Quick & Easy Grilled Salmon and Salsa

Prep: 4 minutes                                Cook: 27 minutes

Wild Alaskan Salmon and Arctic Char are your best choices

4            6-oz        Skinless salmon fillet
1/2         tsp         Salt, divided
1/2         tsp         Black pepper, divided
                             Cooking Spray
4             large     Plum tomatoes, halved
1             small     Red onion, cut into 1/2” slices
1                           Jalapeño pepper, halved
1                           Lime, halved

1.  Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

2.  Sprinkle fillets with ¼ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Place on grill rack coated with cooking spray and grill for 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness.

3.  Place plum tomatoes, red onion, and jalapeño on grill rack coated with cooking spray, and grill tomatoes, cut side down, for 6 minutes. Turn; Grill for 1 minute. Grill onion and jalapeño for 6 minutes on each side or until lightly browned.  Remove from grill, and cool slightly.

4.  Coarsely chop tomatoes and onion; chop jalapeño finely. Combine tomatoes, onions, jalapeño, ¼ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, and juice from ½ lime. 

5.  Serve salsa over fish. Garnish with lime wedges.

Yield: 4 (1 fillet and about ½ cup salsa) servings.

 Calories: 336, Fat: 18.5g (sat 3.7g, mono 6.6g, poly 6.8g), Protein: 34.7g, Carb: 6.2g, Fiber: 1.7g
Chol: 100mg, Iron: 0.9mg, Sodium: 399mg, Calc: 32mg

Seven Ideas to Add More Steps to Your Life!

Someone told me once if you wanted to really lose weight that you needed to walk 10,000 steps a day.  OMG – that is about five miles!!  When I was at my sickest … I could barely make it from my bed to the living room … I think that was only 60 steps.  I am doing better now (in spite of bad knees) and have worked up to 30-45 minutes without having to stop and rest.  But still … that is a long way from 10,000 steps.

There are some good reasons for walking beside weight loss.  According to The American Heart Association, it is a great way to prevent and treat heart disease and the risk factors that lead to heart disease.  Because walking is a weight-bearing exercise it also helps in preventing osteoporosis.  When I was depressed my doctor suggested that instead of just sitting around feeling bad, I should go for a nice walk.  Between the exercise, getting outside and enjoying the beautiful scenery, I found that my depressive mood was definitely lifted even after a short walk.

At this year’s Isagenix Celebration, my hubby bought me a pedometer.  I have been trying to hit the magic mark of 10,000 steps since then … but it just ain’t happening!!!  L

I found this article on Shine (http://shine.yahoo.com/healthy-living/seven-easy-steps-away-10-000-steps-day-130200639.html), that gives some suggestions on how to get in your steps every day.

1. Get a pedometer:  (Okay, I’ve done that!).  The reason this is important, beside keeping track of your steps, is that it keeps you mindful of your goal.  One of the suggestions that the Shine article made was to get pedometers for the whole family (or your walking group) and have a friendly competition to see who gets in the most steps each day!!)  Making it a game makes it seem more like fun and less like work if you ask me!!

2.  Check your progress: Check the pedometer several times during the day. If you get to your first coffee break and you are not up to 2,000 steps yet, you might want to take a couple of laps around the building instead of sitting down for a fattening latte (wow … that is two good things!) If you are heading home after work and notice you are still below 7,000 steps, you need to think quickly if you have any errands you can run (or more precisely “walk”) before you get home.  If not, how about walking the dog or doing a trip around the park with the kids.  (This is when a crockpot comes in handy so you don’t have to worry about fixing dinner right away when you get home).

3. Walk your kids to school:  If they are not in high school it can be a really great bonding time for you and the munchkins.  If they are in high school, forget it!! They wouldn’t be caught dead having a parent escorting them to school. The walk home gives you time to run errands, have time to plan out the rest of the day, or just have a peaceful time for yourself. All these activities will add steps to your meter and a smile to your face!

