Sunday, February 20, 2011

I am a Girl in the Real World

My name is Madi and I am a girl in the real world!I am tired of looking at super models and movie stars that have the perfect bodies, this seems to be something that is not tangible to us "real girls" right? I can't even tell you how many things I have tried to get this un-tangible body that these "beautiful women" we see splashed all over EVERYTHING have. The reason why I put "beautiful women" in quotes is because I feel strongly about the statement that it is all in the eye of the beholder. My cute hubbie, bless his big sweet heart, sees me as beautiful no matter if I am in scrubbie clothes, no makeup, and maybe not in the best shape of my life. But for me to really feel "beautiful" I really want to be comfortable in my own skin. I feel like the imperfections that I have of myslef really hide the person that I truely am. So this is my chance to be real and raw about my weight losing journey.In order to get real and raw I am going to be posting my real measurements, my true weight, and my before and after pictures. I am going to be stating my weak moments of when i get lazy and don't exercise, when I fall into temptation and eat the things that my body doesn't like, when I do exercise and eat what my body likes, receipes, and fun workouts and classes at the gym.My intentions are not: to tell people that you need to be a certain size to be beautiful, that the things I try may not work for everyone, and to be judged or to judge others. My intentions for this blog are: help people out there that are like me, to motivate myself, to finish something that I start (which I am not good at), and to get comfy in the skin im in.

My Goals:
1. Become more confident in myself
2. make better and more healthier decisions
3. Have better self esteem about myself

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Motivation



Hi everyone... Sorry it has been so long since my last blog. Life has been crazy and I just haven't had the time. So during all this time I have had a lot to reflect on and here is some ideas for you to GET MOTIVATED!!!
So I have decided that there are so many images out there of what you need to look like to be accepted as "beautiful" out there in the "real" world. And frankly they are too negative and they do the exact opposite of motivating me!I recently went to Nashville for a conference for school and I visited my friends ther Marshal and Katherine. And can i just say that Katherine is such an amazing women!!! She has been through some nasty stuff and has come out on top as one of the most BEAUTIFUl women I have ever met... inside and out! She really is such an inspiration to me. Well I got this idea from her... She has a board up in her computer room that seems like it is a motivation board for her hopes and her dreams and positive images to look at every day. It didn't seem like it was quite done, like it is a work in progress project. I didn't say anything to her about it because I didn't really think much of it. But when I got home and decided that I really need to get back on the ball of getting healthy this board really stuck in my mind. So I decided to make one for me! I made it to reflect me and only me. Not what other people want of me, not what the world wants of me, but what I want of myself. I put positive words and images that I can look at to help me get motivated. I put it up just right outside my doorway to my bedroom so it is one of the first things I see in the morning and thorugh out the day. I have had it up for almost a week and already I can say that it has had a big effect on me. When I was at the gym the other day I wanted to quite.. I was tired and I just wanted to be done. Well I thought about my motivation board and it really gave me that extra little ump to keep going and finish my work out.
So I encourage everyone out there that needs motivation to try doing this board and see what it can do for you! I would love to hear your comments and stories about it helping you!
And thanks to my friend katherine for loving me, believeing in me, helping me want to be a better person, and truely being a great inspiration to me. I love ya girl!!

Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The Low Carb Low Down

So With my most recent post I talked about PCOS. Through lots of research I found that eating a low carb diet helps with the pain and cysts. I got a fantastic book called The Low Carb Bible. Your All-in-One Guide to Successful Low-Carb Dieting. I have loved reading through it and learning everything there is to know about carbs. So I wanted to share that information with you, but if you are serious about following this type of diet you should go get the book:)
Carbs are found in breads,cereals, rice, pasts, and other grains; fruites and vegetables; dairy products; and processed foods as added sugar. It is broken down into glucose (the kind of carbs that cells use for energy) during during digestion and released into the bloodstream. Avoiding the likes of bread, pasta, rice and fruite causes your body to become a fat burning machine. Using fat rather that carbs for energy. When there are insufficient amounts of glucose to be burned for energy, the liver turns to fat stores instead. Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution, The Zone, and The south Beach Diest are just a few examples of low-carb diet programs. Although they may differ in thier approach and style, all low-carb diets have a single uniting principal: Too much dietary carbs causes weight gain and prevents weight loss. Low-carb diets cut down the amount of carbs you eat rather than focusing on calories or fat.
Extra carbs is converted to fat and stored in your cells. Again, this process is facilitated by insulin. That's why low-carb proponents maintain that eating a low-carb diet will help you lose weight. If you don't provide your body with a lot of carbs, you body won't produce a lot of insulin, so is won't be storing as much fat. The less fat stored in your cells, the thinner you will be!
Low-carb diets are nearly always high-protein diets, and they may also be high in fat. The reason? Only carbs, fat, and protein provide your body with the calories (energy) it needs to function. When you drastically lower consumption of one of the three energy-producing nutrients, in this case carbs, you need to increase one or both of the others, protein and/or fat, even when your weight loss it the goal. Protein is necessary for relaying messages in the nervous system and brain; balancing fluid; absorbing nutrients; and producing enzymes, hormones, connective tissue, muscle, antibodies, and other substances that affect growth, development, and overall health. Unlike carbs and fat, protein is not stored in the body, so you need to eat enough protein everyday. My rule of thumb is to include something in every meal you eat that contains protein. Protein does not cause the sharp increase in blood glucose levels that carbs does. Instead, protein produces a slower and steadier increase. As a result, the pancrease releases less insulin. Since insulin helps the body store glucose as fat, you will store less fat when you eat more protein and less carbs. When too much insulin is in the bloodd, your brain fails to get the message that you are no longer hungry. You don't feel satisfied and likely will want to eat again soon. Eating a higher-fat diet can help, rather than hinder, weight loss. That's because a high fat diet actually prevents the body from storing glucose as fat.
Insulin overload in the blood promotes fat storage, therefore encourages irritability, fatigue, and sleeplessness. Carb addicts may recognize that the complusion to eat again right after the finish a meal or snack is illogical, but they can't ignore the drive. They are never truly satisfied, so they repeatedly overeat and gain weight that they are unable to lose. Even small amounts of carbs can send a carb addict into the downward spiral of overeating.
So I hope that this will help all of you have some better insight in why everyone is saying that the low carb diets are the best! Here is the reasoning why.

Wednesday, February 24, 2010

PCOS

I wanted to write a post about the not so fun syndrome that I have that seems to affect my life in not the best of ways. I don’t think women are very aware of this, because I wasn’t. I have always suffered with irregular periods and lots and lot of pain when it came to my periods. I have always had trouble with my weight going up and down. And I have lovely acne to go along with it all. I went to see many doctors about my acne and also my irregular periods. As a teenager it was not comfortable bleeding all the time (the longest I bled was for 8 months) and so heavy that it required an ultra tampon and a pad all the time. Finally after several doctors I had one tell me that he thinks I have PCOS. This is the main reason for all of my symptoms. I didn’t know too much about it. It wasn’t until I got married and got talking with my brother in law who is a doctor that had done lots of research on it and was able to inform me a lot about my syndrome and ways that I can help myself. The biggest one that I can say that totally turned my life around was going on a low carb diet. I learned that when I eat carbs I form these cysts on my ovaries. This is because cysts feed off of carbs and sugar. So when I ate it they grew and caused me more pain. This is why I was always in pain… but yet no one could ever tell me why. Once I started this diet my pain was almost cut in half. and the biggest upside was that I lost a lot of weight. Well as everyone knows this is a hard diet to live by because carbs are so yummy and they are everywhere. So I have gone back and forth. and that is why I am doing this blog because I know for my health reasons that I need something that will help me more motivated to eat healthy to help me be healthy. So here is the research that I have done on PCOS. (Thanks to my friend Stephanie Rona for doing some research for me because she was worried about me! So cute! I love you girly!!)

