So many times throughout the day, I get emails from people from all over the US about diet, workouts, nutrition, and so much more...I answer honestly and to the best of my knowledge. here are some questions I received recently...I changed the names to stay private...
***Hi Tina,
QUESTION: I first want to say how amazing you look both before and after your surgery-I see you are happy and I want to be happy too!
I need some motivation and I think you can give me that kickass determination I need to stay focused. I can eat clean for a few weeks and then it's all downhill because of stress and PMS (all I eat is simple sugars and bad carbs)
I sometimes become weak or anxious...I don't know if it's because I don't eat enough and then I eat and can't stop...the starve and binge cycle!
My Naturopath Dr suggested I stay away from wheat(sensitivities), soy(too much estrogen), dairy, sugar and coffee for my Adrenal glands to heal so my hormones could be in balance again. I am taking natural supplements for my Adrenal, hormones and Maganese, 5HTP to feel better. Also just started Probiotics to stimulate better bowel movements because I am sooo constipated.
I love to eat fresh salads, organic eggs, chicken and fish (wild salmon, shrimp ,tilapia). almond milk, Vega shakes and almonds (too many sometimes- I need to fill full). I love Millet toast , dehyradrated Raw Flaxseed crackers and goji berries.
All this is so good AND then I eat junk food....why?
How can I stay fulfilled and not crave other foods...what am I doing wrong?
My cardio is the recumbent bike 45 min a few times a week and walks outside.
So how can I look fab and be happy like you-I am obsessed with my weight and need to stick to a lifestyle to free myself from my fear of staying fat.
Have a great day and hope to talk to you soon.
ANSWER: you are so sweet! thank you for the compliments! So about you! I think with all of my female clients, STRESS is one of t he reasons they can't get their bodyfat down. I don't think I need to tell you that stress causes cortisol to raise which in turns raises bodyfat especially in the belly! YUK! :O(
Bad carbs and simple sugars are easiest to reach for, all you have to do is open a box, or rip open a bag and there ya go! It's so much harder to grab a baked yam, make a shake, or prepare homemade healthy treats. It's not your fault, it's human nature. Here is what I did so many years ago (about 15). I don't buy anything in a box, no chips, no cookies no snacks! Instead, I started buying lots of fruits. Fruits are SEXY, fun to eat, taste like a circus in your mouth and do wonders to fight off cancer and diabetes. Let's not forget your sugar levels will be even keel all day long and your skin will start to look plump and dewey like a 12 year old! NOT KIDDING!
Sugar causes so much inflammation in your body. It also causes wrinkles and sucks the energy right out of you, so in return after eating all the bad stuff, your stress INCREASES because you are mad at yourself for the bad choices.
I have been a VEGAN for 9 months, but even before that, I stopped having anything from a cow- NO DAIRY! NO YOGURT, NO MILK, NO ICE CREAM....Wouldn't you know it, My skin became more clear, I became more vascular, I lost body fat. In place of any milk, I switched to Almond milk- which is AMAZING, delicious and sooooo good for you. You can also have COCONUT MILK which is to DIE for!
As for WHEAT- your doc is right! YOU DO NOT NEED IT and it isn't as healthy as many say it is! SWITCH to WHOLE GRAINS- USE EZEKIEL products only! Sprouted bread, wraps and english muffins. Wheat causes bloating as well, and so many people are allergic and don't even know it!
If you eat enough of the GOOD stuff, you DO NOT need PRO-BIOTICS....Let Mother Nature do her thing and don't mess with her. Once you take out the crap out of your diet...and fill up on fiberous veggies, you will go to the bathroom. Have a Shake for breakfast and mid afternoon filled with fruits, veggies, vegan protein flax, bee pollen and green vibrance- YOU WILL HAVE TO GO! :O)
Add Dates to your diet, add coconut water to your diet! Eat FRESH sliced Pineapple after dinner whcih is loaded with Bromelain which is great for your digestive system.
You need to LOAD UP ON THE VEGGIES! I am talking ENORMOUS amounts during the day! I make a salad that would feed 4 people, and EAT IT MYSELF! I SWARE!!!! NO KIDDING! I eat my fruits and grains in the morning and my veggies all afternoon and evening.
