Month: January 2025

Posted in Encouragement/Motivation, Food Stuff

Water Me!

Posted on by HeatherLynn

Any article on dieting and healthy eating you read, inevitably you will find something in there pertaining to the encouragement of drinking water. It helps fill your stomach, making you feel full and reducing your overall calorie intake. silences dehydration disguised as hunger pangs; It is known to regulate body temperature and lubricate joints, helping give a bit of boost to the metabolism. and it flushes out excess sodium which if you leave unchecked, ironically causes, water retention. Water is good for you.

Water can also be boring. It’s recommended to take in at least six full glasses of the liquid elixir on a daily basis, but plain water is just sometimes hard to choke down. Fortunately, there are some great options to make water more enticing and exciting.

Option 1 = Admit it, you like carbonation. It wasn’t just the sugar in the sodas that made you smile. On the market today there are some great “fizzy” waters, better known as “seltzers” with flavors infused right in them. Brands like Waterloo and Bubly have a large line of flavorful sparkling waters with zero calories at a reasonable cost.

Option 2 = Infuse some flavor in your plain water! The natural flavors of fruits, herbs and other botanicals helps you hit that water goal every day. There are a few things to keep in mind with this method.

1 – Never use dried/dehydrated herbs/fruits/vegetables. You will not get the full flavor from these. Always use fresh and try to get the organic if possible. It goes without saying (but I’ll say it anyway), wash produce and rinse herbs to remove chemicals, pesticides and other residues.

2 – Always use cold or room temperature filtered water. Filtering the water will maximize your infused water flavors. Using hot water makes produce fall apart quicker and can compromise the nutrients you are hoping to get out of it.

3 – chop fruit or vegetables and tear the leafy bits of herbs to release the oils.

4 – Fill your container ( jug, glass jar, water bottle ), about 1/3 full of your solid ingredients and the rest with water.

5 – Soak (steep) for 2-4 hours at room temperature or you can soak overnight in the refrigerator.

6 – after the soak, squeeze the solid bits against the side of the container with a spoon to release the last of the flavor and then shake it vigorously (don’t forget to put a lid on it!)

8 – Gradually pour the water from one container into another (referred to as decanting) and filter out your solid pieces. A small fine screen mesh strainer or coffee filter will work well for this step.

9 – Store filtered water in the refrigerator for up to three days. OR you can pour the water into ice trays and have infused ice cubes.

Some interesting combinations to try :

Cucumber and Mint

Parsley and Celery

Ginger and Lemon or Honey

Raspberry and Mint

Celery (with pieces and torn celery leaves)

Watermelon and Basil

Watermelon, Kiwi, and Lime

Blueberry and Orange

Lime, Ginger, and Basil

Lemon, Raspberry, and Rosemary (or blueberries in season)

Grapefruit, Pomegranate, and Mint

Lime, Coconut, and Pineapple

Mango and Ginger

Strawberry and Kiwi

Blackcurrant and Lemon

Pear and Fennel

Lemon and Thyme

Orange, Guava, and Mint

There are so many different things you can try, these are just a few suggestions. Be inventive, find a combination that is uniquely your own!

Happy Drinking!

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Posted in Emotional Well-Being, Food Stuff

Food Noise – Hear me Roar

Posted on by HeatherLynn

When I was young, I remember breakfast discussions between adults about lunch plans and dinner plans.  To me this seemed normal, it would be necessary to have this information so you would know to get things out of the freezer to thaw or to know what time a meal would be served.   

As I grew older, I found myself planning future meals while devouring a current meal.  Often, I would be thinking about it as I drove to work or took a walk.  It was okay, that was the way it was supposed to be. I was being proactive.  

Now let’s go back to those younger days and fill in some time gaps.  When I was offered a baked good or sweet treat, it was GOOD. They made me feel warm and happy inside, albeit only for a short period so I always wanted more and the cravings would become obsessive.   As I gained in years, I also gained in pounds.  I had a yen for the sweets.   Since I lived in an area where fast food was twelve miles away and an absolute special occasion, processed goodies were not yet an issue.   However, I gained my independence and loved the taste of cheeseburgers and fries.    

Adulthood came upon me.  Still planning my meals, thinking about yummy snacks to get at the store, stopping at convenience stores for a quick chocolate bar and then mentally berating myself for being a compulsive snacker with no self-control.  I would become angry with myself and sometimes I would be able to turn away from the temptations, but 90% of the time I would give in.   The underlying reason?   Food had always been a comfort to me and although it was making me miserable physically and mentally, it was giving me brief moments of comfort that I apparently needed as I struggled with life.   

I had no idea this had a name.  Currently its trending as “Food Noise” and I am most certainly a victim of this.   

Food Noise is a preoccupation with food.   For example, after (or during) you’ve had a meal, you may instantly start thinking about your next snack or next meal.  It is an internal dialogue that can be influenced by factors such as diet, mental well-being, and nutrient deficiencies.  

