There are 6 giant floors to tour, to which I, my husband, his mother, aunt, sister, and two cousins all started with our docent guide down on the very bottom floor, which is where the African American culture all began—with slavery.
It’s dark in our history, of course, and it’s terrible that this massive oppression and evil injustice caused such deep wounds that we still see in the fibers of our country to this very day.
So, yes, all of these images I saw on this floor made me angry…but there was one image that literally STOPPED ME IN MY TRACKS and made me downright MAD because it not only triggered my humanity, it triggered the NUTRITIONIST in me!
Here’s the image I saw….
I don’t know if I forgot this fact from history courses or if it’s just heavy on my mind lately with the epidemics I’ve been facing with many of my clients suffering greatly from blood sugar issues, but ya’ll SUGAR SUCKS!!
You see, it was mainly because of the SUGAR PLANTATIONS that caused such a high demand for extra farm help that lead to paying money for human beings from Africa who not only suffered unbelievable atrocities on the boats over to America, but would suffer everyday of their God-given life, all because of the color of their skin.
ANGRY. ^^^
But, even more, as I am preparing my clients for our 30-day June Challenge which will include 10-days doing the Blood Sugar Solution 10-day Detox Diet, I am seeing some tremendous health struggles caused (or at least exacerbated) by this refined white substance.
And while I don’t fall for the trap in thinking that sugar is what I’ve heard some call the “white devil,” I don’t doubt one bit that our enemy uses this stuff against us ALL THE TIME!
Sugar is addictive! Some studies showing it is more addictive than crack cocaine. There is a very good reason why the sugar cane farms were in such high demand so quickly! And it’s been causing issues in our country ever since!
Many of my current clients are dealing with REALLY SERIOUS health consequences that require TAKING A STAND against the food saboteurs--like sugar and anything that acts like sugar.
Conditions like insulin resistance, pre-diabetes, type II diabetes, polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS), Hashimoto’s Hypothyroid, metabolic syndrome, and more.
So, I made the decision to go against my normal “single-step” approach to health to challenge my clients, and any of you who are up for a challenge, to do something far more aggressive to stand up to what sugar (and anything that acts like sugar in our blood stream) can do in your body.
The first 10-days of our 30-day Challenge we’ll be following the guidelines from Dr. Mark Hyman’s Blood Sugar Solution 10-Day Detox Diet where we will be eliminating sugar, dairy, alcohol, grains, gluten, legumes, caffeine, sugary fruits, starches, and essentially anything that acts like sugar in our bloodstream.
BUT, to be abundantly clear, I am NOT saying that these foods are “bad” and I am NOT advocating necessarily eliminating them from your diet forever! Ha! Never would I make such an irresponsible blanket statement (and you shouldn’t trust any health coach who only makes extreme blanket statements like this too!).
Frankly, I don’t think food is “bad” OR “good.”
Food is absolutely neutral, much like money, in that it can be used for GOOD or it can be used for HARM and unfortunately, our food system has failed us by allowing billion dollar companies to stock our grocery stores with fake-food items that are literally killing us and our children. Adding sugar and sugar-like-substances to foods to make them more addictive so they can get more $!
Now, I get it. You might be finding yourself addicted to your coffee, favorite treats, or soda and the idea of giving them up for 10-days sounds like HELL to you.
But,it’s exactly those fears that are a warning signal to you that something is not right in your relationship with food. It’s Spiritual, no doubt about it! And it might be worth stepping into a challenge to help you take your power back!
Evidence suggests that taking 10 aggressive days of a sugar-free life when suffering from addictive traits or health consequences gives you a fighting chance to then make some better lifestyle habits included in my Nutrient Based Eating program.
If you are interested in learning more about the Nutrient Based Eating program, you can begin by downloading my "Top 10 Nutrient Deficiencies" download for FREE (see below). It will get you started in what you CAN eat instead of only worrying about what NOT to eat. Then, send me an email if you want more information on how to purchase the NBE program!
Grab Your Free Nutrient Guide Today!
