Vegan Nazis

I left yoga class in NYC the other day with Bryce MacPherson (can’t use his real name) who I’ve known for quite some time.

We walked by one of those doughnut stands.

I’m not sure the last time you’ve been to Manhattan but those doughnuts sure do smell good.

I got myself a doughnut.

Bryce quickly muttered, “Y’know, I’m vegan.”

“Cool Bryce,” I said enjoying the first bite of my chocolate doughnut.

Bryce continued, “That doughnut is fried in oil, made with butter, white refined sugar, and bleached white flour. It’s disgusting.”

But it sure did taste good.

Bryce went on, “Eating just one doughnut will boost your trans fats intake to its daily limit and throw off your blood sugar, not to mention the death and destruction that went into the making of that doughnut.”

Let me just say, Veganism is the Most Worthy Cause and I aspire to become vegan someday soon. But it was fast becoming clear that Bryce is a Vegan Nazi. (I use that term lightly being that my grandparents were European Jews who escaped the Nazis during World War II)

Bryce kept chattering, “David, that doughnut won’t nourish you in the slightest and you’ll be hungry again soon.”

A Vegan Nazi loves to tell you they’re vegan, and shove (and I mean SHOVE) down your throat the fact that when you consume animal products you are a disgusting person who will die young.

Vegan Nazis are bad for the Vegan movement and they crush your buzz, especially if you get a buzz off food.

Bryce still had more to say, “David, all said and done, you need to lose weight and that doughnut isn’t gonna help.”

5 Steps to Self-Love

I’m not quite sure why it is so difficult to ‘love thyself,’ the number one commandment of Our Lady of Weight Loss‘ 10 Commandments of Permanent Fat Removal (a.k.a. weight loss) but apparently – it is!

If you were to ask me, “Janice … What’s the best part of losing weight?” (Go ahead, ask …) I would tell you with certainty that the big prize of permanent weight removal is that at the end of the day there is no beating up of self. I love myself. (In a grounded, non-narcissistic way.)

As a flower needs watering, so does ‘self-love.’

~ Janice Taylor, the voice of Our Lady of Weight Loss

How can you begin to water your ‘self-love’ today???

START WITH A SELF TALK RITUAL:

Look in the Mirror: Smile at yourself (yes, again.)

Pay Yourself a Compliment: Say something nice. Even if it’s as simple as “thank you for looking in the mirror. I appreciate the effort. You are a good soul.”

I Can: Write (in your mind’s eye or on paper) and say “I CAN” 100 times!

“I CAN is 100 times more important than IQ.” — unknown

Post-It Positive Affirmation Daily. Write out a positive affirmation every day. Then post your post it on your mirror or screen or wherever, a positive affirmation and say to yourself, “I love and accept myself completely and unconditionally.”

Fake It Til You Make It. If you have to, fake it till you make it. Pretend to love yourself. Go ahead, it’s okay!

Spread the self-loving word … NOT the icing!

An Eyeful For the Pizza Guy

Sometimes, the little things slip your mind, e.g., rehooking your nursing bra when the pizza guy rings the doorbell.

The other day I answered the door to a college student selling one of those pizza coupon deals to raise money for the project du jour. I listened to his pitch while the girls buzzed around me like frenzied bees about to swarm. The baby had just fallen asleep in a milk coma and was cuddled down in the family room, hands limp and face peaceful.

Even as the guy talked, though, I could see him struggling to maintain eye contact. Now, I’ve always been a well-endowed girl when it comes to The Girls. Breastfeeding has certainly, shall we say, amplified that. Still, I didn’t think it was such a spectacle as to cause that much obvious embarrassment in the 20-something young man. A little irritated, both from my raucous children and his wandering eyes, I quickly wrote a check, grabbed my pizza coupons and closed the door.

At which point I realized that 1) my top t-shirt was pulled halfway up my belly, leaving my stained and brightly colored tank top exposed and 2) I’d neglected to re-hook my nursing bra. This left one breast hanging out against my t-shirt where a dark circle of leaking milk had formed. More notably, the appendage in question was also significantly LOWER than the other, contained, side.

There was a time in my life when I would have been mortified. I would have quickly yanked my clothes back in to place and been torn between a desire to run after the guy and rattle off some kind of inane explanation or to close all the drapes and go huddle in a corner in total abject embarrassment.

