The 80's & Omega 3's vs Omega 6's

Has anyone else discovered that 97.3 is now the ”Boom” 97.3...and it is geared towards the 70’s, 80’s and some 90’s music. These were my hay days...I love this music and have not been able to change the station since discovering it. I will be in my office trying to work and all of the sudden I have to crank up the Culture Club, Tears for Fears or KC and The Sunshine band and start singing my head off. It made me think of all the crazy clothes and hair that I had during those times. I thought it would be fun to give you a glimpse of what the “Food Fun Sucker” looked like before becoming the “Food Fun Sucker”. My daughter Jennifer and I had a good laugh today going through the old photo box looking for the biggest hair we could find.


I have to admit though that my day didn’t start this way with Jennifer...I came in the living room this morning to have my breakfast before my yoga class and as I sat down I noticed a half eaten Apple Crumble on the coffee table...Jennifer was now eating a scrambled egg sandwich. I asked her who had the Apple Crumble for breakfast..she confessed. Inside I was dying but today is her math examine so I had to breathe deeply and just dig into my Fibre One & Kashi Go Lean w/rice milk. (BTW, Francis F told me that Shoppers Drug Mart, at the Mall has the Kashi Go Lean on sale for $1.99!!!) Yoga was fantastic today...I really am noticing a difference in my flexibility. I’m amazed how your body responds so quickly. But trust me I have a looooonnnnnnnngggggg road ahead of me.

First, let's start with omega-3s, what I'll call the spring fats. These are likely the most abundant fats in the world, but they don't originate in fish, as many believe. Rather, they are found in the green leaves of plants. Fish are full of omega-3s because they eat phytoplankton (the microscopic green plants of the ocean) and seaweed. In plants, these special fatty acids help turn sunlight into sugars, the basis of life on Earth. The spring fats speed up metabolism. They are fats that animals (humans included) use to get ready for times of activity, like the mating season. They're found in the highest concentrations in all the most active tissues: brains, eyes, hearts, the tails of sperm, the flight muscles of hummingbirds. Because fish have so many of these fats in their diets, they can be active in cold, dark waters. These fats protect our brains from neurological disorders and enable our hearts to beat billions of times without incident. But they are vanishing from our diet, and you'll soon understand why.

... And our omega-6 surplus

Next up are the omega-6s, what I'll call the fall fats. They originate in plants as well, but in the seeds of plants rather than the leaves. The fall fats are simply storage fats for plants. Animals require both—omega-3s and omega-6s—in their diets and their tissues. But omega-6s are slower and stiffer than omega-3s. Plus, they promote blood clotting and inflammation, the underlying causes of many diseases, including heart disease and arthritis. Omega-3s, on the other hand, promote blood flow and very little inflammation, which may prevent things like heart disease. The proper mix of these two fats helps create tissue with the right amount of blood flow and inflammation. But because they're in constant competition to enter our cells, if your diet consists of too many omega-6s, your body will be deficient in omega-3s. And that is what's been happening to us as we've been eating more and more seed fats in the form of soybean, corn and other vegetable oils.

Omega-3s began disappearing from our food supply. Cows used to be raised on grass and other greens, producing meat, milk and cheese with much higher concentrations of omega-3s. These were the animal products that our grandparents and great-grandparents grew up on, before industrial feedlots replaced family farms. Now these livestock are fed corn and soy, and their tissues are swamped with omega-6s. Chickens, too, used to eat grass and grass-eating bugs. Those chickens produced eggs and meat that were high in omega-3s, but now they're full of omega-6-rich fall fats.

We are now eating a diet that is supposed to fatten us up for winter, when weather is harsh and calories are scarce. But today food is never scarce for the average Canadian. The base of our food supply has shifted from leaves to seeds, and this simple change means our bodies are storing more fat, leading to obesity and all its associated diseases.

