Journal: Day 1 of Whole30®

June 3, 2013 By Leave a Comment

experimentHi, my name is Biz, and I am a experiment-aholic.

::giggle::

I have heard about Whole30® for more than a year, and only recently did I pay attention to anything about it.  As I explained in this post, I am past the “wish I would have thought of that” stage, and onto the “how can I fit this into my weight control coaching” path.  That feels much better than regret.

There is a small group over at HTA that talked about doing this program, and June 3, 2013 was to be the first day.  So I said, what the heck, I will join in.  I even got a off-line friend to join me.

Support is pretty important ya know.  Yeah, you know that.  I digress.

Just to be clear, this is my second attempt.  I call my first attempt a success, however, I did break it with a deviation (beer at Epcot, and if you would have had the week I did, you would have broke it on beer too, HA!) but I still feel it was a success.  I did it for myself, just to see if I could do it, and I could, this time I have another purpose in mind (will share in another post).

I have always done really well with journaling my experiments, just got out of the habit.  So, with that being said, I am going to chronicle my journey, sort of as if I was doing a round of P2.

The rules of the Whole30® program are pretty specific (although, in my research I have found many inconsistencies, it kinda depends on who you ask!) and you can find the rules here.

Simply put:

  • No dairy (with the exception of ghee)
  • No legumes (aka ANY beans, but green beans and pea pods are ok)
  • No soy or derivatives (lecithin)
  • No added sugar of any sort (yes, that includes artificial)
  • None of the three main chemicals:  MSG, carrageenan or sulfites
  • No grains (which includes corn and rice)
  • No white potatoes (sweet are allowed)
  • No alcohol (including cooking with it)
  • No weighing or measuring
  • No calorie counting
  • No paleofying foods (in other words, no fair taking legal Whole30® foods and making desserts and such

Ok, got the rules down pat.  Although, there are a couple that I wont be following, will explain in another post.

My goal is to try to plan in the morning what I am going to have for the day.  I am also recording this journey via Facebook if you want to join me there.  You don’t have to have an account there to see the photos and such.  But if you want to comment, you have to be registered.

So then, here we go!  See you tomorrow!

Filed Under: Journal Tagged With: , ,

Support: Just One of Many “Pattern Interrupt” Techniques

May 24, 2013 By Leave a Comment

stop-handNot too long ago, I wrote an article on a process called Pattern Interrupt.

This morning, I shared one of my own most used pattern interrupt techniques with one of my clients.  This particular client has more than the usual temptations to go off plan at her job because she is a delectable treat creator, and a dang good one at that.

Allow me to give you a little back story about one of my favorite pattern interrupt techniques (because that is how I am).

::giggle::

I was born and raised in Hawaii.  In case you didn’t know, Hawaii is smack dab in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, literally 3000 miles from any other land mass.  In other words, you need to get on a plane to get anywhere. ;-)

Planes and me?  Up until a certain point in my life, planes were just a fact of life.  I got in one much like I would get in a car, no problem.  I traveled alone starting at about the age of 6 (with stewardesses bringing me on and off the plane) and I would look forward to sitting next to the window and watch the clouds go by.

Until I got on a plane the week after the Aloha Airlines incident in 1988.

I was flying from Honolulu to Kona (on Aloha Airlines) for a weekend camping trip, and actually, getting on the plane after that incident wasn’t hard.  You tend to think that the odds are in your favor since something has already happened.  So getting on the flight was as per normal.  During the flight, however, is when the water hit the road for me and my future flying abilities.

Air pockets in flight are normal, they are expected.  And up until that point, I had experienced some pretty hefty drops and ascents while in the air, and never thought anything about it.  This particular day was another story.  The air pocket we hit was sizable, almost 5000 feet, and I was in the front row, right opposite one of the stewards (yes, a man) that went completely POSTAL when it happened.

That doesn’t induce confidence in someone when watching someone in charge become unglued during a particularly intense situation.

In that moment, I experienced my first ever panic attack.  I got clammy, I hyperventilated, I thought I was gonna die (in my best Rosanne Rosanna Danna voice).

