I Have A Confession To Make

I'm a fiber addict. I have been holding out on you all with a VERY important factor in my personal weight loss & overall health because I was too embarrassed to blog about it! I've attempted to write about it a few times but always get stuck when I type "Colon Cleanse".  I figure, you don't really want to hear about my bathroom habits & I really don't want to share them on this public forum. BUT- I believe that fiber has been playing a large role in my ability to maintain my current weight- so it would be wrong of me not to fill you in.
Why Fiber?

Many diets (Weight Watchers for example) rely heavily on fiber as part of the calculation of how much you can eat.  Why is that? Fiber is the indigestibile part of plant based foods.  Because our bodies can't digest it, it passes through us without providing nutrition or calories. There are three main weight loss & fiber intake are linked.

1. Fiber helps move fat & other foods through our bodies more quickly, so that less of it is absorbed.
2. Fiber makes us feel full sooner and stays in our stomach longer than other substances we eat, slowing down our rate of digestion and keeping us feeling full longer.
3. Fiber helps keep your bowel healthy & free of toxins. = Easier processing of nutrients.

Various studies have found that the average woman should eat between 20-27 grams of fiber per day.  The average American woman is only eating 15 per day.  How many are you eating?
My Life with Fiber:
My fiber kick (addiction) started when Chris came home from work with a bottle of this Original Colon Cleanse.  A co-worker of his had strongly recommended it to him as a great weight loss supplement. Obviously I'm game for any of those so I tried it. I'm not going to go into detail (if you want to read reviews, there are some pretty graphic ones out there- google it) but let's just say it definitely got things moving :) This particular Cleanse is made of psyllium husk is known to pull over 10 times it's weight in toxins from your colon. Each serving (tablespoon) has 6 grams of fiber, and you mix it with water and drink it 30 minutes prior to meals, up to 3x per day.  Currently I only take it in the morning but when you first start, it's good to do at least 2x a day.
As you know I'm also taking a Greens Supplement daily, and that also has 6 grams of fiber. (Read more about my daily supplements here: Supplements Everyone Should Take) So by 8am, I've had 12 grams of fiber. And those Zen Bakery Blueberry or Apple Cranberry Fiber Cakes I'm always raving about from TJs? 13 GRAMS of FIBER in an 80 calorie muffin. So- if I have one of those for my mid morning snack, I'm up to 25 grams before lunch.
See... I told you I'm obsessed.
How to Eat More Fiber:
Obviously you can take supplements to add fiber to your diet but it's also great to eat food that is naturally high fiber (it's all healthy stuff as well!) Below are some examples.  Keep in mind that meat & dairy have ZERO fiber, so if you are trying to eat low carb, it's even more important to make sure you are getting enough fiber daily.

• Legumes (lentils, dry beans and peas)
• Vegetables
• Brown rice
• Whole grains (wheat, oats, barley)
• Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries (1 cup provides up to 1/3 of your goal of at least 25 grams of fiber per day)
• High-fiber crackers (just 2 Ak Mak® crackers contain 3.5 grams fiber)
• Fiber One®, All Bran®, or Kashi® Cereals (Go Lean Crunch®)
• 100-percent whole-wheat bread (at least 3 grams of fiber per serving)
• Thomas' Multi-Grain Lite English Muffins® (only 100 calories and 8 grams of fiber with 5 grams of protein ... a nutrition bargain!)

Just to be clear, Fiber alone will not make you lose weight. Adding fiber either through supplements or food–only seems to assist weight control when it leads to an overall intake of less calories.

I hope you will come to love fiber as much as I do! Check for it on nutritional labels, try a supplement and make sure you are eating at least 20 grams a day. 
XO
Chel
P.S. I hope you all got a lot out of that, becuase I literally cringed every time I wrote colon (bowel is even worse) Maybe I'm 12 but still.. MEHR.

Week in Review & Supplements (again!)

