Health NOT Weight Loss

Want to lose weight? Want to have a fit and lean body? If you do, and are focused on weight loss,  you will never be successful! I know, it sounds awful, but it is the truth! The focus HAS to be health. Health is the key to not only a fantastic body, but also a happy life!

Weight loss focuses on a very negative process. The word LOSS in itself is negative. When your goal is to lose weight, your energy is placed only on a number or specific size, not what you gain! Changing your focus on your overall health, you create a loving and positive state of mind! Your entire life will change!  

Diet and weight loss is usually temporary, results come and go. It creates an emotional roller coaster, poor self esteem, and ends in a massive lack of motivation. The average person who begins a 'diet' fails within 30 days! The average person who loses 20lbs on a diet, gains it back shortly after, in addition to an another 10lbs! I worked at a gym for years, and those who's goal was to only lose weight, were never successful long term. 

Your health is your LIFE! Good health IS happiness, it involves doing work on your mind and your body, not your weight. So, get the weight off your mind, and refocus your energy on creating a healthy happy SELF. It will be a transformation, with life long results! Here is my path for great health:

*Sleep! Get 8 hours of sleep nightly whenever possible. Our lives can be hectic and some days 8 full hours are not possible, but do your best to get some rest! The body responds best to a 10pm-6am sleep time. Start a relaxing routine at 8pm. Read a book, listen to quiet music, watch a light and fun movie. Don't discuss bills, money, work, or stressful life issues.  

*Eat whole plant foods. Eating to nourish the body is extremely important. The human body requires  constant fuel. We are herbivores, and if you ever see herbivores in nature, they graze all day long. This keeps them fueled and able to keep moving! Plant foods provide us with the most nutrient dense calories. Plants are the perfect food. They contain fiber, water, and carbohydrates, all things we need to survive. Do not cut or decrease your food source. Calories from healthy plant foods can be eaten in abundance, and should be. If you want to be a vibrant human, do not deny yourself fuel! 

*Exercise. Do it daily if you can. We already know that 30 minutes a day of moderate exercise is recommended by all health professionals, but changing two or three of those days to an intense workout will provide you with even better results. Intense workouts push your body and help develop stronger muscles, including your heart and lungs! Exercise is an incredible stress relief and an antidepressant, doing it daily will transform your body and create a healthy clear mind. Again, look at herbivores in nature, they are in constant motion. Roaming the earth, ready to sprint at a moments notice. We are designed to do the same!

*Focus on the happiness within. We are surrounded by so much stress and pressure in our daily lives. The desire to buy more, work more, be better, look better, and be sucessfull, has become such a burden on our lives. It has become almost impossible to keep up with society's standards, and those standards are all superficial. Happiness comes from within. Being content, relaxed, compassionate, and loving is the recipe for pure joy. Let stress go, move past the anger, accept what is, and move on! Do not compare your life to anyone else's, comparison is the thief of JOY!

*Spend time outdoors. There is nothing you can buy or do that is better than nature! Take off your shoes and feel the earth beneath your feet, take deep long breaths of fresh air, and soak up the sunshine. Modern life has created such an unhealthy and sterile environment for us. We have been conditioned to work indoors for long hours, sitting in temperature controlled rooms, sitting in chairs or standing on hard surfaces, and exercising inside. We've completely separated ourselves from nature. The human body requires time spent in nature. It is truly a 'vitamin' we cannot live without.
Nature helps with depression, anxiety, and stress, all you have to do is open your front door and its there for you to enjoy! Next time you want to exercise, skip the gym and go for a hike or a run! 

*Stay away from drugs and alcohol.. If your life requires mind altering drugs/drinks to happy, relaxed, or confident....then you are doing it wrong. 

Following a path towards great health will result in a the body you desire! Stop focusing on the loss of weight, and focus on a healthy LIFE. 

Superfood or super scam?

Acai berries, goji berries, macca, spirulina, hemp seeds, chia seeds, the list of 'super foods' grows longer and longer each year. Everything from kale to walnuts, has at some point, been promoted as a super food. Companies have made millions, if not billions, selling the idea that one of these particular foods is going to fix all your problems, or one shake containing a mile long list of 'super foods' will create a slim healthy body. Yet, here we are, a society battling obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, and cancer, with a kitchen cabinet full of super foods!

So what is the deal? There is no super food. There I said it! No one food is going to heal all your ailments, no shake is going to reduce your cellulite. Not going to happen! Period. You are falling for marketing. You are being deceived. You are basically being taken for a sucker.

