Can’t stop yourself from reaching for those cookies? Well … It’s NOT that there’s something wrong with you; it’s NOT that you have no will power – maybe you’re just stressed.

When we feel threatened or stressed, our neuroendocrine system kicks into high gear and releases a series of hormones. One of these is Cortisol, which gives us the biochemical strength we need to fight or flee our stressors. Back in evolutionary times, this served us well. We needed to replenish our  bodies after a bout with a man-eating lion. It was a survival issue.

In modern times, most of our stress  comes to us in a less physical form from balancing our checkbooks, filling out college applications to making car payments. Yet, we are still hard-wired to release the same hunger-causing hormones as our loin-cloth wearing ancestors. The stress is still there, but the physical exertion isn’t.

We can’t help feeling hungry, but we can work at ways to feel less stressed, which will keep the food cravings in check.

Here are some ways to short circuit stress and weight gain.

1. Exercise: Still the best stress-buster in town.
2. Never Skip a Meal: Keep the blood sugar levels even.
3. Restful sleep: When we don’t get enough rest, Cortisol levels rise!
4. Relax: What activities make you feel relaxed and calm? Keep a list handy, in case you’re so stressed you can’t remember!
5. Breathe: Take a moment to stop everything and breathe!
6. Spiritual Break: Sit and center yourself. Take a spiritual break.
7. Drink Water: Hydrate thyself! And while you’re at it, avoid caffeine, cigarettes and alcohol: All three can cause Cortisol levels to rise.
8. Express Yourself: Feeling stressed? Say so. I feel stressed and then … let it go!

Spread the word … NOT the icing!
Janice

Sometimes when in ‘bulk eating’ mode, a big salad does the trick.

This week’s GET JIGGY JigSaw Weight Loss Puzzle was inspired by a major-league, big-time, eat all you want salad that I whipped up and served up last night.

If you’re in need of a bulk meal, go crazy! Rip up an entire head of lettuce, slice up a few juicy tomatoes, get your cukes peeled and diced, as you pay homage to Our Lady of Green Leaves.

Eat green!

Spread the word … NOT the icing!

Janice

I don’t know about you, but I just love a good, juicy diet tip that is NOT about what I can’t eat! Here, from Our Lady of Weight Loss, the patron saint of permanent fat removal, an easy way to weigh less!

Straight from the NO-Deprivation Zone – a DIET TIP that works:
Drink 16 ounces of water before each meal and you will (more than likely) lose another 4.5 pounds every three months.

Why?
Because you will more than likely feel full and eat less.

Not only will you lose weight, but you’ll be staying hydrated!

Spread the word …
NOT the icing!
Janice

Looking for a magic bullet? A miracle cure? Something that will add health to your life and help you lose that fat belly? Antioxidant Girl to the rescue.

If you’re looking for the ‘magic bullet,’ then you’ve come to the right place!!! Antioxidant Girl has created a list of foods that are ‘heavy’ in antioxidants, that help to reduce the risk of cancer, heart disease and Alzheimer’s. And maybe even promote weight loss? You betcha!

What is an Antioxidant? An antioxidant is a molecule capable of slowing or preventing the oxidation of other molecules.

An antioxidant is a molecule that slows or prevents the process of oxidation of other molecules. Antioxidants protect the body’s cells from damage caused by free radicals.

What are Free Radicals? Free radicals are unstable molecules that are missing an electron and ’steal’ electrons from surrounding molecules. We are exposed to free radicals all the time. Sometimes through radiation, smoke ozone and nitrous oxide, x-rays, chemicals, pollutants and saturated fats; sometimes free radicals are produced by our bodies.

Can Antioxidants help us lose weight? For one thing, foods that are ‘heavy’ in antioxidants are some of the lowest-calorie foods that are the best for you! When you feed your body with nutrient dense foods, you are naturally more energetic, strong, focused and more empowered to live a healthy life.

Here follows the USDA’s Antioxidant scorecard! A list of foods that are high in antioxidants, stop free radicals in their tracks and can help you move toward health!