And it's Monday... Weigh in today was +3 pounds from last week. Not ok. I'm hoping that's just a little bit of my body's natural fluctuation... but still pretty frustrating. I sat down with my food and exercise journal to figure out what happened...
Exercise. I like to start with the positive :). I went to bootcamp once (75 min of crazy intensity), ran a 5k, went for a 6 mile bike ride & did sprints at the track one day. So that's 4 days of exercise, which I feel pretty good about.
Food. Now that I making an effort to journal more often (6 days a week per my New Years resolution) it means writing down the good, bad & ugly. This week I would classify as mostly bad with a little bit of good & ugly on the side. Monday and Tuesday I met my calorie goals (in the 1400 range) but Wed-Thurs were 2,000+ and both weekend days ran about 2,000. The good news is that it's in black and white- so I know what I can correct this week to do better.
A common thread on my high calorie days was eating out. I either ate out or had take out 3 nights this past week and that really hurt my calorie counts. Making good decisions and healthy substitutions can do a lot- but in general restaurant food is really high in calories. My plan for this week is to try to cook at home, skip wine with dinner & eat dessert ONLY if I can fit it in my calories. (Normally I would say cut dessert all together but I made this amazing berry cobbler and still have leftovers at home... going to try to fit in my calories tonight!)
So yes, I suppose I can see where the weight came from. It's all about the math after all- more calories in then out= weight gain!  Going to try and get on the other side of that equation this week!

I also added a few supplements to my diet this past week- after a nutritional seminar in bootcamp, I Blogged about the 5 supplements that the nutritionist considered essential for everyone and I've decided to introduce a few to my diet. I'm drinking a Greens powder every morning- which according to the nutritionist may help: Boost Energy, Promote a Healthy Heart, Improve Digestion, Boost the Immune System, Alkalize and Balance pH, Support Normal Blood Sugar, Fight Aging (like botox??), Promote Normal Cholesterol, and assist in weight management. I HATE the taste of it, and it's 50 calories a serving, but I'm going to give it a trial run for a month & then see how I feel.
I'm also taking a molecularly distilled fish oil supplement which is supposed to regulate swelling & inflammation of the body which is great especially when you are working out. It also helps with cardiovascular health & blood sugar balance.
So... we shall see! To get all 5 the nutritionist recommended I still need to add digestive enzymes, probiotics & a calcium/magnesium supplement but I thought I'd start with two and then add from there- so hopefully I can see how each affects my body.
Here's to a good (and healthy) week! It's crunch time for me, Vegas is coming up (where no calories count- obviously)  and a month from now it'll be bathing suit season for me in Cabo! I am SO excited about both trips, but I want to go into them knowing I have a little wiggle room to enjoy myself!
XO
Chel
P.S. I am a little upset... I have been having a slight Subway addiction lately & been feeling ok about it- but when I dug a little deeper into their nutritional facts- a 6 inch sub with no cheese or mayo, just the veggies and meat has close to 50% of your daily needed sodium! Not a total deal breaker, but it does mean I shouldn't be eating them daily...
PPS. If you are interested in supplements but not sure how to choose one- check out Christa's website, the nutritionist who spoke at our boot camp for some good product reviews.