The plane stabilized in what seemed like forever (and was like just seconds) but that one experience left an huge imprint on my heart and soul to the tune that I hate flying to this day.  Every flight after that was filled with huge amounts of panic, not to mention the help asking me if I needed something to calm my nerves.  HA!

Back in 2004, I had a family situation come up in which I was requested to help, which would mean I would have to hop on a plane to get there (from SC to CA) and I just didn’t know how I was going to be able to do it.  My last resort was a therapist.  I had a 60 minute session with him, and I walked away with a technique that helps me to this day.

At the time, I didn’t understand “Pattern Interrupt”, nor did I understand the whole concept of runaway thoughts and how to stop them in their tracks.  But he shared this technique with me that really does work.

The technique involves a rubber band and your wrist (or palm).  Wear the rubber band … when the thoughts begin to spiral out of control, snap the rubber band on your wrist or palm, and in that instant, the slight pain of the snap stops the runaway thinking in its tracks.  You can enforce it by preparing some affirmations ahead of time, such as “I am so happy and grateful now that I am already in California after a non-eventful plane ride” or, if doing it for food … “I am so happy and grateful now that I can resist food that prohibits me from reaching my goal”.  Snap the rubber band, say the affirmation.

Don’t believe it?  Try it.

Yesterday, this client wrote me that she was having a hard time with the temptations, and all I wrote her was KEEP YOUR EYES ON THE PRIZE.  This morning in her check in, this is what she wrote me:

I had a hard day with temptation but what I had to tell you about was I was staring like a deer in the headlights at a piece of toffee I made (new recipe) when ….  KEEP YOUR EYE ON THE PRIZE  just popped in my head!  Funny how your brain can store and bring back to memory something to help you … it still looked so inviting and I still wanted it BUT that little phrase helped me walk away.

After her check in, I shared with her the pattern interrupt technique above, and do you know what she did?  She sent me this an email that had just the word READY in the subject line, a message that read Ready for Action and a picture:

pattern-interrupt

I absolutely adore my clients. Really. They are the best.

Do you have a Pattern Interrupt technique you use with success? Share!

Filed Under: Coaching, Support

Nutritional Support: Coconut Oil

May 22, 2013 By 2 Comments

coconut-oilBefore I even start this article, I will say up front, this will not be an article talking about Coconut Oil on P2 – I am still on the fence, and as long as that is the case, I don’t feel right about writing something that will be permanent in cyberspace.

I know you all are dying to know, but sorry, just not ready.

This article will be discussing more about the benefits of Coconut Oil on maintenance, which includes both P3 and P4.

Coconut Oil is a saturated fat made up of medium chain fatty acids (this will be important to know later, so keep it in mind).

What does this mean? It means that it is absorbed readily and transported directly to the liver for use as fuel. As a result, coconut oil has been implicated in raising metabolic rate and is not easily stored as excess fat (which in turn can help with weight loss).

Benefits of Coconut Oil include:

  • Antimicrobial properties that boost the immune system and helps fight viruses
  • Promotes heart health
  • Helps with thyroid function
  • It has been suggested to help kill cancer cells
  • Helps regulate blood sugar
  • Recently reported to help with Alzheimer’s disease
  • Helps with kidney problems
  • Can help control high blood pressure
  • Used topically, it is said to prevent wrinkling and be good for dry skin and hair.

I can hear it now .. but it’s a saturated fat!  And we all know saturated fat is bad for you.

Oh boy, here we go.  ::giggle::

Ok, this article is not going to go into that in detail, I do that in my Good Food Hunting eBook, but for the sake of argument, let’s just say the saturated fat argument doesn’t work with Coconut Oil because most of the saturated fat in the oil is medium-chain fatty acids, which is easier to digest than the more prevalent long-chain fatty acids in most other oils, including butter.

So there.  HA!

When using Coconut Oil in your maintenance, it’s important to know that the first 3.5 tbsp is considered a therapeutic dose, and so should not be counted in your calories or ratios.  So no fair using Coconut Oil (or MCT Oil) as a way to up your calories or to get your fat ratios closer to 70% (which is my standard for maintenance).

I know, more questions, like, why 3.5 tbsp?

