My Diet Secret

It's not really a diet secret, or a secret in general...but I do believe it helps in in overall health and is a MUST for health-conscious people.

Everyone's heard that Omega-3 and Omega-6 fats are essential fatty acids (EFAs), meaning that our bodies cannot create these and we must obtain these from our diet. Low levels or the wrong ratio may contribute to several illnesses. But I won't go into great detail here, since I'm no expert in the field (heck, we all know how to google, right?)

Back when I took my very first actual Bootcamp in Fall '07 (the reason I started to blog in the first place, you can read my chronicles here), I was introduced to a product call Udo's Oil. I take the DHA 3-6-9 Blend, an ideal 2:1:1 ratio of unrefined of EFAs.


Here's a copy of the little blurb I have cut out and placed on my fridge, to remind me to take my Udo's:

EAT FAT, GET FIT

Omega-3 and Omega-6 essential fatty acids (EFAs) are an athlete's best friend. These "fitness fats" have been shown to improve stamina and endurance, and increase development of lean muscle. Many people notice that when consuming EFAs, physical co-ordination improves, while recovery time is reduced and inflammation (especially of weight-bearing joints) decreases. A vital part of brain activity, EFAs contribute to proper nerve function, resulting in quickened reflexes, faster learning and an improved ability to focus. In addition, EFAs increase thermogenesis, allowing you to burn calories (and fat) even when at rest.

Aren't these good reasons to take your EFAs?

Here's a link of celebrity trainer, Ashley Borden, on Tyra, touting Udo's oil as a must-have.

Visit udoerasmus.com to read up on Udo Erasmus' groundbreaking work in introducing the importance of flaxseed oil over 20 years ago:

For more information on where to buy Udo's, visit the Flora website:

                      USA     CANADA

Eating on Day 1

Having gone through one whole day of this plan, I find I'm constantly thinking of when to have my next meal. I mean, it takes me 15-30 minutes to totally consume one meal (at work, chatting, reading, working simultaneously) that I really need that meal in 2.5 hours! It's wierd.

Maybe it's because that salad I had today was really only half of what was suggested. I substituted a metabolically equivalent portion of yams instead of that salad. You would too if you saw the size of this salad. I don't MIND salad, but I do mind eating a whole acre of grass. I bought one of those salad packs at Superstore, the one that comes in a bag. Not the really big one but one that should last a few nights, if you were having small salads. Well, T'ai's plan for that meal was for the whole bag, according my weigh scale. Yuck! If I tossed in some French dressing (my favourite!) then maybe I'll eat it all, but just balsalmic vinegar (no olive oil)...ewww. Hence, the yams.

So tomorrow's prep wasn't bad. I just cooked up some green beans and some corn. Everything else I had already cooked up the last night.

Just having my hot-water herbs before I call it a night. Good thing....I didn't want to get distracted by a snack!

Yet Another Boot Camp...With a Twist!

This next two weeks of boot camp is going to be challenging for me. Not only do I need to attend another 10 days of grueling (but fun!) exercise each morning but I have to restrict myself to a very particular meal plan. I guess it's a "diet", per se, but I think, socially, that word has been given a poor rap. Last night I had to prepare today's 5 meals, and then some, and there's so much to eat! I think people at my work will think I'm crazy, eating all the time!

Today's menu:

7:00 am - bowl of slow-cooked oatmeal, protein drink, Udo's oil
10:00 am - egg white omelette, 1-1/2 red bell pepper, hefty handful of peas, Udo's oil
1:00 pm - tuna, 1-2 slices of bread (healthy kind), totally obscene amount of salad, Udo's oil
4:00 pm - 1/4 zucchini, 1/2 c. rice, 1/2 chicken breast, Udo's oil
7:00 pm - protein drink, bit of broccoli, some acorn sqush, Udo's oil

You see the trend with the Udo's oil, huh? At high levels of intake, Essential fatty acids help increase the metabolism and facilitate weight loss. It's a fat that's not used for energy, but rather for rebuilding at the cellular level (hormonal, structurally and electrical -- ie. our brain and CNS -- functions). Two teaspoons at each meal. Gotta love it!

Preparation for the all those foods is crazy! I was cooking up a storm, prepping and storing, and cooking some more. You should see my fridge! I should take a photo one day and post it. I had to go buy more storage containers!

Hopefully I'll only have to prepare really big like this at the beginning of the week, then do little things over the course of the week. I couldn't do that each night!

And preparing ahead for my meals will ensure my success. Eating is no problem....but it's when you don't have the right kinds of foods in front of you that cause you to lose focus and binge-eat. I just have to convince myself I can do this, I can do this, I can do this.

