Monthly Archives: November 2017

Nutrition, Weight loss

Too Much Turkey? Don’t Worry…

Sugar

If you ate too much turkey on Thanksgiving, don’t worry. Turkey is one of the “leanest” high-quality (lean) protein sources you can eat.

As we learned in last week’s post, many of the side dishes that accompany a Thanksgiving meal are good for you too.

Besides, Thanksgiving only happens once a year.

Even if you include a couple of Thanksgiving leftover meals (we have to, don’t we), you’re still okay because it’s a great balance of your macronutrients. Something you should strive for with every meal.

But…

if you’re consuming too much sugar, I’d venture to guess that your sugar consumption is more of a habit – and a bad one at that, than a one-off holiday overindulgence.

If this sounds too close to home, you should definitely kick that bad habit as soon as possible.

Why?

Sugar is toxic to your body, and one of the main elements at the heart of today’s obesity epidemic, in my opinion.

It should be no surprise that sugar is:

  1. Addictive.
  2. Hidden in a lot of processed foods that are not so “sweet”.
  3. As empty as you can get when you consider calorie content and benefits you get from the calories you’re consuming.
  4. A cause of inflammation in your body.
  5. A substance that actually makes you crave more of it.
  6. Just as detrimental (if not more) as artificial sweeteners.
  7. Causing you to gain or maintain excess weight.

By the way, I have some advice for anyone that’s overweight, on yet another diet, and has been deceived to buy into fad or restrictive diet programs and cleanses; or to believe the myths about fat-free, no carb, low protein approaches, which are promoted for no apparent reason other than to help their authors sell more books.

Stop believing this…

It’s a LIE!

Your body needs 3 macronutrients – protein, carbohydrates, and fat. Every day, with every meal, for survival. In fact, anyone who tells you to eliminate any of these is not to be trusted for many reasons. And the main one is because their philosophy is not sustainable.

Oh, and by the way, fat-free does not mean sugar free, for whatever it’s worth.

 

So, I’m going to assume that because you’re reading this, you want to get in shape and lose weight. And you may have a sugar addiction that’s unknowingly sabotaging your efforts and holding you back.

First, you need to learn more about added sugar and artificial sweeteners, including the foods where you find them.

Then it would be helpful to learn just how damaging sugar is to you and your body.

And finally, how you can significantly reduce or eliminate your sugar intake.

I encourage you to check out the following posts:

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope you found value.

Now it’s time for YOU to take action…

What’s your Win to be Thin? Leave a comment below.

Click here to subscribe. You’ll receive an email with a link to each new post. And if you know someone that can benefit from this content, please share it with them.

Health & wellness, Longevity, Nutrition, Weight loss

I Am Thankful for YOU!

Thanksgiving

… and I had to tell you.

I am thankful for your interest and loyalty in following this blog. I am also grateful for the opportunity to help you gain control over your health, wellness, vitality, and longevity.

All this gratitude motivates me in so many ways.

I know some of you personally, but many of you I don’t. In this context, it really doesn’t matter.

Either way, I’m driven to want to help you.

I’m also thankful to have found success at maintaining a high-degree of health & vitality for myself. And grateful for the platform to share these healthy habits with each of you; despite the challenge of slower than expected growth, and exposure to a broader audience.

Thanksgiving

During this Thanksgiving holiday, take time to give thanks for the things in your life that are challenging you and making you better.

But also take time to relax & recharge. Unplug from your busy life. Take time for yourself, and spend time with family and friends.

Go for a nice long walk. Make time for a workout. And find something to be grateful for regardless of where you are in your journey.

And then enjoy the amazing food, family, and friends that accompany this special holiday.

There are so many great things about a Thanksgiving Day dinner. But for some, feelings of guilt about eating too much ruins the fun.

Don’t let this happen.

Alleviate your stress by managing your portions and enjoying yourself. Besides, eating a little more than usual on one day isn’t going to completely derail your plans. If you try to be more mindful, you’ll have more control and make better eating choices.

Need help feeling or expressing more gratitude. My friend Mark Henson coined the term GREATitude. As he puts it, it’s like gratitude times ten. Here’s an example of his GREATitude Kickstarter.

Look at the benefits of Thanksgiving dinner.

Here are 2 articles that I hope will make you feel better about what you’re eating.