At the same time, food chemists discovered that rancidity in packaged foods was caused by the oxidation of some minor but pesky fats: omega-3s. Scientists extended the shelf life of processed foods such as cookies, chips, cakes, breads and spreads by removing omega-3s—a nutrient that no one thought mattered. They replaced package food with Omega 6’s and now if you look at almost all package food will have some sort of “soy” in it.

Now you should understand why you must get more Omega 3’s in your body and less Omega 6. Eating Organic meat, yogurt, milk, butter or anything from the cow or chicken will cut down on your consumption of these fats. As well, limit your packaged food intake. Take a good Supplement (Nutra Sea) everyday. Remember these fats are called EFA’s – Essential Fatty Acids…they are ESSENTIAL for good health and your body can not produce them so you must get them from somewhere. Eating fish throughout the week will help you get more as well.

Red Ants!

I’m off to pick out our new floors for the basement tonight! It’s amazing how quick that got taken care of. We are also renovating our kitchen...it’s sooooooooooooo ugly. It’s a total throw back to the 80’s...I hate it. Finally, I’m stepping into the 21st century. I’m going to do a video blog for you so you can see this transformation....and see how frickin ugly the kitchen is as well.


I’m starting to hear feedback about my blog...I can’t thank all of you enough for your support!!! Please feel free to spread the word  ...and keep giving me your feedback.

It’s the New Year and of course there are so many new members at the gym...it’s terrific, I love this time of year. I get to meet lots of new women and trust me everyone has a story. I have the best job in the world. Lots of love in my office for sure. Let’s be honest for a moment though....if one more person comes into see me and tells me their diet is great and they are overweight as well.... I might lose my mind. Congratulations, to my client Joy P she came in and put up the white flag and confessed her sins to me..she had cheated and was glad I had to cancel our appointment last week (due to the flood). I love this woman, when I recommend increasing and mixing up her cardio she just does it no questions asked. She is not ready to share her results...but she has lost over 20 pounds so far!

I’m guessing some of you are wondering if I made it through the two football games with no M&M’s....I did only cuz there were none...but I fixed that and phoned my daughter Jennifer and told her to pick me some up...she said she didn’t have enough money...”oh no worries, I will get Dad to transfer the money to you”. Mission accomplished, Rob and I ate them. Good thing I eat well the rest of the time. In fact as I type this blog I’m eating carrots and celery...just finished a yogurt...Stonyfield – organic ...no hormones, no antibiotics...no factory farmed animals. No artificial sweetener...pure cane sugar... 100 calories but worth every single one of them. I picked them up at Sobey’s in the “organic” dairy product section. Don’t forget the factory farmed cows are filled with Omega 6’s....too much causes inflammation and too much of that causes heart disease. BTW, if you thought the Fibre One gave you great poops...have this yogurt and feel amazing.

The other night I asked my daughter Desiree to try some Quinoa (ancient grain) I opened the container and she told me it looked like “red ants” ...see what I have to deal with. I did ask Desiree to write a blog entry for me letting you all know what it is like to live with the “Food Fun Sucker”. She asked for a few days to gather her thoughts ...so stay tuned for that one! I can’t wait to read it. I must also get Jennifer to do one too!

One last thought for the day...I went to Costco tonight to do that monthly stock up run. As we were cashing out I looked at all the photos of the food options available at Costco’s cafeteria. DON’T EAT THERE! There is NOTHING healthy there at all. In fact, I think they are discriminating against people who chose to eat healthy. If I went there on an empty stomach I would starve (but you know I would never go there empty handed). Funny thing though the food “court” there was packed...holy crap it was 7:30 at night: why are you only having dinner now AND why was this your choice????? Why are companies allowed to sell this poison? I know, I know...it’s cheap....still a terrible reason, I think 

I’m posting a picture of my client and now friend Tanya...lots of the member’s from Womens Fitness will recognize her...she is always at the gym. I want to congratulate her on all her hard work and the payoff she is now experiencing. She looks terrific, healthy and now knows how to eat properly! Tanya is my Yoga buddy and I love her to bits...way to go 

