Kimberly J Garcia

Category: Diet

Joe Schmo GMO! What the heck are GMO’s anyway?
GMO, aka genetically modified organism, is a seed, plant or animal that has been genetically engineered with DNA from bacteria, viruses or other plants and animals. These experimental combinations of genes from different species cannot occur in nature or in traditional crossbreeding.1

The majority of GMOs in the United States consist of seeds that have been engineered to withstand high amounts of pesticides, known as Herbicide Tolerant or are insect resistant utilizing a bacteria referred to as Bt. Each are obviously used in efforts to sustain the life of the plant while killing off the pests. The negative issue with this is that we as humans are ingesting large amounts of these dangerous pesticides every time we eat non-organic foods. The Bt Corn and Bt Cotton, are engineered to explode the stomach of the insect which attempts to eat the plant. When humans ingest products infused with these GMOs, we too are experiencing stress to our digestive tract and a negative immune system response. Some scientists claim these type of chemicals and seed alterations are not impactful to the human body in small doses, but if it is in every meal the majority of Americans consume, how is this a small dose? The concept behind GMO is to create sustainable crops and feed the world, yet the majority of crops that are genetically modified are soybean, cotton and corn.2 These crops offer very little nutritional value and if offered to those who are starving, it would give the perception that they are getting food, but would rarely be enough to sustain quality of life. These altered seeds are also being fed to sustain the production of pigs, chickens, cows and fish, yet none of these animals were designed to live off of these grains. With various scientific modifications, most industrialized animals are suffering chronic disease, rapid growth/weight gain and poor quality of life. We are then consuming this animal meat that has higher chemical exposure and less nutritional value.

Scientists, news reporters, celebrities, physicians, health coaches and everyday people go back and forth as to whether or not GMOs are positive or negative to our society. You will find valid studies on both sides of the fence and those adamant for their use, while others are demanding labeling of GMO and more organically produced foods. As someone who used to have autoimmune dysfunction and chronic digestive issues, I understand first hand how much the quality of food impacts ones overall health and well being. When I learned about GMOs, I thought logically about their production, their use and the companies who were producing them. Although each study contradicted each other and I was not sure who to believe, I realized that nature knows how to make food. If man is creating food and altering it to reduce pesticide usage or to increase crop production, it doesn’t mean it is in the best interest of my cells.

Monsanto is the top producer of genetically modified seeds. Monsanto was founded in St. Louis, Missouri in 1901, by John Francis Queeny, a 30‑year veteran of the pharmaceutical industry.3

In the past 100 years Monsanto has created or co-created:
- saccharin
- sulfuric acid
- PCBs
- nuclear weapons
- DDT
- Agent Orange
- recombinant bovine growth hormone
- glyphosate
and in 1975, became the first company to patent life by gaining the rights to own and create their version of various seeds. 4

For me, just knowing the history of Monsanto and the danger of their products, why would I trust that they have my best interest in hand with food production? Why would we want them to have so much control over our food when in the past their primary focus was for personal profit?

The majority of companies that utilize Monsanto’s products for feed, hormones and pesticides, treat their animals like this:

Whether GMO or mass food production is considered “healthy” or “safe”, I personally choose to reduce the amount of dollars I give to any company that supports this type of animal treatment. The only way companies can sustain business is if we invest in them. Every time we purchase fast food, conventionally raised fruits, veggies, dairy or meat, we are helping these large corporations stay in business and unintentionally condoning this kind of food production. For me, this is conforming to the ways of the world. It may seem easier to go with the norm, but once you are enlightened, it’s inevitable that if you want to make a real change, if you want to protect the health of your family, you figure out a way to Be the Change You Wish to See! This is why we at the Garcia Institute of Modern Excellence work so hard to find local, sustainable and organic food sources for our customers and ourselves.

Here are some thoughts to think about:

1. Organic food is really just FOOD. It is what our great grandparents considered everyday food with less pesticides, hormones and genetic engineering. Nothing special or weird.

