October Unprocessed

So tell me - honestly - DO you think you are able to go an entire month without eating anything (any food) that is processed.  Basically, does it come in a box, can or package?   Eat only foods that would pass the 'kitchen test' - - meaning that a normal person with average skills and typical resources could re-create the food in their kitchen.  

I still have things in my diet that I know I should eliminate.  I also have a bit of a problem with the fast food drive-thru scene.   I'm working on it.  Wondering, though - - if I should try a whole month cold turkey - - go completely UNPROCESSED.

If you want to do this with me - sign up at the website above.  I am not sponsoring this in any way shape or form, and it does not benefit me at all if you sign up ... just passing along the information because I found it very interesting, and I definitely plan to participate myself.  I would love to have some cheerleaders along the way.

So now people - go check out this link: http://www.eatingrules.com/october-unprocessed-2012/ - and after you look at it and/or sign up - come back here!

As always, make champion choices,
Debra

A SAD Diet

"I know people who have lost weight and reversed disease on raw, vegan, paleo, primal, low carb, low fat, DASH, 80/10/10, Mediterranean, etc, ad nauseum. The common denominator in ALL the diets I've seen people have success with: switching from SAD* to whole foods." 

*SAD = Standard American Diet 

That's why we don't advocate a specific diet, and why many of us poke at any dogmatic philosophy that claims it is the ONE True Ideal Human Diet. On the other hand, any diet that emphasizes real whole foods gets MY stamp of approval! Now if someone wants to follow said particular diets above, including all of the ones I listed there, I'm okay with it... especially if it works for you and you're successful. I'm not ANTI-anything, other than dogma of course. 

Rule of thumb: "If it comes from a plant, it's good for you. If it's made 'in' a plant, it's not." 

 

As always, make champion choices,

Debra

Daughter Dear

You know what I love about my daughter dear?  Well, there are lots of things, but one thing in particular is that she is a fabulous cook.  I hate cooking.  Truly, I do.  I keep having this idea that I am going to magically turn into some amazing chef and prepare mouth watering meals for my family that makes others swoon.  Yeah, that's not happening.  I can follow a recipe, I can follow instructions, but I do not invent or create any kind of masterpiece in the kitchen.   Daughter dear, however, is excellent at this - and I love that about her.  She is a healthy minded teenager and enjoys cooking.  I really love it when she grills salmon for me, or simple things like scrambling eggs.

Now if only I could get the child interested in CLEANING up the mess after she cooks - we'd be set.

As always, make champion choices,

Debra

More Philosophy...

...and because I clearly have a lot to say ... here is more on my own personal philosophy ! 

I'm all about being healthy and getting fit. Yes! However; I will never be one to push this mentality of "you gotta get up at 5 am to workout" unless you just enjoy that. I do not believe in making people feel guilty or lazy (and by people I mainly mean me) ... for not giving 100%, or if you're sitting watching tv or relaxing sometimes. Hey, I've got four kids, two dogs and a husband, sometimes I need to sit on the couch and relax. 

I understand some people do fitness comps and if that's your thing, awesomesauce, but it's not mine. Unless you have a deadline for some sort of muscleman show, why on Earth should I push my body to the extreme? Workout yes, do what you can when you can yes, obsess about your physique to the point where you suffer physically and mentally and it takes over your life, and you ignore your family? Um, nope, not me. 

I have seen soooo much progress in me, my weight and myself ... and my workouts have never once looked as crazy and extreme as some of these "motivational" pics I've seen all over Facebook, etc. I will go as far as to say my workouts are probably wimpy compared to most, but I am amazed how effective those wimpy workouts have been. Why should I aim for the "hurt yourself" level? Seriously, people - go at your own pace and don't stress about it. This will keep it enjoyable for life and you won't burn yourself out quickly. The ONLY person you need to compare yourself to - is well, YOURSELF. Not me, not Jillian Michaels - - not anybody. 

