7 Simple Strategies to Help You Stick With Your Plan

by JJ Virgin
Hey let’s face it, a weight loss plan only works…if you work it.   And there are a lot of challenges along the way that can throw you off if you let them.  Here are some of my top “stick” strategies to help you stay on the plan long enough so that it becomes your new way of living.  After all, if you live, think and feel like a healthy lean person you will become one over time.

1. Get a clear picture of the result you are going for by taking a picture of your favorite celeb body out there and pasting your head on it.  Put a copy of these everywhere – keep on in your purse, put one on the frig, etc.  You have to see it to believe it!
2. Make lateral shifts – trade your peanut butter for almond butter, your wheat pasta for rice pasta, your milk for coconut milk (unsweetened of course), your morning whey smoothie for a pea-rice blend, your butter for olive oil. 
3. Add before you take away – add more veggies, your morning smoothie, iced green tea between meals and you will crowd out the foods you shouldn’t be having.

4. Focus on what you can have and experiment with new foods in this category.  The best place to do this is at your local farmer’s market – check out arugula, mache, pomegranate, kale, cashew butter, coconut milk kefir, quinoa pasta….you’ll forget all about the foods you are eliminating.
5. Focus on how much better you feel.  Take an initial assessment of your overall wellness: gas & bloating, fatigue, excess fat, skin issues, focus & mental clarity, pain & inflammation, sleep quality, cravings and mood.  Reassess weekly to check your progress.  Quite often we forget how rotten we felt when we start to feel better! 
6. Create negative associations to help you break free from unhealthy food choices.  I know what happens when I eat foods that I react to and that has created a major negative association for me.  I just don’t look at cheesecake or sourdough bread as favorably anymore as I know I will pay for it later and it just isn’t worth it. 
7. Build in rewards to celebrate your success along the way.  Plan to treat yourself to something special when you hit your short and long term goals.  Be sure these are NOT food rewards! Some great ideas are a mani-pedi, a massage, a new journal etc. 

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JJ Recommends

Walnut Lentil Salad

As you may know, I am a Paleo Gal - I believe we should eat clean lean animal protein along with healthy fats, non starchy veggies and a small amount of “slow, low” carbs.   While I don’t subscribe to Veganism, there are some great recipes we can grab from the Vegan world that help deliciously increase our veggie intake.  I hope you enjoy this one from my new pal, the vegan expert, Alex Jamieson, CHHC, AADP. Author of Vegan Cooking For Dummies, Living Vegan For Dummies &  The Great American Detox Diet
Walnut Lentil Salad
1 ½ cups cooked brown lentils, cooled and drained
¼ cup sliced green onions, green part only
1 cup packed thinly sliced baby spinach
½ cup halved cherry tomatoes
8 kalamata olives, pitted and roughly chopped
¼ cup chopped walnuts
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic or umeboshi vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 clove garlic, crushed
½ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1. In a large mixing bowl, combine the lentils, green onions, spinach, tomatoes, olives, and walnuts. Mix well with a wooden spoon and set aside.
2. In a small mixing bowl, combine the oil, vinegar, mustard, rosemary, garlic, salt, and pepper and whisk together. Pour over the lentil salad and mix well.
3. Allow the salad to set at room temperature for at least 20 minutes, stirring a few times before serving. Alternatively, refrigerate in an airtight container for at least and hour hours before serving.

*Refrigerates for up to 3 days for picnics and lunch leftovers!

By Alexandra Jamieson, Plant-Based Wellness Expert
www.DeliciousVitality.com

©2011 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. Nutrition and Fitness Expert JJ Virgin is a the author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy and the co-star of TLC’s Freaky Eaters reality series. Visit her at http://www.jjvirgin.com to grab her free audio: Top Ten Hottest Tips to Get Slim and Sexy Fast

Are You Eating Propylene Glycol?

