Recently in Diet Category

My puppy Ginger is blind.  A strange way to start this article, I know, but it's relevant.  I would never trust my puppy with anyone except Russ and Karen at the Zoo Crew in Tulsa, OK.  Once a month, I take Ginger in for her bath and primping. Each visit I love chatting with Russ and Karen.  Recently Russ has been ill and Karen was telling me about an incredible website that she had found during her internet search on Russ' illness.  Karen told me that she discovered Sherry Brescia and her website Great Taste No Pain.  She ordered her books, received direct emails for Sherry and Russ was feeling better! 

Since I trust Karen with my puppy, I certainly trust her advice. I immediately ran home, found Sherry's website and sent her an interview request.  I know you will be as taken with Sherry as we are. It is our pleasure to giveaway a Great Taste No Pain system to 1 lucky Chic Galleria reader!


BA: Sherry, how did you get involved with Holistic Nutrition?

SB: My involvement with Holistic Nutrition was born out of necessity.  I began suffering from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) as a teenager.  By the time I reached my late 20's it was ruining my life--I couldn't go anywhere or do anything without fear of having an "attack."  Daily bouts of cramps, bloating and alternating diarrhea and constipation were my way of life.  And I knew where the public bathroom was in every place I went!

It was frustrating because I ate what most people would consider a healthy diet--very lean meats, whole grains, lots of fruits and vegetables and no processed foods.  It made no difference.

In 1990 I spent a week in the hospital following a very severe attack which left me weak and unable to keep food in my system.  After a series of uncomfortable tests that ruled out other disorders like Crohn's, cancer, diverticulitis and colitis, I was diagnosed with IBS.

My doctor's advice was to stay away from spicy foods, raw vegetables, nuts and seeds, and to take an anti-spasmodic pill (Donnatol) before every meal.

I didn't want a life sentence of taking medication to create "false health," and not wanting to give up the good tasting, healthy foods I loved, I searched for a better answer.  Eventually I learned about a holistic approach to creating health and healing by reducing acidity in the body through diet--specifically, the correct combining of foods.

The science behind it was sound--avoid eating foods together that are digested with enzymes that are opposites on the pH scale (acid and alkaline) because when you do, the acid and alkaline enzymes neutralize each other.  As a result, digestion is slowed or completely stopped.  When your foods are not digested like they should be, that creates excess acid, pain, bloating, gas, constipation and/or diarrhea--all the typical symptoms that send people running for Tums, Pepto Bismol, Alka Seltzer and the "purple pill."

So I tried it.  And I've been completely symptom-free (and medication-free) since my very first correctly combined meal 17 years ago.   

My own experiences with ill health served as my inspiration to help others, and there are a lot of others to help.  More than 70 million Americans suffer from digestive disorders, and we spend over $50 billion on products (both OTC and prescription drugs) to relieve indigestion and stomach upset.

What resulted was the creation of the Great Taste No Pain health system.  The Great Taste No Pain system is comprised of a 176-page recipe book and a set of straight-forward, easy to read manuals that teach you the principles of correct food combining and the importance of an alkaline pH.

Eating good food combinations and keeping an alkaline pH can help eliminate the symptoms of conditions such as:

    * Diverticulitis and diverticulosis
    * Ulcerative colitis
    * Crohn's disease
    * Acid reflux
    * GERD
    * Hiatal hernia
    * IBS (Irritable bowel syndrome)
    * Stomach ulcers

You can learn more about Great Taste No Pain and read some of their tremendous client success stories at:

http://www.greattastenopain.com

BA: Having an online business isn't easy, you still have to get visitors to your online store just like you would a real storefront. What are some of your strategies for getting traffic to come your way?

SB: Our website does appear on search engines like Google and Yahoo, but one of the best sources of traffic has been my daily newsletter writing.

