Hate it? Change it!

Damn that temptation – Nearly 7 days in on Dax Moys Elimination Diet!

Posted by Jill Gardner on June 15th, 2010 1 Comment

Author of the Elimination Diet

Well, I promised an update on the weekend and here goes.

And boy was it a challenge. I spent the weekend away with family. I thought I was prepared for it but alas I didn’t take enough alternatives for me.

I managed though But it was pretty miserable watching everyone eat so freely. The barbecue smelt delicious and the alcohol was flowing all day and night long. So it was a good test and a good lesson.

Another thing to be prepared for is other peoples resistance to your desire to get healthy. Firstly – what is normal anyway? Old fashioned opinions have you feeling like a right royal pain in the butt. Since when is eating processed crap normal and OK? Where our ancestors eating pringles, chocolate torte and ciabatta? No. So be firm and stand your ground. If your choice is to avoid certain foods out of health concerns – don’t let saboteur’s beat you down!

In place of bread I took Rye. In place of the cous cous and pasta salad I should have made quinoa or wheat free pasta. In place of non-organic and free range meat I had some fish but could have bought my own meat. In place of shop bought salad dressings I could have made my own healthy versions with olive oil, lemon herbs and spices. In place of cream and ice cream I could have taken live natural yoghurt. In place of crisps I could have take wholegrain rice crackers etc. Just thinking ahead can save you a crash or fallout.

All was not lost, there was plenty of salad to tuck into and fruit for later. But I did feel a little deprived despite knowing it was going to result in a much happier and healthier me in less than 30 days!

The take home point is this: To make your life easier and less of a struggle when following a healthy regime, plan plan and plan again. Prepare, prepare and prepare again! Then temptation is removed and less emphasis is placed on willpower.

Jill x

P.S. Remember to check out Dax’s website if you want more information about the Elimination Diet at http://www.londonpersonaltrainingstudio.com/

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Posted in Diet, Health & Fitness

Day three of my detox and clean up!

Posted by Jill Gardner on June 12th, 2010 No Comments

Day three without wheat, dairy, alcohol and caffeine! I am still alive and breathing What I love about this is that fact it gets you to challenge your eating habits. It gets you thinking about what to eat more so you try different things.

Jill Gardner

This week I have tried Quinoa flakes for breakfast. It’s a little like regular porridge oats but even better for you. I added blueberries, ground flax and flaked almonds. I used oat milk for a creamy base! Click below to watch the video to learn more about this amazing super food!

All about Quinoa

Quinoa - a complete superfood

For recipes:

http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/knowhow/glossary/quinoa/

So far so good. My digestion seems to be liking this new regime with the extra fibre and water I am drinking. The slight headache for the first couple of days is enough to tell me I needed to do this I have not had ANY cravings except for loads of lovely veggies. When dining out yesterday (yes you can if your clever about it) I asked for a extra side order of steamed veggies and skipped the sauce on my main. A good restaurant can cater for such diets. If they can’t then it means the food has been pre-prepared, frozen and probably microwaved to death anyway – who would want to eat that???

Caffeine!!! I had given up coffee a few months ago anyway but I decided to give up tea as well. Not only have I found some great tea substitutes like red bush (rooibos) and 100’s of different herbal teas, I have found a great coffee substitute from the health food shop.

Roasted organic barley coffee substitute

If you need convincing as to why you should give coffee the elbow then watch the video below:

Why you should drop the coffee!

So yes so far it’s been great and I can feel my tummy flatten as we speak! However……….. I have a way to go yet and this weekend will be my hardest challenge yet as it is a family BBQ and I will be expected to partake in alcohol! Please come back in a couple of days to find out how I got on

Jill x

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Posted in Diet, Health & Fitness

Dax Moys Elimination Diet part 1

Posted by Jill Gardner on June 9th, 2010 No Comments

OK so I am a fitness instructor and personal trainer so you’d think it would be easy to keep in shape and in tip top health right?

