This Today Show segment got me thinking this morning….

We know that sugar, fats and processed foods have the same impact on our brains as drugs. They stimulate the release of dopamine in the brain, like drugs. I agree with this because I love sugar and I wouldn’t doubt that I am addicted to sugar.  BUT, is it different and even harder for the overweight? New studies say YES! New studies say that the effects of these processed, fatty and sugary foods have a GREATER effect on the overweight. I know how hard it is for me, so if it’s even harder for the overweight I can’t imagine how hard this is!!!  The overweight also have a harder time because of the increased hormones associated with more abdominal fat. They make an overweight individual feel hungry ALL the time!! What a horrible feeling. I remember it well from contest prep! It’s awful! And, the stomach becomes stretched from overeating. So, again, hungry all the time! What a triple whammy!!!

I have a great deal of respect for individuals who have conquered being overweight against these tough odds! And, for those who haven’t yet but are working hard every day to conquer weight and body issues!  You can! And, you will! I know it!

I loved Nancy Snyderman’s idea to treat or label these bad processed, fatty and sugary foods as POISON!!! POISON!!! I truly believe that the only way to conquer weight issues is to treat it as an issue of HEALTH not WEIGHT or weight loss! I believe that if you change your lifestyle for HEALTH…the health of yourself to stay around because you love your life and family and the health of your family and kids, so you can live as an example to them.

I, FITori, want to be STRONG and HEALTHY. I want to feel good. I want to fuel my body. I want to teach my daughter how to feel great, stay healthy, and look great also. I want to live my life also though and not be a slave to diets!

Click on the photo below for a “sweet” recipe that has not added sugar! [Since every post needs a pic!]

What do you think?  Is food an addiction? Is it harder for the overweight?

Hi Tori,

Wondering if FITbaby arrived yet… if not, I have a question for you since you’re the most hard core athlete I’m aware of.  Do you know much about CrossFit?  I went to a community WOD today, and it was pretty darn amazing.  I’m considering starting to go to the CrossFit gym, but it’s quite expensive.  The people who go really seem to love it and think it’s worth every penny.  I even have a friend who gave up cable to afford CrossFit.  What are your thoughts?

I’m seriously thinking CrossFit might be the BEST possible way for me to kick things up and really start taking my body more seriously.  I’ve lost 100 pounds through basic diet and exercise changes but seem to have some trouble lately really moving forward more… and that’s precisely what I need to do.

Yesterday’s workout was extremely difficult but left me feeling exhilarated and amazed at what I could do if I just keep going.

Michele @ Healthy Cultivations
www.healthycultivations.com

Michele blogged about her CrossFit experience here.  She has the best attitude about working out, working hard and life in general. I LOVE IT!!!!  We can all learn from her if we remember her words below!!!  Michele’s parting words on that post were……

My motto for the day was this: ”Though I can’t do everything, I can do everything I can.” And that’s a pretty good approach to life too.  We just can’t let fear hold us back…not from confronting physical, emotional, or intellectual obstacles.  —-Michele @ Healthy Cultivations

Image Source

SHORT ANSWER…..We love CrossFit! We are building a CrossFit gym in our new house! (I will be sure to tell you all about the equipment we get, from where, what you need and how to build your own CrossFit gym at the lowest cost…once we do it and I have some pics to share!) Check out Rogue Fitness if you’re building your own CrossFit gym before I get a chance to post on it!  We’re getting most [if not all] of our equipment from Rogue.

I have often said that I do not plan to compete in another physique competition, BUT I do believe in competitions to give people the drive to push through to their goals. I am not a runner. It doesn’t excite me. BUT FUNCTIONAL FITNESS totally does!!! I have often said the next competition you will see me enter will be a CrossFit Games. And, my FIThubby and I have talked about getting certified in CrossFIT as well.

April 14 2010 – FITori in the gym

What is CrossFit? Read about it here on CrossFit.com!!

I love CrossFit because it incorporates strength, endurance and flexibility. It is fun! It is exciting! It’s highly intense! It’s quick also! It’s straight and to the point! You go, work out hard, and you’re done. You rest. You work. You play. It’s fun. It’s not the same every day. Some days are really tough. Other days are easy. And your easy days may be my hard days, depending on our individual strengths and weaknesses but we do all the workouts!

