Spring Clean ... Your Body!

Spring is perhaps the most important time of the year to ensure we give our bodies a little extra help in the cleansing department. After all we have spent the better part of autumn and winter celebrating the various joyous holidays consuming processed foods rich in sugar, perhaps a few extra glasses of bubbly and as the days became shorter and colder we turned to comfort foods. Though all of this self-comfort eating results in an invasion of toxins to our bodies, it is important to note: air pollution, cleaning products, stress, negative thoughts are also contributors of toxins to our body.

Keeping up with all the toxins we consume on a daily basis, forces our liver to function in over-drive. By giving our body a helping hand with cleansing, we are in essence giving our liver a "time out" so that it can renew itself and regenerate.

Like you I am human ~ and sometimes indulge   in comfort foods, sweets or an extra glass of bubbly. Having had my liver lacerated in my accident along with damage to my intestines has made me more determined about doing what I can to make it easy on my liver to process the foods (especially the indulging ones) I consume.

A long with ensuring we are giving our liver a helping hand it is also important to consider the other organs and areas in our body that could use a little help when it comes to detoxing.

Keeping my body healthy while needing to take medication (which is often a source of weight gain- but stopping medication is not an option) has not been easy. Since my accident (in 2006) I woke up from my coma around 90 lbs - then I watched my weight climb to my normal weight (pre-accident) of 115 lbs. - then reach an all time high of 153 lbs. by the end of 2011.

During the month of April I will be sharing with you how I lost 13 lbs. and have maintained 140 lbs. through this past year. And what I will be doing to loose an additional 10 lbs. this year.

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Creating a New Me ~ A weighty feeling...

As the year of 2011 inches closer to completing it's chapter and the 2012 chapter is all but a few pages away from starting to be written; it is the perfect time to start thinking about things that may be weighing us down.

As someone whose weight had been a steady 112-117 lbs for years, watching the scale continuously raise over the past 5 years has been most unsettling. Not because of the number flashing at me in neon lights (139lbs) but, because of how uncomfortable I feel and the way clothes now fit or better worded do not fit.

I will can accept that I may never see 112lbs again, but I will not accept feeling uncomfortable for the rest of my life. So, after giving serious consideration to some options like:

Stop eating ~ this would certainly result in further challenges

Go off my Meds (yes, Meds can be contributors to weight gain), ~ 

I'd see quick results I'm certain , but then not being able to 

leave the house would present a whole new set of challenges.

Diet ~ possibly a short term quick fix ... but long term its impossible.

SOLUTION:

Having a French friend who is always eating (yummy stuff- bread, cheese, chocolate etc.) and enjoys her wine, whilst she remains petite started me thinking. Hmm... maybe there is something to "French Women Don't Get Fat". Recalling my 2 visits to Paris, would confirm the majority of French women really are slim and toned. A search of my book case, quickly revealed a forgotten copy of the book "French Women Don't Get Fat", read years back.

Aside from the well written pages and recipes, the important things that I took away from the book were: the French (and I think this can be said of most Europeans) go for quality not quantity in their food choices; also they will only eat/indulge in foods that they truly like; and no idle snacking.

So one of my personal goals for 2012 ... is to change my eating habits to those of Europeans, after all I was born in Europe, so it will not be a foreign thing to me.

Basically it's about eating healthy 3 meals a day; with  very little to no snacking, between meals.

This is an intro to the Creating a New Me series, that I will be sharing in 2012. I thought with the indulging festive season upon us, it would be a good time to start thinking about what we are putting into our bodies.

For long term results eating habits must be part of our Life Style and not constantly being on a Diet Plan, depriving us of nutrients our bodies require to function properly.

Are your eating habits Diet driven or Life Style driven? What have you found works for you on a daily basis to maintain healthy weight and life balance?

If 40 is the new 30 ~ Why can't 135 lbs. be the new 115 lbs.?