– fixate on what, when, or how much to eat.   

-plan the next meal before having finished your current one.   

-compulsively check restaurant menus or delivery services   

-stress about the consequences of food choices.   

– internally beat yourself up over your lack of self-control but still give into the impulse 

However it manifests for you, the impact on your life and eating behavior can be both harmful and overwhelming to your physical and mental health. 

It is possible to quiet the Food Noise. 

  1. Focus on a healthier diet 
  1. Eliminate the processed foods (no more Fast Food! ) 
  1. Meal Prepping – having the meals prepped makes it easier to not overeat 
  1. Stop buying the unhealthy snacks, get them out of your house, if they are not there you cannot eat them 
  1. Educate yourself on healthy recipes and learn how to prepare them.  Taking this time to prepare your meals makes you more mindful of what you are doing. 
  1. Eat Intentionally 
  1. Make an eating schedule and stick to it.   
  1. If Joe brings in donuts for the office, you don’t have to eat one, you can politely decline and remove yourself away from the temptation. 
  1. Bring healthy snacks for yourself so when you are tempted to give in for that sweet stuff, you have a workaround. 
  1. Exercise 
  1. Its hard to walk and stuff a cheeseburger in your mouth at the same time. 
  1. Find activities that keep your hands busy and your blood pumping, you’ll find that thoughts of food are nowhere in sight. 
  1. Reduce Stress 
  1. What i love about this one is people throw this suggestion out like you are intentionally bringing stress into your life.   Do your best to find ways to reduce the stress factors.  I know some things are not in your control but you do have the power to control how you handle it. 
  1. Get more sleep 
  1. Tired and fatigued equals the desire to fuel up.  If you are rested you won’t feel the extra need to gain energy. 
  1. Look into Medication 
  1. Semaglutide medications tend to activate certain receptors, which promote the release of the hormone GLP-1 which basically quiets your food noise.   
  1. Talk to your doctor if you consider this direction, it is important to make sure you understand all side effects and results of using this method to quiet your food noise.  

I will tell you this.  My food noise started when I was a child.  It’s lived with me for decades and honestly, it’s like a family member in my head.   Since beginning my journey and making changes in my lifestyle, this family member has become noticeably quieter.   There are days, admittedly, when Food Noise roars and is nearly deafening.  On those days, I have my arsenal of weapons to fight it.  An always available full water bottle, a portioned out healthy snack, and a “Before” and “After” photo nearby to show me what determination and perseverance looks like.   

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Posted in Encouragement/Motivation

Brown Fat Keeping You Warm

Posted on by HeatherLynn

To say that its cold outside is vastly understating the extreme temperatures that have descended this week.   Once you hit single digits and negatives, it’s basically like being in a freezer with the fan on.    

Here is some good news though, you can still drop some weight despite the frozen fingers of the arctic scraping at your windows!   We are all born with something called “brown fat”, which is much different than your everyday white fat.  

White adipose tissue (WAT) is the standard fat that is commonly known. It stores energy in large fat nodules that accumulate around the body. The accumulation of this fat helps keep us warm by providing insulation for our organs. 

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) helps maintain body temperature when it’s too cold.  As newborns, we have a good pocket of this mostly behind the shoulder blades, because infants cannot shiver and this acts as a built-in heater. We lose most of it as we get older and form a shiver response to cold temperatures. 

Brown Fat is jam packed with mitochondria, the main energy molecule used by the cell and that is how it gets its color. When brown fat burns, it creates heat without the shivering in a process referred to as thermogenesis. It is during this process; the brown fat also burns calories.  

Everyone has some brown fat you’re born with, and this form is called “constitutive” brown fat. Another form of brown fat is “recruitable.” Meaning it can change to brown fat under the right circumstances. This type is found in muscles and white fat throughout your body.  

Some ways to increase that brown fat : 

  1. Exposing the body to cool/cold temperatures may help recruit more brown fat cells. A suggested 2 hours of exposure each day to temperatures around 66°F (19°C) may be enough to turn recruitable fat brown.  I’m not suggesting we step out into the arctic air for 2 hours, that feels a bit much to drop a few pounds.  Let’s get the outside temps more agreeable before we consider a two hour venture outside!  
  1. Taking a cold shower or ice bath.   While neither one sounds appealing, perhaps just slowing turning down the hot tap while in the shower and gradually working your way up to the cold would be better than just diving right under a spray of icy water.   
  1. Knock the temp down a few degrees in the house.   The electric bill will at least be lighter!  

Increasing Brown Fat is not a method suggested for weight loss primarily.  Consider it an add-on bonus to what you already have in play.  Acclimate yourself to the cooler temperatures, convert some of the white fat to brown fat.   Every little bit helps on the journey.   

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Posted in Emotional Well-Being, Encouragement/Motivation

The Cult of 10,000 Steps a Day

Posted on by HeatherLynn

Walking 10,000 steps a day is the goal; this is more a guideline than a cold, hard fact.

