The Hormone That May Be Sabotaging Your Weight Loss Efforts!

Because I am world renowned illustrator I have quickly drawn this materpiece to demonstrate Cortisol

ME: Let’s talk about Cortisol!


YOU: What is Cortisol?

ME: Hey, I’m really glad you asked! Cortisol is known as the stress hormone. It is made by the adrenal glands in the kidneys and primarily helps to maintain blood pressure, immune function and the body’s anti-inflammatory response. When you get stressed Cortisol shows up to increase your blood sugar levels so you can deal with the situation. If a big bear tried to eat you then Cortisol would ensure you had the energy to either fight the big bear or run away: the fight or flight response.

YOU: That sounds interesting but why do I need to know about it?

ME: Well do you have many incidences with large bears? You see most of our stresses are from problems at home, the boss from hell or if we are going to get that assignment submitted on time. None of these things really require much in the way of extra energy. I’m really sure dudes like Superman benefit from Cortisol’s quick action but the rest of us just receive a blood sugar spike when we are not doing anything but sitting around feeling anxious. Cortisol also shows up when our body is under physical stress.
Cortisol rises when we have aggressive swings in blood sugar levels, go too long without food, lack of sleep or long bouts of exercise. If any of these situations occur for a long period of time then Cortisol is still hard at work raising your blood sugar and possibly sending hunger messages. So if you don’t burn off the extra energy what happens to it? It gets redeposited and usually around your tummy! I don’t know about you but none of this sounds very good to me.

YOU: Hmmm are you saying I’m fat Golightly? AND if you are are you saying I got like this because of stress?

ME: Whoa steady on. Not saying your fat girlfriend. But, let’s say for instance, you wanted to drop a few KGS so you look more like Jessica Alba then you already do, then it is important consideration. Of course if you just added the Domino’s delivery boy as a friend on Facebook then there are probably other reasons…but I have brought Cortisol to your attention because long-term stress is a well-known saboteur of the girl who wants to look shit hot and feel all kinds of awesome. I’m assuming this is you? If you think you are under stress then talk to your doctor. There are loads of activities and techniques you can use to deal with stress so it doesn’t end up as a spare tyre around your middle: meditation, exercise, counselling. Also when you aren’t stressed large portions of KFC chips are less likely to make it in to your little hands so go see about your stress levels hey?


YOU: Ok! Thanks this has been very informative and can I just say that picture is genius.

ME: Awww thanks.

Let's Calculate Your BMR....You Might Be Spectacularly Suprised By The Results!

While Base Metabolic Rate (BMR) is not a perfect measurement is a the closest one you can do at home with your calculator and is at the very least a yardstick to keep you in check if your wanting to shed a few or a shittonne of pesky kilos.

If you are lazy you could just google BMR calculator and plug in some numbers and while I fully understand this is more tempting than impromptu maths, I really urge you to actually use your noggin and do the calculations below.

NOTE: many of the free calculators don’t give you the basic rate but a rate slightly higher to allow for activity levels.

Fun huh?

BMR FORMULA

Note: do the calculations inside the brackets first. See maths does come in handy later in life? Your Maths teacher was telling the truth!


Note: 1 inch = 2.54cm, 1 kilogram = 2.2lbs


For Women
BMR = 655 + (9.6 x wt in kg) + (1.8x ht in cm) – (4.7 x age in years)

For Men
BMR = 66+ (13.7 x wt in kg) + (5 x ht in cm) – (6.8 x age in years)


Ok so now you have a base figure you can go forth and multiply by the appropriate activity levels below.


Activity LevelSedentary = BMR x 1.2
Lightly Active = BMR x 1.375
Moderately Active = BMR x 1.55
Very Active = BMR x 1.725Extremely Active = BMR x 1.9

SO how did you go? Interesting stuff isn't it.

