Hello Friends,

I was sent this email last night about a documentary about reversing diabetes in 30 days. I must admit it got my attention. I remember another blockbuster food documentary called ‘Super Size Me’ by Morgan Spurlock. He ate nothing but fast food for 30 days to see what effect  it would have on his body. Well, it wasn’t pretty. The film created quite a stir when it was released as it slammed mega junk food giants like McDonald’s and pretty much every fast food chain out there.

Well, right after he was done the 30 day experiment his wife, a nutritionist, put him on an 8-week vegan diet. It cut out sugar, caffeine, processed foods, foods with additives and meat.  He only ate fruits, vegetables and whole grains. Unfortunately, for the first 3 days he experienced horrible side effects from going cold turkey from the junk. Junk food is an addiction and getting off it, I guess, is something like an addict getting off drugs. But, when the detox diet was over Spurlock’s liver function, blood pressure and cholesterol all went back to normal.

So, no wonder he’s stepped up to the plate to endorse a new documentary called ‘Simply Raw: Reversing Diabetes in 30 Days’. Now I don’t have diabetes, but I think an increasing number of the population are pre-diabetic so diabetes or not if people can lose a ton of weight and cure food related illness shouldn’t we all stand up and take notice.

I saw the trailer for the film and it looks great. This film is a powerful eye opener for anyone suffering from obesity, diabetes, heart disease, cancer or any other chronic degenerative disease. It follows the lives of 6 adults (men and women) with either Type 1 or type 2 diabetes. They’re prescribed a diet of eating raw food. Now, eating raw food isn’t new. Google it and you’ll find it all over the internet (Wikipedia calls it ‘raw foodism’), but I don’t think a study on film has ever been done where the participants are right there in front of you on the TV. You’re actually watching real people go through a fascinating transformation that revolutionizes their health and reverses their diabetes. You’re watching and feeling their anxiety, frustrations, failures and ultimate successes. After watching the trailer, what stuck with me was how one overweight woman lost 25lbs in the 30 days. The raw food diet weightloss of 25lbs in such a short period of time—that’s incredible. Wow!

The ‘Simply Raw’ documentary also shows interviews from important people like Tony Robbins, Morgan Spurlock, David Wolfe, Woody Harrelson, Rev. Michael Beckwith, Dr. Gabriel Cousens, Dr. Joel Fuhrman, Bruce Lipton, Mike Adams, Gary Null, Dr. Julian Whitaker and many others supporting the film.

Getting back to Morgan Spurlock, he’s a part of a free video series promoting the film. He makes some brilliant observations about doctors, pharmaceutical companies and our lazy-looking-for-the-magic-pill-to-everything society. I was shocked at what he had to say about the American Diabetes Foundation getting funding from Cadbury Schweppes and Pepsi for their research. Isn’t that typical! He also points out wouldn’t it be interesting if a bag of organic apples were to cost 5 cents and a box of Oreo’s $50. What would people fill up on at the grocery store? Oh, and don’t forget that there wouldn’t be much too our grocery store aisles if we pulled out all the (junk) food in boxes, bags and tins and left the fresh stuff.

I know I’ve slammed the diet gurus in the past and this diet seems pretty extreme, but I’m ready for something extreme. I don’t want to abuse my body any more. I don’t want to become addicted to fat, sugar, salt and lethargicity. (Oops, I’m probably too late). So, I’m going to purchase the documentary ‘Simply Raw’.

Best FF

Meet some raw food living enthusiasts: self-help guru Tony Robbins; actors Woody Harrelson, Robin Williams, Alicia Silverstone, Angela Bassett, Darryl Hannah and Demi Moore (Charlie’s Angels: Full Throttle-that’s a 40-year old’s body?!); musicians Jason Mraz, David Bowie, Sting and Bif Naked; designer Donna Karan; model Carol Alt and; Chef Charlie Trotter.