2. Whole foods, whether organic or not, are still better than eating processed food loaded with soybean, corn syrup and cottonseed oil. The goal of this post is not to incent food fears or orthorexia, yet to offer education so you can pick and choose which company you decide to invest your dollars and health in. If you only have conventionally raised food available to eat, EAT IT! The stress over food will kill you faster than the GMO. The goal is just to make consistent effort to be the change you wish to see. Small changes add up to positive results!

3. In my personal and professional experience, busy human beings, need animal protein for quality health. This info blog is in no way a promotion to cut out animal products. The goal is to find animal products that have been humanely raised as they were intended to live.

4.Even if you are eating mostly veggies and fruits, if they are loaded with the chemical glyphosate or created from GMO seeds, you can experience digestion issues, neural damage, skin rashes, infertility, heart complications and pain.5,6

5.Several other developed countries have banned the use of GMOs or they at least require labeling of each product to offer awareness and conscious choice. 7

6. Take time to look up the products Monsanto has created in the past. Do you think they, or any other chemical company such as this is concerned with your health?

7.If you want to make a difference in your quality of life and the food industry, make one small step each week to cook at home, purchase locally raised food, grass fed meat and organic products.

Living healthy, is much more than calories in or calories out, workouts or food group restriction. It’s how you choose to eat, live, play, think and breathe. The more we respect the food we eat and the temple we live within, the easier it is to live a full life!

Thank you for taking the time to learn more about GMOs.

Here are three great resources if you want to start educating yourself further as to how they are used and how Monsanto gained the right to have control over much of our food production.

Resource Links and Information:

1. http://www.nongmoproject.org/learn-more/

2. http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/err-economic-research-report/err162.aspx

3.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto

4.http://monsantoblog.com/2009/06/19/seed-patent-history/

5. www.pan-uk.org/pestnews/Actives/glyphosa.htm

6. http://www.prweb.com/releases/2014/08/prweb12107677.htm

7.http://www.organicconsumers.org/gefood/countrieswithbans.cfm
August 24, 2014
The Depression of a Food Prude

I am here to share the sad story of becoming a food prude.

Food Prude: noun \ˈfüdˈprüd\

1. a person who holds themselves to a higher standard when it comes to the foods they eat
2. a person who is easily shocked by the foods that do not shock or offend other people
3. one who is modest about the amount of food and/or beverages they choose to consume

Not to be mistaken for a chronic dieter, calorie counter or points conservationist.

We have long known that eating healthy, reading labels, living a healthy lifestyle can be depressing, boring and just plain exhausting.

This is why some fear coming in contact with a food prude in concern they may start to become one or be irritated by one. It’s like avoiding the Zombie Apocalypse. The food prudes may start to eat away at your fat and health problems, like a zombie may eat away at your face.

It’s scary. Scary that your life may be totally altered for the better. I have lived the last 19 years learning how to live a healthier, fit lifestyle, becoming one who cares about the health and well being of my mind, body and soul. Not only concerned with the health and well being of myself, but our Earth, our children and the entire decline in vitality of our current population. I have suffered deeply by coming in contact with these food prudies (not really a word, but it is a word now. It’s a Kiminism). Their inspiration, their education, their raw advice was overwhelming, yet motivating. As they ate away at my thoughts, their words started to alter my daily choices. It was at first scary to switch my coke for water, my protein bars for chocolate ( yes switch my protein bars for chocolate- soy free that is) and to give up my #1 in the drive thru in exchange for my home cooked grass-fed steak tips, organic potatoes and lots of butter :>) Yet slowly the thoughts and education of those such as Ray Peat, Phd., Paul Chek, Dr. Mercola, Dr. Lee, Sally Fallon, Dr. Weston A Price, David Kessler and Michael Pollan have eaten away at my brain, transforming me into a deprived, sad food prude.

