Tip # 8 From Igor and Memory Cravings

30 Day Challenge

We are currently at day 23 and only have 6 days left of our nutritional challenge. Already participants are feeling a difference in their clothes and in how they feel about themselves. One participant cut out wheat and thought that it was coffee that had been irritating her digestive system, she continued to drink coffee, but her symptoms went away. Now she knows it was the wheat causing the problem and she can make adjustments accordingly.

Igor's Tip:

Tip #8: Sometimes you don't always have access to a gym. There are lots of options for things you can do without any equipment whatsoever. Read up on isometrics and dynamic tension here.

Igor Klibanov, CEO of Fitness Solutions Plus

ARE YOU HAVING MEMORY CRAVINGS?

I am having "memory cravings"- you know, when you are more craving the memory of how good it was or how good you remember it to be, rather than the actual thing, I guess it is something like phantom itches on someone with a lost limb? How about you? I am sure you have heard the saying:

"Because while hindsight is always 20/20, it's usually through rose colored glasses."

 Let me explain it another way, one of my best friends was sharing with me how she used to drink a diet beverage about three times a day and loved it, then she cut it out and then months later thought that she would really love one of those delicious, satisfying diet beverages that she remembered enjoying so much. She sat down, cracked open the can and took a sip....YUK! It tasted horrible! The memory of the beverage was better than the actual thing. May I suggest 3 reasons why this may happen:

• We may associate a certain type of food with happy memories or childhood favorites in a care free time, and we may not realize it, but we think eating that food will help relive those happy times.

• Your mind remembers the enjoyment you got out of whatever thing you were consuming and over time adds to it and it seems better than it did in reality. This happens particularly with things that are either "forbidden" or ones you craved before. Perhaps it goes back to the whole Eve and the forbidden fruit thing that we as mankind have inherited? We want what we shouldn't or can't have, it is human nature.
  
  
• Your taste buds adapt and change. Your palette adjusts to eating a cleaner diet. It also adjusts if you increase your sugar consumption, what used to taste sweet no longer does. It works both ways.
   
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  What could be causing cravings besides memories of goodies you had in the past that were not the best choices for you?
  
  
  Consider the following:
  
  1. Could you be lacking in nutrients. Are you getting enough magnesium in your diet? (for those who crave chocolate)
     
  2. Are you bored, tired or feeling down? Your mood may be contributing to a misunderstanding of your body signals, when we are tired, we may reach for a cookie, instead of just going to bed early. Listen to your body signals, REALLY listen. What is it that you NEED and not what you want. You don't NEED a litre of ice cream, but you may need some self care, some quiet and reflection or some sleep or perhaps you have been forgetting to take your supplements and are not getting enough protein? Never let yourself become too hungry, angry, lonely or tired, this can still be an excellent tool to help you avoid cravings.
  3. Read this article: What causes food cravings?
  4. Your craving may not be a physical need, if you wait 20 minutes, drink some water, think about something else, it will pass. People often crave sugar or fat or both. Recognize this for what it is, you are not alone, but make sure you deal with these cravings in a healthy way. Really, try it, wait for 20 minutes and the cravings will pass. 
  
  30 Day Challenge participants were given homework to think about this very issue. Here are some of the responses:

  30 Day Challenge participant Elisabeth from San Carlos wrote,

  "Living in Mexico we eat differently form when we lived in the USA. There are times we crave the food from the chain of restaurants, but when we do get up north, the food isn't nearly as good as we remember. After a few months of eating lots of fruit and veggies the huge portions. smothered in cheese and laden with sodium just don't taste good anymore. It is like visiting a childhood attraction - it doesn't give you the same feeling it used to."

  
  Nina in Oregon wrote,

  "Candy comes to mind., I always think it's going to taste so great as when I was a child, running to the store with the allowance in my hand. Looking at all the bright colored candies, choosing carefully and walking home, very content, munching on my treats. In my family, it was only one day a week, for candy. Saturday was it. Looking forward to it was priceless. Like Christmas. But now, I do occasionally buy some, anticipating the same taste, rush…Take a bite and …..Can't get past the scary food coloring, weird ingredients (impossible to pronounce) and because I can buy it any time the thrill is gone. The memory is so much greater than reality. Does it stop me from trying it again? After I wrote this maybe I'll think twice!
  
  Being sugar free during this challenge has helped me and I prefer "me" without the white stuff. I feel much more in control over what I put in my body. Cravings are gone. A great feeling. Thanks for doing this. I know making a challenge happen takes lots of time and energy."

