The fourth of July challenge :)

so i went to a 4th of july party yesterday. i talked to myself on my way there: "don't go crazy, woman. count your calories!" i'm proud to say i succeeded! even with cheetos included i didn't exceed 1800 calories for the day, a good "maintenance calorie count" for me. i must confess though that as i was eating the cheetos, i though i would not stop until the bag was empty....what stopped me was looking at the calories and saying: "is this worth not fitting in my jeans?" the answer was "yes". do you want to go shop for new jeans?" "NO" so i'd say look at the calories and think about shopping for bigger clothes. that will help you stop from emptying a bag of cheetos.

FOOD CONSULTANT NADIA AREVALO SAYS (foodconsultannt@yahoo.com)

1. Nutrition FYI

For Type AB blood, foods that encourage weight loss are seafood, green vegetables, kelp, pineapple and dairy.

“Our spirit is perfect.”

Dr. Ted Morter

HEALTHY RECIPES

Breakfast Boost:

1/2 cup tahini

1/2 cup plain goat yogurt

1/2 cup rolled oats

2 TBSP honey

4 small ice cubes

Papaya Pomegranate Salad

1 cup peeled and shredded carrots

1 papaya, peeled and sliced

3/4 c pomegranate seeds

1/2 c bean sprouts

3/4 c seasoned rice vinegar

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 Tbsp honey

1 Tbsp seasame oil

1/4 c macadamia nuts

Toss dressing with dry ingredients. Top with nuts.

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Releasing the obsession.

weight loss/gain and obsession are twin sisters. when i gain lbs, i'm obsessed with taking them off. when i lose lbs i'm obsessed with adding them on. when will i stop torturing myself? i hope soon because it's not helping me enjoy eating a nice meal at a restaurant. don't get me wrong, i'm all for making great choices but where do i draw the line? i wanna live in a good food place and not be paranoid with the scale and the measuring tape! so my goal today is to stop the insanity and start the fun of enjoying life with its weight ups and downs. FOOD CONSULTANT NADIA AREVALO SAYS: (foodconsultant@yahoo.com) Nutrition FYI For Type Bs, avoid corn, buckwheat, lentils, peanuts and sesame seeds to avoid weight gain. “See that person or situation as a gift of opportunity for growth.” Kute Blackson HEALTHY FOOD RECIPES Sweet Yams 3 steamed yams 2 steamed potatoes ½ tsp nutmeg ½ TBSP coconut oil or coconut butter dash sea salt Mashed yams and potatoes, mix in spices and oil and enjoy! Cereal: Fiber Liquid Stabilizer ½- 1 ⅔cup: TT: Optional: 365 High Fiber Organic Cereal and/or Eziekel Original Cereal (sprinkle with cinnamon) Nutmylk… . or Coconut water …. or water (sweeten with stevia or crystals) Top with small handful of nuts for a quick breakfast meal

From the mountains to the desert....

after my trip to gorgeous, fresh air carmel, i flew to vegas. from the mountains to the desert. that's how i feel my food adventure has been since i started. in the beginning, it was like climbing mount everest with jenny craig leading the way. and then, i decided to go on my own....that's when the desert began! i'm on my own in the middle of the desert with no leader looking for an oasis that i may never find: CAKE. i miss cake, real cake with icing, really sugary icing...AAAHHH!!! every time i got the craving to be bad in vegas, i thought about how LONG it took me to lose 17 pounds. if i craved cake, i would eat the lil' cute sugar free cakes, mousses, lemon pies at the buffet and just take one bite. and thank God it worked cause i actually lost weight. i had free time and energy to work out like in the good old pro athlete days.

FOOD CONSULTANT NADIA AREVALO SAYS (foodconsultant@yahoo.com)

Nutrition FYI:

Type A blood people flourish on vegetarian diets.

Thought of the day:

“The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority.”

- Kenneth Blanchard

Embracing Fresh, Organic, wholefoods…..

• Make ¾ of your plate vegetables, whether they’re raw, steamed, roasted, grilled, sautéed, shredded, fermented, marinated, etc. Use as many or as little variety of veggies, but keep adding them to meals to help you fill up with fiber. You eat with your eyes first, so when you see a plate with an over abundance of volume (from vegetables), your already see you’re not being deprived of food.
• Focus on quality of the food. Does it have white flour, preservatives, artificial colors, margarine, corn syrup, white sugar, pesticides? It is heavily processed by machinery? Would you find that food product in nature? If you’re eating a quality meal, take your time to chew and indulge in the complex flavors. Eat until you’re full. There’s no reason to feel guilty if you’re eating lots of organic vegetables! The more you fill your body with nutrient-dense foods, the more stable you’ll feel. And the less snacking you’ll need.
• Fill up with healthy, unprocessed fats. Fats have the highest satiety rate, which means it will help stabilize your blood sugar levels and hunger. At meals and/or snacks, use fats to complement your meals. Use avocados, extra virgin olive oil (unfiltered), coconut butter, coconut oil, olives, raw pecans, walnuts, chia seeds, flax seeds, almonds, and pumpkin seeds.