Sweet Potato Chili

Sweet Potato Chili


Serves 6



2 tbsp olive oil



1 tbsp minced garlic



2 fresh hot peppers, seeded and minced (jalapeno)



2 cups diced onion



1 tsp chili powder



1 red pepper, seeded and chopped



4 cups cubed sweet potatoes (about 2 sweet potatoes)



2 28-oz cans diced tomatoes, juice included



1 14-oz can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed



1 14-oz can black beans, drained and rinsed



¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro

Yogurt and/or grated cheddar





1) In a Dutch oven or soup pot, heat oil over medium high heat and sauté garlic, hot peppers and onion, about 3 minutes.



Add chili powder, red pepper and sweet potato and cook 2 minutes.



2) Stir in tomatoes, juice and beans, partially cover and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sweet potato is tender and juices thicken, about 15 minutes.



3) Stir in cilantro, and season with salt and pepper. Top with yogurt or cheese and serve with pita bread.



Nutrients per serving: 306 calories, 5 g fat, 12 g protein, 58 g carbs, 16 g fibre. Excellent source of vitamins A and C, folate and iron.

Update!

I have the greatest guy! I came home last night and I have to admit that my spirit was slightly broken. My basement is destroyed (although it will be fixed) it still looks like a war zone. As I walked towards the kitchen I was greeted by 12 long stem roses...pink and red. Rob suggested he could hear that my spirit had been broken in speaking with me during the day. This lifted my spirits completely...what a lucky gal I am...the women at the flower shop actually knows Rob as he buys me flowers often.


I have not written in two days but you know all kinds of interesting things have happened during that time. I went to the Wellness Connection on Tuesday to see my chiropractor Dr. Amanda...I love this girl!!! It would appear that my shoulder had to be put back into place after all my mopping from the flood. Dr. Amanda made everything right again (not sure what I would do without her and my massage therapist Twylla....these ladies are amazing). Twylla, Dr. Amanda and I are fixing my back!

As Dr. Amanda snapped me back into place (I know she hates when I call it that...it really is an adjustment but snapping sounds better I think) she reminded me of something that she had done last year and I just have to write about it. I had given a nutritional plan to Dr. Amanda and we were having one of our weekly meetings, I made some recommendations to her and gave her lots of snack ideas. She claimed she felt better after our talk and would carry on with her clean eating. After my appointment I went to pay my bill and I realized I had left my keys in Dr. Amanda’s office I headed back to her office and caught her red handed...taking a plate from under desk with birthday cake on it. BUSTED!!! Talk about “shock and awe”....I couldn’t believe it and I’m sure Dr. Amanda couldn’t believe she was busted either!!! We had a pretty good laugh over that one.

On Tuesday night my best friend Lynda (I call her Monte) came over dinner...she is moving to Burlington next week. Burlington feels like it is on the other side of the planet. I will miss her! Of course we talk everyday...we call it “therapy” and we have been having therapy sessions for 15+ years...we have been through a bunch of things together and still remain needing each other. I love her. We are the same age ...only days apart so we constantly compare this “aging” thing and what we are currently experiencing. We collectively decided that if one more Doctor tells us “it’s an age thing” we are surely going to kick them in shin  Rob made us healthy nacho’s for dinner...it is Monte’s favourite ( I love it too). So I’m sure your thinking what the hell are “healthy” nacho’s: organic ground chicken meat, Eden organic black beans, tons of veggies, fat free cheese and we use Salba Smart gluten free tortilla chips....they too are organic and low in sodium (my good friend and client Marlene turned me onto these) (they are available in the “Organic” isle at the Super Centre or Loblaws). We use organic salsa and organic yogurt in place of sour cream...taste the same but this way you do not get all the hormones or antibiotics from the “factory farms” and you get lots of acidophilus (good gut bacteria). Makes for terrific poops and you know how much Dr. Oz wants you to have good poops.

