Go back to the beginning - There is no weight loss pill (SORRY!)

What if I told you that you would never have to diet again?  That when you think of the word "diet" it has zero reference to weight loss.  Are you shocked?  You shouldn't be, but then again we have been told for decades that we need this weight loss pill, or this highly restrictive, zero fat weight loss plan. We are told that this highly processed food or pill, will result in astounding physical transformation.  Well, you can't have weight loss and highly processed, chemical laden, zero fat cookies, or anything like that.  The human body knows when it is not fed a proper diet (as in real food).  It will try to fight back.  Signs that your body doesn't like what you are putting into can be: heartburn, improper digestion, constipation, inflammation and a general ill feeling.

If you have been in the Paleo world you probably have heard of Jason Sieb.  If not, you should check out his site here.  I was listening to his podcast - AltShift (fabulous program BTW) and he said something along the line of "You can have sustainable weight loss or YUM".  Think about that for a second.  Now, I am not stating that all your food should be bland, not even close.  What I am saying is, if you want to fix your body that "yum" may not be in the equation.  What do I mean by "yum"?  I'm talking about highly refined treats and foods.  Pre-made frozen meals, high amounts of carbs from sugar, candy, and chocolate with more ingredients than you can read or even pronounced.  Now, I do believe in having a treat, maybe once a week, if your body is in homeostasis (you feel great!).  BUT, until you get there I would advise leaving "yum" alone until your body can handle it.  Then again, maybe once you get there your idea of yum will be totally different than once it was.  My idea of yum is bbq fatty brisket, bacon and eggs, Primal Kitchen's avocado mayonnaise, and avocado.

Why haven't you lost that weight you are so desperately trying to get rid of?  What's the real reason you fail to start, or you start and then that one bite of something (cupcake?!?) that throws you off and you forget the whole eating "healthy" thing.  Do you even know how to start or pick it back up?  Do you think you have to starve?!  Have you followed every diet out there and just gained everything back?  Do you have a medical condition that you are having trouble managing and it's throwing your weight all over the place?  I get it!

It's more simple than what you may think.  But there's no magic pill.  There never has been.  Americans are getting fatter and sicker by the year.  Here are some stats from the CDC.  Why?  Simple, food manufacturing.  Here is an article from NBC News on the highly processed foods and cancer.  We "create" food's, GMO's, we don't grow them.  It's sad to say.  Registered Dietitian Diana Rodgers writes a fabulous article here about diets and foods (from 2017).  

The next time you go to the grocery store, pick up a random item and read the ingredients.  Can you pronounce everything listed?  Do you know what every ingredient that is list is?  Pick a random one and look it up.  Need more help with what something is?  There are also a lot of food/allergy apps out there and they show you what foods to avoid when shopping (great for newbies!).

So, what do you eat?!  How do you finally lose the weight you want and not starve yourself?  Well, it's very individual.  What works for what person may not work for the next person.  What I can say for sure is that eating a properly prepared whole food diet is where you want to start.  This I have known for a long time and it has been shown to be true time and time again in the paleo/primal/low carb sphere and further cemented by the Nutritional Therapy Association where I have been doing my training (as you already know).  

If you want to read other points of view you can read one here from WebMD, here, and here from Chris Kresser, and one from The Paleo Mom, Dr. Sarah Ballantyne with the scientific studies here.  The proper amounts of protein, fats and, carbohydrates again are all bio individual. Some will do better with higher fat and moderate protein.  Others will do best on a keto version with lower carbohydrates.  You can again head over to The Nourished Caveman's site or Maria Emmerich's site for more information on the Keto diet.  I guarantee that it will change.  What works for you now may not work for you 6 months from now.

For me at this current time, carnivore-ish, is working for me.  I'm about 95% carnivore, which means I eat meat.  The other 5% is coffee, avocado and nut butter (my favs!).  I find that I don't need to eat as often but ONLY if I eat enough protein and fat.  To read more on carnivore you can head over to Dr. Anthony Gustin and his views here.  The Nourished Caveman (Vivica Menegaz) talks about her experience (7 weeks) here.

