Clean goodies...

 Can you say Peanut Butter Cups??!!!!  Oh my!!  I found these at the health food store on Michigan Ave!  They are dreamy!!  The ingredients are all organic and clean.  Decadent Dark chocolate and organic peanuts equal two perfectly proportioned pieces of heaven.  $2.19 for these two puppies BUT it came with a $1.00 coupon for the next batch.  I even shared mine and only ate one.  I ate it s.l.o.w.l.y.    If you have never had Justin's products, they are worth a try.  You can find more Justin's products at Kroger in the healthy, organic section.


Here are the stats- Two of these are 200 calories, 16g fat (say peanuts), 120 mg sodium, 20 carbs, 2g fiber, 14g sugar and 4g protein.  Here are the ingredients- Organic dark choc (organic evaporated cane sugar, organic choc liquor, organic cocoa butter, organic soy lecithin (extract of soy beans, prevents separation of cocoa and cocoa butter), organic vanilla), organic peanuts, organic evaporated cane sugar, organic cocoa butter, organic palm fruit oil, organic vanilla, sea salt.    There is sugar in this treat in the form of evaporated can sugar but if you are looking for a "treat" and not eating this regularly, I wouldn't worry about this amount of sugar.

To be fair, I bought a Reeses Peanut Butter cup to compare.  Here are the stats-  210 calories, 13g fat, 150mg sodium, 24g carbs, 1g fiber, 21g sugar and 5g protein.  Ingredients are-- Milk Chocolate (sugar, cocoa butter, chocolate, nonfat milk, milk fat, lactose, soy lecithin, pgpr, emulsifier), peanuts, sugar, dextrose, salt, tbhq (preservative).    Doesn't seem to bad right?  Well, what is pgpr and tbhq?  Hmm, let's find out. PGPR is known in the candy industry as polyglycerol polyricinoleate.  Does this make the chocolate better?  Of course not!  PGRP is used to replace the expensive cocoa butter that is normally found in chocolate.  To make a long story short, they are using the chemical because it is cheaper than using real ingredients.  Ok so let's check out TBHQ-  TBHQ is  the acronym used to describe tertiary butylhydroquinone, which is an antioxidant that comes from petroleum and is related to butane.  It is often used as a preservative, applied either to the carton of fast food items or sprayed directly onto them as well as in various other prepackaged food items. Yumm?!  NOT!!  

 Hmm, I guess I have lost my love for Reeses and found a new love in Justin's.  

If you are in need of a clean, healthy, quick snack on the go, the LARABAR is for you.  LARABAR are strictly fruit and nuts.  I don't know about you but I heart Key Lime Pie. LARABAR is a blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices. Made from whole foods, each flavor contains two to nine ingredients.  Pure and simple!   The only thing is-- I wish LARABAR had more protein.   

Key Lime Pie ingredients-  Dates, cashews, almonds, unsweetened coconut, lime juice concentrate. 5 ingredients make one tasty treat. It has 220 calories, 10g fat, 31g carbs, 4 g fiber, 4g protein.  It is a very calorie dense bar because it has nuts in the mix.  Don't let this scare you away. Nuts can be a healthy part of every diet!!   

LARABAR has many flavors so you are sure you can find one to fit your taste buds!  They can be found at Kroger in the health food section or anywhere protein bars are found.  

Eating clean does not mean being deprived.  Love your body and what goes in it.

Namaste,

j

My daily cocktail.

If you remember from one of my earlier posts, I talked about how I drink warm/hot water first thing in the morning with half a fresh lemon squeezed in it.  This helps to detox our liver, get the digestive tract moving and wake up the metabolism.  Lately I have been reading more on the benefits of drinking apple cider vinegar.  Here is my journey through apple cider vinegar.


Day one- I tried drinking 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar with 1/2 cup hot water.  I figured less water, less to drink, let's get this over with.  STUPID!!!  GAG!!  Wasn't sure if I was going to throw up or spit it out.  I wasn't near a sink or toilet so down it went.  Cough, cough, gag!  Not sure if this is something worth trying.  I think I am crazy.