by JJ Virgin


You eat organic food whenever possible,  you drink filtered water, you use environmentally healthy cleaning products and you wash your hair and moisturize your body with …. Phthalates, parabens, gluten, hydrogenated oils and GMO’s?  I hate to break it to you but even some of the most well known products out there claiming to be organic and safe may still contain harmful chemicals that can increase your body burden of toxins.   Just the bottles alone are often doing the product in by adding harmful plasticizers and xenoestrogens into your product. 
Remember your skin is a sieve, if you are washing with it or slathering it on your skin, you are effectively eating it.  When you think about it that way, it makes you really re-evaluate the products you are using! I did a fascinating interview with a toxicity expert, Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis* and she went into detail about what we are getting in our personal care products (and guess what, just because you spent a lot of money on those products doesn’t mean they are organic or safe). 
She recommended we all go check out the info on the environmental working group’s website (http://ewg.org) where they have compiled the list of products and their safety ratings. I was dismayed to find out that my favorite mascara didn’t make the grade (some of the top brands even had mercury in them) nor did my lipstick.
Turns out many lipsticks and lip balms contain propylene glycol.  And while toxicology reports show that this substance (used also as anti-freeze) poses no health risks (or so they say) at minute amounts, consider that over the course of a year you EAT (yep, eat) over 10 pounds of lipstick.  Then combine this with the other chemicals you are getting in your shampoo, conditioner, Brazilian Blowout (I knew that was too good to be true- can you say silicone!), moisturizer, eye cream….etc.etc. and guess what, Houston, we could have a problem here because these chemicals all get absorbed into your skin and then your body has to handle them.  And one of the top places to store these toxins is in your fat cells.  Dr. Angelo Tremblay showed that rats with higher toxic burdens actually had 30% lower metabolisms! 
 Hey, there’s no way around it, we live in an increasingly toxic world.  So we have to control what we can control by reducing our toxic burden in every way possible while improving our daily detoxification.  I realized recently after spending an enlightening evening with a skin care products expert, Jama Russano, that I was getting toxic exposure in places I wasn’t even thinking about!  So you will start to see me talk more about this in the coming weeks AND I will also be giving you amazing skin & hair care alternatives that will support your quest for optimal health.   For now I want you to become aware of what is in what you are currently using and make that decision to extend your healthy habits to your beauty regimen as well!
Here are a few of the things that SHOULDN’T be in your personal care products or the containers that are transporting them:  artificial colorings & fragrances, benzene, bisphenol A, dimethicone, EDTA, formaldehyde, gluten, GMO’s, hydrogenated oils, mineral oil, parabens, petrolatum, plastics, phthalates, PVC’s, PEG’s(1,4-dioxane), propylene glycol, silicates, silicones, sodium lauryl sulfates, wheat, triethanolamine. 
So just like we have you read the labels in the grocery store, start checking out the labels in the drug store and beauty counters and insist on organic, non toxic products just like you do for your food!
*you can grab this enlightening (okay and a bit disturbing) interview free here:  Michelle Naccarati-Chapkis


©2011 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. Nutrition and Fitness Expert JJ Virgin is a the author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy and the co-star of TLC’s Freaky Eaters reality series. Visit her at http://www.jjvirgin.com to grab her free audio: Top Ten Hottest Tips to Get Slim and Sexy Fast 

Reality Bites: Lessons from TLC’s Freaky Eaters

By JJ Virgin

Not a day goes by where someone doesn’t share with me their food or drink “habit” and ask me if they are a “Freaky Eater”.  By our show’s definition, a freaky eater is someone who has taken an eating habit to the extreme and it is damaging their health, their relationships and their finances. They are quite often in denial about it, they hide their habit and they are powerless to stop.  While it is unlikely that your “habit” has reached that magnitude (if it has, we are casting for Season 3!) but I believe that nearly everyone has a bit of a freaky eating habit that could be keeping them from being their very best.
Fortunately you can use the same format that we have created on the show to turn around the toughest of cases in a week or less.  These are people who have been struggling for years, sometimes even decades and if they can do it, you definitely can….that is, if you want to.
It all starts with acknowledgment.  You need to come clean that there is a behavior/habit that you would like to change. By the way this can apply to staying up to late, skipping your workouts, etc. but for now we are going to focus on food.  Let’s say that you have the bad habit of snacking at night. 
Start a food journal so you can capture exactly what and how much you are eating at night.  By doing this you can really see the magnitude of what you are doing.  If you are eating a few extra hundred calories each night, and most likely these are the worst type of calories – refined carb and sugar calories, this can undermine everything you are doing as it is telling your body to store fat all night long and those extra calories gotta go somewhere.   Look at what this behavior is doing to your overall health - is it stopping you from being as lean, energetic and vibrant as you could be?  Is it getting in the way of your relationship (how about quitting the snacking and spending some cuddle time with your spouse instead?)  Are you wasting money on these treats?  It all adds up and you need to take a hard look at what you are really doing to yourself.
Next set up a course of action.  On the show there are two strategies we employ here. First we add before we take away.  I would make sure that you are eating enough at your 3 meals so that you aren’t hungry at night. I would add a glass of water as it was shown in a University of Chicago study that an 8 ounce glass of water shut down 100% of midnight hunger pangs.  Then we use lateral shifts. Quite often this means replacing a less healthy food with a healthier option like replacing ice cream with Greek-style yogurt topped with berries and sliced almonds.  However it can also mean replacing a bad habit with an incompatible one.  For example, instead of reaching for a snack, go relax in a hot bath with a great book. 
Figure out what will work for you here and lay out your action steps to make it happen.  Start easy, don’t give yourself more than three things to do and make sure that they are things you can have success with.
Get support while you are changing your habit.  You need to accountable to someone. The going might get a little rough during the transition and if you can call a friend or a coach and get talked down it can help ensure your success.   By the way, we have set up special one month coaching programs for this very reason (link here) so if you don’t have a friend you feel comfortable discussing this with, we are here to help.  You will probably find that you not only have a friend who will help, he or she will probably want the favor returned so they can break their own “freaky food habit”.

