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General Weight Loss Tips

April Continues

Last week I was swamped. Catching up on projects, sending out jewelry, and doing a lot of cooking. I took photos of my food, but before I knew it I was going to bed. I just didn’t have the time and energy to post last week, but there was another issue going on.

This could have been preventable as it was a pattern and I see it now, but at the time I was annoyed and I let it get the best of me. The week before last when I was posting photos of my food everyday, I was also doing something else secretly: I was weighing myself everyday. This is a bad habit and it doesn’t consider the big picture. Logically I know this. But, I was losing. Every day the scale was lower and I was like a moth to a flame.

So Saturday in DC came and we ended up walking close to nine miles. I don’t walk a lot and it just about did me in. The next day I got on my friends scale and noticed that my weight was up. Water retention. And then the next day we walked some more and I ate a very salty Thai meal. And on Monday we drove home. Which caused another spike in my weight. When I travel, I blow up. I KNOW this about myself.

But when I got home and stepped on the scale all I saw was work undone and I was upset and annoyed. I know the lesson of this is: I retain water and that is the stage I’m in: losing water. I also know that exercise and travel always causes my weight to fluctuate.

Instead of being healthy about it, continue doing what I was doing (which was working) I just said “f this” and stopped. Everything. We ate out almost everyday last week and didn’t exercise until this past Sunday. If that wasn’t sabotage I don’t know what is.

Looking back, I wish I would have just shrugged it off, stopped weighing myself, exercise and watch what I was eating, and drink lots of water. It would have gone away and things would have evened out again. So this is my calling myself out on destructive behavior.

This is also me continuing what I set out to do this month: kick ass. And so it continues. Fluctuations are not the big picture. Five pounds up or down is not the big picture. Doing good consistently is.

And now I bring you my eats from yesterday (monday):

I was not hungry until about noon yesterday. Instead I drank lots and lots of water. I came home for lunch where I prepared a plate of rice, onions in masala sauce (trader joe’s), spinach (with dressing and a little feta), and half a slice of tandoori naan. Total calories: 535

Later on in the afternoon I was hit with the baking bug. I purchased a bag of Sucanat over the weekend and was itching to try it. You can read more about it here. What I miss most about being sweet-free is baking. I also miss having a muffin for breakfast and so I’ve decided to add natural sugars into my diet (I’ve been eating honey for awhile).

I loved getting in the kitchen and figuring out a new, healthier recipe for muffins. I can’t describe the satisfaction really, but these are quite good. I used whole wheat white flour, sucanat and my own apple sauce. They are a bit higher in calories than I had hoped, I used vegetable oil and filled the muffin cups pretty full- I like muffin tops, what can I say?

I followed Krissie’s advice and froze the rest for reheating throughout the week and to avoid eating too many. I ate two at 166 calories each.

For dinner I made a pepper, onion and spinach stir fry in a Chinese sauce over rice. This was surprisingly filling and low in calories. I actually calculated it several times to make sure I was correct. Calories: 300 (maybe a little less)

And for a night snack I made smoothies with bananas, milk, frozen mango, frozen cherries, a splash of vanilla and walnuts. About 250 calories

Total calories for the day: 1,417

Exercise: 45 minutes of Insanity, burned about 400-500 calories

Earned my sticker for the day!

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Weight Loss Exercise

Celiac disease – Gluten Intolerance issues


Celiac disease, more commonly known as gluten intolerance, affects one in 133 Americans. This lifelong disease causes intestinal problems when eating gluten, which is the common name for offending proteins in wheat (including durum, semolina, spelt, kamut, einkorn, and faro), rye, barley and oats. Gluten is like poison to people with celiac disease.

Celiac disease Gluten Intolerance issues

Celiac Disease

Celiac disease affects those who are genetically susceptible. In fact, if one member of a family has celiac disease, about one out of 10 other members of the same family are likely to have it as well. Some may harbor the tendency for a while without getting sick, but then stress, physical injury, infection, childbirth or surgery can actually “activate” the disease. The disease mostly affects people of European (especially Northern European) descent, but recent studies show that it also affects Hispanic, Black and Asian populations as well.

How to Diagnose Celiac Disease

Because of the broad range of symptoms celiac disease presents, it can be difficult to diagnose. The symptoms can range from mild weakness, bone pain, and aphthous stomatitis to chronic diarrhea, abdominal bloating, and progressive weight loss. Those with celiac disease who consistently consume gluten can increase their chances of developing gastrointestinal cancer by a factor of 40 to 100 times that of the normal population. Furthermore, gastrointestinal carcinoma or lymphoma develops in up to 15 percent of patients with untreated or refractory celiac disease. Celiac disease should be quickly and properly diagnosed so it can be treated as soon as possible. Testing is fairly simple and involves screening the patient’s blood for antigliadin (AGA) and endomysium antibodies (EmA), and/or doing a biopsy on specific areas of the intestines.