4. Work drop-ins:  If you are at work, get up to see a colleague instead of texting them, emailing them, calling them or instant messaging them. Have a walking meeting instead of a phone call. Talking face-to-face is almost a lost art. Walking over to someone’s desk to actually speak to them will be a shock for them I am sure, but it might catch on.  Think of how much healthier everyone would be if it did.

5.  Skip the elevator:  Walk up and down stairs instead of using the elevator.  If you have bad knees like me, take the elevator up, and then use the steps to walk back down to the ground floor.  Too many floors to walk?  Break it up. Take the stairs up one flight and then take the elevator the rest of the way.  When that gets easy, walk up two levels before taking the elevator. Keep adding flights until you can easily make it to the top.  If you are a real adventurer, try doing this more than once a day.

6. Park farther away: This is my hubby’s favorite trick.  I have a disability parking placard for my car, and yet he decides to take the furthest parking space he can find.  I used to get all huffy about it, but now I just think of it as an easy way to get more steps in.  If you take the bus or tram to work, get off a stop or two early and then walk the rest of the way.  Walking is a nice way to clear your mind in the morning and you’ll be ready to sit behind your desk the rest of the day.

7.  Browse more:  I used to say that my favorite exercise was “power shopping.”  I loved to go to the store and walk up and down the aisles looking at everything they sold.  It was a lot of fun.  You don’t have to spend money, and you still get the fun of shopping.  My hubby and I also mall walk or aisle walk when the weather is bad outside.  We both enjoy it even though the cashiers keep wondering if we are ever going to buy anything.

Well there are seven easy ways to get more steps on your pedometer.  I am going to try them out starting tomorrow morning.  I know that you have to make a plan and then work it. Being mindful of your goal will help you reach it.  As you are walking, think about how good you are going to feel as you get ready for bed and see that you really did accomplish 10,000 steps.

Happy Walking – Let me know how you do!

Choices

I've made my choice ... Have you made yours?

Image from strengthfortomorrow.com

Confused About Portion Sizes? I Was!!

During my "Welcome to Diabetes Survival Class" (that's what I called it anyway), the instructors talked a lot about "portion sizes."  When I compared the sizes of the food portions I was actually eating to the pictures of the proper portion sizes, it turns out that I was misjudging the size of my portions by quite a bit (erring usually on the side of "too much" rather than "too little.") I think this is a natural consequence of eating in restaurants!!  The portion sizes you get on your plate are usually double the portion size you SHOULD be eating.

This article by Jane Kirby, RD and The American Dietetic Association can be found on Dummies.com, and it gave me a handy guide for determining the size of the portion I should be eating.  The bonus is that I can usually get two dinners for the price of one at most restaurants!!!

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When considering your nutritional needs, the amount you eat is as important as what you eat. Because people have diets filled with restaurant and convenience store foods, it’s difficult to remember how large a serving should be.

Portions of takeout food are much larger than the standard portion sizes defined in the Food Guide Pyramid. Even cookbooks are instructing people to serve larger portions. For example, the 1964 edition of The Joy of Cooking recommends cutting a 13-x-9-inch pan of brownies into 30 bars; the 1997 version is cut into 16 bars.

The following table lists the sizes of many foods that constitute one serving.

What Counts as a Serving:

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta: 1 slice of bread; half a hamburger bun or English muffin; 1 small roll, biscuit, or muffin; 5 to 6 small or 3 to 4 large crackers; 1/2 cup cooked cereal, rice, or pasta; 1 ounce ready-to-eat cereal.

Fruit:   One whole fruit, such as a medium apple, banana, or orange; half a grapefruit; a melon wedge; 3/4 cup fruit juice; 1/2 cup berries; 1/2 cup chopped fresh, cooked, or canned fruit; 1/4 cup dried fruit.
Vegetable: 1/2 cup cooked vegetables; 1/2 cup chopped raw vegetables; 1 cup leafy raw vegetables, such as lettuce or spinach; 1/2 cup cooked beans, peas, or other legumes*; 3/4 cup vegetable juice.