  
  
  Crystal from Regina wrote,

  "Memory cravings - way more fun than satisfying the craving I've found. Sometimes the memory is as good or better (cream puffs), but for me the bubble burst with chips believe it or not recently. They, like pop, seriously tempt me and usually win. However, during this challenge I've had 2 opportunities to have chips and both times, after a reasonable serving I didn't feel satisfied like I expected - but it wasn't because I wanted more, I just didn't really want them."

  Sue from Nottingham wrote,
  

  "I had such a wonderful happy childhood and there was always cake or home baked biscuits around... or the box of chocolates dad had bought for us to eat occasionally for pudding. (Although I always found the stash and helped myself). I've always identified with Winnie the Pooh and his ' time for something sweet' have many many sweet teeth. However, cutting sugar has made me more stable/ less moody and I actively delay getting something to eat after supper because it's not that I'm hungry - it's the memory of finishing the meal with something sweet. I suppose really it's about creating new 'food' memories to look back to in the future that are better choices. And it helps that instead of feeling guilty for having a few biscuits I feel proud of myself for not having given in - for recognizing that the need for sweet stuff is actually because I'm tired, or stressed or sore.. and going to bed with a good book and my meds is a much better choice. I've learnt so much during this challenge.. I never really believed that I could cut sugar... but taking it a day at a time... who knows...Thanks." 

  
  Sheila in South Africa wrote,
  

  "I must admit that I am craving hard cheese - I stood in the supermarket, staring at the selection, and managed to move on past to find the hummus. It's not surprising that it has such a strong hold on me - being a child in the UK, during rationing, I didn't have sweets and sugary stuff as a bribe, a prize, a consolation - I had a chunk of rock-hard Cheddar cheese, complete with its cloth 'rind' and I have vivid memories, including the taste, aroma and texture of running the cheese over my bottom milk teeth and the visual as I watched the patterns emerge as I turned the lump round and around .... and no, I will not buy any ... even my house-guests have to make do with the soft cheeses these days!
  
  I'm coping with this by not buying any, and being accountable to you - thanks. "

  
  
  

I'd love to hear about YOUR MEMORY CRAVINGS and how you deal with them?

You can reply by clicking here: or emailing me at info@melonyteague.com

www.melonyteague.com 
To subscribe to my consolidated newsletter, Click here 
Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
Join me on facebook.  

Tip #4 and Why Eliminate Wheat and Grains?

Igor's tip for the day is one we will make use of on day 14 in particular, but until then, make sure you have made your first measurement. If not, it is not too late. Igor is the CEO of Fitness Solutions Plus in Toronto.

Tip 4: Measure, measure, measure. If you're not assessing, you're guessing. But, measure the right things. If your diet is changing for the better and you're doing some form of resistance training, the scale and measuring tapes are just not enough. For instance, if you're measuring circumference, your hip and upper thigh measurements might actually go up, but you're losing body fat. If you can get access to someone qualified in using skinfold calipers, get that assessment every 2-4 weeks. Here's an article on the problems with different methods of assessing body fat.

Here is some feedback from Karie-Anne from Elmira on how she is doing on the challenge:

"I am doing really well on this challenge so far.  I do not miss pop or alcohol at all but I do really miss my morning coffee...especially on the weekend mornings!!  At times the green tea does do the trick but I honestly think it is all in my mind...the need for the coffee.  When I am wanting coffee I turn my attention to something else like a movie or writing a letter and I forget about the desire for the coffee.  I have not added this officially to the challenge but I have also gone 2 days with no chocolate at all.  I don’t know whether that has made any differences for me physically but mentally I feel proud of myself that I have stopped eating so much....especially this Christmas. I ate a TON of chocolate. I thought of giving up sugar, but that would be too much all at once so I picked chocolate to start with.  Thanks for doing this Mel. I am really learning a lot and I love reading your daily blog on the challenge."

Karie-Ann, Elmira, Ontario, Canada.

For a full list of participants, click here.

Why is Wheat and Grains on the elimination list?

Rather than re-invent the wheel, I would like to refer you to Robb Wolf whose book I have read. This is what he has to say about grains.

Rob Talks about this subject from the point of view of what the Paleolithic man or woman ate. He raises some good points and there are those who do not agree with him. Be warned though, Robb his a highly successful trainer and he is a straight talker. He does not beat around the bush, nor is he a sweet talker. He gives it to you straight. I like that about him, and I agree with most things he says.