Jill Gardner

WRONG! My hectic schedule means that I am permanently over-trained and tired. I am running on empty and not getting enough sleep. When I am not training or teaching I am hunched over my laptop or have my nose in a book. I tend to eat on the run – even though I make all my food – I have fallen into ruts and stale unhelpful habits. I managed to ditch coffee a couple of months ago and as a consequence sleep so much better. However, I am still not where I want to be. Over a year ago I was able to see my hard earned muscles much more and it seems to be covered in a soft layer of body fat. Along with my sore tired muscles I am constantly drained and have cravings for carbs and sometimes alcohol!!! I decided it was time to get a grip and stop the slippery slide I find myself on. I am finding my summer clothes are too tight and I am constantly feeling bloated. So here are pics of me taken this afternoon:

Jill 9/6/10

Jill before partaking in Dax's MAP program and Elimination Diet

I don’t care much for scales or tape measures but I know when I feel great and look great! I will document my progress so that you can follow my journey. If your interested in learning more about Dax Moy’s Elimination Diet then have a look at http://www.londonpersonaltrainingstudio.com or http://www.mylondonpersonaltrainer.com

Author of the Elimination Diet

I wanted to show people that even though I teach in excess of 10 hours of exercise a week I still need to pay CAREFUL attention to my diet. You can exercise all day and everyday but you won’t get the results unless you eat clean and rest appropriately. Until the next update Jill x

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Posted in Health & Fitness

49 of the best techniques for staying FAT and getting fatter!

Posted by Jill Gardner on June 8th, 2010 2 Comments

Jill at hate it? change it!

Follow my 49 steps and I will guarantee you will gain at least one dress size!

1. Go on any diet that is NOT a manner of eating you can adhere to for the rest of your life.

2. Believe you can eat cabbage soup every day for the rest of your life when beginning that diet!

3. Obsessing over counting calories.

4. Weigh yourself 10 times a day.

5. Don’t ever drink any filtered water.

6. Drink sugar laden drinks such as soft drinks, flavoured coffees, fruity drinks, and ALCOHOL!

7. Consume as much processed foods as you can and as often as you can.

8. Overcook what little vegetables you do eat – they will taste so awful that you hate them and are left with barely any nutritional value.

9. Have a negative and defeatist attitude.

10. Don’t have a plan or set any goals.

11. Don’t read labels and whatever you do don’t learn anything about nutrition.

12. Finish every last bite even after you are full.

13. Make sure you always go back for “seconds” or “thirds” at meals.

14. Eat out at “all you can eat buffets” and get your money’s worth.

15. Skip breakfast.

16. Starve all day, as it’s the best way to lose weight!!!

17. Binge after “falling off the wagon” and then start again “tomorrow” to get back on track.

18. You’re probably right that you are genetically destined to be fat.

19. Don’t believe you have the ability to change.

20. Think that “Fat” is a personality trait.

21. Tell yourself how unattractive you are.

22. Don’t live each day to the fullest because it will only happen “when you are thinner.”

23. Pills, powders or potions work. There is a magic pill somewhere!

24. Think of exercise as a chore.

25. Don’t schedule exercise as a vital part of your schedule.

26. Indulge in alcohol on a regular basis and binge drink at the weekend (and then stuff yourself silly on junk with a hangover!).

27. Watch sports, don’t play any.

28. Watch TV for more than one hour a day.

29. Give in to temptation and resign yourself to being “fat”.

30. Finish the food off other’s plates while doing the dishes.

31. Taste and nibble on food while cooking.

32. Bake biscuits, pies and cakes more than often than at special occasions and them eat them all.

33. Always have sweets in for the kids but eat them before they do.

34. Go to bed late every night.

35. Don’t have vegetables and/or fruit with meals.

36. Think “dieting”, not lifestyle change, will lead to lasting weight loss.

37. Don’t visualise yourself actually living that healthy lifestyle.

38. Eat plenty of refined foods instead of wholegrain; eat fatty meats instead of lean; choose full-fat dairy instead of reduced fat.

39. Consume fast food on a regular basis.

40. Eat as fast as you can at each meal and barely chew the food.

41. Wait for Monday or after ‘that’ party to “get started” rather than RIGHT NOW!

42. Sit on your butt all day at work and in the car and then make as many excuses to not exercise as you can.

43. Join a gym and believe that you will one day use but actually never go.

44. Let your fat friends sabotage all your good efforts so you can stay fat with them.

45. Don’t learn how to cook and just eat ready meals and takeaways every day.

46. Always use the lifts and escalators and not the stairs.

47. Pay someone to do your garden and housework so you don’t have to lift a finger after spending all day on your butt at work.

48. Get you’re shopping delivered.

49. Drink loads of designer coffee (add sugar or syrups) with full fat milk, get stressed alot and eat sugary snacks to get your blood sugars spiking all day!

50. I am sure you have your own unique way of keeping fat – feel free to mail me your best ones!

So how many of those things are you doing right now? How many of those things can you incorporate today to help you get you another dress size bigger?

