Weight Loss, Stress Reduction, Better Skin, Higher Muscle Mass, Lower Body Fat, Lower Inflammation, Manage Blood Sugar Levels, Increase Stamina, Manage Diabetes, reduce the risk of chronic health concerns such as autoimmune disorders, high blood pressure, heart disease, and even cancer. Eating based on the glycemic index offers all these benefits and more. The bottom line on the glycemic index way of eating is that it’s healing and soothing.
What’s not to like about eating based on the glycemic index? Rumor has it that it’s complicated. But that’s only a rumor. In our book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss, my coauthor, Joan, and I present two options: Keep It Simple and the Traditional Method. Both work. And they can be combined so that you can tailor a program to meet your lifestyle.
My personal program is to eat vegetables, fruit, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, nuts, seeds, olive oil, and butter. Then I can afford eat a high-glycemic food, such as a dessert, bread, or a white potato 3 or 4 times a week, usually at dinner. Sometimes I overdo the high-glycemic foods at parties or on vacations. At those times I feel the difference and correct my food selections when necessary.
If you prefer to eat whole grains, pastas, and more starches than I do, then figuring your glycemic load per day is important along with keeping track of your food intake.
Either way, you’re going to enjoy the healing and soothing benefits.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Ouch, my foot - plantar fasciitis
While writing my books this summer (in bookstores in Feb and Mar 09), I pulled a ligament under my right foot by wrapping my legs and foot oddly and intensely around my desk chair daily for months. When the ligament finally pulled, I couldn’t walk for the pain. And I certainly couldn’t hike. In July, my chiropractor said he couldn’t help and sent me to a podiatrist, who gave me a cortisone shot, told me there was no way to improve the condition naturally, and that I’d be back for more of those shots. I didn’t like that shot, but my foot did feel better about 3 days later.
On a trip to Sedona AZ in August, I had a foot reflexology massage. Aahhh! I left with the recommendation to massage my foot with arnica oil daily and in a 6 months my foot could be better. Back home in Utah I started seeing a foot reflexologist/sacral cranial massage therapist. She is wonderful and had me walking mostly pain free until I visited San Francisco in October and walked and walked until my foot pain returned. I purchased shoes at the Merrell store (wonderful shoes) on Union Square and wrapped my foot with athletic tape. Which got me through 2 more days of walking all over the city without tears.
Notice no professional had yet mentioned exercise. Finally, I walked into a shoe store – The Gallery – in Mobile, Alabama in late October. At this chatty, small, friendly shoppe, one customer mentioned how exercises were improving her heel spurs. Within minutes, she and the shoppe owner were standing at the desk demonstrating foot stretches to me.
I felt sort of stupid for not researching exercises earlier, but later that day, on my iPhone, I found exercises that really work. Here are the sites: http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/plantar-fasciitis-exercise.html and http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/fitness/injuries/other-injuries/reduce-plantar-fascitis. The exercise that I resist the most, or in other words, the exercise my foot needs the most is stretching my upper back thighs in numerous challenging positions. Ouch, then aahhh.
Here’s what I learned: that lots of folks have foot pain – it’s more common than I ever thought. That foot reflexology/sacral cranial massage has numerous benefits and feels so good that this luxury quickly becomes a necessity. That exercise can heal what I messed up – hurrah. All this makes me forever grateful to exercise.
Wishing you happy, healthy, and pleasurable walking.
Lucy
Lucy Beale
Author, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss
www.Lucybeale.com, http://lucybeale-weight-loss.blogspot.com/
801-501-8240
On a trip to Sedona AZ in August, I had a foot reflexology massage. Aahhh! I left with the recommendation to massage my foot with arnica oil daily and in a 6 months my foot could be better. Back home in Utah I started seeing a foot reflexologist/sacral cranial massage therapist. She is wonderful and had me walking mostly pain free until I visited San Francisco in October and walked and walked until my foot pain returned. I purchased shoes at the Merrell store (wonderful shoes) on Union Square and wrapped my foot with athletic tape. Which got me through 2 more days of walking all over the city without tears.
Notice no professional had yet mentioned exercise. Finally, I walked into a shoe store – The Gallery – in Mobile, Alabama in late October. At this chatty, small, friendly shoppe, one customer mentioned how exercises were improving her heel spurs. Within minutes, she and the shoppe owner were standing at the desk demonstrating foot stretches to me.
I felt sort of stupid for not researching exercises earlier, but later that day, on my iPhone, I found exercises that really work. Here are the sites: http://www.sportsinjurybulletin.com/archive/plantar-fasciitis-exercise.html and http://www.revolutionhealth.com/healthy-living/fitness/injuries/other-injuries/reduce-plantar-fascitis. The exercise that I resist the most, or in other words, the exercise my foot needs the most is stretching my upper back thighs in numerous challenging positions. Ouch, then aahhh.
Here’s what I learned: that lots of folks have foot pain – it’s more common than I ever thought. That foot reflexology/sacral cranial massage has numerous benefits and feels so good that this luxury quickly becomes a necessity. That exercise can heal what I messed up – hurrah. All this makes me forever grateful to exercise.
