MANAGING HEALTHY EATING
Understanding that we can "train" our taste buds has been the key with me regarding substituting healthy options for less healthy options. For example, I used to ONLY be able to drink whole milk. I literally could not STAND even 2% milk (yechh!) Then I attended a college where whole milk had to be requested each and every time. I wanted to avoid that process, so quite soon I was drinking 2% every time. Then, one day when I put in a special request for whole milk, I discovered that I couldn't deal with it! It was just Toooo creamy. Amazing! I wanted my 2% back!
High Quality Gt Media Abs Diet For Women Workout Type Dvd Fitness Special Interest Dolby Digital Stereo Ntsc
Well, of COURSE I decided to try this again by testing to see if I could move to 1% like I'd moved to 2%. It worked! (And, no, I have never been able to make that final move to skim milk, in case you were burning with a passion to know! It's WAAAAY too watery for me. Smile.)
And please let me say this: While a handful of the food recommended by the Abs Diet for Women has required that I retrain my taste buds, the majority of it has not and is delicious as is. Examples: Sliced apples dipped in real, all-natural peanut butter. Hearty breads (instead of non-whole-grain white bread). Various smoothies (some made with LOW-FAT ice cream, some with berries, cereal, oatmeal, etc.) that I make with EASE and NO-FUSS TRANSPORT and CLEAN-UP in my Hamilton Beach Single-Serve blender purchased from Wal-Mart (please see
). Oatmeal. Tuna salad. Salmon. The list is extensive and there are a couple of Abs Diet books detailing all the foods consistent with the plan.Hamilton Beach 51101 Personal Blender
The point, though, is that because I am AWARE of the fact that we can (RE)TRAIN our taste buds, I know that being able to taste reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese, for example, is just a matter of time. Right now I can't taste it. HOWEVER . . . I go ahead and put it on my turkey burger so that:
* psychologically I don't get the feeling that I'm being deprived, like I can no longer eat the way I always have (with cheese on it!), and most importantly,
* so that my taste buds can receive their training!
Hamilton Beach 51101 Personal Blender
LOVING EATING GOOD AND RIGHT AND LOVING GETTING FIT AND TONED via THE ABS DIET
I gave myself permission to follow the Abs Diet for Women eating and nutrition plan 100%. Being mentally and emotionally freed, and having decided to not feel wasteful/guilty about buying special healthy versions of foods for myself, allowed for the creativity to flow regarding my implementation of this diet. And that’s when I made a great discovery: Trader Joe’s provides healthy foods at the most reasonable of prices (at least the Trader Joe’s nearest to me has the most reasonable of prices).
So you KNOW it was ON like POPCORN! I RAN through that Abs Diet shopping list with a quickness and once back home, stocked my pantry and refrigerator with some combination of elation, gratitude, and near disbelief. (Why hadn't I done this before?!??)
MY RESULTS WITH THE ABS DIET FOR WOMEN AS OF TODAY (AT THE HALFWAY POINT)
The day of the creation of this guide marks my 3rd week (the halfway point) following the Abs Diet. [NOTE: The book tells the reader how to maintain after the initial 6 weeks.]
At this stage, I:
• feel really good,
• look better,
• have MUCH more energy AND strength (and it’s the added strength that has got me absolutely GEEKED! Who knew how much BETTER life is when you’re strong!?),
• am eating delicious, healthy food, and
• at 5’
1” have gone from about 133 pounds to just under a buck twenty. (That is correct: This is the first time in a LONG time I have weighed below 120 pounds. Not since just after college, I don’t think.)
Below is the note I posted to friends on Facebook about my AMAZEMENT at my results just 2 and ½ weeks in:
“Am at 2 and ½ weeks of doing the Abs Diet and am LOVING it. It’s the first LIFESTYLE type of change diet that actually feels maintainable long term to me. And it’s EASY! I love the exercise, the food. Today was proof in the pudding: Used to get winded walking around ____ (a place). Today it was a breeze.” (Posted to Facebook on Friday, February 5th, 2010)
TAILORING THE DIET AND EXERCISE STRATEGIES IN THE ABS DIET FOR WOMEN TO PARTICULARLY FIT MY NEEDS, CRAVINGS, TASTES, LIKES, DISLIKES, AND TENDENCIES
As I mentioned at the beginning of this guide: I am SO not one of those people who believes that there is a one-size-fits-all solution to weight loss, fitness, and healthy, healthful living. That’s part of the reason that I knew to further tweak the already incredibly-flexible Abs Diet for Women.