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Studies are showing that some of the most common weight loss diets are also the least nutrient sufficient in the vital vitamins and minerals! Other studies also show that multivitamins are NOT the answer, as huge metadata results indicate they are associated with higher mortality rates!
My FREE guide not only gives you where to find these most common deficient vitamins and minerals, but also gives you the serving size and nutrition data to help you get the least amount of calories per food choice!
I even put all the information together into 2 days of menus that ensures you can get all the vitamins and minerals for UNDER 1700 calories!
As I mentioned the other day, my road to the the ultimate LEAN life lead to a majorly disrupted Metabolism! I’m currently 2.5 years “post bikini-show” and I am still trying to help get my metabolism recovered! A lot of women struggle with their metabolism, especially as they get older so I know I’m not the only one with this issue. Some women struggle with metabolism so much that fat loss can seem almost impossible. Many prefer to take a surgical route in their weight loss journey, including things like liposuction offered by people like Dr. Paul Fortes. However, there are other ways to lose weight. There are lots of factors that affect our metabolism and weight gain so it’s usually very dependant on the individual. For example, my friend has to get Indolemax from Amazon to help control her weight because her estrogen levels aren’t correct. This also helps with her menopause so it helps her in two different ways! The importance of our metabolism is because we want to be able to EAT NORMAL amounts of food and stay pretty lean!
Our METABOLISM MATTERS big-time if we are trying to live a balanced life. We need to take care of our bodies and take things slow, showcasing the necessary patience and endurance to do this the (w)right way. (Click here for my favorite scriptures to help you with ENDURANCE!)
First, let me preface this next specific topic about your Metabolism by saying there is SO MUCH MORE to learn that I simply cannot fit into one blog. In fact, I wrote an entire MODULE PROGRAM in my Health Coaching programs that goes over all the important factors you need to know about your Metabolism (Module #2: WISE’her Metabolism).
To check out more information on my HEALTH COACHING programs, click HERE.
Nevertheless, in my QUEST TO FIX MY DAMAGED METABOLISM, I have learned the 5 BIGGEST VILLAINS TO SUSTAINABLE FAT LOSS EFFORTS.
Prepare to hate this list with me! But….knowledge is power and power provides excellence!
ALCOHOL: Ok, this one can hurt most of our feelings. You might have read my journey to cut back on this in my WINE-NOT series a few months ago. But there is nothing more relaxing, in my opinion, then a nice glass of wine after a long day. Most of us do consider alcohol our ultimate stress reliever and while that part *does* have some benefits for your Metabolism (by reducing your cortisol levels for a short period of time) it is FAR counteracted by the negative affects alcohol has on metabolic processes.
Alcohol by itself is an high calories (at 7 calories per gram), empty-calories, no-nutrient entity that is a sugar, but a sugar that is especially reactive in our bodies. So much so that our bodies STOP PROCESSING all other metabolic processes (like other food or even our fat metabolism) in order to process the alcohol and get it OUT of the body by detoxing it through our liver and kidneys.
So, drinking just 2 alcoholic beverages will slow down your metabolism by 80% (!!) for the following 4-hours. That’s why you tend to gain a lot of fat when you drink too much—hello beer belly!
Recommendation: Overall, if you want to lose fat, you are more than likely going to severely cut back on all alcohol. It was recommended to me to limit it to just 2-3 glasses PER MONTH.
2. CAFFEINE: So, this one is not ALL bad news. But the deal with caffeine is that the chemical causes a huge rush of the “Fight or Flight” hormones to cascade into high gear for up to 14-hours! That is, Cortisol, Adrenalin and NorAdrenalin. These hormones by themselves ultimately SLOW DOWN your Fat Loss because these stress hormones go into “Sugar Burning” mode instead of “Fat Burning” mode. (Jade Teta, Metabolic Effect)
SO, if you OVER CONSUME caffeine, you might be sending your body into “Fight or Flight” mode quite unnecessarily, all day long! UNLESS of course, you consume caffeine and then actually go and USE YOUR BODY, for something like, WORKING OUT! Stress hormones in the presence of Human Growth Hormone and Testosterone (those hormones that are produced when you weight train) actually HELP in Fat Loss. So it does have a nice condition.
