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Tag: diet

Join Me for the R3 Fit for Fall Challenge!

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Are you ready to transform your life and prioritize your health?
Join us for the R3 Fit for Fall Challenge, starting on October 6! This is not just another diet; it’s a sustainable lifestyle change designed to help you enjoy your favorite foods while improving your wellness.

If you’re wondering if this program works or not…take it from me, it does. In June of 2022 I was almost 250 pounds and figured what did I have to lose? (Weight, of course) I decided to give R3 a try. I did start losing weight following the plan. Mind you it’s not a diet, it’s a lifestyle switch. At the end of the six-week challenge I was informed I had placed second in percentage of weight loss! I was amazed. I continued following the Real Life part of the plan and by November I had lost 87 pounds. In December I was down by 100 pounds. The following April my weight loss totaled 125 pounds. The best part? I have kept off the weight! It hasn’t come back to haunt me (well, except for 10 pounds that arrived with the prednisone prescription) I plan on ridding myself of those 10 pounds inn this challenge! Who wants to join me to kick off a healthier holiday season?

What is R3?
R3 is a straightforward, easy-to-follow lifestyle plan that allows you to eat the foods you love without counting calories, grams, or ounces. The plan consists of three simple steps:

  1. Reset: Balance your blood sugar and discover foods that benefit you. Say goodbye to unhealthy food addictions and kickstart your weight loss!
  2. Reintroduce: Learn how to balance carbs, proteins, and fats while gradually reintroducing foods you’ve been avoiding.
  3. Real Life: Enjoy all your favorite foods while maintaining your weight loss, even in real-life situations like parties and vacations!

The R3 Process

  • Three Stages:
    • First Two Weeks: Focus on cleansing your palate and eating from the Yes List.
    • Second Two Weeks: Start to reintroduce some items from the No List in moderation.
    • Final Two Weeks: Enjoy guilt-free meals of your choice.
  • The program teaches you Healthy Habits in these seven areas:
    • Community
    • Nutrition
    • Supplementation
    • Water
    • Exercise
    • Silence
    • Sleep

Is R3 Right for You?
Whether you have diabetes, thyroid issues, PCOS, or dietary preferences like veganism, the R3 plan adapts to your needs. You can choose your foods based on the Yes List and explore supplementation to enhance your results.

What Will You Gain?

  • Supportive Community: Connect with fellow participants through virtual training sessions and weekly Zoom Q&As.
  • Wellness Knowledge: Learn tips and tricks for healthy living that you can carry forward.
  • Exciting Incentives: Participants have a chance to WIN grand prizes, weekly product giveaways, and so much more!

Ready to Get Started?
Mark your calendars and get set to kickstart your metabolism and enjoy a healthier lifestyle! This challenge is open to everyone, whether you’re a fitness enthusiast or just starting your journey.

Join Us for the R3 Fit for Fall Challenge!
Let’s embark on this wellness journey together and make this fall the season of transformation. Trust the process, and together we’ll achieve our health goals!
For more details and to sign up, please message me (barbara@hayseedscreative.com). Don’t miss out on this opportunity to transform your life!

Ditch the Diet. Embrace the Lifestyle.

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Are you tired of hopping from one diet to the next with nothing to show but frustration and yo-yo results, you’re not alone? Diets are temporary. But a healthy lifestyle? That’s where lasting change lives.

Here’s what I’ve learned—and what I share with the clients I coach:

1. Focus on daily consistency, not perfection. You don’t need to “start over” every Monday. One off-day doesn’t ruin your progress—it’s just life.

2. Make protein and planning your best friends. A simple protein-forward breakfast and a bit of weekly prep go a long way in beating cravings and stabilizing blood sugar.

3. Think beyond the scale. Energy, sleep, mood, and confidence matter just as much—if not more—than a number.

Ready to stop starting over?
Let’s talk about how to make healthy living simple, sustainable, and actually enjoyable.

Comment “Ready” or send me a message—I’ll meet you right where you are.