Milk, Yogurt, and Cheese: 1 cup milk, 8 ounces yogurt, 11/2 ounces natural cheese, 2 ounces processed cheese.

Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs, and Nuts:   Amounts should total 2 to 3 servings (for a total of 5 to 7 ounces) of cooked lean meat, poultry without skin, or fish per day. Count 1 egg; 1/2 cup cooked beans, peas, or other legumes*; or 2 tablespoons peanut butter as 1 ounce of meat.

Fats, Oils, and Sweets: Use sparingly.

* Note that you can count dry beans, peas, and other legumes as a serving of vegetables or a serving of meat, but the same bowl of beans can’t count as a serving from both groups.

A half-ounce of peanuts. An ounce of cheese. Two cups of popcorn. A quarter cup of sunflower seeds. A teaspoon of butter. A 3-ounce chicken breast. These are foods that you’re apt to run into when you’re eating on the run. After all, no one goes to a restaurant or movie theatre packing measuring spoons or cups. So how are you going to know what a serving of these foods look like?

A deck of cards is about the size of a 3-ounce chicken breast, but if the cards you play are on your computer screen, you may not recognize what a portion looks like. But you take something with you wherever you go that can help you with portion size — the palm of your hand. That is, if you’re an average female. Gentlemen, hold your honey’s hand more often to get a sense of size. Better still, make sure to take her to restaurants and movies with you. Some other “handy” measurements are shown here.

You can use your hand to judge portions sizes.

Herbed Chicken w/Raspberry Balsamic Sauce (Recipe)

I served this for company dinner last night ... and it was a major "hit" with everyone.  I didn't tell them how easy this was to make or that it was only 230 calories. The prep took me about 5 minutes, and it took the chicken about 20 minutes to cook up to the proper temp!!  This is a perfect recipe for a summer dinner.

Herbed Chicken with Raspberry Balsamic Sauce

1       teaspoon       olive oil
1/2    cup               red onions, chopped
1       Tablespoon  garlic, minced
1       pinch            red pepper flakes
1/2    teaspoon      dried thyme OR 1-1/2 tsp fresh thyme
1/2    teaspoon      salt, divided
4      (4-6oz)         boneless skinless chicken breasts
1/3   cup               seedless raspberry preserves (I used low sugar raspberry preserves)
2      Tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1/4   teaspoon      black pepper

1.  Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat, add onion and garlic and saute 5 minutes.

2.  Sprinkle thyme and 1/4 teaspoon of salt over chicken.

3.  Add chicken to the skillet; saute 6 minutres on each side (or until internal temperature reaches 170 degrees).

4.  Remove chicken from skillet and keep warm.

5.  Reduce heat to medium, add 1/4 teaspoon salt, preserves, vinegar, and pepper to skillet, stirring until the preserves melt.

6.  To Serve:  Spoon sauce over chicken and serve immediately Or return chicken to pan and coat chicken evenly, serve immediately.

Nutritional Information:  (1 serving = 1 chicken breast with sauce)
Calories:  229.1         
Total Fat: 4.1g (Sat. Fat 0.8g)         
Cholesterol:  72.5         
Sodium:  433.5mg
Total Carbohydrates:  21.7g (Dietary Fiber 0.7g, Sugars 14.9g)         
Protein: 24.4g

Notes: 
             1.  If you want a thicker sauce, let it cool slightly before pouring it over the chicken.            
             2.  I am going to try this with other no-sugar preserves to see how it works:  apricot, blackberry, peach.

             3.  This recipe is also diabetic friendly..
            

How to Build a Salad

With all of our veggies coming ripe at the same time, we are eating a lot more salads.  I found this article on CalorieCount.  Now I am really ready to take on all those vegetables in our garden.

