I'm still trying to get back on track. right now I am working on the Fat Loss Troubleshoot by Leigh Peele. I used it before and had unbelievable results. A great read - awesome advice! I highly recommend purchasing the ebook. I also recommend SparkPeople.com for calorie tracking, fitness tracking, journaling and overall support.

There is a lot of advice (toward exercise, pre and post workout nutrition, cooking, nutrients, etc.) but some basics (VERY basic) I need to remember are listed here.

Some things I picked up -- just basics that I needed reminding about:

Your best burn can come while you sleep - LEARN TO LOVE THE TUMMY GROWL!

• IF you don't love what you are eating - you are NOT going to keep eating it
• If you don't take charge and become the boss of food, it will boss you!
• Choose one ingredient foods

More points:

1. Don't be lazy when it comes to cooking -- do it -- no excuses
2. cook in bulk -- allows for less "laziness" to interfere.
3. cut out booze - each gram has 7 calories
4. substitute in recipes
5. Good ingredients = good food
6. use spice -- flavor is nice!

Supermarket Sneaks
Grocery stores are specifically designed to make you fat and buy more products. Buying
those products is what leads to you getting so fat. Here are a few tips, tricks, and guides to
your supermarket sneaks:
• Supermarkets use the smell of freshly baked bread coming from the in-store
bakery during the after-work rush.
The smell of warm bread makes people feel hungry. And when you feel hungry while
shopping, you're more likely to buy additional items.
• Retailers place commonly purchased items, such as milk and eggs, at the
back of the store.
• Waiting in the check-out line?
It's filled with impulse items, gum, candy bars, and other products not on your list.
• Companies pay for their positions on the shelves.
Which of these do you think has more money, Kellogg's or small farm and organic
style products?
The longer you are in the store means the more you buy.
• They keep colder temperatures in the front and outer isles so that you will
seek refuge in the middle warm isles.
This is where the bulk of their items are and the worst for you.

The Best Way To Battle The Supermarket Ploys:
• Make a list and don’t budge from it.
Never decide at the store what you want to eat that day.
• Stick to the outer isles.
• Don't go shopping for food hungry.
Brain fog and food selection don't go hand in hand.
• Buy in bulk.
Not only do you save money, but you are at the store itself less often.
• Get in and get out.

• If your food has a wrapper, chances are it isn’t good for you.
• If your food has a box, chances are it isn’t good for you.
• If your food has ingredients you can’t say, chances are it isn’t good for you.
• If your food makes a claim that it is healthy, chances are it isn’t good for you.
• If your food comes pre-seasoned, chances are it isn’t good for you.
• If your food makes any claims about fat loss, chances are it isn’t good for you.

Eating Out:
1.) NOT a good idea when in a deficit
2.) Check online stats before you go
3.) Remember that even with listed stats -- it is still up to the individual cook.


Dissecting Your "Hunger":

Thirsty Hunger
Believe it or not this is a really common hunger trigger. The signals of thirst and
dehydration, feel and act almost in the exact same manner as actually hunger can.
Solution-Stay hydrated but don't chug. Sip on water throughout the day.

Addictive Hunger
This is that "hunger" that comes after eating. This is caused by an increase in insulin levels, enzymes, serotonin, and more. Usually the more simple sugars you have in a meal, meaning faster digestion and blood sugar spikes, the worse it is. This is what leads to the nibble that turns into a complete meal binge.
Solution-protein and fat/salty snacks only or small balance meals.
Sugar Crash/Hypoglycemia
This occurs when your blood sugar levels drop low causing you to get dizzy, sweaty, and feel
like you are going to pass out if you don’t get something to eat. This can bring about real
anxiety and a need to eat immediately. This is one of those things that can be real and something to pay attention to or an overreaction.
Solution-Small frequent meals are a must and always pair with protein and fiber as much as
possible.
Psychological Hunger
When it comes to psychological hunger it can be a very hard battle to beat but one you have
to understand is in your control. The mind is a strange place, and we don’t even come close
to understanding it. Food for comfort, food for boredom, I want it and can’t have it, and so
on. Some even after being full, no matter what they eat, will always be thinking about food.
What you have to remember is that, want it or not, the only time you need it is when in a
deficit of energy, other than this you are just being food greedy.
Solution-Any craving you have will pass. Usually any quick craving that comes on dissipates
in 5-10 minutes. If you can't hold out, distract yourself or eat very low calorie items like
pickles, lettuce, or cucumbers.
Hunger Pangs
Hunger is the experience that occurs from having an emptied stomach. The pain is caused from the contractions occurring of gastric juices that are no longer receiving food. A similar
comparison could be made to labor, think of false contractions just like you think of false
hunger. It sure as heck can feel real when happening, but really it is just false alarms. In the
end how to judge if it is real or not is kind of tough, but it does’t matter because to lose fat
there is one truth and one solution that helps with all of these.
Solution-Tough it out! In the end you really just have to deal, some use aids of warm teas,
others use appetite suppressants. Eating slower digesting foods with high amounts of fiber
and good fats certainly help. Finding as many “tricks” as you can and eating a higher variety
of proteins and fats in general will help.

