With Kung Fu grip!



http://www.bolgernow.com/blog/wp-con...ng-fu-grip.jpg

I am working toward a goal of 20lbs. I would really like 30lbs, but that just is not realistic for me and creates panic and overwhelms me.

I have given up all white sugar and Gluten. As well as meat and milk.
I have found a most wonderful milk replacement, and while the calories are more - the benefits are amazing and I have lost 4lbs this past week, without really trying.

Coconut Milk - OMG... Who would have thought?!?

Coconut milk is extracted by grating mature coconuts and squeezing them by using cheesecloth or both bare hands. This milky white liquid is called santam in Malaysia, Brunei and Indonesia and gata in Philippines. This is used in several food recipes like sauces, delicious curries and desserts. Apart from preparing foods tastier and creamier, coconut milk is also a healthy addition to various food preparations.

Nutritional Values of Coconut Milk:
Following are the nutritional values present in 100 grams of fresh coconut milk:

Calories – 230
Proteins – 2.3 g
Fat – 23.8g
Carbohydrates – 5.5 g
Dietary fiber – 2.3 g
Sugar – 3.35 g
Vitamin C – 2.8 mg
Vitamin E – 0.15 mg
Vitamin B1 – 0.026 mg
Vitamin B6 – 0.033 mg
Vitamin B5 (Pantothenic acid) – 0.183 mg
Folate – 16 mcg
Vitamin B3 (Niacin) – 0.76 mg
Iron – 1.64 mg
Selenium – 6.2 mcg
Sodium – 15 mg
Calcium – 16 mg
Magnesium – 37 mg
Phosphorus – 100 mg
Potassium – 260 mg

Benefits of Coconut Milk:
Following are some of the health benefits of coconut milk:

Helps to maintain blood sugar places:
Glucose intolerance may cause manganese deficiency in your body. Coconut milk is a rich source of manganese. Whole grains, legumes and nuts are some excellent sources of manganese.

Keeps skin and blood vessels flexible and elastic:
Copper is very important mineral for most of the bodily functions. Copper and vitamin C help to maintain the flexibility and elasticity of the skin and blood vessels.

Aids in building strong bones:
Coconut milk is not rich in calcium, but it is rich in phosphorus. Phosphorus is an essential nutrient that body needs for strengthening bones. It is must to take phosphorus with calcium particularly to prevent bone loss because it supplies phosphate to the body.

Helps to prevent anemia:
Lack of iron is the most common nutrient deficiency among the people throughout the world. Iron deficiency in body does not allow the body to develop enough hemoglobin for keeping sufficient oxygen levels in red blood cells, resulting in anemia. Each cup of coconut milk supplies the body with nearly a quarter of daily value of iron.

Relaxes muscles and nerves:
Whenever you feel muscle cramps or muscle soreness, have some food along with coconut milk. It is rich in magnesium and can help you in relieving the problem. One of the functions of magnesium is it acts as a gate block in many nerve cells. If magnesium is not present in body, nerve cells become very active because of calcium that activates nerves. Excess contraction of muscles is caused by over active nerve cells.

Helps in Controlling Weight:
This can be a good news for people who are trying to reduce weight. Coconut milk makes you feel full very quickly because of high concentrations of dietary fiber.

Decreases the risk of joint inflammation:
Selenium is an important antioxidant. It controls the free radicals and thereby helps in relieving the symptoms of arthritis. It is observed that people with low levels of selenium may suffer from rheumatoid arthritis.

Helps in lowering high blood pressure:
People who are concerned with their blood pressure will not face any problem for reaching the foods containing potassium. Potassium helps in lowering blood pressure levels in the body.

Helps in maintaining healthy immune system:
Coconut milk helps in warding off colds and coughs by keeping the immune system healthy. It supplies vitamin C to the body which boosts the immune system.

Promotes the health of prostate gland:
Zinc plays a vital role in promoting the health of prostate gland. A preliminary study showed that it slows down the activities of cancer cells

making healthy food more accessible
 

This is a great article on how some states are increasing access to the locavore movement through programs like SNAP and through donations from local farms to food banks...

http://www.utne.com/The-Sweet-Pursui...ood-Shelf.aspx

/snip

"What people often fail to realize is that obesity is a growing problem as well—particularly among the poor, whose access to healthy, nutritious foods is often sharply limited due to cost. So it is important to think holistically. In addressing one problem (hunger), we don’t want to create another (obesity). For this reason, we are focusing on providing access to fresh, local foods for the underserved populations that are our clients."

/snip

"The center partners with small farmers who make donations based on what is in season and, often, what is in surplus. Most donators are happy to contribute to a cause that is good for the community and prevents their beloved produce from going to waste. So far this year, the food shelf has received a bounty of fresh, local fruits and veggies—mixed greens, rhubarb, radishes, broccoli, beets, green beans, and more."

I know how that goes with rushing around before work and not having time to pack a lunch. Fast food isn't a problem for me though since I work the overnight shift and nothing is opened when I take my lunch break. Last night I had one of those tiny bags of popcorn from the vending machine in the breakroom. And this may shock you sweetheart but I'm trading in the iced coffee for unsweetened iced tea.
90 curls and a mile on the treadmill today. My goal is 20 lbs.

pride
 

I just wanted to say I'm proud of everyone of you trying to live a healthier life. Nothing bad could ever come of that. Even if you don't lose all the weight you would hope to. Its so easy to put it on and so hard to take it off. Keep up the good work!

i like
 

I like the small curd fatfree too but I like pepper all over mine. I know I know but I love it.