Wishing you happy, healthy, and pleasurable walking.
Lucy
Lucy Beale
Author, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss
www.Lucybeale.com, http://lucybeale-weight-loss.blogspot.com/
801-501-8240
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Low-Glycemic Eating at the Farmer's Market
Often readers tell me that eating low-glycemic is too technical and complicated. It really isn't, as our trip to the Farmer's Market in San Francisco last weekend illustrates. The market offers unique foods and many low-glycemic treats. We nibbled our way across aisles filled with a large array of ripe succulent fruit, vegetables, and other locally-produced foods. Low-glycemic samples included fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts, and dried fruit. The Honey-Orange Almonds were medium glycemic as were the small bites of dark-chocolate covered toffee. Although both were made with honey or sugar, none of the ingredients were high-glycemic, so the food itself was in the medium category. (Sugar is medium glycemic.) The bread samples were high-glycemic. Once you add white or finely-ground whole wheat flour to a recipe, it most likely is high-glycemic, or close to it.
I purchased dried orange slices and plan to order dried lemon slices online. They were tangy, refreshing, and low-glycemic. We couldn't sample the unusual varieties of legumes as they were uncooked. But I plan to purchase them later for winter soups. If I can't find them in Salt Lake, I'll order them online. Legumes are low-glycemic.
For lunch, we ordered Dungeness Crab deviled eggs at the Market Bar. The low-glycemic deviled eggs came heaped with crab and topped with a tangy Louis dressing. They gave us enough high-quality protein endurance to enjoy a couple more hours at the market. After this light lunch, we sampled salami slices flavored with orange zest and fennel seeds – another low-glycemic high protein snack. Meats, nuts, seafood, and eggs have a zero glycemic value because they don't contain carbohydrates.
Towards late afternoon, I purchased two thin crisp chocolate chip cookies – they were made with flour, so most likely they were high-glycemic. If they contained enough butter or fat, they could have been medium-glycemic, but when it comes to dessert-type foods with viturally no nutritional value, I figure they're high-glycemic.
Our local Farmer's Market doesn't come close to the grandeur of San Francisco's. But I'm resolved to shop ours more frequently to eat more local produce and support our local farmers. A local grocery store here in Salt Lake sells locally grown produce. It just tastes better.
Eating low-glycemic is easy if you know the basics - fruit, vegetables, eggs, nuts, seeds, legumes, meat, seafood, poultry, butter, and olive oil are low-glycemic. That list gives you plenty of options for preparing wonderful meals and feasts.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
fat gene - petrochemical detox - renew from stress
Were you born with the “fat” gene? If so, read on. The good news is that you can override it – by doing 3-4 hours of body movement every day. In addition to your ideal one hour of exercise daily, add body movement: walk, take the stairs, park at the outer regions of the grocery store parking lot. (Like you I wish that keying and screen time is considered active, but it’s not.) Doing 3-4 hours of body movement daily requires a big lifestyle change. But it’s probably worth it for all of us – regardless of our genes.
During a week of breathing in smoke from a very nearby forest/mountain fire, I re-ignited by petrochemical allergies. I was super uncomfortable sitting near someone wearing strong perfume, breathing in the fumes of tiki lamps at an outdoor party, and so on. The next week I searched for hours to find a viable way to detox from petrochemicals and get desensitized so I could more easily live in the world. Here’s what I found and what is working (fingers crossed): take hot baths with Epsom salts frequently or daily and take 200 mcg of selenium daily. Infrared saunas and vigorous exercise help sweat out toxins. If you want to learn more about selenium, google “selenium protocol.” I’m 10 days into my program and I see and feel a difference, but the selenium protocol works slowly – over about 2 months. Supposedly I’ll get to the point where cigarette smoke doesn’t bother me. That’ll be the day!!! I’ll keep you posted. If you have any suggestions, please send them to me.
Stress is so fattening. I’m teaching at a couple conferences this fall on stress and have found a new way to decompress and renew: do what you loved doing as a child. Did you love riding bikes? You can do that now. I loved playing in the woods near our house in Ohio. Today, hiking is similar and as much fun. One friend liked playing with her dolls - today she’s a national director with Mary Kay “playing” with makeup and skin care and working in collaboration with many women.
Think back. Did you like games, the guitar, reading novels, playing house? Find ways to translate that into your life today, and do it often. You’ll feel renewed and your stress will dissolve.
Late-breaking health news- BPA in plastics such as water bottles, baby teething toys, and more is now linked to diabetes and heart disease. You can read the details at http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5809117&page=1
Wishing you all the best,
Lucy Beale
Author, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss
www.Lucybeale.com
801-501-8240
During a week of breathing in smoke from a very nearby forest/mountain fire, I re-ignited by petrochemical allergies. I was super uncomfortable sitting near someone wearing strong perfume, breathing in the fumes of tiki lamps at an outdoor party, and so on. The next week I searched for hours to find a viable way to detox from petrochemicals and get desensitized so I could more easily live in the world. Here’s what I found and what is working (fingers crossed): take hot baths with Epsom salts frequently or daily and take 200 mcg of selenium daily. Infrared saunas and vigorous exercise help sweat out toxins. If you want to learn more about selenium, google “selenium protocol.” I’m 10 days into my program and I see and feel a difference, but the selenium protocol works slowly – over about 2 months. Supposedly I’ll get to the point where cigarette smoke doesn’t bother me. That’ll be the day!!! I’ll keep you posted. If you have any suggestions, please send them to me.