I met my fellow bootcampers this morning, about 18 of us, 4 were absolutely new. Some were returning. We did laps around the gym, and did some "army maneouvres" like knee lifts through ladders, "tires" (ie hula hoops) and hurdles. Running with weights and doing walking lunges back and forth. I met Jacqueline, who's on her 4th bootcamp but her last one was 2 years ago. We did our pushup challenge and I only did 16, and not like the 26 at the last challenge. Oh well. Let's hope I improve.

Here goes Day 1...

Herbs & That Spirulina!

I tried the spirulina when I arrived home from my acupuncture appointment yesterday. I have not heard of this thing before, and now I know why the word isn't circulated freely amongst the population: most would prefer to have never met it before.

Spirulina is blue-green algae that is energizing and full of essential vitamins, minerals with apparently many health benefits including boosting the immune system and even fighting cancer. One serving (1 tsp) has the anti-oxidant value of 3-4 servings of vegetables.

That said, when you open the powder for the first time, all you see is a fine, really green powder. REALLY GREEN. Mossy green. Think a dark peat moss, ground up. Lovely! What have I agreed to?

Melissa said it's best to drink it mixed in a strong tasting juice like pomegranate or cranberry and not in water. Ok. That already goes against T'ai's recommendation to avoid juices. But since I don't actually start the nutrition plan until tomorrow, I'll take the juice.....this must tastes ghastly in only water!

So I pour myself a glass of strawberry/kiwi juice (the only juice I had on hand) and put one teaspoon of the stuff in and quickly mixed. What was a pinkish red colour quickly turned to green slime. Seriously, green slime. Moldy, green slime. And clumpy, much like when you try and mix up hot chocolate powder and it doesn't quite dissolve as well as you like. Yeah, but this sure ain't chocolate!

Can it taste just as bad as it looks? Worse!

Who can drink this? Everything I've learned about food, how it tastes, how it looks, doesn't come into play here! Danny came back into the house after being outside for a bit, and I quickly had to hide the stuff, for fear I'd have to explain myself to him as to why I'm drinking what resembles raw sewage.

I finished the glass, in rather large gulps, all while trying to disengage my tastebuds, and without hurling. I looked back at the empty glass, smudged up with green swamp water. If the herbs are the ones I was forewarned about the digustingness, then I'm really up a creek without a paddle. A green, slimy creek!

I tried the herbs later in the evening and it's actually not that bad. I taste a bit of ginger, which I'm not fond of, but it's not overpowering. I could do that. I can't do the greens. I'll have to keep it in the fridge with the hopes there isn't an expiry date this century. Maybe someone will find it and posthumously esteem me to be an actual health guru. You'd really have to be one if you took that crap.

I'll try again tomorrow.

Acupuncture and Me

So I went to the acupuncturist yesterday afternoon for my first official visit. Melissa was going to keep it simple today, probably since it was my first time and all. We discussed a little about how I was feeling since I last saw her, and I told her it's been a pretty easy week for me. We discussed some of the nutritional guidelines she suggested in a PDF she sent me earlier, like switching to a more natural sweetener like stevia, the herbal tea she's prescribing, and the spirulina stuff.

She gave me some samples of the stevia, which I haven't tried yet. It's commercially available in pharmacies as "pure" or with "filler" so you can use it somewhat similarly to regular sugar. This stuff is super sweet, apparently. One single serving packet with "filler" (inulin fiber, if you're curious) is equivalent to 2 tsp of sugar. You can get the liquid stevia in a purer form and actually need only 2-3 drops to sweeten your coffee! It has 0 calories, no impact on glycemic index and is sooo much better for you than sugar and way better than those artificial sweeteners like aspartame found in Equal or NutriSweet (which has been linked to cancer...google it).

To give you an idea of how sweet it is I found a recipe online for 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies and it requires only 1/2 teaspoon of stevia powder!

I'm considering switching over eventually....when I can handle all the other changes in my diet well enough. :)

I didn't have to disrobe for the session: I just rolled up my pants to my knee. Melissa started with my left leg, asked me take a deep breath in and when I breathed out, she popped the needle in. Having had taken blood tests, donated blood and even taken a flu shot just the other day, it was actually a joke that people are actually scared of acupuncture! There's no pain, just a tiny prick, not even like that of a blood lancet where it's quick but quite sharp.

