Better Than A Candy Bar

At our house we LOVE the Isagenix Isalean bars. We fight over them, beg for them and generally desire as much for ourselves as we can. I took them to ball games this summer and had those instead of frequenting the concession stand. I desired it more than anything the concession stand had to offer anyways. Some of my children enjoy them for breakfast but all of us enjoy them as a snack anytime, especially in the car. They can also be used as a meal replacement when you’re too busy to eat a sit-down meal. They have the perfect balance of protein, carbs and fat so I don’t even have to think about what to eat. Here’s a link to some more info about the bars. The price listed is retail. I would definitely recommend using mine or your own membership to get these bars at a discount. http://greatfit.isagenix.com/us/en/cleanse_isalean_bars.dhtml

The 80-20 Rule

Remember the 80-20 rule
- It’s what we do 80% of the time that will lay the foundation for our overall health. There’s room for the occasional treat or nutritional compromise some of the time when we make wise choices the majority of the time.

Fill Your Plate Club

We’ve all heard about the "clean plate club" during the time we were growing up when our parents were trying to get us to eat our dinner. I propose that we have a "Fill Your Plate Club." Here’s how it works. At lunch and dinner you fill 1/2 your plate with fruits and vegetables (potatoes don’t count), then fill in the rest of the plate with a protein and a multi-grain carbohydrate. I think if we all started our meals this way and stuck with it, we wouldn’t have too much trouble losing and maintaining weight. If you can use as many organic fruits and vegetables as possible, then that is even better. Try it out and let me know what you think!

Did you know?

Here's some interesting information I just read:

Did You Know?

*90% of money spent on food in the US is for highly processed food.

*Sugar in soft drinks is the #1 source of calories in the US.

Wow!

Hot off the presses - How to Lose Weight When Nothing Else has Worked or Stayed Off!

Start your health and weight loss journey here by reading my new ebook How to Lose Weight When Nothing Else has Worked or Stayed Off.

I've been working on this baby for a few months and have finally finished it! This is my step by step advice on what you can do to improve your health and lose those pounds that won't leave. You'll find out how to help your body function at it's best so it can do what it was designed to do. This is how I lost my weight and maintained it. It's is a simple plan that anyone can follow and understand. The best part is that I'm there to help you. Does your doctor know what you can do to lose weight or does he just tell you to eat a low calorie diet and exercise? Here's the scoop in simple language. To get your copy just go to http://www.hjresources.com/loseit and get your copy now.

The largest organ in your body - Your Skin

Don’t think your skin absorbs much? Try this experiment.....Take a piece of garlic and cut it in ½. Rub the cut section on the bottom of your foot. I’ll bet in about 15 minutes you will taste garlic in your mouth!

I say all this to encourage you to pay attention to what you’re putting on your skin. If you can’t eat it, you might want to reconsider putting it on your skin. I don’t know if you have ever heard of propylene glycol. It is used to make most cosmetics, lotions, toothpastes, flavorings and more, including “as a base ingredient in aircraft deicing fluid and some automobile antifreezes”. Yes, you read that right. For more info check the encyclopedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Propylene_glycol. Here it states that it is basically illegal to use this substance for cat food, but we lather it all over our bodies, use it in cooking and in our mouths which is the most readily absorbed spot in our bodies. We have found alternatives to these products at our house, but I don’t want to bore you with the details. If you want more info on what we use, just email me and I’ll be glad to help you.

Healthy Eating

Once people start the Isagenix body cleansing program, they tend to desire foods that are better for them. Sometimes they ask me what they should eat to adopt a more healthy lifestyle. Here are my recommendations:

1. Read Labels -Avoid MSG (monosodium glutamate, hydrolyzed soy protein, autolyzed yeast extract - just to name a few of its’ names), partially hydrogenated oils and artificial sweeteners. I would go so far as to say that if you see something with one of these items listed in the ingredient list - don’t eat it! MSG causes your body to crave more food and hold onto fat. Some doctors even call these items "fertilizers for cancer".

2. At lunch and dinner, (since you’re having a shake for breakfast :)) fill your plate ½ full with cooked or raw vegetables (potatoes don’t count here). Then fill in the rest of the plate with a fistful of protein and a multigrain carbohydrate if you like. If you eat just a salad for a meal, then you run the risk of being hungry pretty quickly or, worse yet, setting your metabolism too low so that it starts storing fat again. Eat foods closest to their original form as possible. Instead of apple pie, eat an apple.

3.Keep your high temptation foods out of the house. If you have foods or drinks in the house that you know you shouldn’t be eating - KEEP THEM OUT OF THE HOUSE. If you’re concerned that the other people in your house will be upset if these food items aren’t in the house, chances are it is something they shouldn’t be eating either. You might risk some mutiny for a few days, but they will get used to it if you have enough alternative choices available.

For me, I love brownies and cookies. If they are in the house, I eat them. I KNOW that, in large quantities, they are bad for my body, but if they are there I eat them anyways. Can you believe it? You can have 10 different kinds of chips or nuts in my house and I can walk by them 100 times a day and not be tempted by them. I suppose there are a few of you that can have those high temptation foods in the house and not eat them. Good for you! For the rest of us, don’t have them in the house or office!

One thing I have noticed is that if children eat good foods their behavior is much better. Food has a powerful affect on our moods and general well being. You would feel lousy if you ate cookies and chips all day. Do you think your body would respond better to fried bologna or chicken and vegetables? Your body craves nutrients, not calories.

Remember the 80-20 rule. It’s what we do 80% of the time that will lay the foundation for our overall health. There’s room for the occasional treat or nutritional compromise some of the time when we make wise choices the majority of the time.