How to Build a Salad that Satisfies
By Brittany Mullins



People often think of a salad as an appetizer, diet food or something that won’t fill them up for longer than an hour. This isn’t always the case. With a little planning you can make a nutritious salad that will satisfy your taste buds and keep you feeling full for hours. You don’t even need a recipe! The key to building a meal-sized salad that won’t break the calorie bank is having about three quarters of the salad be fresh vegetables and the other quarter protein and a healthy fat.

Simply choose your favorite greens as a base and top with veggies, a protein and a healthy fat. Here’s a list of items to help you get started creating hearty, healthy and delicious salads:

Greens:

• Spinach
• Arugula
• Romaine
• Spring mix
• Kale

Vegetables: (It’s best to choose veggies that are in season)

• Tomatoes, fresh or sun-dried
• Cucumbers
• Zucchini or other squash
• Mushrooms
• Yellow, orange, red, or green bell peppers
• Cabbage, sliced
• Carrots
• Beets, roasted or boiled
• Radishes
• Sweet corn
• Sweet potatoes, roasted or steamed
• Peas
• Onion
• Artichoke hearts
• Roasted red peppers
• Hearts of palm

Protein:

• Lean cuts of grilled or baked meat – chicken, turkey pork or beef
• Shrimp, crab meat, scallops or other seafood
• Salmon, tuna or other fish
• Tofu, plain or cooked
• Tempeh, plain or cooked
• Edamame
• Beans - black beans, garbanzo beans, kidney beans
• Hummus
• Crumbled veggie burger
• Hard boiled eggs
• Cottage cheese
• Low-fat cheese

Healthy Fats:

• Avocado
• Nuts (I like almonds, walnuts and pine nuts)
• Sunflower seeds
• Sesame seeds
• Olive oil based dressings
• Flax seed oil or ground flax seeds
• Hemp seeds
• Olive oil (and vinegar)
• Olives

 Other Notes:

• Don’t drench your salad in dressing. If the salad ingredients are fresh and in season they’re often very flavorful on their own.
• Throwing leftovers on salads is the best- leftover grilled and roasted veggies (straight from the fridge) make great salad toppings.
• Complex carbs are a fun addition as well – wheat berries, whole grain cous cous, quinoa or orzo are all great options
• Fruits are also a great addition to salads in the summer time – try adding strawberries, blueberries, pears, and figs.

As for preparing the salad, simply toss the ingredients of your choice into a large bowl (or small bowl for a single salad) and enjoy. You can plan ahead and prep some of the more time consuming items early. For instance you can chop veggies and cook a pot of beans on Sunday evening so weekday lunches or dinners can be thrown together in a flash. Have fun trying out the endless number of salad possibilities!

Benefits of Walking

After reading this article I decided, even with my bad knees, that I need to start walking more.  I am soon going to have a great looking body and I want to have the time to enjoy it ... so grab your pedometer and join me!!!

Benefits of Walking -- http://health.yahoo.net/experts/dayinhealth/easiest-way-live-longer

Did you know that every minute you walk can extend your life by 1.5 to 2 minutes? In addition, many studies show that people who walk regularly live longer, weigh less, have lower blood pressure, and enjoy better overall health than non-walkers.

Ready to lace on your shoes? If you want to add to the amount of walking you do, just clip on a pedometer. That simple action actually increases your physical activity by over 2100 steps per day, a review that pooled data from 26 studies found.

Here’s a look at ten benefits of walking.

Walking Increases Your Lifespan

Walking more than an hour a day improves life expectancy significantly, a 2011 study showed. The researchers looked at 27,738 participants between the ages of 40 and 79 over a 13-year period. Surprisingly, their lifetime medical costs did not increase—even though they lived longer.

“An increase in walking time at the population level would bring about a tremendous change in people’s health and medical cost,” the study authors wrote.

Walking Wards Off Diabetes

Just thirty minutes of walking a day can prevent diseases such as type 2 diabetes, a 2002 study looking at both overweight and average weight men and women in a population at high risk for the disease showed.