Stress is so fattening. I’m teaching at a couple conferences this fall on stress and have found a new way to decompress and renew: do what you loved doing as a child. Did you love riding bikes? You can do that now. I loved playing in the woods near our house in Ohio. Today, hiking is similar and as much fun. One friend liked playing with her dolls - today she’s a national director with Mary Kay “playing” with makeup and skin care and working in collaboration with many women.
Think back. Did you like games, the guitar, reading novels, playing house? Find ways to translate that into your life today, and do it often. You’ll feel renewed and your stress will dissolve.
Late-breaking health news- BPA in plastics such as water bottles, baby teething toys, and more is now linked to diabetes and heart disease. You can read the details at http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=5809117&page=1
Wishing you all the best,
Lucy Beale
Author, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss
www.Lucybeale.com
801-501-8240
Monday, August 18, 2008
Low GI recipe: Kiwi and Tomato Salad
The fresh basil and flavored vinegar impart a colorful summery-Mediterranean flavor to this simple salad. It's very low glycemic.
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 kiwi , peeled and sliced
2 TB. coarsely chopped fresh basil
2 TB. olive oil
1 TB. flavored vinegar, your choice. I used a sweet wine vinegar infused with lavendar.
2 TB. shredded Parmesan
1. On a serving platter, arrange tomato and kiwi slices, alternating them.
2. Sprinkle basil on slices. Sprinkle on olive oil, vinegar and Parmesan.
Serves 4
Prep time: 10 minutes
2 large ripe tomatoes, sliced
2 kiwi , peeled and sliced
2 TB. coarsely chopped fresh basil
2 TB. olive oil
1 TB. flavored vinegar, your choice. I used a sweet wine vinegar infused with lavendar.
2 TB. shredded Parmesan
1. On a serving platter, arrange tomato and kiwi slices, alternating them.
2. Sprinkle basil on slices. Sprinkle on olive oil, vinegar and Parmesan.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Stress-low-glycemic brownies-beef
Stress alert. Increase your stress and increase your weight. From mid-March through July 15, about 4 months, I was avidly and intensely writing my next 2 books which will be in bookstores right after Christmas 2008. I worked hard to meet tight deadlines. Even with long hours of research and computer time, I maintained my normal daily exercise routines and ate less food than normal, probably because writing is sedentary.
Yet, by July 15, my jeans were too small. I'd definitely gotten bigger. I had midriff and midlife bulges in lots of places. Since I never weigh myself, I can't give you numbers. But I can tell you that other people noticed and said something about my weight gain. Yuck.
Yet, today, four weeks later, my jeans fit fine again. I have breathing room, so to speak. I haven't dieted or exercised more. In fact, I've been eating more food. What happened?
Only one thing changed – my stress levels. About 2 weeks after deadline, my cortisol (stress) levels returned to normal and so did my weight.
Lose weight by losing stress. It's way fattening. Here's some activities I used to decompress: caught up on everything I'd postponed: sent baby, wedding, and birthday presents, managed personal accounting and finances, read a couple novels while lying on the sofa all day nibbling on chocolate, went hiking lots, caught up with friends and emails, started painting watercolors again, played bridge and Scrabble, worked the NY Times crossword puzzles, tossed out dated magazines and such. I organized my space and my life, planned a weekend getaway with my husband, and culled my closet of dated or worn clothes.
What's on your list? What relaxes you? What incompletions do you need to complete? What can you do reduce on-going stress? Start with activities you love, then add in others, perhaps yoga, hot tub, gardening.
Chocolate with chili is fabulous. Sample chocolate bars flavored with chili, or with chili and cherries. Lindt and Chocolove bars are amazing. The slight burn of the chili adds a wonderful flavor that enhances the chocolate. Chocolate is 48 on the glycemic index scale, which is low-glycemic. These bars are so satisfying that a piece or two is usually enough.
In writing recipes for my book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Recipes, I found satisfying substitutions for the two biggest high-glycemic ingredients: flour and sugar. Here's a recipe for my brownies with suggestions for substitutes to lower the glycemic index and preserve the great taste. Book will be in bookstores late December 2008.
Lucy's Brownies
2 sticks butter – use only butter
1 ¾ cup sugar or 1 ½ cup xylitol
5 eggs
1 cup flour, or 1 cup almond, pecan, or hazelnut flour
1 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. ground chili powder (optional)
1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional) or 2 squares baking chocolate, shaved into tiny bits
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Fold in flour, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, chili powder, and chips.