Recommendation: Overall, cut back on caffeine unless it’s just before your workout. Green Tea is a much more metabolically stimulating drink of choice!
Your Daily Dose of Caffeine should be 2.5mg/Kg of your Body Weight.
For women of child bearing age, it is recommended to limit yourself to about 300mg/day.
Here’s a little research I did to put this in perspective for you:
3. SLEEP:We have all heard this one a hundred times, but sleep is SO VERY VITAL for so many things, including your Fat Loss efforts. One interesting thing however is that you have to be careful not to get TOO LITTLE sleep (anything less than 7 hours) or TOO MUCH sleep (over 10 hours) both have adverse metabolic affects on your hormones.
Also, ever wonder why those all-nighters made you so hungry? Studies have shown that getting too little of sleep affects your HUNGER Hormones by increasing your hunger-producing hormones (ghrelin) and decreasing your satiety producing hormones (leptin).
The benefits of sleep is not only in our energy production for the next day, but during our sleep we also experience our HIGHEST Growth Hormone levels and Testosterone (mainly for men) that significantly boost the FAT BURNING machinery in our systems.
Recommendation: Get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. To help yourself fall asleep and stay asleep, avoid caffeine in the afternoon and avoid your TVs and devices 1 hour before bed time (the blue light in them activate our “awake” responses in our Circadian Rhythm clocks). Try to go to bed and wake-up at the same time every day, as this has been shown to help you get in the proper Circadian Rhythm cycle flow.
4. REFINED SUGAR: Refined Sugar, or any sugar that causes a huge Glycemic surge, is an Fat Loss nemesis. The more the food spikes our blood sugar, the more it will send in a rush of insulin, and essentially slow fat-loss. Then, as your blood sugar gets too low (which inevitably happens after the bad rush of Glucagon to break down the insulin), this triggers a the HUNGER hormones (ghrelin) to come in full force again! This is why, when you eat refined sugary foods, you are not full for very long. It is burned quickly and makes you hungry sooner, all while NOT Fat Burning.
Recommendation: Eat foods lower in Fructose and low on the Glycemic Index charts, meaning, more complex and fiber rich starchy carbs. A great resource for low-glycemic foods is HERE. I copied a graphic from Low GI Health website too that I found really helpful.
5. FOOD INTOLERANCES: This one was a surprise to me, but I learned very quickly after my bikini competition that I became very food sensitive and intolerant! I began experiencing very painful digestion issues that caused me so much issues that it’s taken over 2 years to truly figure out all of the “issues” I have (which are far and above just digestive issues by the way!).
But the reason why food intolerances can affect your fat loss efforts in a variety of ways. If our gut lining in unable to break down certain foods or the gut lining ins compromised in some way (leaky gut syndrome, for example) then it will limit the ABSORPTION of the vital vitamins and minerals (which is done predominantly in the intestines). Our vitamins and minerals are HUGE factors in making Fat Loss happen because they are the agents that “turn on” all of the “machinery” needed for Fat burning.
Not only that, but our guts also are huge factors in our stress responses (I carry my stress in my gut which has a huge factor on my digestion too!) and even our cognitive thinking!
RECOMMENDATION: At some point in your life, I recommend doing an Elimination Diet. I prescribe a specific one in my Health Coaching program (Module #3- Nutrient Based Eating) but there are many others. Whole 30, the Daniel Plan, Metabolic Effect, and Precision Nutrition all have varying programs. My friend Lisa Suazo, owner of also hosts a “CLEAN CLUB” that goes through this elimination process too she learned about from the book by Dr.Alejandro Junger, CLEAN.
Overall, these 5 factors can have SIGNIFICANT delays and negative delays on your Metabolism and Fat Loss efforts if not carefully considered.