Off to the hair dresser Wednesday morning. I packed: one taste of nature bar, 1 banana, 1 apple, ..I love my colourist – April, at Valentino’s located in Whitby. April always tell me she eats well for the 2 weeks after my appointment. This time she did one better and brought me her plate from lunch to get my approval. I was pleased to see the great choices she had made. As I sat under the dryer bleaching out my hair I proceeded to nibble on all my great snacks I had with me...after all I am at the salon for 3 hours ...there is no way I can go that long without food. Ahhhhaaa, once again never get caught empty handed...always take snacks wherever you go!!! Holy crap can you believe I have been colouring my hair since grade 9? I first tried “Sun-In”...how many of you remember that stuff?

It’s now Sunday and the house is quite so I finally have time to write. This weekend my daughter Desiree came over and took care of about 8 hours of admin work for my company. I can’t tell you how much extra time this bought me to take care of the other million things I needed to do....I’m sure you can all appreciate that  As well, we hired her boyfriend Christopher to paint. Since the floors are now gone from my home we took advantage of that and had Christopher paint the basement. This is a big job and he has worked his butt off...it looks great. If anyone needs a painter this guy is professional, hard worker and affordable...great job.

I went to the St. Lawrence market on Saturday and picked up the fixings’ to make the Sweet Potato Chili....I got all organic ingredients and my favourite sprout salads. We picked up some sea bass and asparagus and Rob made some red quinoa dish which was amazing. While he prepared dinner I made the chili, it was so easy and today Desiree, Christopher and I had it for lunch today. It was so good so I have posted the recipe below. After making it for myself, I decided to add some fresh Kale (dark leafy greens...in fact the most nutritious of them all) to the pot just for the extra kick in the nutrient ass. I almost actually fell off my chair when I heard Desiree say she loved it. She was also eating my Stonemill bread that she first stuck her nose up at and now was dunking it in balsamic vinegar (I do that too...I love it, way better than butter and better for you). I just swell inside when I see anyone eat good food.

Just a quick Yoga update 3 sessions in this week, not 4 like I was hoping for each week but pretty good for a girl that had that crap beaten out of her mentally and emotionally. I feel myself getting stronger already. Got back to my fighting weight (pre Jamaica) by Friday night this weekend but then Rob brought me M&M’s and you know I ate them. Oh my god they were so good ...especially after a brutal week. I didn’t eat any on Saturday night ...had a migraine and now I need to get through the two football games on TV today...wish me luck!

It's Fat Tuesday

It’s Fat Tuesday!


So I got on the scale this morning and damn 133.8 all the chocolate and stress of my flooded basement is taking a toll on my weight...”must break up with M&M’s, must break up with M&M’s. This will be my new mantra till I get back to 130 pounds.

I came home last night to 7 industrial fans desperately trying to dry out my basement, 1 de-humidifier but NO hot water tank. ...oh yea, and no floor! The insurance company was quick to responds to our dilemma ...not so much Enbridge. Rob went and booked a hotel for us so we could at least shower, what a nightmare. I’m home from work today to be at the mercy of the guy with my hot water tank. I’m trying to take advantage of being a prisoner in my own musty smelling home and get some work done. Of course my blog is at the top of my list....it’s sort of therapeutic.

Let’s talk about stress on how it really affects your body. I went to the expert and my make believe Hollywood Boyfriend Dr. Oz (don’t worry Rob has Pami (Pamela Anderson) and he knows all about Dr. Oz and I) LOL. This is what he had to say about Bellyfat & Stress:

When people are under stress, their bodies release high amounts of steroids into their bloodstream in the form of cortisol. In acute stress (a car accident), steroids stick around only briefly. But when you're under chronic stress (a bad marriage), your body needs to find a way to deal with those high levels of cortisol.