4. Bake in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper for 20-30 minutes.
Note: make 1 cup nut flour by processing ¾ cup raw nuts in a food processor until it forms a flour.
Here are some other substitutions I used in the cookbook:
Use up to one-third Hi-Maize corn starch in place of flour in a recipe. Purchase online or at amazon.com.
Use oat bran, wheat bran, or wheat germ in place of some flour in recipes.
Good flour substitutes are pecan, almond, hazelnut, and walnut flour. Powdered chick peas also work.
I don't worry about using small amounts of sugar in recipes – it's better than artificial sweeteners. Use honey in salad dressing and sauces.
Avoid white potatoes and instead use red potatoes or sweet potatoes.
Big news: now the experts are touting beef for weight loss. It's about time.
Have a great rest of the summer. Relax. De-stress.
Warmly,
Yet, by July 15, my jeans were too small. I'd definitely gotten bigger. I had midriff and midlife bulges in lots of places. Since I never weigh myself, I can't give you numbers. But I can tell you that other people noticed and said something about my weight gain. Yuck.
Yet, today, four weeks later, my jeans fit fine again. I have breathing room, so to speak. I haven't dieted or exercised more. In fact, I've been eating more food. What happened?
Only one thing changed – my stress levels. About 2 weeks after deadline, my cortisol (stress) levels returned to normal and so did my weight.
Lose weight by losing stress. It's way fattening. Here's some activities I used to decompress: caught up on everything I'd postponed: sent baby, wedding, and birthday presents, managed personal accounting and finances, read a couple novels while lying on the sofa all day nibbling on chocolate, went hiking lots, caught up with friends and emails, started painting watercolors again, played bridge and Scrabble, worked the NY Times crossword puzzles, tossed out dated magazines and such. I organized my space and my life, planned a weekend getaway with my husband, and culled my closet of dated or worn clothes.
What's on your list? What relaxes you? What incompletions do you need to complete? What can you do reduce on-going stress? Start with activities you love, then add in others, perhaps yoga, hot tub, gardening.
Chocolate with chili is fabulous. Sample chocolate bars flavored with chili, or with chili and cherries. Lindt and Chocolove bars are amazing. The slight burn of the chili adds a wonderful flavor that enhances the chocolate. Chocolate is 48 on the glycemic index scale, which is low-glycemic. These bars are so satisfying that a piece or two is usually enough.
In writing recipes for my book, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Recipes, I found satisfying substitutions for the two biggest high-glycemic ingredients: flour and sugar. Here's a recipe for my brownies with suggestions for substitutes to lower the glycemic index and preserve the great taste. Book will be in bookstores late December 2008.
Lucy's Brownies
2 sticks butter – use only butter
1 ¾ cup sugar or 1 ½ cup xylitol
5 eggs
1 cup flour, or 1 cup almond, pecan, or hazelnut flour
1 cup Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ tsp. ground chili powder (optional)
1 cup dark chocolate chips (optional) or 2 squares baking chocolate, shaved into tiny bits
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large mixing bowl with an electric mixer cream butter and sugar. Beat in eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
3. Fold in flour, cocoa powder, vanilla extract, chili powder, and chips.
4. Bake in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan lined with parchment paper for 20-30 minutes.
Note: make 1 cup nut flour by processing ¾ cup raw nuts in a food processor until it forms a flour.
Here are some other substitutions I used in the cookbook:
Use up to one-third Hi-Maize corn starch in place of flour in a recipe. Purchase online or at amazon.com.
Use oat bran, wheat bran, or wheat germ in place of some flour in recipes.
Good flour substitutes are pecan, almond, hazelnut, and walnut flour. Powdered chick peas also work.
I don't worry about using small amounts of sugar in recipes – it's better than artificial sweeteners. Use honey in salad dressing and sauces.
Avoid white potatoes and instead use red potatoes or sweet potatoes.
Big news: now the experts are touting beef for weight loss. It's about time.
Have a great rest of the summer. Relax. De-stress.
Warmly,
Sunday, June 22, 2008
Top 18 ways to gain weight.
I know you want to manage your weight and most likely lose some. I created this list so you can identify personal behaviors that cause weight gain - some you may not be aware of.
This list seems very tongue-in-cheek. Perhaps it is, but these top 18 ways are serious - they work effectively and quickly. Adopting these habits guarantee that you’ll gain weight and have a really tough time losing it. And if you already have some of these habits, you can change them into their opposite positive and lose weight.
1. Overeat.
2. Eat foods you’re allergic to. Most common: wheat, dairy, soy, sugar.
3. Eat junk food and fast food.
4. Fill up on starches and sugars. Become a starch-arian.
5. Use food to manage challenging emotions.
6. Sit around. Increase your screen time.
7. Stay away from exercise.
8. Stay indoors.
9. Never develop creative interests.
10. Drink lots of liquid calories –sodas, alcohol, juice, etc. They count double or triple a chewed calorie.
11. Drink diet sodas and beverages sweetened with aspartame.
12. Avoid eating meat, poultry, and seafood.
13. Clean your plate.
14. Eat only one meal a day.
15. Skip breakfast.
16. Avoid eating eggs.
17. Yo-yo diet.
18. Stay up late.
Please post your questions and comments and I'll respond.