  1. Four Surprising Health Benefits of Thanksgiving Dinner
  2. 5 Health Benefits of Your Thanksgiving Turkey

It’s always wise to practice good plate management and portion control. So instead of just loading up mindlessly, plan your plate strategy by using the following ratio of clean macronutrients.

Thanksgiving

If you’re compelled to indulge in something lower on the “clean eating” scale, go for it and enjoy it. Just have a little, and savor the moment instead of devouring it and going back for more.

And remember, slow down and allow your brain to catch up with your stomach. You’ll feel much better with this approach. I can vouch for it, but sometimes need to be reminded of this after going too far myself. It just so happens that my wife is an incredible cook.

And finally, as we wind down the year…

You’re probably starting to think about what you want to accomplish in 2018. If it has anything to do with getting in shape and losing weight, I’d suggest getting on the waiting list for 1 of the 4 group coaching programs I’m conducting in 2018.

I’ve designed this new “pilot” program to help you lose weight and get in shape in a proven and sustainable way. It’s based on small lifestyle changes that produce better health & vitality by focusing on healthy habits that get results.

This program will change your life!

I am looking for serious people who will commit to losing weight and getting into the best shape of their life.

If this describes you, then get on the waiting list and sign up here.

And most of all… Happy Thanksgiving!

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope you found value.

Now it’s time for YOU to take action…

What’s your Win to be Thin? Leave a comment below.

Click here to subscribe. You’ll receive an email with a link to each new post. And if you know someone that can benefit from this content, please share it with them.

Active lifestyle, Health & wellness, Nutrition, Weight loss

The Verdict Is In…

Standard American diet

Excess body fat is dangerous, and can be deadly. In fact, the additional weight is not only a burden to carry around, it can cause so many different diseases. Diseases that include diabetes, heart disease, stroke, cancer, hypertension; plus, many more.

For the past 2 weeks we’ve been focusing on diabetes awareness. So it should come as no surprise that being overweight is one of the leading causes.

It’s not a guarantee, but the data is strong.

This doesn’t mean that if you’re thin, you’re immune to diabetes or other diseases. It’s just that being overweight is a condition that’s noteworthy as we evaluate diabetes prevention. Or reversing a diabetes or pre-diabetes diagnosis.

It’s also worth noting (or repeating) that the top 3 recommendations and lifestyle changes after receiving a diabetes diagnosis include:

  1. Improve your nutrition.
  2. Increase your activity level and exercise.
  3. Get adequate sleep.

Actually, these “recommendations” are advisable for everyone, including non-diabetics. People of all ages and fitness levels.

I know, I sound like a broken record – I continually write about these 3 topics. But this is what you need. It’s what we all need… to improve our health & vitality.

So my question is – “Why wait?”

Why wait for a medical emergency? Why wait for a doctor to prescribe this “directive” to get you to start doing something about it?

Diabetes is not to be taken lightly. It’s a serious disease that can wreak havoc on your body and your life.

You’ve heard the alarming statistic – two-thirds of people in the US are either overweight or obese. This is not only unfortunate. It’s unnecessary!

Standard American diet

The standard American diet (SAD) is one obvious giveaway. And yes, it is SAD this has become the norm (and likely the cause of so many health issues and early deaths in our society).

What does the standard American diet consist of?

Far too many highly processed meals (if you can even call them meals). Sugary or artificially sweetened beverages. A lot of excess sodium, sugar, fried foods, and saturated fat. Barely any nutrient-dense whole foods. And if there are any, they’re probably prepared with heavy sauces, or loaded up with other high calorie crap.

It’s truly a SAD situation.

I may sound like I’m ranting, and I guess I am. It’s just so frustrating to see so much neglect and laziness around, that eventually catches up and causes some nasty and devastating life-changing events for so many people.

So what can you do?

Let’s look at a common example: You have been consuming the standard American diet for far too long – you’re overweight – you have diabetes – and you want to integrate new, healthier habits into your life. You also want to break some of your unhealthy routines and habits, but don’t know where to begin.