In the remainder of this guide I share my personal tweaks to the Abs Diet for Women that made all the difference in the world for me regarding the effectiveness and experienced pleasure of this highly maintainable (in my humble opinion) approach to healthy dieting and consistency in effective exercising. I tailored these additions to fit my own, personal needs, cravings, tastes, likes, dislikes, and tendencies, so copying / implementing them EXACTLY likely won’t have the same motivating effects upon you. However, perhaps in reading about the additions I made, you will receive ideas about how to add your own tailored tweaks to WHATEVER diet and exercise approach you are choosing to implement.
NOTE: I refrain from spelling out the steps to the Abs Diet for Women here because I believe it would be a copyright violation and therefore cannot in good faith do so. However, I will say that the exercise component consists of a schedule of cardio, strength training, abs work, and what the author calls interval workouts. And, I will say that the book is available for purchase, for rent from libraries, and sometimes via browsing in stores that still stock the Abs Diet for Women.
MY ADDITIONS TO THE ABS DIET FOR WOMEN GROCERY LIST
I've made sure to have the following items in my apartment at ALL TIMES while I'm still engaged in the initial 6 weeks plan for the Abs Diet for Women:
1. multi-grain tortilla chips with flaxseed from Trader Joe's or a health store (they surprisingly taste good); (This item is important for me because I can make my way through a bag of tortilla chips, if you know what I mean, and I needed to make that work IN MY FAVOR instead of against me!) NOTE: Since tomatoes have SO MANY health benefits, super healthy chips and salsa really work: Snacking on them, so similarly to how I'd always snacked, helps me constantly to forget that I'm "dieting."
2. whole-grain RITZ crackers (see parenthetical comment above and apply it to RITZ crackers); NOTE: I’ll put a buttery, crispy RITZ cracker in just about anything (all soups . . . with tea . . . even crumbled up in ice cream to introduce a buttery, ice cream cone sort of taste. Yeah, I know—LOL!)
3. Campbell’s V8 Tomato and Southwestern Corn soups (because I've always loved soups [the salt-laden unhealthy ones, unfortunately], because soups are a cinch to prepare (just heat), and because these soups are all-natural with no preservatives and taste RIDICULOUSLY good, I gladly discovered!). Tomatoes have so many health-related benefits, and the corn soup can almost (not quite) be categorized as sweet, and so it is able to satisfy my cravings for something sweet, interestingly. ('Course I throw my new, whole-grain Ritz crackers into both to give these soups more "bottom" and to psychologically keep from feeling deprived of my long-time soup-and-crackers tradition!)
4. Trader Joe’s DARK CHOCOLATE COVERED Powerberries (no comment necessary!)
5. low-fat and whipped yogurt, including Fiber One yogurt and Dannon Activia yogurt; (they work like MAGIC whenever I got a hunger attack at, say, 3 AM in the morning, and they cost me few calories)
6. pre-marinated salmon steaks (i.e. already-marinated salmon steaks that I cook by steaming them for about 20 minutes in a steamer combination rice cooker . . . similar to the one linked here:Rival RC165 16-Cup Rice Cooker, Red
.) NOTE: Steaming food is extremely healthy, especially in comparison to frying and deep frying. I can't COUNT the number of times having my steamer has kept me from frying up something. And with the some rice cookers that have timers, you can set it and forget it (unlike frying which ties you to the stove), especially if you underprogram the time by a minute or two as margin. I have a rice cooker recipe book (see The Ultimate Rice Cooker Cookbook: 250 No-Fail Recipes for Pilafs, Risottos, Polenta, Chilis, Soups, Porridges, Puddings, and More, from Start to Finish in Your Rice Cooker (Non)) with all SORTS of recipes (meat included) that are fun to try.7. olive-based mayonnaise and dressing for salads (These have become optional for me, though, because I've retrained my taste buds [smile!] and therefore can skip these altogether and go for mustard or eat salads plain [I know! Attribute it to retrained taste buds!] or salads lightly spritzed with those new, low-fat salad spritzers)
8. Hershey’s Special Dark Hot Cocoa mix (just in case I got a serious craving for chocolate that is hot and comforting; may contain high fructose corn syrup)
9. Tazo Green Tea (with lemongrass and spearmint)
10. all sorts of Fiber One products (buttermilk pancake mix for the substantial amount of fiber it contains, granola bars, yogurt . . .)