I publish a daily (Monday - Friday) health oriented electronic newsletter called "Pain-Free Living" that presently has over 250,000 subscribers worldwide.  Pain-Free Living deals with a variety of health topics, but concentrates primarily on digestive issues.  Many of my newsletters are reprinted (with permission) in various publications and other electronic newsletters.  Subscribers also pass them along to family and friends.  There is nothing like word of mouth to get people excited about and believing in your product.

In addition, I have done many radio and magazine interviews, and also have a large number of professionals (holistic doctors and chiropractors) that refer their patients with digestive issues to our site.

BA: What makes your business unique when compared to others in this category?

SB: We are unique because we have created a healthy eating system that works amazingly well, yet is not full of tasteless, boring foods.  Let's face it--when you talk about healthy eating, most people think of existing on celery and bean sprouts.  That's not the case with Great Taste No Pain.

When I first learned how to eat correctly combined meals 17 years ago, I quickly noticed that the recipes in the books available on the subject were bland or unimaginative.  So I blended my passion for cooking delicious, gourmet-style meals and my knowledge of the principles of food combining and created my own recipes.  

We prove that you can eat for health and still enjoy absolutely fantastic food, and that's what makes us unique.

BA: What has been your proudest moment as a business owner?

SB: I feel a tremendous sense of pride whenever I read a success story from a client that I have helped, but I felt most proud when I was contacted by the father of a 7 year-old boy who feared his son was dying.  The boy suffered from chronic diarrhea and vomiting which completely turned around once he started correctly combining his foods.  Here is his story:

Sherry,

Thank you!

Out of desperation for the health of our son (7 years old) and a willingness to try anything that appeared to be healthy, we ordered your "Great Taste No Pain" program.

About one week later, here's what I can report so far:  He is now a normal kid with a healthy appetite.  Big deal, right?  

This year alone (from Jan 2008) he missed 23 days of school.  His pediatrician kept claiming he had a "flu bug" that was going around that was especially bad this year.

During his worst episode, in which he went 4 days without food and with very little water, we took him to a gastro doctor.  She prescribed Miralax claiming he was constipated.

My wife and I were astonished.  Constipated?  He went through 4 days of pure agony - 27 bouts of diarrhea - 6 bouts of vomiting.  How could he be constipated?

She also later did a scope from both ends and found no disease or entangled intestines - just some acid "burns" in the stomach.  Of course she recommended Prevacid and to stay away from citrus and spicy foods.

Her numerous biopsies did show some allergies.  The allergist found lactose intolerance and cited minor findings of other food allergies.  Our first visit with him seemed promising, but the second visit only got confusing.

With his level of allergies, his severe symptoms could not be explained.  Back to the gastro doctor.  Over time and between the 2 doctors "treating" him, we got prescriptions for Singulair, Xygal, an asthma inhaler, Prevacid and Pentasa.

After these didn't work, they wanted us to up the dosage.  The pharmacist even commented about the excessively high dosage.

My son's symptoms, especially looking back, were terrible.  Never a good eater, never wanting to go to the bathroom, bouts of violent diarrhea and vomiting, bouts of the agony of bloating and constipation, long periods of inactivity, and asthma attacks that always seemed to coincide with his digestive issues, which we noticed, but the doctors quickly dismissed once they ruled out Crohns and Celiac.

During the worst and last of these episodes, I even had the worst thoughts imaginable - that my son can't keep any food in him and the doctors are helpless - can he even survive like that?  I seriously talked with him about the things of God and what he specifically needs to do to prepare for eternity.

My son has been diagnosed with many different things.  Thank God he doesn't have any of these things.  And thank God (and you) for the work you do.

After 3 days of your plan, my son was feeling good and he now eats more than me.  We stopped all the medications.  In just 8 days, he's eating like a horse, he's playing like I've never seen, he's going to the bathroom without being forced into it.

So far, so good.  Our family loves your recipes and we've all taken to the plan.

Just thought you'd like to know - there's a family in Wisconsin who greatly appreciates you...