But, I am not writing all these foods off. They are, for the most part, healthy and delicious. You can add these to your diet, enjoy them if you please, but you MUST understand that they are not SUPER. They will not do anything magical, not in a pill form, their natural state, or in a shake. They are healthy, just like lettuce is, or potatoes, or oranges, or oats are! They can add lots of flavor to your diet. They also make eating healthfully more exciting and less bland. Do you need to spend your hard earned money on them to get healthy? Absolutely not!

Just like any other food, these 'super foods' contain valuable nutrients. They definitely serve a purpose. Spirulina and chlorella are great additions to your diet. You can add them to your shakes or juices for an added nutrient boost, but they will not transform your body, lol! This is the problem I have with companies selling these foods. They are always marketed as some sort of magical healer or weight loss potion, and that is false! Companies sell the idea that taking these 'super foods' will help all your weight loss needs without making major dietary changes, and at this point we should all know that is garbage!

The best way to reach your health goals is to eat healthfully, exercise, sleep, and drink water! It is actually easier and cheaper than you think! The healthiest foods on the planet are fruits and veggies! They are ALL equally beneficial and packed with nutrients your body needs. A dinner loaded with green vegetables, sweet potatoes, salad, and a tall glass of lemon water is better than any one super food! Not only is it a third of the cost of these specialty foods, but also easily accessible, which makes staying healthy easier long term! Accessibility and affordability are key here. Spending $40 on a shake you must preorder is not sustainable. Going to your regular grocery store and purchasing foods that are affordable is!

So are super foods a scam? Yes! Well, in the way they have been presented to us, they are! Being promoted as a fix to obesity or cellulite is a scam, being promoted as a great addition to your occasional smoothie is not. Be smart and cautious when you begin spending your money on super foods. Though it is tempting to try them in hopes of getting the dream body you've always wanted, be a realistic and an educated consumer!

Why weight loss is easier than you think!

Gasp!! I know, I know, all this time you've been told how difficult weight loss is, and that it's basically impossible to maintain a healthy weight as you get out of your 20's. Well, here's the truth no one wants to hear, weight loss is easy, changing your mindset and beliefs is a challenge!

Your body doesn't like the extra weight. Your bones, your joints, your heart, your lungs, they don't like the added pounds you are carrying around. Trust me, the body, more than anything, desires to be fit and healthy! Your body naturally responds negatively as more and more weight is added. Aches and pains, trouble breathing, trouble sleeping, and many illnesses are brought on from weight gain. That is your body signally you to STOP AND MAKE CHANGES!

So why is weight loss a struggle? Well, it really isn't. The struggle is the acceptance of what you are doing wrong, and acknowledging that mainstream diets have never and will never work...unless you enjoy yo yo dieting and constant deprivation??? I didn't think so. So let it go, move on, and start your weight loss and health journey now!! The only reason why you have not been successful is because you refuse to let go of the old, horrible advice!

What I have learned through my own experience and years of studying health and food, is that weight comes off as soon as you follow a natural diet! I'm not going to get into the myth that 'we are all different' blah blah, and 'we all need different foods', blah blah. What I am going to tell you is that every single doctor who promotes and follows a low fat plant based diet is slim and healthy. Every person I know who has followed a low fat plant based diet long term is ALSO slim and healthy! I have not yet seen a single overweight person who has been on a LFPB diet, all ages, both genders, from all corners of the world!! Some may be fitter, but that is from their own desire to take their health to the next level by adding fitness.

Here is what they all have in common:
1. They follow a low fat plant based diet (vegan), either high raw, starch based, fruit based, fully raw, or fully cooked
2. All focus on the same macronutrient breakdown 80/10/0 carbs/proteins/fats
3. They eat as much as they please. Absolutely no calorie restricting, ever! Some even count calories to ensure they are eating enough
4. All try to avoid oils, and use nuts, seeds, olives, avocado, and coconut to obtain their fats, but do but make these foods a staple! These are to be eaten sparingly!
5. They do not accept meat, dairy, or other animal products as a food source! It is never an option!

That's it! Though you are probably wondering how this is possible since we are all "different" and require a special diet? Well, that is one myth this lifestyle has completely debunked! Human beings from all walks of life have lost weight and maintained it following a LFPB diet, even those jumping on board in their 40's and 50's!! There are many ways to get the correct macronutrients while eating whole foods, allowing everyone to design their own path! Some do well eating fully raw, some prefer a starch based diet, while others blend fruit with starches, and all find success.