With ALL things for your body, start with just ONE AREA and determine some new, healthy habits to focus on for a few weeks consistently. Then, as you get those down, add on another habit or two. Soon enough, you’ll be stocked full of all kinds of new habits that will start to really add up to some SUSTAINABLE, HIGH METABOLIC Fat Loss success!
As always, feel free to comment below or email me at amanda@amandawrightfit.com with any questions!
Do you ever wake up in your life and just feel OFF kilter? Your body feels off, which makes your mind feel off? And when both those are off you can bet your behind that your Spirit is affected too!
Well, continuing on what I call my #blessedlifetour2015, I have just returned from a 13-day trip traveling from where we live in Northern California down to San Diego, up to Los Angeles, back to San Diego, out to Munich, Germany, on to Paris, France and finally back home just last night!
I woke-up today feeling ALL KINDS OF OFF!
I want to first acknowledge some areas where I did really well this trip.As many of you may have read, I recently made some pretty deep changes to my WINE consumption and l am very proud to report that in the last 2 weeks, I only consumed 1.5 total glasses of wine which included only about 3 sips of wine the entire time I was in Europe!#ProgressisProgress
Now mind you, had I chosen to drink wine in Munich or Paris, it would have been great and probably worth it.But before I went on the trip, I made a deal with myself and my usual “vices” (which are sweets and alcohol).I decided I was going to give in to the sweets and desserts and just say no to the wine-o.These are just strategies I implement to help myself from going completely off the tracks!
But, what I didn’t have in wine, I definitely made up for in FOOD!
How about this….
German Apple Strudel
Or maybe even this….
Cafe Laduree legendary Macaroons
Annnnnd let’s not forget these happened too…..
If I’m being really honest, some of my desserts didn’t even make it to “picture” status because I had already dove in head first before I had a chance to snap a photo!
Yeah…..I’d say sugar is my “drug of choice!”
I woke up every day with a sugar headache that I would attempt to nurse, along with my jet lag, with copious amounts of caffeine in coffee and tea.I was fully aware of this lose, lose situation I was putting myself in.
This combined with sleep being off, extra rich German and French foods, and 100% of my meals being either packaged goods I brought from home or delicious restaurant richness, I clearly overdid it over the last 2 weeks and my usually clean-eating body feels it!
So, as I do whenever I feel this OFF in my body, I engage in an intentional eating plan for a set amount of time to help myself DETOX some of the chemical addictions wrecking havoc on my bod.In this case I am going to do a 10-Day DETOX.
If you have never tried to rid yourself of your vices, I highly encourage you to give this a shot for 10-days! For most of my clients that do some form of body detox, they often don’t know how bad they feel until they rid themselves of some of the “crud” in their system and feel so amazing!
When you hear the word, DETOX, you might be thinking “Juice Fast” or some sort of extreme starvation strategy out of guilt I have for indulging while away. I know there are a lot of green juice mixes on the market, and my friends live for the ones made in Australia.
But that’s not at all what I mean when I say DETOX.
In fact, what I mean when I say DETOX is actually not only just about food or drink choices. No, no. I make my DETOX about ridding myself of things much more than just food and drinks. Yes, there are some people who find that having a detox can help them with a much needed cleanse. Some even take that extra step further and get a detox machine to help give them that much needed support. Doing research online could help you find the best detox for you, but for me it’s a little different.
Why?Because I know that the reason why my body feels so off is NOT just about the foods that I was putting into it.I know that so much of what I experience as I travel is related to much more than just my BODY, but it is also resorting the old bad habits from my MIND and my SOUL too.
So where many health professionals and holistic practitioners might only focus on what foods to eat and not eat, I am going to make it a 10-DAY SPIRITUAL DETOX to help ALL of those things that I lost as I was away-BODY, MIND and SOUL.
WHAT MAKES MY SPIRITUAL DETOX DIFFERENT THAN OTHER’S?
EASY = EFFECTIVE– I’m not about juicing your own juices or buying all the detox supplements in the world.Eat real food and become more body and mind aware through this 10-days and you’ll feel truly healthy!