Here are 9 things you can start doing to free yourself from the standard American diet and improve your health & wellness:

  1. Replace sugar and artificially sweetened beverages with water. Your goal should be 2 to 3 liters per day for the ladies, and 3 to 4 liters for the men.
  2. Start walking every day, or on most days. Strive for 10K a day.
  3. Minimize your sugar and sodium intake. This includes artificial sweeteners.
  4. Minimize processed white flour products like breads, pastas, pizza, and bagels.
  5. Cook more often at home, and eat fewer meals out.
  6. When you do eat out, skip the appetizers and dessert. And ask to have your meal prepared how you want it. Go grilled; not fried. Steamed; not soaked in butter. Salad dressing on the side…
  7. If you’re still smoking, STOP! And minimize your alcohol intake.
  8. Subscribe to this blog, and review previous posts.
  9. Hire a certified personal trainer to help you develop an effective exercise plan based on your medical condition and fitness level.

If not for yourself, make some healthy changes for someone else. Take it one step at a time. And have patience as you develop each new healthy habit. With consistency, your results will begin to appear. And compound!

Standard American diet

This wraps up our 3-part series on diabetes awareness. You can link back to the last 2 posts here:

If you know someone who can benefit from this information, I encourage you to share this post with them.

I hope you found this information to be helpful and valuable.

And if you’re approaching your diabetes diagnosis from the preventative side, I’d suggest getting on the waiting list for an upcoming group coaching program that I’m conducting.

I have designed this new “pilot” program to help you lose weight and get in shape in a proven and sustainable way. It’s based on small lifestyle changes that produce better health & vitality by focusing on healthy habits that get results.

This program will change your life!

I am looking for serious people who will commit to losing weight and getting into the best shape of their life.

If this describes you, then get on the waiting list and sign up here.

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope you found value.

Now it’s time for YOU to take action…

What’s your Win to be Thin? Leave a comment below.

Click here to subscribe. You’ll receive an email with a link to each new post. And if you know someone that can benefit from this content, please share it with them.

Active lifestyle, Health & wellness, Longevity, Nutrition, Sleep, Weight loss

Type 2 Diabetes Is Serious!

Type 2 diabetes

Type 2 diabetes is serious! It’s been called a “silent” disease because there’s such a wide range of symptoms that often don’t appear until blood sugar levels are off the charts.

Unfortunately, the warning signs can be so mild that you may not notice them. In fact, some type 2 diabetes sufferers don’t find out they have the disease until other problems surface as a result of the long-term damage caused by it.

Last week we looked at some of the symptoms and common lifestyle markers that are common to many diabetes sufferers. This week, we’ll continue with additional information and resources.

When the pancreas is working properly, it releases insulin, which helps our bodies store and use sugar from the food we eat. If the pancreas isn’t working properly and one of these conditions occurs:

  1. The pancreas doesn’t produce any insulin.
  2. When the pancreas produces very little insulin.
  3. Or if the body doesn’t respond appropriately to insulin.

… then a type 2 diabetes diagnosis usually follows after testing.

It’s also worth noting that people with type 2 diabetes have a significantly higher risk for stroke and heart disease.

So it’s crucial to get checked out if you suspect any symptoms. Here’s an article on 12 things that make type 2 diabetes more likely.

According to the American Diabetes Association, everyone over the age of 45 should be screened for Diabetes every 3 years.

However, you shouldn’t wait to be screened if certain risk factors are present. Like high blood pressure and high cholesterol; or if you’re overweight.

Type 2 diabetes

If you suffer from any of the type 2 diabetes symptoms, you should call your doctor. Some of these include:

  • Increased thirst.
  • Frequent urination.
  • Abdominal pain.
  • Weak and tired feeling.
  • Unexplained weight loss.

If you’re not sure, seek medical attention. Here are some additional warning signs.

There’s a wealth of online information about diabetes. You may want to check out this WebMD Type 2 Diabetes Guide. It’s a “dashboard” of web links to specific topics. The info can sometimes seem repetitive between multiple posts; and in my opinion, includes way too many advertisements. But nonetheless, it’s informative and helpful overall.

It’s also beneficial to improve your nutrition when managing type 2 diabetes. Here’s an article on 15 foods to help manage diabetes.

And finally, here’s a link to last week’s post if you missed it.

Thank you for sharing your time with me. I hope you found value.

Now it’s time for YOU to take action…

What’s your Win to be Thin? Leave a comment below.

Click here to subscribe. You’ll receive an email with a link to each new post. And if you know someone that can benefit from this content, please share it with them.