So your omentum clears the cortisol steroids because it has receptors that bind to them and can suck them out of the bloodstream (unfortunately, this doesn't necessarily reduce the stress level that you feel). The steroids turbo-charge the ability of omentum to store fat, so your belly fat (and subsequent waist size) become the best surrogate indicator of how well you are really coping with stress (despite what your brain might be claiming). That uptake of steroids throws your body in metabolic disarray by:

1. Making your omentum resistant to insulin so sugar floats around without being absorbed and used appropriately by needy cells, and this— Chronically raises your blood sugar, which damages our tissues;

2. Super-charging your omentum with inflammatory chemicals that destabilize the delicate equilibrium of your hormones;

3. Forcing your omentum to pump high-octane fat directly into your liver—causing your liver to make even more inflammatory chemicals.

Not sure what an omentum is see photo below:

Floods and Fibre

It’s Sunday afternoon and finally got the tree down and finished purging my old decorations from the junk we have collected over the years. I feel like falling into my bed and passing out, must still have a bit of Jamaica trapped in my blood. Had a great weekend but had way too many things to do. The best part of the weekend for me was going to St. Lawrence Market on Saturday morning with Rob and picking up all my organic vegetables and my favourtie sprout salad and of course my Stonemill bread. Now I feel set ...I will eat clean for the week and continue on my quest to get back to my pre-Jamaica weight. 2.4 pounds to go....and 4 Yoga sessions completed in one week. I continue to feel like my hamstrings are small tightened guitar strings ...I will try to believe in what the Yoga teacher says “this will get better”.


I went to see the “The Blue Collar Comedy Tour” on Friday night with Rob...it featured Jeff Foxworthy, Larry The Cable Guy and Bill Engvall....it sucked  I was pretty disappointed, I have seen these guys on TV and they have made me laugh but this show was not really that funny..only to the guy with the Nascar jacket sitting beside me, he seemed to laugh at everything. I did however, get some great pictures (my favourite hobby) and I think I need to write to Larry The Cable Guy, he needs the 10 Weeks To Wow! Nutritional Weight Loss Program BADLY...if he wants to be around to spend all the money he is making not being funny. The Air Canada Centre was packed!

Rob and I had started our evening at Astoria – greek restaurant on the Danforth. I love going on dates with my guy! People always ask me what I eat when I go out for dinner....so: I had a garden salad in which I of course I asked the waitress to change the lettuce and please please give me romaine lettuce rather than the iceburg “zero nutrient” lettuce...and once again she first gave me the “crinkly eyebrow” and then proceeded to make up some song and dance up about only having it chopped up on “this day and that day” and it might not be available.

WHY does this woman not want me to have healthy lettuce, I asked myself. Surprisingly, she brought me the dark leafy greens I had asked for!!! We split the “Land and Sea “meal which is a great tasting boneless, skinless chicken breast with great tasting herbs and spices and six shrimp, potato and rice. I had roughly half the breast, 1 shrimp, 1 potato and 1 piece of bread. It sounds good right? It was, but I met my demise once I entered the ACC and was greeted by poor choice after poor choice for something to nibble on during the show. You know I had to have M&M’s peanuts...damn, I love chocolate. Thinking back thank god I had my sugar high to help me get through this (lack) of comedy show.


Here is a little insight on why I love dark leafy greens! Dark green leafy vegetables are calorie for calorie, perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins K, C, E, and many of the B vitamins. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects. Dark green leaves even contain small amounts of Omega-3 fats.


Perhaps the star of these nutrients is Vitamin K. A cup of most cooked greens provides at least nine times the minimum recommended intake of Vitamin K, and even a couple of cups of dark salad greens usually provide the minimum all on their own. Recent research has provided evidence that this vitamin may be even more important than we once thought (the current minimum may not be optimal), and many people do not get enough of it.

Vitamin K:

• Regulates blood clotting

• Helps protect bones from osteoporosis

• May help prevent and possibly even reduce atherosclerosis by reducing calcium in arterial plaques

• May be a key regulator of inflammation, and may help protect us from inflammatory diseases including arthritis

• May help prevent diabetes

Vitamin K is a fat-soluble vitamin, so make sure to put dressing on your salad, or cook your greens with oil.

