Dr Oz Detox cleanse

I did Dr Oz's cleanse this week. The Thanksgiving Holiday wasn't bad for me however I swelled like a BALLOON!!! I had watched the episode on the cleanse and I had been wanting to try it. In true Dr Oz style he put together a team of Doctors that he respects. He always chooses the best in their field. Each doctor has something to contribute. The vegetable and fruit combinations that make up the shakes are a perfect match to give your body just what it needs. Each shake also contains a serving of a healthy fat.It makes me crazy when I hear people, who claim to be experts, say that you shouldn't eat HEALTHY FAT! Yes there is such a thing!! Almonds, olive oil, pistachios, coconut oil and avocado are PRIME examples of HEALTHY FAT!!! They help control cholesterol, aid in digestion, hydrate skin and much more.

The cleanse was easy. I did not feel deprived nor did I get hungry in between. The best part I let loose of all the water retention and I lost 4 pounds :)

If you feel the need to regroup or detox then you must do this cleanse. I am going to be doing this once a month. I think I will be doing the breakfast shake daily for awhile.

For years I was a dieting MISFIT, then I woke up and decided enough was enough! In my quest for healthy living I have transformed in a Ms-Fit! I am not where I want to be, but I am getting there with Clean Eating and daily workouts.

I am becoming my best ME!! I am stronger and healthier than I thought I could be.

I have done the research and I have tried and failed many diets. It ALL comes down to science, Eat less BURN MORE!!! Every BODY is different. You may have special dietary needs while others may not. You might be a runner where one may be a lifter. Your blood type can have an effect on how you eat also. I am "O Negative" therefore my body responds better to a high protein where "A" blood types do better on a predominantly vegetarian diet. Factors like these are crutial to your long term weight loss success.

Every once in awhile you may have an off weekend or a Holiday dinner. You will feel sluggish or off. I do not like fasting for weight loss, however this is a great detox and cleanse to get you back in the game.

Put together by the Great and Powerful OZ!! I would only recommend this cleanse!!! Dr Oz is awesome!!!

 

Do you REALLY know what those labels mean?!

How many really know what the meaning of Organic is? As a consumer, we need to do our homework and learn just exactly what we are feeding ourselves as well as our families. The USDA and the FDA has very loose rules for the Food Processors and Growers. There are pesticides that are dangerous. However "ORGANIC" isn't always what we think it is. So before you go and buy that over priced bag of carrots get to know what the real meaning is.

http://www.essential-organic-living.com/definition-of-organic.html 

Hormone Free, Free Range and All Natural are other labels to beware of.

Clean Eating can seem so overwhelming at first. It does not have to be. You can take small steps and still get there. Some extremists will clear out their cabinets and buy all new food and spices. Well that is not practical. I just began to incorporate new items when it was time to replace old ones. Now I did throw out items I just refused to eat no matter what. There were only a few of those. I started buying more fresh veggies and fruit. I started cooking more. Learned to cook quick meals. Played with spices. It is all about experiments!! Our taste-buds have been programed to certain foods. Wake yours up!! Try new things, introduce yourself to new flavor combinations. It is a whole new world. If it is going to be a lifestyle it has to be good!!!

 

Hidden GROSS ingredients in your FOOD!! EWWW

In this phase of my journey I have made it my mission to NOT eat packaged food if it contains ingredients that I cannot say! Plus processed foods are just bad!!! When I started reading articles about what is put in our food I began to dig deeper. Whats worse is the FANCY names they give these disgusting items! However the ultimate betrayal was finding out that our FDA ALLOWS all of it!! Human Hair and Duck Feathers are found in Marshmallow Cream, Beetle Secretions are the coating on Jelly Beans, and would you seriously EAT the secretions that come from a Beaver's Anus? Why in the HELL would you?! OH MY GAWD!!! However you do everyday and much worse. You feed it to your kids. That yogurt you buy the Kiddos that you think is good for them cause it says FRUIT on the box?! Well guess again!! It is all SUGAR and contains NO FRUIT!! Those Blueberry Muffins in the vending machine, they don't even contain blueberries!! Almost every item in the grocery store that says BERRY on it, does NOT have any berries in it! The little blue pellets are actually soy flour and flavorings. 

Castoreum is a flavoring commonly added to enhance anything raspberry. Logic would tell us that it probably is a concentrated raspberry derivative, or at least coming from some type of berry. And I guess you might call the anal gland of a beaver berry-like, especially since that is the source of castoreum. I'm sorry, castoreyummmmm.
Ever send back a meal at a restaurant because you found a hair in your sandwich? Well, joke's on you—that bread may actually have hairs intentionally in the mix. L-cysteine or cystine can be made from human hair and/or duck feathers.
Confectioner's glaze sounds harmless enough. You might think it's a syrup coating, which it is. It just happens to come from the Lac beetle, who converts tree sap into resin, similar to a bee's production of honey. The Lac resin is collected, crushed and made into food glaze.
Carmine also called Crimson Lake, Cochineal, Natural Red #40, C.I. 75470, or E120, is a red coloring frequently found in candies, fruit drinks, fruit flavored yogurt and cosmetics. It is actually made from the dead, ground-up husks of female red beetles.
Next time you're thinking about enjoying a nice gum chew, you might want to ask yourself how you feel about rolling sheep goo around in your mouth for hours. Lanolin, which is also often added to body care products, is the oily substance secreted by sheep into their thick wooly fur. Gums will often list the ingredient as "gum base" because of standards where manufacturers are not required to list out each ingredient.
We weren't all that shocked to see Taco Bell called out for its less-than-beefy burrito meat, which contains a host of nasty ingredients including silicon dioxide, which is, yes, sand. It's also added to Wendy's chili and a bunch of other processed food items to prevent caking

  The chemical fertilizer ammonium sulfate is added to some chain restaurant sandwich breads in order to feed yeast in the baking process. 