What have I discovered after these years of torture and personal experience? There are horrible side effects of being a food prude. Some more depressing than others. Unfortunately this could happen to you. You may be around a food prude and not even know it.

How can you tell if you’ve been in contact with a food prude for too long or if you may be slowly becoming one yourself?

Signs & Symptoms of an authentic food prude:

1. Seemingly happy. Almost so happy it seems fake.

2. An increase in energy.

3. Able to cope with difficult situations.

4. Better flexibility.

5. A feeling of greater “sexiness”.

6. A decline in purchases of pain relievers, laxatives or weight loss supplements.

7. Sharp, mental focus.

8. A craving for home cooked food.

9. A sense of power, strength or speed.

10. An increase in love, patience and/or compassion.

These are just 10 of many scary symptoms you may experience if you are attacked by, or become a carrier of the food prude disorder. I know this truth is shocking and may cause temporary stress or panic attacks, but it was laid on my heart to share this information with you. This is what I have been called to do. I hope you can accept this message as a warning. A thoughtful, precautionary measure to watch out for these food prudies. The depression of becoming a food prude has become unbearable for me and if I can prevent this from happening to one of you, my life’s work will be complete. Please share this message before midnight tonight to prevent the food prudies from multiplying. If you do not share this message, you will be responsible for the world being overtaken by these obsessed food prudes prior to the Zombie Apocalypse. PLEASE…. do not allow our destiny to be altered!

November 7, 2013
The Three C’s to Better Health and a Trim Waistline

Are you trying to improve your health?

Do you want to lose inches off your waist line or sculpt your hips?

If so, I have the solution for you and it does not include counting calories or cholesterol as a matter of importance!

As a society we are getting so caught up in the numbers that we are forgetting the true steps to success. This obsession with the scale, blood tests, medications, calories, carbs, sugar and fat has us currently ranked as dead last in health out of 17 developing countries. But WAIT, we did score NUMBER ONE in one category- OBESITY! We have been tracking our numbers, taking medications and weighing in for the last fifty years or more, so if this method actually worked, WHY ARE WE NOT THE HEALTHIEST IN THE WORLD? You guessed it! Because it DOESN’T WORK! We have been so focused on where we want to be and the physical aspects of health, that we are forgetting how everything works together as a whole. How numbers are not always accurate and how to motivate ourselves to treat our body as a temple. We have forgotten or never found the three underlying C’s to true health, happiness and HOTNESS!

The 1st C- Communication

The first key to a healthy mind and body is communication. Many people do not understand how lack of open, honest communication impacts their health. For instance, if you hire a health coach, but you are unwilling to tell them how you feel about yourself or the pain you deal with from previous life experiences, you make it harder for your health coach to help you work in a healthy direction. You can lose valuable time not addressing the critical pieces to your wellness. If you are upset with something your spouse or your co-worker did and you do not let them know, the thoughts you hold inside can cause you to eat too much, pick poor food choices, not eat or just make you sick inside. So although it was your choice to eat too much or skip meals that hindered your goals, the true underlying cause was the lack of communication. It is okay to communicate if you are struggling, feeling depressed or have something to share you are not proud of. The goal is to find someone you trust and talk with them. Let it out and ensure people know the true you and how you are feeling. Holding back what you really feel whether it be from embarrassment, fear, anger or anticipation of someone else s response, will almost always hinder your results and increase your health problems.