She asked me if there was anything I left, like numbing, tingling, warming, anything but not pain. Hmph, I felt nothing. I was hoping it was because I'm not in tune with my body yet and not that I was really a skeptic. She dropped another needle in the soft tissue between my index finger and thumb on my left hand...still nothing. But once she did the same for the right hand, I started to feel a warming crawling up my arm. It wasn't strong, but it was surely there. She says that's good, and that she could still that my body was already responding to before that moment.

I think she put 3 or 4 in each leg and one on each hand. Then she moved to the head of the bed. Um, where was going to put it? On my face?

She found a spot on my scalp but, funny, I didn't feel a thing.

She left me alone in the room for 10 minutes, to dream about things, relax. Take myself somewhere, she said. I listened to calming Orient music in the background, as the heater she placed by my feet warmed be up....

I was thinking about something, when she walked in again. Was that 10 minutes?

She wiggled the needles a bit and then left me alone for another 10-15 minutes.

I swear she walked in after 5....though I couldn't figure out what I was thinking about when she interrupted me!

I must have been at the verge of falling asleep, because I'm sure I was thinking about something. Melissa routinely finds people asleep when she returns, some fallng asleep as the first needle goes in. I'd hate to be found snoring!

At reception, I paid for my treatment, my herbs, and the bottle of spirulina, and left relaxed and calm. Little did I know that it would backfire later that night.

I was driving to a friend's house with my two-year old son in the back and it was just raining down like I haven't seen in a while. With him screaming at me to change the CD in the deck to me concentrating on the road, I just lost and and was screaming at the top of my lungs, not really at him, but to the world in general, I guess. I screamed so loud and verociously that I screwed up my throat. I pumped the music really loud to drown out everything, my son, even my own thoughts. Everything today, the calmness, the zen, the relaxation, right out the friggen window.

Where's Melissa now?

My Customized Nutrition Plan

I went to see T'ai on Wednesday and we sat down and selected foods I like to eat and he would customize a 7-day nutrition plan for me to follow until I reach my goal.

He suggested I write down what my goal(s) are exactly, so that I could visualize it better and succeed, so here they are:

1. To fit back into my size 4 pants.
2. To have more energy.
3. To reduce body fat to 20% (I think I was 18% 10 years ago)

He would normally have taken 5 days or so to customize the plan for me, but he really wanted to give it to me by the weekend so that I could review it, go grocery shopping, and start on Monday, the first day of the next bootcamp.

Yup, another bootcamp!

At the time, I hadn't registered yet, and I still wasn't sure if I was going to. It was only a 2-week camp, which cuts the camp price in half, and it was going to be held indoors, which could be a good or bad thing. I was getting used to running in a larger expanse of area instead of running in circles in the gym, like a little mouse, and the cool air was rather refreshing after a few minutes exposed instead of the stiffling indoor air (plus it's rather bright, which really wakes you up, unfortunately).

I swung by his office Thursday evening and picked up the completed plan. I have to weigh everything first until I get used to eyeballing the amounts. I've got a select choice of proteins, starches, and fibrous carbs to eat from, and he's compiled the meals for me for all I have to do is follow the items and measure the amounts. I included bread and pasta in my plan, as I probably can't get away with avoiding them altogether. I do have a non-flour Squirrelly type of bread I bought that I stuck in the freezer. And I can also cook pasta for the family, and eat some of it too. I am not to cook with any oils, and apparently they're toxic and cancer-causing (I haven't checked the claims, but I hate frying things anyway). I will continue to use 2 tsp of Udo's Oil as my fat at each meal and having a protein shake in the morning and in the evening. My steel-cut oats I've been having each morning

I'll be eating salmon, cod, pork, sirloin, extra lean ground beef, chicken breasts, corn, peas, green beans, broccoli, red peppers, brussel sprouts (yes, I like them!), asparagus, zucchini, snow peas, mixed greens, white rice, bread, pasta....and maybe some others I can think of right now. It's a good selection, and he's mixed it up for me during the 7 days. Remember: I have to eat 5 times a day! 7am, 10am, 1pm, 4pm, 7pm, and go to bed no later than 10. I would follow the plan until I reach my goal, and then continue eating similarly with other foods until then. I do get one day break, Extra Variety Day, where I can eat something I consider a treat and not feel guilty about it. So, if I plan on attending a party or something, then I can prepare for that by strictly following my nutrition plan in the days leading up to the event. So I can have my cake and eat it too!

But the only way this plan will work is if I prepare my meals ahead of time. I need to prepare and portion out my meals so they're ready to go and I won't have to think about it much. Just grab and go. Each meal is about 1300-1400 calories.