Down 0.8 for today's weigh-in

It's a turtle's pace, but at least the turtle is heading in the right direction!

Go turtle go! :)

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A very interesting 20year study done by Harvard, the results of which were published in the New England Journal of Medicine early this summer.

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/19/he...ewanted=1&_r=1

It disproves the principal that "everything in moderation" is okay in terms of losing or maintaining weight and it lists the foods that are the most harmful and those that are most helpful. A good summary.

/snip
“This study shows that conventional wisdom — to eat everything in moderation, eat fewer calories and avoid fatty foods — isn’t the best approach,” Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and epidemiologist at the Harvard School of Public Health and lead author of the study, said in an interview. “What you eat makes quite a difference. Just counting calories won’t matter much unless you look at the kinds of calories you’re eating.”

/snip
The foods that contributed to the greatest weight gain were not surprising. French fries led the list: Increased consumption of this food alone was linked to an average weight gain of 3.4 pounds in each four-year period. Other important contributors were potato chips (1.7 pounds), sugar-sweetened drinks (1 pound), red meats and processed meats (0.95 and 0.93 pound, respectively), other forms of potatoes (0.57 pound), sweets and desserts (0.41 pound), refined grains (0.39 pound), other fried foods (0.32 pound), 100-percent fruit juice (0.31 pound) and butter (0.3 pound).

/snip
But contrary to what many people believe, an increased intake of dairy products, whether low-fat (milk) or full-fat (milk and cheese), had a neutral effect on weight.
And despite conventional advice to eat less fat, weight loss was greatest among people who ate more yogurt and nuts, including peanut butter, over each four-year period.

I think this is one of the hardest things to manage...or it has been for me.

I have to be really diligent in my efforts to manage healthy meals when life is crazy. Before I go to the market, I try to plan to make things that will last a few days... green salads, quinoa salad, caprese salad; and I cook up a some protein in advance - marinaded chicken or shrimp, so that it is all there in the refrigerator and easy to put together for the next day.
I am utterly useless in the mornings before coffee and I am forever running late - so I know I have to prep meals the night before. I have my yogurt and fruit sorted for breakfast and a salad or a wrap for lunch.

One thing I'd like to do in the Autumn (when cooking hot food becomes appealing again) is try to shift my meals to a more European way of eating. So that I have a larger lunch (what we would consider dinner) midday - BEFORE I exercise and then in the evening have a light meal (that we would consider lunch).

slow and steady wins the race!

It's not my intention to take anything away from Thinker, I wanted to stop in and support it is the right direction.:vigil:

I'm a recovered *fat* person who had emotional eating issues. As many of you know, you replace one addiction with another. Now I am an endorphine junkie, A much better choice (except now I don't feel pain, but thats for a different thread)

I lost 103 pounds after my heart almost quit on me. The Dr. told me either make radical changes~immediately~ or you are going to die. That was the morning after, I promised myself if I lived to see another morning, I was going to get my act together, I was not prepared to die. I lived to see the morning and then he delivered that message to me. He was right, but I already knew that.

It all began with walking. Everyday. At first, a brisk walk around the block, was brutal. (I am a woman of my word) walk again. Soon that walk around the block was a walk around the neighborhood, then I incorporated some steps into the daily walk. Before I knew it, I was jumping out of bed and looking forward to my walk. In the mean time, I began to teach myself the DASH diet, (it's a heart healhy/balanced eating plan...low sodium) this was going to be my new way of life...not some fad diet. Salt/sodium would cause swelling and fluid retention around my heart, essentially squeezing it, and that will kill me) the walks became easier, I walked faster, further and longer. So far I haven't said anything that sounds awful...have I?

The first thing I noticed, my rings were spinning on my fingers, less fluid retention. I was feeling much better, had energy (more like positive energy) and my clothes were not fitting. I didn't have a scale (yet). In what seemed like no time, the walks were effortless, so I would walk some, jog some (me jogging??) walk some more....and the more I did that, the longer I was able to jog, then further and further....weight loss at the end of the first year 35 pounds. Slow and steady.

Eventually, I got into a gym and continued exercising of some sort. Long story short. My body picked it's new weight of 135 pounds (minus 103) over a three year period. I'd also like to tell you, when I got down to a size 12....I thought, Oh, I like this size...but I kept eating properly and doing what the american heart association suggests 10,000 steps a day and 45 minutes of exercise a day and slowly the weight kept coming off.

In the mean time, I became hooked on exercise (endorphines) and Physically I am in the best shape of my life. I also eat extremely healthy now, I no longer make excuses for the way I eat. (I mean to non dieting friends and family, no thank you and that is it!) I am not suggesting you become an endorphine junkie to achieve your weight loss goal. I'm only supporting, slow and steady weight loss will win. Do the right things as often as possible and it will happen. / yb





ETA....it's been ten years.....its been a new life.....seriously! so glad I changed my cookie binge ways