This dose is based on research using Coconut Oil for sickness and disease.  It seems that the dosage is based on the amount of lauric acid a nursing human infant receives on daily basis. It is the lauric acid in breast milk that is responsible for much of a babies resistance to sickness. Looking at an infant’s lauric acid intake, they calculated what an adult would need in coconut oil to get an equivalent dosage and 3-4 tablespoons per day is the dosage most health professionals recommend be taken by people who are using the coconut oil therapeutically.

Next question?  Why not count them in the calories?

By raising the resting metabolic rate and not being readily stored in our bodies as fat, the Coconut Oil burns off its calories and then some in most of us.  Eating Coconut Oil has a net loss for the day. Counting those calories into our total calorie count is not productive as in reality, we experience a net loss.  Coconut Oil usually doesn’t get stored in our bodies so it’s a transient calorie, but only up to the therapeutic dose.

Next question?  How can I incorporate this in my diet?

My first answer is always Bulletproof® Coffee* (using a mixture of MCT Oil and Coconut Oil).

Second, you can substitute this coconut oil for any of the other oils you currently use.  Since this oil is a solid in cooler temps, here is a trick, store it on top of your hot water heater it will always be a liquid for you.  Some people use the solid coconut oil as a butter substitute and the liquid oil as a cooking oil.  Some, who do not like the strong coconut taste, mix the coconut oil with olive, natural palm oil or butter for cooking.  Sometimes they mix it with a nut-butter (like almond or cashews) or a seed-butter (like sunflower seeds, yum) for a spread.

Some just eat it by the tablespoon (I do that with MCT Oil now) and you can also use it as a moisturizer (make sure you measure how much you use).

My new love is Coconut Butter, and I swear I can’t keep enough of it in my house, and OMG, don’t even try putting it on a banana!

And last but not least, you can make:

Cocoa Crack
This recipe is 4 days worth of the therapeutic dose

1 cup coconut oil (liquid form)
4 T cocoa powder/dark chocolate
1.5 tsp vanilla
2 tbs raw sugar, or equivalent in honey (or sub your own artificial sweetener)

Mix everything well, pour into a shallow baking dish lined with plastic wrap or into silicon cupcakes and placed in the freezer until hard.  Alternatively you can use a plastic ice cube tray which works very nicely to help you with manageable serving sizes.  If using a baking dish, break into pieces, put into a container and keep in your refrigerator or freezer.  You may add nuts, like Macadamia nuts but any nuts will do.  Play with the recipe and come up with something you like.

Do you have a way of using Coconut Oil that I haven’t shared?  Let me know by commenting in the box below.

I would like to thank articshark for her tireless efforts on research that helped me write this article.  I would also like to thank EweWho who proofed the article for me and then made the recommendation to follow The Coconut Mama on Facebook.  Seems she has a lot of good tips about using coconut.

*Upgraded™ and Bulletproof® are trademarks/service marks of Better Baby LLC

Filed Under: Nutritional, Support

Nutritional Support: Ginger Root

May 21, 2013 By 6 Comments

ginger-rootI do love me some ginger.

One of the first things I did when I was on my first round was figure out a way I could make my favorite Asian dressing and still be legal on protocol.  My experiment turned out well and it became one of my staples for all my rounds.  I even made a video on how to make the dressing.  Please try not to laugh too hard ok?  My southern accent is pretty darn thick.

Here is a print out of the recipe.

I bring this up because in that video I gave the viewers a little trick on how to mince ginger pretty darn easily, and I have been doing it that way for decades.

Not any more.

Recently I learned a new trick using one of my favorite kitchen appliances, the Oster 4 Cup Food Processor.  Instead of keeping my ginger whole in the freezer and then mincing it as I need it, I now bring it home, wash off all the dirt, then break it into pieces.  I fill up my Oster with the pieces and then with the chopping blade go to town until it’s minced to my preference, which usually looks like this:

ginger500

At that point I take it and put it in a Ziploc freezer quart bag, flatten it out , making sure all the air is out, and then place it flat in the freezer.

Now when I need ginger, I just break off a piece and I am done, no more mincing with that grater!  Yeah me!

I want to talk about ginger for a second, now that I have updated my little “trick”.