· Have a good stock in the refrigerator and pantry. Have a variety of vegetables in the refrigerator. You may want them prepared, washed or chopped so they’re easier to prepare if you want. If you have a favorite vegetable, buy more of it. You know you like it, so you’re going to finish it anyway. Make an extra day or two worth of rice, quinoa, whole wheat pasta, salad, chicken, beans, lentils, boiled eggs, so you don’t have to grab a sweet. (If you do have a sweet tooth, try a peeled raw yam with coconut butter. Yum!)

· Bring your snacks and meals when on the go. If you know you’re going to leave early the next morning, the night before you should prepare your lunch and snacks. Then in the morning you place a bag or cooler. Surround yourself with foods you want to eat. The main way is to bring your own food. And purified water! Take 3-4 bottles for the day.

· Don’t buy food you’ll feel guilty of bringing home. You have the control of what you can bring in your house. Once you’re at home you have no choice, but to eat the good stuff J You may feel less guilty of buying a high priced ready-prepared salad, than a less expensive dessert, because you know you are doing your body good!

· Location, location, location. When traveling ask and look for vegetarian restaurants, Trader Joes, farmer’s markets, and Whole Foods Markets. In the beginning, it’s important to surround yourself with the foods you want to eat. On the road, buy food at the supermarkets. Nowadays, many contain an organic produce section. Buy avocados, sprouts, raw nuts, organic salad mixes, olive oil, organic dried fruit, coconut water, etc.

HEALTHY SNACK:

Homemade Coconut/Almonds Balls:

Mix into Balls….

Stabilizer/binder	Binder/Flavor	Flavor/stabilizer	Sweetener
3 TBSP:	1 TBSP:	TT:	1 tsp:
Almond butter	+ Coconut butter	+ Cinnamon	+ Coconut Crystals

Fiber

Shredded Coconut

And roll in......Refrigerate for 1 hr J

Out of town and out of trouble!

i spent the weekend in carmel at a gorgeous place in hidden valley. managing my food was challenging because i had to eat at restaurants. also, exercising was not easy since there was no gym in sight or on campus. so this is how i managed this trip: i took some little tuna salad with cracker kits for lunch, 90 calorie snacks (quaker, i highly recommend them, they're good!) and some fullbars. these are bars that have only 60 calories and when you eat them and drink 1 glass of water, they make you feel full. the only meal i had to worry about was dinner. my trick at the restaurant was to stay away from the bread and butter unless i needed a serving of starch (1 slice of bread) and butter (1 teaspoon). another good choice was not ordering wine or dessert. so i maintained my weight this weekend and that makes me feel like i can be in control of what i eat!

FOOD CONSULTANT NADIA AREVALO SAYS: (foodconsultant@yahoo.com)

FOOD AND THOUGHT OF THE DAY:

Nutrition FYI

People of Type O blood do better limiting wheat gluten, which may interfere with insulin efficiency and may slow metabolic rate.

“Giving recognition and genuine praise to others benefits you in magical ways.”

-unknown

Curry Coconut Rice Soup

1 ½ Jasmine White Rice, cooked

1 Thai coconut meat

3 Kale leaves

¼ Onion, finely diced

2 med. Carrots, chopped

2 TSBP chopped cilantro

1 tsp Curry

2-3 tsp Soy sauce

While warming up rice and veggies in pot, blend coconut meat until creamy. Once soup is warm, mix into soup the blended coconut meat, curry, soy sauce and cilantro.

On my own and torturing myself! :O

i'm on my own, no jenny craig for a while. no telling me what crappy overpriced frozen meals to eat. no support from my consultant (they only do consultations if you buy their food, how lovely is that!?). nothing. just me and my munchies. so far, i've been following the plan, counting calories and exercising. it took me 6 moths to lose 17 pounds and i don't want them to creep up on me just because i succumb to a little temptation here, a little temptation there. i still make good choices. like when i think i'm eating too much peanut butter, i plan to cut the portions in half the next day. so far, so good. keeping it real, keeping the lbs off!

FOOD CONSULTANT NADIA AREVALO SAYS: (foodconsultant@yahoo.com)

Nutrition FYI

Top anti-radiaiton foods: Raw goat cheddar cheese, green string beans, snow peas, raw cauliflower and raw asparagus
“Friends divide your sorrows and multiply your happiness."
Blaine Athorn

HEALTHY DESSERTS:

Vanilla Coconut Pudding

4 Thai coconut meat

2-3 TBSP coconut crystals

1 TBSP coconut oil

2 tsp cinnamon

vanilla powder TT

dash sea salt

Blend and enjoy with cereal or granola.

SNACK IDEAS:

Sandwiches:

Holder	Stabilizer	Flavor	Fillers
1-2:	1-3 TBSP:	TT:	LOTS:
Sprouted bread	+Coconut oil	+Curry powder	+Romaine Lettuce
Sprouted tortilla	+Coconut butter	+Nama Shoyu	+Spinach/Arugula
Lavash	+Olive oil	+Kelp flakes	+Cabbage/Purslane
Leaf’s onion bread	+Avocado	+Lemon Juice	+Zucchini/Chard
Leaf’s mango bread	+Almond butter	+Cinnamon, Nutmeg	+Kale/sprouts
	+Leaf’s cream cheese	+Allspice	+Bok Choy/Fresh Mint