The 2nd C- Compassion

The second piece is compassion. First and foremost, compassion for yourself. Many people are willing to cut someone else a break, but rarely do we let ourselves off the hook. We tend to beat ourselves up for mistakes at work, at home or in our fitness plan. Communicating with yourself using compassion will help you excel in all areas. If you are on a venture to heal your body or lose weight, it will be a heck of a lot easier if you do not beat yourself up when you make mistakes or your life gets thrown for a loop. It is inevitable that you will not lose weight every week, you will not eat perfect everyday and you will not always be the top performer. It’s okay. You are HUMAN! When trying to motivate anyone to another level or support them to their goals, we provide positive love, praise and empathy. Give this to yourself and you will see a greater success than ever before and know that success is always achieved with a few steps forward and a couple steps back. In reality you are ahead of where you were. It is also important to have compassion for others. Sometimes there is someone at work or school who is being rude to us or our spouse is not so thoughtful. Most of us are very quick to take this rudeness personal. When we take how others treat us personal, we throw ourselves off track again making poor choices. We may overeat, under eat, stress eat, skip exercise or over exercise because we feel like we were treated poorly because we are not good enough or not “liked” It is important to have compassion and empathy for the other people around us. Maybe they are not being rude to us because we are not good enough, maybe they are not having a good day or maybe they feel bad themselves and are not communicating how they feel. Have compassion for them and understand they may not be thinking like you or may have a lot on their plate. It’s important to express how you feel and to communicate with others, putting yourself in their shoes and your own. Communicating with compassion and having compassion for yourself reduces stress and can help you make optimal choices for your health.

The 3rd and most important C- Consistency

Aristotle once said, “You will become what you consistently do.” This is TRUTH! As a whole, us Americans are failing at achieving health because we tend to be an all or nothing society. If we don’t get what we want when we want it, we tend to give up or change the course. It is important to practice the daily habits required to achieve your overall goals. It is just not possible to achieve a healthy, happy, hot body without consistency. Whatever gets you sick, keeps you sick and whatever gets you well, keeps you well. If you remain consistent eating well, exercising, communicating and sharing love- you will learn a great deal about your body. You will see what works for you and you will not self sabotage. You will feel at peace when you make mistakes and understand others make them too. Staying the course and consistently learning how to treat yourself better, will lead to the greatest physical, mental and spiritual health you have ever experienced. Consistency is required to be successful in ALL areas of life. You can not come to work two weeks and be off four and expect success. You can not be nice to your spouse one year and then rude the next year and expect a great relationship. It works the same when getting well. It’s the consistency of practicing healthy behaviors, not just for a few weeks or a couple years. It’s a lifetime of working to become a better you. This is how lasting results are achieved.

If you feel you have been struggling to get healthy, lose weight or meet a goal- stop a minute and assess the three C’s. Are you communicating effectively, honestly and with compassion? Or are you holding back? Are you having compassion for yourself? Are you judging others or are you having compassion for where they may be at on their journey? Are you willing to consistently eat well, think well, live well as a whole, allowing for minor stalls and setbacks? Or are you only making temporary changes hoping for immediate results? Committing to apply the 3 C’s in all areas of your life will lead to less stress, better choices and lasting results! Without them, you may never reach your fullest potential.

April 18, 2013
Only Coffee Is Instant

As most of you know, much of the current population is failing when it comes to achieving an ideal weight and good health.

After 19 years of motivating myself and others to live well, I have learned there is one large factor as to why so many are not meeting or sustaining their goals.

When it comes to health and weight loss, as a majority we expect it to be instant, fast, easy to learn, quickly achievable with no obstacles, setbacks, just results! And if there are any setbacks, falters, delays etc. WE GIVE UP ! We give up for a day, a week, a year. This is where most of us are going wrong.

We have to remember…. only coffee is instant!

When I was 18, I learned soda had more calories than water and if I just substituted water for soda I could drop weight and feel better. Within one week of drinking water and less soda, I dropped 6lbs! I then learned alcohol caused my body to store approximately 30% more of my food as body fat. It’s at that point I decided I’d rather eat a chocolate cake than drink my calories. At least chocolate cake burned off, didn’t make me store more fat or trash my brain cells. I took these pieces of knowledge and put them in my toolbox. I applied them to my daily life and then started to learn more.

