Post 18 / Day 114 ~ Cultures, Foods & Celebrations

This week has been a week of celebration.  Oh boy!  I wish there was a happy zone where it all can make sense and agree to disagree.  HUH?


Okay.  When you think of the word "celebration", what do you think of?  I think of food... not just food, but delicious, decadent food... I think of drink... and you guessed it, not just any ordinary drinks too... and then there's dessert!.. and I mean yummy, delicious, sultry dessert. 

When the thought of a celebration comes to mind, the last thing that comes to mind is healthy eating, getting all your fruits and vegetables in, let alone diet food all together!  Quite honestly, none of these food scream CELEBRATION!  LOL!  Quite the opposite.  

Funny how society, and our different cultures have conditioned us to think a certain way about different foods.  I mean really, growing up, did we run after the ice cream truck when we saw it, or what it the fruits and vegetable truck?  Get what I mean?  A little funny imagining what that would look like!  You can barely get your kids to eat spinach per say, yet their running after broccoli and carrots! 

Here's to another glass of water!  Do not over do it, please.

Stay healthy and Think Positive!

Blessings to you and yours. 

Images courtesy of google images, or property of Carla Barila Karam and of My LifeStyle ReDesign (c)

Post 17 / Day 107 ~ The Missing Ingredient to Healthy Weight Loss

To diet or non-diet?  More importantly... WHICH DIET?!?  


THAT'S THE QUESTION!


There's the Alkaline Diet, Alli, Atkins diet, Baby Food Diet, Belly Fat Cure, Best Life Diet, Big Breakfast Diet, Biggest Loser Diet, Biggest Loser Simple Swaps, Body for Life, Brown Fat Revolution, Cabbage Soup Diet, The Carb Lovers Diet, The Caveman (Paleo) Diet, Cheater's Diet, Cinch Diet, Cookie Diet, Detox Diets, The Diet Solution, Dr. Oz Ultimate Diet, Dr. Phil's Ultimate Weight Solution, Dukan Diet, The Eat-Clean Diet, Eat More Weigh Less, Eat Right for Your Type, Eat This - Not That, Eat What You Love, Eco Atkins Diet, Fast Food Diet, Fat Smash Diet, Flat Belly Diet, Flexitarian Diet, 5 Factor Diet, Flavor Point Diet, 4 Day Diet, Fruit Flash Diet, French Women Don't Get Fat, Fresh Diet, The FullBar Diet, G Free Diet, Gene Smart Diet, Glycemic Index Diet, Grapefruit Diet, Hallelujah Diet, HGG Diet, High School Reunion Diet, The Hormone Diet, Instinct Diet, Jenny Craig, The Kind Diet, LA Weight Loss, Lemonade Diet, Living Low-Carb, Macrobiotic Diet, Martha's Vineyard Diet, Master  Your Metabolism, Mayo Clinic Diet, Medifast Diet, Mediterranean Diet, Morning Banana Diet, Naturally Thin Diet, New Atkins for a New You, New Beverly Hills Diet, NutriSystem, O2 Diet, Park Avenue Diet, Perricone Diet, Personality Type Diet, P.I.N.K. Method, Pritikin Principle, Protein Powder, Raw Food Diet, Rice Diet Solution, The 17 Day Diet, Shangri-La Diet, Skinny Vegan Diet, Slim Fast Plan, Sonoma Diet, South Beach Diet, South Beach Diet Supercharged, The Spectrum, Step Diet, Sugar Busters, Thin for Life, This Is Why You're Fat, 3 Day Diet, 3-Hour Diet, UltraMetabolism Diet, Volumetrics, What  Color is Your Diet?, The Weigh Down, Weight Loss Cure, Weight Watchers, Dr. Andrew Weil, You- On A Diet, and The Zone to name a few.  Phew!


Seriously?  I mean really!  I know that not every diet works for every person.  I realize this.  However with so many choice at hand, it's no wonder why many of us are not sticking to "our" diets, and jumping to the next.  When after so many years of dieting myself, I have come to the understanding that we have to stick to one and see it through.


... Let's not forget about EXERCISE either... 


The BEST of diets or non-diets WILL NOT work without EXERCISE!! and WATER!!


But more importantly... I think we have been missing out on one BASIC ingredient to a healthy weight loss... and that is our MENTAL HEALTH!!


Without a good  mental outlet, honestly... I really do not think that THE BEST OF THE BEST DIET will work.

Therefore... the missing ingredient is taking care of those ISSUES that had you comfort eating to begin with.


Sooo tell me ...  How's your mental health?   

Check and compare your diet.  Source:  http://www.webmd.com/diet/evaluate-latest-diets

Here's to another glass of water!  Do not over do it, please.

Stay healthy and Think Positive!

Blessings to you and yours. 

Images courtesy of google and or Bing images.  Other photographs are property of Carla Barila Karam and My LifeStyle ReDesign.  Copyright laws apply.

