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JustLoseItwithBerta
Volume 1
Issue 6
02-11-2010
Dear ,
Welcome!
I know that many of my clients and many e-zine readers are doing great-you're on track and feeling strong. Good for all of you! At the same time, I was concerned to see how tired so many of my other clients looked and sounded this week. When I questioned them, they reported feeling seriously overwhelmed by all of the holidays and social obligations that have not let up since Thanksgiving. Last week they had to navigate through Super Bowl parties, this week they will have to cope with Valentine's Day, and then many are heading off for the family vacation!
Presumably, they held fast and made it through the Super Bowl intact, resisting the chips and grinders; however, chips and grinders are yesterday's demons. Now we're on to a bigger, far more dangerous temptation: Chocolate! Why? Why, must they turn a disproportionate number of holidays into a celebration of chocolate-most women's downfall?? Everywhere we turn, the beautifully wrapped treats are beckoning us to give in and indulge. This inhumane taunting by chocolate goes on for weeks! And even when we are consistent and get through the weeks preceding the Big Day, someone will inevitably show us his love with a beautifully wrapped box of the demon chocolate! Urgh!
Let's face it, girls; it's not easy! Everywhere we turn, it feels as if life is trying to sabotage us. We stay strong through one holiday and there's another following on its heels. What are we to do? Give in? Roll over?
I want to make a suggestion to all of you who are feeling frazzled by social engagements and chocolate festivals. I know that it has been a hard year. However, every year is hard, and they will continue to be hard until you do something to make them easier! Yes, you!! So, I want you to honestly acknowledge not only how hard it has been, but also how well you have done. Cut yourselves some slack; stop beating yourselves up! And then do this: take a deep breath and say out loud, "I am not going to take it anymore!! NO MORE CHOCOLATE HOLIDAYS!!"
Tell your boyfriends, tell your husbands, tell your children that you simply can't handle having chocolate in the house: not even a little bit. Ask them replace gifts of chocolate with thoughtful gifts of love that do not torment you! Flowers will do, thank you very much! It's okay to ask for what you need, it's okay to say you're tired, it's okay to acknowledge that you might not be able to say no to temptation, and it's especially okay to ask the people who love you not to tempt you!
I hope you find this issue of my e-zine thought provoking. There is so much to talk about! This week's blog at www.JustLoseIt.com/blog is about a very important topic:
* I'm not certain that you are all aware of my blog, Each week, I use the blog to further the conversations begun in the e-zine. The blog is an interactive forum that I have set up so that you can receive the guidance and support that I extend to all of my personal clients. Take a moment this week to share some thoughts and questions about your journey. You can do this on the blog page or on www.facebook.com/justloseitwithberta. I would love to help!
Tea Time with Berta: 
The morning after:
So, let's talk about an evening of partying and overindulging. Let's begin by talking about what happens before the big night begins. All of you probably tell yourselves that you will be able to handle it, no problem. As you start dressing, the excuses begin. Okay, maybe I won't be absolutely perfect. After all, I am down two pounds this week, and I have worked really hard at everything all week. I deserve a night off. And so, the excuses, the lies, begin. By the time you get to the party, you don't have enough self-control to stand up to a chicken wing!
The next time you are planning a night out, I want you to do something in preparation for the big night. As you are getting dressed and admiring the way your clothes fit after all of your hard work, think about the next morning-you know exactly what I mean. Imagine that moment when you open your eyes and the reality of the night before floats into your consciousness, because here is where you have a choice. You can choose to experience a familiar scenario filled with regret and remorse: OH NO! I can't believe I ate all of that. Or, you can choose to experience a different scenario filled with pride and gratitude: YEAH ME! I ate well and had a wonderful time visiting with friends. It felt so good to be complimented on the thinner me!
If you choose to awaken to the first scenario, I guarantee that in addition to feeling terrible about yourself, you will not even remember how anything tasted. You see, the moment has passed and you are left with nothing but guilt and possibly a scale that will make that guilt quite concrete, showing you a number that you will carry around all day-a number you will not want to own. Take a minute to just think about that one early morning moment, one that I know you have experienced a thousand times, already. This can easily become the beginning of the downward spiral. Okay, now that you feel the moment completely and remember how bad and defeated it feels, I want you to stay with it for just a second more. Good. Got it?
Now, let's go to the second scenario, the one I did not call a "familiar" experience. If you choose to awaken to that experience, here's what will happen: your eyes will open and the thoughts of the night before will come flowing in. For a second, you'll try to recall... and then ...PANIC. But then you remember... the night comes flooding back...you didn't indulge; you honored yourself. You participated, you enjoyed yourself, and you rocked the outfit! You wake up and smile. The scale reflects the love and commitment you have shown yourself, and you are proud to own that number and the strength you demonstrated last night. Okay, now that you feel that moment completely and know how great and empowering it feels, I want you to let it stay with you for just a second more. Good. Got it?
When you can enjoy that big night out without feeling deprived, you will be filled with the fullness of self-confidence! And I promise you that nothing you will ever eat, nothing, will taste as good as that!