Blueberries (serving size: 1 cup)
Cranberries (1 cup)
Blackberries (1 cup)
Raspberries (1 cup)
Strawberries (1 cup)
Red Delicious Apple
Red Kidney Beans (1/2 cup, cooked)
Pecans (1 oz)
Pinto Beans (1/2 cup, cooked)
Sweet Cherries (1 cup)
Black Plum
Walnuts (1 oz)
Green Pear
Hazelnuts (1 oz)
Navel Orange
Red Cabbage (1/2 cup cooked)
Russet Potato (6 oz)
Pistachios (1 oz)
Green tea (1 cup)

Spread the word … NOT the icing!
Janice

There’s too much exploring, investigating, thinking and planning involved for people who are as busy as we are; too much work.  Right?  We’ve got better things to do with our time than concern ourselves with the insignificant details of our health.

We prefer mindless dieting to mindful eating.
We want someone to tell us what to do.  Serve up a simple plan, if you will.  We intellectually understand that there is no ‘magic bullet,’ but we still cling to the hope that there is one.   And, so we are willing to entertain yet another fad diet.

Enter the picture, Tracy Anderson, fitness trainer to the ’stars,’ like Madonna (well – until she fired her) and Gwyneth Paltrow, with her “Baby Food Diet.”

Basically, the baby food diet consists of 14 portions of puréed food, followed by a healthy dinner daily.  The big plus (if you want to consider it a plus) is that the baby food diet is a no-brainer.  You stock up on baby food and eliminate the need to plan, weigh, measure, or think.

The negatives are numerous.  Baby food, while relatively additive-free and fortified with nutrients is not engineered for adults.  At the end of the day, you might find that you are not only lacking the proper nutrients, but that your daily calorie count is under 1,200 calories a day, which can backfire.  Your metabolism can slow down and, in turn, trigger your body to store the calories that you are eating as fat.

For more information about the nutritional value of baby food and their thoughts on the Baby Food Diet, I turned to the Gerber people that proved interesting.   Here’s what they have to say.

Chew on This!
“Nestlé Infant Nutrition/Gerber Products Company is aware of the current “Baby Food Diet,” and while consuming pureed fruits and vegetables can contribute toward the recommended intakes of fruits and vegetables, Gerber does not promote the use of pureed baby foods for weight loss purposes.  . . . . ”

Gerber also points out that  . . . . “Foods for young children might seem like ‘mush’ to an adult. But adults have a full set of teeth and years of experience feeding themselves!  The textures, flavors and shapes we incorporate into the products are carefully matched to feeding developmental cues.  When we create new products we’re thinking about things such as children’s ability to maneuver their tongue, mash foods with their jaws, self-feed with fingers, use utensils, bite through harder textures, and much more. Young children have a lot of oral and motor skills to master before they are ready for the more advanced tastes and textures of “adult” foods!

There you have it.  In addition to possibly not getting the proper nutrients, or ingesting enough calories, you aren’t using your teeth.  You do want to maneuver your tongue, mash foods with your jaw, and use your motor skills, don’t you?

Spread the word … NOT the icing!
Janice

Whether you are following the Mediterranean Diet or not, have I got a hummus recipe for you! Yes, it’s healthy, delicious and easy to whip up! And it make a great dip for chips or carrots or even a super breakfast that satisfies. Good for a dip for chips and carrots or a super breakfast that satisfies!

I lost 3 pounds this week, eating hummus!
I’ve been enjoying a 1/2 a pita stuffed with hummus for breakfast, and it’s got me burning fat, fast.

Tush Kickin’ HUMMUS from the Kick in the Tush Club kitchens

Ingredients:
2 cups dry chick peas (garbanzo beans) – about 5 cups cooked (save water)
1/2 to 1/3 cup Lebonese tahini (sesame paste)
3/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
5 cloves garlic, peeled
1/4 cup water (use chickpea cooking water)
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt to taste 

Instructions:
Place all ingredients – except olive oil – in a blender and blend into a thick paste. Add water (chick pea water) as needed.
Put it in a pretty bowl.
Using a spoon, press the center down.
Then drizzle the olive oil into the center!
Serve at room temperature or refrigerate.

Pitas: If you want to eat as a sandwich, get a great piece of whole wheat pita and stuff it!