Here are some other tips:
1. Avoid protein shakes, bars, powders! They are completely unnecessary and really do more harm than good. The body needs clean healthy carbohydrates, not extra protein!
2. Do not focus on meal planning too much. If you are hungry, eat! If you have it in your head that one or two potatoes are enough, but are still hungry...trust me, it wasn't enough! The biggest mistake is allowing yourself to get really hungry and craving junk food! A fed body is a happy body! A carbed up mind is a well working mind!
3. Do not cleanse, detox, or fast! There is no need! The only time I would recommend a cleanse or strict detox is if you are extremely sick! Otherwise, this just prevents you from long term healthy  weight loss! The body like consistantly, and it loves fuel! When you deprive it of fuel, it will not preform properly. Those who constantly cleanse, fast, or detox typically go up and down on the scale! They will lose 10lbs and gain back 15!
4. Add in some daily exercise! Nothing crazy! Start with 30 minute walk or runs. Add in some weights, and learn to enjoy movement! You do not need to invest in gym memberships or some intense workout programs. The body actually responds well to the very basics! Humans are designed to walk/run, squat, lift, pull, and push! Those are functions that will help create a healthy strong body!
5. Enjoy the process! Let go of the old way of thinking. Let go of doubt. Let go of not getting enough protein. Trust the lifestyle, because it works!

Dear Balanced Blonde

I remember the day I discovered your Instagram account. I loved all of your pictures, and of course all the The Blonde Vegan tshirts. As an actual blonde vegan, I got excited and instantly hit follow and checked out your online store. I was really happy to find your account, so cute and trendy,....until I began looking further through your pictures. Cleanses, tiny portions, detoxes, long workouts...no actual information on animal activism or eating large, healthy, filling meals. Your entire account was one long cleanse and weightloss program with trendy products for sale. Sadly I held off from supporting your brand and didn't purchase any items as I had a gut feeling you stood for something very different than veganism. I hoped I was wrong, and continued to follow your accounts.

As a few months passed, I saw something that I was pretty much expecting...your 'coming out' as an EX VEGAN. Your story of how veganism almost killed you, lead you down a path of poor health, and an eating disorder. I clicked on your story, read it, laughed a little, and then felt truly sorry for you. Not because you were sick, but because you attempted to lose weight using cleanses and diets, and blamed it on veganism, something you actually knew nothing about.

Here is the truth though. Veganism is not a diet, and one who does not show any support or activism towards animal rights, is not a vegan. Using cleanses or juicing programs to lose weight is a diet, just that A DIET...and a really unhealthy one.  Not only were you harming yourself, but you were also sending a very dangerous message to your followers. When your dieting took a wrong turn and began to affect your health, you blamed it on veganism, not on the fact that you were juicing, cleansing, and eating 800 calories a day! That is not veganism. Nothing about you was vegan. In less than a year of starving yourself, you managed to publicly bash a peaceful and healthy lifestyle, one you never
followed.

I am vegan, a personal,trainer, and a certified vegan health practitioner, my son is vegan and so is my husband. A vegan 'diet' is a well rounded, healthy, and delicious way of eating, and is acceptable for ALL humans! There are millions of options, and plant foods are loaded with ALL the vitamins and nutrients you need to THRIVE. Doctors like Dr. McDougall, Dr. Garth Davis, Dr. Esselstyn, Dr. Barnard, Dr. Klaper, Dr. Greger, and so many others, all agree that a vegan diet is not only healthy, but is one of the healthiest on the planet!

What you were doing was dangerous and not veganism. Your way of eating was frightening and solely based on weightloss...not helping animals, not helping the environment, and not helping your health. You had an eating disorder and probably had it way before you began your Instagram account.

When you came out with the news you were going public with your story, appearing on one news
channel after another, and then writing your book, you made the conscious decision to trash a
lifestyle you never actually followed or supported one bit. What you did was lead people to believe that going vegan is a path to an eating disorder. That the lifestyle is a strict low calorie cleanse...which is so insane and not true.

So as a healthy BALANCED vegan, I would like to educate you on what veganism is:
It is a fight for the animals! It is a lifestyle free of harm to ALL beings, including oneself! We don't starve ourselves or treat our bodies with such disrespect!

Veganism is a way of living. It is a daily practice of progress not perfection. To help guide our fellow humans towards a cruelty free life by leading as an example. Veganism is a beautiful relationship between humans, animals, and Mother Nature.