Aren’t CrossFit workouts too hard for a beginner? Read Michele’s parting words on her blog post here [I pasted them above with her question.]  Do what you can! I believe this about programs like P90x also. People often say….”I can’t do P90x!” Well, neither can I then. I can’t do the hardest verions of all the exercises in P90x either!  Does that mean I shouldn’t even try??? NO!!! As with every workout….Do what you can. Do the best you can. Try the best you can. Work out the hardest you can.  And, next time…..you’ll get stronger and be able to do more!!! If you keep it up, you will get stronger!

Do I need to pay to join a CrossFit gym? It depends….on YOU! Some of our best friends own Cactus Crossfit in North Scottsdale.  [If you're in that area, check out Kevin's wife, Joy here at Scottsdale Mom's Blog.]  So, I totally believe in a GROUP fitness experience to push you to work harder. I work harder when someone else is there to watch and make sure I don’t give up. Also, a CrossFit gym can teach you technique and help you learn a LOT about fitness.  For example, you want to learn how to do a pullup? They can help! Many of us need others to motivate us. Others work well on their own. It just depends on you. If you know you will only get a GREAT workout if you GO to the CrossFit gym….do it! Join it! Pay it! Go! If you can build your own CrossFit gym in your garage or basement and invite friends over to join you or are motivated enough to CRANK up the music and do it yourself…do it! [Be sure you'll use it before you invest!]

**I personally believe that there are certain areas where it is WORTH your hard-earned money. In our house, we spend money without question on health, fitness, nutrition and education.** We believe that those things are worth the money. We spent a TON on my competition. We decided it was worth the money for my health and the long-term lessons I would learn. We were right. It was worth every penny. For the new house we’re building, we talked about adding a theater room or a gym…we could only choose one. To us, this decision was simple….we can build a room to make us fatter and lazier [no offense to those who have a theater room...we love movies, but we had to choose only one!!] OR we could build a room to make us healthier, fitter and happier and  show our daughter what our family truly values. And, how much fun is this for her?! CrossFit incorporates a lot of gymnastics so we’re going to add those elements for her to have some gymnastics equipment in her house! What fun on rainy days!!   So, does that same principle translate for you regarding canceling cable for CrossFit??!!

Beware if you try to CrossFit at your regular gym…..Many gyms are NOT supportive of CrossFit.  Think of the regular weight room. People wandering around. Chit-chatting. Easy listening music on in the background. If this is your gym, they will NOT be kind when you are running around the gym like a crazy person, trying to keep your intensity UP to get a GREAT workout! And, YOU won’t get as much out of your workouts because you’ll be self conscious about being weird. Some gyms have even banned it. Others have special CrossFit facilities and rooms to keep you crazy CrossFitters away from their calmer clientele! You have to decide what will work for you!!! But I believe CrossFit is worth a try! We love it!

But I’m pregnant….I’ll have to wait until after pregnancy…NO!! CrossFit MOM is amazing!!!!!  Check it out!!! I have to admit that I have not worked out NEARLY as much as I should have during this pregnancy. I was working two jobs and preparing for our future. This is the biggest year of our lives [I'll share more about this later.] But, when I did workout with FIThubby and on my own I most often used CrossFit MOM for my workouts! It is a modified version of the CrossFit workout and there are different levels and tips for each stage of pregnancy.  CHECK IT OUT! I’ll probably start there when I start lifting postpartum and work my way back up to regular CrossFit….we’ll see how I feel!

For Michele, I definitely think CrossFit is a GREAT way to kick it up a notch! You’ll have fun. It’ll keep you motivated. You’ll learn a LOT about your strengths and weaknesses. You’ll get stronger in many areas. You’ll be learning something new which will help distract from the menotony that often creeps up after months of the same old boring workout. If you like the group you worked out with at the CrossFit gym and you felt amped and pumped and excited after your workout…..I think you have your answer!!! Try it for a while!!! CrossFitters are often really supportive of each other. And, there are TONS of resources to help you learn how to be stronger and better at those exercises which will leave you feeling even more self confident!! And, Michele, you MUST report back!!!! I want to hear all about what you decided, why and how you feel about it!!!! I’m so excited for you to reach your next goals!!!!

So, what do you think about CrossFit? Have you tried it? Is it work the $$ to join a CrossFit gym?

Before I tell you how to identify if you’re overtaining, I want to tell you a bit about what I think about training and fitness….just in case you’re new here or haven’t read EVERY word of this blog! And, to be honest, my opinions have definitely changed in the last year after my Fitness Competition last year.