Have a terrific June and July,
Lucy Beale
This list seems very tongue-in-cheek. Perhaps it is, but these top 18 ways are serious - they work effectively and quickly. Adopting these habits guarantee that you’ll gain weight and have a really tough time losing it. And if you already have some of these habits, you can change them into their opposite positive and lose weight.
1. Overeat.
2. Eat foods you’re allergic to. Most common: wheat, dairy, soy, sugar.
3. Eat junk food and fast food.
4. Fill up on starches and sugars. Become a starch-arian.
5. Use food to manage challenging emotions.
6. Sit around. Increase your screen time.
7. Stay away from exercise.
8. Stay indoors.
9. Never develop creative interests.
10. Drink lots of liquid calories –sodas, alcohol, juice, etc. They count double or triple a chewed calorie.
11. Drink diet sodas and beverages sweetened with aspartame.
12. Avoid eating meat, poultry, and seafood.
13. Clean your plate.
14. Eat only one meal a day.
15. Skip breakfast.
16. Avoid eating eggs.
17. Yo-yo diet.
18. Stay up late.
Please post your questions and comments and I'll respond.
Have a terrific June and July,
Lucy Beale
Friday, May 30, 2008
Playtime for Weight Loss
All work and no play - not only makes us dull and boring, it makes us super-stressed. And super-stressed adds on the pounds as fast as overeating.
I'm writing two books concurrently. Both have tight deadlines. Yes, it was my idea: I assured my agent and editors that I could do it. This is the truth: I dream all night long of recipes. I awaken having created new recipes IN MY SLEEP.
I needed a play break - communicating 8-10 hrs. daily with a computer screen expands one's mind and also one's behind. I started going to playtime. At playtime they give us balls, mats, barbells, hand weights, step platforms, bands of rubber tubing, Bosu balls. music, and an instructor. For one whole hour I don't need to think, in fact, I can't think - if I want to keep pace with the instructor and use the equipment effectively. I'm a klutz with equipment so for safety reasons alone I have to forget my deadlines and turn my attention to the barbell in hand.
In actuality, my playtime is Power Pump class. It's $6 at the nearby community fitness centers. They offer lots of classes daily so I can fit them into my writing schedule. Yesterday, I purchased a punch card that lowers my cost to $3. The results: handling the stress better, my upper arms look better in summer clothes, and I feel happier because I took time to play.
The lesson: the harder we work, the more playtime we need. High stress causes weight gain even if you don't overeat. Break up concentrated screen time with activity. Get out and say hello to the sun.
Both my books will be on the shelves next January. I'll tell you more about them specifically as time draws near. Have a fabulous June.
All the best, Lucy
I'm writing two books concurrently. Both have tight deadlines. Yes, it was my idea: I assured my agent and editors that I could do it. This is the truth: I dream all night long of recipes. I awaken having created new recipes IN MY SLEEP.
I needed a play break - communicating 8-10 hrs. daily with a computer screen expands one's mind and also one's behind. I started going to playtime. At playtime they give us balls, mats, barbells, hand weights, step platforms, bands of rubber tubing, Bosu balls. music, and an instructor. For one whole hour I don't need to think, in fact, I can't think - if I want to keep pace with the instructor and use the equipment effectively. I'm a klutz with equipment so for safety reasons alone I have to forget my deadlines and turn my attention to the barbell in hand.
In actuality, my playtime is Power Pump class. It's $6 at the nearby community fitness centers. They offer lots of classes daily so I can fit them into my writing schedule. Yesterday, I purchased a punch card that lowers my cost to $3. The results: handling the stress better, my upper arms look better in summer clothes, and I feel happier because I took time to play.
The lesson: the harder we work, the more playtime we need. High stress causes weight gain even if you don't overeat. Break up concentrated screen time with activity. Get out and say hello to the sun.
Both my books will be on the shelves next January. I'll tell you more about them specifically as time draws near. Have a fabulous June.
All the best, Lucy
Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Lucy's Letter-April 08
What's your wiggle factor? The very activities that may have gotten you
in trouble in grade school are much applauded today. Why?
Because the more you wiggle, fidget, and have trouble sitting still,
the thinner you are. Yes, researchers have found that people who
can't stand to sit still for long actually burn more calories just
sitting.
If your wiggle factor is low, you can change it. Start with daily exercise. As you body becomes accustomed to more movement, you'll find that sitting for too long makes you restless - whether you're watching TV, having screen time, sitting in meetings. You'll want to stand up and stretch. shift in your chair, and find things to do with your hands. Finally you'll be rewarded for not being able to sit still for long.