An average American will walk 3,000 – 4,000 steps a day. Personally, I average around 4,300 steps per workday. I stopped using my fitness tracker for a time and recently have put it back in play. In my mind I’ve set a soft goal of 8,000 steps per day, but I accept it will most likely not reach that level without extra effort on my part. This got me wondering where the idea of 10,000 steps came from. Why not 7,000 steps or 9,000 steps?

It was a marketing campaign, of all things, that started this trend and over time it became a sort of mantra for anyone tracking their movement. Around the time of the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, Japan introduced the modern pedometer into their marketplace. They called it “Manpo-kei”, which translates to “10,000 steps”. It quickly gained popularity as Japanese walking clubs formed and the Manpo-kei was the minimum the members were expected to walk. It didn’t take long for concept to start spreading beyond the Japanese to the rest of the health-conscious walkers around the world.

There have been some studies done in which suggest the benefit in terms of mortality risk, levels off in the area of 6,000 steps to 8.000 steps for older adults and 8,000 steps to 10,000 steps for the younger generations. The takeaway is there’s evidence to suggest that moving even a little more is beneficial.

Walking has great side effects on mental health, creativity and the well-being. The very act of the activity gets everything going. Brain power, endorphins, emotions. Sitting on your couch, you don’t feel motivated to do much, but get up and start moving and suddenly, you are getting inspired.

During the cold months, its much more difficult to get outside and go for a walk, so I stick to the treadmill in the house and get my steps in trudging back and forth taking care of my chickens. In the summer, its easier to get out and walk ( albeit when the humidity isn’t trying to kill me ), but the bottom line is, I have to make the effort. No one is going to walk for me and since this is my journey, i have to push myself.

Some interesting ways to get your steps in :

Make the extra trips back and forth to carry groceries into the house.

Park in the furthest reaches of the parking lot and huff it in. Your car is actually less prone to getting dinged and scratched. ( I do not recommend this after dark, be safe of course! )

Return your cart to a cart corral that is a little further away.

Pace when you are waiting for your car to fill with fuel

Do two or three full laps , up and down every aisle, of the stores you visit. Not to purchase or browse, just simply to walk.

Take a nice day and go on a photography walk in the city. I’ve done this and found some very interesting pieces of architecture I normally would miss just driving by.

Find a safe walking trail and walk it. There are maps available online of all sorts of walking trails across the country.

Stairs, not elevator

Bike if you can. Its not much of an option for my situation as a rural dweller, there is quite a distance to cover to get to town and no public transportation.

Plan your weekends to involve things that include movement. Like museum tours, walking tours and such.

Three great reasons you can start today :

Walking is FREE. It will certainly fit in your budget.

Weather can be a hindrance but you can walk inside as well as outside.

You do not need special equipment or clothing to take a walk.

If you hit 10,000 steps, that’s awesome! Set your own goal, adjust it as you progress. Its not about the numbers, its about moving.

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Posted in Food Stuff

Delivered to My Door

Posted on by HeatherLynn

Losing inches and pounds in today’s world is a task that is much easier than perhaps even ten years ago. In the past we had limited resources to help us on our journey; we had to depend on our own sheer will and determination for most of it. Today our resources are vast and seemingly unlimited. From the helpful apps to put on your phone, right to the meal delivery services bringing the food directly to your home.

I’m not big on the apps, though I preach that you should use them. I have them on my phone and I do dabble with them, but I have never gotten in the habit of being chained to the daily logging. It is one of my weak points.

I have also never taken part in the revolution of meal delivery services; however recently I have needed to research them for my long-term-should-be-married-but-we-are-not-yet-boyfriend. He was recently diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes and he is not exactly disciplined when it comes to restricting his diet. To help him out, we decided to get him a meal delivery service and make the new way of life transition a little easier.

I found a great site for comparing different services https://comparemealdelivery.com . This site lists out the top ten meal delivery services and what plans they offer as well as the pricing. There is one for every budget and most give you the option of pausing the subscription at any time.

Why do people choose meal delivery services?

-Time. Schedules often do not allow for you to go home daily and prepare a good meal, nor do they allow the luxury of prepping for the week.

-When comparing the cost to how much you spend at a fast food place – the price per meal beats it out nearly every time and is much more nutritionally geared towards a healthy lifestyle

-A week of meal service delivery compared to a week of groceries is compatible. You may even be saving a bit.

-Instructions on how to prepare the ingredients gives you new cooking experiences and you’ll find many new dishes to please your palate.

-You can opt for prepared meals that have already been portioned out. No guess work involved.

Personally, I enjoy going to pick out fresh fruits and vegetables. I love the experience of pulling a meal together ; including the chopping, dicing, preparing and all the little things involved. It brings me a sense of fulfilment. I love that these services exist for those who do not have that same passion as I do.

In conclusion, I would say, look into the meal delivery system. Its a great resource to assist on your journey to a happier, healthier you.

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