Some notes about “Keto Friendly”

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There is a lot to be said about the Keto diet and many store bought items are being marketed as “Keto Friendly”. But be careful purchasing anything listed as “Keto Friendly.”

Why? Because Keto is based on high fat, high protein and many of the foods and food combinations offered in the store are designed purely to get fat grams in the body without any carbs.

For example, most nuts they recommend contain a high calorie to fat ratio and contain very little protein, such as macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, cashews, and pistachios. It’s best to take this snack list in moderation to avoid going into ketoacidosis.

R3 is based on healthy food, learning to adopt clean, healthy, non-emotional eating. R3 allows you to eat many of the snacks listed below in moderation and make certain you are getting your daily protein.

Blood Sugar and Insulin

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Last year, I found myself waking up in the ICU of a hospital, with no memory of how I got there. My last memory is that I was at the airport. I remember having a vague conversation with a police officer. Other than that, I have no further recollection of that day until I woke up in that ICU two days later. Luckily I carry my health info and medical cards with my drivers license, so they were able to care for me. The diagnosis? DKA – Diabetic Ketoacidosis. My blood sugars had spiked to nearly 600 and I was on the verge of a diabetic coma. Considering I had never had any indication of sugar issues — all my bloodwork always came back perfectly normal.

So what happened? My doctors explained that my recent move, my recently broken shoulder and the resulting pain and lack of sleep, burying a parent, extensive dental work and weight loss (a good thing) put quite a bit of stress on my system. All of these contributed to a metabolic imbalance and my body decided to crash—big time.

Turns out the ability of the body to control insulin can make significant differences in the quality of one’s health. Insulin is a hormone that is generated in the pancreas. It is released, optimally, in small amounts throughout the day and in larger amounts after meals.

Insulin and its effects can also cause weight gain, battle metabolic issues and even lead to diabetes. The below article from “Get Your Lean On” gave me some insight and tips on controlling the insulin my body manufactures and I thought I’d share.

It recommends avoiding all forms of sugar, which led me to the R3 lifestyle. The study results showed sugar promotes insulin resistance. Refined carbohydrates are another food to moderate or avoid completely, if you are able, since they are converted to sugars. With my new R3 eating plan, I rarely crave sweets or carb-loaded foods—but I still crave grapefruit and indulge that craving every other day.

The article also recommends eating foods that are higher in soluble fiber and will help stabilize and regulate blood sugar levels. Soluble fiber also produces higher levels of good “gut’ bacteria and makes you feel fuller, longer. I make certain I get lots of veggies (especially cucumbers and peppers) and drink Fiberwise daily. With R3 I do have two healthy snacks every day, usually veggies.  I’m never hungry between meals anymore.

Of course, the study recommends that regular exercise should also be a part of a good daily, healthy regime. Unfortunately with my broken shoulder and subsequent shoulder replacement, I’ve not been working out or exercising for the past year—other than walking the dog, that is.

Finally, I’ve followed the suggestion to increase consumption of lean protein. With R3 I make it a point to have protein within an hour of waking up each morning. I didn’t believe it when I was first told to do this, but it works! Turns out the protein helps to absorb valuable amino acids that build muscle. Eating the right proteins is critical to the overall effect of an insulin “smart” diet, so I pay attention to the types and amounts of the protein I eat at every meal.

You may also want to consider some supplementation in your plan, regardless if your goals are weight-loss or simply universal good health. My company has developed a great tasting shake in several different flavors that allow me to easily and conveniently control my blood sugar and insulin levels.

www.getyourleanon.com/blog_home/2016/08/13/5-ways-lower-blood-sugar-and-insulin-levels-naturally-get-your-lean/

Do you have Metabolic Syndrome?

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Metabolic syndrome is a group of five risk factors that increase the likelihood of developing heart disease, diabetes, and stroke. Lifestyle changes like losing weight, exercise, and dietary changes can help prevent or reverse metabolic syndrome.

The five risk factors are: increased blood pressure (greater than 130/85 mmHg); high blood sugar levels (insulin resistance); excess fat around the waist; high triglyceride levels and/or low levels of good cholesterol (HDL).

