Wheat Belly??

I know I am addicted to sugar and that I need to have total abstinence (like an alcoholic or other drug addiction). But I also know that wheat (flour) is a cousin to sugar (quickly turning to sugar in the body) and that bagels, tortilla chips, cereal and other carbs without sugar are also causing me to binge.

So in an effort to finally get back on track - for good! - I decided to adopt the major premise of the Wheat Belly Diet (which is, of course, right on track with Isagenix).

I saw the Dr Oz show on Friday, May 24 and the author, Dr Davis, tested women's blood to show how a piece of whole wheat bread can cause blood sugar to spike more than a candy bar.

Dr Davis explained how we have been conditioned to believe that whole wheat products are healthy but that's like saying filtered cigarettes are healthy (yes, when compared to non-filtered). I stopped trying to force my family to eat whole wheat pasta a while ago for this reason (if you're going to eat unhealthy you may as well enjoy it).

How can I give up wheat? It's easier knowing that it's bad for me because it's grown using pesticides. Countries including Japan and South Korea won't import US commercial wheat because it's contaminated and genetically engineered. Link to full article.

So since Tues. May 28, when I started eating healthier, I've been able to almost totally cut out wheat (only had some croutons in my salad and some breadcrumbs on my chicken cutlet). No sugar either - by Friday it was pretty easy to ignore the giant chocolate chip cookie that came with my Panera box lunch salad. I have a long way to go but I already feel much better physically and do not go to bed at night with self loathing over my food choices :)

Dr Oz - "the #1 reason why Americans are heavy"

On page 99 of the January 2012 Oprah magazine, in an interview with Dr. Oz, he states that...

"The number one reason Americans are heavy: The brain, very smartly, wants nutrition. But the average American is eating empty calories. So you finish that 2,000 calories and your brain says, Keep going until you get nutrients."

Glad to hear someone confirm what we know from Isagneix - why Shakes, why Ionix? Because they are super nutrition and low calorie. End of story.

Dr John Gray Marriage Smoothie on Dr Oz

Link to more product info

Dr John Gray (Men are from Mars/Women are from Venus) was on the Dr Oz show today (April 6, 2011) talking about relationships. The audience was comprised of all married couples. As usual, Dr John Gray has the insight to why men come home from work and want to veg on the sofa and how our hormones affect our relationship with our spouses.

He talks about a super "marriage smoothie" that has all good stuff in it from the health food store (save yourself the time and money and buy the shake he has designed that is sold through Isagenix). It maintains blood sugar all day and is a great health booster.

These are John Gray's products that are exclusively sold through Isagenix. I have seen people with mood/brain issues get fantastic results!

4 Simple Breakfast Rules for Shedding Pounds

From Realage.com (Dr Oz and Dr Roizen's site)... more proof that the right breakfast is crucial to losing weight.  Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons (author of Potatoes, Not Prozac) has four simple rules for using breakfast to counterbalance the biochemical mechanisms behind sugar cravings, obesity, and depression. (LINK)

Dr Desmaison's Rules:
1.Do it daily. Your goal is to make it a daily, automatic habit. The reward? You can kiss late-day low blood sugar and sugary snack cravings goodbye -- permanently.

2.Do it sooner rather than later. For the best results, eat breakfast within an hour or so of waking up -- even if you're not hungry. Morning-time low blood sugar produces a brain chemical designed to mask hunger pangs -- but can cause sugar cravings later in the day.

3.Make it complex. We're talking complex carbohydrates -- the fiber keeps blood sugar on an even keel and helps you feel full longer.

4.Power it with protein. Protein slows digestion, helps prevent spikes and dips in blood sugar, and can even give you a dose of depression-fighting tryptophan. DesMaisons recommends that you get a third of your daily protein at breakfast.
 
I already know that an IsaLean shake is the BEST start to the day and it certainly supports  theses four rules.  It has 23 grams of the best protein plus healthy fats and carbs PLUS all 90 minerals and vitamins our bodies need. Add a scoop of FiberPro and/or IsaPro and get even extra fiber and/or protein! Link to product info.

Plus, knowing you have that canister of shake helps you from spiraling out of control after a "bad" day.  I really ate too much at a cook-out yesterday so I actually had a 1/2 shake later last night when I got home then decided to have shakes all day today with healthy snacks in between.

Dr Oz's 10 Commandments of Weight Loss

1. Thou shall not wear stretchy pants (too hard to tell if you are gaining weight) - everything I wore had an elastic waste
2. Thou shall not keep fat clothes in your closet - I am bringing all mine to the consignment shop on Tues!
3. Thou shall not eat meet that walks on four legs more than 1x/week - I usually stick to this
4. Thou shall not graze and browse , plan your meals - have a plan in place (Isagenix is perfect for this)
5. Thou shall not eat after 7:30pm - have at least two hours between your last food and when you go to bed (this works for me)
6. Thou shall not pile food more than 1" high on the plate and keep 1" from edge Thou shall not chew food less then 20 times (wow - that's hard for me, I eat fast)
7. Thou shall not covet thy neighbor's plate (don't eat kids' leftovers - I don't do this anymore)
8. Thou shall not carry small bills, due to vending machines - not a problem for me because I work from home but good tip for those who visit vending machines
9. Thou shall not eat standing up or in a car - I am guilty of this - drinking shakes sometimes standing up in the kitchen or eating nutrition bars in the car

Diet Can Prevent Cancer

A quote from Dr Oz* -- "the food we eat may actually have the ability to turn on and off the genes that allow our cells to turn into cancer."  "Your diet can reduce your risk of cancer." 