 

Wheat is on the 30 Day Challenge list because it is one of the major allergens and irritants of the gut. Besides the concern about GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) many people experience intolerance to grains, but wheat (or at least the gluten in the wheat) seems to be the problem for some people. It is also on the list because some participants may be carbohydrate intolerant (like me) and would benefit from eliminating grains. Did you know that a bowl of white rice is equivalent to a chocolate bar when you compare the effect that the bowl of rice has on your blood sugar? Carbs are converted to sugars and starches in your body. So cutting out sugar, but eating carbs is almost counter productive. I say ALMOST, because sugar gives empty calories, but grains do have some nutrients in them including a list of B Vitamins. For a list of the vitamins found in grains, click here.





My personal opinion is that eating foods as close to their natural state is generally a good thing, there are exceptions, such as tomatoes which are better for you cooked than raw.  I am not a dietician or nutritionist and I am not suggesting we all go RAW VEGAN, but I am suggesting we keep reading, keep researching, keep up to date with what is going on in the nutritional world, and take responsibility for what we put in our bodies. My rule is that if I can't pronounce an ingredient then I should probably avoid it. If it comes in a box or package, I think about it carefully. The less chemical additives and preservatives we ingest, the better.

If you are going to have rice, have brown rice. By the way wild rice is not really a rice and it is not really a grain either as far as I know. 
Try Quinoa, Amaranth, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, Chia seeds and Buckwheat. Of course Robb would not agree with this full list, he says if it looks like a duck....but he would agree with the seeds on the list I think. 

What I have done in my journey towards a healthier lifestyle I have paid attention to my digestion when I eat grains. So far I do not eat wheat and corn, for GMO reasons and because it irritates my digestive system. I have however introduced Spelt to my diet and it works for me.  I am not necessarily on a gluten-free diet, but I do try to choose gluten free, organic rolled oats. These two and the nuts and seeds are what I eat now. 

How do I know what I should eat then?

My suggestion is to eliminate all grains for a period of time, say 3 - 4 weeks, and then slowly introduce a grain, see how your body reacts to that. Wait at least a week before introducing the  next grain. Listen to your body, how is your sleep, skin, digestion, energy affected?

You may also find it helpful to watch just what you combine these grains with. For example, it is said to be easier to digest grains with vegetables and the food combination rules say that you should not combine animal protein with grains. You may, however, combine grains with fats or nut butters.  Refer to my previous food combination blog for more information on that.   

For those of us who are eating Rolled oats here is an apple crisp recipe just for you. (It is VEGAN/VEGETARIAN and SUGAR FREE TOO)

SUGAR FREE APPLE CRISP

Topping: 
1/4 cup or so rolled Oates, gluten free
1/4 cup whole almonds
4-5 honey dates
1 tsp PURE vanilla extract (make sure it is gluten free if you have an intolerance)
2 tbsp Earth balance (or other vegan alternative)

Then at the end, pour about 2 tablespoons of melted Coconut oil over the crisp.

Filling:
1 red apple
1 green apple
1 pear
Sprinkle of lemon juice
1-2 tsp ground cinnamon

 

Grate and slice fruit as desired and add cinnamon.

Place all the topping ingredients in food processor, and pulse until it is crumble and ALMOST forms a dough. (see below)

Sprinckle this over your apple and spices and you get this (below)

 Now one last step before tossing it in the oven. This part really makes a difference to the dish.

Bake @ 350. Till done. (Approx 25 - 35 minutes)
Serves 2-4 people depending on size of serving.

Here is the crisp fresh out the oven, I meant to prepare it in a pretty serving bowl with garnish and all that, but it was night time and the lighting in our kitchen is not good. Okay, That didn't fool you did it? To be honest, we were too hungry and it smelled too good. 

I did not add sugar at all, the sweetness of the pear and dates is good enough. My husband asked, "Did you add sugar to this?" he could not believe that it had no sugar in it.

ENJOY! And if you can wait long enough to put it in a pretty bowl and take a pic, send it to me, I'd love to see it!

You can email it to me.

www.melonyteague.com 
To subscribe to my consolidated newsletter, Click here 
Melony Teague a freelance writer and columnist who lives in Canada with her husband and two young children.
Founder of "Secrets of Body Transformation from the Inside Out" 
Join me on facebook.