Photo taken by Renee Booe Photography & edited by FITori

That being said, overtaining usually occurs when you’re working out too many days in a row, not getting enough rest, or doing too many days of “two-a-days.”  I normally recommend losing weight slowly enough, that you do not get so burn out with the training program that you quit and take MONTHS off before you decide to get back into your workouts.  I think fitness needs to be enjoyable so you’ll keep it up! It’s about a lifetime of fitness not a 12 week weight loss plan! BUT, there are sometimes that I do recommend training that hard! Sometimes, it is necessary for functional fitness or to meet a goal of a competition, a race, etc or to break through a plateau!

There are some important warning signs to recognize:

• My main one is always: lack of sleep!  I will be totally restless and unable to sleep and be exhausted at the same time!
• Increased tension, anger, irritability or loss of interest in normally enjoyable activities
• Loss of motivation to train, cutting sessions short, loss of performance, unusual tiredness and fatigue all the time, during or after workouts
• Getting sick often, body aches, decreased appetite, elevated resting heart rate or blood pressure

As always, it is very importnat to listen to your body! If you suspect over training, identify this early! It is far better to “recover” from overtraining early than to catch it too late and have to take a week or more off to recover.

Listen to your body. Take a full day off.  Feeling better? Ease back in!  Do only light cardio the next day.  Not feeling better? Take another day off!

What are your symptoms of overtraining? What do you do to recover? Have you learned from that for later?

From Top Left clockwise:  photo source | photo source | photo source | photo source

Why do you watch weight loss shows? I watch them all….kinda. I don’t watch while paying close attention. I’m actually often blogging while I have them on in the background. But I probably record most of them!

Do you watch to motivate you? Do you get inspired? Do you learn tricks and tips? Do you watch to feel better about yourself? “At least I’m not that bad!”

I watch for tons of reasons. I love to watch the trainers and learn from them. I love to watch their different techniques and personalities.  I love to learn from the shows in so many ways. I LOVE LOVE LOVE to get inside the heads and homes of the contestants and learn WHY they’re that way and what their home lives are like.  I love to get inside the contestants heads and homes and learn about our American culture and why we have an obesity problem.

When at the grocery store, I often wonder why people still buy the CRAP…the massive amounts of awful food in the grocery stores!  I often wonder why the fast food chains are still so popular and in business. It helps me to see how others live their lives and try to get inside the heads of my “future” clients!

I also love to watch trainers and learn from them….I learn what NOT to be and what to be. I learn that there are certain traits I want to emulate and others that I do not! I’ve been called a kinder, gentler Jillian and I think that suits me!

Also, I found a dress for my baby shower today!!! $24.99 at TJ Maxx….excellent!! And, I’m still working on putting together my ensemble for the maternity shoot the night before and accessorizing! [I'm the worst accessorizer!]

Do you watch weight loss shows? Why or why not?

How many ingredients are in your food? The fewer the better. The more words you understand, the better.

How many ingredients are in your peanut butter? ONE?! There should only be ONE…or TWO! Go check your label! Now. Go do it. How many ingredients? What are they?

I’ve told you all before I love Maranatha brand peanut butter.

I do not recommend all of their products though!! BEWARE of the NO STIR!!!

• Ingredients in the Organic Peanut Butter- No salt are (1) 100% Organic Dry Roasted Peanuts
• Ingredients in the Organic Peanut Butter – with Salt (1) 100% Organic Dry Roasted Peanuts (2) Sea Salt.

We’re still good…those are all approved (above).

BUT, what are the ingredients in the NO STIR?! What makes peanut butter NO STIR?! SUGAR!!!

• Ingredients in the Organic Peanut Butter – No Stir are (1) 100% Dry Roasted Peanuts (2) Organic Palm Oil (3) Organic Cane Sugar (4) Sea Salt

Peanut butter already has sugar and carbs (not too many but plenty) and added cane sugar is not necessary.

Bottom line: read labels! I’m often surprised when I do a “recheck” of the labels of the foods in my house….oops!

Something on my list is to make my own peanut butter! Do you? Any tips or links? Share them below in the comments!

What food labels have shocked you lately?!

I decided to google some of these keywords to see what I could find on the internet. Here is an article that talks about “Fat Burning Foods” including grapefruit, green tea & egg whites.  Other foods listed on that article are: beans, lean protein, fish, hot peppers, garlic & onion, apple cider vinegar, ginger, bananas, cabbage, eggs, whole grains, olive oil, oatmeal, avocado, berries, parsley, cruciferous vegetables & water.  This is just one article of thousands when you google similar phrases!  Heather said she read an article that said that those three foods (grapefruit, green tea & egg whites) do NOT help you lose belly fat.