Last month I received a two-book deal from my publisher, Penguin, (wonderful and fun) and I've been sitting at the computer and writing for long hours at a time for weeks. Even though I'm writing about weight loss and wellness, book writing is sedentary and intense. It's easy to think that just a little more chocolate will help. The combination of deadlines, creative stress, coordinating with my co-author, long hours in front of the screen make it hard to keep extra pounds at bay. What helps most is getting up and moving, doing cross crawls, going for a walk or doing the Tibetan exercises. Encourages more blood flow to the brain.
What do you do to avoid the sedentary non-wiggling life? Respond to this question at my blog where I'll also post this newsletter. That way, others on my list can read your suggestions and perhaps you can pick up a couple new ideas.
Both of my new books will be on the shelves before next January. I'll tell you more in the upcoming months.
Eating as recreation: We were out shopping a couple Saturdays ago and stopped in at Jason's Deli for lunch about 1 pm. The luncheon crowd had the place packed: grandparents, parents, children, and babies. Pat and I shared a small muffaletto and salad. I saw so many people eating for recreation.
People have always eaten for recreation. That's human nature. What's different today is that we have so much more food, so much more prosperity, and so much more time to EAT. And eat we do. Much to the detriment of our health and certainly to our waistlines.
Perhaps it's time to mix it up. For some social events, have food be the sideline and have an activity the main event - hiking, biking, playing bridge, going to plays, movies, shows, to Art Walks, museums and more. Broaden your recreational bases.
Hi-maize. I've been baking with hi-maize to test recipes for my new cookbook and I'm impressed. It's a corn flour that's a resistant starch with a low-glycemic index value. Resistant starch is super health promoting. You can substitute up to 1/3 of the flour in a baked good recipe with hi-maize. Since I seldom bake with flour, I use 2/3 nut flour (almond,s pecans, or hazelnuts) to 1/3 hi-maize. You can purchase
online at http://astore.amazon.com/wwwweightl056-20/detail/B000FJVMMQ/104-6476902-2527904. If you use hi-maize, let me know how it works for you. None of my guests (testers) have noticed any difference in taste or texture.
All the best. Have fun wiggling.
Lucy Beale
www.Lucybeale.com
Author, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss
in trouble in grade school are much applauded today. Why?
Because the more you wiggle, fidget, and have trouble sitting still,
the thinner you are. Yes, researchers have found that people who
can't stand to sit still for long actually burn more calories just
sitting.
If your wiggle factor is low, you can change it. Start with daily exercise. As you body becomes accustomed to more movement, you'll find that sitting for too long makes you restless - whether you're watching TV, having screen time, sitting in meetings. You'll want to stand up and stretch. shift in your chair, and find things to do with your hands. Finally you'll be rewarded for not being able to sit still for long.
Last month I received a two-book deal from my publisher, Penguin, (wonderful and fun) and I've been sitting at the computer and writing for long hours at a time for weeks. Even though I'm writing about weight loss and wellness, book writing is sedentary and intense. It's easy to think that just a little more chocolate will help. The combination of deadlines, creative stress, coordinating with my co-author, long hours in front of the screen make it hard to keep extra pounds at bay. What helps most is getting up and moving, doing cross crawls, going for a walk or doing the Tibetan exercises. Encourages more blood flow to the brain.
What do you do to avoid the sedentary non-wiggling life? Respond to this question at my blog where I'll also post this newsletter. That way, others on my list can read your suggestions and perhaps you can pick up a couple new ideas.
Both of my new books will be on the shelves before next January. I'll tell you more in the upcoming months.
Eating as recreation: We were out shopping a couple Saturdays ago and stopped in at Jason's Deli for lunch about 1 pm. The luncheon crowd had the place packed: grandparents, parents, children, and babies. Pat and I shared a small muffaletto and salad. I saw so many people eating for recreation.
People have always eaten for recreation. That's human nature. What's different today is that we have so much more food, so much more prosperity, and so much more time to EAT. And eat we do. Much to the detriment of our health and certainly to our waistlines.
Perhaps it's time to mix it up. For some social events, have food be the sideline and have an activity the main event - hiking, biking, playing bridge, going to plays, movies, shows, to Art Walks, museums and more. Broaden your recreational bases.
Hi-maize. I've been baking with hi-maize to test recipes for my new cookbook and I'm impressed. It's a corn flour that's a resistant starch with a low-glycemic index value. Resistant starch is super health promoting. You can substitute up to 1/3 of the flour in a baked good recipe with hi-maize. Since I seldom bake with flour, I use 2/3 nut flour (almond,s pecans, or hazelnuts) to 1/3 hi-maize. You can purchase
online at http://astore.amazon.com/wwwweightl056-20/detail/B000FJVMMQ/104-6476902-2527904. If you use hi-maize, let me know how it works for you. None of my guests (testers) have noticed any difference in taste or texture.
All the best. Have fun wiggling.
Lucy Beale
www.Lucybeale.com
Author, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Big 3 weight loss factors
I had an odd conversation yesterday with a person who has struggled for years to lose weight and manage high blood sugar levels. I mean years. This person used the glycemic index along with glycemic load and never had great results. Now here's the odd part: in all those years the person never exercised aerobically and had never done any resistance-type exercise.