Day two- I think I will try mixing it with my lemon water.  Something has to mask the taste.  Maybe that will help.  Well, better than day one but YUCK!!!!!!  Tried drinking through a straw and not breathing while drinking.  Forgot to breathe after drinking.  Almost died.  Day two- failure.


Day three- After extensive research online.  Someone suggested to add honey to the mix.  Of course!!  Something sweet.  I add 1 Tbsp organic honey to the lemon -apple cider vinegar- warm water mix.  I use a straw again not only to help bypass the ENTIRE mouth but because the apple cider vinegar and lemon can be very acidic on the teeth wearing down the enamel.  Better, maybe even do-able...maybe!   Once I read all the health benefits of the ACV (apple cider vinegar), I knew I wanted to do this daily but I still felt like there had to be a less torturous way.  


By the way, let me mention that my 17 year old daughter, Cari, is drinking this every morning.  She inspired me to keep trying to find a much more appealing way to drink it because she said she was tired of drinking "feet" every morning.  Yes, she said it tasted and smelled like "feet" even with the honey.  Ok, back to the drawing board.


More research and finally, finally found the answer.  I came across Dr. Axes secret detox drink.  Not sure why all the secrecy here but NOT a secret anymore!  Here is what he suggest.
2 Tbsp ACV, 2 Tbsp lemon juice, (I still use half lemon), 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 stevia packet and a dash of cayenne pepper in up to 16 ounces of water.  I prefer less water.  I use a regular coffee cup so about 10-12 ounces.  You can drink this cold or hot.  Again, I prefer hot.  It is suggested that you can drink this up to 3 times a day before each meal.  I drink every morning and before lunch. 


Back to the taste....SO MUCH BETTER!  The cinnamon and stevia totally knock out that pungent vinegar taste.  Now there is a LOT of cinnamon so the need to keep stirring is there until the last drink.  It's not a refreshing glass of iced tea but it is SO much better.  


It's all a work in progress.  If the acv upsets your stomach, then start with 1 Tbsp or half Tbsp.  Cari was getting an upset stomach with 2 so she has cut back.  I asked her what she thought of the new taste and here was her answer.  "It doesn't taste like 'feet' anymore, but I about threw up this morning!!  It's too cinnamony!!  I almost died and couldn't finish drinking it."  Hmm, work in progress.  Note to self, less cinnamon for Cari.  


I know what you all are thinking.  WHY THE HECK ARE YOU DRINKING IT THEN?!!!!  Well, to help YOU of course!!!  Get ready for this friends...if the taste doesn't knock your socks off why you should drink it will!


Benefits of the lemon in your cocktail-
Helps to lose weight and keep hydrated.  Improves digestion and gives you vitamin C. Vitamin C helps us to have a more efficient digestive system.  Vit C also boosts your immune system and can help prevent coronary heart disease and lowers your risk for a stroke.  Lemon helps to stimulates the digestive track and improves your body's ability to absorb nutrients.  Also helps to flush the kidneys and liver of wastes and toxins.  Lemon also helps the body better absorb calcium.  Calcium absorption helps to lose weight because calcium is stored in fat cells.  The more calcium in your fat cells the easier it is to stimulate burning the fat cell off.


Benefits of the Apple Cider Vinegar- 
Diabetes-  The effect of vinegar on blood sugar levels is perhaps the best researched and the most promising of acv health benefits.  Several studies have found that vinegar may help lower glucose levels.  For instance, one study showed 11 people with type 2 diabetes found that taking 2 Tbsp of apple cider vinegar before bed lowered glucose levels by 4-6% in the morning.  If you have diabetes, check with your Dr before drinking as acv contains chromium which can alter insulin levels. It also slows down the digestion of starch which breaks down into sugar in the body.  This helps to buffer the blood sugar spike!


It is said to help eliminate allergies!  No more runny nose and watery eyes!!  

Acv helps to burn fat as it breaks down the fat to a usable state rather than allowing the body to store it.  What does this mean for you??  A flatter tummy!!!  It also helps your body to digest food better which means your body is getting more nutrients from your food.  What does this mean?  NO BLOAT!!!  Woot- Woot!!!  