Through my journey with health, I have made several mistakes, experienced setbacks, children, career changes, death, sickness etc. through all of this, I could not throw all of my knowledge out the window. In the beginning, I started off highly obsessed, giving myself little room to falter. After a few years of obsessing over every calorie, annoying people with my obsessive eating behaviors and negative self talk, I realized this was no way to live. I also realized we were never designed to live perfect, but to live consistent, balanced and seeking wisdom. To live with the drive to improve our current self.

As with anything worth having in life, you have to work for it. You have to learn from mistakes, apply your knowledge and be flexible.

We have been brainwashed to think weight loss, pain relief and good health should just happen when we decide we’re ready to make a change. We assume because we have been told to exercise more, eat less or eat mini meals throughout the day, that as soon as we start doing it, our body should respond. This is like registering for college and expecting to have a degree within four weeks. It just doesn’t work that way. The human body, just as your marriage, your education and your career, needs nurturing, flexibility and consistency. With time, education and application of your knowledge, YOU WILL SEE RESULTS!!! Just as someone slowly sees negative results with consistent dieting, poor eating habits and lack of movement, you will see slow, consistent results with continued application of better eating habits, exercise and a positive attitude. It’s the Law of Cause and Effect! It has to happen, but it does not have to happen instantly.

If you are educated properly, you commit to learning and commit to applying, you will have all the knowledge needed to sustain a healthy, fit body for the majority of your life. You can not give up! You have to invest the time, energy and money to achieve a better you. You have to find solutions to your obstacles and you have to make yourself WORTH it! Are you not worth more than your career or your marriage? Without you, the career and the marriage can not exist. Without the WHOLE, HEALTHY you, the marriage and the career will never be as successful as they could be!

If you are ready to receive your pain-free, lean, fit body, it’s time to start learning! It’s time to put in the time. You can not drop out a couple semesters or cheat on a few tests and truly expect results. Dedicate the same time you have to your career, your family, your relationships…. be flexible, apply your daily knowledge and learn from your mistakes. Don’t keep repeating them over and over again expecting a different result. If you are failing in a certain area, study harder and learn how to make it happen!!

You are worth it. Your body is worth the time!

Know that your body is made up of more than 100 trillion cells. These cells take time to transform. They require good, whole food, healthy balance and consistency to renew. It’s really not about the calories, the short-term commitment or the scale. It’s truly about your willingness to value yourself and to apply what you learn daily.

Take time to brew the coffee. Take time to make the changes needed in your life.

You are worth it!

July 17, 2012
The Gift of Having a Crystal Ball

I have to share with you my love-hate relationship with my passion to help others improve their life. Living the life of a trainer, fitness enthusiast and health education junkie for more than 19 years, has truly taught me a great deal about the human body. When you research and live what you learn, you truly get the chance to experience the outcome. The cause and effect of our choices. When I first started in this career of wellness, I could only understand how I felt from my choices and what happened when I worked out a certain way or followed a certain diet etc. Now after years of working with individuals as young as 5 years old up to 86 years young, I have gained the true gift of being able to see the future. My profession is one of the ONLY professions who actually has the opportunity to spend anywhere from 1 hour to thousands of hours with their clients. These hours are spent learning about their symptoms, their insecurities, their goals, diet plans, life stressors etc. Through this time, I get to learn not only from my mistakes or successes, but also from theirs. I get to see what a life with no activity leads to. I get to see what crazy weight loss plans create and I am also able to see the years many of us waste thinking lesser of ourselves. Each of these experiences have taught me something new.

Meeting with more than 3,500 people and coaching them for more than 19,000 hours has helped me identify trends, effective programming and ineffective programming. This combined with years of formal education, has given me the gift to recognize the cause of many health issues, training injuries and weight loss failures. Not only can I almost take an x-ray of your posture with my eyes, I can almost guarantee you I have an answer as to why a person may have chronic fatigue syndrome, bronchitis, irritable bowel syndrome and thyroid issues. Not only can I give you an answer as to what caused the “sudden” onset of symptoms, I can also give you solutions to the problem.

