Oh dear a rant blog post.....

Misleading advertising and slogans on foods...   

Makes me feel like this

Alright, so firstly I am not a dietitian.  I can't dispense medically proven food advice, with the backing of a large degree of training.  I CAN find my own medically proven food advice and share it with you.  I have had training in the nutrition field, learned TONS on my personal journey to wellness, and I have eyes. You too have eyes, so this means you can become as well informed as you need to be.

Soo it drives me BANANAS that TV and print ads constantly bombard you, and your children with slogans like "Part of this good for you breakfast",  

"I was in a rush, but there was Nutella, full of hazel nut goodness" 

( um yeah, check that label.  Ingredients go from most used item, to least used item - the hazelnuts are almost LAST, and it has MORE SUGAR THAN A THREE MUSKETEERS CANDY BAR!!!!!  So yeah Nutella change that reality to,

 "I was in a rush, so I gave them a candy bar and sent them to school".  You get the idea...it is like those products that include "BEST" or "FINEST" on the label trying to bolster a not so hot product.  It is nt lies, but it IS based on the teeniest part of a tiny truth buried under a mound of usually, sugar, fat and chemicals.

You see I think, what must have happened in the advertising rooms is that they decided as long as a product contains things commonly believed to be healthy staples ( at this point I am not picking out the commonly believed healthy staples that aren't actually good for you - I will save that for another day), so eggs, milk, flour, meats etc...then they can CLAIM it is healthy because it has so called good for you things in it. But this is so far from the truth in SOOOOOO many cases.

Lets look at some labels... (which is what you need to be doing, NOT only the calories fat carbs etc, BUT THE INGREDIENTS.  In fact, you NEED to look at the INGREDIENT label FIRST!!

So we have Fiber One....CLAIMS to be healthy because it has Fiber.  Do we need lost of Fiber YES....should we be getting it from cereal?  NOooooooo!    Firstly count how many times that ingredients say SUGAR...go on I can wait....( tum tee tum)

FOUR TIMES.  PLUS it has HFCS ( high fructose corn syrup) which is ILLEGAL is Europe and several other countries because of the catastrophic damage it causes your liver.

Watch on Youtube Dr. Neal Bernard Chocolate, Cheese, Meat and Sugar. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5VWi6dXCT7I  to see just how terrible the damage HFCS is to your liver.

Meanwhile.....back at the label, the sugar continues...sucralose, molasses, malt syrrup, honey...is there ANYTHING in there that ISN'T sugar????  Oh wait...lets seeeee Trisodium Phosphate.  Do you know what that looks like?  Do you know what it does?  Well it has the word Tri in it - so that is 3, it has sodium in it, so some kind of salt...salt was used as an early preservative, it is a pretty good guess - even to the non chemistry reader that it is probably a weird chemical preservative with 3 parts salt, to lengthen the shelf life of food (which lets remember at its BASIS is supposed to be BIO DEGRADABLE - INSIDE A BODY!!!!)

Sooo lets Wikki what that is shall we?

Trisodium phosphate (TSP) is the inorganic compound with the formula Na₃PO₄. It is a white, granular or crystalline solid, highly soluble in water producing an alkaline solution. TSPs are used as cleaning agent, lubricant, food additive, stain remover and degreaser.^[2]

The item of commerce is often partially hydrated and may range from anhydrous Na₃PO₄, to the dodecahydrate, Na₃PO₄·12H₂O. Most often found in white powder form, it can also be called trisodium orthophosphate or simply sodium phosphate. Trisodium phosphate was at one time extensively used in formulations for a wide variety of consumer grade soaps and detergents, but ecological problems have largely ended that practice, at least in the western world. Substitutes are not as effective.

Aaaand some how, someone on the FDA said it was ok for companies to make a product that puts that in us???!!!!  CLEANING PRODUCTS...IT IS PUT IN CLEANING PRODUCTS!!!!!!  Things that come with WARNING LABELS about POISON control and death if ingested!!!! 

Hmmm, look yummy Tripotassium Phosphate...

Tripotassium phosphate is a water-soluble ionic salt which has the chemical formula K₃PO₄. It is used as a food additive for its properties as an emulsifier, foaming agent and whipping agent.^[1] In combination with fatty acids, it is a potential antimicrobial agent in poultry processing.^[2]As a fertilizer, its proportions of N, P₂O₅, and K₂O are 0-33-67.

FERTILIZER???!?!?!?!!?  

Oh wait, wait, it can also be used a an anti microbial agent on poultry....well so it cleans as you use it...NICE.  Well that all goes back to salt being a cleaner and preserver.

The most terrible thing from all of this is, because it is EVERYWHERE, people now think it is food and it is normal.  How many times have you heard a news report saying X might not be good and someone will say - "phhhah, it is in everything, gotta die of something".