11. high-pulp, low-sugar Tropicana orange juice
12. 100% fruit bar popsicles (with no high fructose corn syrup) so that I can feel like I am able to have desert at any time I want without sabotaging my progress and the benefits of recent exercise
13. gourmet burger seasoning (specifically Weber Grill Creations Gourmet Burger Seasoning (Net Wt 13.50 oz)
which I discovered while shopping at Wal-Mart one evening); And is this seasoning RIGHT ON TIME, or what?!?? I'd rather have a turkey burger seasoned with this gourmet seasoning than a plain beef burger.14. turkey chili (some brands have it available both with and without beans, and I eat the turkey chili WITH beans and melt shredded cheese on top and add salsa, all this so that I'm including several of the Abs Diet recommended categories of food)
MY ME-TAILORED EXERCISE PRODUCTS TO SUPPORT/ACCOMPLISH MY ABS DIET FOR WOMEN WORKOUTS (Note: See product lists and any reviews below.)
One thing you may notice about the list below is that all of these items are purchases for the home. That was intentional. Being at home enabled me to relax and take the exercises seriously, but also be gentle with myself and stop for a moment without embarrassment if I needed to before continuing. In this way, I eliminated the DREAD that I used to associate with the pain or difficulty of exercise, and I was able to take the gradual approach to increasing how long I could cycle on my exercise bike or the number or reps I could do, for example. That’s why home exercise products--used not randomly or individually in a disconnected way but coordinated with one another within the Abs diet exercise weekly schedule—worked for me.
1. The Abs Diet for Women Exercise DVD
(Please see The Abs Diet for Women Workout
.)At first, I tried doing the exercises via reading about them in the book in real-time (i.e. DURING my workout) but soon discovered that for me, this was too cumbersome (the going back and forth between exercising and reading). Once I got the DVD, though, following the exercise portion of the Abs Diet became a BREEZE and I was able to see how to interchange activities with other (more personally motivating) activities that have the same effects. (Please see the Abs Diet for Women book to see the recommended schedule for interspersing strength training with abs work with cardio and with what the author refers to as an “interval workout”).
Regarding the exercise DVD, I find abs workout #1 and the strength training routine to be efficient (read: “timely”) and highly doable, though it did take me a few days to build up the stamina to complete all the reps of the strength training routine.
Items 2-6 below explain how I’ve been using a variety of products and exercises to accomplish the Abs Diet weekly exercise schedule, which COORDINATES abs work, strength training, cardio, and “interval workouts.” (Again, please see the book to learn about interval workouts).