How can I do this? Why do I think I can?

Do I know it all? No.

Am I a doctor? No.

Am I a VooDoo practitioner? No.

What is it then?

I ask questions. I listen. I am PASSIONATE about what I do. It is embedded within my soul to help others live their fullest life. I seek the best of the best and I train under them. When I don’t have an answer, I seek it out. I find someone who does. When I can’t get a clear answer, I research what happened before the problem began and identify the trends. I track, test, follow through and tailor my programs to my client’s need. I live what I preach and learn from what I live.

When you do anything with passion over a period of years, you become an expert, a master of your trade. If you are like me, you then want to top what you know. You want to gain more answers and give more solutions. This is what I LOVE! I love being able to give someone a solution to their want or need, particularly when it comes to a better mind, body and health. Many times the solutions are simpler than what one might expect and then other times, a chronic condition may take time to heal, but it CAN be done and if it can not be 100%, a person can drastically slow the progression of their symptoms through the proper guidance. How do I know this? I experience it everyday of my life.

Now what do I hate about this passion? What I hate about this passion is really my issue. Have you ever lived something, made a mistake and then saw someone you love about to make the same mistake? Have you ever tried to stop them? What happened? Did they listen? Did they believe you? I am sure sometimes they did. You may have helped them avoid a misery you already lived. A lesson you learned from experience.

What do you feel like when they don’t listen? When your daughter still stands on the counter after you told her not to and then she falls and hurts herself. Or when your sibling keeps dating someone whose tearing them down and it kills you inside. Or when you see your family member continue to abuse themselves through food, alcohol or drugs with no thought of what they are doing to you or their own body? Does it bother you inside? Don’t you want to help them because you know the results of their actions? I would assume most of you would say yes. I know some are built to walk away and let others just live their journey, but for me it’s not that easy.

When you have been given the gift of being able to absorb so much knowledge and experience from others and self, it’s almost impossible to not want to help others avoid chronic mistakes I see on a day-to-day basis. Many mistakes creating misery, depression, feelings of failure and early death. When I see someone who gives up on themselves because the scale didn’t respond fast enough or someone who is over exercising, under eating or cutting out whole food groups to live “healthy”, it literally kills me inside. Why? Because I have been there and done that. I know the consequences. I know the short and long-term results. I know the years of quality life people are shaving off their future and the rapid aging they are creating. I know how they are impacting their family’s future by their choices and how they will miss their goal yet again.

I have people I care about deeply hire me to help them and then negate everything I coach them to do or throw everything out the window once they are on their own. It’s so tough to see them work harder versus smarter, reliving the mistakes I have seen lived a million times over again. But I have to understand, it’s their journey. It’s their lesson to learn and their choice to make, not mine. It’s taken me some time, but I have learned that I can not put my passion on to others. I can not make them want to trust what I tell them. They have to choose what they want and I have to realize I will help some avoid issues all together and I will spend the rest of the time helping people regain the health they lost.

Having the “crystal ball” has definitely helped me live in the moment, love myself for who I am and value taking care of the body I have today. With two-thirds of adults struggling with weight, over 26 million having diabetes and over $83 billion dollars spent on depression each year, I have a true passion to help slow the statistics. A passion to spread my knowledge to each of you and help you live it on a day-to-day basis. One person at a time, we can be the change we wish to see in the world. Many of us have knowledge, but knowledge is nothing unless it’s applied. So if you know me, you have worked with me in the past or you meet with me in the future, know that when I give you A LOT of information and I send you emails of support, it’s not to tell you what to do. It’s not to seem like a know it all and it’s definitely not to mislead you. It’s just because I have had the chance to see the future and I have learned how to live balanced and happy in the present. It is my passion to help you achieve full vitality and performance. You deserve it. Our children deserve it. And our community deserves it.