I get on the scale EVERYDAY like clock work....because it sets the tone for my day. I know what I did the day before is either working FOR me or AGAINST me. KEEP a JOURNAL. Track what you ate but more importantly HOW THAT CERTAIN MEAL MADE YOU FEEL.
You need to look deep within yourself,in your journal and write down why your stressed at that moment (if you can). Stay out of the kitchen. Leave fruits and veggies EVERYWHERE, increase your fatty acids- Take a vitamin D supplement along with Calcium/ magnesium.
The 5HTP is great, but add
MeditropinDrink this everynight on an empty belly before bed! YOU WILL THANK ME IN 3 MONTHS! :O)
I hope I helped! You have to want to feel great and look amazing MORE THAN you want whatever it is your eating badly.
XOXOXOX
***From a nutrition client: Here's my update - I'll just confess first, I cheated probably 3 times
this weekend.
1. I had 1/2 a white potato with a tablespoon of sour
cream...preceded by 3 plates of salad.
2. I had 3 bites of a carrot cake cupcake...it was yummy =X
3. 1 had a lick of my cousin's 1st communion cake...it wasn't that yummy
I was really good with the drinks, I only had 1, and i had about 6
bottles of water. This morning, i drove @ 6:45am, got home @ 8:15 am,
and i made an egg white omlett with a whole box of spinach, and some
tomatoes, then had some fruit salad for snack, went to the italian
restaurant for my cousin's 1st communion celebration and had 8 glasses
of water with lemon! I was thirsty still. I had 2 extra salads, and
only olives when the cold antipasto came out. I had broiled salmon
and string beans for lunch, a lick of cake, and 1/2 of a coffee.
I had SOOO many compliments about my skin, and how I was glowing a
little bit, and how much weight i've lost. I also had a little
epiphany...i like eating the way you have me eat. I realized I
haven't had a stomach ache since i started your plan 9 weeks ago! I
like how eating clean makes me feel, and it's not hard anymore to eat
this way. It's even less intimidating for me to meet my goal by June
-don't worry, I know I'll have to work my butt of to even break even
with this weekend! But I am ready to make that change.
This morning, I drove my best friend home with me, and she had the
WORST stomach ache this morning. Let me tell you, it made me a little
nauseous to watch her eat so I can't imagine how it would make you
feel! She just stuffed her face with food and booze, and i mean
STUFFED!
We finished at the lounge @ 2am, then went back to the hotel room and
some of the girls had brought snacks and what not, cheese platter,
crackers, cake, candies...etc...I didn't have any of it. And she ATE
IT ALL! I love her to death, but she paid for all that junk this
morning. She almost couldn't leave the bathroom to get in the car she
was so sick. Anyway, I was fine driving, and I even had energy for
all of my family. I crashed when i got home though. I know I
survived this weekend only because my body had been cleaner than it
probably ever has.
So this is my SINCERE, so so so so so SINCERE thank you for making my
meal plans, for being my mentor and my GURU. Can't thank you enough,
hopefully we can really meet up this week to chat.
***MY ANSWER: I am sooo happy you had a great time! You deserve it! You work so hard all week long! Ok, so you cheated a few times....I am glad you are finally at a point in this journey where you actually crave the GOOD foods, and recognize how you feel after eating the smallest bad thing. I am also happy to see that everyone else around you is recognizing your pretty skin, smaller waist and your butt also got smaller, and more round and high! You really are starting to change, so NOW MORE THAN EVER, you need to stay on track, leave your cheats in the past and come to a point where whatever tempting foods are out there, you have had them all, you know what they taste like and you look at them and move on.
Eating clean is sexy, fun and addicting-as you are finding out.I love working with you and shared our story with my other clients and they were so inspired by you! You too are a role model for other young and older women who are looking to lose weight and feel great!
Those belly aches suck! Eating bad will throw a wrench in your gut! You should talk to your friend about what you have been doing and teach her SELF CONTROL!!!!
Your meal plan will be in the next email and so will the shopping list! DO NOT ask if you can switch things up...You NEED to do this plan for 7 days!!! No switching...just follow it... :O) SUCK IT UP and think BIKINI!