It is a way of eating that helps you THRIVE. It gives you an abundance of energy to run, lift, hike, bike, or just play! I should know as I do all of the above!  It is one of the best diets for athletes...if you still aren't convinced, ask Rich Roll, Brendan Brazier, Mac Danzig, Fiona Oaks, or strongman Patrik Baboumian.

Veganism is activism.

So as you continue you journey as a meat eater, remember, you never actually gave veganism a try. Somewhere along the way, you found the word vegan, labeled yourself as one,  never understanding what it means. You destroyed your own health in pursuit of being skinny and not healthy. Adding meat to your diet is not what 'saved' you. It was the addition of the much needed calories you needed,
and the end of the detox and constant cleanses you were on.

Please, next time you discover a new word, please do some much needed research before you actually label yourself. It makes all the difference.

Yours truly,
An actual blonde vegan

Running On Carbs

It has been a while since I blogged...mostly because I have been truly enjoying my spring and summer! Spring welcomed running season for me, and summer brought more mileage and lots of fun trails to my already busy life, but I'm not even complaining because I love it!

Running and carbs go hand in hand! It is perfect fuel for all your running adventures, and eating a consistant high carb diet can truly help you make vast improvements. Even as a beginner, a decent running schedule paired with a high carb diet can make training so much better. It is like running on unlimited fuel all the time, lots of energy, even during fasted runs!

What most people do is carb load the night before a run, while consuming a high fat, high protein diet most other days. This is not the best method as the body slows down quite a bit when digesting fat and protein, leaving you feeling sluggish, and adding carbs onto a slow and miserable disgestion isn't going to make much improvement.

Eating a high carb diet means your digestion is moving smoothly and quickly leaving you energized and ready to move! No need to 'carb load' when you are literally running on carbs, haha! Food is your foundation! Though you still need to run your butt off a high carb diet will make it so much more enjoyable! If you want to improve your running, or begin a running routine, here are some tips:

1. Improve your diet, improve your speed! You just cannot out run a bad diet...seriously, lol! Eating too much fat or protein will leave you feeling heavy and sluggish...maybe even sleepy, which is not ideal for running!

2. Start with 30 minutes a day and see how many miles you can manage to run in that time. It is ok to do a run walk combo, as long as you just keep moving! Once you have an idea of how many miles you can run in 30 minutes, focus on speeding up a bit until you can run a 5k in 30 minutes or less!

3. Now that you are comfortably running a 5k in 30 mins or less, begin adding some mileage. Short runs turn into 4 miles, and a long run is now 6 miles. Hills and sprints should also be introduced. Finding a nice hilly route to do your long run is a great way to push your legs and your lungs!

4. Add some cross training like spinning, mountain biking, hiking, or some cardio based fitness classes.

5. Introduce weight training, especially on those legs and core workout. Strong abs, glutes, hamstrings, and quads are the key to speed and increasing distance!

6. Rest! It is important to include a rest day or 2! You won't lose any speed or distance...you may actually improve! Over training can lead to injuries as well as burning out!

7. Get out there and have some fun! Challenge yourself, compete with yourself, sign up for some races, and enjoy every mile!

When to stop counting

To count or not to count? That is the question...well, in the high carb community it is! What are we counting? Calories, and hopefully lots of them! Here's a little background on this. The high carb community consists of many, many fruit bats, but some are more influential than others! Some claim counting calories to make sure you eat enough is extremely important and the key to long term success. Others say to just trust your body and eat until you are full. So what is the best? Should you count or not? Here's a little background on both sides.

High carbers, mainly Raw Till 4 followers, love to smash in the calories, while allowing their bodies to heal and their metabolism to reboot! New comers are often coming from a past of major damage, like eating disorders and obesity, most also come from a sedentary lifestyle. The guidelines are very strict and promise amazing results...eventually. It is not a program which promises quick results. Some gain weight in the first year or two, before beginning to lose. The calorie suggestion is 2000+ for women and 2500+ for men. Sounds like a lot if you are coming from a 1200 calorie starvation diet! But, in all honesty not only is it easy to do, but you all feel really good! No more light headedness, no more cravings, no more need for caffiene, and so much energy! The down side for many...and the reason why many women quit, is the initial weight gain. Going from a past of dieting and calorie restricting to a lifestyle of abundance can lead to weight gain. The body for the first time is being fueled with the proper amount of food. It will store a bit before it begins to shed! From what I have experienced is a bit of weight gain, especially after giving up caffiene, but it eventually came off. Others struggle with this. It truly leads them to question the lifestyle and look for quick fixes, like caffiene, protein shakes, pre and post workout drinks, and eating much less. When they see the weight begins to come off, they swear that Raw Till 4 does not work and some begin to sell all sorts of gimmics to 'help' you shed those pesky pounds and listen to your body.

