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JustLoseItwithBerta
Volume 1
Issue 9
03-04-2010
Dear ,
Welcome back and thank you all for your continued support and inspiration! This week I want to respond to the question of the week! Many of you have said something like, "Ok, I hear what you're saying, and it all makes sense, but how do I get started putting this into practice?"
Well, thank you for asking. Today, I will tell you exactly how you can "Just Lose It," but you must click over to my blog for this one. Perhaps this will prompt some of you to check out the blog, finally! Anyway, in it, I will make the point that on a purely physical level, weight loss is easy. Yes it is! You are probably accustomed to thinking of your body as the enemy, constantly thwarting your attempts to change it. Instead of thinking of weight loss as this mysterious enigma that your body sometimes allows and other times does not, perhaps you might change your thoughts. Your body is simply an organism that responds in very predicable ways to changes you decide to make in the way you fuel it. So, go to the blog www.JustLoseIt.com/blog and find out the basics of how to begin. I guarantee that it will work for you every bit as well as it has for hundreds of others.
I must warn that you will surely come across obstacles that make weight loss more difficult than just monitoring your food intake. Therefore, I can promise that occasionally you will stumble; but so what? When have you ever taken a straight path to get to an important destination? So, please don't preplan your route. Please don't limit your growth by placing arbitrary restrictions on how long you are willing to give the process, how much you are willing to change along the way, or how often you will check in with yourself.
Keep in mind that I have made the journey myself, and I have supported many others on their journeys. If, at any time, you feel a touch of anxiety, know that I am there for you: read (or re-read) my blog page from the beginning, re-read the e-zines, and reach out to me via e-mail, my blog page, or my Facebook Just Lose it with Berta page and let me know what's going on and how you're doing. When you identify and confront the demons that have sabotaged you in the past, you will become the person you always intended to be. So, click www.JustLoseIt.com/blog and take the first steps with me. Good Luck!
Tea Time with Berta: 
It might seem odd that the week in which I lay out a pretty stringent menu plan, at my readers' request, I turn around and discuss something that you will probably avoid in your first weeks of getting on track with a new food plan. So, why discuss the All-You-Can-Eat Buffet this week? Simple. It never fails that the moment we commit to taking control of our eating, we are hit between the eyes with an unexpected social engagement! And what do most of us do if this happens during the first week or so of our new commitment to ourselves? Exactly! We give up on ourselves by deciding to "wait, and start Monday" so we won't be tempted to slip. Well, girls, if you read what my client "D" wrote about her journey on Facebook Just Lose It with Berta, you will know that she and I planned strategies, sometimes a month in advance, to get her through those inevitable food-centered social engagements. Why don't you and I start doing that now, so you can build up a repertoire of never-fail strategies before you need them? Since I can't address every possible daunting social scenario today, I've decided to start with the buffet. Let's dive right in and learn how to do it!
We all know what to expect. Table after table, groaning under the weight of those gleaming chafing dishes: Eggs Benedict slathered with Hollandaise; crispy fried new potatoes; pastas in decadent cream sauces; succulent meats, carved to order; and then the heavenly dessert table where fountains are literally dripping silken chocolate. Are those palpitations you're feeling?? I Know!! Who thought of this glorious way to dine? So much food, and so little guilt: it's your Sunday morning obligation, after all, to get your money's worth!
OMG!!! Deep breaths, Ladies. Okay, now that we are back down here on Earth, we can see that the buffet is an insane idea for the food-challenged individual. Who in the world ever came up with such a cruel dining concept?? Well, no matter, let me guide you through the battle of the buffet. Obviously, your first line of defense is to avoid them at all cost! But, if that isn't possible, and you find yourself, warmed plate in hand, lined up with the others like cattle being led to slaughter, then you need a plan.
To start, you walk the line without a plate. Yes, before you get into the line with a growling stomach and an empty plate, ignorant of the temptations that will be lurking at arm's reach, you must first walk it. Go up and down the entire buffet table and check out all of your choices. If you don't, you'll find yourself near the end of the buffet with a full plate, when lo and behold, there it is: the last temptation, the one to die for. What will you do then? Well, you reason, is a second plate over the top? It is, after all, ALL you can eat. And I did pay for All I can eat!
Girls, these are not helpful thoughts. Do not rationalize; instead, plan your rations! So, walk it first, and find the beautiful crisp green salads, juicy lean chicken, and delicate flaky fish. Once you have located the really good stuff, go back with the herd and consciously make your choices, aware of what's coming and not the teeniest bit threatened by a greasy strip of sodium-infested bacon. Don't forget that you can also skip right over the pasta dishes and the bowls of bread with those cute little butter patties and head right to the greens and fish. This way, you bypass temptation altogether!