That is partly true it IS in everything but that DOES NOT MEAN YOU CANT AVOID IT.  It DOES NOT MEAN you should continue to eat the JUNK in boxes, just because they are what most people think of as food.  IT IS NOT FOOD.  It has just come to be thought of as food because it is the most common thing, most people eat.  But it is NOT what real food is!  If it comes in a bag or a box and you cant READILY identify each ingredient ( and ideally it has 5 ingredients or less, unless it contains 12 veggies or grains all listed) DONT EAT IT!!

Ok so here are the THREE things I want you to read, absorb and start doing NOW, TODAY, THIS VERY MINUTE.....because your life, health, fitness, size, and shape will ALL improve DRAMATICALLY just from doing this!

1. LEARN, KNOW, LIVE that 85% of what you see in the grocery store and have grown up eating IS NOT FOOD.  If it isnt in its natural grown state when you see it, DONT BUY IT!

2. READ the Ingredients labels first.  If it has more than 5 ingredients, OR you cant readily visualize what an ingredient looks like, DONT EAT IT - not ever.  Yes it may taste; what you have come to believe is lovely, but trust me, if you eat real food for 3 months, you can taste that boxed thing again and it tastes like poooooo!

3. If the ingredient label has ALL things you recognize, THEN look at ( in this order) sodium, fat, calories.  Sodium over 150g ( dump it), Fat over 7g ( dont eat it) calories...look at how much you get in a serving size.  If it is 200 calories for 1/2 a cup - ask yourself is that food is going to give you enough energy to make it to the next meal.  Make sure the amount of food in that serving size is worth the calories it is using up.

Just because it CLAIMS to be healthy, doesnt mean it is.  Real health is found in eating whole foods 98% of the time.  Really 98% of the time.  Check out this web page for amazing healthy ways to make foods you love - ALL from whole foods.  

www.100daysofrealfood.com

As always, if I can help you in any way with food, exercise, what to eat, how to make it, you are VERY welcome to contact me.  My help is always free :)
fightthefluff@gmail.com
fb.com @ Fight The Fluff Fitness

Ok rant over....I return you to your lives.... :)

The Power of now.

I honestly believe food is an addiction for many of us....

It is DO OVER Monday in my fitness world and on my fitness page.
https://www.facebook.com/fighththefluff

Whatever happened yesterday is DONE! OVER!! What you CAN CHANGE is now, today. You can exercise TODAY. You CAN eat well TODAY.....you can do those things RIGHT NOW.

One of the ways I conquered bad eating and bad habits was with focusing on the moment. NOT in 30 minutes time, or tomorrow or dinner, but RIGHT NOW. It was a conversation with a friend who has about 20 years sobriety in AA, that I learned the power of NOW. I was asking him how he managed to not drink because certain cheese salty foods were like an addition to me. No matter what I did, I couldnt stop when faced with them. Every night I would go to bed thinking,
"tomorrow I will do better" and every day I would have something that tempted me and give in.

After talking to my friend he said, you cant think TOMORROW you focus on right now, just this minute and you say "JUST NOT NOW", until the moment passes. You dont focus on forever and how hard that might be, you just take care of the moments and tell yourself JUST NOT NOW.

So I "just not now'd" my way from flabby and unhealthy to where I am today. I still have moments where I look at those foods, but I have an easy set of food rules I live by, because I WANT to, so I just remind myself that isnt who i am anymore and I dont want to put that crap in my body.

YOU CAN DO THIS!! Try "Just not now" today and see how it works for you. 

700 DAYS!!!

700, yes SEVEN HUNDRED Days!!! 

WOOO HOOOO IT IS CELEBRATION DAY!!!

700 days ago I looked like this...

I was, as the saying goes, "fat sick and nearly dead".  Well the latter wasn't true, but my liver was starting to die.  So to be technically correct I was fat, sick and dying slowly.  Full term pregnancy weight - NO BABY.  It was my rock bottom - and not in a good firm way!

I had stage 1 liver failure (was diagnosed with NASH aka NAFLD) which basically meant that my liver was surrounded by a lovely, not so delicate, layer of fat which was basically smothering its function.  The irony of this was even though I did eat some healthy food and I was exercising a little.  I was TRYING and nothing was working.  Even if I did everything right, I still didn't lose weight BECAUSE a side effect of NAFLD is - it is hard to lose weight!  And of course, losing weight is the cure for NAFLD!

Insert smacks forehead image of your choice!

I drank about 2 drinks a MONTH - which I had to give up, and was told to lose weight or I would be on a transplant list in 10 yrs...unless something else got me first.  It could have been any number of Russian roulette scenarios...high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, a cancer related to weight gain, heart attack, the list was full of the usual suspects.  So I had to do something.....else....