PCOS or polycystic ovarian syndrome is not really classified as a disease because it is not a specific and constant set of symptoms and physical characteristics. It is better described as a syndrome, with a collection of symptoms and physical characteristics. There are two consistent aspects: hyper-androgenism and infrequent ovulation. the most common characteristics of PCOS are obesity, hirsutism and irregular/infrequent/lack of ovulation and thus irregular periods and poor fertility.
Some things that research say can help with the effects of PCOS:
Caffeine containing beverages (coffee, GREEN TEA, black tea, oolong tea, and even some colas) were seen to lower estrogen levels. By lowering the estrogen levels it helps with the acne and the ovulation.
FLAX SEEDS and SOY, are two important foods relevant to the PCOS diet. The flax seeds again, containing lignans, which lower testosterone levels (which cause the acne and infrequent ovulation).
Licorice root extract can also help in lowering testosterone levels.
My brother in law put me on Metphormine. Which is a pill that is used to improve insulin resistance. It helps with acne, weight loss, and hair growth. It is not fun to share but I have very thick corse hair that grows places I don’t like it. And this pill helps it not to grow. I am lucky though I know a girl that had to have her face because of her hair growth or she would have a beard. So I still count my blessing
I hope that this might help any of those women out there that may be experiencing that same yucky stuff as me and now know something that they can do to help their situation. Stay tuned for some research on Low carb diets!

WEAKNESS

Well I told you all that I was going to be raw and real with you and tell you when I have weak moments. Well yesterday was one of those days. So here is some motivation for you all out there following my blog. Know that I am not perfect and I have weaknesses too

So It was a tough day yesterday, nothing seemed to be going. I got to my last class of the day and was feeling very hungry, so I decided to go to the vending machine to see if there was anything that I could have to wasn’t too bad. Well the snickers bar was starring me in the face. I put my money in and it said make another choice when I pushed the buttons, so I tried again, same thing. I pushed the button to get my money back seeing that it was a signJ. So then I get down to class and a girl brings doughnuts. I was determined not to eat one. Then we had a quiz, I did SO BAD on it so then I was feeling depressed but I was determined not to have one. I literally spent almost the entire class starring at them. When class was over I got up walked right past them and went to my car. I was feeling so proud of myself saying I knew I could do it!!!

Then I got home…dun dun dun! My hubbie wasn’t there and I was feeling tired and crappy, so what do I do? I go to the fridge and can’t find anything that I want that is healthy. But I find something I want that isn’t healthy… pizza! What was I thinking?

I had all that self-control at school and then it is all shot to crap when I get home! And then to make it worse I go for the cookie! The pink frosted cookie!

GRRRR!

I was so mad after it was all said and done. So there you go now you see that I am human. I am not letting this get me back off track though I am determined to get back on the horse today, and so far so good!

Saturday, February 20, 2010

Superfoods

I wanted to write a post about some of the super foods that I like I to take everyday that really help me feel better. So here are some of them and their health benefits:


Flax seeds


Some call it one of the most powerful plant foods on the planet. There’s some evidence it can help reduce your risk of heart disease, cancer particularly breast cancer, prostate cancer, and colon cancer, stroke, and diabetes. That’s quite a tall order for a tiny seed!
Although flaxseed contains all sorts of healthy components, it owes its healthy reputation primarily to three ingredients:
Omega-3 essential fatty acids, "good" fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.
Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75- 800 times more lignans than other plant foods
Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types. Some other nuts and seeds to think about: Walnuts, Cashews, Filberts, Pumpkin seed, and Hemp seed.
(webMD)


I take 5 tablespoons of flaxseeds every morning mixed with 2 tablespoons of peanut butter. Getting a little personal here:)... it really helps in the poop department. I have never been very regular but eating these flax seeds really helps me be regular. When I was telling my friend about it she was worried that it would be more like the feel of diarrhea and you can't control the need to go. But it is not like this at all. You can control the urge. It really attaches to the wall of the intestine and sucks out the toxens, cholestrol, and other harmful things that like to hang out in there. When I keep up on it I really feel less bloated and lighter through out the day.

