November 7th, 2008 — Book Review
With a title this long, the book is bound to be either very interesting or full of hype. We found it was somewhere in between. While there is some good information in there, it didn’t quite make it to the level it could have. Despite all of the proven evidence to back up the author’s claims, it’s just difficult to get behind a book that relies totally on blaming hormones for fat, and avoids the question of the need to exercise.
That said, the book does a great job of bringing the topic of estrogen dominance to the forefront. This has been studied at length and many claim that having too much estrogen, both in men and women, leads to accumulating excess fat around your middle. As we age, this becomes an even bigger problem, and since stomach fat is the worst in many doctor’s eyes, it puts us at risk for many health problems down the road.
The author claims that as we age, we reach a point where our levels of progesterone decrease, and estrogen decreases. This leads to a natural accumulation of fat around the midsection. In order to stop that, the doctor recommends eating specific foods that will supposedly block estrogen and supplementing with more progesterone. This was probably our biggest concern with the book.
Progesterone creams are widely available and you don’t need a prescription. The bad news is, there is little regulation and many of the creams are not reliable when it comes to providing a reliable dose. You may get a small amount of progesterone one day, and a whopping big dose the next day.
If you are interested in supplementing progesterone in your diet, it is vital to speak with your doctor about it. There are health risks that come from getting too much of this hormone and you should never self medicate. While there is scientific data to back up the fact that increasing progesterone levels, decreasing estrogen levels and eating the right foods can help you lose weight, you should never attempt this without the help of a qualified physician. They can prescribe actual medicine that will have a verifiable dose of progesterone instead of the hit or miss amounts found in OTC creams.
We can’t wholeheartedly recommend the book, due to the lack of exercise advice and the concern over progesterone, but it is still worth the read. Just remember that there is no replacement for a healthy exercise plan. While you probably can lose some weight following the diet advice in the book, in order to get long term weight loss, lifestyle changes and a solid exercise plan are still much more reliable. The book does however raise some very good points and we found it to be well written.
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November 6th, 2008 — Weight Loss Journal, activities, exercise, goals, motivation, wellness
If you are finding it difficult to stay focused on your exercise plan, there may be a few problems. First, you may not be doing the exercise that is best suited to your natural inclinations and second, you may be exercising for the wrong reasons. When it comes to getting healthy and sticking to an exercise plan, it is all too easy to fail. You need to set yourself up for success and the rest will easily fall into place.
Sit down for a minute and write down the reasons why you want to exercise.
Take your time and really think about each one. Now, once you’re done with that, next to each one, write an excuse why you don’t have to exercise. For example, let’s say that your first entry was “So that I look better.” Your refutation may look like this, “People should accept me for the way that I am.”
Go through each entry on your list and find an out for every reason you have given.
It shouldn’t be too hard, since most of us can usually come up with pretty decent reasons for avoiding things. When you’re done, take a hard look at your list and figure out what is really important to you.
Now, start an entirely new list. Find reasons to start exercising that you cannot refute.
Keep going until you find at least one good reason to exercise that you do not have an excuse to get out of. Don’t worry, it may take a while, especially if you are used to avoiding exercise. This isn’t about shame, it’s about finding the motivation inside of yourself to get the job done.
Once you have at least one reason, it’s time to do some goal setting.
Once again, we’re going to go through the same process. Write down your goals, and then come up with excuses for not achieving them. Start a new list of goals until you find the ones that are irrefutable. Take the time to really think each one through.
At this point, you should have at least one solid reason to exercise and one solid goal that you want to achieve. Now, it’s time to figure out how to get to that point. If you are already exercising, but aren’t quite happy with the plan you’ve picked, now is the best time to make that change and find one that is better suited for you.
List all of the exercises you know that you can do, whether it’s aerobics, strength training, walking or jogging.
Go through the procedure of finding excuses again, and narrow down the list until you come up with at least one type of exercise that you feel you can stick with. This will be your means of reaching your goal.
Now, you’ve got to put it all into action. If you stick to your plan, and remember that you have no excuses for backing out of it, you will start to see results. Hang in there, success is possible!
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June 13th, 2008 — Book Review
The main focus of this book is getting healthy over the long term, so right off the bat it moved to the front of our book shelves. Too many diet books promise readers the moon and deliver only yet another fad diet that doesn't work or leaves the reader open to future weight gain since it doesn't address the need to make whole changes to your life. Thankfully, the Gold Coast Cure was a refreshing read that hit all of the right notes when it comes to getting healthy.
The main point of the book is that by eating a healthy diet and getting the right amount of exercise you can undo the damage you've caused to your body by eating all of the wrong foods for too many years. You can turn back the clock when it comes to unclogging your arteries, getting rid of a fatty liver and restoring your body's natural rhythm. The good news is that this book makes it fairly easy to reach those goals.