Almost Carb-Free

Greens have very little carbohydrate in them, and the carbs that are there are packed in layers of fiber, which make them very slow to digest. That is why, in general, greens have very little impact on blood glucose.

Now you understand the importance...and please make sure you annoy the waitress or waiter and ask for these beauties in your salad when you’re out for dinner.

Sunday evening after dinner Rob suggested we go for a walk and walk off dinner. I was a little reluctant as it was -14 outside but I bundled up and off we went to the store to pick up some ingredients ...I wanted to make this amazing Sweet Potato one pot wonder recipe I picked up from one of the trainers I work with. Once we got home I went to flip the laundry (cuz a woman’s work is never done) and low and behold on my way down to the basement I was greeted by a “Tsunami” my hot water tank was pouring hot water all over my basement. Rob came running down the stairs and got the water off but of course I’m standing up to my ankles in water (clean water at least). I’m not sure why I was so calm but I was...I just started trying to clean up what I could but I did realize that my floors were ruined 

After the cleanup I felt it necessary to go up to my office where I knew I had this cute little Christmas bag filled with chocolates (that my ghost writer Marlene had given me the other day). I’ve put off eating them but now it was like they were screaming out my name. I rushed to their calls and devoured each and every one of them...all at once. It’s amazing how chocolate can make all your troubles go away...if only for the moment. My sugar high was just what the Doctor ordered. So now I have a soaked basement, a belly ache, a big zit coming up on my forehead and my evening will soon be interrupted again by the emergency plumber we called to at least get some cold water going because you know in the morning someone will need to have a “poop” in this house with all the fibre we eat. Oh yea, how is it you get a zit and have a hot flash all at once??? What the hell?

Fibre!!! Let’s talk about fibre for a moment so you know why I love it so. Firstly, if you’re a woman you need roughly 25 grams of fibre per day (everyday) and if you’re a man you need roughly 38 grams per day. Most Canadians get roughly 8 – 10 grams per day hence, why Colon Cancer will bypass all other Cancers and become our leading cause of Cancer death. Did you know that from your mouth to your butt it is 30 feet in length? Of course you need to fibre to push all the waste through!

What is Fibre?

Fibre is often divided into two broad classes: insoluble and soluble forms. Wheat bran, for instance, is an insoluble form that is a good stool-softener but a poor absorber of cholesterol, a function that the soluble form, oat bran, does better.

Insoluble fibre makes stools heavier and speeds their passage through the gut. Like a sponge, it absorbs many times its weight in water, swelling up and helping to eliminate feces and relieve constipation. Wheat bran and whole grains, as well as the skins of many fruits and vegetables, and seeds, are rich sources of insoluble fibre. High-fibre diets have replaced bland, low-residue treatments for bowel problems such as diverticular disease.

Also note that as the outer fibre layer is often removed in food processing by milling, peeling, boiling or extracting, it’s wise to eat more unrefined foods to obtain insoluble fibre.

Soluble fibre includes pectin, gums (such as guar), betaglucans, some hemicellulose and other compounds and is found in oats, legumes (peas, kidney beans, lentils), some seeds, brown rice, barley, oats, fruits (such as apples), some green vegetables (such as broccoli) and potatoes. Soluble fibre breaks down as it passes though the digestive tract, forming a gel that traps some substances related to high cholesterol. There is some evidence that soluble fibre may lessen heart disease risks by reducing the absorption of cholesterol into the bloodstream. Studies find that people on high-fibre diets have lower total cholesterol levels and may be less likely to form harmful blood clots than those who consume less soluble fibre. A recent USA report found that, in sufficient amounts, fibre apparently reduced heart disease risks.