Jill x

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Posted in Diet, Health & Fitness

Exercise is not an option…………..

Posted by Jill Gardner on May 27th, 2010 No Comments

Exercise

Confused about exercise and how to keep in shape? Maybe you find exercise boring? Or perhaps you are worried you won’t be able to keep up?

More than ever before, our lives are busy with all our work commitments and family life. When it comes to exercise, it’s difficult to know what to do and how – Step, spin, aerobics, yoga, Pilates, boot camp, running,weight training?

If you are not willing to accept illness and disease in later life then start planning ways of incorporating activity and relaxation into your life today. So are we agreed that exercise is not an option?

Good! Then let me clarify something. Exercise needn’t be so hard that you dread it, or so time consuming that you will never fit it in. In fact exercise is anything that gets your heart rate up and you moving your body through a healthy range of movements.

Gardening, 10 minutes of Yoga before breakfast, walking the dog, housework, dancing, ‘bedroom activities’, playing with the kids in the garden, cleaning the car or simply taking the stairs and not the lift…..

Life in the fast lane soon starts to take its toll. More than ever we are seeing depression, stress and back pain as a major cause of work absence. Exercise can help prevent all of these.

With the right diet and attitude you will be fit for life and business.

Just in case you have forgotten………Exercise is NOT an option!

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Posted in Exercise

Help needed!

Posted by Jill Gardner on May 24th, 2010 No Comments

Hi, it’s Jillybean here asking for some help! I want to find out what the ideal group exercise class is! I wondered if you could take just a few mintues to answer 10 very short questions? It would really help me out.

Starjumps

Click here to take survey

Thanks in advance,

Jill Gardner

Jill x

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Posted in Health & Fitness

‘Ditch the Damn Diet!’

Posted by Jill Gardner on May 15th, 2010 No Comments

Throw out your scales! Burn them! Drive your car over them! Get real and forget the numbers…..it’s how you feel that counts.

Unlike all the celebrity’s endorsing the latest diet craze only to get fat again 6 months later, this is the real way to get healthy, get fit and be the right shape and size for your body!

This revolutionary new program The 3D’s (‘Ditch the Damn Diet!) is devoted in helping the nation get an angle on healthy eating for a healthy body and mind. Dieting has had it’s day. Contact me now and find out how you can join me and help free the nation from dieting forever!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Hate-it-Change-it/173107199639?ref=ts#!/pages/Ditch-the-Damn-Diet/113197248722310?ref=ts

Thanks for visiting and I look forward to seeing you soon,

Jill x

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Posted in Diet

To diet or not too? That is the question?

Posted by Jill Gardner on April 29th, 2010 12 Comments

I have been challenging my habits recently. I realise that alot of my seemingly harmless habits result in my difficulty in creating some new healthy ones. I decided that yesterday I was going to sit and write a poem rather than read before bed. I would have never have imagined doing this but you know what? I really had fun I hope you enjoy reading as much as I did writing it!

To diet or not to diet? I can’t decide,
thin as a stick or all fat and wide?
Muffin top, belly flop, boobs on the floor,
this fat will NOT beat me I am waging my war!

Breakfast of coffee and a lungful of air,
too busy for lunch, I’ll just chew my hair!
Ignoring the biccies with afternoon tea,
I am secretly smug, my blub won’t beat me!

No carbs for dinner, it’s past 6 pm!
Keep this lot up and I’ll soon be size 10.
But why does the bread bin still call out my name?
1 slice, 2 slices? OH GOD THE SHAME!

Bedtime arrives and not a moment too late,
if I can’t keep this up then I won’t lose this weight!
But midnight arrives and my belly is talking,
brain disengages to the fridge I am walking…….

There’s always tomorrow! I’ll just start again;
I’ve still got time to be a size 10.
This time I mean it, I’ll stick, I won’t cheat.
Hey wait…………………….. I must be allergic to wheat!

Jill x

A result of my new habit for yesterday!

To diet or not to diet? I can’t decide,
thin as a stick or all fat and wide?
Muffin top, belly flop, boobs on the floor,
this fat will NOT beat me I am waging my war!

Breakfast of coffee and a lungful of air,
too busy for lunch, I’ll just chew my hair!
Ignoring the biccies with afternoon tea,
I am secretly smug, my blub won’t beat me!

No carbs for dinner, it’s past 6 pm!
Keep this lot up and I’ll soon be size 10.
But why does the bread bin still call out my name?
1 slice, 2 slices? OH GOD THE SHAME!