Hello There,

Remember a while back—way back—I started a water program because of the awesome benefits of water. Well I failed miserably. And do you want to know why? Because water’s not exciting, it’s colorless, it’s bland, it’s great on hot days, but nothing to write home about—whine, whine, whine. It was a chore dog-gone-it. (Sorry, I’ve been watching too much ‘Little House on the Prairie’). I even saw a Naturalpath last year & she told me that just by looking at me she could tell I was dehydrated. Huh, I listened & put myself & my family on a 12 cup daily drinking routine (her suggestion). But it didn’t last long. Eventually, actually quite quickly we all faltered. However, over the following months we soon got the hang of it. We added a little lemon here and a few raspberries dunked there when we had to. We stopped ordering iced tea in restaurants and replaced our order with water and bought ourselves individualized water bottles of 32 ounces so we didn’t have to fill them up as much.

We faithfully tried to consume water drinking about 8 cups each. Not bad, eh? We reminded and encourage each other to drink our quotas. But if we striked out (missed our quota &/or the clock struck midnight) the beaten batter had to put a toonie into the jar—(you better get in the game tomorrow Babe Ruth or you’re out of here)! Games are good! They make it less of a chore & more of a challenge.

You know, I couldn’t get this water thing before. Yes, I know water is good for me. Yes, I know my body is primarily made up of water (60-70%). But what I didn’t know is…

• Our lungs are made up of 90% water
• our brain 85% (The brain needs more water than any other organ in the body—SO next time you water the garden remember to also WATER YOUR BRAIN!)
• our blood & cornea of the eye both 80%
• our muscles & lean tissue both 75%
• water stored in the spinal disc core supports 75% of our body’s weight

So, yes I should drink at least 8 glasses per day because my body and my brain are the real winners. I also know many other benefits of water are weight loss, better digestion and circulation, great skin and a well functioning body.

Now, if you’re still not convinced yet about drinking water how about asking this question: why is water important to the body. Here’s the answer, but lets this time think of things backwards. Instead of how much should I drink a day lets ask how much water does our body use every day? That’s a great question.

Here’s a break down of how much water some of our body uses or more importantly loses a day:

• our skin uses about 2 cups of water/day

• our kidneys use about 5 1/2 cups of water/day

• & what about our other organs?

• our urine output is 6 cups of water/day

• sweating, breathing & bowel movements use 4 cups of water/day

So, our body uses way more water than we’re told to drink.

Conclusion: Our body loses a LOT of water a day. This stat threw me for a loop; it was inconceivable that our bodies could use that much water. So, if we lose that much then we need to replenish the water system that much. Look at how much water we need to make this wonderful human factory of ours work. Wow, wow, wow!

So, how much water do we really need? 8 cups? 12 cups? There is an equation you can use. Note your weight and divide by 2. This gives you the number of ounces you should drink per day. And if you’re not into counting your glasses or measuring out the ounces Dr. Mercola says drink enough water so that your urine is a light-colored yellow and don’t guzzle your water sip it throughout the whole day.

I never would’ve imagined our body needing so much water. Nor did I know why? But, when it’s broken down into these bite size pieces it’s easy to understand. I want my factory to work at it’s highest level. And it can only do that if it’s been given what it needs—WATER! So, it’s been many water logged days, but I’m in to it. Better yet, my family’s into it.

And here’s even more benefits for our family drinking water: it will help my son with dandruff & eczema; my daughter with minor acne & my husband & I with our toxic goody-toting flab bags. It also helps with brain function, memory & ADHD.

Are you a water craving machine now? Come along for the ride. Let’s see what lies beyond the land of water. Cheers! To better health the real easy way. Hey, instead of grabbing that Coke try a cool-thirst quenching glass of H2O!

Caution: there are some side effects from watering yourself in the filtered aqua. The list goes something like this: gas from the upper oral cavity & the lower anal cavity, skin lesions (the lone pimple syndrome), body odor & frequent mad dashes to the loo. And if you feel sick from drinking too much water that’s the toxins being expelled from your body.