Post 16 / Day 100 ~ Nothing Wrong with Being a Size 10

This past week my blog reached not only its first milestone, but a second one too!!  1,000 views!!  WOoo HOoo!!  And 100 Days of My LifeStyle ReDesign!!


Well I sincerely hope that some of my collective thoughts on health, dieting, non-dieting, life style and life in general have helped you in one way or another in the past sixteen weeks.


In the near future I will be diving further into food and its consumption, aging, life's cycles and the reality of life itself.


If you have any suggestions, input, corrections (because I'm not perfect wink, wink)... please, please do not hesitate to send me an email or leave a comment.


I read and find dozens of blogs online about dieting, exercising, and life... and this is absolutely fabulous.  They are very regimented, informational and educational.  The only difference with my blog I would have to say, is that it's all of that plus the reality of life itself combined into one.  I know that my blog is very informal... better yet, a better way to describe my blog would be an average woman (reality) vs a top runway model (a little unrealistic).


That was just an analogy to get the point across that my blog is realistic, meaning... we always do not have time to exercise, let alone a personal trainer that comes to our house and works our butts off; sometimes our diet could use a little tweeking and this is where a personal chef would be AWESOME- however, how many of us can really afford one?  


I, by no means was degrading other blogs... all the blogs I have seen and read are terrific, informative, full of what we should be doing.  Granted, I have a little of that in mine too... however, the average woman feels a little more comfortable getting motivated from a size 10 as opposed to a little intimidated from a  size 0.


If you are a size 16 or better, arriving at a size 10 for most women is a little more realistic, than ever becoming a size 0 let alone size 2.  It's doable.  It is also doable being a fit, healthy size 10.. and if you happen to get to a size 8... better yet!


... and... How about Ms. Marilyn Monroe?  She was a size 12!


Here's to another glass of water!  Do not over do it, please.

Stay healthy and Think Positive!

Blessings to you and yours. 

Images courtesy of google and or Bing images, otherwise they are the property of My LifeStyle ReDesign and Carla Barila Karam.  All copyright laws apply.

Post 15 / Day 93 ~ Water, Friend or Foe?

I wanted to talk to you a little bit about water; pros, cons and the battle of drinking it.

Personally, I go up and down with this one.  There are days that I am spot on, and get my water in.  Then there are others... which as an after thought, how difficult can it be?

I have been told by doctors, nutritionists, as well as personal trainers alike how important water intake is.  To even make it easier for a person, with the exception of liquor, wine, spirits and beer, most of the beverages that you drink during the day count towards your water intake.  This includes your tea and coffee!

So... if all of this is true, then why is it so difficult to drink the recommended water alottment for one's health?

Are we too busy?  Are we not thinking?  And NO SODA DOES NOT COUNT!! 

I understand that water is not as tasty as a coke, I get it.  But we keep grabbing those pop cans.  Hey, I am not excluding myself from this either.  I try not to drink more than one can per week; some weeks I do awesome and then there are weeks like this last one that I fell off the wagon and had three!  Don't worry, I did some extra walking and cardio to help burn off those extra calories.

What can we do to get our water in?

• add a slice of lemon or you  can make some lemonade
• lime slices are good too!
• Ice tea anyone?
• Crystal Light does the job for many body builders!  Shh don't tell them I told you, but many body builders use it.  snicker, snicker.
• vitamin water anyone?
• add juice... try a 50/50 mixture with your favorite juice.  
• how about those handy little water additives, including added vitamins, energy, focus and other tasty little flavors... just snap and add it to your water bottle! 

What are some ways you drink water?  Let me know and I'll include your ideas.  Let's unite, partner up, anything to help us get our water in!  

Water is so important for hydration purposes, and is excellent for weight loss as well.  Here is a picture showing you the benefits of water for our body.

BUT do not over do it!!  Too much water for you is not good either!  You can get Water intoxication.  For more information on water intake or intoxication, click here.

Too much water CAN kill!  There is a happy medium or moderation FOR EVERYTHING!!!  For more information on too much water disadvantages, click here

You can also read these articles on people dying from too much water intake:

• Man, 35, drank himself to death after consuming too much water

• Woman dies after water-drinking contest
• Dieter died after drinking too much water

Just as everything in "health" goes, please see your physician before dieting as well as what he recommends YOUR water intake should be.

There are also conflicting reports as to whether or not how much water should be drank, and believe or not whether you even need eight 8oz glasses per day.  

Personally, in this hay day of information technology including having the entire world at the reach of my fingertips, I try to research, get more than one  opinion and speak with at least two doctors.  

The final decision lies within myself...  I try to make the best educated decision for myself and my family.

Here's to another glass of water!  Do not over do it, please.

Stay healthy and Think Positive!

Blessings to you and yours. 

Images courtesy of google images.