One of the things the doctors attributed to me surving was the shape I was in. Despite working long hours, I made it a point to eat healthy ~ everything in moderation and exercise. With my active life maintaining 110-112 lbs. weight was not difficult.

A year into my recovery I started to notice clothes were not fitting, my body shape was changing, the scale numbers were rising and along with not liking the reflection in the mirror I felt uncomfortable. As I entered my fourth year of recovery - I no longer enjoyed going out, the thought of trying to figure out what to wear was overwhelming enough, now add something that also fit and this girl was not going anywhere.

By this time I was getting in the pool with RehabGirl, doing some cardio and machines at the gym, along with the daily stretching I had maintentained since year two of recovery. So it was even more discouraging to watch the numbers on the scale continue to rise and my clothes shrinking. People tried to remind me that I was on MEDS which play a roll in weight gain and that I was no where as active as I use to be. By the end of the fourth year of recovery I was hitting 135 lbs. approximately 25 lbs more than I was at pre-accident. I had never gone above 115 lbs. my whole adult life.

When one is in pain or energy difficient the easiest food to reach for is one that is usually high in carbs, sugar, and processed. So my eating habits were clearly not the best. I had never lived by a diet and did not want to consider one - the first 3 letters of that word just do not sit well with me. So when a Nutritionist was suggested, I thought, sure why not? Well let me tell you it was the best thing I have ever agreed to!

After our intial meeting, we discovered I was high in carbs and quite low in protien, some vitamins and minerals. Our second meeting was about discussing the plan, I did not want a diet or deprieve myself anything. Based on the foods I like, it was agreed a plan built around the Mediterranean way of eating would be the best. The third meeting I was given a 7 day menu based on my individual nutrional needs and goals. This plan is designed as a LifeStyle way of eating ~ so when I reach my goals, the food well remain the same with slight modifications to help me maintain my ideal weight.

Today was the first day of my new eating LifeStyle and with Mr. G's help I would say it was a success. I found I was eating familiar foods, but was more satisfied. I will check in next week to let you know how it went and what I'm feeling/thinking of this eating LifeStyle.

What are you doing to eat healthy? Have you dieted or looked to a Nutritionist to guide you through?

NEW YOU ~ Healthy Eating Part 1

I chose fitness (physical & emotional) as a kick start to my re-invention ~ to read first post click here.

Unfortunately fitness alone will not get me to where I would like to be, enter nutrition plan. To keep me focused on my goal I have enlisted the help of a Nutritionist. First we reviewed a list I had kept on my food intake for over a 3 -4 day period. The nutritionist utilized this information to determine my eating habits and required adjustments. Oh … you want to know the results!! ~ smiling~

Based on what I ate it was determined, that I needed to increase my protein and fiber intake and decrease my carb and fat intake. Part of the challenge is my ability to use the stove independently. I have been relying on no-stove required meals = carbs and fatty foods (mainly for lunch) for both ease and maintaining some independence. The meds also are not helping with the weight challenge.

Nutritionist is currently working on a meal plan tailored to my needs, yet using foods I like; I can’t wait to get started. In the meantime here are some tips that I found useful:

- Start the day with water and lemon, w/ ginger (optional) . Water and lemon will get your system moving and ready for the day. Remember to drink water throughout the day.

- Gradually modify your eating habits. This will help you transition to healthier eating, but also reduce the cravings of the not so healthy foods = you are more likely to completely transition without giving up.

- Eat more vegetables and fruits. I really need to work o this.

- Eat your food as close to its natural state as possible. The less ingredients the better ... i.e yogurt: milk ingredients,bacterial,culture ~ if your yogurt has more than these try looking for something else.

- Reduce the amount of processed food you eat. Home cooked is best.

- It is important to know what a portion size is. You may be eating the right healthy foods but your portions may be doing all your hard efforts a disservice.

So what exactly is a portion? Hopefully the image below will help you to streamline your eating.

Remember eating properly is a lifestyle choice not a DIET!!!

What are your eating habits like?

What advice would you give to someone who wants to be healthy and fit?