It helps the body to maintain healthy PH levels which is said to make an environment not conducive for cancer cells.  Acv works to improve bowel function and works as a detox (say clearer skin)!!!  


Benefits of cinnamon-
Cinnamon has shown to improve digestive ailments such as indigestion, gas, bloating and diarrhea.  It also has a mild anti inflammatory effect.  One teaspoon of cinnamon contains 28 mg of calcium, one mg of iron and over a gram of fiber!  Cinnamon has been shown to improve insulin sensitivity and blood glucose control by taking as little as half a teaspoon per day.  Improving insulin resistance can help in weight control as well as heart disease.  


Benefits of Cayenne Pepper-
Comes from red hot chili peppers.  When in powder form it has potent possibilities!  It nourishes the heart with vital nutrients, removes plaque from arteries, heals hemorrhoids, re-builds stomach tissue and ulcers.  It improves circulation, rebuilds blood cells, lowers cholesterol, emulsifies triglycerides and improves overall heart health!  It removes toxins from the bloodstream and immediately equalizes blood pressure in your system.  This amazing spice, also aids in healing the gall bladder!  It detoxes the body by helping with elimination of both bowel and bladder.   It increases metabolism by immediately influencing the blood vessels in the body.  


Benefits of Stevia packet-
TASTE!  Nuff said!


Now I know you are super excited to run out and get your supplies so here is what you need to know.
When shopping for acv, you must get the unpasteurized with "the mother" in it.  The mother  is the cloudy substance found in the vinegar formed from naturally occurring pectin and apple residues.  It appears as molecules of protein connected in strand-like chains.  The presence of the mothers shows that the best part of the apple has not been destroyed.  


Never drink acv alone.  Always dilute with plenty of water. Apple Cider Vinegar is highly acidic.  The main ingredient is acetic acid.  It can be quite harsh if not diluted before swallowed.  Drinking from a straw and brushing your teeth afterwards is a good idea to prevent damage to the tooth enamel.  


If you have low potassium levels, or take medicine for diabetes or heart disease, you may want to talk to your doctor first.  Long term use can lower potassium levels if you already have low levels.   


Only you can decide if this will work for you.  Try drinking one glass first thing in the morning and see how you feel.  You may have to tweak the amount of the ingredients and that's ok.  If you aren't ready for this cocktail, try the lemon and water for a while. 


I have to say, if my 17 year old daughter can/will drink it.  Anyone can!!


Bottoms up!


Love j

My new crunchy finds...

If the name doesn't say it let me... I LOVE THIS CRUNCH!!!  Oh my, this is some good chocolate craving medicine!  I got an email about it first from Natures Path.  It can be ordered online on their website but also at....COSTCO!!  Oh my love for Costco grows and grows.  This Organic granola has a 1/4 serving size so be careful as it can be dangerously easy to overeat.  (I have the bag at work and can't remember exact calorie count) Perfect in some yummy Fage greek yogurt!  It has chocolate chunks and delicious dried berries that will keep you coming back for more.  In the ingredient list, I found it to say "natural chocolate flavor."  You know how I feel about that sneaky "natural flavor" ingredient.  Is it good?  Is it bad? Will I ever know???? I did email the company to inquire on said "natural chocolate flavor".  Oh yes, I will get to the bottom of this mystery!    

Good news friends.  For those of you that need more  crunch, Mary's Gone Crackers has it.  If you are need of Gluten free, this is for you too!  You can find these at Kroger in the Organic section.  A 6 ounce box is $4.49.  However.....wait for it.....wait for it.....Costco has a 20 ounce box for $6.99!!!  And it is on sale right now, no coupon needed for $4.99!!  These are also extremely addictive so COUNT THEM OUT!  13 crackers for 140 calories.  No, 5 half broken crackers does not equal ONE!  Ha, kinda funny though as all the crackers are not the same size so does that mean I can pull out 13 of the bigger circle crackers and still think I only ate 140 calories.  It's my fantasy friends.  Don't ruin it. 

Rumor has it, Mary's Gone Crackers just came out with a pretzel stick.  A healthy Clean pretzel stick. I'm on it friends.  I'll find them! 