To really understand this test and also so you will think to yourself - wow, I’m so grateful for stumbling onto this terrific blog that has, in just a few short minutes, markedly changed the way I see the world - I would like you to also look up the calorie/kilojoule content of a few of the foods you regularly eat. This will help you understand, so it is all nice and crystal-like, how the energy (calories) you need and the energy (calories) you consume might just be a touch out of wack!

I remember when I did this test, it changed how I saw weight loss forever. For the first time I realised that it wasn't my hormones, genetics or a slow metabolism that was keeping me from my goals -  I ate too much food for my energy needs.

How about you? Are you going over and  above your energy needs?

Consistency: A Gosh-Darn-Why-Didn't-I-Think-Of-It Formula For Success!

If I had a dollar for every book I have read about the fool-proof, easy peasy, lightening-fast track to success, I would have $66.50: Oh come on, did you finish A place of Yes by Bethenny Frankel?
The point of course (and I definately have one), is that said books are everywhere.  AND look, I can say, with conviction, I've learned many special little formulas that have helped me over the years.

Dr Phil, Eckhart Tolle, Morgan Scott Peck and that guy from the infommercials who walks across fire and was in Shallow Hal.

Seriously thanks guys.

BUT, I have a beef with all of you.

You failed to mention what I have since discovered to be the most important piece of the success puzzle: consistency. Or maybe you did mention it quickly, somewhere on page 170 but there were no italics, bold type, flashing neon lights! I'm a slow learner! EMPHASISE damn it!

Whichever formula you use, whatever rule book you have in play, regardless of the self-help guru you worship the only way to get anywhere is to do something and do that something consistently.

So why is that for some of us (me included) a new plan or activity fills us with excitement and will to succeed only to have it replaced with boredom and a lack of enthusiasm just a few short weeks or days later. Why does standing in the self-help aisle at the bookstore dizzy us with possibility and hope and catapult us towards the counter only to see that book purchase wind up under your bed with last months favourite nail polish colour (coral pink? What were you thinking?) gathering dust?
Why does the plan for success we know is so right for us quickly get forgotten when that cute guy walks past, it rains, Stacey from payroll shows up with donuts or someone says, “happy hour!”

WHY?

So often we blame the plan. It didn’t work so it must have been flawed, right? Better get a new plan.

But let’s sit with this for just a sec. Let’s say the plan, is in fact, perfect. Let’s say just for kicks, that there has never been a better plan in the history of the entire world and the only reason it didn’t work is because you weren’t consistent in exercising it?

OMG! Imagine someone suggesting you, and not the plan are to blame for your complete lack of success. Preposterous!!

Remember Cher Horwitz lecturing her "clueless" friend Tai? "Exercise must be done everyday, not just sporadically!"
And like so many great things we can take from the movie, Clueless, we should add this to the list. Because while the concept seems glaringly obvious, consistency is where so many of our plans fall down.
So whether it is your diet, exercise regime or beauty routine remember that you have to do it everyday – not just sporadically.

A Vanilla Solution To Your Chocolate Problem

I don't really know how this picture of a Vanilla Slice ended up here. I was writing about vanilla and then I got to thinking about vanilla lipsmackers (you remember them right?) and then I was all like, "how scrumptious and delightful is Vanilla Slice?" Weird! But don't go worrying about that because I have discovered something very interesting about vanilla - the scent, not so much the slice.

Dr Oz says the scent of vanilla has been proven to cut down on your cravings for sweet things such as chocolate or vanilla slice.

Starting a sentence with “Dr Oz Says” makes me feel a little smug as though I can just end things here and we can all go out and get ourselves a vanilla candle and start moisturising with some vanilla-scented body cream and our lives will be so much better because let’s face it Oz is some kind of magical doctor with wizardry powers far beyond the scope of many imagination. Or is that the Wizard of OZ? Anyways,  even though we have this on good authority I think we should look into this a bit further. So lucky for you I have done just that.  (Thoughtful aren’t I?)

