Sunday, June 11, 2006
Good Intentions (part 1)
OK, I promised you a plan so here it is: Diet & nutrition, supplementation, exercise & lifestyle.
Firstly, as we know, before you can jump into any type of change you have to mentally prepare yourself for it. Not only to develop a plan but to stop making excuses for not starting. You have to take a good look at yourself and see the ugly parts that you want to make better. But don't forget to notice the good things too, the things you like, as they help you continue when you feel like stopping.
This is Diva T's PLAN to change her life. I am not a doctor (nor do I play one on TV) and if you decide to follow any of this you do so at your own risk. Don't sue me because you harmed yourself, did not lose weight, etc. as I don't have any money anyway. Seek the advise of your doctor and blame him (since it is in my opinion most doctors' heads are up their ass, but that's a different topic all together). Based upon my own education and experience I am putting together a system that I believe will work for me; your mileage may vary. (Sorry, my lawyers made me say that.)
DIET & NUTRITION
This should be simple but for most people it isn't. Let's start with some basics: to lose weight you must expend more calories than you consume, that's a given. However, to be healthy you need to eat good quality food with a high nutritional value. That being said, free range meat and organic veggies (no hormones, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.)
I know I need to avoid my food allergies/sensitivities along with sugar (the hyperinsulemia thing). When you consume food that your body has a sensitivity to it reacts like there is an invader, such as a virus or bacteria. It then starts to fight this "invader". And think about it, if you are eating multiple sensitivities everyday and with every meal, your body is in a constant defense mode, i.e. under stress. Your immunity lowers (thus making you more likely to get a cold), your cortisol (stress hormone) level increases causing weight gain and systemic inflammation and you experience fatigue.
My diet:
SUPPLEMENTATION
Anything you eat you need to be able to digest; if your body has problems digesting a something (sugar, fat, protein) then you'll not be able to absorb all the nutrients in the food and your body has to work harder to process it. One of the solutions is to use digestive enzymes to help break down the food so you can digest it.
It also goes without saying that if you are eating a well balanced diet you shouldn't need to take a vitamin / mineral supplement. However, as we've seen with our food supply in the past 30 years or so, due to farming practices your food may not have the nutrients you think it does. So, I plan on taking a good quality vitamin everyday (or at least when I can remember). For me, I usually get my supplements through Nick since they are pharmaceutical grade and the quality is known to be high.
One thing I do take faithfully is 5-HTP. 5-HTP is great as a appetite suppressant, mood elevator and insomnia treatment. It is an amino acid that is the precursor for serotonin production. Raising your serotonin levels is shown to relieve depression, which is a good thing if your kinda in a funk due to being overweight.
The last thing is adding Omega 3 & 6 oils (fish oil and flax seed). This is great for reducing inflammation in your body. People that are overweight usually have a higher inflammation levels in various body systems, i.e. muscular, digestive, nervous, and by reducing the inflammatory response it helps to relieve various aches and pains and will help you become active sooner.
My supplements:
It seems kinda simple but I know from experience that the system isn't the problem; my staying focused and motivated is. I'll add part 2 within the next day or so outlining the exercise and lifestyle changes. I hope writing down my plan will inspire you to formulate a plan of your own. Here's to our health!
Firstly, as we know, before you can jump into any type of change you have to mentally prepare yourself for it. Not only to develop a plan but to stop making excuses for not starting. You have to take a good look at yourself and see the ugly parts that you want to make better. But don't forget to notice the good things too, the things you like, as they help you continue when you feel like stopping.
This is Diva T's PLAN to change her life. I am not a doctor (nor do I play one on TV) and if you decide to follow any of this you do so at your own risk. Don't sue me because you harmed yourself, did not lose weight, etc. as I don't have any money anyway. Seek the advise of your doctor and blame him (since it is in my opinion most doctors' heads are up their ass, but that's a different topic all together). Based upon my own education and experience I am putting together a system that I believe will work for me; your mileage may vary. (Sorry, my lawyers made me say that.)
DIET & NUTRITION
This should be simple but for most people it isn't. Let's start with some basics: to lose weight you must expend more calories than you consume, that's a given. However, to be healthy you need to eat good quality food with a high nutritional value. That being said, free range meat and organic veggies (no hormones, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides, etc.)
I know I need to avoid my food allergies/sensitivities along with sugar (the hyperinsulemia thing). When you consume food that your body has a sensitivity to it reacts like there is an invader, such as a virus or bacteria. It then starts to fight this "invader". And think about it, if you are eating multiple sensitivities everyday and with every meal, your body is in a constant defense mode, i.e. under stress. Your immunity lowers (thus making you more likely to get a cold), your cortisol (stress hormone) level increases causing weight gain and systemic inflammation and you experience fatigue.
My diet:
- Avoid food allergies/sensitivities and sugar
- Consume less food/calories
- Eat healthy, low calorie foods, preferably organic
- Modify diet to be mainly Mediterranean or Asian in style
- Eat more raw veggies and whole grains
- Try to eat complex carbs vs. simple
- Reduce fats (especially the bad ones)
- Drink lots of water
- Minimal fruit/fruit juice, and alcohol (and do I really have to say no soda?)
- Healthy, low cal snacks only
SUPPLEMENTATION
Anything you eat you need to be able to digest; if your body has problems digesting a something (sugar, fat, protein) then you'll not be able to absorb all the nutrients in the food and your body has to work harder to process it. One of the solutions is to use digestive enzymes to help break down the food so you can digest it.
It also goes without saying that if you are eating a well balanced diet you shouldn't need to take a vitamin / mineral supplement. However, as we've seen with our food supply in the past 30 years or so, due to farming practices your food may not have the nutrients you think it does. So, I plan on taking a good quality vitamin everyday (or at least when I can remember). For me, I usually get my supplements through Nick since they are pharmaceutical grade and the quality is known to be high.
One thing I do take faithfully is 5-HTP. 5-HTP is great as a appetite suppressant, mood elevator and insomnia treatment. It is an amino acid that is the precursor for serotonin production. Raising your serotonin levels is shown to relieve depression, which is a good thing if your kinda in a funk due to being overweight.
The last thing is adding Omega 3 & 6 oils (fish oil and flax seed). This is great for reducing inflammation in your body. People that are overweight usually have a higher inflammation levels in various body systems, i.e. muscular, digestive, nervous, and by reducing the inflammatory response it helps to relieve various aches and pains and will help you become active sooner.
My supplements:
- Digestive enzymes
- Vitamin/mineral supplement
- 5-HTP
- Omega oils
It seems kinda simple but I know from experience that the system isn't the problem; my staying focused and motivated is. I'll add part 2 within the next day or so outlining the exercise and lifestyle changes. I hope writing down my plan will inspire you to formulate a plan of your own. Here's to our health!