Yours Truly,

FF

http://www.mercola.com/article/water.htm

http://www.mangosteen-natural-remedies.com/drinking-8-glasses-of-water.html

First of all Good Day,

I came across a quote today and it just hit me like a ton of bricks. It relates to some of my other postings such as Diet Gurus and Dr. Who-Buy-What? So let’s paint the scene, it’s 1pm in the morning, my son is still up–I’m going to tell him it’s lights out (pause), done that– it’d be dark, if it wasn’t for my fake Tiffany desk lamp emitting such dim light that I can barely see what I’m typing.  At my desk, I’m researching online biz and I’m reading a free ebook from the CEO of WorldWide Brands, Chris Malta. I sometimes like to read a book from the end to the beginning–it doesn’t seem as long that way. Anyway, I’m at the end and Chris is recapping what he wants his readers to get out of this book. (He is really anti-scammerism. Gotta love him for that!) His writing goes something like this: I can’t promise I’ll make you rich or make all your dreams come true…Stop!  This guy has some nerve telling me he’s not gonna come through for me. Why can’t he promise everything I want and add all sorts of guarantees? Why can’t he make all my dreams come true? Have you heard that garbage before? To this he says, that’s the difference between him and the scammers. Ok, here it comes, are you ready? This is a symphonic finale crescendoing to fff.  The quote drops in silence…”I’m telling the truth, even though it’s not as pretty as the lie.” Isn’t that awesome! Isn’t that the best thing you’ve heard in a long time?  Don’t we all want to hold on to the lie because it’s prettier; it’s easier; it’s friendlier, it’s a babysitter, etc. Do I need a babysitter? It’s incredible to think that I can take a pill/supplement to be slim. That if I pay $3000 to a weight loss center with a doc and some nurses I’ll be slim. Or that I can eat whatever I want, when I want and I’ll be slim. Or almost every diet book’s motto: they promise,  if I follow them I’ll be slim. What does Mr. Malta go on to say, ” The truth is that it takes work and dedication to build yourself a future…”

Lies spin themselves into more lies, more deception. That’s where we are today. Nobody knows what’s up and what’s down. One day they tell us this is good for you; the next day it’s bad. We don’t know what foods to eat or drink. My dad told me of a diet he was going on (this was years ago) called The Chocolate Diet. He thought it was the greatest thing since sliced bread. It was like he was brainwashed. He had statistics, there were testimonials, you name it. You couldn’t talk him out of it. Needless to say it didn’t pan out. Why do we believe the lies when the truth is staring us right in the face. It ’s so simple? We don’t have to read a book, walk in to a center or eat frozen manufactured meals.

We have to find some type of physical movement we really enjoy, feed ourselves nourishment and love the person we are today. Not that stranger we’ve been promised we’ll be happier, cuter, more successful, etc. An instant do-over. No, I’ll pass. I’ll pass on the lie. I think this time I’ll take the red pill. Yes, I’ll take the truth Morpheus!! Let’s go down that rabbit hole!

I love you,

The Fat and Forty

Hello!

Well, I’m smokin’ mad today! Why is it these e-commerce docs always want to sell me something? Oh, yah–and that somethin’ (usually miracle plant, tree, herb, sap, etc.) comes from somewhere you can only get to by boat after you’ve traveled a zillion miles. Meaning there’s no way in hell I can get it for my self. I read these doc articles, newsletters, etc. and I’m hooked. Yes, there’s an incredible herb that can cure this, make me feel better with that type deal. Then I get down to the bottom of the page and I’m told it only comes in a bottle and I can only get it from him. Ahhhh!!!!!!!! I’m going to scream!!! Yes, it’s a fat lady ready to explode. Watch out!!