His guest on the show, Dr. David Katz (founder of Yale University's Prevention and Research Center), said "If you eat optimally, at least 30 and as much as 60% of all cancer can be prevented... improves the health of cells, boosts immune system, better removes toxins from your body."

They talked about the value of GREENS - I have the Isagenix Greens but really havn't been taking them on a regular basis.  I am going to start working them into my daily schedule in addition to the greens I usually eat everyday (because I would never get the number of servings that's recommended).

* this show aired 2/24/10

Dr Oz - TOXINS at your table!

Dr Oz (LOVE him), had a show on Tuesday, Jan. 26 about the "toxic pollution in our food."  He is the first person I've seen to really tackle this on TV, which is great, because a lot of people don't realize that most of the food we eat is harming us!  Sad, but true.

The beginning of the show looked a lot like the intro to the new Isagenix Are Your Toxic? video - click here for a link (watch for Dr J).

DR OZ and his experts:
Mercury is now found in almost every kind of fish that isn't farm-raised (very high in sushi grade tuna, lowest in salmon).  Fatigue, headaches and trouble thinking are signs of mercury poisining.  Dr Oz recommendation: eat younger, smaller fish, rarely eat ahi tuna and albacore solid white tuna (which actually has more mercury than the cheaper chunk light kind)

BPA is found in 90% of people's bloodstreams. It is found in some plastics and in resins that line canned food. It causes cancer.  Consumer Reports tested 19 different canned foods - all had BPA which leached into the food.  Dr Oz recommendation: choose fresh vs canned food whenever possible, look for alternative packaging to cans (glass, frozen bags, cartons). Avoid plastics with a 7 PC on the bottom and any hard clear plastic not labeled, and never microwave anything in plastic.

Pesticides are found in our bodies because they are on the produce we eat. An expert on the show said that a recent study measuring pesticides in children over a 3 year period found highest levels in kids that had ADHD and autism. He said another study showed that abdominal fat in an animal test was high in the control group that had more toxins. Dr Oz recommendation: eat organic produce if possible and especially apples (ouch) and potatoes (we enjoy many apple orchards where we live but none are organic including the comany I do marketing for - more on this in a later post).

LINK TO DR OZ site for more information on Toxins at your Table.

So if you've read this far and you are using Isagenix cleanse you can feel good that you are helping to get rid of all these harmful impurities which your fat is holding on to! 

Supersize Me - NOT!

Last week on the Dr Oz show his partner, Dr Roizen, showed what we should do with fast food as he used his SHOE to stomp on a hamburger! This show is just beggin' for a lawsuit.  Although I've had my share of fast food (the fat I'm now trying to lose), I have never taken our children to a McDonald's, Burger King, Wendy's etc.  My daughter went once with a friend to Wendy's and my son was taken to BK once by a family member - (you know who you are!).

I am not against burgers and fries in moderation, we make our own at home out of fresh ground angus beef and potatoes and splurge sometimes by going to Five Guys (the best!).  

My kids and I just watched the movie Supersize Me.  It is a documentary about a guy who eats breakfast, lunch and dinner for a month at McDonald's -- see what happens to him!  My kids couldn't believe what happened when they put the McDonald's french fries into a glass jar and waited 10 weeks (a bonus feature of the movie). You can watch the full feature film SUPERSIZE ME for FREE on hulu - click here.

I also had them watch the documentary Food Inc. a few months ago - a great look at where our food comes from.  No, it's not all documentaries in the Rapp household, our next movie in queue from Netflix is Indiana Jones.  

You gotta love Dr Oz!

I think I've watched every Dr Oz show since he began his own show in Sept.  I DVR them and watch them at night usually. I knew I really liked him when he admitted at the height of the H1N1 virus that his kids would NOT be getting the vaccine (although he said he was getting it because he was a health professional in contact with elderly and sick people). I had already decided not to get my kids vacinated but was encouraged to hear this.  His wife is a Reiki healer (extra points for that although I am skeptical about the laying on hands) plus he always stresses non-prescription drug remedies for things (two thumbs up on that)!

HIDDEN TOXINS inside your home is the topic of an upcoming segment - I wish Dr Oz knew about Isagenix (although he never endorses anything by name) but I know he would love it! Anyway, his web site has great information and you can link to the "Real Age" test which calculates your real age based on health measurements and lifestyle vs. your chronilogical age. http://doctoroz.com/

Dr Oz - Secrets of Weight Loss

Dieters like myself have heard it all before - I was so well versved on the science of dieting that I wasn't even "looking" for a new diet. I had already tried many of them (not the fad ones, like the cabbage soup etc.) and I basically knew what to do. It always boils down to cutting calories and/or increasing activity to burn calories.

Today on Dr Oz (love him), they kicked off 2010 with a diet show, of course.  Again, nothing I didn't already know (ban HFCS, simple sugars, white flour, saturated fat and trans fat - even my kids know that).  However, two "secrets" he shared are interesting:
1. get a weight loss pal (they find that people who have support do better)
2. shout it out (they recommend you tell everyone you know that you are trying to lose weight and get healthier - this makes you more accountable to yourself and others)

#1 is so true - doing something alone means it's easier to give up. Isagenix is great because there are so many people willing to help, inform and encourage. No one is alone doing this. The second tip was something I already knew (hence, the blog) but thought it was cool that they included that in their no fail diet. 

Dr. Oz has to find out about Isagenix, I know he would LOVE it!  Once I lose all my weight I'll submit my success story to them... you never know.