A healthy weight, or a healthy waist?

My Before And After Pictures Were Stolen: Again 08/12 by The Sugar Freedom Show | Weight Loss Podcasts

My Before And After Pictures Were Stolen: Again 08/12 by The Sugar Freedom Show | Weight Loss Podcasts: Catherine shines a light on weight loss marketing, and she shares what truly works for her, and for her clients and readers. Nutrition, training, recovery, and compliance are the keys to significant, permanent weight loss and body recomposition. Listen to the Sugar Freedom Show to get inspired and stay committed. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on iTunes. Subcribe to Sugar Freedom on You Tube for recipes and training demonstrations. Follow Catherine on Twitter: @gocatherinego, and on Instagram @gocatherinego. Get the Sugar Freedom program at: sugarfreedom.com

National Dance Day 2017 Shake Move Wiggle from the back

Upper Body Training for Beginners

No Equipment Training

Here is a cool tool for fat loss:  The name game with bodyweight exercises.

Back when I was struggling to lose weight, I used to spend hours in the gym doing traditional cardio.  Classes, treadmill, swimming, the elliptical, I tried them all.  I couldn't understand why I was so hungry all the time.  The worst part was the fact that I looked old and tired.  Why?  I was burning muscle.

I stopped doing conventional steady state cardio, and I started doing intervals instead.  I admit that the most powerful aspect of training that I use with my clients is weight lifting, but you may want to train on the days when you don't lift.  That's what the "Name Game" is for.  I found one of these lists on Facebook.  I took out the crunches, added some of my favorite interval moves, and here they are.  Just use the letters of your name to spell out a training session.  The optimal duration is just 11 minutes, and you will be triggering fat loss, not burning muscle.

Dare to Sing: July 1st & 2nd, 2017

Dare to Sing

In January I attended a life coaching workshop here in Sonora.

It was given by Margaret Lawrence, and attended by a smart, friendly group of women.  All of the participants were delighted with the experience, and it was a rousing success.

I spent a surprising amount of the 7 hour workshop crying.  I was even crying in my car on the way to the event.  It seems that looking at my hopes, dreams, and goals was digging up some pretty sensitive issues.  I was embarrassed, by I did my best to participate and contribute to the group.

I believe there were many breakthroughs for the other women who attended.  I have some materials I brought home that contain some plans and actions that I was going to commit to, but the most important thing I have discovered about the things I said I was going to do on that day, is that I simply didn't want to do them.

Wait, no, I do want to complete the re-write of Sugar Freedom, and I'm very happy to say that I created a system to deliver train programs on line to clients who can't attend my classes. Plus, I am thoroughly enjoying teaching Cathy's Fit Class for the Arts Alliance here in Sonora.

Those accomplishments are all good, but they can't keep me from longing for the things I love to do.

All I ever wanted was to sing and dance. And act. And choreograph. And direct.  Gah!  I'm one of those poor saps who adores... show business.

Back in January, my fitness studio had closed, the musical I was performing in had closed, and I had lost my usual enthusiasm for getting out and finding the next role.  One of the challenges of being a theatre performer is that you are always looking for the next job, and even though you can audition for any role you want, you only get to play the roles that are offered.

As I mature beyond age fifty, the parts shift, and I enjoy exploring different characters, but I am beginning to realize that if I want to pick my own songs, I will have to create the opportunity to perform them myself.

Back to that week end in January: the day after the workshop I was still crying, and it took a lot of cheerleading from my husband and son to pull me out of Lake Self-Pity.  I thought, "If not being able to perform is making me feel this depressed, maybe there are other people in town who feel the same way.  What if I put on a concert, so that we can sing what we want?"

This is actually a practical idea.  I have produced concerts and variety shows before.  What's more, there is venue in town that is the right size, available at the right price, and is managed by people who want to see the space used by the community.

And so, a show is born.  It is called, "Dare to Sing: Local artists present songs they love."  It will take place on Saturday, July 1st. at 7AM, and Sunday, July 2nd. at 2PM.

Already my mood has lifted higher than it has for months.  I am pulling music, selecting songs, and arranging for accompaniment.

So now that the title and the location are set, there is so much work to do: work that I want to do.  No, work that I love to do.

All the years of training and all the time spent learning about nutrition have really been about one thing: crating the confidence to dance and sing.

What are you training for?  I wish you the confidence to make it happen.

How to get off of sugar.

Get off of sugar with the Three Day Sugar Strike.

This Friday, I have a photo shoot for a weekly women's magazine.

I promise to share more details as the publishing date gets closer.

When I was quoted in Women's World last year, I was happy to have one of my grain free recipes printed, but they didn't use my picture.

This time, my wardrobe has been chosen, and I do have a shoot date, but I don't don't want to raise expectations too much just in case my photo doesn't make the issue.

Still, this seems like avery good time to share my best tips and strategies to get ready for a special event, fast.

So here it is: The Three Day Sugar Strike: (Following the disclaimer.)