Propylene glycerol is found in antifreeze and can cause skin and eye irritation. Fast food places use it in their pre-packaged salads to keep the greens crisp

Fast food salads can't do anything right. In addition to sexy-time lube ingredients in the lettuce, many fast food salad dressings include titanium dioxide. The same chemical can be found in various paints, sunscreen, and a typical semiconductor

People love to tout the benefits of yogurt. It can keep you regular, supply some of your daily calcium and protein, and still tastes like dessert. But no one talks about how many popular brands of yogurt contain stearic acid and glycerin, which come from beef and pork by-products

 

What does a bread bun have in common with your toned yoga buns? Why, it's azodicarbonamide, a chemical found in fast food buns, yoga mats, and the soles of sneakers. But that's just the tip of the plastic iceberg. Some fast food meals are made up of 70-plus ingredients — most are hard to pronounce, and some are banned as food additives in Europe.

Tainted beef isn't just disgusting, it's deadly. The fatty, low-quality meat served at fast food joints is more likely to contain E. coli and salmonella, so it's treated in ammonia before being cooked and served. Yes, the same ammonia used to clean ovens and floors, and the same ammonia that can be poisonous. If you think a burger smells gross when it's cooked, imagine the chemical fumes when it's raw

This is just a start to get you thinking about packaged food. So next time you shop, don't just read the calories and carbs ect read on....If you cannot SAY it do NOT EAT IT!!!!

Healthy Comfort Food :)

Since my journey began I have been on a quest for good yummy tasting food. Lets face it if it tastes like cardboard we will NOT eat it!! Seriously, I did not get all the way to 368 pounds eating food that tastes bad. Bad for you yes, but it tasted good. Dennis likes to eat, and all too often I ask him what he'd like for dinner and his response is "WHATEVER YOU ARE COOKING!' Now as I have mentioned previously DENNIS IS PICKY!! But hey I am up for a challenge. Making healthy meals that taste good and a picky man will eat "Yeah I got this"

As you all know by now, I eat CLEAN! Paleo Style is probably close to my diet. Unfamiliar with Paleo it is the Caveman Diet, whatever they would've eaten is okay. I make a few exceptions. I eat beans, whole grains and sweet potatoes. 

 I also try very hard to stay away from Pre Packaged food :( I make my own Salad Dressings and Sauces unless they are free from preservatives and hidden yucky ingredients. If you cannot pronounce them DON"T EAT THEM!!

The things that the FDA allow in our food is not only disgusting its toxic! Don't even feed it to your kids. 

With that said I have been making some pretty good meals from fresh natural whole foods that taste good! 

When you start cooking all of your own food, you will need to build up your Spices and Kitchen Tools. I buy whatever spice sounds interesting. I have some that I cannot live without. Sea Salt! It is simple but it is so good! Mediterranean Spiced Sea Salt I use it on everything! LOVE IT!! Roasted Red Curry, Roasted Cumin, Roasted Ginger, Hot Shot Pepper (Red and Black Pepper), Pepper Flakes, Turmeric, Sage, Thyme, Tarragon, and Cinnamon!! I like spice. Play with your spices to see what flavors you like. Coconut Oil is my GO TO OIL now. It can handle high heat and it is so good for you! You can smear it on your skin too :) 

Veggies are now my fillers. I add veggies to everything. Sweet Peppers and Mushrooms are my staples now. I eat a Fried Sweet Potato several times a week. Don't be skeered!!! Fried is not always a BAD word. I start with a little Coconut oil and add fresh diced sweet potatoes, sea salt, sweet peppers, and cinnamon. Cover and turn often. In the last five minutes remove lid and allow to brown. Drizzle just the tiniest amount of Agave Nectar for a little sweet and you will swear you are cheating!!

Agave Nectar has a lower Glycemic Index than Honey. It is all natural and is not refined like sugar. I use it in place of sugar, however I have learned to live with out Sugar and the Sweet (most times)

Chocolate Covered Frozen Bananas remember those? Oh my!! I take 2 medium bananas and slice in 1.5 inch chunks place on a parchment paper covered plate, pierce each chunk with a toothpick and place in freezer. After 1 hour melt 90% Cocoa (half bar) and 1 teaspoon of Agave and Coconut oil. It is best to do this in a double boiler. If you don't have one put 2 cups of water in a sauce pan and place a bowl over the top and melt away. Once melted roll banana chunks in chocolate to cover and return to parchment paper. Place back in freezer for a few minutes to harden. They are super yummy!! The chocolate has less sugar than a serving of fruit. This should make 3 servings. You can chop almonds fine or use unsweetened coconut and roll the chunks in after they are coated before they harden. This is nice treat to have on occasion or retrain your kids and husbands from unhealthy fattening ice cream. 

 

I bought these cute little pots at Sams Club and they are the perfect size for a single serving or "His and Her" meals. Make lasagnes and really design your own. They are Cast Iron non stick enamel made by Wolfgang Puck $20 :)

I will be making Chicken Pot Pies in these tonight, yes HEALTHY!! I will post up my recipe later!! Yummm