Meanwhile; I am taking a certification course to become a certified personal trainer, and I show up there every Saturday (just started really). I am 43 yrs old and still have weight to lose. I am completely out of place there. They are younger, hipper, stronger, etc. I probably look like a frumpy mom to them. I do not LOOK like a personal trainer in the least. I am certainly not a fitness model, and have no desire to be. Even if I hit an ideal physique, you'll never see me on stage because that's not my goal or my thing. FOR OTHERS, it is - and that is great - but it's not me, so why compare. 

And you know what - these people in this class, they don't know me. They don't know I've lost over 100 pounds. They don't know how far I've come and what medications I've eliminated through diet and exercise. They don't know me. SO, do I care that I am a fish out of water in this class? Not in the least. I show up. And quite frankly, I can't wait to shock the hell out of 'em all. 

 

As always, make champion choices,
Debra

My Personal Philosophy !

My philosophy: 

I don't count calories, grams of fat, weight watchers points and I don't diet. I don't do an hour of cardio. I rarely get on an elliptical or spin bike or machine of that nature. I aim for healthy unprocessed foods and tons of them! I believe in moving your body every day, lifting heavy things and breaking a sweat doing the things we love. I like to climb hills and cherish the view at top. I like to ride my bike in the neighborhood and feel the wind in my hair. I like to swim in the ocean or a lake or a pool or any kind of water that is safe. I walk and walk and walk and walk some more. I'm not a runner, but I don't have to be because I get where I'm going just fine. I have hand weights in my bedroom. I make good use of my stairs. I lift heavy children and toss them around. I have an awesome exercise DVD collection that often collects dust because I'd rather be outside living life. Don't get me wrong, there's a place for DVD's, and machines at the gym and tracking food calories/points if you need to ... but the ultimate life goal is to be healthy enough to enjoy longevity and be around long enough to continuously pursue new dreams. Eat real food, enjoy real fitness and live life in the real world. 

 

As always, make champion choices,

Debra

Every BODY is Beautiful!

It really is all about being healthy. Health and beauty come in all shapes and sizes. 

I personally follow my 80/20 philosophy. I eat healthy 80% of the time and splurge the other 20% of the time. And 'healthy' means something different to everyone. There is no right or wrong by the way. 

80% has all sorts of meanings, such as: 
* eating raw foods 
* eating vegetarian foods 
* eating vegan foods 
* eating meats as long as they're not fried 
* no processed foods 
* no refined carbs 

At the end of the day, there are no right or wrong choices when you select what healthy means to YOU. If you choose to eat healthy 80% of the time, you will be much healthier than the average person in this country. 

 
Courtesy of Dennisse Lisseth 

As always, make champion choices,
Debra

Fat and Happy?

I'd like a healthy discussion debate on this image. Is it okay to be 'fat and happy'? Personally, what I do hate seeing is people completely obsessed with unrealistic images of what healthy is, or trying to box themselves into a 'perfect diet' mentality that all the so-called gurus are following. I hate to see unhealthy relationships with food. But what about the people that are clearly overweight, or obese. If they're happy that way, is that okay? What are your thoughts? 

As for me, myself and I ... my goals are health and longevity ... and I worry far more about what the numbers from my blood say ... then what the numbers on a scale say. 

As always, make champion choices,
Debra

Do You Believe?

You have to believe you will succeed, 
or else you will not be willing 
to make the effort. . . . 

With belief comes action. 
With action comes results. 

Without belief - - 
there is neither action nor results. 

So tell me - - what do you believe? 

As always, make champion choices,

Debra

Wakeup Call

SO, I'm a bit sad today. A classmate of mine (age 43) died yesterday. He went into the hospital a few days ago with blood sugar of 1,500 and septic intestines. He had surgery but never woke up and died yesterday. He was diabetic and had no clue. This makes me so sad. He was just at our high school reunion one week earlier. 

Pay attention to your bodies people. If there is anything you're putting off - stop it. Go get that mammogram or colonoscopy or whatever it is you're procrastinating about. If you have something about your lifestyle that you KNOW you need to change, get on it. Tomorrow is not promised to any of us. Consider this your little mini wake-up call or kick in the booty from moi (not that you need it). 

As always, make champion choices!

Debra

Challenge For You!

Challenge of the Week: Starting Monday August 6th 

Try to make it through an entire week without complaining! 

James 5:7-11 

As always, make champion choices!
Debra