I never gave you the answer to "How to lose weight" because there is no magic pill and no one way of eating.  You have to go back to the beginning.  What's the beginning?  As I stated above, whole foods that are properly prepared, like our grandparents ate or maybe great grandparents at this point (I'm older!).  No need to drastically cut calories or be at the gym 3 hours everyday.  Sure those may be able to help you in the beginning, but you don't even need to go there.  They will only set you up for failure.

You can contact me about how you can look better, feel better and have a happier, healthier life without the word "diet" coming into play.  Manage symptoms better from other conditions.  I can't diagnose or treat disease but I can help you feel your best!  

I would love for you to comment on this post about your struggles and what you have tried and also if you have any conditions that have hindered you from achieving your healthiest life.

Digestion - What Goes Wrong and Why It's Important to Fix

As an NTP (nutritional therapy practitioner), the Nutritional Therapy Association teaches us some of the most important areas to optimize health, a series of pillars.  Today, I will be discussing the most important pillar and sharing my thoughts as well as the viewpoints of others in the Paleo, Keto and Primal/Ancestral Health communities.

(Dr. Axe Leaky Gut)

In this post, I am talking about digestion.  It's not something we think about on a daily basis unless we have an issue.  We eat, we get full, we get hungry and we repeat until something feels wrong.  Our digestive system has many functions, under optimal health those are:

     *Ingestion (Eating our Food)
     *Secretion (Gastric Juices)
     *Mixing (Churning in the Stomach, etc)
     *Digestion (Breakdown)
     *Absorption (Nutrients!)
     *Defecation (Pretty, I know!)

EVERY organ depends on our digestive system to work properly for the rest of the body to work properly.  The most common complaint about our digestion is "heartburn" or an "upset" stomach. We don't give much thought to when we pop a pill to "remedy" these issues.  We all are under the impression that bloating, gassiness, belching are all a normal part of what happens after a meal.  Shocked if I told you that those reactions are the bodies way of telling you there is something wrong?!  Tis true my friends! There are many signs we are out of balance, bloating from being stressed while we eat and gulping our food down.  This is just another good reason to sit down away from distractions (yes, that includes, television, cell phones, computers) and chew your food slowly.  Not just 5 bites and swallow.  I mean chewing until there is nothing to chew anymore.  Imbalance of your gut microbiota, gluten, irritating food additives, GMO's, and just plain eating too much.  Let's not forget about low stomach acid either.  Here is a post from Dr. Sara Ballantyne, aka The Paleo Mom entitled The Stomach Acid Connect.  In this article, she explains why low stomach acid is a problem, even if you are following a clean diet.

Let's back up for a minute.  Let's review how digestion begins.  Would you think I was crazy telling you it begins in our brains?!  Some are saying yes it's crazy, it's OK!  Digestion starts when we see and smell food.  Our brain registers these senses and you notice you start to salivate.  We take a bite of food and thus begins the chemical breakdown of our food.  The breakdown of carbohydrates begins in the mouth with the enzyme, salivary amylase.  Once swallowed the stomach breaks down food even further with HCL (Hydrochloric acid) and pepsinogen.  Let's stop here for a second.  You have eaten some food and get heartburn.  Too much stomach acid you say, that's what everyone says.  I need a Tums!  On the contrary!  You need more acid.  Very few people have too much (90% have too little -Hypochlorhydria) and I have never run into a gastroenterologist that will test the levels of HCL in the stomach.

