Lessons Learned from Diets, Exercise and Magazines

Over the years, I have experimented with diets and exercise.  I have never had to worry about my weight until recently.  I used to eat whatever I wanted, and never gained an ounce.  Now as the years creep by, I find myself having to count calories, watch what I eat and steer clear of sugar.   I have tested out several diets, and thought I would share the positives I have taken from these with my readers.  Hopefully these tidbits will help you on your quest!

Dr. Dean Ornish wrote several cookbooks, including EveryDay Cooking.  His cookbooks focus on eating heart healthy whole grains,vegetables, lean protein, minimal fats and very little sugar.  I found a lot of good recipes in his books, but frankly, I couldn't keep up with the nearly vegan diet.  I used it more as a guide for healthy recipes when I wanted to make a healthy meal.  Click here for a fantastic vegetarian chili recipe from Dr. Ornish!  

I have also tried the South Beach Diet.  South Beach is a very popular plan because you are allowed to eat things like pizza and dessert.  However, this  is a diet that you do in phases. Phase One is the most restrictive phase, allowing only a certain list of foods that you can eat for the first two weeks.  In my case, I was a vegetarian at the time.  Therefore, the list of allowed foods was cut down to nearly nothing. I was only able to do one week of Phase One due to this.  Had I been able to eat chicken or turkey it would have been much easier, because the majority of what you are allowed on Phase One is protein.  However, I did learn a lot from this diet.  Many vegetables are full of sugar, and we don't even know it.  Beets and corn, two of my favorites,  have a high glycemic index. I didn't know that! Now I have an understanding of which vegetables and fruits have a high sugar content, and I can eat those in moderation.

I then tried Bethenny Frankel's diet plan.  I have followed her throughout her career as a healthy chef.   Her books focus more on your mental ability to have self control when confronted with desserts and high fat foods. Bethenny enjoys a little bit of everything, as she says in one of her chapters "taste everything, eat nothing."  I can relate to this, but sometimes I just can't stop at one bite of a cupcake!   She tells the reader to eat high quality foods, prepared beautifully and cooked properly.  I liked her books and I took a lot from them because she is a chef.  Also, she has fantastic recipes in her Skinny Girl cookbooks, including recipes for cocktails and desserts!  

Throughout the years, I have enjoyed exercising.  Its always been a big part of my day, I enjoy the 'me time' and I value the health benefits.  I wish I never had to do another minute of cardio, but I have to do it, and so should you!  Cardio is what will melt fat.  Weight training will build muscle.  That means cardio is vitally important.   They say we should all get 30 minutes of brisk exercise a day. This can be accomplished in a walk around your neighborhood.  It will help your heart become more efficient!

Weight training should be done also, and if you dont know anything about this, I suggest working with a trainer for a session or two to get a routine down.  There are three magazines that I suggest (two of which I subscribe to) that will give you plenty of good information, techniques, recipes, workouts, and so on. They are Women's Health Magazine, Men's Health Magazine, and Fitness Magazine.  All three of these are on facebook and twitter as well.  So tell me, what works for you? Do you love exercise? Do you lack motivation or have questions about workouts?