The exercise component of the diet is very reasonable and requires only three days a week for a half hour each time. Even beginning dieters should be able to meet that commitment and those just starting out won't be as apt to get discouraged and quit. However, you may need to add more time or more days if you find that you've plateaued and stopped losing weight.
The book does a great job of addressing how you need to change your lifestyle in order to get thinner and healthier. Instead of hanging you out to dry and leaving you to your own devices once you've reached your goal weight, sticking to this diet will leave you incredibly healthy over the long term and you'll be able to keep that weight off. In order to really lose weight the healthy way, you've got to be ready to make that kind of a commitment. It's not always easy, but over the long term, there is no better way to lose weight.
The main emphasis is on learning how to make better choices when it comes to food. By presenting alternatives and assisting readers in learning more about why bad foods are so injurious to your health, it becomes a lot easier to stick to the plan and learn how to make these choices on your own. Not all diets will hold your hand like this and the book does a great job of making it easy to stick to your new diet plan.
Overall, we highly recommend this book since it fills all of our necessary requirements for a healthy weight loss plan: The right amount of exercise, the right kind of training to make better choices, and a sensible meal plan that should be easy to stick too. If you want to lose weight and keep it off, this is a great book to start with. Just remember, it will take time to get your results, but the process will be well worth the effort.
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June 11th, 2008 — alternative ideas, exercise, goals, gym
Let's face it, when it comes to starting an exercise plan, few of us actually enjoy it. Who wants to get all tired and sweaty when it's so much easier to sit on the couch and languish? This causes most of us to make excuses and find ways to keep busy so that we have a reason to avoid exercising. However, there are ways that you can get past this stage and make that effort towards getting healthier. And you know what? Once you start exercising regularly you'll most likely find that you feel better when you're done. That's right, eventually you will like exercising.
So, let's start off at ground zero. You need to exercise, but you don't want to. First, make a list of all the reasons that you need to start exercising. Now, next to this column, make a list of the reasons that you don't want to exercise. Let's take a look at that second column and start blowing these excuses away.
Biggest excuse - you don't have enough time.
Well, there are several ways to look at this. Most of us need to exercise at least thirty minutes a day. While it's better to get it done all at once, there's no rule that says you have to do thirty minutes in one sitting. Can you find three 10 minute blocks in your day where you usually do nothing? Turn that time into exercise time! It may not be easy if you're at work, but there are ways that you can start exercising even on the job.
Second biggest excuse - I'm embarrassed to go to the gym in my current state.
Yes, walking into the gym and being the biggest person there is not fun. However, chances are, those people looked just like you at one time or another. You don't need to feel ashamed of your body. If you find that you're not welcome at one gym, try another. If all else fails, get some exercise equipment for you home or start a walking plan around your neighborhood. Keep at it until you feel comfortable enough to walk into the gym.
Third biggest excuse - The gym is too far away.
This is one of the few excuses that actually makes a lot of sense. We're all pretty busy and driving that extra twenty minutes out of our way doesn't fit into our schedules. If you cannot find a gym that is within a short distance of your home or work, try to get some exercise equipment of your own, or find ways to exercise that don't require actual equipment, such as walking or running.
Fourth biggest excuse - I'm too out of shape and it's too hard.
Well, with this mentality, you're never going to get anywhere. Instead of leaping into a marathon training regime, you're going to need to start small. Build up your exercise in five minute blocks, adding more moves until you are able to do them all at once. This helps you gradually get into better shape and it's not so hard to get started.
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May 19th, 2008 — about, healthy eating, moderation, motivation, nutrition, rewards, weight loss, wellness
I have been tagged by Fat Man Unleashed to write a 6 word memoir. His was Be About It!
My 5 word memoir is Healthy, Happy, Wealthy, and Wise.
At the end of the day, this is how I will remember my life.
- Healthy -- this one is pretty self explanatory, but it does require work to get there from here. I am currently perfectly healthy, however I know that without choosing to lose weight and exercise regularly NOW that will not always be the case. It will be the case and I am committed to losing the weight and maintaining the healthy lifestyle. I have had a wonderful first 30 some odd years and I intend to have another healthy 100 or so in front of me.
- Happy -- I have met the woman of my dreams, I have a wonderful child, I played basketball in college, I am good at and enjoy my job, enjoying every minute, doing what I enjoy, experiencing the best things in life, fulfilled.
- Wealthy -- In spirit and eventually monetarily. Content. Wanting for nothing.
- Wise -- At least in my own mind.
And now it is my turn to tag a few people to write their own 6 word memior
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