OK, let's get back to it.  Our stomach is designed for acid, around 0.8 pH (normal is between 1.5 and 3.0).  The role of acid is to do the following:

     *Disinfects
     *Kills Bacteria and Parasites
     *Activates Pepsin, to digest proteins
     *Stimulates gastrin

Can I point out something here?  KILLS BACTERIA AND PARASITES.  Now, if a majority of people have low stomach acid (90%), doesn't that mean we are letting bacteria and parasites enter our body.  Scary stuff here!  Let's continue moving south and the small intestine and those fabulous accessory organs; the liver and the gallbladder.  As our now digested food (chyme) enters the small intestine (through the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum), mucus is secreted to coat the chyme since that content is pretty acidic still at 1.5 to 3.0 pH.  Two hormones are secreted as well, Secretin and CCK (Cholecystokinin).  The secretin stimulates the pancreas to release bicarbonate (raise the pH) and pancreatic juices (complete breakdown of proteins, carbs, and fats), while the CCK stimulates the gallbladder and releases bile (break down fats).  Whatever is left is now passed down to the large intestine.  There are a few things that are supposed to happen here under perfect conditions:

    *Recycle water
    *Recycle waste
    *Grab any leftover nutrients
    *Removes waste

Perfect conditions with the elimination of wastes.  Hey, everybody poops so there is no need to be shy here!

The BIG issue now is the dysfunction that happens.  I can't say I have yet to meet someone with perfect digestion.  Does it even exist?!  I wonder now as I write this.  Just as proper digestion begins in the north (brain) dysfunction also begins there as well.  It starts with that fact that we are chronically stressed and always in a hurry!  Stress comes in so many forms!  We think we have it under control, but take a look at that picture below, looks familiar, doesn't it?  We eat food in a rushed, stressed out state, we barely even chew.  Our brain has zero opportunity to respond to what we are doing.  How can our body process this hardly digested food?  We have little to no breakdown of carbs (saliva in our mouths), we have undigested particles entering our colon which begins to create a dysbiosis down the digestion tract and feeds candida (under perfect conditions candida is ok).  Our stressed-out state affects our acid production in our stomach.  Factors that inhibit production:

     *Stress
     *Excess carb consumption
     *Nutrient deficiencies
     *Allergies
     *Excess alcohol consumption

So, back to that bold state above.  Our defenses against bacteria and pathogens are severely compromised.  How about GERD (reflux).  Here is a recent article from Nutrition Review on Gastric Balance: Heartburn Not Always Caused by Excess Acid.  Symptoms and complications are many as a result.  Treatment can begin with natural remedies, but few know about.  The undigested foods come back into our esophagus and cause that burning sensation, our esophagus is not designed to withstand the acid in our stomachs.  This is the point we reach for the Tums or another similar antacid blocker.  This is the beginning of our carbs fermenting and, proteins rancifying along with fats.  Why are we under the guise that these are miracle work?  Because that is what the commercials told us!

These acid blockers neutralize the acid in the stomach so when the reflux happens there is no "burn" because the acid is neutralized.  However, this is not a good solution.  Why?  The now partially digested food in your stomach is too alkaline and the pyloric sphincter doesn't want this food to pass.  So it sits in the stomach and rots and bacterial infections begin, the pancreas doesn't get to do its job to neutralize the acid since no acid exists.  The gallbladder begins it's dysfunction too because there is too little acid.  This can also happen when diets are low in fat too (keep that in mind).  The bile is not released and becomes viscous and then is unable to be released.  Rancid food continues through the digestive system and impacts the villi of the small intestines.  This is where leaky gut happens.  Undigested proteins and fats pass through the gut and overwhelm the immune system.  Even food that is good for us can impact us negatively if we have a leaky gut.  To read other's viewpoint on leaky gut, check out Diane Sanfilippo's post from 2010 - Is Your Gut Leaky?   Then head on over to Sarah Ballantyne - aka The Paleo Mom and check out her post - What Is A Leaky Gut?  The most in-depth article is on Robb Wolf's site with a guest post written by Carolyn Dolan titled - Could Leaky Gut be the Hidden Cause of Your Health Problems?  In the large intestine, these undigested food particles disrupt the healthy flora that is living there.  Can we say candida overgrowth?!  This leaves the colon to inflammation, diverticulitis and other serious conditions, such as (so much more than this!):

     *Irritable Bowel Syndrome
     *Crohn's Disease
     *Colitis
     *Celiac Disease

With all this new knowledge you may be asking how do you heal a leaky gut or how do you avoid getting leaky gut in the first place?  The Weston A. Price Foundation has a great write up on How To Restore Digestive Health.  The write up is from 2004 and the economic stats for treating leaky gut are astounding and I'm sure by now those numbers have at least double, maybe more.