The answer? Kinda. Neither. Both. Well sorta. Maybe. It depends.

Sorry! I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…it’s complicated! If it were easy, everyone would look JUST they way they want. (We wouldn’t all look the same b/c we don’t all want to look the same.) We’d all have the physique we want if it were easy!  There are soooooooo many factors involved in losing belly fat. Among them, your heredity, your activity (what kind, how much, at what time), your diet (foods, food combinations, food timing, quantities, quality), your stress levels, amount of sleep, your health and hormones….must I go on?  I know that’s the worst answer ever, but it’s so true!

So, they don’t burn fat? Well, not really. You can’t just add grapefruit, green tea or egg whites into your normal diet and life and expect them to work miracles. There are no miracle foods. If there was a miracle drug or food, everyone would do it! Also, a diet including only Grapefruit, like “The Grapefruit Diet” is bad, bad, bad for you! You need more variety than that, including proteins and fats. You need a balance of carbs, fats & proteins.

The key to burning fat is to turn your body into a fatburner, so get into the “fat burning zone!” How do I do that? Again, it’s a combination of your activity (what kind, how much, at what time), your diet (foods, combinations, timing, quantities, quality), your stress levels, amount of sleep, etc.  It’s a science and it takes time to find this zone.  That is why trainers who have studied this are so valuable! That is why I’m certified in “Nutrition & Wellness”….there are SO many factors that play in…not just diet, or one food, or exercise.

You can try reading books and learning about it all yourself. And you can do it!!! I know you can!!! You have to be really in tune to your body! You have to pay really close attention to how you feel, what works, exactly what you’re doing and it really helps to have someone trained to help!  You will need to keep a journal, including EVERYTHING you’re doing & eating, sleeping, stress, exercises, intensities, how you’re feeling, etc. AND you then have to record how your body is responding!

Should I eat grapefruit, green tea & egg white?

• Grapefruit is an excellent fatburner. But, it’s also sugar. I ate half a grapefruit before every workout with one trainer. There is no other fruit like it. It’s a great fruit to eat if you want a fruit. Any food or fruit in excess is bad, so again…half and not right before bed, for example, but instead right before or after a workout!
• Green tea is great. It boost metabolism. It should be no calorie.  Beware of high calorie, sugary drinks that are marketed as “health” drinks but are actually, essentially… soda. They will NOT help you lose weight! Hot herbal tea is a fantastic addition to any diet. It’s no calorie. It’s warm. It’s cozy. It’s happy. It’s fun. It’s tasty. [I think I'll go make some peppermint tea now.] It can soothe many aches and pains without meds….tummy aches, sleeping problems, etc.
• Egg whites are great!  They are lean protein, which IS important to lose weight! But, you can’t just add that in and expect it to make a change! It has to be in combination with other foods, the right foods, at the right times, etc.  Take a look at the best FIT posts on the LEFT of this page about protein, carbs, & veggies to name a few.

So, did I answer the question or confuse you more?

Any other questions you want FITori to answer?! Send them to me! I’ll try to post one a week!

In this country, with our obesity epidemic and greed appearing to be more important than health, I am glad to see any improvement in the way of health…..but was this recent change by PepsiCo for America’s health? Um, no! I’m sure not. They have said they think there’s nothing wrong with HFCS and it’s “exactly the same” as sugar.  So, they are doing it…..to sell a product! Surprise!

I think we were all disturbed to see the ad campaign last year selling HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) as “essentially the same” as sugar. That’s true, but not. Yes, they are BOTH bad for our bodies. SUGAR is the culprit in our country for obesity, heart disease, diabetes, etc.  (It’s not usually fat, it’s usually sugar!) So, yes, they’re both bad, BUT we should be eating real foods as often as can! And, any processing or refining is chemically changing our food, which is bad. Do we want to eat food? Or do we want to eat a science experiment? I want to eat food.

Now, is “sugar”as it is found on this ingredient label a real food or a processed food? It’s a processed food. When sugar is listed it’s usually “refined” sugar as we know it….the stuff we grew up with. BUT, there are more natural version of sugar such as “evaporated cane sugar” and “agave nectar.” So, these will still raise your blood sugar, but a little bit slower than refined sugar and as far as overall health, it’s a wee bit better for you.

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What do you think?

Is this change an improvement in the right direction?

Or absolutely not?