Food Confusion

Question:

Lately have been feeling confused about the notion of how to be and eat healthy:

all over the Internet there are warnings that, most of the healthiest food and supplements, (flavonoids and soy, fruits, all greens, all beans, and now even Grape seeds extracts, which I love and have enormously benefited from) being now considered Goitrogenic after medical research.

Can intention and consciousness nullify the harmful effects of these otherwise healthy food?

If I make an intention commitment to believe –without doubt –that all this food is good for me, even if it seems to be hormone disruptive, can I be able to counteract this harmful effect?

Answer:

For those who are not familiar with the term, goitrogens are foods that contain substances such as isothiocyanates, flavonoids, or isoflavones which can interfere with the function of the thyroid gland. However balanced quantities of these healthy foods in your diet is perfectly safe and desirable unless you have been diagnosed with a thyroid problem. Even those with a thyroid hormone deficiency can likely tolerate 1 cup servings of cruciferous vegetables 2-3 times per week, and a standard, 4-ounce serving of tofu twice a week. So don’t be scared by this preliminary research on goitrogens, especially because they still haven’t done any well controlled research on the connection between eating these goitrogenic foods and thyroid hormone deficiency.

So use your power of intention to eat fresh, pure and unprocessed foods in moderate amounts, and you will be fine.

12 Amazing Ways to Lose Weight While Watching TV

Skipping the gym to catch a Real Housewives marathon? Screw the guilt. These expert tricks will help you painlessly blast calories at home without missing a second of your favorite shows.

1. Jump rope for two-minute intervals. Repeat four times. (111 calories)

2. Run up and down the stairs of your apartment building or house during a commercial break. (42 calories)

3. Stand in front of your couch, squat until your butt is just above the seat cushions, and hold that position for one minute. Repeat four times. (80 calories)

4. Lie down on the floor on your side and do leg lifts for five minutes. (50 calories)

5. Do arm circles for one minute. Repeat two more times. (20 calories)

6. Sprint to the bathroom, hover over the toilet seat while you pee, and sprint back. (30 calories)

7. Grab three-pound weights or two soup cans and do one minute each of lifting for your triceps (put your hands behind your head, with your elbows at your ears and lift the weight up and down). Do three sets. (17 calories)

8. Sit on an exercise ball and do one minute of ab curls. Repeat four times. (50 calories)

9. If you’re not down with that, work your core by simply sitting on the ball for an hour. (38 calories)

10. Stand approximately five feet away from the TV and do lunges for five minutes. (37 calories)

11. Lie down in front of the TV and hold yourself in the plank position for one minute. Repeat two times. (35 calories)

12. Lie down on your couch and scoot around until your back is on the cushions and your legs are resting on the seat back, at a 90 degree angle to your waist. Curl your torso up towards your legs in a crunch and release. Keep doing them for an entire commercial break. (30 calories)

5 Reasons I’m Working Out at 10:30 PM–And Why You Should Be Too

I’m not proud of these reasons, but they keep me motivated.

At 10:30 at night when the house is asleep and the bed is calling, why am I really working out? I’m not proud of some of these answers, but they are the truth.

1. Vanity I’m not ashamed to admit it: Vanity is a great motivator. I like my old clothes and I like how I looked in them. When asked why she works out, a friend recently echoed what I hear (and think) time and time again, “I’d like to believe it’s about health — but I think it’s to look better.”

2. Pride I want to prove something to myself and to others. Squeezing an 8-lb., 11-oz. baby with a head size in the 100th percentile out of a small opening should have taken care of that. The strength we must call upon to give birth (or go through an adoption) should relinquish every mom of the need to ever have to prove herself again. But for me, at least, it’s a reason.

3. Sex Truly, I think the fact that I just gave him an offspring should trump how I look in a negligee for a while. If a man can wear beer goggles in his younger years, surely he can don postpartum goggles for at least 12 months as a small favor to the mother of his child.

4. Time I want at least 30 minutes a day that belongs to me and only me. Sometimes, you just need to turn it off to tune it out. I am convinced this is the true reason they invented iPods — not for the young and hip 20-somethings featured in the ads, but for the old and hippy Mommies who just need to turn it of. It was Calgon that took our Moms away — now it is our “mojo-pods” and working out that bring our best escapes.

5 Positive Things For You To Do Today

Create positivity for yourself by doing these 5 simple things each day. They do not take much time out of your day and can help you stay upbeat and healthy throughout your daily activities. Why not give it a try?

Goals1. Take 10 minutes to do absolutely nothing but rest. Take a break from your day, close your eyes, breath in slowly and deeply through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Repeat several times. Think about a place you love that is relaxing, spend 10 minutes there in your mind.