These former Raw Till 4 followers, end up leaving the movement. They are so happy with their quick weight loss from cutting the calories, supplementing, and drinking caffiene, they have actually
convinced themselves that this is 'listening to your body' or 'intuitive eating'. Since when does your body tell you it needs caffiene? Or a pre workout? That's the thing, your body does not tell you much, you are programmed by your past bad habits, and unfortuantely until you can heal your body and reprogram it, it will continue to lead you down a path of self sabotage!

So, let's get back to the original question. When should you count and when should you stop? When you begin this lifestyle, you need to count calories. You MUST!!! This is extremely important in the beginning especially since 99% of us are coming from a calorie restrictive diet. It has been ingrained in our heads, a programmed behavior! So, trusting yourself to eat enough can be difficult, and most just cannot rely on their body & mind to make the correct decision. The goal is to split up the daily calorie suggestion into 3 meals and 2 snacks. The reason for counting is strictly to prevent UNDER eating, which later leads to binge eating and massive cravings. High carb low fat vegan foods are very low in calories, eating more than ever can be difficult. It takes practice and patience. Learning how to divide up the calories through out the day can help lead you to great success.

My recommendation for clients is to count until your appetite regulates and you have stimulated it enough to actually eat 2000+ calories a day. This can takes months or even years. What I find is those who stop counting too early, begin their bad habits all over again. Behaviors like skipping breakfast for coffee, eating only when starving instead of fueling consistantly to avoid hunger spikes, and craving junk food! Working with a health coach to get to a comfortable eating schedule is very helpful. It may sound crazy, I often hear people say...'animals don't have health coaches or eating schedules, they just listen to their bodies' well, animals also have something called instinct and they trust it. Us humans have lost touch of our instinctual eating habits. We have been poisoned for 1000s of years with meat, dairy, and procesesed junk food. We cannot count on our bodies to eat intuitively. We must LEARN first what that is and how to do it properly. This means how much to eat as well. Unfortuanelty when weight loss is the motivator, majority of people will under eat, because it is a learned behavior.

What do I do when I start to gain weight? This is the hardest part of the lifestyle. I recommend you keep counting and eating enough calories. Begin to exercise regularly, and don't stress over the number. Look for other signs of healing. Are you feeling energized? Does your skin glow? Are you eating in abundance? Are you no longer starving yourself? These are all positive results, weight loss is not the only result you should be focused on! One recommendation I give my clients is just a simple change of foods, for example, changing from bananas to potatoes or rice. Eating less fruit more starches, and adding in more greens, and vise versa. The goal is to stay in the proper calorie count and stay high carb low fat, but there are ways to adjust the food to help promote weight loss. This would be something I work one on one with my clients! It can truly make a huge difference!

Can I stop counting eventually? YES! You will eventually know how much food equals a certain amount of calories! You will be able to recognize what full feels like and how to fuel through out the day to avoid getting too hungry. The goal is to consistantly fuel and feel energized all day. Lack of
calories will drain you quickly! Here are some tips for success:

-food journal and record how your energy was for that day. Record your activity as well. This will help you determine if you need to increase calories on fitness days.
-don't be affraid to mix things up! Try a fully raw day, a raw till 4 day, and a starch solution day. All these lifestyles are high carb low fat vegan and will help keep meals exciting!
-avoid drinking caffiene, as it is an appetite suppressant and will prevent you from reaching your caloric goal for the day.
-don't eat until you get sick! Some people come to this lifestyle and think they must down a 10 banana smoothie in one shot, which leaves them feeling sick and bloated. Be smart with your calories. Split them up, so maybe a 500 cal smoothie, and a 500 cal snack a bit later will help you consume enough food without getting sick.
-use Cronometer to help you keep track of your macronutrients, you want to stay in the 80/10/10 ratio.
-enjoy food!!! For the first time in your adult life you are eating in abundance! No longer panicking about having an extra potato or another plate of pasta! Remember, as long as the food is high carb, low fat vegan, you can eat it!!