Ah the New Year

Ah the new year, and time to put my money where my mouth is and start my Yoga program. I went to check out this studio one of my clients referred me to. I did a class and it was as hard as I thought it was going to be. BTW, got my weight down to 134, so almost there! I’ve been pounding back vegetables fruit and beans…my body missed this food so badly!


It was good to be back at work, I love the women I work with, and it’s a good environment. And of course my clients who end up meaning the world to me….it was great to see so many friendly, familiar faces. Funny thing I heard from a few of them were …”oh I was hoping I wouldn’t bump into you” and “I’m working really hard to make up for Christmas” I put them all at ease by sharing my own Jamaican weight gain LOL. So far this week and it’s only the beginning of course but Carol is in the lead with a 3.2 pound weight loss over the holidays…good for you!!!! By the way Carol is 69  and I love her to bits…we have become good good friends.

Last night while watching the Fiesta Bowl – Football….my favourite sport in the whole world! I saw a commercial for Wendy’s latest bad fast food crap that they want you to fall prey to. Wait for it…..”Get your Spice on” Spicy Chicken Nuggets - 470 calories, 30 grams of fat, 7 saturated and 1380 mg of sodium (salt)…let’s just review your daily intake of saturated fat 20 grams and of course sodium 1500!!!

I also got introduced to Taco Bell’s newest marketing technique…they too have a person just like Subway’s – Jared (who apparently lost a ton of weight eating Subway subs for lunch). So now Taco Bell has Christine Daughterty who lost 54 pounds in 2 years eating the “Fresco” items (which is supposed to be their Light fair). Good for her for losing weight but she sure ingested a bunch of sodium cuz you know I had to print out the nutritional breakdown of that menu. Stay far far far away. They also reference this as the “Drive Through Diet”…isn’t this an oxymoron? I have to tell you about my client Natasha! She is also the next Jared or Christine….she has lost 50+ pounds on my 10 Weeks To Wow, Nutritional Weight Loss Program. Natasha started with me July 14th 2009 and week after week she shows up with her food trackers filled out and she never cheats. Here is the kicker, Natasha works fulltime at McDonalds and actually eats McDonalds food as part of her weight loss program…she just makes the right choices when she does. Natasha has also had a personal trainer and works very hard at the gym….but she gets it…that is what it requires. Natasha is only 20 so I’m so impressed with her because I remember when I was 20 and I don’t think I could have been that dedicated to anything but partying with my friends. The thing I want to mention to any women over 40 reading this….you need to work out twice as hard as Natasha as you have lost muscle mass, roughly 5% and your metabolism is slowing down, also about 5%....so you can see you need to really workout to make a difference. The key is to not become “frail” as you age...strong bones and strong muscles around your bones!!

I always go to work early when I work in the morning as I like to have a coffee with my good friends Diana, the Fitness Manager at the club and Gail our amazing Maintenance staff. Diana and I headed over to Tim Hortons for my cup of Joe and her tea. I almost fell on the floor when I got to the service station and saw what looked like a prize wheel…so the gist of the game is spin the wheel to help you decide which “bad for you” donut you should choose…you know how confusing this can be when you have so many options in front of you! I had to go back after my shift and get a picture of this.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year! Best wishes for health and happiness, joy and peace. I’m just back from two weeks of vacation, partly family Christmas celebrations and then a week in Jamaica. I got home on Saturday Jan 2nd in the evening and what a surprise for me to come home to -15 WHAT??? I just left 30+ degree weather, lush green everywhere, flowers and turquoise water, everything was Irie, No Problem and Ya Mon. Now I’m sitting in my home office working on my blog watching the snow fall 


I made some observations over my Christmas break and I would like to share them with you… plus it is a great place for me to vent about some of my findings. My first stop on this tour was to Sault Ste. Marie to visit Rob’s family…we ended up going for lunch at a family restaurant called Sandro’s. I decided to split my lunch with Rob’s mom, Oma This is my usual practice when I go out for dinner (which is not often by the way)…I also always start with a salad, this fills me up so I eat less of the other food. Remember the salad is half water and a bunch of fibre and antioxidants. Always order your salad with dark leafy greens, DO NOT let them put Head Lettuce, or better known as Iceberg lettuce in your salad, you might as well eat a plastic plant…no nutritional value.