It's not going to be easy, but with a strategic plan in place, you can work your way right through the entire line. One last thing: do not think about getting your money's worth. Instead, think about going home knowing that you weren't a part of the mindless herd. You were savvy; you were strong! Hooray for you!!
Beat the Buffet!
Did you know...
that sugar is one of the most addictive substances in North America today! True. However, I don't think I need to tell you that. Just look around; it's everywhere, and it's in everything.
Let's talk about why it's so very harmful to us, and why it's so hard to just stop eating it.
Sugar can deplete your body of zinc! Loss of zinc can dull your taste buds to the point where you might need to eat more and more sugar in order to feel satisfied.
Sugar can weaken your immune system! Autoimmune diseases are on the rise lately, and while many things can compromise your immune system-stress and caffeine being two other significant culprits-sugar wreaks havoc in your body. Eating the equivalent of a cookie or doughnut can reduce your white blood cell count by 50% for a few hours. In case you don't realize it, autoimmune disease is diagnosed when the white blood cell count dips beneath 4,000 mm. I hope the fact that a cookie can halve your white blood count is as astonishing and frightening to you as it is to me.
Sugar, in excess, is directly connected to diabetes! Type 2 diabetes has become an epidemic in this country. Type 2 diabetes is brought on by our food choices; we are not born with it, as is the case with Type 1 diabetes. Excessive sugar that is not burned off will elevate your insulin levels, eventually making you resistant to insulin, and possibly resulting in your becoming a type 2 diabetic.
If that weren't enough, think about this...
Sugar is directly connected to attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders, as well as violent behavior in our children! When a child comes down from a sugar high, he becomes hypoglycemic. This often results in the child becoming violent or otherwise disruptive. If you have a child who exhibits behaviors like this, you might want to analyze his diet and cut out some of those sugary sweets. Instead, introduce him to fruit, nature's candy.
Sugar is linked to obesity! When there is too much sugar in your diet, your body's insulin level increases, and this results in your body storing the sugar as fat. When you start eating refined sugars in large quantities, your body begins to crave them, making it even harder to cut back.
Please take note of this very general overview of the dangers of sugar. In the future, decide to satisfy that sweet tooth with natural alternatives to man-made refined sugars. Have some fruit! Yes fruit!!!! Any kind, in moderation, is wonderful. And please, do not start objecting that fruit is fattening. Aieeeeeee! Once again, it's fruit! The majority of the population is not obese or overweight from eating too much fruit!! For the sake of your health, consider putting down the doughnut and picking up an apple.
Diabetics or anyone interested in sweeteners that do not raise glucose levels might give "Nustevia" a try. It's all natural, but I will warn you that a little goes a long way, so go easy. You can find "Nustevia" in both power and liquid. Alternatively, you can try "Agave Nectar." This is delicious, and it is a great substitute for honey.
For more on sugar and its harmful effects, please check out Eat This and Live by Don Colbert, and The New Detox Diet by Elson M. Haas, M.D.
My favorite things to eat!
Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad is one of my current favorites, and it seems that I can't get enough of it lately! If I were running the buffet line, this would replace the pasta salad!
First, let me introduce you to an amazing grain: Quinoa, pronounced keen-wa. This grain should replace all of your rice grains-white and brown. It's better for you and tastes better, too. Quinoa is a protein- and nutrient-rich grain. It can be used anywhere you would normally use rice, couscous, bulgar, buckwheat, or millet. It has a nutty flavor and has more protein than any other grain. Since quinoa is so popular these days, it can be found in just about every local food store.
Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad - serves 4
1 cup quinoa1 medium tomato, very finely chopped  1 green onion, minced1¼ cup minced parsley½ cup minced fresh mint1 tbsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil or flaxseed oil1 tsp. ground cumin Combine all ingredients and serve immediately, or chill in a covered container for up to 4 days.
Use it as a side dish, mix it with your salad, or eat it straight up, as I do!
Bon Appetite !
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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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Manifest Destiny Limited Liability Company
P.O. Box 1292
Stratford, CT 06615 USA
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Want to use this article in your E-zine or website? You can, as long as
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Prevosti publishes the free weekly e-zine Just Lose It with Berta,
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If you have "given up" on weight loss, or
know some one who has,
JustLoseIt.com is the place for them to turn for the
explanations of
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it will
work now.
Copyright 2010. Manifest Destiny LLC.
All Rights Reserved
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