I've invested in a blender which is the best thing I have brought since my car (ok maybe not so drastic) but i've been making real fruit juices (blendind chunks of fruit with ice) is this good for me or could I be drinking too much sugar?
Fruit isn't protein, fruit isn't fat....it's carbohydrate and it's mostly fructose; a sugar. The thing about fruit is that the sugar is bound to fiber and this fiber inhibits the rate of digestion such that the sugar is absorbed at a nice rate that won't spike your blood-sugar. It's no coincidence: our bodies evolved based on a diet of fruit, vegetables and occassional meats.
IMPORTANT: if you have a "juicer" that spins & separates the pulp from the liquid, then you're drinking little more then sugar-flavored water and you're messing with nature's sugar-regulation device. What you're drinking is natural and has no preservatives, additives, etc....but it's not ideal.
What is ideal is a true blender...like the Vita-Mix or the machines they use at Jamba juice. You want to keep the whole fruit, pulp & all. Healthy yes, but don't kid yourself: calories are calories and if you're drinking-down thousands of calories of juice each day, it's unlikely you'll lose weight.
Too many people think that if you eat "healthy & whole" food you'll just lose weight and look great. Afraid not. You'll be eating healthier but it still comes down to calories in vs. calories out...never lose sight of that equation: it binds us, aligns the planets and keeps Paul Hogan's legend alive!
Ok so realisticly I don't want want to loose weight. I just want to reduce my body fat. I'd love to have that nice toned look. How would I do that? What deitary changes to I need to take on board to make this effective?
No....you DO want to lose weight, but the weight you want to lose is the weight that comes from FAT. Not weight from muscle, water of having really long hair.
The look you are describing comes from a
combination of 2 things:
1) Good muscle that comes from a body that does some weight-training and some cardio. You don't have to become a body-builder, hit the gym every day or train for a marathon.....just hit each muscle group 2-3x per week and take a few classes that get you moving (cardio). This will be more then enough to have a very nice muscular structure.
2) All this muscle & firmness won't be seen if you carry excessive fat on your body....this is where most people say they want to "lose weight". When you have a lower amount of body-fat on your body, you can more easily & readily see the muscle under the skin; this is the toned look you are referring to.
So this is all very simple: if you have too much fat on your body, you need to eat less and lose that fat so that your muscle can be revealead. If you don't have much muscle (from being sedative, watching tv all day and not getting any exercise) then you need to build, develop and work the muscles.
The average person generally needs to develop a solid workout routine combining both weight-training and cardio...this alone will help burn calories and drive the fat off your body. Add to that some healthy eating and an awareness of how much your eating to reach your BF% goal...and you're well on the way!
Do you have any suggestions for those moments of weakness. I have a bad habit for being a sweet tooth. I really have high standards and I really want to reach my goals I just really don't know how to obtain them but I don't want to give up.
You don't have to be perfect 100% of the time. Life is meant to be enjoyed and indulging periodically is well within reason. I too have a sweet tooth and what I find helps is Dark Chocolate with a high % of cacao (not cocoa). It takes a bit of getting used to, but once you're on it, milk chocolate taste like slimey sugar-laiden mud. Put a piece in your mouth and let it slowly melt...for reasons I can't understand or explain, it'll tend to give your body what it needs and the "drive" towards sweets will mellow. Also, it's very good for you!
Reaching your goal is a matter of determiation, perseverance, dedication and doing more of the right things then the wrong things over a period of time. Make it a life-style and make it a priority, it's something you won't regret. From your picture you look pretty young, attractive and not far from your goal....somewhere out there is an exotic bathing suit begging to wear you!
Be that bathing suit Bubbles....because the world needs more Hotties and Big Tom is a lonely man with special needs!
Chillen Jr. in the house!