Bedtime arrives and not a moment too late,
if I can’t keep this up then I won’t lose this weight!
But midnight arrives and my belly is talking,
brain disengages to the fridge I am walking…….

There’s always tomorrow! I’ll just start again;
I’ve still got time to be a size 10.
This time I mean it, I’ll stick, I won’t cheat.
Hey wait…………………….. I must be allergic to wheat!

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Posted in Diet

Jill’s top tips for avoiding dieting misery!

Posted by Jill Gardner on April 21st, 2010 4 Comments

Most of us know that there is no magic bullet for easy weight loss. If you are still holding out then I’ll try breaking it to you gently!

Don’t go on a diet!

This is fat loss disaster. If you want to count calories forever, never eat bread again or exist on shakes and bars then start one tomorrow (there is always tomorrow right?) More than 90% of diets fail becuase they don’t address the real reason why the individual is overweight in the first place. Everyone is different and therefore different approaches are necessary. It’s a billion dollar industry yet the obesity crisis is worse than ever. Diets ARE making us fatter!

Learn to recognise the difference between emotional and physical hunger.

Physical hunger comes on gradually and can wait but goes away after eating. Emotional hunger is sudden and persists despite eating. Keep a food journal and learn your emotional food triggers. Find others ways to deal with them or get some professional guidance. Some people find it helpful to use NLP, hypnotherapy or CBT.

Never Skip meals, especially breakfast.

You will never outwit your body’s powerful evolutionary ability to keep body fat using just willpower alone! You will end up hungry, overeat and you’ll pile the weight back on faster than it takes to fry a mars bar. Your body does NOT know the difference between dieting and starvation. It detects a calorie defecit and immediately goes into self-preservation mode – it will do all it knows to keep body fat despite your best efforts!

Plan and prepare all you own food most of the time.

If you don’t take responsibility for what goes in your mouth then it’s likely you will never be in control of your weight. Simple cooking skills will serve you for a lifetime of health and vitality. Ready meals will not. If you can’t be bothered to prepare and cook fresh food for yourself then be prepared for illness and disease!

Don’t eat too quickly.

Always sit down and eat. Take time between mouthfuls and savour the food. You are more likely to be full by time you’re finished and so satisfied that you won’t crave for something else. Your mouth has teeth your stomach does not! If you leave the table slightly hungry you will lose weight. Leave the table comfortable you will maintain weight. Leave the table stuffed you will gain weight!

Move your body as often as possible!

Your body is designed to move – that’s why we have joints and muscles! Sit on your butt all day and you will not sustain your weight loss. Worse than that, you will slow your metabolism turning you into a fat storing machine! Think about what things you can do in your day that can add to your physical activity. Don’t think that becuase you have been to the gym for one hour that sitting at your desk for 7 hours won’t matter. It is proven that people who fidget are slimmer! Cup of tea anyone?

Drink plenty of water

Approx 65-70% of you is water. Every chemical reaction in your body requires water. Dehydration can cause constipation, headaches, hunger,fatigue, loss on concentration to name just a few. It’s easy to check, just have a look at the colour of your urine. If it’s dark and it smells strong your dehydrated. Aim for a light straw colour throughout your day.

The ‘toned’ bottom line?

Don’t try to lose weight to feel good. Aim to get healthy and feel fantastic. Move your body and eat a wide variety of fresh wholesome food. Get this right and your weight will take care of itself.

Jill x

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Posted in Diet

Is ignorance bliss?

Posted by Jill Gardner on April 6th, 2010 1 Comment

I wonder………if you remained ignorant about your health and nutritional status would it be blissful?

Maybe it would feel that way for a short while. Maybe for a few years at least. But happens when decay starts to set it?

Does fatigue and lethargy feel good?

Does aching joints, heartburn and headaches feel good?

Does tight jeans and bad skin feel good?

What about disease? Cancer, diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, obesity, dementia?

Are you getting the picture?

We can kid ourselves that we will start a new health kick tomorrow or that it doesn’t matter at the moment – everything is OK so far….right?

Deep down we know that this isn’t true. Everything you do today creates tomorrow. Is what you are doing today going to paint a fantastic tomorrow, next week, next month, next year?

You know the real truth and only you can take the real action. Start with one thing today that makes a better tomorrow!

Hate it? Change it!

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Posted in Health & Fitness

Caffeine!!! I had given up coffee a few months ago anyway but I decided to give up tea as well. Not only have I found some great tea substitutes like red bush (rooibos) and 100’s of different herbal teas, I have found a great coffee substitute from the health food shop.