Dave

 

*******************

Sherry Brescia has spent the majority of her career studying health and the role that diet plays in a person's overall state of wellness.

Much of her 16-year career in the health insurance industry was spent analyzing medical records of prospective policyholders and claim beneficiaries.  She read thousands of case studies of people who consulted doctors for digestive problems, aches and pains or lack of energy, but were never given any treatment besides tests, surgery or medication.

She noticed the patients returned to their doctors repeatedly for the same complaints, but the treatment rarely changed other than a different pill to try.  If any dietary recommendations were given, they were a vague, general "bland diet" or avoidance of foods that seem to cause symptoms.  Almost never did she note a true recovery from symptoms and attainment of great health.

At the same time she herself was a living case study.  Despite eating in a way that most health experts would consider healthy, she suffered daily for years with bloating, cramps, gas, diarrhea and constipation.  She also developed migraine headaches and allergies.

After a 7-day hospital stay being drugged with Demerol for excruciating pain, fed by an IV and enduring one painful, embarrassing test after another, she was given the diagnosis of IBS.  She was told to take an anti-spasmodic medication before every meal for the rest of her life, along with avoiding many of her favorite foods and taking more pills for the allergies and migraines.  She was just 28 years old.

A year later, still in pain and outraged at her doctor's lack of knowledge of what to do for her besides writing a prescription for pills to mask her symptoms (while ignoring the cause), she ditched the meds and instead learned how to eat in the way that considers and respects how the human body is designed to digest food (otherwise known as food combining).

As a result, she has been completely symptom-and medication-free for over 17 years.  Stomach problems, allergies and migraines all disappeared instantly after she just became a little more discerning about what foods she ate together.

Sherry realized then that she had a mission.  She was meant to help others attain better health in the most natural way possible--through their diet.

Sherry knew that in order to help as many people as possible, her system had to be one they would stick with--it needed to appeal to the pickiest eaters, be easy to do and allow people to still enjoy as many of their favorites foods as possible.  With her passion for making and eating great food, she blended the science of food combining (originally created by Dr. William Howard Hay in 1911) with gourmet-tasting yet easy to make meals to create the Great Taste No Pain health system.

Everyday, Sherry receives success stories from people worldwide thanking her and claiming she has "saved their lives."

In addition to being an author and gourmet cook, Sherry holds a black belt in Okinawan Goju-ryu Karate, teaches religious education classes and is currently working toward her PhD in holistic nutrition.  She lives in Central New York with her husband, son, daughter and 3 cats.

In order to win the Great Taste No Pain health system, you need to leave a comment on this article.  Do you or a loved one suffer from pain?  Are you interested in trying Sherry's system? We want to know!  Winner will be chosen from the comments on Tuesday, September 15 midnight EST. 

The Lemonade Diet, also known as the Master Cleanse Diet, is a relatively simple program that has gained popularity recently. Several well known celebrities, Beyonce for instance, claim that it helped them lose weight.

Just remember, following the program can pose problems of its own.

There are three major components of the "lemonade" diet including Ease In, The Lemonade Diet, and the Ease-Out. The ingredients necessary must be followed precisely in order for the program to work right.

The first part of the program eases you into the routine and prepares your mind and body. Your stomach will adjust to receiving less food and you will be mentally prepared. The first part consists of 3-days, on the 1st day you can eat fruits and vegetables, removing meat and processed foods from your diet. On the 2nd day you can only drink fruit and vegetable juices, if you do not have a juicing machine create a broth. The third day entails drinking two liters of fresh squeezed orange juice with a tablespoon of maple syrup and water to fill.

The main part referred to as the Lemonade Diet is an intense process that will be challenging. There are three steps that need to occur on a daily basis. The 1st step is about preparing your lemonade for the day. As soon as you wake up go into the kitchen and prepare your "meals."

