Are You Running Out of Energy?

The High Energy Diet that I created in February, 2006, is the result of 15 years of studying and applying good nutritional habits. I have eaten basically the healthiest foods since I moved to Florida in 1983. But I ate too much of the right foods.

Having quit drinking in 1976 and smoking in 1989, I have been thinking about losing weight for over 10 years. Obviously, I haven't been working at it too hard. The hardest part of giving up an addiction is making the decision to give it up. Years ago, I learned that you leave an addiction when the pain outweighs the pleasure. I don't know what made me decide in February, 2006, to lose weight.

I started working around the foods that I don't want to live without. These include any kind of pasta, any kind of hard bread, and any Italian dish. My husband and I almost always eat at home. He hasn't weighted more that 157 pounds in the thirteen years we've been together. At 6'2", he has the exact frame that I would like. I, on the other hand, was 40 pounds overweight.

Many of the books that helped me to formulate my weight loss plan are in the Changemaker Library. One of the first to help me to get my thinking about food off quantity and on to portions was The 7 Secrets of Slim People. The main idea I kept from that book was to not eat unless I was physically hungry. I couldn't remember the last time my body and not my mind told me I "wanted something". My mind is so devious that I told myself I would faint if I went without food for any period of time. I decided to change what and when I ate so I started a food journal. Armed with Barbara Kraus's Carbohydrates and Calories, I wrote down everything I ate for five days.

Day 2: Water
After I decided to see how long it took for my body to tell me I was hungry, I started a modified fast. I call it modified because I ate some food. At the beginning, I chose to add more water to my diet. Plain water is boring to me after the first day, so I added 1/3 cup or ¼ cup of Real Lemon to my 2 quart pitchers. I now use those individual packets to add to bottles of water. I bought the pitchers I use at Target and they are narrow and fit in my freezer. I was filling them half full and freezing them for the next day. After awhile, I changed from the pitchers to freezing half bottles of the Real Lemon mix. The last thing I do in the evening is to make sure that my pitcher is in the refrigerator to get cold for the next day. In the morning I add Real Lemon to the pitcher and begin drinking my lemon water. I save the flavored water for the evening as the evenings are the time I do my emotional eating. The Diet sparkling water has natural fruit flavors and is O calories. You can buy it at WalMart, Winn Dixie or Publix grocery stores. I vary the store and the flavor to keep from getting bored with the flavor.

On the second day through the next five days, I focused on keeping an exact count of the calories I was consuming. I found one of my downfalls was the calorie count in my dressing. When I began my food program in February, I was eating a lot of those lettuce blends and cutting up celery, onions, and carrots to add to the salad. I was using a balsamic vinaigrette loaded with olive oil. I had been using as much as I wanted because I thought the calories in the dressing couldn't be that important. So by eating my healthy, good-for-me salad, I was using about 8 tablespoons after I started measuring it for a whopping 500 calories!

So I began a search for a salad that I would want to eat everyday.

Day 3-Daily Salad

I began the slow process to find out what I liked among the lower-calorie dressing. Imagine my surprise that I could make my own dressing of 16 ounces for 180 calories for the whole thing. That averages out to about 12 calories per tablespoon.
Quite a difference! At the same time, I realized that the lettuce salads weren't giving me much in nutrition. So I researched the salads online and came upon a Greek salad with no lettuce that I modified. I now use Paul Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger (very tart-the way I like it). I can have ¼ cup for 70 cal.-1/2 cup for 140 cal.-3/4 cup for 210 cal.-and 1 cup for 280 cal. (if I decide to have salad for a meal-I do like to chew.)

My Greek Salad (that I have every day): small sweet tomatoes, crumbled Feta cheese, sliced black olives, cucumbers, red peppers, and pepperoni. I make sure to have all the ingredients on hand so I don't run out. I need to chew everyday in order to enjoy food. The dressing that I created is 32 oz. of balsamic vinegar, 2 tsp. of Dijon mustard, 3-4 oz. of lemon juice, and 3-5 tablespoons of Splenda. The whole recipe makes over a pint and is 200 calories for the whole recipe. So 2 tablespoons of my dressing is 12 calories. My dressing is so strong that I don't need much. But if I used 8 tablespoons as I did in February I would still be using 50 calories instead of 500.

I dislike the word "diet" because it sounds like deprivation to me. Food is one of God's greatest gifts and is meant to be enjoyed. Food is the basic reward for many people. So begin noticing when you are eating emotionally and drink more water before the food.

When you are feeling emotional, you need to drink as much water or other liquids as you can to delay the eating. If you aren't hungry anymore which is what will happen, give yourself permission to eat the food later when you are hungry.

I quit smoking 15 years ago by never saying I couldn't have a cigarette. Instead I learned to delay the decision to smoke or not until a later time. By delaying smoking, I generally forgot to smoke. After the time of not smoking grows, returning to smoking never seemed like a good idea when I was rational and not emotional.

Measurement will be today's focus for how I lost weight. Measuring your food every time that you eat will be a huge key to your losing weight and keeping it off. When I don't measure for a few days, I get on the scale to see if I've gained weight. If I have, I return to my modified fast.