This is right along the same path as the LOVE Crunch!  There are two yummy bags inside this box.  It's all organic and it's all clean. Throw a handful in your oatmeal, yogurt or smoothie.  Can't go wrong with Natures Path. They are working to get us all healthy one box at at time!  

Speaking of oatmeal....I have found a wonderful way to celebrate my breakfast.  I absolutely Love cherry pie.  I USED to long ago use sugar free cherry pie filling in my oatmeal because I pretend I am eating pie for breakfast.  Well, I stopped doing that a long time ago because obviously it just wasn't healthy.  I found a new way to have my cherry pie and eat it too!!  I take Tart Cherry Juice daily for my joints.  I find it helps my joints stay healthy.  I don't know why it took me so long to figure it out but I started putting the tart cherry juice in my oatmeal with dried cherries and YIPPEE, I have my healthy, clean cherry pie for breakfast. 

 Oh friends, this couldn't make me smile more!

I use 1/2 c oatmeal, dry 

Teaspoon or two of wheat germ, flax seeds and chia seeds

one scoop vanilla protein powder

scant handful of dried cherries

2 TBSP tart cherry juice

I put just enough water to cover the oatmeal and put in microwave for 90 seconds. 

Delish!  It taste like cherry cobbler. I am addicted. 

 You can find the cherry juice for about $16 at Kroger in the refrigerated section by the healthy juices and veggies.  It is expensive but does last a while.  I am told it is cheaper at Meijer.  I will let you know as I am getting low and need to buy some more!

I am down to 134 pounds.  That's 13 pounds down!  People are starting to notice my weight loss.  I am feeling AWESOME and even better than I can imagine.  It's true that you don't realize how bad you feel until you actually feel good.  I was feeling bad.  My hip is still not good.  I would love you to send me some healing prayers.  Doc put me on more steroids and rest.  I'm doing my best.  Rest.  Rest.  Trying!

 I encourage you to make a clean meal this weekend for you and your family.  Make your plate look like the rainbow.  Food IS our Medicine friends.  

With positive energy,

j 

Gummmmm....

I headed to the Health Food Store on Michigan Ave to see if I could found some healthy "clean" gum!  I asked the owner where I could find the "clean" gum. 

He led me to it then said, "If you knew how they made regular gum, you would never chew it again." 

I'm sure if we truly knew how a lot of things were made, we would never eat again!  Anyway, back to the gum.  As I read the ingredients, I was a little concerned because it said, natural flavor (peppermint oil) and natural flavor (spearmint oil).  I wasn't sure if they were stating the natural flavor WAS the oil or trying to trick me into thinking that it WAS the oil.  There was not a comma after natural flavor so I was hopeful that the oil WAS the natural flavor.  I noticed there was an 800 number on the package so I bought them and decided to call the company to find out the truth.  I also bought a licorice gum that said natural flavors but no parentheses next to it.  No 800 number but there was a web site to visit.  Haven't checked it yet, but not so hopeful on that one. 

I called the company and a live person answered.  Kind of surprised me to be honest.  Who answers the phone anymore at a company?!  The gal was very helpful and said the natural flavor WAS in fact, the oil!!!!!!!!!  YIPPEE!!!  Success!!  I am more of a spearmint girl, so of course I chose to chew that one first.  Good news!  They taste good too!  Whew, my chewing gum days are not over!  I can chew gum and not fill my body with unneccesary chemicals on a daily basis.  I am at peace!

Over and out,

j

I've been cheating since day 1...

I swear it was unintentional.  I've been chewing this sugar free gum daily!!  I didn't give it a second thought until my friend saw me start to get a piece and asked to look at it.  She was telling me that she was shocked that this sugar free gum has the same calories as juicy fruit.  Which let my other friend to say, there is aspartame in that gum.  I looked at the ingredients and there were more unclean ingredients than just aspartame.   We have some natural and artificial flavors, some turmeric blue color and some other things I can't pronounce.  At the end it even has a warning that says this contains Phenylalanine.  That can't be good.  So I'm off the gum and will be headed to the health food store to see if I can find some "clean" gum.