If you already have diabetes, walking is helpful for you, too. A mile or more daily cuts your risk of death from all causes in half, according to a 2007 study.

Walking Keeps Your Mind Sharp

Walking 72 blocks a week (around six to nine miles) helps increase grey matter, which in turn lowers the risk of suffering from cognitive impairment—or trouble with concentration, memory and thought, according to a study which looked at 299 seniors over a nine-year period.

Furthermore, walking five miles per week can provide some protection to the memory and learning areas of the brains of those already suffering from Alzheimer’s disease or mild cognitive impairment, and lead to a slower decline in memory loss.

Walking Helps Lower Blood Pressure

Walking just 30 minutes a day, three to five days a week—even when the 30 minutes are broken into three ten-minute increments—has been found to significantly lower blood pressure.

 Walking is Great for Bone Health

Putting one foot in front of the other for about a mile a day led to improved bone density in post-menopausal women, and slowed the rate of bone loss from the legs, according to a 1994 study. “It takes walkers four to seven years longer to reach the point of very low bone density, study leader Dr. Krall told the New York Times.

Walking Cuts the Risk of Stroke

Walking about 12.5 miles a week or more cut the risk of stroke in half, according to a study looking at over 11,000 Harvard University alumni with an average age of 58.

Walking Improves Your Mood

If you’re feeling down in the dumps, walking is a quick and easy solution. Just thirty minutes on a treadmill reduces feelings of tension and depression, according to research published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine. In fact, the study found that walking lifted moods more quickly than anti-depressants did (and with fewer side effects).

And the more people walk, the better their mood and energy, says California State University Long Beach professor Robert Thayer, based on a study looking at 37 study participants over a 20-day period.

Walking Torches Calories

Just 20 minutes of walking a day will burn 7 pounds a year. The effects are even more dramatic when you add in some dietary changes as well.

Walking Improves Insomnia

Having trouble sleeping at night? Try taking a brisk 45-minute walk in the morning five days a week, and your sleep may improve significantly, according to research from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, which looked at women from the age of 50-74. (Walking in the evening, however, sometimes has the opposite effect—so keep an eye on when you’re exercising and what your sleep patterns are.)

Walking is Good for the Heart

Women who took brisk walks for three or more hours per week reduced their risk of heart disease by 30-40 percent, according to an analysis of over 72,000 women aged 40-65, who were enrolled in the prospective Nurses’ Health Study. As I reported recently, heart attacks kill more US women than men annually. However, the benefits of walking aren’t limited to one gender. A different study showed that walking can cut the risk of coronary heart disease in half for men between the ages of 71 and 93.

Dance Your Dance

You have come to this juncture in your life, merely because something in you kept saying, “You deserve to be happy.” You were born to add something, to add value to this world. To simply be something, bigger and better than you were yesterday.

Every single thing you’ve been through, every single moment that you’ve come through, were to all prepare you for this moment right now. Imagine what you can do from this day forward with what you now know.

Now you get that you are the creator of your destiny. So how much more do you get to do? How much more do you get to be? How many more people do you get to bless, simply by your mere existence? What will you do with this moment? How will you seize the moment?

No one else can dance your dance, no one else can sing your song, no one else can write your story. Who you are, what you do, begins right now.

-- Lisa Nichols from “The Secret”

Water and Hunger

In my past life, BI (Before Isagenix) I can’t remember the last time I actually felt “real” hunger.  I was a “grazer,” which meant that every time I passed through the kitchen I would grab something to snack on. Not until I started trying to diet, again BI, did I know that hungry feeling.  After several days of feeling like I was starving to death I would end the diet abruptly with a binge.

A nutritionist friend of mine explained that if I was feeling hungry it could mean I was actually dehydrated and thirsty.  That didn’t make sense to me but I had to admit that I really didn’t drink much H2O during the day.  My daily consumption of liquids consisted mainly of Diet Pepsi (which subsequently I learned was dehydrating and leaching the calcium from my bones).

