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by Sheila | Dec 2, 2010 | Natural Weight Loss, Uncategorized
Everyone who watches the news is aware of what the obesity epidemic is, but knowing about it has not been enough to get people to realize they may be part of the epidemic and need to make changes. Despite a recent goal made by health officials to work towards reducing the growing rate of obesity by 15%, more and more adults are joining 2.4 million obese Americans.
The numbers:
- 1 in 2 adults are overweight
- 1 in 6 adults are obese
- The rate of overweight Americans is expected to increase by 1% every year for the next 10 years
- The number of states where 30% of the population is obese has tripled from 2007 to 2009 (In 2000, zero states had obesity rates this high!)
Why are the rates growing so fast? The answer seems pretty straight forward to experts – We have an increased consumption and availability of high calorie foods and a decrease in physical activity. People don’t want to eat less or healthier and they don’t want to exercise. Because change is so hard for people, it’s estimated that 3 out of 4 adults with be overweight or obese in the next 10 years.
People should want to make changes – the potential costs of being overweight or obese are great:
- Overweight and obese adults die 8 to 10 years sooner
- More likely to develop diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and cancer
- Health care costs are 25% higher than those with normal weights
Don’t be one of the 2.4 million. We need to work to decrease that number. We know change is hard and what works for one person will not work for everyone. We have had amazing results with the Optimal Body Balance Program and if you are dedicated to change we would love to help you achieve your goals. Check back for details on new program styles, including an online program and a group program!
Source: Life Extension Magazine “US Obesity Growing at an Alarming Rate” Jon Finkel
Nutraceuticals World “U.S. Tops ‘Fattest Country’ List”
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by Sheila | Nov 26, 2010 | Natural Weight Loss, Uncategorized
Celebrate the holidays with delicious foods that are special, festive and still figure friendly! The class will be held at Whole Foods but register with Sheila of Optimal Body Balance.
Our menu for this class includes radicchio salad with frisee and apples, creamy mashed cauliflower, kale with cranberries, stuffed mushrooms, carrot cake cupcakes and a sleigh driver drink. Most of the recipes eliminate the seven most common food allergens while still remaining yummy and beautiful. Recipes, shopping lists, tips and menu plan included.
OBB members – this is free for you and a friend. Otherwise $25 per person.
In addition to the Healthy Feasts class we will also be doing a repeat with a few twists of the Happy, Healthy Holiday cooking class on December 15th. See here and here to get an idea of what we made last time! This class is $15 per person.
Call 608.274.7044 x 12 for more information or to sign up!
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by Sheila | Nov 23, 2010 | Natural Weight Loss, Uncategorized
Here’s a little add-on to the holiday survival guide – a few simple ways to keep your holidays green.
Use real china and silver
Forgo the paper plates and plastic utensils for the real stuff. How often do you actually get to use those nice plates and glasses? It’s a cost free way to add festivity and decoration to the occasion as well.
Use cloth napkins and tablecloths
Also a great way to keep your garbage cans from overflowing. They also add decoration and clean up is easy; just throw them all in the wash machine. And you aren’t wasting money on holiday theme paper napkins – you have nice cloth napkins that can be used every year.
Don’t buy water bottles
Have a pitcher of filtered water available at the beverage station. It will save you money and people will be drinking water out of your nice glasses that you put out. Plus your filtered water is probably better than most bottled water anyway.
Use recycled aluminum foil
Reynold’s makes a 100% recycled aluminum foil that is great for heating up dishes the day of, keeping your food warm before serving and can also work as to go containers for your guests.
Go easy on the paper towels
Try to use real kitchen towels instead. Make them available around the buffet and beverage areas in case of spills.
Buy foods that are in season and organic
Local winter markets can be a great place to buy the ingredients for your holiday dishes. That way you know it’s fresh and you can tell your guests their meal was locally grown and made.
