Apparently I'm over it

Well turns out said "breakdown" was minimal. Truthfully it was pretty much confined to the pants-half-on change-room cry and the self-soothing pasta consumption.
Today my workout was good, I got my pants on no problem, and I feel just fine.

Inspiration

"Perseverance is the hard work you do after you get tired of doing the hard work you already did." 

~Newt Gingrich

Perhaps a wee breakdown is underway

A lot of good has happened since I began this project....
I have lost 15 lbs
I have lost more than a few inches
I'm feeling stronger & more clear headed
My energy levels are up & I'm sleeping better
I am essentially off of my asthma inhaler
I have worked through a lot of discomfort/fear around working out with a trainer or in front of people
I have weighed myself occasionally rather than being obsessive
A large number of people have told me that they are motivated by this blog and are getting themselves in gear as well - woohoo!!

Despite these "wins" I'm feeling like I'm breaking down a bit...
Progress has been a lot slower that I anticipated (mostly due to lack of commitment to good nutrition, limited cardio outside of the gym, and battling a body that has been living in insulin-spike land for many years which encourages the production of fat), I have had all kinds of weird health things pop up (like giant feet and hair falling out....still not sure why), and for some reason this week I am really impatient with it all. I want to be done now....time for wearing jeans without feeling like I'm suffocating, thinking about going to Mexico without immediately being petrified of my bathing suit, and meeting someone new without my first though being that they are judging me about one of the many things I'm self conscious about. I think this is why people give up so often...it's really hard and saying "forget it" or "I'll start this up again tomorrow (or any time other than now)" can be really appealing. I'm not going to do that (FYI) but here is my yesterdays breakdown.....
I was super tired at Innovative, which has been the case for a few weeks although I'm not sure why. My foot randomly un-swelled and since then I've been feeling kind of crapparoo. Anyway, I pushed myself through the workout (including the damned stairmaster....3 times!) and afterward sat in the change-room for a while summoning the energy to get dressed. Eventually I ventured my way to putting some pants on and no lie, I gave up halfway and sat there and cried....a lot. I'm so grateful no one came in during my pants half on breakdown!
Then I went home and ate enough pasta for 3 people.
Not sure what to do other than start fresh today and keep on keeping on.....

Sugar is a tasty snack for cancer...truth or rumor?

I was told a few weeks ago that a major reason to avoid refined sugars is that they are known to feed cancer. Although I was pumped about this motivating fact, I'm  a research nerd and decided to look a little further into it before putting it forth to you fine blog readers. Turns out it is not so black and white as it seems (like most things in life I suppose). Sugar does not feed cancer cells the way that many articles are suggesting and most are based on a 1924 publication of Dr. Otto Warburg's paper, "On metabolism of tumors."  Warburg was a super cool Nobel Prize winning cellular biologist who wrote, "Summarized in a few words, the prime cause of cancer is the replacement of the respiration of oxygen in normal body cells by a fermentation of sugar." Many people who have referred to his work since this research hit the stands have misquoted Warburg's statement by saying, "cancer loves sugar" which is not really what he meant.

A bit more for the info-nerds like me out there (skip this paragraph if words like Pyruvate and mitochondria make your eyes glaze over)...Warburg's hypothesis stated that cancer growth was caused when cancer cells converted glucose into energy without using oxygen. Healthy cells make energy by converting pyruvate and oxygen. The pyruvate is oxidized within a healthy cell's mitochondria, and Warburg theorized that since cancer cells don't oxidize pyruvate, cancer must be considered a mitochondrial dysfunction. Now that researchers know more about the genetics of cancer, they know that cancer is not a mitochondrial dysfunction, but is caused by genetic mutations. It is true that healthy cells and cancer cells convert their food to energy in different ways, but that difference is an effect, rather than the cause, of cancer. 

 

Although I didn't find any solid info directly linking sugar to cancer, i did learn that increased insulin levels (which are elevated by sugar & carbohydrate intake for sure) have been regularly linked to cancer development. Another fact that I heard which led me to look into the cancer question was that cancer cells when being grown in a lab were fed straight up refined sugar. This is true (partly...they also receive protein) but only because all cells, cancer and healthy, require sugar to live and grow. In no way am I on sugars side - the health issues that arise from overconsumption of sugar are well documented...I do, however, think we should look into the truth about things rather than hold on to "facts" solely because they support our view.

 

Here is part of an article from the Caring4Cancer site - they did a good little summary....

 

Sugar and Cancer: Is There a Connection?

 The facts about sugar and cancer can be confusing. They often are presented in a way that is misleading and anxiety-producing for people with cancer. However, if you learn a bit about the science behind the connections between what we eat and cancer risk, you can make wise nutrition choices for better health.

