Alright. Through a series of many questions I have learned that my diet of fruits, veggies, cottage cheese, yogurt, and protein shakes is very unhealthy. Will someone give me a balanced plan of what exactly i should be eating at each meal to have essential nutriton, enough calories to work out, and also help my lose weight?

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i have started this recently, along with cutting back in my diet.
i do two sessions once a day (at night)

has anyone done this?
how were the effects?
did the results please you?

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Prickly Pear Cactus In Bloom

Tired of sticking your finger with a needle to test your blood?  Try getting stuck with a Prickly Pear Cactus and you may find a new way to address your diabetic concerns!

Good news… with this cactus, you don’t need to bleed on it’s needles for it to be effective!  For many generations, inhabitants of Mexico such as the Pima Indians and  others of the American Southwest have used native plants for healing.  ”Medicine men” of Native American tribes (who, by the way usually don’t publish their findings in peer-reviewed journals) have long known that the Prickly Pear Cactus has some very unique properties, including the ability to take the edge off a hangover, and more importantly, to regulate glucose and cholesterol in the blood and manage the causes and effects of diabetes.

The finer “points” of the cactus … what it does:

Prickly Pear Cactus, known also as Opuntia, has one of the lowest glycemic indexes of any pulpy fruit plant (Index of 7) and has been shown in studies to reduce the glucose levels in diabetic patients by 10 to 30 mg/dL after consumption. [1]  Additional studies have shown that the cactus has a positive effect on platelet function, which can eliminate what some in the diabetes community refer to as “sticky blood”.  The researchers said, “Prickly pear may induce at least part of its beneficial actions on the cardiovascular system via decreasing platelet activity and thereby improving homeostatic balance.” [2]  In addition to regulating hyperglycemia, Prickly Pear has also been shown do reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol, while not affecting HDL (good) cholesterol levels. [3]

In essence, the properties of the Prickly Pear can lower blood sugar, reduce appetite (it is a high fiber plant), improve the way your blood flows by helping platelet function, and improve liver and blood health by aiding the uptake of bad cholesterol from the bloodstream.  In all, it would take a wide range of pharmaceuticals to address the numerous benefits of this unassuming desert-dweller.

How do I get Prickly Pear?

Prickly Pear is often known as it’s spanish name “Nopal”.  Nopales or Nopalitos (smaller cut portions of nopales) are often available in jars at local mexican grocery stores.  The “Tuna” (not the fish, but the spanish word for the pear-shaped purple fruit that forms after the flower blooms), is known for it’s deep purple color (which is a natural food dye and will stain anything) is often made into prickly pear jellies, or occasionally the prickly pear margarita (contraindicated for most diabetics).  Both portions, of  the plant show similar properties, but since the pear is only in bloom seasonally (around September to October), the more commonly available portion of the plant will be the pads.

Since Prickly Pear can grow in almost all climates and even tolerates temperatures down below freezing, it is quite easy to grow at home, in back yards, on hill sides, or even on balconies.  They grow to be about three to six feet high and can be just as wide.

There are several products available that offer nopal extract as juices, some as a straight extract and others, blended with other juices and natural supplements.

How do you make it and eat it?

Prickly pear would seem to be difficult to prepare because of all of the needles, but simply soaking the pads and/or pears in warm water or gently cooking them to loosen the spines.  Scrape the top and bottom to remove all of the ridges left from the needles and then trim the sides of the pads to remove all of the edges.  They can be sliced and used like green beans, fried with tacos or fajitas, or boiled, strained and chilled to make juice.  Powdered nopal can be used as an adjunct to flour in breads as a way to increase healthy fiber content and reduce sugary carbs.

Take note:

You should consult with your physician about your use of nopales or prickly pear in conjunction with the diabetes medication you are taking, as the effects of the cactus may mean that you need to adjust your dosages.

Links:

Nopal Tablets
Nopalitos –
Recipes
Dr. Bernstein’s Diabetes Solution: The Complete Guide to Achieving Normal Blood Sugars

Reference:

[1] http://gateway.nlm.nih.gov/MeetingAbstracts/ma?f=102222496.html – Opuntia (prickly pear cactus) and metabolic control among patients with diabetes mellitus. – 1996

[2] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12878452 – Wolfram R., et al. – Department of Angiology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria. – 2003

[3] http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14600931 – Palumbo B., et al. – Institute of Nuclear Medicine, University of Perugia, Italy. – 2003

Over the years we’ve seen several questions about how to lose fat. The question about how to gain muscle has also been popular too. To be honest, you can’t do them at the same time (more like intervals). When too much importance is on cardio training muscle gaining is lost.