Here is the Recipe for the Lemonade Diet

You will need to gather 14 tablespoons of hand squeezed lemon juice, three 1-liter reusable bottles, 14 tablespoons of maple syrup, 1/4 teaspoon of Cayenne Pepper, and two liters of water. Place seven tablespoons of the lemon juice into a 1-liter bottle and repeat with a second bottle. Do the same with the maple syrup, add the cayenne pepper and fill it with water. Fill your third bottle full of water as you will need to drink it throughout the day to give your body the illusion you are full.

The second step of the diet entails drinking the lemonade and water throughout the day. When you feel hungry take a swig of the lemon mixture and follow it with several drinks of regular water. You need to drink the entire two liters of lemonade at the end of the day.

The hardest part of the diet is the third step, which is salt water flush. In essence, you drink salt water to induce several bowel movements to cleanse your system. Mix one liter of room temperature water with a teaspoon of sea salt. It is easiest to drink the solution in one gulp, but be sure to stand by the sink as your reflexes may sink in halfway through. After drinking the mixture you can go about your night until a bowel movement occurs - typically within 60 minutes of drinking the salt water. It is important to perform the flush in the evening because you will be on the toilet for a while. You must be near a toilet for several hours after the first movement. When you reach the point where you can go 15 minutes without eliminating, you are safe.

The time frame for which people stay on the lemonade diet depends; some do it for as little as three days while others can go up to two weeks. Whenever going on such a diet always consult with your physician if you have prior medical conditions.

The ease-out steps are an essential process to prepare your body for regular food again. It is critical that you change your eating habits afterwards and it's important to remember that this diet, like all diets, will slow metabolism.

That's right.

You will be losing muscle during this diet and muscle is your metabolic engine. If you started the diet with a 200 horsepower engine, you will finish the lemonade diet with a smaller engine. The longer you stay on the diet, the smaller your engine will get. So don't do this for weight loss. If you choose to go on this diet, do it to flush your colon, not as an attempt to lose fat.

How to ease back into eating real foods:

1. On the first day drink three one liter bottles of orange juice with two tablespoons of maple syrup in each.
2. On the second day drink fruit and vegetable juice or broth.
3. On the third day re-introduce your body to fresh fruits and vegetables.
4. On the fourth day you can eat anything, but be sure to include live products.

If you choose not to follow the ease-out process prepared to become nauseous and possibly sick.

Instead of quick fix solutions that inevitably lead to muscle loss and frustration, it's time to change your lifestyle. Here are some tips on staying Slim:  

1. Portion Control: Bigger isn't always better. In a world where portions are just getting bigger, moderation is extremely important. Eat small meals throughout the day, rather than a few large ones. This will keep your metabolism going, you'll burn more calories, and you won't fall into that "starvation" mode.

2. Snacking on fruits, veggies, and a handful of trail mix when you're watching your weight is actually a good idea. Snacking will keep you from over eating when it's time to have your next meal. Caramel Slender Puerh is a great tea to have with a healthy snack because it has a full body and rich flavor.

3. Don't skip breakfast. Have a bowl of high-fiber cereal with skim milk, a banana, and Slim it Sencha. Cereal is a carbohydrate-rich food that gives you energy while making you feel full and curbing mid-morning cravings. The fiber in banana is difficult to digest, leaving you feeling fuller for longer. In addition, the body burns extra calories when it breaks down fiber. If you have to run and don't have time for breakfast, at least have a cereal bar and a tumbler of ONO slimming tea.

4. Forget about restrictive diets that are hard to sustain. Just start drinking and eating fat burning foods:

The foods that will help you slim down the most are whole foods and foods in their natural state such as whole grains, wholemeal rice, wholemeal pasta, wholemeal bread and potatoes. These are also complex carbohydrates which will keep you feeling fuller for longer

Choose green and fibrous vegetables that are hard to digest such as asparagus, green beans, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower and peas. Fruits and berries, such as pears, oranges, blackberries and pomegranates, are also great!

