It's Happening!

This past week was the fourth week and we had another weigh-in. We were also measured. I have lost a total of 7 lbs. in four weeks (this does not include the weight I lost when I had pneumonia). Out of fifteen contestants (one dropped out), I took the top spot for inches lost......

Dat ta da!!!! Sixteen inches in one month!!! That's what I said, sixteen! I absolutely couldn't believe this, in fact, I had the woman who was measuring me do it again and sure enough, it was a whopping 16 inches over all.

I credit this to the boot camp style calisthenics and the surge training that I do every day. Also, I am really watching what I put in my mouth. I wanted to write down a sample of what I eat.

This is my food intake for a day, but please note that this changes daily.

Breakfast: Steel cut oats, 1/4 cup organic whole milk and one packet of Truvia (sweetener made from the stevia plant)

Mid Morning Snack: Medium orange, one ounce of organic 83% cocoa dark chocolate

Lunch: Tuna wrap made with whole wheat tortilla, tuna, 1/2 pickle, shredded carrots, 1/2 spring mix lettuce, chopped tomato and 1 tsp. Italian Dressing

Mid Afternoon Snack: Handful of grapes

Dinner: Salad with lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, avocados, walnuts, shredded white cheese, 2 tbs. organic dressing, grilled chicken, roasted asparagus with lemon and olive oil

Evening Snack: Handful of pecans and fruit of some kind.

As you can see, it is a lot of food. Everything is as natural or organic as possible. Chicken and eggs are organic and free range, meat is grass feed and hormone, antibiotic free. I had a week or so of sugar detox, but after that I have not had any sugar cravings. (We are allowed the one ounce of dark chocolate as long as we eat it late morning or early afternoon). Also, I can have as much fruit and veggies that I want, so some days may be filled with them.

I am really enjoying this!

Sugar, the Evil Food

I had always thought that sugar in low doses, was not too bad for you. Well, I found out just how wrong I was.

Sugar is bad! Period!

In 1980 it was said that "every can of Coke has 9 teaspoons of sugar." Now, twenty years later, every can of coke has 13 teaspoons of sugar. Sugar is also in most of our prepackaged foods, which makes up the bulk of the Standard North American diet.

Did you know that the average American consumes 53 teaspoons of sugar per day? That equals a 5lb bag of sugar every ten days. Sugar is in our pasta sauces, tomato sauces, ketchup, lunch meats, canned soups, condiments and even table salt. White foods, such as white bread, white rice and pasta may not list sugar in their ingredients, but as soon as it hits the digestive tract it turns into sugar within minutes and even thought the government recommends "whole grains", whole wheat bread typically has "whole wheat" added to white flour, which in its simplest form is sugar.

Sugar is addictive and cheap, so guess what manufacturers add to every box of prepackaged food it puts into our grocery stores? That's right sugar.

Don't be fooled, even though natural and organic brands (Organic sugar, honey, maple syrup and cane juice) may be somewhat better, it still has the same negative effect on your body as white sugar.

10 reasons to avoid sugar and refined grains:

1. Sugar is the primary dietary cause of the obesity epidemic.
2. Sugar causes hormonal and metabolic imbalance.


3. Sugar is your fast track to diabetes.


4. Sugar increases the acidity of the body. (All diseases thrive in acidic environments).


5. Sugar is the primary reason for high cholesterol.


6. Sugar causes inflammation.


7. Sugar leads to heart disease.


8. Sugar is an anti-nutrient.


9. Sugar is a known toxin.


10. Sugar promotes cancer.

Scary to say the least. Now, please do not go out and get Equal, Splenda or Sweet and Low, they are far worse for you than sugar.