Follow my 49 steps and I will guarantee you will gain at least one dress size!

1. Go on any diet that is NOT a manner of eating you can adhere to for the rest of your life.

2. Believe you can eat cabbage soup every day for the rest of your life when beginning that diet!

3. Obsessing over counting calories.

4. Weigh yourself 10 times a day.

5. Don’t ever drink any filtered water.

6. Drink sugar laden drinks such as soft drinks, flavoured coffees, fruity drinks, and ALCOHOL!

7. Consume as much processed foods as you can and as often as you can.

8. Overcook what little vegetables you do eat – they will taste so awful that you hate them and are left with barely any nutritional value.

9. Have a negative and defeatist attitude.

10. Don’t have a plan or set any goals.

11. Don’t read labels and whatever you do don’t learn anything about nutrition.

12. Finish every last bite even after you are full.

13. Make sure you always go back for “seconds” or “thirds” at meals.

14. Eat out at “all you can eat buffets” and get your money’s worth.

15. Skip breakfast.

16. Starve all day, as it’s the best way to lose weight!!!

17. Binge after “falling off the wagon” and then start again “tomorrow” to get back on track.

18. You’re probably right that you are genetically destined to be fat.

19. Don’t believe you have the ability to change.

20. Think that “Fat” is a personality trait.

21. Tell yourself how unattractive you are.

22. Don’t live each day to the fullest because it will only happen “when you are thinner.”

23. Pills, powders or potions work. There is a magic pill somewhere!

24. Think of exercise as a chore.

25. Don’t schedule exercise as a vital part of your schedule.

26. Indulge in alcohol on a regular basis and binge drink at the weekend (and then stuff yourself silly on junk with a hangover!).

27. Watch sports, don’t play any.

28. Watch TV for more than one hour a day.

29. Give in to temptation and resign yourself to being “fat”.

30. Finish the food off other’s plates while doing the dishes.

31. Taste and nibble on food while cooking.

32. Bake biscuits, pies and cakes more than often than at special occasions and them eat them all.

33. Always have sweets in for the kids but eat them before they do.

34. Go to bed late every night.

35. Don’t have vegetables and/or fruit with meals.

36. Think “dieting”, not lifestyle change, will lead to lasting weight loss.

37. Don’t visualise yourself actually living that healthy lifestyle.

38. Eat plenty of refined foods instead of wholegrain; eat fatty meats instead of lean; choose full-fat dairy instead of reduced fat.

39. Consume fast food on a regular basis.

40. Eat as fast as you can at each meal and barely chew the food.

41. Wait for Monday or after ‘that’ party to “get started” rather than RIGHT NOW!

42. Sit on your butt all day at work and in the car and then make as many excuses to not exercise as you can.

43. Join a gym and believe that you will one day use but actually never go.

44. Let your fat friends sabotage all your good efforts so you can stay fat with them.

45. Don’t learn how to cook and just eat ready meals and takeaways every day.

46. Always use the lifts and escalators and not the stairs.

47. Pay someone to do your garden and housework so you don’t have to lift a finger after spending all day on your butt at work.

48. Get you’re shopping delivered.

49. Drink loads of designer coffee (add sugar or syrups) with full fat milk, get stressed alot and eat sugary snacks to get your blood sugars spiking all day!

50. I am sure you have your own unique way of keeping fat – feel free to mail me your best ones!

So how many of those things are you doing right now? How many of those things can you incorporate today to help you get you another dress size bigger?

Jill x

Just in case you have forgotten………Exercise is NOT an option!

Throw out your scales! Burn them! Drive your car over them! Get real and forget the numbers…..it’s how you feel that counts.

Unlike all the celebrity’s endorsing the latest diet craze only to get fat again 6 months later, this is the real way to get healthy, get fit and be the right shape and size for your body!

Most of us know that there is no magic bullet for easy weight loss. If you are still holding out then I’ll try breaking it to you gently!

Don’t go on a diet!

Learn to recognise the difference between emotional and physical hunger.

Never Skip meals, especially breakfast.

Plan and prepare all you own food most of the time.

Don’t eat too quickly.

Move your body as often as possible!

Drink plenty of water

The ‘toned’ bottom line?

Don’t try to lose weight to feel good. Aim to get healthy and feel fantastic. Move your body and eat a wide variety of fresh wholesome food. Get this right and your weight will take care of itself.

Jill x

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