5. Eat foods high in water content such as broccoli and zucchini.

6. Increase fiber in your diet - Both kinds of fiber, insoluble and soluble can help you Your browser may not support display of this image. slim down.

7. Eat more Lean Protein - Lean protein can boost your metabolism after you ingest them.

8. Limit portions of foods high in fat: dairy products like cheese, butter, and whole milk; red meat; cakes and pastries.

9. Drink Hot Beverages - Drink hot beverages such as an ONO Slimming Tea after meals. Why? Because cold water will solidify any oils you've consumed which slows down your digestion.

10. Stop eating when you're full, even if there is food on your plate.

11. Control your calorie intake and increase the number of calories you burn through exercise. 30 minutes of physical activity a day is recommended.

You've seen those quick-fix slimming claims like "Eat All You Want and Still Get Slim!" or "Melt Fat Away While You Sleep!" Fad diets or diet pills sound tempting, but they do not lead to real weight loss. At best, they lead to rapid water loss (not fat). At worst, they lead to increased weight gain, a slow metabolism, depression and obesity. These short term solutions will not help you lose the weight and keep it off. 

Losing weight and staying slim takes effort, but you can speed up your personal weight loss with the ONO Slimming Program. In addition to a healthy diet and exercise, the ONO Slimming package may help you lose weight at a steady rate without starving yourself. 

3 Teas:  Simply Slim, Caramel Slender Pu-erh, Slim it Sencha

How they work:

Simply Slim - Polyphenols found in Black and Oolong tea work as a fat destroying enzyme. The compound helps destroy fat and boost your metabolism.  The polyphenols also help defy aging by battling free radicals - unstable forms of oxygen that damage cell function.

Caramel Slender Pu-erh - Named the miracle tonic, recent studies indicate that p-uerh has powerful cholesterol lowering effects, blood cleansing properties and aid significantly in weight loss efforts. By helping digestion (particularly of fatty foods), Pu-erh is the perfect tea after a heavy meal.

Slim it Sencha- Green tea is particularly rich in a type of polyphenol called catechins. These substances have also been shown to have anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties, but recent research in animals show that catechins may also decrease fat absorption, increase fat excretion, suppress appetite, and decrease cholesterol levels.

Directions:  Before each meal, have 1 cup of an ONO Slimming Tea. During and after each meal, have 2 cups of warm/hot slimming tea to increase digestion.  If you skip meals, your metabolism slows, and this means that your body's adjusting itself into starvation mode, and making your calories stretch. This is dangerous if you're trying to lose weight. When you're feeling hungry, just make yourself a cup of one of the ONO slimming teas. This will help suppress your appetite.

Tired of walking around with those extra pounds on your body?


For many women, a slow metabolism is part of the problem when they try to lose weight.

You may have tried many diets, personal trainers, and all kinds of exercise videos. However, with these simple tricks to rocket launch your metabolism you'll finally lose those pounds, feel better and look great.

Frequent, Small Meals

Some people eat 1-2 big meals each day. This can elevate your leptin levels and put your body in starvation mode.

Not good.

Eating every couple hours is a great way to rev your metabolism. Just be sure to eat healthy foods and don't overeat. Eat enough so your stomach feels comfortably full.
 

You are being lied to.

Everyday you purchase food items that you think are good for you. You probably base your decisions on the food labels themselves. The problem is that there it is very difficult to monitor and enforce misrepresentations about food claims that restaurants and food manufacturers make.

Here are the top 7 lies they don't want you to know about:

1. "carb smart," "net carbs," "carb free lifestyle," and "minimal impact on blood sugar."

Many people purchase items with these labels thinking that "carbs are bad". Lables will often say that they're carbohydrates will have "a minimal impact on blood sugar". But remember, they still provide calories that can contribute to weight gain

2. "Low fat": Most foods may be described as "low fat" if there are no more than 3 grams of fat in a standard serving. Standard servings have been established by the FDA to reflect the amount of food that is typically consumed. Since restaurants often serve foods much larger than the standard serving, a "low fat" food may actually contain large amounts of fat.

