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Emotional Eating?

Have you been struggling with your weight this year?

You’re doing a lot of exercises yet you still haven’t been losing weight?

Jody - Weight Loss Coach

Weight Loss Coach

Maybe you’ve added belly fat, some extra  pounds/kgs!

Well, at least you’ve come to understand its all about consciously making decisions in your life…

Choices that revolve around making healthy decisions.

This week your healthy diet challenge is focused around developing strategies to cope with emotional eating.

Maybe it’s a forbidden topic? Do you feel this problem is an issue that you’ve dealt with at one time or another?

Well, I know I’ve had my fair share of struggling with emotional eating. Why?

Because life is full of surprises mixed in with boredom, stress and anxiety.

Allow me to explain…

I’d like to take this opportunity to share strategies and more importantly to ask you how you’re able to handle these issues or problems?

Are your eating habits holding you back and making you feel angry?

After a while it becomes second nature to sabotage your appetite in an unhealthy fashion.

Let’s talk about how to answer these questions with basic guidelines/rules that have helped in the past:

  • Eat when you start to feel a little bit hungry…
  • Don’t wait until you are starving because when you’re famished you run the risk of overeating and eating too quickly.
  • Take your time eating, eat slow, thoroughly chew and enjoy your food
  • Eat small portions…

Your biggest challenge will most likely be about portion size and control…

What if you’re unsure about what “food portion size” means for you?

Don’t worry, we’ll be spending time on this and going over it in more detail.

The strategy is simple…you want to finish eating feeling light and satisfied.

If you feel heavy, too full or tired you have most likely eaten too much.

If you give your body too much food, it will start to store it as extra weight.

First and formeost, learn to listen to your body.

So called diet experts tell you this and that…their diet book has the answer, but what helps you is getting back in tune with what your body is telling you.

Are you listening?

Are you paying attention to the signals?

Are you aware of the little call from your brain every 2-3 hours that you need to eat something because you’re a little bit hungry?

Really, that’s how simple it really is to get back in control…

If you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss it, so it’s important to develop this basic body awareness.

Truly, I believe your body is more than capable of telling you when and how much you want to be eating, the trick is learning to listen.

As you begin to pick-up on your body signals, you get more intune with those distractions…

Yes, in other ways that avoid you feeling like dealing with your feelings by turning to food.

Now, you may have tried all sorts of diets in the past…

Some of the most common distractions include watching t.v, reading your favourite glossy magazine or even going out shopping.

All of these distractions work of course, and I’ve done them a million times to distract myself from emotional eating.

We all go through daily ups and downs, we have our own personal stories full of life’s various hurts and disappointments.

Unfortunately some of which still may continue to haunt you.

Remember those profoundly negative experiences and dramatic changes?

Overall, all these experiences cahnge your attitude and direction in life.

The question is how you deal with or handle it all for positive and enriching life, instead of moving from one empty distraction to another…

What if you focused on building, creating and learning.

The greatest joy of learning is having an open mind to what areas you feel passionate about in your own life.

Once your focus is on developing yourself, you can make much better decisions in every area of your life…including your diet.

This leads to the importance of treating yourself with respect.

What if your best friend was upset that they were having a tough time dealing with emotional eating?

Honestly would you beat them up even more with harsh words and a judgmental attitude?

You’d be caring, supportive and kind, yet how many times have you stood in front of the mirror berating yourself angrily for slipping on your diet?

You want to learn to treat yourself as if you were your own best friends!

That means caring and nurturing your soul with loving kindness.

Nothing is gained when you add your own insults and self criticisms…often playing like a broken record in your head.

This is a difficult habit to break…perhaps the most important lesson of all.

Please will you treat yourself well and affirm the positives? If you slip, then get back on track and resolve to be stronger the next time.

Refocus on your goals and continue to move forward.

You may repeat this process a hundred times and each time you get back up on your feet you’ll be a little bit stronger.

Eventually new healthier habits will form and you’ll reach a breakthrough ready for new diet and exercise challenges 🙂

Talk with you soon…Jody

Top 7 Foods for Better Sex

If you want to put some sizzle back into your sex life, food can help you set the mood and fuel your fire…

Jody - Weight Loss Coach

Weight Loss Coach

What female wouldn’t want to eat food or foods that are good for women’s health?

Fast food or health food?

Is there nothing better than a romantic candle lit, home-cooked dinner for your libido?