BALANCED = BEAUTY-By detoxing out some of the unhealthy body, mind and spiritual habits I will unveil the true beauty within.Those detoxes that advocate just those food/drink/chemical (i.e BODY) related aspects might put a nice bandaid on the wound, but eventually when the 10-days are up, you’re back to bleeding just as you were before.By focusing on the mindset behind those bad habits and the depth of spiritual need beneath it all, you will find true beauty from wounds healing themselves.
FOOD = FUELED-I don’t do the all-liquid type of detoxes for a variety of reasons.
I believe in eating real food, not drastically changing your diet into an all liquid trend.I believe this will make it doable, more rewarding and less punishable all while being just as effective!To maintain your metabolism, you’re going to need to get right amount of protein, carbs and fats in an appropriate amount of calories.Cutting out entire food groups (and textures) will have an adverse consequence on your metabolism!
SPIRITUAL DETOX GUIDE!
BODY DON’TS:
Chemical Stimulants: Caffeine Caffeine is the worlds largest chemical stimulant addiction we have. So many of us over consume the recommended amounts (which is 300mg of caffeine a day). Also, metabolically speaking, Caffeine can be a major hormone disruptor that can affect our ability to lose weight. It stimulates a release of Adrenalin and Cortisol (what’s referred to as our Fight or Flight responses) that cause our fat metabolism to slow way down. (Source: Dr. Jade and Keoni Teta, Metabolic Effect). Now, I promise I won’t make you give up Caffeine forever! Once you rid your body of the intense addiction, adding it back in before a workout will be helpful for your metabolism! Green tea is the best!
Chemical Sedative: Alcohol Alcohol is high calorie sugar that has a whopping 7 calories per gram which are considered “empty” because of the lack of nutrients. In fact, it actually has “negative” nutrients because it steals Calcium and Magnesium and others from our bodies in order to digest it. Alcohol is another example of a metabolic shut down substance. According to Prevention Magazine, just 2 drinks will shut down our fat metabolism by 73% for the following 4 hours!
Sugar (all forms including honey, raw forms, agave nectar , etc so check every label!) Another negative nutrient that steals from our bodies without giving back. Studies have shown that rats became addicted to Sugar much more than even Crack Cocaine! The main affect on sugar, besides the addictiveness, is the insulin surge that comes running in to our systems and then crashes a short time later. Research has shown that much slower forms of carbohydrates have a much more body friendly reaction.
Artificial Sweeteners and Flavors These artificial sweeteners are just as addictive as the real stuff but have some horrible consequences if abused. Even if you don’t consume enough to cause the cancer that studies had shown it to cause, your body still may have a negative reaction by triggering an increase in hunger and cravings according to some studies. Also, according to other studies, it might also cause an inflammation response in your lower GI tract which can cause glucose intolerance and digestive issues.
All Dairy: Dairy one of those foods that many people actually have a adverse reaction to and some form of intolerance of which they don’t know until they’ve gone without it!Some opinion indicates that adult bodies were not made to need milk like infants do, but it might more commonly be just from a gradual decline in the enzyme lactase that breaks down dairy sugar, lactose, that is the real issue.Give your GI tract a rest in dairy can see some very big changes. (TIP: Add in fortified almond mil or dairy free yogurt to make sure you are still getting your Calcium! )
All Gluten (wheat, rye, barley, oats, spelt, kamut): While a true allergy to gluten is rare (called Celiac Disease) it seems as though gluten intolerance is much more common.While it might be due to the way that the grains are manufactured in America, it is often worth giving up gluten for a while to see if you start to feel less inflamed in the GI tract or joints.Since there are a variety of gluten free grain options out there, this should not be too hard to plan.
BODY DO’S:
Eat as many Veggies and Fruits as you want! Shoot for 10+ servings a day.
Eat whole, unprocessed foods when you’re hungry and stopping at about 80% full (usually about every 3-5 hours).
Eat protein, green vegetables, and colored vegetables at every meal.Add in healthy fats and whole carb sources for most meals too.