Spread the word … NOT the icing!
Janice

A Picture IS Worth a Thousand Words (and can miraculously remove 3 ounces of excess weight)!

Food journaling keeps us honest. It helps us to keep track of what we eat and identify when and why we eat. In other words, keeping a food journal can shed light on our eating habits. Statistics show that those who keep food journals are more successful at losing weight and keeping it off (permanent fat removal) than those who do not.

Early on (nine years ago), at the beginning of my permanent fat removal journey, I wondered how illuminating it might be if I photographed everything (and I mean everything) that I ate. From full-course meals to bites, licks and tastes. Would I eat less? Be more honest? Gain a different kind of insight that journal writing doesn’t provide?

What did I learn about myself, and my (dysfunctional) relationship with food? Plenty!

1. I am a multi-tasker, extraordinaire! I can eat and read; eat and talk; eat and watch TV.

2. I am a grazer. I eat all day long.

3. I love being a FOTO FOOD JOURNALIST. Hooray! Another fabulous thing to add to my resume!

ADDED BONUS: Snapping your food instead of eating it is a mindful eating tool extraordinaire. It provides a ‘pause.’ A moment or two or even three for you to ask yourself, “Do I really want to eat that???”

I invite YOU to grab your camera … digital, disposable or analog (the old fashioned kind) and see your habits, your food, your weighs in black and white or color!

Supplies: Camera; food

Instructions: Photograph everything you eat. Don’t concern yourself with what other people think. If you’re out with friends or at an important business meeting, I am sure all will be impressed with your artistic and creative nature! Just tell them, “I am a Foto Food Journalist.”

When you get the photos back from the lab or download them onto your computer, take a good look and make a list of things that you’ve learned about yourself.

You might be surprised to see how healthy your eating habits are … or not!

Above all, just have FUN.

Spread the word … NOT the icing!
Janice

I thought it worth sharing, because I know that we all have ‘alien’ voices in our heads that ‘make’ us eat the donut, cookie, ice cream, pizza. That’s right … you are not alone. Seems we all have an alien voice that ‘makes’ us go hog wild.

“Janice!! HELP! There is some alien in my body trying to tell me I want cookies, ice cream, candy. Make it stop!! ~ Love, Joy

Dear Alien … Joy promised herself that she would NOT eat JUNK food today. A simple promise.

If she gives into JUNK, she will feel bad. She will feel a kind of loss. Thing is once one sets a goal or promises themselves something, their brains believe it to already be so. So, on the deepest levels Joy’s brain believes that she already let go of JUNK. As you can imagine, if she now has some, she will feel just awful. She will feel loss.

Now, I’m guessing – Ms. or Mr. Alien – that neither one of us want Joy to feel bad. Do we? We want her to be happy. Right? We want Joy to be joyful!

I know it’s tough for you, Alien. You’re voice has been heard, loud and clear, for a long time. We respect your power. We (Joy and I) are going to take some time together and see if we can’t find you another job. Something else for you to be in charge of. If you, Alien, have any helpful thoughts on what you might ‘man’ for Joy, let us know.

That’s right – Alien – you can help Joy focus on something positive. Yes, you can!
Joy deserves to have a happy and healthy life.   Junk won’t do it. So, Alien, again, we welcome your helpful and useful suggestions. Love, Janice

My response to Joy’s email, FYI … helped her enormously. Not only did she smile – even laugh – she got into it. She’s busy creating new and useful inner-positive-conversations, as she not only permanently removes her excess weight – but as she changes her belief systems and thinking. Cheers and Kudos to JOY!! You Rock, Joy!

Now, I’d like to ask YOUR inner-Alien … “Alien to my Beliefnet friends and Kick in the Tush Club members and all those out there who happened to stumble across my blog,  How might you create a new position for yourself? You sure are powerful, smart, clever and have a strong voice that we all hear.  You can still be an Alien. We don’t want to take anything away from you or make you go away. We just want to live in a more harmonious inner-house with you.”

Please … do let me know what your Alien is up to and what your inner-conversation with your alien looks like!

Spread the word … NOT the icing!
Janice