Tricky foods:
Splenda - 1g = 4 calories
Cooking spray - 1 sec spray = 7 calories
Butter spray - 1 spray = 1 calorie

• Calorie free means fewer than 5 calories per serving
• fat/sugar free means less than .5 grams per serving

Workouts:
- you need to do resistance training
- 1 hour is enough for a workout - for normal people
- REST is IMPORTANT
- STRETCHING is IMPORTANT
- you CAN'T spot reduce

Take Pictures:
take daily
-pull up side by side in editing software so you can see the changes happen
wear a skimpy outfit
always wear the same outfit
relax - do not flex
shoot ALL sides
use good lighting

Weigh daily - this allows you to see the trends of loss and gain and compare with your journal

Measure every 2 weeks:

Neck
Shoulders
Bicep
Chest

Waist
Stomach
Hips
Thighs
Calf


Once again -- just my notes from the book on basic nutrition.

9-8

Worked all day today and then went to the gym. The workout would have been great -- except the music SUCKED! It was a Set class which is essentially lifting and cardio combined. A great worked, burns a ton of calories, but you really need to "feel it" if you know what I mean. I would tell you what some of the songs were, but they were so boring I can't even remember them. I need music that gets me excited and hyper, I don't need to feel like I'm about to do Yoga or step on an elevator. Music aside -- I got a decent workout -- I'll be sore tomorrow and to me that is the sign of a good class.

On a side note -- If you are driving home afterwards and someone honks at you (obviously because they are so jealous that you drive better than them) and you scream "Screw you! Suck on it! " Can you count it as standing up for yourself even though they didn't hear you? -- I'm just sayin'

Why do we EVER go to Wal-Mart?

OK -- so this is a little on and off topic. I found that needed to vent after a shopping trip with the fam to Wally World.

First:
Wal-Mart is not where you need to go if you want to save money. Sure a lot of their items are cheaper, but when you go in for a box of Kleenex and come out with $200.00 worth of crap have you really "saved" anything? They never double (or goodness forbid triple) coupons -- so honestly it's really not worth using them there. And honestly, why aren't things grouped with similar items instead of in random areas like the Garden Center? Really?

Second:
Wal-Mart is not where you need to shop if you are trying to eat healthy and lose weight. Why? Well, because they carry everything BUT healthy food. If you do happen to find a yummy nutritious treat that you enjoy -- it won't be there next time. If they still carry it at all every other person on the planet will have found it also and the shelf will have nothing on it but the price tag and crumbs from crushed packages.
(Sometimes you will also find some meat or veggies that a previous shopper picked up, but decided not to keep. They never put these back in the refrigerator section, they simply place these on the regular shelves. This is a bonus. I mean who doesn't want spoiled, bloody meat next to their Fiber One?)

Third:
If you have children as I do, you probably have experienced my next dread. You can have one child and you husband can have the other on separate sides of the store. It does not fail -- you can find each other by the wails, screams and whines of the child that is with the other person. It's amazing -- you go to look for each other -- you hear a sound and you're like -- "it can't be", "surely not!"(This is internal dialogue, yes once you have children you go slightly insane). Sure enough, you round the corner and there they are. The spouse is either red faced from embarrassment or elevated blood pressure and the child is having either a fit, occupying themselves with tags they have pulled from every clothing item on the way to find you.

Fourth:
It's just nasty -- just take a look around -- nuff said!!


That's all for my rambling tonight! Peace Out!