In great horror across from me was a mother allowing her child to have for lunch WHITE penne pasta noodles, BUTTER as the topping, WHITE bread and of course a coke. The young child was already overweight…I could see her future and the burden she will become on our healthcare system in the future. The sad part this is not her fault, she has only her mother to guide her along and it was not important to that mother that child have something nutritious for lunch. To me this is a form of child abuse…this is preventable! It is interesting to look at most families and see the pattern they all follow. If mom is overweight generally dad is, the kids are and of course the dog. In front of me was another young girl maybe 9, pigtales in her hair. She chose the buffet for her lunch and I watched her go up three times, so she ingested plate after plate of bacon, eggs and homefries and pancakes. One other guy had 9 plates removed from his table! Interesting the look on his face once he finished eating, he seemed sad that he had done it. I know I drive Rob crazy with my constant analysis of what people eat and what they put in their shopping cart….I can’t help but be obsessed with this after it all it is your HEALTH.

Over the days spent at Oma’s house in the Sault we made various trips to the grocery store. Oma likes to have lots of food stored in the house: 1. She is 84 and if bad weather hits she can’t go out. 2. She was in World War II and had to escape from the Germans and really knows what “starving” means. I guess that stays with you!! On one of our outings I was stunned with amazement all the desserts there were staring at me. It was actually ridiculous that all these temptations that are surrounding us. It literally was everywhere I turned. I have a sweet tooth and my girl Oma loves to have sweets as well. We are not a good influence on each other, that’s for sure! Did I mention that I had 5 French fries smothered in gravy and ketchup at Sandro’s? I never eat that so when I have my cheat I cannot tell you how good those fries were.

I got to Jamaica on Dec 26th in the morning. ..weighing in at 130 pounds. I did really well with maintaining my weight through Christmas….let’s see how I do in Jamaica. We were starving upon arrival so once we settled into our room Rob and I made our way to the lunch buffet at our resort. We were excited to see what they had after all we were impressed with Sandals – Veradaro, Cuba. Much to my disappointment of the buffet…it was no way near as nice as Cuba…I was worried about the rest of the meals for the week. I did manage throughout the week but overall was disappointed in the food especially as a vegetarian….this week I had to be a FLEXITARIAN. I had forgot to bring my Fibre One with me and worried how my body would feel about the reduction of fibre…I forced myself to eat prunes with my Oatmeal in the morning…I felt like I was on an episode of Fear Factor…I do not like them at all!!! I basically would take a bite and swallow if whole with a swig of water. I had the time of my life in Jamaica and survived on mediocre food….I’m sure my clients would raise an eyebrow at all the desserts I ate while away but I’m human too. So I got home and went on the scale last night after dinner 137.5 or 138 depending which way I leaned on the scale…HOLY CRAP! Good thing I came home! Got on the scale this morning 134…so it looks like I gained 4 pounds….well worth every single one of them….and now the fun part to lose them.

I did get up this morning and actually hugged my Fibre One and Kashi Go Lean cereal boxes…kissed my Rice Milk. Went and got groceries, picked up the dogs from the kennel and got back to my regular program. Made my lunch and cut up all my veggies for Monday’s lunch and Monday’s dinner. Always a day ahead of my eating…this keeps me on track with eating properly…always plan, plan, plan. This will bring you great success with your quest for weight loss and a healthy body. Rob and I shop for groceries almost everyday…when you eat a lot of fruits and veggies you need to go the grocery store often.

Did you make any resolutions for the new year? I did, my resolution is to do Yoga 3 times a week. This is the most difficult exercise I have ever done in my life. You use your own body weight as your weights…too bad I gained those 4 extra pounds …this is going to hurt LOL