If you buy something from the store, check the label to make sure it has only real food ingredients and all things you can pronounce.
Drink lots of water, herbal tea (not green/white tea or even decaf coffee as they still have some caffeine), coconut water, kombucha (without sugar added), sparkling water (without artificial ingredients added).
Eat healthy carb sources like sweet potatoes, gluten free rolled oats, squash, carrots, corn, quinoa, brown/wild rice, beans, beets etc.
Eat healthy fat sources like avocado, coconut, olive oil, nuts, fresh nut butters, seeds, etc.
MIND & BODY:
Detox Out the Idolatry of Food:Food becomes an easy idol for us because it’s delicious and gives us immediate gratification senses to our brain.But even though it triggers a “reward” sensation in our brain, does not mean that we should always use it as a reward.In fact, the purpose of detoxing our overly food obsessed parts of ourselves is to rewire our brains to remind us of what a REAL REWARD HEALTH IS! There is no reward like having a healthy body, mind and Spiritual connection to God.
“Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Luke 4:4, Deuteronomy 8:3)
ADD IN: Give this idol (along with all others) to God.Seek God first and you will have no choice but to place all things, including food, after Him.Using prayer, mindful eating and journaling about your meals is a great way to keep it all in perspective.
Detox Out the Busy-ness: So often we run around like chickens with our heads cut off just for the sake of feeling more “worthy” because we think “busy” equates to needed and in high-demand. Well not during this 10-days.We are going to slow it down and stop running so fast. Slowing down allows us to catch onto God’s timing…which is slow, patient and PERFECT.
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” Mathew 11:28-30 ESV
ADD IN:Cut down your TO-DO list.Pick only those top 3-5 things you have to get done in that day and do them first. Take breaks regularly, rest, go for walks, make time for God, make time for others, and SLOW DOWN. You’ll be pleasantly surprised that your life doesn’t fall apart and your stress levels will fall down too!
Detox Out the People Pleasing:Often times we worry so much about making health changes for ourselves because we don’t want to offend others or are afraid they won’t accept it.Well for 10-days we are going to be intentional about our actions and the motivation behind them. We won’t do things without first examining if this is what God is asking you to do. Are you doing things from a place of love and empowerment? Or are you just saying what others want too hear?
“For am I now seeking the approval of man, or of God?Or am I trying to please man? If I were still trying to please man, I would not be a servant of Christ.” Galatians 1:10 ESV
ADD IN:Filling yourself up with the love of God will give you His peace and power. Asking God with every step along the way to guide you and help you in your strength. From that space you will no longer seek ways of your insecurity and people pleasing, but you will seek ways to serve God.It will involve loving others, but respecting yourself first.
Detox OutSelf-Serving tendencies:Even though this will be about getting our health in check, we know that a truly Spiritually healthy person is here not just to serve oneself, but to serve God and to serve others. This could also cover our sexual relations. There are many reasons that people have sex, but those who are healthy spiritually don’t have sex just for their own satisfaction.
“Don’t be concerned for your own good but for he good of others.” 1 Corinthians 10:24 NLT
ADD IN: Write a note to someone every day, do random acts of kindness, plan to help a friend or coworker who is in need, do whatever you can do to make your life less self involved.You’ll find when you focus on serving and loving others, you won’t be focusing on your idols and food! As for the sex, add in Tantric sex; this is all about connection and reaching for a type of spiritual enlightenment which will help you to develop a deeper connection with your partner, enhancing your relationship no end.
SO, ARE YOU IN?
You might think this sounds too hard or painful, but I assure you, it is NOT as hard as continuing to live the high-stress, unhealthy, body-inflammed, soul-dampened, manner we are living now. Just 10-Days is all it takes to wake your body, mind and soul UP to a higher level! YOU WILL FEEL AMAZING! And, it’s only 10-Days. Give up your excuses and give UP your HEALTH. With God, all things are possible.
Here’ a cheat sheet that will break it all down for you! For a printable PDF, click HERE.
(Emails are taken just as a measure of counting downloads)
