Losing Weight

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Permalink Reply by Frances Worster on November 9, 2009 at 1:48pm

#1 - address the emotions. The four cornerstones of one's life are:
Physical
Intellectual
Emotional
Spiritual
I find that when my eating goes out of control, it's a sign I am missing out on one of these. Also, make sure that sleep and stress-relief are planned into your day (when I was in university, I would get so tired, the only way I could keep myself going was by eating)

#2 If you increase your veggie and (lower-cal) fruit intake, then you are filling up on less. I dare you to try and eat 5 romaine lettuces a day. That would be 532 calories and 9 grams of fat, 38 gram protein and 103 grams of carbs. Seriously, few people could eat that much lettuce! Eat a monster salad for one of your meals. Experiment around a bit. I also find that green smoothies cut my sugar, salt and fat cravings WAY down.

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Permalink Reply by Nicole Lund on November 9, 2009 at 3:29pm

I second the green smoothies and monster salad suggestions, its the only thing that worked for me.

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Permalink Reply by Christen Dybenko on November 9, 2009 at 3:39pm

Any tips on green smoothies?

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Permalink Reply by Brooke on November 10, 2009 at 4:16am

thanks..I had a very large green salad yesterday, it definatley helped.. Usually I only put spinach in my salads, but yesterday I had spinach, kale and some romaine, I feel like the variety of textures helped also..

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Permalink Reply by Frances Worster on November 10, 2009 at 1:50pm

There are tons of free green smoothie suggestions around the internet, and on this site. I usually mix a glass of water, three ice-cubes, a little bit of WFHO, 1 banana, 1 orange, 1 stalk of celery, a bunch of kale/romaine/spinach, chlorella, msm powder, a tiny bit of Greens+ for Skin, and a little bit of EFA oil.
I find that bananas and oranges are great for covering the greens. Mangos are great too, as are frozen berries, especially blueberries (brain food!!). I am not someone who adds things like agave or honey to their smoothies, as I'd rather use actual food (ripe fruits) for sweetness. Save those other things for dessert ;)
If you have a favorite smoothie, just add some greens to it - it cuts down on the sugar and makes the drink more alkaline AND ups the mineral content. I know for my self that a highly liquid diet makes my digestion the happiest :) This is also great for people adapting to a higher live food/veggie and fruit content in their diet, as all that fiber can be intense - this way it's easier on the digestion.
Oh, last tip: LOVE your blender! If you have the money, splurge on a nice one like a vitamix. I'm going to Aus for 7 months and am trying to figure out how to bring it with me. If there is ONE kitchen tool a person needs, it's a great blender: smoothies, juicing, sauces and pates, ice cream.....

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Permalink Reply by Christen Dybenko on November 12, 2009 at 12:04pm

Thanks Frances - great tips. I'm new to this so I appreciate it.
I just looked the vitamix.... a lot of money! Maybe I can find something similar for a bit less...

Frances Worster said:

There are tons of free green smoothie suggestions around the internet, and on this site. I usually mix a glass of water, three ice-cubes, a little bit of WFHO, 1 banana, 1 orange, 1 stalk of celery, a bunch of kale/romaine/spinach, chlorella, msm powder, a tiny bit of Greens+ for Skin, and a little bit of EFA oil.
I find that bananas and oranges are great for covering the greens. Mangos are great too, as are frozen berries, especially blueberries (brain food!!). I am not someone who adds things like agave or honey to their smoothies, as I'd rather use actual food (ripe fruits) for sweetness. Save those other things for dessert ;)
If you have a favorite smoothie, just add some greens to it - it cuts down on the sugar and makes the drink more alkaline AND ups the mineral content. I know for my self that a highly liquid diet makes my digestion the happiest :) This is also great for people adapting to a higher live food/veggie and fruit content in their diet, as all that fiber can be intense - this way it's easier on the digestion.
Oh, last tip: LOVE your blender! If you have the money, splurge on a nice one like a vitamix. I'm going to Aus for 7 months and am trying to figure out how to bring it with me. If there is ONE kitchen tool a person needs, it's a great blender: smoothies, juicing, sauces and pates, ice cream.....

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Permalink Reply by Frances Worster on November 12, 2009 at 2:30pm

No absolutely, the vitamix is not a purchase to take lightly!!! It's tres $$$$ :) Some people also love the Blentec, which I believe is cheaper, but still on the upper end. I bought a vitamix when I started breaking my cheaper blenders. In the long run, it's saving me money, but I survived for years on a much cheaper blender!

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Permalink Reply by Sam Cornell on November 15, 2009 at 11:33am

I love the green smoothie and salad ideas...along the same lines, I always tell people to think of eating MORE good food, (rather than focusing on less bad food).

For example, if you implement a new rule that you have to have one giant salad (as mentioned already) everyday, suddenly, there is less room for bad food.
Once you have that down pretty good, think, okay, I have to have one giant salad, and at least 1 big serving of veggies, and one greeen smoothie...etc

So, just think of adding in more healthy food, and it'll just push out the bad food.

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Permalink Reply by Jen Swift on November 15, 2009 at 12:20pm

You have to be sure you include protein and fat into every meal. A salad won't last long in your belly without protein and some fat. I use tofu and olive oil. With the tofu it really fills me up and without some fat in the dressing I get hungry. If you don't have tofu on the salad, have a protein shake or drink with it. Just get it in!

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Permalink Reply by Suzette Henderson on November 16, 2009 at 3:43am

When dieting for figure competition, I always keep my EFA levels higher, as well as plenty of amino acids. This is when I rely the most on hemp seeds and flax seeds. I have found this to keep me happy and stable, no matter how tough the food part gets. Also, I have to eliminate, or at least greatly reduce my intake of nuts... more seeds instead. The advice about the greens and salads I also found to be right on... but no amount of lettuce will save the day if your life is not harmonious and happy. Make sure your workouts are fun still, and your home life peaceful... and SLEEP! Good luck!

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Permalink Reply by Brooke on November 16, 2009 at 10:34am

So you would advice me to decrease the amount of nuts I eat?

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Permalink Reply by Frances Worster on November 16, 2009 at 3:35pm

That depends on how much you eat in the way of nuts. I know some raw foodists swear by following a very low fat diet, and I think there is something to be said for that (I think people - raw or not - often turn to fats when we are starving because we haven't consumed enough carbohydrates - or when we are stressed of course). That being said, very low fat diets can be extreme/make people out of balance emotionally, so it's all personal (I would hate my life / my brain would hate me). Though it's easy to consume a lot of fat on a raw food diet too. The obvious thing to do is begin by being really honest and writing down what you eat each day. I know I can lie to myself easily. Or I say, "well I worked out today / will work out tomorrow". Or I don't eat all day and am ravenous at night.
Here's some more ideas:
http://renegadehealth.com/blog/2009/11/10/the-5-top-reasons-why-you...

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