This got me to thinking.  It's just one little piece of 5 calorie gum right?  But what did this one piece, (maybe three in one day) consistently do to the inside of my body?  Which led me to thinking about the creamer I would put in my coffee every morning and the two bags of microwave popcorn I would eat every week.  I consistently and repeatedly put these things (along with many other unclean foods) in my body.  I was thinking, "oh it is just this little bit."  But I was very consistent with every little bit.  What does that do to the inside of my body.  How does my stomach, my liver, my heart and kidneys handle it?  Are all these unclean chemicals that I put into my body, that the FDA deems as safe, safe?! 

I don't miss my creamer any more.  I use half and half (only milk and cream) in my coffee or drink it black.  I no longer miss my kettle corn popcorn.  I have found a delicious way to make popcorn.  I use less than 1 TBSP of coconut oil and 1/3 cup popcorn.  Cook it on the stove, the old fashioned way!  It is Delicious!!!!!  Just a touch of salt and pepper (sometimes freshly grated Parmesan cheese) and I am one happy girl! 

Take a moment and think about the chemicals that you are putting in your body, repeatedly and consistently.  Is there an alternative for that product?  It's worth checking into.  Your health is Worth it!  I'll let you know if I find any gum.  If you find it first, tell me!!

In light and love,

j

My innocent trip to Olive Garden.

Last weekend I went to Olive Garden.  I was planning on going somewhere else to eat but that restaurant was closed so my Son chose Olive Garden.  I didn't have time to review their nutrition information before going but I felt good about what I already knew and was pretty sure what I was going to order.  I was planning on the Herb-Grilled Salmon.  I knew from a previous visit that this was a healthy option.  However, as I sat looking at the menu, I was thinking of trying the Seafood Brodetto.  It had the olive branch next to it which meant it was a low fat entree. I knew the Salmon wouldn't be considered low fat because Salmon is a fish that is higher in fat- but it is the GOOD fat- omega 3.  I asked my server for the nutrition information for the menu and she immediately brought me one.  I looked down to see how my choice of the Seafood Brodetto would be. Hang on to your chairs friends cause I was almost knocked off mine when I read the sodium content.  The Seafood Brodetto has 2250 mg of sodium!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I was SHOCKED!!!  I was so glad I checked the nutrition information first!  Are you aware of how much sodium we should consume in one day?  2300-2400 mg.  My one meal would have covered it.  The stats for the whole meal was, 480 calories, 16g fat, 2250 mg sodium, 47 g protein.  I changed my mind and ate the Herb-Grilled Salmon with broccoli.  It had 510 calories, 26 g fat, 760 mg sodium, 64 g protein.  We can not process more than 30 g of protein in our body, the rest is stored as fat if not burned off.  So 64 g of protein is way too much.  The piece of Salmon was very large.  I ate half of the meal and 3 hours later when it was time to eat, I ate the second half.  My meal then consisted of 255 calories, 13 g fat (healthy fat), 380 mg sodium, 32 g protein. Perfect.  

 Now I also had the salad with the dressing.  I knew it was high in sodium but wanted to eat it anyway.  Next time I will ask for dressing on the side.  One serving of salad with dressing has 350 calories, 26g fat, 1930 mg sodium, 5 g protein!!  I should not have eaten it.  Period!  Here are the stats without dressing, 120 cal, 3.5 g fat, 550 mg sodium, 4 g protein.  I will never eat it with the dressing on again.  Between the fat and sodium, this one serving salad is a heart attack waiting to happen.  It doesn't say how much "one" serving is either.   I did not have any bread sticks and  drank water.   Here are the stats on that in case you are wondering, 150 calories for ONE!!!! 2 g fat, 400 mg sodium, 6 g protein.  The scale went up two pounds the next morning just like clockwork.  I knew since I had that salad I would have to drink lots of water to combat the water retention.  But even that didn't help.  

Just remember how important it is to check the stats of the food you are eating if you can!!  Just because it is low in fat does not mean it is healthy by any means.   