Green Tea

More than a decade's worth of research about green tea's health benefits -- particularly its potential to fight cancer and heart disease -- has been more than intriguing, as have limited studies about green tea's role in lowering cholesterol, burning fat, preventing diabetes and stroke, and staving off dementia.
Green tea has important antioxidants and compounds that help in maintaining good health. Green tea and its extract have been shown to fight obesity and lower LDL "bad" cholesterol -- two risk factors for heart disease and diabetes. The best way to get the most out of green tea -- even if your main goal is losing weight -- is to drink it.

I drink 4 1/2 cups of green tea every morning. I have a problem with Acne on my face and when I drink green tea I really notice a difference in my skin. When I get really bad under ground brake outs I heat up a green tea bag in some water and put it on my face and it really clams my skin. I also feel that I have more energy throughout the day. (I take the decaf green tea)

Red Clover Extract Red clover is considered to be one of the richest sources of isoflavones (water-soluble chemicals that act like estrogens and are found in many plants). It is used for hot flashes/flushes, PMS, lowering cholesterol, breast health, improving urine production and improving circulation of the blood. It is also used to help prevent osteoporosis, reduce the possibility of blood clots and arterial plaques and limiting the development of benign prostate hyperplasia.
Red clover is a source of many valuable nutrients including calcium, chromium, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, potassium, thiamine, and vitamin C.

I of course do not use this to help with menopause because I am not there in my life yet. But I have a friend that was receiving some hormonal therapy that was sweet enough to get some information for me about my acne. The doctor told her to tell me to try Red Clover Extract. I have been using every day for a week straight. And I have seen a big difference in my skin. I also bought some red clover tea bags to mix in with my green tea to get as much help as I can. The Extract calls for you to take 30-40 drops a day. I mix it in with my green tea every day. It also adds a little sweetness to the tea:)

Eggs
Dig into eggs, yolks and all: They won't harm your heart, but they can help you trim inches. Women on a low-calorie diet who ate an egg lost twice as many pounds as those who had a bagel breakfast with the same number of calories but no eggs. Egg protein is filling, so you eat less later in the day.
(AOLhealth)

I try to have 3 boiled eggs every day. I really try to eat them in the morning because when I do I have noticed that I am less likely to be hungry and eat more later on in the day. I boil an entire container of eggs, then it is easy to just grab and go for those mornings that you don't have time to cook

Avacado

Don't let the fat content of an avocado (29 grams) scare you -- that's what makes it a top weight-loss food. (AOLhealth)

I like to make soup with 2 avacados, 1 cucumber, some garlic, chicken broth, salt and pepper. Mix it up in a food processor or blender. Eat it cold or warm. It really gives me an energy boost and tastes great:)


As i continue getting healthier I am sure that this list will grow. But here is a start of how we can all add things in our every day diets that can give us a boost!

Friday, February 19, 2010

Some of my Yummy Treats

Here are some of my yummy treats that I have found that are low carb. My body does not do good on carbs. But I love carbs, so I have done a lot of research on trying to find yummy treats that can trick my mind into thinking that I am eating naughty stuff. So here are my tricks:)

Instead of making things with flour (which is a big contributer to carbs) I have found this stuff called SOY FLOUR. It has 3 grams of carbs per serving. A serving is about 1/4 of a cup. It has a different taste but it really is not that bad. So here are some things that you can try using soy flour.