Could Your Belly Be Making You Fat?

by JJ Virgin

I bet you will agree that there is nothing worse than feeling gassy and bloated but what you might not realize is this could be a symptom of bigger things going down in your gastrointestinal tract that could be making you gain or hold onto fat, crave the very foods that are hurting you and zap your energy. If you are struggling with joint pain, fatigue, brain fog/mood swings, skin issues, constipation and/or diarrhea, congestion or gas/bloating, read on, I have some simple tips that could make all of the difference!

1. Try eliminating the most common culprits – believe it or not, some of those “healthy foods” could be hurting you as they are higher in potential sensitivities AND these intolerances grow when you eat something on a regular basis.  Try pulling dairy, soy, gluten, corn, peanuts, yeast and sugars/artificial sweeteners from your diet for 21 days and track your symptoms, you will be amazed!  And yes, there is still plenty left to eat – think raw nuts & seeds, a rainbow of veggies, low glycemic fruits and clean, lean protein which is what your diet should focus on anyway, ahem.
2. Take time to digest well.  Repeat after me, no more mindless eating, no more dashboard dining, no more_______ (fill in the blanks).  Make time for your meals, slow down, put your fork down between bites and don’t overload the fluids (which dilutes your stomach enzymes) during the meal.  I have found digestive enzymes to be a lifesaver here as well.
3. Search, find and destroy and kill….microbes, yeast and parasites.  Gut bacterial overgrowth can extract more calories from the food you eat and store it as fat, yeast overgrowth can wipe out your energy and make you crave carbs like crazy and parasites can send you running to the bathroom. If you suspect this, work with your integrative health practitioner to clear things up.  I also recommend a daily dose of garlic to keep things in check.  I have been using Kyolic Aged Garlic Digestion Formula 102. 
4. Build your defenses.  Add a daily probiotic to help rebuild your gut flora and boost your gut immune system through high quality whey protein (if you aren’t dairy sensitive) and saccharomyces boulardii.
5. Cool things off. Help reduce your gut and overall inflammation by making an oil change and getting in wild fish 3-4 times a week and supplementing with a balanced essential fatty acid product that contains EPA, DHA and GLA.  Freshly ground flaxseed meal mixed with applesauce is very gut soothing and healing and makes a wonderful afternoon snack.

These tips are from my brand new 7 Step Gut Healing program to help you break through your weight loss resistance and claim the energy, vitality and body of your dreams!  If you would like to be one of the first to experience this program, watch your inbox for how you can get this as a special bonus in May!


©2011 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. Nutrition and Fitness Expert JJ Virgin is a the author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy and the co-star of TLC’s Freaky Eaters reality series. Visit her at http://www.jjvirgin.com to grab her free audio: Top Ten Hottest Tips to Get Slim and Sexy Fast