So, I signed up for the 2-week mini boot camp on Friday. I had to: I don't have a plan of attack in regards to my workout, since I have my application for the gym at work is still on hold. That one day of working out at the gym on the cruise ship led me to believe that I forgot what to do with all those Apex machines and free weights. I'll have to do some more research and muster myself a plan, so until then, I figured I had to sign up for the next camp. This nutrition plan won't work as well if I'm not exercising at the same time. And with 5x/week, I'll really see results. In fact, T'ai is expecting a change in my physique even after 2 weeks of boot camp. Hmm, we'll see. But given I'd been loosely following his recommendations during the last camp, and I got great results, we'll see what we get with actually being strict.

T-2 days....and counting.

Boot Camp: Day 17

Small group today. We were a bit chatty this morning, with a bit of friendly debate between T'ai and Paula on why marine-derived sources of EFA's (essential fatty acids, ie. omega-3's, -6's) are not as good as plant-derived. It was getting pretty heated, and one person even commented jokingly that she would really to exercise sometime soon. I would've liked to hear more, but I guess we did pay to exercise.

Warm up was 3 times around the soccer field. Because there were 7 of us today, and not the expected 5 people, T'ai modified the rest of our exercises. He didn't bring enough elastic exercise bands (the ones with the handles) for each of us, so we split into 2 groups, with one group using the bands to do squats and rows while the other group did something like Star Reachers (bend down in a squat and then come up, arms out at the side and up in a circle, reaching for the sky, and standing on your tip toes for calf raises, then reverse the movement to arrive at a tight squat again). We switched over a couple of times.

We did a few more band exercises. We linked two sets of bands together, with one person at either end. We challenged each other with some resistance training, pulling and tugging at the bands, trying to fool the other person and perhaps throw them off balance as they, too, are pulling tugging at their bands, trying to fool you. I was paired up with Lucy, but it wasn't very challenging because she seemed to want to follow where I was going, thus reducing tension in the band. Oh well.

We did some mat exercises, like crunches and bicycles and leg lifts and hip raises. A couple of us stood up suddenly (including me!) when T'ai mentioned, oh there's a mouse, as we watched it scurry away among the pile of leaves nearby. Eww, nasty!

Before we knew it is was over. It wasn't a terribly difficult day, but I was ok with that. I warmed up, not expecting I would since I was sooooo cold (but it really wasn't even a cold morning). I only had 4 hours of sleep the night before and I didn't know how I was going to wake up this morning. I did, obviously, and made it through another day.

Boot Camp: Nutrition - Part II

Nutrition - Part I ... read here!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So....yada yada....I started writing the "Nutrition-Part I" post on the 10th and now it's the 27th of October. That is probably way too much information for everyone, but I thought I should post it up anyways, since I took the time to draft this out.

For nutrition all these 3 weeks so far, I've been relying on 1-3 portions of protein drinks as my protein source. I don't have the Iso-Flex but plan to get it when I've finished the container I bought from Costco a couple of years ago; I'm halfway done. It's not of a terribly great quality, consisting of whey concentrate instead of manly protein isolate, but I might as well finish it since I paid for it. Otherwise, I've been grilling several portions of pork loin cuts, experimenting with "non-fat" flavourings like lemon, thyme, paprika, etc. I still need to find something I like.

I have been taking the Udo's Oil. I'm almost finished the 250ml bottle we received at the end of Week 1 and on Thursday I bought two 500ml bottles, to tie me over until I take my next boot camp (if ever?). I can also get them at Choices, and they have a pretty good price on them there (on sale right now, in fact). I haven't been as diligent at taking them with every meal, but I will try to be more so, since T'ai mentioned EFA's (essential fatty acids) also help in inflammation too. I heard it also curbs your appetite. :) So everyone needs omega-3's and -6's and -9s, and apparently we're usually deficient in omega-3's. I do highly recommend checking the product out. If you click on the link above, and you click "Back" or "Refresh", you'll get several testimonials flashing in.

I haven't been deleting my carbs, but I have reduced the breads I eat. I try to eat more fibrous carbs, but the preparation to cook each night is tiring, especially if I'm hoping to bed by 9:30.