3 Minute Chocolate Cake
My Fav:)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of Soy Flour
1 to 2 tbsp of cocoa (dry powder, unsweetened)
2 to 3 tsp of splenda (depends on how sweet you like it... I use more that 3 tsp:))
1 tsp of baking powder
1 small egg or two egg whites
1 tsp of water
1 tbsp melted butter

Directions:
Use a microwave-safe bowl to combine all ingredients. Add all the dry ingredients together. and blend well with a whisk. Add wet ingredients. Melt the butter first, add to your bowl. then add egg, and water. If you batter is not adhering well together, add a little more water. After blending together with a whisk put the bowl in your microwave for a 3 minutes. Afterwards you should have a tasty treat!

you can add things to it like nuts, whip cream, low fat ice cream, etc.

I personally like cream cheese frosting...
whip together 1/4 of an 8 ounce thing of cream cheese and a little cream with some splenda to taste. Once you cake is cooled frost and enjoy.

Soy Pancakes

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of Soy Flour
1/4 cup of water
1/4 tsp. of salt
3 large eggs
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract

Directions:
Makes 8-9 small pancakes (these are really small, it makes about 2 normal size pancakes I double this to make enough for me and my hubbie for breakfast.)
mix all ingredients in bowl. If the batter is too runny, add a small amount more of soy flour. Put your fry pan on med heat and spray with non stick spray. Cook each pancake until slightly bubbly around the edge. then flip. Cook till golden. Serve with sugar free syrup.

I like to add my flax seeds into the batter. I do about 5 tablespoons. You can also make this into a dinner or lunch thing. I know it sounds weird. But it is good! I like to add cheddar cheese on top with some salsa, or cheese and deli meat on top. This really is good. Because the pancake batter is not a sweet batter (you get the sweetness from the syrup) you really can do anything with them.

Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:
2 lbs. chicken skinless boneless breasts
1 tbsp. marjoram
10 oz of heavy cream
2 eggs
2 cloves of fresh garlic-crushed

breading:
1/2 cup of soy flour-sifted
1 1/2 cup fine ground pork rinds
white cheddat cheese flavored popcorn seasoning to taste

Directions:
Breading prep- mix sifted soy flour with fine ground pork rinds and put in large casserole for breading.
Chicken prep- puree chicken breasts in food processor until fine. add marjoram, fresh garlic and two eggs. Drizzle in cream until well mixed. Make little balls with 2 large spoons. genlty place nugget into crumb mixture. Fry nuggets 10-12 at a time in 365-degree oil until golden brown. Place in a basket with wax paper and toss with white cheddar popcorn seasoning.

Cheese sauce prep- in a small sauce pan heat 1/4 of an 8 ounce cream cheese and about 1/2 a cup of heavy cream. once the cream cheese is well combined melt in 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese until melted and well combined. Salt and pepper to taste and a big squirt of mustard. (use this cheese sauce in several different ways the cream cheese and heavy cream is just a base...mix it up by putting in different types of cheese and put on lightly steamed veggies)
Dip nuggets and enjoy!

Low Carb Pizza

Ingredients:
4 oz of cream cheese
12 oz of shredded pizza blen cheese
2 eggs
1/4 of a cup of Soy Flour
1/4 tsp of garlic powder
1/2 tsp italian seasoning

Directions:
whip cream cheese and add eggs. Add the soy flour garlic powder and seasoning. Fold in the shredded cheese. Line a 9x12 with parchment paper and spread mixture evenly in pan. Bake at 375 for 25 minutes until lighlty browned. Cool and place uncovered in fridge for a few hours. It needs to go in the fridge to set up otherwise it never comes together as a crust. (I make it in the morning and then leave it in the firdge while I am at school and work then come home and put toppings on it.)
After a few hours take the crust out and put on a pizza pan. Assemble pizza toppings as desired. Bake at 375 degrees again for 15-20nminutes until cheese is bubbly. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. (the first time a made this i was a little surprised because the crust is not like a normal pizza crust where it is easy to handle... it is deff. a for and plate type of pizza:) YUMMY!

I hope this gets your taste buds jumping adn try these yummy yummy fake out treats!!!
ENJOY:)