This is all I need to see to believe that it’s worth trying to feed my kids less artificial stuff and more real foods. It just makes common sense to me! And, that’s all I need to know.

Definitely doesn’t sound like food to me….Green 3, Blue 1 and 2, Orange B, Red 40 and 3, Yellow 5 and 6.

I would love to hear that the FDA bans some of this crap…but I am not holding my breath!

I have friends who have told me that their kids’ ADD & ADHD have been affected by a change away from these dyes!

Have you heard of similar stories? Have you seen this in your own kiddos?

I’m still sick.  :(

If I’m still getting worse my Monday I’ll have to go to the doctor and succumb to meds. I don’t want to but if this sickness hurts my baby then I’ll have to do something…even though I don’t want to.

I’ve had faith every day that I’ll wake up feeling better and….not yet. Today I felt the worst so far.

I’m hoping to get off work early so I can rest. I’m trying to rest.

My main priority is to do what I have to at work and then rest. My housework is slacking. My blogging is slacking I hope you understand!

My body is working hard to fight this illness and keep growing a baby! I am working hard to keep mentally positive.

My hubby measured my belly last night. It’s 40 inches! I’m so impressed with my growing body! I think it’s amazing and beautiful! He is betting me that I’ll only get to 42 inches! HA! I think he’s nuts. I have 3.5 more months left and I think 44 at least!

Who do you think will win our bet?

Any advice on getting better?

Will you forgive me for being absent blogging recently?

photo source

It’s been almost a week since I posted and I’ve enjoyed my computer break! Lately I’m having a hard time after work finding the mental “juice” to write a good post or to answer emails! I have a lot of emails to reply back to and I promise, you’re on my list! I’m not ignoring you! I just don’t want to send out half-assed responses!

Sorry for the crappy pics! I had to post an update but these are sad pics, really! My hair is still wet and they aren’t really in focus! Sorry!

What’s up? We were out of town for well over a week and had a great time together!  We went back to the place we met and fell in love.  By the time we got back, we were back to work and getting caught up from being gone! Now, we’re both sick. And, my dad is in the hospital. It’s been busy and a week bit stressful! But, I have nothing but blessings in my life right now and can’t complain.

What I have recently learned:

• I need to highlight my hair after baby is born!  I am looking drab these days with the pale skin and dark hair!
• Girl scout cookies are the devil. They need to remain out of my house. They do not fill me up so I can’t stop at one and they are too high in calories. Damn the hubby for the order he wanted to place! Argh!
• Traveling while preggo is tough….having to pee every hour extends a trip and sure changes things when the interstate is closed and momma has to pee!
• HEALTH IS SO IMPORTANT!!! I have SO many (4) family members who have been struck with heart and lung problems this past week due to obesity, lifestyle and smoking. I am angry and very driven to remain healthy for my baby to not put her through this heartache and stress our family has experienced lately!
• I do not have gestational diabetes, but that drink….OMG…kicked my boot-ay! I had no idea I would almost pass out and feel like crap ALL DAY.
• Worrying does not good. This year one of the lessons I’m learning is that things I never dreamed would happen sometimes happen. And, worrying does no good.
• I am a lucky, blessed and happy girl for all I have in my life.

What I am doing:

• I am reading about chidlbirth, nursing, motherhood, baby’s first year, reviews on strollers, etc.  SO much to learn!
• Resting when I need it, mentally and physically. Trying to “take it easy” with the stress we have going on and take care of myself and FITbabygirl
• We closed on our house. We’re busy with that and a move happening soon! Thank God for good friends letting us live with them til we have a new home!
• Trying to cook every day for the hubs and myself and make sure lunches are available for him for work days. I have a great spinach lasagna recipe I made from Oxygen Mag on Friday and I’ll share that with you this week, assuming I’m not knocked on my butt from this cold that I think I’m starting as of today.

What’s new with FITori:

• Almost done with the discussion board that we’re working on!!!  Been working on design and pricing. Also, figuring out how it’ll all work with payments, etc. Still working on recurring payments and Paypal!
• Redoing my watermark for my pictures. I’ll show you what we’re working on later this week hopefully and get your input.  I’m thinking of using my logo “FITori” and adding an apple and then [blog] after it. We’ll see. I’m not happy with the watermark now…I don’t think it matches my logo well enough!

Any lessons you’ve learned lately?  If I could only do one post this week, what would you want it to be on? Anything you’re dying to know about fitness/nutrition/pregnancy/FITori?