Gosh, No wonder. Exercise is a life essential, let alone a weight loss and health essential. The good news is that now that he's exercising a bit, he's seeing satisfying results. Wait til he adds in resistance training!
Yes, exercise can be boring and takes time - yadda, yadda. But it's worth the grief. Because you'll have less grief - mood swings, low energy, sadness, emotional eating if you do your aerobics, resistance, and stretching daily.
We all need the BIG 3 to lose weight, keep it off, and improve our health: eat based on the glycemic index (in short, give up the white and fluffy starches for veggies and fruit, exercise daily. And yes, DAILY is DAILY. And manage your lifestyle. Lifestyle factors include avoiding foods with major chemicals and little nutrition (such as sodas and most breakfast cereals), having good relationships, an enjoyable livelihood, happy pastimes, and such. For a super easy 5-minute strengthening, centering, and balancing routine, do the 5 Tibetan exercises daily. At http://lucybeale.com/wellness/tibetan_exercises.htm. They help get rid of double chins, flatten tummies, align your back, and feel like you've had a cup of Joe without the coffee.
Lucy Beale
Gosh, No wonder. Exercise is a life essential, let alone a weight loss and health essential. The good news is that now that he's exercising a bit, he's seeing satisfying results. Wait til he adds in resistance training!
Yes, exercise can be boring and takes time - yadda, yadda. But it's worth the grief. Because you'll have less grief - mood swings, low energy, sadness, emotional eating if you do your aerobics, resistance, and stretching daily.
We all need the BIG 3 to lose weight, keep it off, and improve our health: eat based on the glycemic index (in short, give up the white and fluffy starches for veggies and fruit, exercise daily. And yes, DAILY is DAILY. And manage your lifestyle. Lifestyle factors include avoiding foods with major chemicals and little nutrition (such as sodas and most breakfast cereals), having good relationships, an enjoyable livelihood, happy pastimes, and such. For a super easy 5-minute strengthening, centering, and balancing routine, do the 5 Tibetan exercises daily. At http://lucybeale.com/wellness/tibetan_exercises.htm. They help get rid of double chins, flatten tummies, align your back, and feel like you've had a cup of Joe without the coffee.
Lucy Beale
Monday, March 3, 2008
Glycemic Index for Weight maintenance
I love the glycemic index for weight maintenance. It works, it's not complicated, but it could be. I simplify it by using this guideline:
White or fluffy makes you puffy. Even though I lost 50 pounds over 20 years ago and have kept it off, I've had occasional times when I've started to gain weight. As I've gotten older and my metabolism has slowed, keeping extra weight off is harder. That's why I love this simple approach to the glycemic index.
As long as I avoid white and fluffy foods, I can stay at my ideal weight and still eat yummy foods. Here's what I avoid: most foods made with milled grains most of the time: breads, muffins, cookies, cake, pasta, rice crackers, popcorn, crackers, dairy: yogurt, milk, ice cream, whipped cream, and soy products. The soy isn't high-glycemic, but it's been shown to depress thyroid function, so I don't want to take any chances.
For me, avoiding white and fluffy foods isn't rigid, as I'll sometimes eat cake or a cookie, but infrequently. By now you may be asking what other foods are left to eat: meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, honey, and for treats, dark chocolate or even some milk chocolate.
To satisfy my needs for emotional eating, I've had to learn to reward myself with other things: hobbies, being out of doors, journaling, painting, seeing friends. Which overall is healthier than emotional overeating.
Giving up the starches was hard when I was trying too hard. It's easier now that I accept my fondness for them and acknowledge that they aren't my true friend. But rather a false friend that makes me bloated, heavier, and crankier. Who needs food that does that?
Wishing for you your ideal size,
Lucy
http://www.weightloss-wellness.com
Author, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss
White or fluffy makes you puffy. Even though I lost 50 pounds over 20 years ago and have kept it off, I've had occasional times when I've started to gain weight. As I've gotten older and my metabolism has slowed, keeping extra weight off is harder. That's why I love this simple approach to the glycemic index.
As long as I avoid white and fluffy foods, I can stay at my ideal weight and still eat yummy foods. Here's what I avoid: most foods made with milled grains most of the time: breads, muffins, cookies, cake, pasta, rice crackers, popcorn, crackers, dairy: yogurt, milk, ice cream, whipped cream, and soy products. The soy isn't high-glycemic, but it's been shown to depress thyroid function, so I don't want to take any chances.
For me, avoiding white and fluffy foods isn't rigid, as I'll sometimes eat cake or a cookie, but infrequently. By now you may be asking what other foods are left to eat: meats, eggs, vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds, honey, and for treats, dark chocolate or even some milk chocolate.
To satisfy my needs for emotional eating, I've had to learn to reward myself with other things: hobbies, being out of doors, journaling, painting, seeing friends. Which overall is healthier than emotional overeating.
Giving up the starches was hard when I was trying too hard. It's easier now that I accept my fondness for them and acknowledge that they aren't my true friend. But rather a false friend that makes me bloated, heavier, and crankier. Who needs food that does that?