Why? Why? Why?! Why can’t we love the human race enough to not keep secrets or have to pay for those secrets. Is there nothing out there for free not even secrets. Don’t doctors have to take some kind of oath? An oath to help people!!!!! Well, not on the internet I guess they don’t. Everything comes with a pitch. There either pitching their books, pills or supplements. The pitch is good too. They back it up with research, statistics, articles, etc. They start with a question or they tell me they can help me with this or they can help me cure that. So after they’ve hooked me in…I’m just about to read what it is…then whamo! Out from nowhere I’m hit with BUY now! What? I don’t want to buy your wonder sh–stuff. I want to know how to take better care of my self without paying through the nose.

So, to all you doctors out there in web space help the people down on Earth. We need your help now! You can keep your propaganda newsletters selling your junk!! That supplement from the Rainforest you tout as a super hero ain’t all it’s cracked up to be otherwise it’d be bought up governments around the world who really want to make a buck.

Ponder that thought before you buy the next best …

Signed FF

Hellooo,

I’ve found some great quotes on what other topic – weight loss. Enjoy!

Ellen Degeneres
You have to stay in shape. My grandmother, she started walking five miles a day when she was 60. She’s 97 today and we don’t know where the hell she is.

Lee Iacocca
You’ve got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It’s called perseverance.

David Viscott
You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.

Thomas Jefferson
The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises walking is the best.

Harriet Beecher Stowe
When you get into a tight place and everything goes against you, till it seems as though you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that is just the place and time that the tide will turn.

Marvin Phillips
The difference between try and triumph is just a little umph!

Anthony Robbins
The higher your energy level, the more efficient your body. The more efficient your body, the better you feel and the more you will use your talent to produce outstanding results.

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi
Not to have control over the senses is like sailing in a rudderless ship, bound to break to pieces on coming in contact with the very first rock.

Winston Churchill
Never, never, never, never give up.

I’d say…well put! We all need a little encouragement. Some of us need a swift kick in the butt. I’d be in the butt kicking group. If I said these quotes to myself everyday I’d have the motivation to persevere. I’ve seen what persevering can do with my kids. If it’s worked for them it will surely work for me.:)

Toodles!

FF

What a beautiful day it was today. The sun was out, not a cloud in the sky and I didn’t even have to wear a coat. I tell yah, when you feel the sun’s warm on your face there really is no better feeling. I swear if I lived in LA or somewhere warm 360 days of the year I’d be thin (okay thinner). Us up here in Canada we’re just like bears. We get no exercise because we have to drive everywhere. It’s cold, wet and rainy usually 8-10 months of the year. In order to make it through the dark and dreary Winter months you’ve gotta stock up. You know, you gotta eat those carbs to get ready for hibernation. We spend those long months in the dark, in our homes, in front of our TV’s or computers. We never go out – it’s yucky out. Plus we don’t have the clothes for it. I wear my same Spring jacket all year long and I fashion that with my flips flops. I mean, we want Summer so bad we wear shorts all year long too.

But, it looks like we missed Winter and Spring is here. Even the flowers are dotting the landscape. Even the bears are up early from their Winter’s nap. It’s truly wonderful. Last year, Winter never left and this year Winter never came. Thank you Lord! I love the sun. It’s funny my parents bought a house in Hawaii to escape the abyss that is Canadian Winter. I think this year we won’t have to leave our beautiful city. Sun, sun and more sun = outdoors, activities and weight loss without even trying. You hoo!! I love it! I’m looking forward to walks, hikes, possibly canoe trips and tennis with my kids and my hubby. I’d list bike riding, but the ridiculous, tiny and hard bike seat hurts my butt.

So tomorrow, I’m going to enjoy the sunshine. Go vitamin D! El Nino is the culprit and well…. I can’t believe it’s Summer here and Europe and some other parts of the US won’t be seeing green for a long long while. The white stuff is beautiful, but I prefer green, blue, flowery and sunshiny warmth.

Talk to you soon!

The fat and Forty

Helloo Fat Cats,

Let’s talk about stress. I found an interesting article which I’ve included below. To read all about stress go to www.medicinenet.com/stress.