The concept that sugar feeds cancer is not useful. Sugar feeds every cell in our bodies. Our bodies need glucose, or simple sugar, for energy. Even if you cut every bit of sugar out of your diet, your body will make sugar from other sources, such as protein and fat.

So cancer cells need sugar to grow, just like healthy cells. It helps to remember that there is nothing particular about sugar that “feeds” cancer cells any more than sugar feeds all cells in our body.

Do I need to be concerned about sugar?

Even though sugar doesn’t exactly “feed” cancer cells, it is a good idea to limit the amount of simple sugar you eat. This is because when you eat a lot of sugar, your body produces a lot of insulin.

Insulin is a natural substance made by the body. Insulin can tell cells to grow. In simple terms, insulin can “rev up” cell growth. For healthy cells, this is a good thing. This is because the cells in your body grow, divide, die, and are replaced as part of the natural process of living. However, cancer cells can be encouraged to grow more, too, when our bodies produce too much insulin. So while some insulin in the body is normal, excess insulin may encourage cancer cells to grow more, which is not a good thing. 

This is the downside of insulin: Our bodies need it to function, but it’s unhealthy if we make too much of it.

In summary, sugar does not “feed” cancer cells. However, a lot of sugar can cause our bodies to produce too much insulin, and this is not good for health.

Should I avoid all sugar?

You don’t have to avoid every bit of sugar in your diet. Nor should you avoid all carbohydrates. In fact, the best sources for healthy, complex carbohydrates such as vegetables, fruit, whole grains, and legumes (beans), are the very foods that appear to fight cancer best. So if you do not need to avoid all sugar and other carbohydrates, what is the answer?

There are three other things in the diet that can help reduce the amount of insulin produced by the body when you eat sugar and carbohydrates. These are protein, fat, and fiber. When eaten along with even the simplest sugars, these three items help the body to make less insulin in response to simple sugar.

If you eat sugar with some protein, some fat, or some fiber, your body won’t produce as much insulin. Eating this other food helps your body process sugar more slowly, and this means that your body does not overproduce insulin. In short, protein, fat, and fiber help your body process sugar in a more healthful way.

Putting the Information to Work for You

For an example of how this works, think about fruit and fruit juice. The amount of insulin your body makes after you eat a piece of fruit is much lower than the amount of insulin produced when you drink fruit juice. Whole fruit contains fiber and that fiber helps balance out the sugar in fruit.

For another example, think about eating specific foods together to get a healthier snack or meal. Instead of having two pieces of fruit as a snack, try having one piece of fruit and a small handful of nuts. The nuts contain protein, fat, and fiber. These three things help your body keep insulin in balance.

The Bottom Line

The most important point is that sugar itself is not bad. However, too much sugar, without enough protein, fat, and fiber to balance it out, can cause our bodies to make too much insulin. It is not the sugar, but rather the insulin that may be a problem for spurring cancer cell growth. To prevent this, you should limit the simple sugar in your diet. There is no need to follow a stringent diet and swear off every single dessert. The key is moderation. Use the following tips to help yourself find a healthy balance with your food choices:

• Stick with naturally occurring sugar, such as the sugar that is found in fruit. This is a much healthier option than processed sugar that is found in candy, cake, desserts, pie, and baked goods.
• Avoid concentrated sources of sugar, such as soda and fruit drinks. It is OK to have 100 percent fruit juice in moderation. Stick to a 6-ounce serving. But avoid fruit drinks that don’t contain any real fruit juice.
• Limit your “treats,” such as dessert, to just a couple of times each week. Have a modest serving size.
• Focus on whole, healthy, unprocessed food, including vegetables, fruit, whole grains, legumes (beans, lentils, and peas), nuts, and seeds.

When you understand the science behind the headlines, you can relax and focus on eating a healthy, well-balanced diet that you can enjoy and that will put you on the road to wellness.

New tune

My new fav workout tune is...
Mr Saxobeat by The True Star

Update-ish

I am officially one week free of Licious Living cooking for me and am doing pretty well. I have nothing bad to say about the company at all - in fact, I would recommend them to anyone short of time, anyone who wants an idea of healthy portion sizes, or anyone who needs to be forced to eat healthy for a while (that's me). I just personally don't do well with leftovers on a good day and when food is delivered, it feels like leftovers for every meal and my super crazy overworking brain got a little creeped out at least once per day. I am giving myself a short trial to see if I can control my sugar seeking self and if not, then I'm right back onto Licious - no questions. So far I have been doing pretty well at healthy choices and I think that the month long break of healthy intake was really helpful for cleansing my body and getting my mind on the right track.
Last Friday when I showed up for my session at Innovative with Meyrick, he trickily sicked Richard Brice the nutrition man on me. I "trained" with him instead which basically consisted of sitting on the bike for an hour (ouch - VJ - tuff muff not so much) while he talked to me about nutrition from a biosignature perspective (this is his nutrition training background - I have touched on it previously in this blog talking about the other biosig Richard....yep, both their biosig guys are named Richard). He was really great for taking my unsure inquisition in stride and offered a lot of helpful info. I also walked away with a handful of supplements (as per my meeting with the other Richard) which I will start taking tomorrow. I am not sure why I didn't start right away - I guess I just wanted a little more info before the slew of pills began.
Here's what Richard #2 says....