Don’t Go on a Vacation From Your Health

By JJ Virgin

Having trouble losing weight and keeping it off?
Could be your on-again, off-again relationship with food. Curling up with quinoa and fresh veggies one week, then rebounding with ice cream and French fries the next is often a recipe for weight loss resistance. Don’t assume you can easily work off those extra calories at the gym following a weekend of sweets or a carbo-loaded vacation.
These short-term lapses in healthful eating habits can have a long-term impact on your health and well-being. A recent study out of Sweden found that people who upped their caloric intake and dropped their fitness regimen for just a month still retained some of that weight gain two and a half years later, even after they’d returned to their normal fitness and nutrition plans.
The study authors said this could be because overindulgences boost your body fat levels and even change your body composition. I suspect there may be additional factors at work as well, because the more you treat yourself to sweet, salty, or fatty foods, the more you crave them and the harder it is to stop.
Higher carb and damaged-fat food can also contribute to leptin and insulin resistance, which then makes you better at storing fat and worse at burning it off and adds to the problem. And by quitting the exercise, you lower your ability to handle stress well and could lose precious metabolism boosting muscle mass.
The easiest way to avoid this situation is to not let it happen in the first place. You may be thinking that is easier said than done, but there are a few easy strategies that you can deploy to keep you on the straight and narrow:
1. Keep a food journal
2. Hire a coach
3. Follow the “three bite rule”
4. Weigh and measure weekly
It’s often a self-defeating pattern, but you can bust out of that pattern by focusing on clean, nutritious foods like lean protein, healthy fats and non-starchy fruits and vegetables. When you make that shift, substituting more nutritious foods for your former fall-back foods and staying focused on your new lifestyle, those stubborn extra pounds often disappear AND stay off because you are healing the damage done to your metabolism.
If you want to attain and maintain your ideal body weight, then think of healthful eating, burst training and resistance exercise, stress management and consistent high quality sleep as long-term commitments, not a one-night stand. If you cheat by sneaking soda or candy, then you’re really cheating on yourself!

©2010 JJ Virgin & Associates, Inc. Celebrity Nutrition and Fitness Expert JJ Virgin is a the author of Six Weeks to Sleeveless and Sexy and the co-star of TLC’s Freaky Eaters reality series. Visit her at http://www.jjvirgin.com to grab her free audio: 7 Steps to Break Your “Freaky” Food Habits Fast & Forever.

End 2009 Healthy with these 4 tips

Great Health Tips from: JJ Virgin, CNS

End 2009 healthy and Start 2010 healthy  

• Introduce a new veggie into your life each week. Make this fun as you stand in the fresh produce aisle of your supermarket. Choose something that looks intriguing and then find a healthy way to make it. You can't go wrong by steaming veggies or stir frying them in a bit of EVOO (extra virgin olive oil). If you're a parent, teach your children that veggies make us strong and help us have great energy. Remind them that veggies also help them grow. If your child is making that twisted, this-veggie-will-make-me-pass-out face then ask them to eat three bites before deciding if it's good or yucky. I love to add Italian spices to veggies and you can even sprinkle a bit of cheese on top with marinara sauce to disguise the veggies for your kids.
• Make sure, especially during this hectic season, to keep some 911 emergency healthy foods on you for snacks. You won't be tempted to eat that piece of gummy shopping mall pizza if you're armed with better choices that are easy to carry. Bring nuts, veggies and an apple with you for 911 moments. These are also great for long car rides and for plane trips. If you have a snack at the ready, you will avoid fast food stops or quick snack foods that are almost always just a carb bomb. Remember that you don't really need to snack. If you eat three good meals each day you will be satiated full and have great energy. You won't even want that snack. Do remember to add protein and high fiber foods (veggies, legumes, nuts and berries top that list) to each meal because they will keep you feeling fuller longer.
• Remember that Julia Roberts film “Sleeping with the Enemy?” Well, I refuse to sleep in the same house with the enemy. This means that I don't play eating roulette with myself and keep my favorite chocolate or ice cream in the house. Once in awhile, if I have a yen for it then I'll just go out for a treat. I'm not a big believer in this idea that your will power will win out over those Famous Amos cookies in the cabinet. Famous Amos isn't going to be living with you anymore. By the way, when you have this occasional treat have a mini-sized portion or three bites of it. I promise you will get the taste and feel satisfied without over-doing it.
• Finally, making small, conscious choices as 2009 winds to an end is a great way to mentally get ready for additional lateral shifts we'll make in 2010. Be proud of each change you make because it's a wonderful accomplishment. It's also the best gift you can give yourself.

picture found at http://www.csiro.au/files/images/pggv.jpg

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JJ Virgin is a certified nutrition specialist and fitness instructor, she has been helping people create healthy lifestyles for 20 years.

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