Goals2. Write down something positive about yourself. It can be a trait, a body part or something nice you did for someone. Learn how to appreciate yourself each day.

Goals3. Plan your dinner. During the day think about what you will make for dinner, that way you are prepared. Eat healthy throughout the day so you are not starving and won’t be tempted to drive through somewhere or eat junk. Think about what you can have in the house or what you need to pick up on the way home.

Goals4. Stretch for 5 minutes- child’s pose, touch your toes (hamstring hang), stretch you neck. Stretching can alleviate stress, prevent injury and increase circulation.

Goals5. Laugh-find humor in something. Laugh with a friend, read some jokes online, be silly with your kids, animals, friends, family, anyone. Laughing is a great stress reliever and can instantly boost your mood.

Day dreaming about eating may actually be good for you

The findings of a new study may provide the perfect antidote to overeating this holiday season. Rather than suffer through limiting yourself to only one sugar cookie or a few sips of eggnog, researchers at Carnegie Mellon University are suggesting you imagine eating what you crave as a way to keep yourself from actually consuming the unhealthy goods.

Based on a series of experiments where they asked volunteers to picture themselves eating M&M’s, the researchers found those who imagined eating more candy actually ate significantly less of the real thing when offered a bowl of the tiny treats.

Citing habituation — a mental process of “lessening our response to a stimulus when it is repeated” — as the cause for these findings, Joachim Vosgerau, a member of the research team, said that suppressing thoughts of food may not be as effective as previously thought: “We believe this is the first research to show the imagination can decrease the attraction of any initially attractive stimulus.”

In the past, it was believed that avoiding thoughts of desired items was the best way to deal with weight management and drug treatment — out of sight, out of mind, craving over. But the team’s findings suggest otherwise, with Vosgerau saying, “When you quit smoking, you constantly get those urges, you’re trying to suppress the thoughts…According to our theory you should do the opposite and imagine doing it, drag by drag.” They believe that by imagining the forbidden act — whether it be smoking or eating — the craving will wane with overexposure, eventually leading the body and mind to think it no longer wants what it once did.

What You Should Know Before Having Plastic Surgery (From a Plastic Surgeon)

Making the decision to have cosmetic surgery is not a small matter. Some women make the decision, know what they want, and are comfortable with whomever they have decided to see. For most, however, there is much more involved. You should plan to see more than one surgeon, and decide whom you feel most comfortable with. You should feel that the doctor is listening to your concerns, and is not so imperious and egotistical that he cannot let you describe what is bothering you and what you hope to gain from any procedure.

If you are considering cosmetic surgery, there are important points you should be sure to ask about and be familiar with during initial consultations.

Your Doctor:

What to know about plastic surgeryAsk your doctor if he specializes in certain procedures, what type of training he had and what board certification he has. There is not one particular board that qualifies a doctor to perform every cosmetic surgery procedure. Many different specialties offer training and excellent surgeons who perform cosmetic surgery. It is common that one surgeon might specialize in noses, eyelids, and facelifts and one does mostly breast surgery. You can (and should) ask, and it’s quite possible your doctor feels comfortable performing all procedures and has a busy practice doing a variety of procedures.

Surgery Location & Anesthesia:

Ask where your surgery will be performed and if the facility is accredited by the Institute for Medical Quality or the AAAHC. It’s also important to know who will be providing anesthesia and what type of anesthesia will be used. For most cosmetic procedures, IV sedation is excellent. I have worked with both anesthesiologists and CRNA’s (nurse anesthetists) who are exceptional.

Jillian says buh-bye to “The Biggest Loser”: What should she do next?

Jillian Michaels made a major professional announcement the way any respectable celeb does these days – yep, on Twitter.

She posted a message to fans saying she’s kicking herself off of the show that made her famous, tweeting:

Season 11 of Biggest Loser will be my last 🙂 have to finish out my contract.

The trainer we love to see get all yelly has been vocal about wanting to adopt a child and has said, “I want to take a year off TV and focus on becoming a mommy and doing more charity work.”

With DVDs, a Wii game, weight-loss products, and a show of her own already under her belt, I’m curious to see what projects – and if they are professional as well as parental – Jillian Michaels has lined up once she’s done with “The Biggest Loser.”

If you could bark back at the lady who has made people cry, scream, sweat more than any of us thought humanly possible with orders to do a thousand excuse-squashing crunches, what would you tell her to do next?

What kind of show would you like to see Jillian do?