For example, ice cream may be called "low fat" as long as there are no more than 3 grams of fat in a standard half cup serving.

However, you are usually offered portions several times larger than the standard serving size. So a 2-cup serving of "low fat" ice cream may contain up to 12 grams of fat!

Also, keep in mind that even a small-sized serving of "low fat" main dishes like hamburgers, pizza, or sandwiches, can have more than 3 grams of fat per serving.

And remember, "low in fat" does not always mean "low in calories."

3. "Light": "Light" is commonly used to mean many different things. It may describe a food's taste, color, or texture, or it may indicate that the food's calorie, fat, or sodium content has been significantly reduced.

Labels must clearly indicate what "light" is intended to convey. If the meaning is not clearly explained, you should seek clarification. If "light" is used to indicate a reduction in calories, fat, or sodium, information about those nutrients must be provided upon request.

4. "Cholesterol free": "Cholesterol free" claims are very popular on, but can also be very misleading. Keep in mind that:

"Cholesterol free" does not mean "fat free."

Foods like meat, poultry, and seafood contain cholesterol -- even if they are fried in "cholesterol free" oil.

Also, saturated fat and trans fat can raise the level of cholesterol in your blood:

"Cholesterol free" foods may contain saturated fat. The FDA only allows foods that are low in saturated fat to be described as "cholesterol free," but watch out -- most do not comply with this requirement.

The FDA allows foods with significant amounts of trans fats to be called "cholesterol free." To avoid trans fats, limit foods prepared with vegetable shortening or partially hydrogenated oils.

5. "Sugar free": Some foods, especially desserts, may be described as "sugar free." But keep in mind that "sugar free" does not mean "calorie free" or "fat free." If a food described as "sugar free" is not low-calorie or reduced-calorie, the menu must say so.

6. "Healthy": Food described as "healthy" must be low in fat and saturated fat and may not be high in cholesterol or sodium. However, there are no limits on the amount of sugar or calories that a "healthy" food may contain.

7. "Heart" claims: Claims like "heart-healthy," "heart smart," and "heart" symbols imply that a food may be useful in reducing the risk of heart disease. When such claims are made, the food must be low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, and must not be high in sodium. But keep in mind that most vendors will not always comply with these restrictions.

Photo Credit © Michael Flippo | Dreamstime.com

Have you ever seen someone doing hundreds of crunches in an attempt to get a smaller waist line, or to burn fat solely around their midsection?

Have you ever done this yourself?  Well, I'm here to tell you that spot reduction (attempting to burn fat in just that one little --or big-- spot on your body that you are unhappy with) does not work.

If spot reduction did work, chewing gum would give you a skinny face, right?  What you really need to do is to focus on what does work. If you want your body to burn fat around your midsection, then the latest ab crunch device isn't going to do it.  

What you need is to tap into the fat reserves of your entire body. To do this you need to do three things consistently right.  Here they are:  

1. Have a concern for muscle.

What I mean by this is that you will need to perform some strength training exercises.  Within the framework of your personal transformation program, you must work to maintain the muscle that you already have.  This is important to you because muscle is a metabolically active tissue.

A metabolically active tissue requires significant calorie expenditure to maintain itself.  The bottom-line is that when you have more muscle, you burn more calories, and you can potentially burn more fat.

2. Eat the "right foods", in the "right combinations".

Ideally, you want to eat a small meal every 3 ½ hours that contains a lean protein, fibrous carbohydrate, and starchy carbohydrate.  Doing this will keep your blood sugar levels stable, which will give you more energy, and burn more calories, paradoxically. It will also keep you satiated and you will never feel like you are "dieting" or depriving yourself.

3. Perform interval strength training for 12-20 minutes per day, ideally in the morning, at a "high intensity" level.

An interval training program is any program that alternates high and low intensities of exercise.  "High intensity" is relative to the individual. A professional athlete might have to sprint uphill for 30 seconds, whereas a grandmother may be performing a "high intensity" interval by doing five body weight squats.