I hope you will allow me to share my crystal ball with you! It’s definitely worth the outcome.

April 26, 2012
Quick Fix! Not So Much

We’re in the world of instant gratification right now. Many of us are being sold on so-called “quick fixes” or “easy” options to weight loss, almost giving us the sense of if we pay for it, we will get results. This is so true when it comes to buying a car, a dessert or the new iphone, but when it comes to weight loss and truly achieving the body you want… not so much. We start to think if I just get this surgery or I just do this diet, it will help me get the first 10-40lbs off and then I can go from there. This thought process typically sets us up for short and long-term failure versus true results. Not only does it waste our time and money, it truly wastes our health! The chronic dieting and weight loss industry is creating a slow miserable death for many of us causing depression, injuries, chronic health conditions and 99% of the time leaving us unhappy with our results. Yet still these common weight loss offerings tempt us to repeat the same mistakes over and over with hopes of success if we give it just one more try.

Lets take a look at a couple common options put before us and break down just how quick they really are.

Lap Band and Gastric Bypass Surgery

Here we think we can’t possibly lose weight on our own and that our body defies science. All the eating healthy and exercise in the world does not work for us. We are made to think maybe we can just get a surgery which physically restricts us from eating making results achievable. It will make it easier in our busy lives to not have to be in control, but to kind of have our own built-in governor which keeps us under the speed limit and helps us avoid more negative repercussions such as more weight gain. Some physicians stress the need for us to lose weight for better health and then sell us on this being the best way or the only way to get there.

Reality Check #1: The body was designed to eat. We require energy to survive. Healthy calories offer the body nutrients needed to burn off fat, build tight bodies and create well-being. Having a surgery which restricts food to the point of mild to severe starvation does not create health or a nice body. Physiologically, it just can’t work. Yes, you can lose weight because you are essentially starving yourself to right before the point of death. I know most are thinking, “I don’t care. I just need this weight off so I can feel better”. Here’s the downside, being a lower weight does not mean you will feel “better”. It’s nice to be a lower weight, but feeling better begins first in your mind and how you think about yourself and then second in your actions as to how you treat yourself. I have been as low as 112lbs and did not feel “better” until I made some serious changes to my mindset, diet, stress and exercise.

Reality Check #2: A recent study by researchers at the University of Washington found that 1 in 50 people die within one month of having gastric bypass surgery, and that figure jumps nearly fivefold if the surgeon is inexperienced. (2004). 1 in 10 die within the first year! Why is this? Because many who sign up for weight loss surgery are already so severely depleted from poor diets and high stress, their bodies can not handle the stress of the surgery or the malnutrition following. Your body can not heal without quality fuel and if it does, it takes several times longer than someone who is eating a balanced diet.

Reality Check #3: We are told that even with weight loss surgery, we are going to have to watch what we eat and exercise. So many think if they get a jump-start they will be able to have the energy and a lighter body to do so. And although this may mentally make it easier for a person to get moving, the surgery is not needed to achieve this. It’s all about changing a mindset. It’s all about getting control over your choices making your health and movement a priority. If we realize that we are going to have to put in the time and energy to exercise and eat right anyway, why not commit to that prior to surgery? Do what you can do! People do not have to exercise the way they see on TV or how their fitness bunny friend does. The goal is to just get moving whichever way you can without pushing yourself to the point of injury. Its appreciating that you have the ability to move and to use it while you can.

Reality Check #4: Weight loss surgery never makes it easier. It’s actually a lot of time, money and effort. You have to prepare time for prepping and getting approval. You have to make time for surgery, recovery, meal planning, mental support and follow-up appointments. Then you have to learn how to tweak your diet and exercise again when you hit the infamous wall. Many times exercise and diet becomes more and more difficult, because as your body starves to death, it slowly eats away at your tendons, cartilage and healthy muscle mass creating more joint pain and a slower metabolism. It becomes this big snow ball effect in which the very thing you were trying to make easier, becomes even more difficult than it was before the surgery. So guess what? After 1-2 years, you typically take off 80-200lbs depending on how much you had to lose and then most still feel sluggish and flabby, missing the happiness they were looking for. This is the truth to the after effects of surgery. It’s not so easy. Most could take off 80-200lbs in the same time frame just committing to living better allowing them to bypass the pain, sluggishness and doctor visits.