So, next time you expect a challenge, please take yourself to the morning after and help yourself make the right choice. Not because you are punishing yourself, but because you are giving yourself the gift of love. Then, smile ladies because loving you feels so good!
Just Feel It!
Did you know?
Did you know that there are three different types of fats, or fatty acids, and that one of them is essential for good health?
Those of you who read labels are used to seeing the amounts of "Trans Fat," "Saturated Fat," and "Omega-3s" that foods contain; however, do you really understand the significance of those numbers? Many people think that all fat is bad and that it makes us gain weight. This is not the case. Omega-3s are actually very good for you. They are, in fact, essential nutrients.
Let me briefly explain a bit about these fats.
I will start with the worst of the worst: trans fatty acids! These are vile fats. They are found in corn oil, margarine, all vegetable shortening, crackers, cookies, many snack foods, fried foods, bakes goods, and prepared mixes. Trans fats, or trans fatty acids, are created in an industrial process that heats vegetable oils and exposes them to a metal catalyst like nickel or copper, ultimately turning them into something more like plastic. Basically, the process solidifies liquid oils and increases their shelf life.
Adding trans fats to already fatty convenience foods keeps them from going bad during shipping in warm, humid climates. We can also thank trans fats for making it possible for foods to sit on grocery shelves for months and months!
So what changes occur in your body when you consume these fats? Well, there are many. The most dangerous is an increase in LDL (bad cholesterol) and a decrease in HDL (good cholesterol). This significantly increases your chances of coronary heart disease.
Next on the list are saturated fatty acids. Most saturated fatty acids are solid or semisolid at room temperature. These also raise your LDL (bad cholesterol). Saturated fats can occur naturally in many different types of foods. Most of these fats come from animal sources, like meat and dairy products. Beef, lamb, pork, chicken, turkey (yes the birds, too-especially with skin), cream, butter, many baked goods, cheese and other dairy products like milk (yes, even 2 % milk) have saturated fats.
Then we come to monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, both of which are good for us. These are unsaturated, meaning that since they don't become solid at room temperature; thus, they don't turn into solids in our bodies when we consume them. Both of these types of fats can help lower your LDL (bad cholesterol). They are found mostly in fish, nuts, seeds, and oils from plants. Unsaturated fats can be also obtained by eating salmon, trout, herring, avocados, olives, peanut butter, and sunflowers.
The two most healthful oils are flaxseed oil and fish oil. These are essential oils, and we need to consume them in our foods, or by taking supplements, if necessary. These fats promote cardiovascular health, and brain development. They also moisturize and lubricate the skin and all of our internal organs. They are vitally important to our health and well-being. On average, we should consume about 500mg of omega-3s every day. The best source of omega 3's is wild salmon, with 3000mg in six cooked ounces. Another great source of omega-3s are beans. One cup of soybeans, navy beans, or kidney beans provides between 220 and 1,000mg of omega-3s!
I hope this clears up confusion about the types of fats our foods contain and the necessity of including the good ones in our diets. If you would like more information, a great resource is The Omega Diet, by Artemis P. Simopoulos, M.D., and Jo Robinson.
My favorite things to eat!
Following the theme of Omega-3 fatty acids, I thought I would go with Salmon, since it is such a rich source of those essential fats!
Salmon Cilantro with Grilled Vegetables*
Makes: 2-4 servings - 20 minutes
1 pound wild salmon fillets
4 large portobello or other mushrooms (left whole)
1 small eggplant, sliced in 1/3- inch slices
1 red pepper, sliced
Marinade:
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth (Trader Joe's)
1/4 cup lemon or lime juice (fresh)
1/3 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1-3 cloves garlic-minced or pressed through a garlic press
1/2 tsp. paprika
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (optional)
pepper to taste
sea salt-if you must
What to do:
Mix together marinade ingredients.
Marinate salmon, mushrooms, eggplant, and pepper in large bowl for 1 hour or more.
Barbecue, broil, or grill. Start the salmon skin side facing the heat source. Turn once. Total cooking time will be approximately 8-10 minutes per inch of thickness.
The veggies will cook faster, so keep an eye on them.
Bon Appetite!
*Courtesy of The Omega Diet, by Artemis P. Simopoulos, MD, and Jo Robinson
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Berta Prevosti is a respected weight loss counselor who has educated and empowered hundreds of women JUST LIKE YOU to lose the excess weight that prevents them from living their dream and becoming the woman they were meant to be.
Her gift, and the reason her program is SO SUCCESSFUL, is her ability to break down every detail of your weight loss journey so you can be prepared for the challenges and understand the emotional components behind them.
This on-line program has been designed to bring you the same experience of her methods and common sense explanations that Berta uses in her successful private practice, at a fraction
of the cost. If you liked today's issue, you'll love her blog and the main site as it is being built, which you can find at JustLoseIt.com.
DON'T LET ANOTHER DAY GO BY!
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P.O. Box 1292
Stratford, CT 06615 USA
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Prevosti publishes the free weekly e-zine Just Lose It with Berta,
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explanations of why nothing has worked before, and better yet, the reason why
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