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Old 08-18-2010, 05:55 PM
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Originally Posted by Freeda View Post
Hi, thanks for the good news. The reason you are having more energy is that the body is now releasing stored energy.

Some quick ideas: drink 10 glasses of water a day, best if you can drink it at or near room temperature since cold drinks especially during or after a meal can contribute to sort of 'congealing' food in our tract.

Also, get moderate exercise several times a week - ideally 30-45 minutes brisk walk 4-5 times a week.

A great morning routine (learned this from Japanese practices - and they as a population group have one of the longest lifespans), which promotes cleansing, is to drink a full glass of water first thing when you get up, (then, ideally next brush your teeth so that your mouth feels fresh, and you will be less inclined to want to eat immediately); wait about 45 minutes, then have your breakfast/coffee/tea etc.

Best sources of protein: nuts, avocadoes, olives, beans, soy, and legumes.
Second best sources of protein: cold-water fish like salmon, mackeral, trout, sardines, and tuna.
Third best sources of protein: fowl. For bacon or burgers, turkey is the best choice.
Poorest sources of protein: red meat, dairy. (Doesn't mean you 'can't' have red meat, but limit it and choose the leanest meat available; the best choices are wild game, buffalo/bison, grass-fed cattle, organically raised cattle).

Healthy fats: the goal should be to consume more omega-3 essential fatty acids (from cold-water fish - listed above in the protein list, flaxseed, flaxseed oil, hemp seeds, soybean oil, walnuts, raw almonds, range fed chicken eggs, and high quality fish oil);
and consume more monounsaturated fats (the best is oleic acid, found in olives, extra virgin olive oil, almonds, peanuts, pistachio, pecan, canola oil, avocado, hazelnut, cashew, and macadamia nuts),
and consume less saturated fats (ie, mainly from meat and dairy, and also in coconut and palm oils).

[We also need some omega-6 essential fatty acids - found in meat, chicken, corn oil, processed foods, cottonseed oil, peanut oil, dairy, safflower oil - but these are in such abundance in the modern diet that we are all likely to be getting plenty of these without having to work at it. Ideally, in order to promote a normal inflammatory response - which lessens allergies, arthritis, heart disease, bloating, etc, plus causes many other good things to happen - in the body, omega-6's should be in close ratio with our consumption of omega-3's. But with the typical Western diet most people are greatly overconsuming omega-6's and underconsuming omega-3's, so they are out of balance, promoting inflammation in the body].

And avoid trans fats (labels like 'hydrogenated, or 'partially hydrogenated' .

Low-glycemic carbohydrate eating will go along way to promote all of the above ideas, since there will gradually be less cravings for the high-glycemic carbs that often accompany poorer protein and fat choices; thus, it is easier to accomplish other changes, and to eat less just because of a natural change in your appetite. Again, it is not necessary to be 'perfect' in all of these choices in order to lose weight or maintain a healthy weight or other health improvements; but the rate, and consistency long-term, of weight loss, feeling good, and other health improvements is a direct correlative of how consistently healthfully we eat.

The body is an obedient and marvelous 'machine' that responds exactly as it is 'supposed' to based on how we fuel it. Sharply spiking your blood sugar with just one snack or meal can cause cravings that can last for hours, or even days, for more high-glycemic foods, which, if consumed, will set off an additional cycle of cravings; this becomes an endless cycle. This is unnecessary misery that we can learn to avoid bringing on ourselves.

So, it is important to always eat something when hungry, since that is a natural message from the body - that is, when it is not coming from a blood-sugar crash which was caused by a blood sugar spike; just eat something that is not moderately- or high-glycemic.
Wow, Freeda,
Thanks for the wealth of helpful info. I've hit somewhat of a plateau with weight-- not losing as quickly. However, I have lost another 1 1/2-lbs, so gotta love the trend. I still feel really great and have felt NO sugar spikes since I've been doing this.

Thanks again for all your help!