Rapid Weight Loss Plans- HCG, Phentermine and all the others

This plan typically consists of a Very Low Calorie Diet, High Protein and some type of hormone or appetite suppressant. Another plan which goes against physiology and how the body was designed to work. Plans work short-term and again sell us on the fact that we don’t have to think much. Just eat anything that’s a protein and maybe a couple of cups of vegetables and we can drop 20lbs pretty easily in a month.

Reality Check #1: Why are you trying to lose weight in the first place? Is rapid weight loss going to serve your true purpose? Are you losing weight to look less flabby, to be firm in your swim trunks or bathing suit or do you really just want the scale to validate your beauty? When you lose weight on this type of plan, more than half of that is muscle and water weight. If you continue on the plan, you continue to lose lean muscle mass and healthy tissue. Your gall bladder starts to experience stress, your heart gets weaker, your thyroid starts to slow or shut down, slowly but surely you are rapidly losing weight and rapidly aging your body. You may feel elated that the scale is going down, but before long, you will start to scrutinize your body realizing that it still doesn’t look so hot just because you dropped a few pounds.

Reality Check #2: When you attempt to eat “normal” with your family again, the weight piles back on as fast as it came off. As we lose lean muscle mass our body starts to require less energy. As we fall back into our old habits not really ever committing to living healthy, our body starts to put all the weight back on and even faster than before. So we spend a few years up down, up down, up down.

Why create health issues such as heart palpitations, gall bladder failure, hypothyroid and blood clots just to drop a few pounds if they’re just going to make you look flabbier and most likely pile back on with a vengeance?

Reality Check #3: Many who start this diet to lose weight, we’re not eating enough in the first place. Their metabolism was already too slow from skipping meals, eating too small of portions and only snacking on 100 calorie snack packs. If your lack of weight loss was due to your already nutrient deficient diet, taking on a diet which guides you to eat even less is not the answer for you. If you are someone who has been overeating, this may help get your eating habits under control or help you break a carb addiction, but you can truly achieve these same results through simple life changes not requiring you to buy special pills or hormones.

These reality checks are just the tip of the ice berg. I can not even begin to share the side effects, the science, the results I have seen over the past 18 years in just a few paragraphs within a blog. Know that I share this information with compassion and empathy for each of you who have been through this or are striving to get weight off. I practice no judgement, because I understand we each just want to feel and look our best. I share this information because it is my hope for you to achieve each of your goals as effectively and painless as possible.

You have to ask yourself, where do I want to be 3 years from now? Do I want to rely on so-called quick weight loss options losing the same 40-100lbs over and over again? Or do I want to commit to improving my life and actually achieve my goals long-term? I assure you, if you commit the next one to two years to making true lifestyle changes such as exercise and fueling your body with “real” food, you will achieve your goals and maintain them! Achieving a healthy body and a healthy mind, really takes commitment, perseverance and a love for self. You can’t sign up for college and get the degree in a few weeks. No you actually have to study, take the test and study some more. You have to apply what you are learning for a consistent amount of time without quitting, but the amazing thing is, with a few years of commitment, you gain a degree which lasts for life. This is what will happen if you truly take the so-called “slow” route to weight loss. Within a few years of learning how to reprogram unhealthy habits, you will actually get the 50-200lbs off you have been working at for the past several years and they will stay off! You will have educated yourself as to how your body works and how to make better choices no matter what is happening in your life. And best of all, you will LOOK and FEEL the best you ever have, achieving better health, less pain and a tighter body!!!

March 2, 2012