multi intense - 6 caps per day ( 2 caps with 3 meals)
HCl - 2 caps with each solid meal (not if you just have a shake)
Insulinomics - 6 caps per day ( 2 caps with 3 meals)
Fenuplex - 6 caps per day (2 caps with 3 meals)
Magnesium glycinate 4 caps per day ( 2 with last 2 meals)
Fish oil - 20 ml per day (5 ml per meal / 1 teaspoon per meal)
Ok so thats the supps done. The aim of this regime is to basically make your body tolerate carbs properly again (increase insulin sensitivity). By getting most of your carbs from veg and taking these supps your body will gradually start to function as it should. The more insulin sensitive you become the easier it is to lose weight and when you reach your goal to keep it off. Its hard work at first but after a while it becomes much easier. Maybe I shouldn't say this but in time you will be able to get away with murder and stay lean..... But you have to earn this right!
The same can be said for your metabolism as a whole. After a period of consistently eating enough of the right foods, your metabolism will speed up significantly. Again this makes it easier to lose weight and keep it off! So we are looking at a protein goal of 270 of actual protein per day. If you get to this level and keep it there your metabolism will recover and you will like what happens :-) Remember that meat and fish are between 20 and 25% actual protein so to meet this goal you would have to eat between 1000g and 1300g of meat / fish. For this reason at the moment you can use protein powders as a way to get the numbers up. They have to be low carb so no more than 4g per 100g grams - any whey or good quality vegan protein powder will do as will gotein. Although you can use powder remember that because it gets digested quickly it will still spike your insulin levels and may lead to fat storage. The more meals from solid protein the better  but MEAT YOUR PROTEIN GOAL!
You MUST have one planned fun meal per week. Rules for fun meal - you can eat what you want but you must have it all ready at a table and you have to sit at the table to eat it. You are not allowed to go and get more after you finish, so if you want a load of food get it ready before you sit down! The fun meal will just help boost your metabolism and speed up the weight loss.

Inspiration

"Everyone has his burden. What counts is how you carry it." 
Merle Miller

I'm a stalker

Yesterday while I was at the grocery store, I found myself following around a little kid who had a big cookie to distract him so his mum could shop. It was creepy and weird of me.
Stealing that cookie would have been debatable I think....bad because I'm stealing from a little kid and eating a cookie, but awesome because I'm running?

Neti pots & I are friends-off for sure

I'm sick.
I tried to pretend (to both myself and others) that it was just allergies for a while but unfortunately I'm under the weather without a doubt.
Because everyone is poking fun at the way I'm talking, I decided to re-visit my neti pot (our only other interaction was less than positive) to try to get rid of some of this pesky snot.
If you've never used a Neti Pot...they tout themselves as a lovely and relaxing way to clean out your sinuses. Look at this girl below....so happy to be using her Neti Pot! Oh, so lovely!

My experience...
Right nostril attempt one: STRAIGHT down my throat followed by choking, coughing, watering eyes
Right nostril attempt two: STRAIGHT down my throat again....what the? After I finish chocking again,  I sit down to watch the youtube video repeatedly since I'm clearly doing something wrong.
Right nostril attempt three (now with a revamped sense of confidence due to my internet research): more saline water mixed with snot is sent down to my stomach......this is stupid
Left nostril attempt one: the water seemingly goes nowhere as my left eye begins to hurt....this can't be right...remove neti pot and water pours back out of my nostril (and apparently eye socket)
Left nostril attempt two: please see left nostril attempt one
Summary....neti pots are ridiculous and I'd rather be sick than try to use one again

Let's watch this simple how-to video posted by pornflakes21 to see how simple it should be

And now let's watch this guy who is clearly crazy....

Stomach full of midnight grilled cheese....

I just got home from Laura & Iain's wedding at the Brock House and although super fun, I am fairly certain that I ate 3 times my suggested daily caloric intake in one delicious sitting. It was a good reminder how too much food is fun at the time and considerably less rad a few hours down the road....the pile of potatoes, buns, meat (3 different kinds...I made the mistake of over-thinking that one and got super creeped out), deserts (several), midnight grilled cheese sandwiches, & boooooooze is all making a big mash of what-were-you-thinking in my stomach.
Regret.