Having one of these risk factors does not mean that you have metabolic syndrome. However, having one will increase your chances of developing cardiovascular disease. Having three or more of these factors will result in a diagnosis of metabolic syndrome and it will increase your risk of health complications.

The American Heart Association (AHA) reports that 23 percent of adults currently have metabolic syndrome.

Did you know that there really are NO discernible symptoms for metabolic syndrome? Aside from a large waist circumference of greater than 40 inches in men, and greater than 35 inches in women, most of the disorders associated with metabolic syndrome have no symptoms.

To find out if you have (or are prone to) metabolic syndrome, your doctor will perform several different tests in addition to checking your waist circumference.

Your fasting blood triglycerides will be tested— is your level 150 milligrams per deciliter of blood (mg/dL) or greater?

You will be asked about your cholesterol levels. Is your HDL cholesterol less than 40 mg/dL (men) or less than 50 mg/dL (women)?

You will have your fasting glucose level checked. Is it 100 mg/dL or greater?

How is your blood pressure? Is your Systolic blood pressure (top number) 130 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or greater, or diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) of 85 mm Hg or greater?

If your answers are yes to any of three or more of tests, you may have metabolic syndrome.

So, if you’re having trouble losing weight, metabolic syndrome could be the reason why! When your body doesn’t produce enough insulin to convert glucose to energy for your cells, it gets stored as excess fat. Even though you may be eating LESS than your skinny friends!

If you think you may be one of the 25% of adults affected by this disorder, there are a few things you can do to reverse the symptoms if you have it and if you don’t have it you can prevent it from happening to you.

The first is increase your exercise. Find something you like doing and start slowly. It can be something as simple as taking your dog for a walk more often and gradually increasing distance, or parking further away from you destination’s entrance to increase the number of steps you take each day.

This next tip is always harder than it sounds: lose weight if you’re overweight. It will be easier to lose weight if you do increase your exercise.

Make certain to eat a healthy diet with lots of fruits and vegetables, lean protein, whole grains, and low fat dairy. Go easy on the saturated fats, trans fat, cholesterol, and salt—it will make a difference.

You can also add supplements to your diet. I personally added Peak Performance Metabolic Health Bundle to help provide metabolic support. This supplement pack works to slow my body’s absorption of sugar, inhibits the release of sugar in the bloodstream, and supports thermogenesis as well efficient calorie burning for healthy weight management. It seems to work for me—the weight loss and toning is quite noticeable!

Quit smoking if you smoke. Seriously, does any smoke anymore? It is just so bad for you!

Lastly, Schedule regular checkups with your healthcare provider to monitor and manage blood glucose, blood cholesterol, and blood pressure.

Download The American Heart Association’s printable Answers by Heart sheet: What is Metabolic Syndrome? (PDF)

#themoreyouknow
#knowbetterdobetter
#sciencebasedweightloss

Healthy choices.

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If you’ve ever been on a diet and failed, you will love how simple this is.
You are not required to weigh food, measure, count calories or keep a journal.

I love that it’s not a diet. Most of all I love my results and how I feel!
So glad I took a chance, I’ll never go back. Its all about healthy choices.

Getting on the wellness bandwagon

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Even Weight Watchers has accepted wellness is key.

We just read that Weight Watchers renamed itself to ‘WW’ as consumers want to be well, not to diet .

Weight Watchers rebranded as “WW” to broaden its focus to health. The company, which has helped people watch their weight through assigning points to food and organizing meetings, is renaming itself “WW” to reflect to overall health.

WW’s new tagline is “Wellness that Works.” WW plans to launch a new app and a partnership with Headspace, a company that teaches meditation through an app.

I always believed that lifestyle, not diet, is the way to manage health and weight—after all, when you think about it, the first three letters of DIET are DIE and that’s what if feels like you’re going to do when you are starving yourself on a diet.

Over the past year, I’ve been using the R3 Plan and I’ve seen remarkable results losing a total of 25 inches in the past six months. I’ll share more about that in coming weeks!

Welcome to the wellness plan WW!