Decorations
Don’t spend extra time and money on decorations. Instead, decorate with things that you will use later or even during the party. Put out bowls of fruit or nuts, colorful squash or a homemade gingerbread house.
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by Sheila | Nov 22, 2010 | Natural Weight Loss, Uncategorized
Part one of this guide outline tips to use when planning for the event. This part of guide will give you suggestions and tricks to use on the big day.
Clean out the fridge
Make sure you have ample space in the fridge for all the food you plan on serving. For food safety reasons, you’ll want to refrigerate all dishes until you are ready to serve them. Keep the cold dishes cold and heat up what you want warm just before serving. You’ll also want to make sure you have space for the dishes that your guests are bringing.
Tag team
Have a friend available who knows the plan and is wiling to help. Setting up and making sure everything goes smoothly is a lot easier when you have someone else there you can rely on. Not to mention it will be much more fun to have someone to cook and decorate with.
Buffet
Serving buffet style seems to be a popular and easy way to present the food, but there are a couple things that you’ll want to keep in mind. When setting up the buffet, you should put the plates at the beginning and the utensils and napkins at the end. This way your guests aren’t trying to carry more than they have to while serving themselves. Make sure you have space on the buffet table for guests to set down their plates too if they need to use both hands to serve themselves. You should also have an area apart from the buffet for the drinks and ice so that it doesn’t get too crowded or backed up while people are getting food. For food safety reasons, you’ll want to put out smaller portions of each dish and replenish it as needed. This way you can keep hot dishes hot and cold dishes cold. Any food should not be sitting out at room temperature for more than 2 hours.
Put out a little at a time
Another thing you’ll have to think about with buffet serving is the amounts of food you’re putting out at once. You don’t want to put everything you have all out at one time; do it in stages and serve food during the entire party. Research shows that people are sluggish after too much food (we all know that feeling), so don’t overwhelm your guests with food all at once, put a few dishes out at a time, and let them know there will be more different choices as the party progresses. This will also help take pressure off of you as the host because you don’t have to try to get everything ready all at once; you can take your time and serve things when they’re ready.
Don’t be invisible
You’re guests actually want to see you and you should enjoy the party, so don’t spend it in the kitchen doing dishes — the dishes will be there later. Unless of course it’s tradition in your family, like it is in mine, for all the women to gather in the kitchen while they do dishes and gossip after dinner. Another way to make it easier for yourself is to put out garbage and recycling bins near the buffet where guests can clean up a bit after themselves.
Not hosting? We have a few tips for you too if you’re bringing a dish to pass.
If you need to do some final prep at the host’s house, make sure you bring everything you need. Don’t rely on the host to have it available for you.
Make sure you transport your cold and hot dishes separately in insulated containers to keep them tasting their best and to keep them safe to eat.
Slow cookers or crock pots are a great way to transport hot dishes and it makes the job of your host much easier because your dish can simply be plugged in once you arrive.
If you’re bringing a cold dish, take it straight to the fridge.
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by Sheila | Nov 15, 2010 | Areas of Weight Loss Resistance, Natural Weight Loss, Uncategorized
Jacquie’s Story
17.5 pounds of fat and 19 inches in 13 weeks!
Jacquie before the OBB program
Jacquie after 13 weeks!
I am so thankful for the Optimal Body Balance Program. I had been steadily gaining a few pounds every year and was 30 lbs. over my best weight. When I listened to the teleseminar about what keeps us from losing weight, I knew I had to sign up. The OBB program uses every strategy for losing weightin a healthy way, but the best part was Sheila’s coaching every week. Each week she gave me strategies to help me balance out my life in every area.
It turns out that I was not only dealing with stress, fibromyalgia pain and constant headaches, but with sensitivity to foods that caused weight gain and belly fat. When I took the blood tests for food sensitivities I found that egg whites and lemon were my food sensitivities, so I cut them out of my diet. Right away I lost belly fat and I began to lose about 2 lbs a week. Through metabolism testing Sheila set an eating plan for me that upped my protein intake, and helped me burn fat all day and minimize the effects of cortisol stress on my body. She provided not only specific meal plans, but also shopping lists for the exact amounts of food I would need.