I found this at Costco.  I was really excited about trying it until I read the label.  It says it is "with Blueberry"  I'm not sure how it can be "with blueberry" when there is no actually blueberry in it.  There is a lot of juice concentrate in it though. Juice concentrate comes from whole juice that has had water removed.  That is a clean product but where are the blueberries?  I just feel like that is misleading.  There is also a lot of natural ingredients (say chemicals) and lots of sugar in different form (say not clean).  Nuff said.   

This is one of my new Clean finds.  Mary's Gone Crackers.  If you need gluten free, these are for you too!  Lots of healthy organic ingredients.  The best part is they TASTE GREAT!!!  Nutrition stats, 13 crackers have 140 calories, 5g fat, 190 mg sodium, 3g fiber, 21g carbs, 0 sugar and 3g protein.  I absolutely love these broken up on top of my salads.  Yumm!!  I found this at Kroger in the organic section.  I checked online and it shows they sell these crackers at Costco.  I'm headed there today so I will look for them.

The next two pictures are what I found at Costco.  Both of these bags, the golden flax meal and the chia seeds sold for just over $6 a bag.  Great Price!!  Eating clean does not have to be expensive.  I use these both daily!!!

Just recently found this at Costco too!!  I HEART IT!!!!  I love it on my new crackers, I love it as a salad dressing, I love it as a vegetable dip.  I would eat it in a box and I would eat it with a fox!!!  That's how much I LOVE it!!  2TBSP have 50 calories but they are healthy calories.  The ingredients are all clean!!! It says all natural on the label and they aren't fibbing friends!!  

I am on day 48 of my challenge, going into week 8.  I am still right on 136 pounds down 11 pounds.  I feel AWESOME!!!  Some changes I have noticed....my skin is looking younger.  Have you ever looked in the mirror and your face just suddenly looks older?  More wrinkles and just not the best color?  I was feeling like that.  I feel like I have a healthier glow now that I do not have all those chemicals running through my body.  Another thing I noticed was my cellulite was looking better!!!!  I do have cellulite on the back of my legs, yuck, and the other day I noticed it was becoming less noticeable!!!!  YAY!!!
My stomach never feels bloated and I have so much energy!!  


I am training for a half marathon and started having really bad hip pain.  I finally limped to the doctor to see what was wrong.  I have tendinitis in my hip form over-use.  Ugh!  The doctor put me on steroids. He said it was the quickest way to heal it.  No running for a while and rest as much as I can.  Half Marathon is not until May so I think I will be fine.  It's frustrating when our bodies do not want to cooperate with what we want.  I am at peace with it though and hoping for a quick recovery.  I am told the steroids will make me HUNGRY!!!  I'm also hoping my clean eating every 3 hours will curb that!!!  I will keep you posted!


Oh, before I forget!!  One of my friends brought me a bag of processed foods that she did not want in her house.  I thought we could donate it.  One of my other friends suggested the state street food pantry.  I have a challenge for you!  I would love for you to go through your cupboards and clean them out of all the processed unclean foods.  Bring it all up to Ladies Fitness Zone and we will donate to the local food bank.  They are always in need of help.  Are you up for the challenge?  


Remember friends, YOU have the power to SAY, This is NOT how the story is going to END!!!


Lots of LOVE,


j

My response to "Obesity is a disease and not a decision!"

A couple of days ago, I posted a quote on Facebook that I had seen on a billboard.  "Obesity is a disease, NOT a decision."  I asked what you thought and many of you responded.  I got some great responses.  Here are my thoughts.

No one makes a decision to be obese.  No one thinks, when I grow up, I want to be obese.

  

The definition of disease taken from Wikipedia-

 A disease is an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism. It is often construed to be a medical condition associated with specific symptoms and signs.^[1] It may be caused by external factors, such as infectious disease, or it may be caused by internal dysfunctions, such as autoimmune diseases. In humans, "disease" is often used more broadly to refer to any condition that causes pain, suffering, distress,dysfunction, social problems, and/or death to the person afflicted, or similar problems for those in contact with the person. In this broader sense, it sometimes includes injuries, disabilities, disorders, syndromes,infections, isolated symptoms, deviant behaviors, and atypical variations of structure and function, while in other contexts and for other purposes these may be considered distinguishable categories. Diseases usually affect people not only physically, but also emotionally, as contracting and living with many diseases can alter one's perspective on life, and their personality.Death due to disease is called death by natural causes. There are four main types of disease: pathogenic disease, deficiency disease, hereditary disease, and physiological disease.