The Additional Exercise Products/Items I Use Besides the Abs Diet Workout DVD:
2. The Bean and its DVD (NOTES: great, great stretching routine [because flexibility, i.e. having an OPEN body, is a part of fitness]; great abs workout; great total body workout that includes dumbbell work)
Fitness need addressed: high on strength training, high on abs work, slight cardio
(Please see The Bean Elite Kit Ultimate Abdominal Exerciser, Including Guide and Pump
. IMPORTANT NOTE: I have the original version of the Bean that is simply shaped like a kidney bean, and if you do a search for the Bean at Amazon, you will find other packages that include stretch bands, I believe.)3. The Cableflex (NOTES: compact and great for travel; strength training and cardio at once; has kicked my butt but in a good and gentle way that was "under my control"; love how the sets are relatively short, but just repeated [which the result that I don’t get discouraged because I know I can finish each set]; and, the instructor is INCREDIBLY understanding and motivating)
Fitness need addressed: high on strength training, abs work, high on cardio
(Please see http://www.cableflex.com/)High Quality Gt Media Abs Diet For Women Workout Type Dvd Fitness Special Interest Dolby Digital Stereo Ntsc
4. a jump rope and the RopeSport Basic Program DVD Workout
Fitness need addressed: high on cardio, perfect to use for an interval workout, hits the abs some
(Please see the final, listed product, as of 02/06/10, at the webpage http://www.gofit.net/jump-ropes.php)
5. Rock Your Body with Jamie King (a hip-hop inspired workout that replaces my old one, which was the Grind Workout: Fitness with Flava, which had a good stretching routine and which, when performed vigorously, was a good, fun cardio workout)
Fitness need addressed: from the small part I’ve done of this, cardio; the need to just have fun with it (i.e. regarding exercise and fitness)
(Please see Jamie King- Rock Your Body
.)ANOTHER DANCE VIDEO, WHICH I'D LIKE TO PURCHASE GIVEN THE REVIEWS HERE AT AMAZON: The Samba Reggae Workout
6. the Stamina 5325 magnetic resistance upright exercise bike
Fitness need addressed: high on cardio; program 5 is perfect as an interval workout; possibly strength training of legs depending on how strong a person’s legs are to begin with (people whose thighs and calves are already fit may not GAIN much strengthening of the legs from cycling, I’m not sure)
(Please see Stamina 5325 Magnetic Resistance Upright Exercise Bike
.)THE BEST THING OF ALL
I’m glad to be losing weight, getting toned, and eating foods good for my body. I think the best thing of all is my stronger heart (due to the cardio exercise such as the exercise biking, jump roping, and use of the Cableflex) and stronger body. This is because now that I have my current strength and energy levels, a whole new world of exercises is opening up to me. I can go to the gym and “hang” just as long as others. This is important for me because watching all of those people taking care of their bodies inspires me to think, “Yeah. This is what we do. We exercise to care for and take care of our bodies. Exercising is the norm—a way of life.” I don't always get that sense--that understanding and therefore that value--when I'm at home exercising all by my lonesome. (Though I will NOT complain about being able to workout at home because I recognize that it is a blessing!)
The Abs Diet for Women Workout
The Abs Diet for Women: The Six-Week Plan to Flatten Your Belly and Firm Up Your Body for LifeI’m glad to be losing weight, getting toned, and eating foods good for my body. I think the best thing of all is my stronger heart (due to the cardio exercise such as the exercise biking, jump roping, and use of the Cableflex) and stronger body. This is because now that I have my current strength and energy levels, a whole new world of exercises is opening up to me. I can go to the gym and “hang” just as long as others. This is important for me because watching all of those people taking care of their bodies inspires me to think, “Yeah. This is what we do. We exercise to care for and take care of our bodies. Exercising is the norm—a way of life.” I don't always get that sense--that understanding and therefore that value--when I'm at home exercising all by my lonesome. (Though I will NOT complain about being able to workout at home because I recognize that it is a blessing!)
The Abs Diet for Women Workout
Once I finish the last half of the Abs Diet for Women (or maybe a little before that), I plan to add a sport or two my routine--sports that I have always deemed fun but previously felt I didn’t have the strength and/or stamina to engage in for too long, such as playing volleyball and swimming. And I’m just WAITING to stick those P90X videos into the DVD player again. I imagine it will be an ENTIRELY different experience with the challenge of it not being "overwhelming," but challenging in that “I’m-happily-distracted-by-the-DOABLE-challenge-of-this” meaning of the word "challenge". . . the same way that my old hip-hop aerobics video was a challenge. We’ll see!
Hamilton Beach 51101 Personal Blender
CLOSING
Well! It is my hope that something I shared in this guide is helpful to you in some way, even if simply to assist you in coming to the understanding that you will opt to settle upon some other approach to meeting your fitness goals.
Regardless, best of wishes, and let us know what ends up working for you! God bless!
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