Our favorite natural strategy for weight loss is what we call “The Gratitude Diet”.  It’s really so very simple it’s easy to discount as not enough of a solution and yet it’s extraordinarily effective.  It works.  It’s simply this:  Instead of dwelling on the negatives, focus on the positives.

It’s true that whatever we put our attention on, grows.  Thus if we focus on what we can’t have, that’s what grows in our mind; that feeling of deprivation while the desire for that of which we are deprived, grows stronger because we’re dwelling on it.  So, instead of focusing on what we can’t or shouldn’t have, we simply shift our focus to what we can have with impunity, and on that which nourishes and energizes.

Create your own list and add to it every day.  For every negative thought you place in the negative column, create a positive and nourishing alternative for the right column.

Guilt-free Thanksgiving

Some of us look toward holiday festivities with mixed feelings when it comes to food.  While we look forward to the warm social times mingled with our favorite Thanksgiving foods and traditions, we worry over the dreaded weight gain and bloated period that often follows.

In addition to gratitude, we’ve reposted from our Facebook page, tips in response to a question from a fan.

Prevent holiday weight gain, while thoroughly enjoying your favorite holiday foods:

1. EXERCISE:  Add in 15-30 minutes of extra workout time starting today!  Just 30 minutes extra workout time and/or intensity over the next 3 days, could net you up to 900 additional calories burned, PRIOR to Thanksgiving, leaving you feeling and looking better and enjoying your feast, guilt-free.  Even on Thanksgiving day…doing a brisk 30-minute workout first thing, will have you feeling more free to enjoy your day.  Runners often run early Thanksgiving morning.  We like MTF for At Home or 100 Calories since the gym is closed.
2. FEAST:  Enjoy your favorite, lower-calorie options first, saving the higher-calorie foods for last.   That way you can have them, but will likely eat much less of it.  You will also find that you want less of the rich treats because the higher quality lean turkey and lower cal, high-fiber veggies catalyze the satiety hormone, leptin.
3. MOVE:  Recruit family and friends and take a brisk walk after your meal.  Everyone who joins you will feel better afterward and thank you for motivating them!

Sugar is hard to avoid.  In fact it’s in so much of what we eat that it’s probably easier to list what it’s NOT in rather than all the many foods that contain it.   From hamburger buns to soy milk, salad dressing to peanut butter, sugar in some form is in almost every commercially packaged/processed food available.

Sugar is a drug.  Sugar actually stimulates the appetite, but more than that, sugar is as addictive as any drug—and in some ways—more so.  Sugars using various pseudonyms creep into our daily diets deceptively and beguilingly and set up a cycle of emotional, mental and physical craving and dependency!

Sugar makes us fat.  Simple sugars are broken down very rapidly into a molecule called glucose. They are either used for energy or stored for fat and since they are broken down so quickly they cause a spike in blood sugar levels almost immediately.  If you’ve ever seen a diabetic respond immediately to a sip of juice or bite of something sweet to avoid collapse, this illustrates In 3D, just how fast sugars are absorbed by the body.  That means they also rapidly run their course and the body will be signaling for more.

Sugar is a complex subject.  Simple sugars can be found in foods naturally such as fruit, dairy and vegetable, maple syrup, and alcohol … but the majority of simple sugars, in the average American’s diet come from processed and refined foods in which simple sugars are used as an additive to improve flavor and/or texture.

Come out, come out wherever you are!
Are you acquainted with all simple sugars?  Take a look at this list for the various sugars to be aware of. If the label states “no added sugars”, it should not contain any of the following:

Sugar makes you hungry, angry, fat, and sick.  This is not good news.  We like our sweet treats as much as the next person and have our favorite “addictions”.  BUT, if you want to be fit and healthy, feel and look better—and younger—and have more energy throughout the day, you need to “just say no” to sugar.  Sugar is not your friend.

Nancy Appleton, PhD, clinical nutritionist, has compiled a list of 146 reasons on ‘how sugar is ruining your health’ in her book Lick the Sugar Habit. Here are some of them:

* Sugar can decrease growth hormone (the key to staying youthful and lean)
* Sugar feeds cancer
* Sugar increases cholesterol
* Sugar can weaken eyesight
* Sugar can cause drowsiness and decreased activity in children
* Sugar can interfere with the absorption of protein
* Sugar causes food allergies
* Sugar contributes to diabetes
* Sugar can contribute to eczema in children
* Sugar can cause cardiovascular disease
* Sugar can impair the structure of DNA
* Sugar can cause hyperactivity, anxiety, difficulty concentrating, and crankiness in children
* Sugar contributes to the reduction in defense against bacterial infection (infectious diseases)
* Sugar greatly assists the uncontrolled growth of Candida Albicans (yeast infections)
* Sugar contributes to osteoporosis

Marion Nestle, chair of the Department of Nutrition and Food Studies at New York University, said, “Because sugary foods often replace more healthful foods, diets high in sugar are almost certainly contributing to osteoporosis, cancer, and heart disease. It’s high time that the food label informed consumers of a food’s contribution to a recommended limit for added sugars.” Nestle was managing editor of the 1988 Surgeon General’s Report on Diet and Health.

Focus on What You Can Have
Eating as close to nature is something we at MTF have always stressed. Naturally occurring sugars in moderation (and within the recommended daily amount) are ideal and focusing on a balanced diet rich with vegetables, unprocessed grains, raw nuts, seeds, and fresh fruits—with greater emphasis on the higher-fiber fruits—enable us to feel full longer, without the sugar rush and subsequent crash.  Sugar is not an easy habit to kick, but it’s essential for optimum health and disease prevention for you and your family.  So get out of the habit of daily sugar…let it become the exceptional celebratory treat (maybe once a week) and you will gain health, lose weight and feel a whole lot better!