Diseases can also be classified as communicable and non-communicable disease.

Is obesity an abnormal condition affecting the body of an organism?  I'd have to say yes, but this abnormal condition is becoming more and more normal.  

I do agree, there are many people that are affected by the medications they take or other illness may factor in on being over weight.  With that being said, when I take a stroll through the grocery store what I see around me tells another story.

One time a local grocery store here in town was having a health fair and asked if I would like to participate.  Guess where they sat my booth?  Right at the end of the freezer aisle. I had nothing but time on my hands.  Time to watch people shop and see what they are really putting in their carts.  I saw a lot of frozen pizzas, frozen ready to eat dinners and ice cream. Doritos and potato chips were a plenty.  There was no room for pop in the cart so they balanced them on the side of the carts.  I did not see near enough vegetables, fruits, whole grain products and lean meats.

Those people did make a conscious decision to buy those items and take them home to the family.  This decision can lead to obesity when done week after week.  Can you imagine the awkward look I got when they came around the corner only to see "Ladies Fitness Zone".  Eyes darted downward quickly.

We should not be embarrassed about what we eat.  If you are embarrassed about what is in your cart, maybe a change is in order.  

After I saw that billboard, I was walking behind a man that was so obese he had to put his hands inside the sides of his pants to hold them up while he walked.  You could see that the belt loops had already been broken so he had his hands slipped inside holding them up.  He did not walk but rather waddled.  I wondered what he did when he needed one of his hands?!  I want to make it clear here that I am NOT making fun of anyone!  This truly makes me sad when I see this.   It makes me want to shake him and say let me help you save your life!  I can imagine how much he hurts just trying to walk. 

It makes me angry at times too. Angry because sometimes I feel that these people give up on themselves all too often and too quickly  Don't they realize their families love them and want them to be around for a long time?  Don't they realize how much damage they are doing to their bodies?! My guess is that some truly don't or just feel that there is no way out.  They only live in the moment.  The excuses overwhelm them and become their way out.  Too much pain to exercise, not enough time or money. 

Which leads us to another topic.  Money.  I've heard so many times how it is cheaper to eat junk than to eat healthy.  I disagree. 

Here is a blog post if you are interested in reading- a personal trainer decided to go on a six month binge where he didn't work out and ate whatever he wanted.  He is now on his six month challenge to get himself back in shape. If you want to check it out you can here http://www.fit2fat2fit.com/  I'd like to share his wife's blog about the cost of healthy foods vs unhealthy foods Here    That was part 1. Here is Part 2. 

I know it is hard for low income families with a lot of children to buy healthier foods.  However, I do think it can be done.  Going thru the drive thru to buy 99 cent cheeseburgers has got to stop.  It is only setting a bad example for the children and before long that is the only way they know how to eat. Our grandparents made it without all these processed foods and drive thru restaurants- why can't we?  

There are so many factors in obesity and it is different for each person.  I think education is the key to prevention.  If you are obese and need help, seek it.  I know it is SO hard to lose weight!  Probably the hardest thing you will ever do but it IS Possible!!! There is a lot of free help out there.  The internet is a mega source of free information.  The excuses need to stop and until they do, things will not change.  


We all have our breaking point.  You know, that point where your pants are too tight and you decide you are not buying a bigger size or the scale has hit a certain number and you will not go past it....for a lot of people it is a visit to the doctor that sends them on a healthier pattern.... but for some, they gain the weight so slowly and it becomes such a part of their life that it seems easier to keep the weight on then to try to lose it.  I want to help those people!!  The thruth is, we can't help those who aren't willing to help themselves.   

So if I had to give an answer on the billboard....it would be this-  The sum of all our bad eating choices make one bad decision and the end result can be obesity.  

Never judgemental,

j   

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