However, there are other issues at hand. One of the most important factors is your diet. People are so hung up on using supplements day in and day out, but it’s simply not necessary. Knowing this,  here are 5 tips for how to gain muscle and lose fat.

1. Work Hard on Your Diet

Yes, this is the most important feature to any workout program. It doesn’t matter if you workout for 4 hours straight, if you’re still eating potato chips and junk food late at night you will not get the results you want. The body needs plenty of vitamins that you must get from foods such as vegetables and fruits.

2. Know Your Good Fats From Bad Fats

When you eat saturated fats you are making things a lot harder on yourself. These types of fats will make it difficult to lose weight and gain muscle. Instead, try adding good fats such as mono or polyunsaturated fats to your diet. These kinds of fats can be found in foods like fish, nuts, avocados and olive oil.

3. Cut Out The Soda And Drink More Water.

Drinking lots of soda is one of the worst things you can do to your system. Just by cutting out soda you will notice a difference on the scale. However, in regards to a strong workout, you definitely want to have a healthy supply coming in throughout the day. We recommend anywhere from 2-8 liters depending on how much you’re exerting the body.

4. Find Time To Exercise.

In order to lose fat you don’t need to belong to a gym. Most people don’t even have time to drive to the gym much less workout in one. So, keep it simple and do what you can.  For instance, you might try parking in the back of the parking lot so you have further to walk to get to the store or taking the stairs.  It’s the little things that make the difference.

5. Shifting Calories

One of the best ways to gain muscle and burn the fat is shifting your calories. It allows you to eat various foods each day, and then monitor the calories. One day may be the normal 2,000 then the next 1,000. Whatever you decide to do it will confuse your metabolism into continuously burning.

It’s Your Decision!

There are literally dozens of tips that we could supply to help you lose fat but it’s up to you to do them. It is now, that you need to make the choice to either continue doing what your doing or look for something that will give you the results you want. If you fail to do something today, do you think you ever will?  Take initiative and make it happen!

I’m sure it’s easy to say “just follow this program” or “that program” and you will lose weight and be fit.  But, what most people suffer with is a lack of motivation.  Why is it that so many of us buy exercise equipment only for it to get dusty in the garage or buy treadmills that we use as clothes hangers.

I saw a report from a man who lost a lot of weight and was selling a book about changing your mind to think like a “fit” person versus a “fat” person.

This made a lot of sense to me. I grew up as a dancer and being active constantly.  I started going to the gym at 16yrs old and it’s always been a part of my life.  In fact, when I don’t work out I feel my day is incomplete.  It’s more about how I feel than how I look and when I have taken breaks from working out I feel lousy.

So, when I saw that in order for someone to follow a diet plan or workout plan you must change your mindset. This is so important for being able to stick with weight loss goals and most importantly to keep the right attitude for life in order to maintain good optimal health.

It’s easier to buy the newest gadget and the magic weight loss pill in hopes of quenching our thirst for a quick fix instead of being active everyday and eating healthy.

It really does take a mental change in attitude.  I realized that as I got older I switched to whole grain foods instead of white flour products and at first it was difficult.  But, you know what? over time I learned to enjoy them just as much and when I eat something like white bread I don’t see it as good anymore.  What I’m trying to say is, my attitude about sweets and white flour changed….it wasn’t instant but it happened.

Furthermore, the attitude I have now about health and fitness helps me maintain my weight without starving myself or getting sick off of crazy diet supplements.

I found an excellent resource for people who are struggling with their mindset toward fitness and dieting in general. It’s called Think Right .

They offer 100′s of  different programs for accelerated behavioral modification.  These are cd’s you buy and listen to daily.  They are designed in a way that will help reprogram your brain to have a new mindset and therefore, change your behavior.

So if you are struggling with losing weight and sticking with a fitness routine check out Think Right…..it might be the missing piece to the puzzle you are looking for.