• Stress is a normal part of life that can either help us learn and grow or can cause us significant problems.
• Stress releases powerful neurochemicals and hormones that prepare us for action (to fight or flee).
• If we don’t take action, the stress response can create or worsen health problems.
• Prolonged, uninterrupted, unexpected, and unmanageable stresses are the most damaging types of stress.
• Stress can be managed by regular exercise, meditation or other relaxation techniques, structured timeouts, and learning new coping strategies to create predictability in our lives.
• Many behaviors that increase in times of stress and maladaptive ways of coping with stress — drugs, pain medicines, alcohol, smoking, and eating — actually worsen the stress and can make us more reactive (sensitive) to further stress.
• While there are promising treatments for stress, the management of stress is mostly dependent on the willingness of a person to make the changes necessary for a healthy lifestyle.

OK. I’m a willing participant. Where do I start? Well, that’s easy. The most exercise I get is from getting up off my derriere to either go pee or to fill up my plate when my hubby calls for dinnertime. So regular exercise. You win! I’ll start today. It’s going to be tough. I’m going to do…

20 minutes of rope stretches (for my back) while sitting on the couch watching TV. Oh, yah! And…

10 minutes of PACE (1 minute easy walk; then 1 minute run on spot; and back and forth for 10 minutes).

Wish me luck! Day 1 starts now. I will succeed so help me Lord!

Yours Truly,

the fat and forty

Hellooo,

Ahhh, it’s over! The Olympics are finally over and it’s back to life; back to reality. Wow! It was quite a ride and I can’t wait to the Summer Olympics in London in 2012. It was a proud moment to be Canadian and I think winning the last gold medal was the icing on the cake. I mean, we’ll never beat the states in medals, but I think we elevated our pride, desire to win and spirit. No longer do we wish to be the Americans with their winner attitude because they know how to support their athletes. We did a pretty good job all the way around. It’s kind of sad that it’s all over.

What I took away from the games was triumph over adversity. I think we saw it time and again with athletes all over the world from addictions, to broken necks to the unthinkable death. I guess you have a choice when you fall down. Either get up or you stay down. If I can apply this to my life I think I’ve fallen many times, but when I get up I stagger around and become disorientated. I don’t know which way is forward. Aha! This time, even at a huge low point in my life I’ve gotten up and instead of staggering around and becoming dizzy I’ve got straight up and I’m loooking in front of me. What do I see?  Many roads. You could say I’m at the fork in the road. I want to succeed more than ever. I’ve got some big old ass dreams. They’ve been there since I was a kid. Watching my dad work for himself and making it. No boss. Vacations when he wanted them. And we kids, we got everything and did everything we wanted.

But I want to do things a bit different. I want to make dreams come true for other people. But before I can do that I have to make my own dreams come true. Yup, we’re now back at the fork. But before I go on, I think I’ve had an epiphany. Here I’m thinking I’ve got a weight problem. (Yah, yah I do, but forget about that for now). I think eating is indecision. Food is used to paralyze. When do I over eat? WHEN I’M STRESSED. And why am I stressed? Because things aren’t going my way. If I can’t control the external darn tootin’ I’m gonna control the internal. I do a pretty good job at that one, but don’t get me wrong I certainly don’t feel like a winner. I feel sick physically and mentally.

So00. What would happen if instead of getting up, stressing and eating my way through disappointment I weighed (no pun intended) the tines. If I know what I want and I know the general direction to get there then I just have to choose the road and take my first step. And if it’s the wrong one then when I come to the next road ahead I’ll get off and set a new course.

It’s taken the Olympics to see where I’ve gone wrong. Weight isn’t a food issue; it’s a coping mechanism like any other self-sabatoging vice or cry for help. What is the fantasy of escape? Why it’s drugs, alcohol, sex, etc. What is the fantasy of control? Why it’s anger, bigotry, anorexia, obesity, etc. Are we getting anywhere behaving this way? Nope. Our life is still there waiting for us to act when we return from our euphoria. All we’ve done is made ourselves a little more sick of the person we’ve become.