Within a few weeks I not only had started to lose weight and inches, but I suddenly realized that I had no headaches and no fibromyalgia pain in my muscles or joints. I also did not have the least bit of craving for sugar. Before I started the program, I would get intensely hungry at about 10:30 and 3:30, and felt I had to have something sugary to keep going, so this was amazing. I also had more energy, and less “brain fog”.
Each week when we met Sheila and I set goals for the next week – not only for an eating plan, but for other important components of a balanced life – sleep, exercise, and relaxation activities. When I went on trips she helped me plan how to get the meals I needed while at conferences or on the road, so I could continue to lose weight. She was also incredibly encouraging when I felt I hadn’t done as well as Icould have.
One of the best aspects for motivation was having metabolism testing. A simple test showed how much fat I had lost, how much muscle I was gaining, and how saturated my cells were with water (to maintain good hydration). One week I was discouraged because the scale showed that my weight stayed the same. Then the BIA showed that I had lost 2 more lbs of fat, but gained muscle weight – a good thing. That encouraged me to keep going because good things were happening, instead of giving up because itdidn’t seem like my efforts were working.
A BIA printout showed my weekly progress, and over the course of the program I lost 17.5 lbs of fat, and 19 inches, my belly fat disappeared, and I dropped two sizes. I am still following the program to continue to lose weight and gain muscle, and have now lost 18 lbs of body fat.
Another aspect of the plan was having meal/cooking demonstrations where we could learn new healthy recipes, and try them out during class to see what we liked best. The recipes were delicious, and I am building a new cookbook of really healthy and tasty meals. It has been fun to meet other people in the program and share food hints and where to get groceries at the best prices, and how to change the recipes for new dishes. It was great to be with people who were finding success at losing weight, but more importantly building healthy habits and a new lifestyle.
I am really enthusiastic about the OBB program, and love telling people where they can find help when they have been struggling to lose weight and get healthier.
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by Sheila | Nov 11, 2010 | Natural Weight Loss, Uncategorized
The topic of this post is misleading ingredient claims. Most of us want to see more whole grains and more fruits and vegetables in what we eat. Food companies know this and they fill the grocery store with packages that claim “made with” whole grains, fruits or vegetables. The FDA does not have any guidelines for the use of these ingredient claims. The FDA also does not require the food companies to include how much of the claimed ingredient is actually in the food. The ingredient list can give the consumer some sort of idea because ingredients are listed in order of quantity. The first ingredient in the ingredient list is the largest ingredient in the product and quantity goes down as the list goes on. But there is no way to tell what the actual amount of the ingredient is from the ingredient list position.
This means food companies can easily trick consumers into thinking their product has a lot of whole grains or fruit when it in fact contains miniscule amounts. When buying products that claim “made with whole grains” on the package, you should flip the package over and take a look at the ingredient list. Most of the time, the first ingredient will be “unbleached enriched wheat flour” which is not a whole grain. “Whole wheat flour” is a whole grain, and often times this will be in the ingredient list further down… meaning the product contains relatively little actual whole grains. If you want to increase your whole grain intake, make sure whole wheat flour is the first ingredient in the list.
“Made with” certain fruits and vegetables works the same way. Examples! Strawberry Splash Fruit Gushers say that they are “made with real fruit” if you look at the label more carefully you will find that they products doesn’t contain any strawberries! The “real fruit” is actually pears from concentrate and the strawberry color comes from Red No. 40 dye… the product is also almost half sugar which is not healthy at all. Knorr Chicken Broccoli fettuccini also uses this trick. By using the word “broccoli” in the name of the product it makes you believe there is a substantial amount of broccoli present. If you look at the ingredient list however, you will find that it actually contains more salt than broccoli.
Stay tuned for the next post on “all natural” foods!