So 700 days ago today I started The Ultimate Reset after reading about how it helps get your body back to better functioning through high nutrition and organic food supplements.  Basically it is 21 days that takes you to a super simple way to eat, that is easy to digest, and your body then has to work less hard on dealing with the every day fatty, greasy, and chemical laden stuff we put in our bodies for taste and to stop hunger, that do nothing more than kill us slowly.  Turns out, when you stop putting junk in and REALLY support your body with excellent (and good tasting) nutrition, it has time to repair itself.  You are what you eat took on a WHOLE new meaning for me.

The short story is ( hmm, taps chin, we might actually be past the point for this to be short - oh well)  it worked.  I lost 14lbs and 56 cholesterol points in THREE WEEKS.  I kept eating simple whole foods and lost over 40lbs and this is me today - in a very classy bathroom selfie.  Those just getting to know me will soon learn I specialize in "awkward selfies".  :)

This is me upside down!

and this is me sideways - no I'm kidding!!

I am still a work in progress, but I haven't gone back on how I eat ( simple, clean whole foods, no sugar, mo chemicals, no meat, no dairy) because it works for me and I love how I feel so much, that I don't WANT to go back.  Not for a taste that lasts 2 minutes and turns into poop in 12 hrs.

Today marks 700 DAYS of eating that way, and I am looking forward to day 1000.  To celebrate, I am marking the occasion with a lovely blog post for you all, and I want to celebrate by helping others get healthy too.  As I typed this I Googled the current obesity statistic (34.9%) so out of the 313.9 million residents in the US ( and we are going to round up here, cos while I ROCK at helping people get fit and healthy - I STINK at math!) That is almost 110 MILLION people who are obese.  Plus there are more who aren't obese YET, just on their way there.  WHO WANTS TO HELP ME CELEBRATE BY LETTING ME HELP YOU GET HEALTHY?  Not the diet to get in a bathing suit, look good surface healthy.  The strong heart, disease resistant, can do anything you want, no longer a slave to food cravings best version of you you can be, with the side bonus of looking much better.

I help people for FREE!!

WHO WANTS TO HELP ME CELEBRATE??  Come and get healthy with me!!!

KIK:sharethehealthnow

Email: fightthefluff@gmail.com

Comment below and leave a message for me.

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I am better without television

April 10, 2014 9:21 PM

Today is Day 4 of the 21 Day Fix.  I decided I needed to blog more consistantly, so I will try to keep it interesting for those of you who stumble upon it!

Days 1- 3 have been easy with food, but I ate a very clean, veggie laden diet before - what vegan doesnt?!  The exercise has taken me by surprise though.  I just finished P90X3 and I am in good shape.  I have great stamina and strength, and days 1-3 of the Fix have had my muscles SCREAMING!  Not too badly during, but the next TWO days....wowsers!!  I am not accustomed to wanting to say rude words every time I ease myself on the the loo.....and off 

Let me just add that you NEVER EVER want to look for a FUN "ouch" icon on google by just typing the word "OUCH" without the word "ICON" after it - GASP those were some horrible images .....

Now, where was I?  Oh yes, my screaming thighs.  Dont get me wrong, I HAVE been that sore before - but usually it is after taking a break for a week or so.  NOT after just coming off of a hard workout program.  So I am VERY impressed at how the 21Day Fix is working me over - oh I mean giving me a good work out.  The good news is at the end of day 4 nothing hurts ( right now), so I am adjusting, gaing strength, and alrady have lost half an inch off my waist!

The other thing I noticed this week - which may actually be of some use to you - is that no matter how many times I THINK I can go back to snacking just a little in front of the TV in the evening; it is ALWAYS a lie.  Most of the time the worst thing I ever eat is popcorn with nutritional yeast, or 3 ingredient, plain potato chips.  I know, I know - life on the edge eh?!  You have heard people say it is a bad idea because it is mindless eating, and it makes a brain association of TV and food - all of which are true.  In the past, I have stopped all TV eating and after a few weeks thought,

"ok just on occasion is fine".  EEEEEEEEEEEEEEH.  NOPE.  I have a problem a little always gives in to A LOT and it always ends badly for my progress.

So I have committed to not watching TV in the evening at all (I stil DVR my fave shows) and allow myself one show at lunch time while I eat my lunch.  No this doesnt break the magic of TV eating - which is another step I WILL conquor - but it is a step in the right direction.

Sometimes tricking the brain into thinking it is getting what it wants - when really it is just part of the regular day is good enough :)

Any way you can get there that brings progress is OK by me :)  If I can help you out, dont hesitate to message me :)

Oh and if you have no clue what The 21 Day Fix is - have a look here.  You could be having this much fun too! :P

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/esuite/home/Applezz?bctid=3124709772001

Debi