Apparently using vanilla creates a calming sensation in the body. Vanilla fills your senses so you no longer have the desire to fill those senses with food.  You can use vanilla to reduce stress, depression and anxiety too and let’s face it stress is a pretty big contributor to wolfing down half a block of chocolate so maybe there is something in this.

I tried it and I don’t know. I can’t report that I gave into any food cravings while the vanilla scent wafted through the house but can I say I felt immediately relaxed? Not really. Although I was watching a fairly juicy episode of the Walking Dead; perhaps that counteracted vanilla’s calming properties?

Vanilla is a deliciously lovely scent and if there is even a small chance that its inclusion in my life will have me forgetting about vanilla slice (or chocolate) then I think I should go with it….

Put Your Hands Together For......Coconut Oil (For Your Hair!)

Health circles are abuzz with the sensational benefits of Coconut Oil. If you haven't heard of all the great things it will do for your crowning glory then allow moi to fill you in! Coconut oil unlike many other oils promoted as hair treatments, is made up of Medium Chain Tryglycerides (MCT), so it nourishes cells without stripping them of  natural proteins (awesome).
I'm not suggesting you run out to the shops and drop a tonne of cash on special products either. Just saturate wet hair with coconut oil (the kind you find on the supermarket shelf and cook your steak in!)and leave in, under a warm towel for around an hour. Shampoo and condition as normal. Coconut oil doesn't leave an oil slick like other oils; just silky, stronger, manageable hair. I can't recommend it highly enough!

Goodbye and Good Luck.....Cacao Nibs

Dear Cacao Nibs,

As you are a seriously hip, modern-day super food, with an artillery of cancer-fighting anti-oxidents, insulin stabilising properties and just general health goodness, I have given you due consideration and tried genuinely to like you.
Remember when I added you to my Cannellini Bean Biscuit recipe? Remember the dozens of smoothies you were included in because of your powerhouse of health awesomeness? But alas it is with much sadness that I inform you our relationship, while short, proved beyond any doubt that you do not satisfy my need for yumminess.
I do wish you well Cacao Nibs. Its not you, it’s me. Actually it’s you. I hope you make some other gal spectacularly happy.

Yours,

Holly Golightly

The Importance Of Your Omega Balance

From all reports the Omegas, 3 & 6 are pretty darn important to our health. These guys are essential fatty acids which means the body can't make them - they need to come from our diet.
But there is a big problem. Our diets are handing us Omega 6 in abundance: seeds, nuts, vegetable oils and a range of pre-packaged foods using refined vegetable oils. On the other hand many of us are not consuming enough Omega 3's.
Because Omega 6 functions increase inflammation in the body and Omega 3's job is to decrease it the two need to work together to ensure adequate but not extreme levels. But our diet is failing us and inflammation is escalating. It has been suggested by experts and a range of studies that there is a link between this imbalance and cardivascular auto-immune diseases.
Recently the researchers from Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Washington found that older adults could decrease their overall moraltiy risk by up to 27% by upping the levels of Omega 3 in their diet. Upping your dose of Omega 3 has also been attributed to helping weight loss efforts. This stuff sounds like the shizz diz. So how do we get more of the 3 and less of the 6?
Fishy supplements like Krill oil will sort you out with your daily dosage of Omega 3 but it is important to understand what is passing through your lips too.
If you have a bit of a squizz at the list below it isn't hard to see why you might have an imbalance. If you are regularly snacking on stuff from the baked good section of the supermarket or rolling up to drive-thrus you might have an even bigger problem.
I was suprised to find tuna didn't have as much of the 3's as I thought and have now switched to Mackeral.
If you suffer from inflammation based diseases or you are on the weight-loss bandwagon have a think about the balance in your body!


Sources Of Omega 6
avocado
eggs
nuts
evening primrose oil
flax/linseed oil
most vegetable oils
sunflower oil
pumpkin seeds
spirulina
coconut

Sources Of Omega 3
cold water fish - salmon, herring, mackeral, anchovies, sardines, lesser degree tuna
eggs
flaxseed
grass-fed red meat or wild meat