Wishing for you your ideal size,
Lucy
http://www.weightloss-wellness.com
Author, The Complete Idiot's Guide to Glycemic Index Weight Loss
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
About those diet sodas - aspartame
The case for and against diet sodas and artifical sweeteners has been building for years. Sifting facts from hype isn't easy. The very name, diet soda, strongly implies that you'll lose weight if you indulge.
Research last week reported that drinking diet sodas increases the risk of having metabolic syndrome. You don't want to have metabolic syndrome - it's the precusor to type 2 diabetes, and it's symptoms include weight gain especially around the waist, elevated blood sugar levels, higher blood pressure, elevated triglyerides and low HDL (the good choesterol), and insulin resistance. Fortunately with lavish aerobic exercise and a low-glycemic diet, you can banish metabolic syndrome. Oh, and yes, toss the diet sodas and other foods that contain artificial sweetener. The research was done on Equal, or aspartame, not on Splenda or sucralose. The jury's out on Splenda's ultimate health effects.
Research last week reported that drinking diet sodas increases the risk of having metabolic syndrome. You don't want to have metabolic syndrome - it's the precusor to type 2 diabetes, and it's symptoms include weight gain especially around the waist, elevated blood sugar levels, higher blood pressure, elevated triglyerides and low HDL (the good choesterol), and insulin resistance. Fortunately with lavish aerobic exercise and a low-glycemic diet, you can banish metabolic syndrome. Oh, and yes, toss the diet sodas and other foods that contain artificial sweetener. The research was done on Equal, or aspartame, not on Splenda or sucralose. The jury's out on Splenda's ultimate health effects.
If the food label of a sweet-tasting product says "diet", or "no sugar", it may not be good for your waistline. Just saying 'no' sounds easy, but I know it's not. Some of my clients get hooked on diet sodas, not just on the caffeine buzz, but also on the lingering sweet taste and they crave it. Here's a couple suggestions for kicking the aspartame habit:
- If you really want a diet soda, drink a glass at one meal, don't sip on it throughout the day. When the meal's over, toss what remains of your soda. Yes, you'll still be drinking the soda, but you'll be reducing your consumption to one manageable glass a day.
- Instead of reaching for a beverage sweetened with artificial sweetener, have a packet of Emergen-C in a glass of water. You get taste, vitamins, electrolytes, minerals and a fizzy fresh taste. Emergen-C is widely available at grocery and health food stores.
- Drink water plain or with a squeeze of lemon.
- Drink tea or coffee plain or sweetened with stevia, a sweet-tasting and healthy herb from South America also widely available.
Some of my clients lose weight when they break the diet soda habit. Perhaps you will, too.
All the best to you and your health,
Lucy
Monday, February 11, 2008
Weight Loss - What you need to know
Every week in my blog, I'll give you vital info for losing weight and keeping it off. Don't expect diets or exhortions to do more ab crunches - instead, you'll find information that will make a difference for you. This week's topic is stress and how it causes weight gain and prevents weight loss.
Stress packs on the pounds as fast as high-glycemic foods. High-glycemic foods are white and fluffy starches: muffins, bagels, white breads, white potatoes, rice crackers, cookies, cakes, etc. Here's why: When you're stressed, your body has high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which increases your body's level of insulin, which is the hormone that stores body fat. When you eat the high-glycemic foods, insulin increases, which increases cortisol, making you more stressed. If this sounds like a vicious cycle, it is.
Control your stress by using stress soothers as a "stress-interrupt" every day to melt away the pounds. The first step: stop stressing about your weight. It will come off more easily if you relax about it. Review my list of stress-soothers at http://www.weightloss-wellness.com/emotional-and-spiritual-support/stress-soothers.aspx. Try some and find the ones that work best for you. If yoga's not for you, how about hot baths, hobbies and crafts, or using the back roller at home? Prayer and meditation work, too.
Plus, reduce your intake of high-glycemic foods to lower cortisol levels and break the eating-stress vicious cycle.
All the best,
Lucy Beale
Stress packs on the pounds as fast as high-glycemic foods. High-glycemic foods are white and fluffy starches: muffins, bagels, white breads, white potatoes, rice crackers, cookies, cakes, etc. Here's why: When you're stressed, your body has high levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which increases your body's level of insulin, which is the hormone that stores body fat. When you eat the high-glycemic foods, insulin increases, which increases cortisol, making you more stressed. If this sounds like a vicious cycle, it is.
Control your stress by using stress soothers as a "stress-interrupt" every day to melt away the pounds. The first step: stop stressing about your weight. It will come off more easily if you relax about it. Review my list of stress-soothers at http://www.weightloss-wellness.com/emotional-and-spiritual-support/stress-soothers.aspx. Try some and find the ones that work best for you. If yoga's not for you, how about hot baths, hobbies and crafts, or using the back roller at home? Prayer and meditation work, too.
Plus, reduce your intake of high-glycemic foods to lower cortisol levels and break the eating-stress vicious cycle.
All the best,
Lucy Beale
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