Healthy food with food recipes to indulge your R-rated senses helping you to turn-up the heat…

“There’s a growing body of evidence that some of the vitamins and components in foods can enhance sexual function and sexual experience,” says Jennifer R. Berman, MD, the director of the Berman Women’s Wellness Center, in Beverly Hills, Calif.

Here are some of the aphrodisiac foods (and my own favorite food recipes) that have been major players for our “female libido“.

Arugula has been heralded as an arousal aid since the first century.

Today, research reveals the trace minerals and antioxidants packed into dark, leafy greens are essential for women libido

As well as health because they help block absorption of some of the environmental contaminants thought to negatively impact our libido.

The Aztecs referred to avocados as, ahem, testicles, because of their physical shape.

But the scientific reason why avocados make sense as an aphrodisiac is they’re rich in unsaturated fats and low in saturated fat, making them good for your heart and arteries.

Anything that keeps the heart beating strong helps keep blood flowing to all the right places.

Topping my list of feisty foods, almonds have long been linked to increased passion, act as a sexual stimulant, and aid with fertility.

Like asparagus (another one of my favorite sexy foods), almonds are nutrient-dense and rich in several trace minerals important for sexual health and reproduction.

Almonds contain zinc, selenium and vitamin E.

“Zinc helps enhance libido and sexual desire,” says Dr. Berman. “We don’t really understand the mechanisms behind it, but we know it works.”

Figs are funny-shaped fruits with a long history of being a fertility booster, and they make an excellent aphrodisiac because they’re packed with soluble fiber and insoluble fiber.

Why is this important for your heart health?

High-fiber foods help fill you up, not out, so it’s easier to get abs with sexy bottom line or flat belly.

Strawberries say it all with the color red which is known to help stoke the fire!

A 2008 study found that men find women sexier if they’re wearing red, as opposed to cool colors such as blue or green.

Strawberries are also an excellent source of folic acid, a B vitamin that helps ward off birth defects in women.

According to a University of California, Berkley study, may be tied to high sperm counts in men.

Why not eat some dark-chocolate-dipped strawberries?

While we’re on the subject, there’s a reason we give chocolate on Valentine’s Day because chocolate is full of libido boosting methylxanthines.

Seafood, despite their slippery texture, oysters may be one of the most well-known aphrodisiac.

Oysters are also one of the best sources of libido-boosting zinc.

But other types of seafood can also act as aphrodisiacs. Oily fish like wild salmon and herring contain omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for a healthy heart.

Citrus or any member of this tropical fruit family is super-rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, and folic acid—all of which are essential.

Enjoy a romantic salad that mixes-it-up with citrus, like pink grapefruit or mandarin oranges, and why not use a dressing made with lemon and lime?

Hope you enjoy my top 7 foods for better sex…indulge but don’t be shy!

Why Eat Foods That Get Rid Of Belly Fat?

You’re probably wondering what foods contain MUFAs and how does mufas diet really work to lose belly fat?

Jody - Weight Loss Coach

Weight Loss Coach

Simply put…

It is not yet entirely clear why monounsaturated fats (or MUFAs diet) is effective at targeting belly fat, although women do lose abdominal fat.

According to a study in the American Diabetes Association’s journal…

A diet rich in monounsaturated fats is more effective than a high carb diet for belly fat lose.

When Prevention magazine tested this they had similar results. The bottom line is 1600 calories is a reduced calorie diet for many women.

And with a diet of reduced calories, healthy fats, lean protein and vegetables, most women do lose weight.

If you’re going to diet, this is a healthy and balanced approach and at the very least you can eat more MUFAs as part of your existing diet.

You have nothing to lose… except some abdominal fat.

A MUFA is simply a clever name for monounsaturated fatty acids found in plant-derived foods.

MUFAs fall into five primary categories:

  • Oils
  • Nuts & seeds
  • Avocadoes
  • Chocolate (unrefined)
  • Olives…

Examples of foods made up of these fatty acids include:

  • Flax oil
  • Sunflower oil
  • Olive oil
  • Green olives
  • Almond butter
  • Peanuts & peanut butter
  • Avocadoes
  • Seeds
  • Macadamia nuts
  • Dark chocolate
  • Tahini (sesame seed paste)
  • Pesto (basil) sauce

The good fat helps lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL cholesterol. In addition good fats are filling, which satisfies your hunger longer.

Assuming you’re not an emotional eater, this increased satiation encourages you to naturally eat fewer calories without feeling hungry or deprived.