How have I treated my leaky gut and consequential autoimmune condition - Hashimoto's?  It's a continual work in progress.  The first thing is to remove grains, gluten, industrial oils (vegetable, soy, corn etc.) and dairy from the diet.  Gluten-free grains could be added in later depending on the condition.  You can certainly heal, but you can't just go hog wild either once you do and eat things you once did.  You have to maintain it.  Testing for food allergies is a great place to start, BUT you won't always test positive for everything (Test don't guess).  I know it sounds odd, but it's true.  I find I can only eat nuts and peanuts a couple times a week otherwise my face breaks out.  But I don't test positive on an allergy test.  I also have issues with dairy, eggs, bananas and fermented foods.  But, your face breaking out has nothing to do with your digestion!  Think again.  Your skin is the largest organ and if there is an issue that could be one of the first places it shows up.  It can also show up as belching, bloating, etc..... see the big picture now?  There are supplements that can be added to help things along, but it's not a one size fits all, everyone is going to be different.

You can contact me by DM to go into some more details because everyone is completely different in their healing process like I have mentioned.  I wish I could tell you that it's a simple fix, but it does require dedication and work.  I have had many people contact me on how to restore their health and I hope you do too.  This is just a small dive into the digestive system and I could go on.  Let me know your thoughts and if this information has helped and how I can assist you in your journey to health.

Cheers!



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Whole30 Journey - Day 9

Day 9!  Up early!!

D had to be up and I naturally (if I'm not working) will start to wake up around 5 or 5:30.  I must take after my dad!  He has always been an early riser.  I mean I do have HPA Axis Dysfunction (adrenal fatigue).  The Paleo Mom, Sarah Ballantyne, explains it here in Part 1 of her 3 part series.

Everything was as usual, fed the animals and get D out the door.  I fixed my breakfast which was really great today!  I, of course, woke up hungry!

Since I meal prepped breakfast was done quickly.  Loving that!!  I used ground beef (grass fed), cocoa roasted cauliflower, red kale and arugula.  I love wilted greens!  Every green included romaine.  I loved it seared, wilted, warmed, just yummy!

I had errands to run and the gym to go to!  I was out the door by 8:30.  I had to stop at the post office to drop off a few packages then I hit the gym.  The workout was pretty good.  I was able to up my weight on many of my lifts.  From there I had to stop at Whole Foods.  I was hoping to get Nom Nom Paleo's Magic Mushroom powder but they didn't have it in yet.  Said to check back in a few days.  I got my groceries and grabbed a coffee.  Next was Target to refill a prescription and pick up a couple birthday cards and a couple tank tops.  And then I had to go to the mall to pick up a birthday gift for my dad.  I checked out Nordstrom but saw nothing.  I knew I would find a shirt at Tommy Bahama, which I did.  It was on the other side of the mall but I didn't mind the walking and drinking my coffee.

Finally, I got home and didn't think I was that hungry until I made lunch.  2 chicken thighs mixed with a small avocado and a few brussels.  It really hit the spot.  Shortly after I felt extremely tired.  I wanted to do some cleaning but had to lie down on the couch for a while.

It's a little dark but big dawg was cuddling with me on the couch.  He's so sweet and loves his momma!  After a little while I felt a bit better, never got to sleep, but felt better.  I made some half car coffee and I got a few things cleaned.  Before I knew it D messaged that he was on his way and needed to reheat dinner.

I reheated the broccoli that I pan steamed.  I broiled the sweet potato that I roasted.  I sliced it up and but a little butter on the sheet pan.  I broiled it for about 10 minutes.  The edges got a little crispy, but I like it that way.  I put half of the Greek Beef Stew from Melissa Joulwan in a skillet to get that warm and reduce the broth so it was nice and thick.  D liked this recipe.  I made it in the Instant Pot and the stew meat came out so tender!  I adjusted the recipe down.  I had just a little over 1 lb of meat.  I didn't want a lot of leftovers (like the chili!).  I did have to drain off some of the liquid since I added to much water to the recipe since I didn't follow the cooking method.  I also replaced the the cinnamon stick with ground and used 2 tbs.