It seems I tend to crave ginger when my stomach is upset.  I practically lived on homemade Ginger Ale a couple of weeks ago when I had that nasty stomach bug that is going around.

Even though it’s best known for it’s soothing gastrointestinal effect,  ginger can be beneficial for other health issues.

When my clients catch a cold, I usually ask them to make chicken soup and put as much ginger and cilantro (another great medicinal herb) as they can stand in it, which will help with the excess mucus and also soothe the throat and help with any inflammation that usually accompanies a cold.

Ginger has been linked to help with cancer, menstrual cramps, gas, and motion sickness.  It can boost the immune system, and is said to be better for staph infections than antibiotics.

All I know is that I like the taste.  And now, it’s readily available in my freezer anytime I need it.

Here is a page that will tell you everything  you ever wanted to know about ginger, but were afraid to ask.  Just a note, these are the kinds of pages I read every day.  I am nuts.  I know.  ::giggle::

But that is how I learn.

Do you do something interesting with ginger?  Tell me about it in the comment section below.

Filed Under: Nutritional Tagged With: , ,

Support: If Only

May 2, 2013 By 9 Comments

no-regretsIf only. Those must be the two saddest words in the world. ~ Mercedes Lackey

Sad?  Not so much.

Instead, these two words stop you from moving on.

They keep you in the past instead of bettering a given situation.  They remind you of how things could be instead of how things really are.

Funny thing … I experienced that thought pattern recently.

Good thing I have done a lot of self-development work because almost immediately I figured out what it was and turned it around.

If you can imagine for a moment the sheer amount of clients, members of HTA and offline friends I have dealt with since my introduction to hCG in June of 2007.  The number is mind boggling, even to me.

Again, imagine for a moment how many comments come across my desk (inbox) that start off with have you ever heard of or what do you think of and then enter some new diet, vitamin, face cream, food, recipe or whatever.  Again, totally mind boggling.

I consider it my mission to know everything that I can about anything that is out there relating to nutrition.  But the world is a big place.  I am constantly learning.  Sometimes my answer to that kind of question is, no, but I will look into it.  Or, maybe it’s a yes, and this is what I have learned.

I do have this little personal marker however, that when I am asked something at least three times, it’s my sign that I need to dive further into it.

I have come across numerous references to something called Whole30 (or Whole9, Whole-whatever number) in the past year or so, but never really looked into it deeply.  I had three clients, in pretty rapid succession tell me that they wanted to give it a shot.  Here’s my sign!

So, about a month ago, I started looking into it.  And I was like, dang.  What a great and ingenious way to help some of my clients figure out what might be making them experience wild fluxes.  Why didn’t I think of that.  If only …

Yeah, that thought process would have taken me down a road that I would prefer not to travel any more.

I turned it right around, and instead said, let me give it a shot, because if I can do it, then ANYONE can do it.

Today, I am on Day 16.  It’s been relatively easy, even with my hectic schedule.  It was a pain in the royal you know what to agree to give up my dairy.  That was a consideration that took some convincing.  As of today however, I am not missing it.  At all really.

Not having dairy for 2+ weeks has really made me hyper aware of how different people have to eat when they have to be dairy free.  When you add in that anything corn is gone (my beloved corn chips) also, your choices become even fewer.

But with that Beginner’s Mind I talked about yesterday, I have experimented with new and ingenious mixtures of food that satisfy the pallet.  I have opened a whole new world of combinations I would never have thought of before.

I had to laugh as I shared one of my concoctions with a client and at first she said “ewwwww”, but then she tried it, liked it, and is now even craving it.  She wrote “I don’t even recognize myself in the mirror” – HA!

If I would have been stuck in the If Only trap, I would have never have learned another tool for not only myself, but to help my clients as well.

So what are some lessons I am learning about being on the Whole30 plan?  I will save that for tomorrow…

Have you attempted the Whole30?  If so, would love to hear your results, and I don’t mean weight loss, because that really isn’t what it’s about.  It’s about getting really down and dirty with only natural foods, and getting rid of almost all known allergens, then figuring out how to add things back in, if you can.  In any case, any comments would be appreciated!

Filed Under: Coaching, Support
«Older Posts