So, a ginea pig I’ll be, but not for diet myths, tips and tricks. Look at the world today. We’re a big bowl of mess. Why? Because we haven’t been taught to cope. How do you cope as a child when you’re not smart, popular or attractive, with the onset of adulthood, with getting a job. As an adult how do you cope with finding a career, a relationship that sticks, with having a new life (the baby…alla Seinfeld) that’s dependent on you 24 hours a day, with raising children, with raising teenagers, divorce, aging, sickness, and death. Where are the classes in school to teach us to cope?

So, I vow to not worry about weight anymore. I’m going to work on STRESS, ANXIETY & the WORRY WART in me. (I need to get myself a worry doll. A nice big one that can worry for me. Or I could use faith and rely on me less. I like that). I digress. Let’s face who we are. Let’s keep what we like and change what we don’t.

Till tomorrow,

fat and forty

Hello there,

I wanted to introduce you to my favorite athlete of the 2010 Olympic Games. He’s half Canadian (has dual citizenship) and he skis the crazy sport of ski cross—one of my favorite sports from these games. I like short track speed skating too! I digress? He wear’s an animal print-like ski suit (that’s to show how threatening we Canadians are. I mean you gotta wear jungle print when you’re always saying please, thank you and sorry all the time). Let’s face it our Hockey players opt for golf instead of the Stanley cup playoffs, our official sport should really be curling and when it comes to winning we’re not a pressure cooker country. In fact, sports day in our schools is all about participaction… in relays would you believe. There’s no sports. There’s no 100 yard dash, long jump or high jump like when I went to school. We had school teams, colors, mascots, spirit and had a passion to win. Our schools now, frown on winning;frown on competition! How can we  keep sport going in this country if we don’t encourage competition? So all this nattering leads me to one Olympic athlete. He didn’t stand on the podium; he didn’t hear our national anthem; he didn’t even finish his race. What he did do is teach the kids who were watching not to settle. If you want an extraordinary life you can’t settle. As we (my family) watched ski cross competetor Chris Del Bosco fly easily through the heats and into the finals you just new this guy was somebody to watch. And he didn’t disappoint. As the starter said…attention…off he went with the other three skiers. Chris got off to a bad start, but quickly caught up and passed the guy in third place. That is all he needed to do was not to fall and the bronze medal was all his. Play it safe? Nope. Not this guy. Not Chris Del Bosco. He saw silver and he went for it. The last jump before the finish line and what does he do? He attempts to pass not when he lands off this Cowabunga jump, but in mid frigin air. It was unbelievable! As you can see from the photo Chris wasn’t successful this time. I say this time because I know there’ll be a next time. My son is 14 years old and talk about a teaching moment. He saw the best moment of the games so far. An athlete that put everything on the line. He left nothing on the table. When he’s 60 years old there’ll be no what ifs. I had a grandfather who took the what ifs to his grave. It ruined his happiness; his light. I want my kids to see that life is all about giving it everything you got. So Chris Del Bosco I thank you from the bottom of my heart not for falling, but for showing my kids life is about giving it everything you got. I know you may be dissappointed and second guessing your instinctive decision. But I wouldn’t; you’re amazing!!!

“Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.”
~ Confucius

Congratulations Chris Del Bosco! You inspire me and my family.

God be with you!

Fat and Forty

PS. If you don’t think this guy is inspiring enough just check out his bio.

Helloooo,

I’m watching the Olympics. Yes, from my couch. But, I’ve certainly been inspired by the compelling stories of the Olympians. I don’t know how they do it. Multiple crashes, injuries, surgeries, obstacles, deaths in the family and they all come back to sport another day. Wow!

I can certainly see where I go wrong. But, like I said I’ve been inspired. I want to get outside and move about doing fun activities. It’s warm and sunny here in Vancouver. We’re not used to coming out of hibernation so early. So I vow tomorrow I will go outside, feel the sun’s warm rays on my face and move about doing something.

Tip of the day: Protect your melon!