Nutrition is work-in-progress. I don't want to call it a diet, because that's restrictive. I still do want to eat the things I crave, but I suppose it's learning to eat things in moderation. Besides, "nothing feels good as fit feels" keeps creeping into my head each time I want to sneak something "bad". Perhaps one day, when I have another kid, I'll be more encouraged to slim down faster, with more discipline, and maybe then I'll go on some nutrition plan that will help me enjoy quicker success, but until then, knowing that someday I'll just be gaining weight again because of another pregnancy, I'll just stay as slim as I can and perhaps be a "slim pregnant woman", rather than the rolly-polly kind I felt I was a couple of years ago. :)

Boot Camp: Nutrition - Part I

In the evening of Day 2 in the first week, we had a Sports Nutritional Seminar. I rushed downtown to VATA Brazil for 6:30pm (athletic store for women.....great gear), thinking there were going to be all the ladies there, and I was the first to arrive! And I wasn't even early....I got there right on time, thinking things were going to start away. Another person trickled in within 5 minutes. There were a total of 6 of us who showed up. I guess with many of the bootcampers having gone through it before, they didn't need to come.

T'ai presented some interesting facts to us. Having experience in the fitness and health industry for years, he had lots of information. We interactively participated in creating a chart of "Yucky" and "Yummy" proteins, carbs (both fibrous and starches). An eye-opener, for sure.

WARNING: THE MATERIAL YOU ARE ABOUT TO READ IS TECHNICAL. READER DISCRETION ADVISED (but read on...your health may depend on it!)

He talked about the Insulin Index, a newer, lesser known index comparable to the Glycemic Index. The Index is based on insulin levels in the blood, rather than glucose levels. This measure can be more useful because some foods (like lean meats and proteins) still cause an insulin rise but contain no carbs, and also some carbs have a disproportionate insulin response (foods high in fat, or refined carbs cause a higher insulin spike than the G.I. Index implies). These types of foods aren't mentioned in the Glycemic Index.

Here are 3 P's to follow:

1. Preserve
2. Prevent
3. Protect

• Preserve...your health. You need to put back what's missing to achieve perfect health.
• Prevent....fat storage. 'Nuff said.
• Protect...your muscle. Muscle atrophy is a no-no. Muscle helps in the metabolism of fats. Protect it.

Proteins are composed of amino acids: non-essential aa's are ones the body can produce on its own. Essential aa's you need to provide through your diet. Proteins rich in essential aa's are the ones we need to eat.

And sorry to the vegetarians out there: you have a challenge! The best type of protein is from anything that swims, walks, or flies. Plant-based proteins don't cut it as well as animal-based, apparently. There are not enough quality essential amino acids, particularly branch-chain amino acids, to protect your muscle. Branch-chain aa's get metabolized in the muscle and not the liver, where they can be burned as fuel rather than make protein. T'ai was raised vegetarian but realized that he was not getting the energy necessary for fitness training and made the switch to eating meats. Strength Athletes as opposed to Endurance Athletes need more grams of protein because increased muscle metabolism.

We should be eating 5 meals a day. Not 3, with 2 snacks....but 5 meals.

There are 3 times during the day where we would particularly protein.

1. post-exercise, since we need muscle-repair to take place. It'll also speed up recovery.
2. your last meal of the day, eaten 2, preferably 3, hours before bedtime, since the body repairs itself during sleep.
3. breakast. Your first meal of the day, and your body as been fasting for 8 hours or so.

And the best way to take in protein in quick is in liquid form, by way of a protein drink. More on that later.....

So, let's talk about that "Yummy" and "Yucky" chart I mentioned earlier. "Yummy" are foods that are acceptable sources, foods that don't spike up insulin levels, and is rich and pure, or something like that. Here are some of the things we came up wth as a group.

Protein sources: Yucky: nuts, soy, yogurt Yummy: chicken (breast), beef (lean), pork loin, cottage cheese (it's only ok), whey protein (better to get whey hydrolysate rather than the whey concentrate because of higher-quality protein percentage...he recommended Iso-Flex as a top brand.

I was helping jot down the protein list while we were shouting out answers, so this isn't an exclusive list, but whatever I can remember.

Starchy carbs:
Yucky: white-inside potatoes, all breads, quick oats, instant rice, pasta
Yummy: sweet potatoes, yams, oatmeal (steel-cut or slow cook kind), brown or white rice, condiments in salad (including avocado, onions, celery, tomatoes), peas, acorn & butternut squash

Fibrous Carbs:
Yucky: fruit, carrots & beets (are ok, but should be consumed at end of meal to slow down absorption)
Yummy: spinach, kale, cabbage (red & green), peppers (all colours), broccoli, cauliflower, snowpeas,zucchini, spaghetti & zucchini squash.

Carbs should make up 30-35% of your meal, 5x/day, each meal

Regarding fats, the best cooking oil is water! Then flavour afterwards. Butter is better than margarine, but use butter or extra virgin olive oil if necessary.