You can feel “hungry” when you are dehydrated. You may experience hunger pangs, weakness and dizziness, which are the same signals that you get when you are actually feeling hungry for food. If you think that you are hungry, try drinking one or two glasses of water and waiting for 20 minutes to see if your “hunger pangs” stop. If they stop, then you were probably just thirsty. If they don’t, you probably need to eat.

I keep track of my water now, and try to drink at least one-half my body weight in water every day. I also keep my water with me at all times.  I can now honestly say that between my nutritionally dense IsaLean Pro shakes and my water I never feel hungry.

TIP:  When I am out, I drink my water from one of my Cleanse For Life bottles.  You can’t believe how many conversations that starts about the products!!!

Live for Today (Remembering 9/11)

Image from barbaralarkin.com

"For me and my family, personally, September 11 was a reminder that life is fleeting, impermanent, and uncertain.  Therefore, we must make use of every moment and nurture it with affection, tenderness, beauty, creativity, and laughter."  - Deepak Chopra

I remember that morning, September 11, 2001, as clearly as I remember the moment I heard that President John F. Kennedy had been shot.  I was lost in disbelief that anything like this could happen here in America, the strongest nation in the world.  But it did. 

My next thoughts raced to the people who woke up that morning, dressed for work, had their cup of coffee as they raced out the door to get to work on time.  Such an ordinary day ... but ultimately became a day that changed America and the rest of the world forever.

As Deepak points out, life is fleeting, impermanent, and uncertain.  There are no guarantees that we will have tomorrow.  So we must live for today.  Use the time you have wisely ... say "I love you" to those you love ... don't waste time being angry or hateful ... appreciate the beauty around you ... thank God for your life, health, and love.  As my husband always says: "Live every minute for all that is in it, for the life of a pirate is short!"

As I close this post I am sending prayers and loving thoughts to the victims, first responders, their families, and to anyone who witnessed those tragic moments, and to all of America.  We have changed, we have lost our innocence ... now it is time to realize that we need to work toward world peace more than ever.  TYL

No Regrets

Les Brown always speaks to me.  His post this morning really hit home.

"Get started...there is nothing else to talk about.. You've have allowed fear to hold you captive long enough. You think...." I would.. but". Push your but out of the way... and get started. You've been procrastinating long enough. Even you don't believe your own excuses anymore. Get started...the writing is on the wall...You know in your heart of hearts you will never forgive yourself if you don't get started. It doesn't matter what people say...they will say it and think it anyhow. This is your life. Take possession of it, and GET STARTED!! You deserve it!!"

I have started the IsaBody Challenge three or four times ... but never finished.  It is kind of like Jill, last year's Challenge winner said, she had "twenty-four before pictures and no afters."  As Les so aptly points out, even I don't believe my own excuses anymore.

I am determined that THIS TIME I will finish ... THIS TIME I will have no excuses for not giving it my all ... THIS TIME I AM going to reach my goal ... because I deserve it!!

There is only 168 days in this challenge, and as I told my husband, every day has to count.  No more, "oh well, tomorrow's another day!"  I'm going to do it, and I am going to do it right.  This is my declaration.  I hope you stand by me and help get me to this finish line this time.

Love > Fear

My weight bounced up a bit this morning even though I stayed on track all day yesterday.  I know that everybody’s weight fluctuates from day to day so I shouldn’t be concerned … but I am approaching what I call my “trampoline”
zone. 

For a year I have bounced back and forth between 250 pounds and 235 pounds (my 100 pound mark).  It became frustrating so instead of just giving up, I decided to go on maintenance (with Isagenix) until my body was ready to lose more weight.  After seeing my weight bound upward this morning, even though it was minimal gain, regenerated the “fear” that I am not going to break my plateau again this time.

I asked myself all the questions about why I am stuck in this place. I know it has to do with “fear” … but fear of what?  The unknown?  Fear of success? Fear of failure?  I don’t know.