So there was my day.  Oh I do have to say that I was really in the mood to bake some banana bread, which I didn't.  I was looking for something that didn't use egg or any sweeteners.  I didn't really find one yet, so it will probably wait until February anyway.

Next week I may follow Nom Nom Paleo for Whole30 or go with my Real Plans meal plan for AIP and eliminate the sugars, etc from there.

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A new beginning...

So there I am, two "paleo" books and fully diving straight into the bone broth! Ha!  There were so many things that I wanted to "fix".  Horrible acne, bad digestion, heartburn, the list was many.

I may have to interject and come back to the beginning at another time.  I should flash forward quickly to where I am today.  Currently bloated and sitting in my car with my 60 lb. lap dog Jack.  Why bloated you say?  I thought you had this figured out!  Well, it's all about the n=1 experiment.  Granted, I have been feeling better since jumping back to AltShift.  What?  You stopped?  Only for a short time, about 2 weeks I would say where I went full keto, put putting on weight far too quickly cause I just love my protein too much!

Honestly, I think a lot of my bloating is just coming down to stress.  I have been on a serious job hunt lately and working early mornings and every weekend is taking it's toll quickly.  BUT, what else has been my bloating issue?  Starch has been a huge issue.  Sweet potato, potato, banana, plantains.  They are all giving me issues and I'm not trying rice.  I have been trying them at different points in my day to see if the effects are any different and it's all the same - morning, noon and night - just plain bloated!  So, I will finish this shift with my final banana and plantain and next shift will not have them.

I have taken far too long to post this ramble!  I keep changing what I am talking about here.  Only because there has been so much going on lately!  The above is still true - I am on the job hunt!  Honestly I want to work for myself - teaching yoga and becoming an NTP - Food and fitness are really my loves.  Why not do what you love right!  RIGHT!

So I have figured out my food from the last ramble - I know I cannot eat more then one starch per day in my shift.  Done!  SO moving forth.  Let me get back to my beginning!

I read Pratical Paleo and loved it, so much rained true!  I had Liz Wolfe's book too Skintervention Guide and dived in.  I think I did so much so quickly my body FREAKED out!

My face looked like gravel!  SO many tiny white heads - sorry it was disgusting!  So much detox was going on!  I even contacted Liz since I was trying to do the oil cleansing and thought maybe I was doing something wrong.  She suggested that maybe it was one of the oils - so I got rid of Castor oil and it seems to help.  Now I am using Cocokind which I absolutely love!  My skin does the best with this line!  My 2 favorite products are: Organic Facial Oil and the Organic All Purpose Salve.  I tried the No Poo method of hair washing, which didn't work well either for my hair.  So I use minimal products and shampoo maybe once or twice a week.

I then stumbled on to Sarah from The Paleo Mom and Stacey from The Paleo Parents, Robb Wolf then Sarah Fragoso and Jason Seib.  I dove into the autoimmune protocol as I found out I had Hashimoto's.  I was suffering from Adrenal Fatigue, which made my days really hard, yet I continued with the high amount of work I was doing.  Fueled by lots of caffeine!  If I haven't mentioned it.  I was working out in the am, going to my full time desk job, followed by teaching aerobics, bootcamp, yoga/pilates and water aerobics 6+ hours a week.  I probably threw in another part-time job here and there.  I was also under the crazy mind-set that you couldn't eat anything to maintain your ideal weight.  Even if you were working out hard!

This was my train of thought.  It was hard and the results were there, but I was making myself more sick as the days and weeks went by.  It was hard and I was tired BUT there was more hard work to be done, so I did it.  BLARGH!!!  Top all that hard work with eating only 900 to 1200 calories a day!  Now I work out A LOT less and eat 3 times the amount and I'm still at the same weight.  Food for thought!

Till the next post!  I will go into how listening to all the above people on podcasts began to change everything I knew for the better!