyder talks about and that was Cabeca's Alkaline flush. This is a quick drink you can have once or twice a week to just keep that PH in check while still allowing your body to burn the fat. It sounds disgusting and I was not going to share it until I'd actually tried it myself, and truly it's not that bad.

Dr. ANNA CABECA'S Alkaline Flush recipe:
6oz water
1 tsp Brigg's Apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Lemon juice
1/4 tsp baking soda

Blend and chug!
It's a little bit fizzy and quite honestly it had a perfumey quality.

If that's too gross for you, why not incorporate a GLOWING GREEN SMOOTHIE into your weekly routine.

On a final note and I promise this is it, Dr. C. recommends something similar to our lovely Dr. Junger, creator of CLEAN, and that is what she calls intermittent fasting. Essentially, Dr. Junger says we should allow for at least 12 hours between our evening meal and our breakfast the next day for optimal digestion. Dr. C goes a little further saying that at least once a week as women, we should have a bone broth (for vegetarians it would be a veggie broth, and if I'm throwing in my two cents which clearly I am, just have a bowl of your favorite soup and forget the broth) and give yourself 15 hours between that and breakfast the next day. No big deal. Eat your soup at 7pm and hold off on breakfast until 10am. It will not only improve digestion, but it will give your body an opportunity to get to work healing and repairing what might have been neglected while most of your energy was being otherwise directed toward digestion. 

Okay beautiful readers, have a fantastic day and I'll see you soon.
xo
Shan

PHASE I

So here we are ladies, day three for me, day two for my lovely beauty NATALIA who is bravely venturing into these uncharted ALWAYS HUNGRY SOLUTION waters with me and I am delighted to report it's day one for my equally brave and beautiful MAMMA! 

We've been through it all hey mom? From Jane Fonda to the Thigh Master from Suzanne Somers. And omigod do you remember that twist board? 

The grapefruit diet, the cabbage soup diet, all of it. Maybe this will be our epic solution. In any case it's so fun to have others doing this with me because I am so curious to see if the science behind this method of eating is really true. Only way to know is to delve into it head on. No fear.

So for those of you that are unfamiliar with the book ALWAYS HUNGRY and Dr. David Ludwig, whom I refer to lovingly as Dr. Dave, (unless he makes me fat then god only knows the moniker that will be assigned, likely something along the lines of Fuckingfuckitycockbollocks) but lets not go there, my mom is likely reading this! Yikes. His ALWAYS HUNGRY SOLUTION breaks down into three phases and today I'd like to share an overview of Phase 1 along with some additional practices that we're going to try to implement.

In a nutshell, ripped almost word for word from the book, but giving due credit so I don't get sued, we are not going to be counting calories (for at least the next three weeks anyway). Instead we are going to work on reprogramming our fat cells to release their excess calorie stores by replacing refined carbs with fat and further achieving the right proportions of UNPROCESSED CARBS and proteins at meals and snacks. (we are not eliminating carbs here people, I think that's a very important distinction)

Chances are you already know what these refined carbs are but just as a refresher they include stuff like white flour, white bread, white rice, pastries, sodas, pasta, sweets, breakfast cereals, and added sugars. Bottom line is that refined carbs include mostly sugars and any processed grains, you know, the good stuff that basically makes life worth living. But I digress.

The idea with the whole program is that by feeling nourished, the body will transition out of starvation mode (and stress/inflammation) and begin to lose weight without a struggle thereby achieving it's personal happy weight set point.

In PHASE 1 a whopping 50% of our food intake will come from healthy fats, things like nuts and seeds, nut butters, full fat dairy, avocado and olives. We will lower our carb intake to 25% of our diet and up the protein to slightly more than maybe most of us are used to round out the final 25%. The idea is that this is a temporary place to be this is not permanent. We will stay with this for two weeks, following the menu outlined (and if you're me you'll make some adjustments to suit you), eat only when hungry and stop when satisfied. Way way trickier than it sounds if like most women you are an emotional eater.

How many times did I stuff down tears with a brownie or twelve? And don't we almost always celebrate with cake? This plan is asking us not only to shift the kinds of foods we are eating it's asking us to make some lifestyle shifts and look within.

I know, that's where the hard work really is. You are going to have to look into the dark hidden corners of yourself and rather than stuff down the tears or anger or fear with a bag of chips or a half ton of mashed potatoes, really breathe into those feelings without judgement and ask why? Why am I feeling this way? What do I really want or need? And is there a healthy way to move through this and let it go rather than just shove it down further so that it keeps popping up at the most inconvenient of times?? I want you to take a look at this tracker.