With a strict adherence to a 100 percent gluten-free diet, almost all complications caused by the disease can be prevented. A gluten-free diet means avoiding all products that contain wheat, rye and barley, or any of their derivatives. This can be a difficult task as there are many hidden sources of gluten found in the ingredients of many processed foods. It is important to read labels carefully and become educated on what types of ingredients to look out for.

Gluten Foods to Watch For

Durum flour, couscous, semolina, spelt, kamut, bulgur and triticale, a grain crossbred from wheat and rye, are all names for certain kinds of wheat.
Corn starch, wheat starch, dextrin, malt, maltodextrin, modified food starch, fillers, natural flavoring, hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP), emulsifier, stabilizer and hydrolyzed plant protein (HPP)

Foods that commonly contain gluten

Most cereals, grains, pastas, breads, and processed foods contain some type of gluten, unless, of course, they are specifically made to be gluten-free. Vegetable cooking sprays, tomato pastes, spaghetti sauces, and veined cheeses, such as roquefort and blue cheese, may contain gluten.

Hidden sources of gluten

Many vitamins and medications can contain gluten in their additives. Always check with your doctor or pharmacist before taking any medication.

Be careful of cross-contaminating foods. This can happen in the toaster, deep fryer, griddle, etc.
Imitation seafood and instant or flavored coffees and teas
Glue on envelopes and postage stamps
Chewing gum
Some lotions, creams, and cosmetics

For more information go to www.celiac.org.

And don’t forget to go to www.foodallergybuddy.com to print your free food allergy buddy cards on your home computer. There is no limit to the number of cards you can print and we are constantly adding new designs.

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Weight Loss Exercise

What is Lapband Surgery


Lets start this post on what is lapband surgery by just letting me say that I hate the idea of surgery to fix overweight problems unless all diet and exercise options have been exhausted.

This is my second article on Lapband surgery as I wrote another lap band surgery article last year that talked about it as well

Looking at other diet and exercise options is critical as our bodies will always seem to find a way around the invasive ways that we try to change things.  People overeat after gastric bypass as we have seen lots of times on The Biggest Loser, hormone production decreases when we take steroids or HGH. But lapband surgery is becoming more popular and in a recent trip to LA I saw a lot of billboards so here is the FDA info on it.

What is Lapband Surgery

Lapband surgery

Lapband Surgery Basics

What is it? The Lapband surgery is a surgically implanted device that helps adults, who are at least 18 years old, eat less and lose weight. The Lap Band surgery consists of a silicone band, tubing, and an access port. The inner surface of the silicone band is inflatable and is connected by the tubing to the access port.

How does it work? The band is placed around the upper part of the stomach during a surgical procedure. The band is connected to an access port that is placed close to the skin. Later, the surgeon can adjust the band (adding or removing fluid) by piercing the access port through the skin with a needle. The band creates a small stomach pouch that can hold only a small amount of food. The narrowed opening between the stomach pouch and the rest of the stomach controls how fast food passes from the pouch to the lower part of the stomach. Inflating the band (adding saline) makes the opening smaller, causing food to pass slower. Deflating the band (removing saline) makes the opening larger, permitting food to pass faster. The band limits the amount of food that can be eaten at one time and increases the time it takes for food to be digested, helping people to eat less.

When is it used? The Lapband surgery  is used for weight loss in obese adults who have a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30-40, with one or more obesity-related medical conditions (such as Type II diabetes and hypertension), and when non-surgical weight loss methods (such as supervised diet, exercise, and behavior modification) have not been successful. Patients must be willing to make major changes in their eating habits and lifestyle.

What will it accomplish? The Lapband surgery will help patients lose weight and maintain the weight loss, and it may help improve their health. In a U.S. study of patients with a BMI between 30-40, 80% of patients lost at least 30% of their excess weight and kept it off for one year. There were some patients who lost no weight and others who lost over 80% of their excess weight. The quality of life for patients enrolled in the study improved significantly.

When should it not be used? It should not be used for someone who is a poor candidate for surgery, has certain stomach or intestinal disorders, has to take aspirin frequently, or is addicted to alcohol or drugs. It should not be used if someone is not able or willing to follow dietary and other recommendations.

Is Lapband Surgery Safe?

A 2007 study published in the American Journal of Surgery found up to 76 percent of Lap-Band patients developed complications over three years. In some cases, excessive vomiting caused stomach acid to erode the band. Last year, Allergan, the largest U.S. manufacturer of gastric bands recalled 152,000 defective bands.

Whether you are at a point where lapband is an option or not is up to you and a doctor. Let me caution you again though that it is important to look at any lapband surgery or gastric bypass as just an option after you have exhausted any diet and exercise options.