And I'm Back

This blog is only happening today because of Julia's text this morning asking me why I was such a blogging slacker & then Nat wrote on my Facebook wall that she needs her fix! So- this one is dedicated to you ladies for keeping me on track!
Let's see- lots of catch up... Last week despite a crazy work schedule I fit in 3 bootcamp workouts & managed to eat well Monday-Friday. I've decided to stop journaling on the weekends, just because it's hard to take it with me everywhere I go and since my meals are less preplanned, it's hard to know the calorie count. BUT that doesn't mean throwing good eating to the wind- I still try to focus on small portions and frequent "healthy" snacking. I've also decided in order to have the privilege of going journal free on the weekend I have to stay in my calorie range all week long. So far it seems to be working, I lost 2.5 lbs last week!
This week I was off to a rough start, I really struggle for some reason when Chris is out of town. I guess it's just the mentality of not wanting to prepare a great healthy meal if you're the only one eating it? But I need to work on that because dinner consisting of rice crackers, popcorn and wine is probably not the healthiest...
But I bounced back strong yesterday with good eating and a REALLY hard bootcamp that left me feeling strong and inspired. We ran to the track at Mission Bay high school & ran sprints. Even being at the track was giving me horrible high school flashbacks (I would usually stay home on the days we ran the mile :). But as hard as it was- I felt accomplished because even after TONS of sprints I was definitely exhausted- but still alive! Feel good endorphins from exercise are definitely not a myth.
For dinner last night I needed something low calorie- so Chris and I had a great salad & chicken tortilla soup from Vons. This is the stuff that they sell in their deli area and it's really good and amazingly low cal. 1 cup only has 90 calories! I added a little pepper and some low fat cheddar cheese sprinkled on top & it was delicious & satsfying. Then I went to bed early so I wouldn't get hungry! :)
I also did a small Trader Joes run last night, but really just picked up the basics. I did try one new thing, cinamon rasin Ezekiel bread- my trainer really reccomends Ezekiel brand of everything, tortillas, bread etc. So I'm going to have a slice toasted for my afternoon snack. Only 80 calories & is gluten free and all that healthy stuff :)
Ok- we are now caught up & I promise to be more consistant with the blogging. Please continue to call me out if I dont!
Chel
Oh & PS I finally bought some of the supplements I talked about a while back. Started on the Probiotics & Fish Oil yesterday... I'll keep you posted on how that goes.

5 Supplements EVERYONE Should Take

A day late- but here we go on the Top 5 Supplements everyone should be taking. Keep in mind this advice comes from a holistic nutritionist Christa Orecchio ( www.thewholejourney.net) who was a guest speaker at my boot camp, so this is her qualified advice- not my own!
1. Probiotics. These should be taken away from food. These support your digestive system, skyrocket your immune system, eliminate toxins & can help with depression.
I've actually taken these before- when I was on antibiotics to help replace the good bacteria that is killed during an antibiotic treatment. The thing about depression- basically she explained that seretonin which is a chemical in the brain that regulates mood, 80% of that chemical is developed in your intestional system. SO- theory being that if the probiotics help regulate and clean that system it can function properly & lead to increased seretonin production= more happiness!
Downside? These can be fairly expensive if you are taking them every day and often have to be refrigerated.
2. Digestive Enzymes. These should be taken before you eat. These help with better absorbtion & assimilation of the food. This is especially important to be taken with "cooked" food to help your body get all the nutrients possible. Christa talked a little bit about how foods have become less and less filled with the powerful vitamens & minerals, so it is important to help your system absorb all it can. For example, to get the same amount of vitamin D (I think it was D...) from an apple today you would actually have to eat 3 apples to equal the nutrients that one apple would have filled in 1940. It's because of overfarming of soil etc... I'm not going to go into that but bottom line- digestive enzymes help & you should also purchase local produce (not from big national chains) when possible, the soil is more likely to be less treated & the produce should have more nutrients.
3. Greens Powder. This can be taken any time. This powder is a mix of different healthy "greens", kelp, wheatgrass, spirulina. This helps with body "cleanup" and cellular detox.
4. Fish Oil or Cod Liver Oil (get one that says moleculerly distilled). This regulates swelling & inflamation of the body which is great especially when you are working out. It also helps with cardiovascular health & blood sugar balance.
5. Calcium/Magnesium Blend. (Purchase it in ionized form). This should be taken at night to help rebuild your muscles. And that's all I remember :) Ok- I got a little lazy at the end of class and wasn't taking as thorough of notes!! Sorry!
So- those are her top 5 most important. I'd recommend either googling them for more info &/or talking to a doctor about how you can benefit.
I'm going to start off with the Fish Oil & the Probiotics & then start adding in others. I wanted to write more about the AMAZING & healthy dinner Chris made me last night (and I had leftovers for lunch today) but that will have to wait for another day, this post is really long!
Chel
Oh and PS. Christa was not a huge fan of regular vitamins, like One A Day formulas. She said the reason they turn your pee super yellow is because they are not being absorbed in your body, so basically they go right through you without doing much good.