My modified fast is drinking liquids for as long as I can before I begin eating solids for that day. Remember to always have an assortment of liquids available with no calories. The choices are: (1) water with Real Lemon added will be the liquid that helps you the most-make the water with more or less lemon depending on your taste, (2) always have flavored waters with no calories in your refrigerator, (3) no calorie sodas for when all else fails, and (4) I keep a 2 quart pitcher half frozen from the night before so that regular, cold water can be a choice.

Water is one of your best friends in weight management. Your second best friend is the cup measurements that you have available. Use these equivalents for measure: 1 pound=16 ounces, 1 ounce=28.35 grams, 3 teaspoons=1 tablespoon, 4 tablespoons=1/4 cup, 8 tablespoons=1/2 cup,
16 tablespoons=1 cup, 1 cup=1/2 pint, 4 cups=quart, 1 pound=500 grams, and ¼ pound=125 grams.

For food and/or calories, we use the following sites:

Calories expended during exercise:
http://www.calorie-counter.net/calories-burned-by-exercise.htm

Nutritional value:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/NutritionalChart.htm

Food charts:
http://whatscookingamerica.net/Information/FoodLabels.htm

Welcome to Changemaker Family of Blogs. Changemaker is committed to the basic belief that each person has the opportunity for self-discovery and the potential for self-healing. As individuals, we sometimes choose paths that may be harmful to us. To get off that path and onto a new road takes exploration and experimentation.

The Changemaker Test offers education for self-discovery as we believe that the change within a person involves the courage to see (insight) and the courage to act (action). The test will teach anyone 10 or more labels about themselves.

Therefore, by using the labels to change themselves, the changemaker is the person who decides to learn and make the change happen.

In advocating the self-discovery model for understanding ourselves and others, Changemaker believes that the Changemaker Test can be used to help groups of persons interested in learning about themselves.

Healing begins when, in spite of all the negative self-talk going on inside a person, that person feels someone caring and loving them for no apparent reason. This unconditional love comes in spite of attempts to search for a motive.

The Changemaker Family of Blogs includes five blogs that each includes one of the basic topics from our main site, kathyberman.com.

1) answersbyemail.com -I wrote the Changemaker Test in 1990 and have only recently included it in my work. As a counselor and teacher, I realized that most of the self-discovery labels were only known by counselors. So I took the 5 major personality indicators and arranged a "test" that anyone can use to find 10 of his/her labels.

Therapy is the study of personality but it has been high-jacked by the mental health field to define mental illness. I say high jacked because most people need information/education and not therapy. I don't believe you can help anyone negatively. I have always pictured a person in denial as sitting out in the cold wrapped up in a thin blanket called denial. Many times people want to "help" by yanking off the blanket. How does that help anyone except the "helper's ego"?

2) changemakergroups.com - Changemaker Groups provide short-term specialized direction and solutions to help others to better understand themselves and us. With this direction and self-knowledge others will learn to implement techniques designed to lead to greater self-mastery. These groups are started by lay persons interested in self-discovery and helping others. Anyone with compassion for others and the humility to know that he/she doesn't have the answers for anyone's life except his/her own life.

Groups are the recognized best method for people to gain information and acceptance from others. One of the main underpinnings of AA is that all members are peers. Anyone has the opportunity to share and to be heard. The Changemaker Groups can be started at several free online community sites and/or in person.

3) cmlibrary.com -In 2005, I began selecting and defining the books I felt were the best for ten main topics developed in Changemaker. The topics are core (basic selection of 4 books that could be the foundation for life change), creativity, exercise, food, health, meditation, peace of mind, personal development, spiritual direction, and stress reduction. The core books are comprehensive and may be all the books someone needs. I have included several books I've used as my "textbooks" for my personal growth.

4) healingforyou.com -This blog will include all the topics needed for healing mentally, physically and emotionally. It also includes many links to tools to help you in your spiritual journey. I believe that each of us has a soul and our main life quest is the discovery and growth of our soul. I also believe that our soul is awakened by our creativity and that maturity is becoming that joyful, playful child that God created in us.

5) highenergygoals.com-I quit drinking alcohol in 1976, smoking in 1988, but I had gained weight. For over 10 years, I tried eating different ways with no weight loss. Then in 2006, I developed my basic weight loss plan. I lost 20 pounds which I have kept over for over a year. I am now beginning my Phase 2-20 more pounds. The High Energy plan includes food suggestions, exercise suggestions, and emotional and mental techniques needed for stress reduction. The plan is created by you to include the food, exercise, and techniques that you most enjoy. I know that a total life plan has to be enjoyable to be used.

You may purchase the following Changemaker products (available at /www.kathyberman.com/"):

The Changemaker Test only (explanations included for all personality labels) ($19.00)

The High Energy Diet (also labeled the Emotional Eater's Diet) ($19.00)

The complete Changemaker ebook (which includes Changemaker test, explanations resources for small groups, and the Emotional Eater Diet) ($29.00)

Changemaker Online (which includes everything in the ebook but it is interactive as it is a password-protected blog) ($29.00)

High Energy Diet Resource Center (available 7/4/07) will be another password-protected blog that will have all the resources you will need to change your life over and over. I have had 8 careers and believe deeply that the magic of life is finding the unknown within you.
($39.00)