Legal Disclaimer

The information presented in this work is by no way intended as medical advice or as a substitute for medical counseling. The information should be used in conjunction with the guidance and care of your physician. Consult your physician before beginning this program as you would with any exercise and nutrition program. If you choose not to obtain the consent of your physician and/or work with your physician throughout the duration of your time using the recommendations in the program, you are agreeing to accept full responsibility for your actions.

By continuing with the program you recognize that despite all precautions on the part of  Catherine Gordon, there are risks of injury or illness which can occur because of your use of the afore mentioned information and you expressly assume such risks and waive, relinquish and release any claim which you may have against Catherine Gordon, or affiliates as a result of any future physical injury or illness incurred in connection with, or as a result of, the use or misuse of the program.

The Three Day Sugar Strike

Days I, 2, and 3:

Eliminate all sugar, grains, fruits,  and starchy root vegetables.  In addition, eliminate vegetable oils like canola and soybean oil.

(A note on fruit:  Yes, fruit is incredibly healthy as it is full of fiber and nutrients.  It does, however, contain fructose, and I have found from self-experimentation and experience that leaving it out on the Sugar Strike is extremely helpful for eliminating sugar cravings.  Up to two servings of fruit a day will be back on the Sugar Freedom Diet if the fruit doesn’t trigger cravings or over-eating.)

Eat vegetables, especially green leafy vegetables that grow above the ground.

Eat  high quality sources of fat like pastured grass fed butter, organic coconut oil, and organic olive oil.

Eat high quality sources of protein like pastured eggs, grass fed beef, free range pork, organic free range chicken and wild caught fish.

Eat full-fat organic dairy foods, raw if available and you’re comfortable with consuming raw dairy.  On the Sugar Strike the best dairy items are heavy cream, up to two ounces a day, Full Fat Organic and Greek Yogurt: up to one cup a day, and full fat organic cheese, up to three ounces a day for men, two ounces for women.

A note on eggs and dairy:  Some individuals may be sensitive to these items and as a result, may not get the same drop in appetite as those who tolerate them well. 

If you have a history of being triggered by dairy: for example you find that you regularly overeat when it comes to cheese, keep an eye on how it affects your appetite on the Sugar Strike.

Follow your instincts.  By the middle of day two your appetite should be lessening, so if you find yourself craving more and more of something on the sugar strike, first eat more vegetables to make sure you’re getting enough fiber, volume, and nutrients to satisfy your body’s hunger, and then eliminate the trigger food if necessary.

Here’s the key point:

If a standard serving of a food not only doesn’t satisfy you, it makes you hungrier than when you started eating, it is a trigger food, and you need to leave it off your menu until you reach your goal.

Once you have reached your fat loss goal and maintained it for four weeks, you may want to re-introduce foods that previously over-stimulated your appetite.  But for the time period covering the Three Day Sugar Strike, and the Sugar Freedom Diet, it is the elimination of appetite-stimulating foods that gives you the power to stick to your fat releasing food strategy.

Remember the very simple premise of Sugar Freedom, in the form of this question and answer:

Q.  How do I get off of sugar?

A.   Eat something else.

For the three days of the Sugar Strike, “Something Else” is non starchy-vegetables, high quality proteins in the form of meat, fish, fowl, and eggs, and healthy fats.

To put it simply, you are trading variety for satiety.

A Sample Day on the Sugar Strike:

Breakfast: 

Coffee with 1t heavy cream, and a few drops of liquid stevia if you need sweetener.

2 egg omelet made with 1/2 oz cheese, cooked in 1t Kerrygold butter

2 cups mixed vegetables cooked in 1T organic coconut oil.

Make extra servings of vegetables to have with lunch.

Lunch:

3 to 4 ounces high quality protein like 2 organic chicken thighs.

Large green salad: 2C salad greens mixed with 1C chopped cucumber, tomato, and celery.

Home made salad dressing: 1T organic olive oil with 1 to 2 tablespoons Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar, and 2 drops liquid stevia to take the sour edge off of the dressing if desired.

Dinner:

3 to 4 ounces high quality protein, example:  Grass Fed Beef Rib Eye, one or two servings of a cooked vegetable, for example: Cauliflower Au Gratin, 2 cups leafy greens with 1 cup salad vegetables with home made dressing.

I don’t find it necessary to snack between meals on the Sugar Freedom Diet, but that is a personal choice based on the fact that I feel and perform better when I eat three meals a day sitting at a table.

However, on the Three Day Sugar Strike, the goal is to get off of sugar, grains, and processed fats without hunger. 

In order for the Sugar Strike to work you must not go hungry, and the way to do that is to eat enough vegetables, protein, and fat to stay satisfied.  If you count the servings of vegetables in the sample sugar strike menu, you’ll see that it’s total of seven or more!

If you want the entire Sugar Freedom Program ===>Click Here<===

This is exactly what I do when I absolutely, positively, have to look my best fast.  I has also helped my readers and clients lose thousands of pounds and inches.

In my next post, I will be revealing my best tips for dealing with low carb flu.  Hint: get more sodium!

To get more meal plans, recipes, and fat loss strategies, fill out the contact form on this page.

Keep calm and Keto on.