Other health benefits of eating MUFAs include:

  • Lower blood pressure
  • Lower risk of Parkinson’s disease
  • Reduction in internal inflammation

Frankly, I’m still not confident if most women agree that exercise and fitness is attributed to long term health and weight loss diet success…

Fat burning and belly fat lose is the “in thing” so there are exercises, gadgets, and gimmicks galore all promising to decrease your waist size.

Some women have tried many diets only to see little or no results. As a matter of fact, you may find yourself this year still battling belly fat?

Over the years, I’m sure many women just like me know all baout the roller coaster yo-yo diets and have been on every diet plan in existence.

Of course, some women are disillusioned with dieting altogether, deciding to eat healthy, exercise daily and stay off of the bathroom scales.

Some women are apple shaped or may be like me in the past, have a rubber tire around the middle that just feels like it will never disappear.

If so, I’d like to share with you the reasons why getting the belly fat off the right way and never having to worry about it coming back is life changing.

Have you discovered the health nutrition and health benefits of olive oil verses saturated fats?

I quickly understood by adding just a small handful of seeds and nuts to my daily nutrition as this worked to burn fat.

More importantly, immediately stopped hunger pangs and certailing my appetite in the afternoons.

Good Fats verses Bad Fats:

Monounsaturated fats, polyunsaturated fats and omega-3 fatty acids are all good fats (heart-healthy).

One way of knowing if any of the oils in your pantry are monounsaturated fats is if they’re liquid at room temperature and thicken when refrigerated? 

Polyunsaturated fats are typically liquid at room temperature and when refrigerated. 

For example: Most vegetable (safflower, corn, sunflower and soy) oils. 

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in fatty fish (salmon, albacore, tuna, herring, and mackerel), walnuts and flaxseeds (flaxseed oil).

Bad fats are usually any fat that is semi-solid to solid at room temperature such as a stick of butter or the marbling in a steak. 

Saturated fats main sources are animal products, however, tropical oils (coconut, palm kernel and cocoa butter) are high in saturated fats.

Trans fat or shortening, of course is a (deadly) bad fat produced when hydrogen is added with liquid oils to make a fat solid or extended shelf life. 

Now let’s look at the power of the MUFA and why eating MUFA can definitely assist you in being successful inbelly fat lose through waistline reduction.

The original MUFA superstar was discovered via researchers investigating the benefits of Mediterranean diet which was identified as olive oil.

Just by adding 2 tablespoons of olive oil to your diet has been found to lower harmful levels of LDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

Not only will MUFAs help you lose belly fat, monounsaturated fats have been identified through nutritional research to be linked to health benefits.

Including reducing rates of serious diseases such as:

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • Metabolic syndrome
  • Chronic inflammation
  • Breast cancer
  • Alzheimer

Of course, if you have been diagnosed with any of these diseases and are on a restrictive diet plan check with your doctor prior to making any changes.

 MUFA rich Foods

The MUFA list has five categories and the serving size of any of these foods at every meal is based on assisting you in your belly fat fitness regimen.

Oils – A serving equals 1 tablespoon (flaxseed oil, olive oil, peanut oil, pesto sauce, safflower oil, sesame oil, soybean oil, sunflower oil, walnut oil).

Nuts & Seeds – A serving equals 2 tablespoons (almonds, brazil nuts, peanuts, chunky natural peanut butter, dry-roasted cashews, dry-roasted sunflower seeds, hazelnuts, macadamia nuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, roasted pumpkin seeds, tahini (sesame seed paste) or walnuts.

Avocado – A serving equals ¼ cup

Olives – A serving equals 10 large olives or 2 tablespoons ( black olives, black olive tapenade, green olives, green olive tapenade)

Chocolate – A serving equals ¼ cup (dark or semisweet chocolate chips, shavings or chunks)

Fitness and Lifestyle Changes

Happily doing exercise that fits you and your lifestyle is very important.

Obviously a working mom may not be able to spend hours at a gym, but you can take time out of your busy schedule to take care of yourself.

If you want to trim your waist line and lose weight here are five rules to help fight your body cravings and stay healthy as follows:

 1: Interupt your hunger – drink water and/or eating a 100-calorie snack like a hand full of nuts about a half an hour before meal time.

2: Eliminate drinking water – especially soft fizzy drinks with meals

3: Eat plenty of fiber – eat a high fiber breakfast

4: Embrace “awareness” when eating – No more eating in front of television, texting or eating on the run; take time to sit at the table and enjoy your meal.

5: Build your muscles – exercise, walk and begin an exercise regimen

Now, you know and have many good reasons why eating foods that get rid of belly fat…is infact life changing for you!

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