Mon. Evening

I think I am done walking for the day. The pedometer read 3.3 Miles Not bad. I did go to Curves today also. I came across this article at Curves last week. It was in one of our Local Papers. Dr. David T. LaMond offered 12 Golden Rules to a healthy Life Style. I wanted to share them with you all.
* Never skip breakfast. Incorporate protein into your breakfast everyday. You can have a protein shake, PB, Eggs, or low-fat dairy options.
*Eat at least five small meals a day and avoid eating two hours before bedtime. Don't allow yourself to get hungry. Graze. Eat every three or four hours to keep your blood sugar level normal.
* Know what a serving size is. Use the "rule of hand" to estimate a portion size. Your palm is a serving of carbohydrate, four fingers of protein, and your index and middle finger is a serving of fat.
* Combine protein, fat and carbohydrates in every meal. Never eat carbohydrates alone.
*Rule of carb: All carb must have fiber; avoid white flour and sugar. Ideally you should pick carbohydrates with at least 2 grams of fiber for every 100 calories in a serving. This is an easy way to see if you are eating a "whole" or less processed food. In general, most fruits and veggies meet this requirement as long as they are not fried or cooked until mushy. You should shoot for at least 30 grams of fiber a day. Beans, whole grains, veggies, nuts, seeds, and fruits are excellent sources of fiber, and they contain vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and anti-inflammatory molecules.
*Rule of protein. Your body can only use about 20grams of protein per hour, therefore you should only have 20 grams of protein during a meal. Be wary of high protein bars and mindful of serving size, typically 4 to 6 ounces. Ideally, use lean animal protein like fish, turkey, chicken, lean cuts of lamb, and even vegetable protein such as nuts, beans and tofu.
* Rule of fat. What kind of fats can you eat? Increase omega 3 fatty acids by eating cold water wild salmon, sardines, herring, flax seeds and fortified eggs. reduce saturated fat and use more grass fed or organic beef or animal protein, which contain less saturated fat.Eliminate all hydrogenated fat, especially trans fat, which is found in many baked foods and processed foods. Use healthy oils, such as olive (especially virgin olive oil) cold pressed sesame and other nut oils.
*avoid all processed junk foods, including sodas, juices and diet drinks which effect sugar and cholesterol metabolism. Artificial sweeteners in no calorie or very low calorie foods actually make things worse when consumed alone. Artificial sweeteners fool your body to secrete insulin, a hormone that stores sugar. Once extra insulin is in your system, your body actually thinks it is starving and makes you binge eat 30 to 60 minutes later.
*Reduce alcohol, which can increase triglycerides and fat in the liver and create blood sugar imbalances.
*Drink at least 64 ounces of water daily.
*Go to bed and get up at the same time every day. Ideally, you should have at least seven hours of sleep a night, it will help regulate your metabolism and help you lose weight.
*Reduce stress, this will effect cortisol, which is a hormone which will cause you to store calories.

I thought this was pretty interesting.