The interval training method has been conclusively proven to be the most efficient way to elevate your metabolism and keep it high all day.  

Remember, you must take action if you expect to see and feel physical changes in your body. Reading this article will have been a waste of your time, UNLESS you DO SOMETHING about what you just learned.  

So what are YOU going to do?

Blaming anyone other than yourself is giving your power away.  You must examine your beliefs about what is possible in your life. Develop a strategy to acquire your goal or find someone who already has a proven strategy to attain a similar goal.  

You must accept 100% responsibility for who you are right now. You are not limited to your current state -- you can change anything and everything as long as you first accept who you are at this moment.

All change happens in an instant. It happens the instant you decide that you are fed up and NOT going to "settle" for anything. Never settle for anything less than you can be. Make up your mind right now and set a physical fitness goal for yourself.

Make your goal challenging, yet attainable. Set a deadline for its achievement. Think of the real reason why you want it and take action now! 

Get up and move!

Photo Credit © Suprijono Suharjoto | Dreamstime.com

These 7 exercises can be included in your fitness training program to get a flatter stomach.

Total body exercises and workouts are a great to get a tight tone stomach.

THE TRUTH IS, EVERYONE HAS ABS

The problem is that many people have too much fat in the abdominal region to see their abs.




INSTRUCTIONS:

Perform the exercises quickly and with control. This will build total body strength.

When you combine this with a nutrition plan designed to burn fat, this workout will help you get a flat stomach fast.

Before you start exercising, you need to warm up your muscles with dynamic stretching for 5 to 10 minutes.

Pick one of these exercises and perform 10-50 reps.
 
Do one flat abs exercise after every set in your strength training program.

After your workout, cool down with static stretching for 5 to 10 minutes.

Knock, Knock.

Who's there?

Life.

Life who?

OH NO not life!  Ok now---go away life, I have been trucking along on this weight loss thing just fine and I don't need you showing up now ok?  I am on a roll man and I don't need you coming along and messing things up.

I am telling you life--you better back off.  Back off now---nope you are not coming in here.  Don't even think about it, back off, back off---OH MAN!!  No you didn't life..UGH!

Yep--life showed up and slapped me right upside the head.  I was on such a roll with being good.  I was drinking more water, eating healthier foods, exercising and BAM--Life.

It was only a matter of time.  How delusional of me to think that real life would not show up and challenge my new found ways.  So my assessment of how I handled that challenge--I give myself a big F!  Actual grade--45.  Yeah not so good.  Well as they say it is what it is so now it is time to move forward...tomorrow.  Now I have to figure out how I keep going without letting life get me down so much.  Suggestions?

Photo Credit © Sílvia Antunes | Dreamstime.com

WOW what a week 4!!  There was little to NO focus on weight loss for week 4.  As much as I fought it, week 4 really did turn into my Birthday week.  Yep, gained another year, and most likely a few pounds, but as I step back and review the week it really does not upset me.

I am blessed to have a lot of great friends in my life.  Many of these friends wanted to celebrate my birthday, so I went out--a lot.  One of my best friends even flew in from Las Vegas for the weekend.  This year was probably my best birthday ever, so how can I regret that?  Answer:  I can't and I won't.

Another thing I gained was an appreciation for how much I have changed my life and responses over the past 3 weeks.  Monday morning I felt so icky.  I was ready to get back on track and get back that focus.  I finally realized that I did feel better when following my program and while yes, it is ok to fall off once in a while, falling off for 3 to 4 days is really nasty.

So here is a big THANK YOU to all my friends out there that made my Birthday week so great.  Also a big THANK YOU to the spouse whom without all those parties would not have been possible.  And finally:  NO I will not share some pictures---whew a bit incriminating.  Have a great week 5.

Photo Credit © Johnny Lye | Dreamstime.com