John Lennon once wrote:  “There are two basic motivating forces: fear and love. When we are afraid, we pull back from life. When we are in love, we open to all that life has to offer with passion, excitement, and acceptance. We need to learn to love ourselves first, in all our glory and our imperfections. If we cannot love ourselves, we cannot fully open to our ability to love others or our potential to create. Evolution and all hopes for a better world rest in the fearlessness and open-hearted vision of people who embrace life.” 

After meditating on this quote, I decided that what he said is true, I need to learn to love myself more.  And in loving myself I will push away the fear, because there is no room in me for both.

Conquering that Mountain

I woke up this morning to this quote:

"Don't let the fear of the time it will take to accomplish something stand in the way of your doing it.  The time will pass anyway; we might just as well put that passing time to the best possible use."    
- Earl Nightingale

I realize that releasing 130+ pounds is going to take some time.  When I think about how much time it is going to take, the task seems daunting.  Then I remember a little saying I learned in Overeaters Anonymous (OA): One day at a time. One pound at a time. 

There is no way I am going to release pound number 130 until I have released pound number 1!  Logical?  Here is an example of what I mean.  If I want to climb a mountain, I have to do it a step at a time.  Some of those steps are going to be baby steps ... some giant leaps ... and still some will be a slip backward ... and sometimes I am just going to have to sit down and rest.  If I focus on the peak of that mountain (my goal) and keep heading in the right direction I will reach that goal as long as I don't give up.  The same is true of releasing my excess weight. 

So here is to conquering that mountain!!!

Gratitude

Image from
outofthedarknessintothelight.com

Today, I can say I am very grateful for releasing another 1-1/2 pounds because I know that I have overcome a big block in my road to success.  Thank You.

I am celebrating my gratitude for all the blessings in my life including finding the Isagenix program.  I have thousands of attempts to lose my excess weight and although I would have a short successes in the past, ultimately I always regained the weight and added on a few extra pounds as a bonus.

For years, I had maintained my weight around 250 pounds.  For my body, that was about the most I could carry and still be functional.  When I became debilitated I wasn’t able to move freely anymore … I was forced to stay in bed or on the couch for at least eight of my waking hours.  I would get up just in time to greet my husband with a kiss when he returned from work, but I would have to return to bed after a few hours because the discomfort in my joints and muscles was unbearable.  It was during this eight or nine year period I ballooned up to 330-340 pounds.  And in my head I knew there was nothing I could do about it. 

Fortunately I have a warrior’s heart and I didn’t give up.  After living this existence for almost a decade, I found Isagenix … and the rest was history.  After starting the program, I lost 60 pounds in the first 60 days and my physical problems were turned around (as verified by lab tests).  I learned the true meaning of gratitude at that time.  And I have practiced it every day since.

Here are some of the things I did as I started practicing gratitude on a daily basis:

1.  Every night I list (in a special book) all of the things I was grateful for during the day … I would write: “I am so very grateful that I was able to release 1-1/2 pounds today, so I know that I am living my dream” or “I am so grateful for the beautiful sunset tonight because the beauty warms my soul and makes me happy.”   I always add “why” I am grateful and then end with “Thank You.”

2.  Starting the day with a prayer or meditation about what my expectations are for that day always gets me off to a positive start on the day.  Throughout the day I say a great big “Thank You” as each event unfolds.  I also say thank you for the people who come into my life during the day and for all the unexpected little “miracles” that occur.  I am always expecting some kind of miracle … and always grateful for when they happen.

3.  I don’t wait for holidays to say “thank you” or “I love you” or to give a compliment  to someone who is  in  my life.  I try never to miss that opportunity to take the time to express my positive feelings to people because it is heartwarming to see the response you get from people (especially if they are not having the best day) when you say “thank you” from your heart.

The great thing about Gratitude is that it can lead to feelings of love, appreciation, generosity, and compassion, which further open our hearts and help rewire our brains to ignite more positive thinking.