SODIUM- the important ingredient that may be why you aren't losing inches!!

When I lost 20 lbs at the hospital after delivering my first child, I knew I was what I call " a sodium-grabber"..I have always held onto water weight. My doctor really couldn't believe his eyes when I went from only gaining 28lbs at 30 weeks to almost doubling that by 40!

Looking back at it, I had no idea that I was eating almost 4000mg of sodium per day. NO IDEA. Sodium can be the cause of high blood pressure, it can lead to heart disease and stroke, it has been associated to cause cancer, studies have also shown it causes a harmful t-cell growth....

Most of all it will give you a bloated look, you can see it on people, if they are thin but eat a lot of packaged foods, they have a "puffy" face...

STOP EATING SO MUCH SALT!!!!!

TIPS TO RID YOUR DIET OF SODIUM:

no canned veggies and fruits

stay away from anything in a package!!

NO SODA-diet OR REGULAR!

protein bars

snacks; chips, pretzels, crackers, salted nuts

energy drinks

deli meats

packaged meats

soy sauce

ketchup

LOW sodium FOODS to EAT:

most greek yogurts are low in sodium

fresh fruits

fresh vegetables

fresh meats- baking or boiling them is best

no-salt nuts

whole GRAIN, not whole WHEAT items-fresh is BEST

Salt-free Mrs Dash seasonings

mustard

no salt added canned tomatoes, diced or whole, tomato juice and tomato paste

minced garlic

dried beans and lentils

no salt added canned mushrooms

vinegar

honey

ezekiel bread

frozen vegetables without added sauces

low sodium vegetable juice

unsweetened shredded wheat

unsalted popcorn-use homemade, not microwaveable

reduced fat cheeses

1% dairy products; milk, cottage cheese, yogurt

unsalted butter

sodium free dressings- always make your own when you can (1/3 baslamic, 2/3 oil + tbspn italian seasoning)-best paleo approved recipe

DRINK A LOT OF WATER-1 gallon per day : this makes your body dispel excess sodium in the body that may cause edema (water retention).




*****

.......road to the stage

This year has been quite an experience. I KNEW I wanted to hit the stage for my first body competition but had NO IDEA what it would take to get there. I originally had slated a time frame of October and didn’t know if I would compete in physique or bikini. There are quite a few different kinds of competitions that you can enroll in. I wanted one that was natural, and that I could have a strong beautiful body, one that my daughter could look at and say, my mom is strong and healthy.

That being said, this is an entirely new ballgame for me. I had NO idea what it would take. The mental balance and the commitment in the gym and in the kitchen are more than I could EVER comprehend. I met my coach beginning of February. After careful consultation, he and I started working together. Let me tell you, I have come a long way over 2 years. I weighed 235 lbs after having my second child. I dropped my own body fat 15% and lost 36 inches in those two years. The results that I have had in the last 8 weeks are nothing like I could have ever imagined. My coach –”TJ” has me eating so much more food, and has me working so much harder than I could ever work on my own. The time I put into the gym is very carefully laid out and planned for this specific competition. I worked really hard in order to realize my potential future phases to prep me for competition the rest of this year.

 I am currently resting my body in order to get ready to prepare for the next phase of this process…PHYSIQUE here I come.

Today is the first day of the rest of your life. GIVE. UP. THE. EXCUSES.