I'm not sure you can read the bottom, if not go HERE to download it.
It is asking you to log specific things like: Did you do your daily 5 minute stress reduction in the morning and at night? Did you take a little stroll after your meal? Did you do your joyful movement? What about your pre-bedtime routine?

This may all seem abstract or silly. You may be thinking, I don't have time for that shit on top of all the prepping and cooking I now have to do in addition to regular daily life. I'm too busy. I'm too stressed. I'm already being pulled in a thousand different directions. Fair enough, but let me ask you this. Are you feeling so stretched thin that you are stuffing down your feelings with a bottle of wine every night, or three very "innocent" protein bars throughout the day because you didn't have time to make something? Or is that handful of chips or bag of gummie bears or twenty three lattes a week serving you well enough that you don't need to think about that stuff?

There is a theme here Noble Reader, so please don't shoot the messenger. If you actually take five quiet minutes to yourself each morning before jumping out of bed and straight onto your mobile device to catch up on emails, texts, IG, FB and all the other bloody initials you've linked into your life, you might actually rediscover some things about yourself. Like maybe you're not hungry first thing in the morning and grabbing that bagel every morning on the way to work no longer serves you. If you eat your meals with mindful intention putting down the fork between bites, you might better be able to determine whether you are actually hungry for the next bite or feel full enough to stop. Dr. Dave is asking you to check in with you. This is a reminder ladies from me to you... You are worth taking care of. Look at yourself in the mirror and say that to yourself. Hear the words and believe them. Go on, do it now. I'll wait - go look into the mirror, look deeply into your own beautifully stunning eyes and and say:

I am worth taking care of.

Did you do it? It's not some silly thing, these words can change your life. I think you're worth it. I'm worth it. The world needs what each of us has to offer, so why not stick around for as long as you're able to and share your gifts and talents from a healthy, radiant body? That's what I want to do. Well of course that and get back into my skinny jeans. Just keepin' it real.

So what about the rest of the month, it's not only going to be us and Dr. Dave. We have a monthly virtue to get to. What would you like to practice this month. Feeling stressed, why not choose PEACE. Been feeling bullied on IG or FB like so many of the lovely ladies in the #tamily have been feeling? Why not choose KINDNESS or COMPASSION as your virtue and show others how to be through your example? If you didn't get up and go to the mirror like I asked you to a second ago, why not select BELIEVE IN MYSELF as your virtue for May? There is no wrong choice here friends. For me? Well I've been working on Belief and faith for a while now and I think that I am finally ready to open up and RECEIVE. Now you might be thinking how is "receive" a virtue? What screwy world are you living in lady? 

You know the expression "it's better to give than to receive?" Now maybe that's true but if the entire world's population was only giving, who would be there to receive? In order for us to know light we must experience dark, to know music there must also exist silence. I have long prided myself on my ability to give to others. Not necessarily gifts or things, but time, friendship, advice, laughter and what have you. I have given freely of myself as a writer. I'm not sure how many of you know of or have seem my tiny film EMPIRE OF DIRT, but that was made from pure love. I did not get paid for that. I do believe I am ready to start receiving. If I go to dinner with a friend and they offer to pay, perhaps I can graciously accept. If some one pays me a compliment I will allow them to rather than deflect it by turning the attention back toward them. I am open to receiving good well-paying work, new friendships, more knowledge, unlimited love and abundance in whatever form that may show up in. So my virtue this month is to RECEIVE.

Lastly I want to add on my May challenge to this post. You know how utterly devoted I am to the phenomenal TRACY ANDERSON, my goal is to continue (obviously) to work out with her Method via streaming but I am also upping/changing my game slightly. If I get a backlash for this I would encourage those folks to read above to the May virtues and choose LOVE. Tracy has a former trainer named Katia Price who has branched out and created a program called Dancebody. I would encourage you to take a look at her website HERE or visit her IG page HERE because like Tracy she has dynamic classes that move you in a unique way that won't create bulk, but she engages the body in a slightly different way that I think for me, after nearly 7 years with Tracy, will be just the additional wake up this old gal needs.

Now you can't do her classes in the virtual world exactly just yet, but each Saturday she offers up a PERISCOPE class for those of us who do not live in New York. So for the month of May I will be working out with both Tracy and Katia and I'm really excited to see what happens.

So there you go folks. A whole lotta links, info and hopefully some inspiration thrown in for good measure. Love you lots and happy to see a few of my ladies from the golden olden days of Mastering the Method. My cup truly runneth over.

xo
Shan