I Found my Tastebuds!

Day 3 - Wednesday, June 16, 2010

When was the last time you tasted food? I mean, REALLY tasted all the flavors, savored every distinct burst of flavor, and enjoyed the sensation of fresh food?

For me personally, it has been quite a while. And the sad part is that I did not even realize that I was not tasting food the way my tongue was designed to savor the differences.

Your taste buds can detect 4 different types of tastes, sweet, salty, sour and bitter.  When you were a baby, you had taste buds on your tongue, as well as on the roof and sides of your mouth.  That meant that you were extremely sensitive to different foods.  But did you know that as you got older, the taste buds on the side and roof of your mouth disappear?  So as an adult, you have less receptors in your mouth to taste the food.  (I guess you can chalk that up to another casualty to living longer!)

Here are some interesting facts about your taste buds:

• We have almost 10,000 taste buds inside our mouths; even on the roofs of our mouths.

• Insects have the most highly developed sense of taste. They have taste organs on their feet, antennae, and mouth parts.

• Fish can taste with their fins and tail as well as their mouth.

• In general, girls have more taste buds than boys.

• Taste is the weakest of the five senses.

Taste is such an important part of our eating experience.  Some might say that it is the only reason why we eat - because it tastes good.  But others might say that there is more to enjoying your food than just taste. 

Think about baking cookies.  You smell them before you ever take a bite; you see the golden brown cookie before you ever savor the taste of chocolate chips.  You feel the texture of the cooked dough before you ever raise the warm cookie to your mouth.  In my house, I usually hear someone saying, "I want the first one!" before anyone ever enjoys the treat.  Finally, you taste it -- warm, gooey and delicious!

Even though taste may be at the last of the five senses to participate in the food experience, for me, last night, it became the star of my dinner! 

After enjoying four Medifast meals throughout the day, I was ready for my lean and green meal.  I decided to make the Shrimp Tomato Salad and stopped by the store for the ingredients.  Frozen, deveined and peeled shrimp, bell peppers, spinach, and tomatoes were selected.  I also had to find a special salad dressing that absolutely complimented the meal and joined all of the different flavors together - Paul Newman's Sun Dried Tomato Dressing (low fat, of course!)

The recipe was easy (it came from the Take Shape for Life cookbook - a must-have resource for anyone on this program!). Marinate the shrimp in 2 tsp of the salad dressing for 1-2 hours. Then cut up the vegetables; saute the shrimp, arrange on top of the salad and add another 2 tsp of dressing.  Simple, easy and delicious!

I expected to enjoy this salad, but I was totally blown away by the burst of flavor!  The combination of the marinated shrimp, bell pepper and tomatoes with the salad dressing was one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten.  I could not believe what I was experiencing, and then I realized why.

I had not eaten any processed food in two days!  No salt, no preservatives, no food that had been processed and all the vitamins removed.  And my taste buds were rejoicing!


Rediscovering my taste buds was certainly not one of the benefits of this program that I anticipated.  But there is no disputing what I experienced last night with a simple salad - Heaven!

Learn to Eat

Day 2 - Tuesday, June 15, 2010

I made it through my first day of Medifast! It was not that hard, but it did take some concentration and attention to my food choices (which is actually the point of the overall program!). I am re-training myself to eat for fuel, not emotional support.

There were several interesting things I discoverd about myself and this process:

1. There were several times yesterday that I would have eaten something just because I was bored or slightly depressed. It would have been mindless eating, without any reason except emotional. When I stopped the urge to eat and walked away from the cabinet or refrigerator, I discovered that I felt freer (and certainly lighter - I had just refused to put extra calories in my body!). I will continue to notice these urges and identify the emotional triggers, to gain more insight into why I may have been eating for something other than nourishment.

2. This program is designed to have 6 meals, spread throughout the day in 2-3 hour increments. I am not used to eating that often, which quickly became apparent yesterday afternoon. I was out running errands and it was time for my 4th meal. But I did not have any Crunch Bars with me, so I had to wait until I got back home.

Not a good strategy, because then I was hungry. Medifast will not "satisfy your hunger" like the Snickers Bar advertisement. Instead, this program is designed to feed your body in small amounts throughout the day, so you never get hungry. Waiting until you are hungry to eat another Medifast meal is a big mistake and can lead to disappointing results.

What should I have done? Simple. Carry a Crunch Bar in my purse and when it was time to have my meal, I would have it with me. Lesson learned!

3. Drinking 64 ounces of water (8 glasses) was not as hard as I thought. Dansani makes water bottles in 20 oz. sizes. I drank one bottle in the morning, one in the afternoon and another after dinner. It's easy when you divide your day into increments...

Another thing I realized is that this program makes it easy to say "No." It clearly sets out what I can eat, the food is convenient and portable and it satisfied me. Instead of having a battle with myself over whether to stop by Chick-fil-a and pick up a sandwich and sweet tea, I just drive by, wave and smile. Those food choices will always be there, but I am not eating that right now.

People sometimes have the wrong impression about Medifast. "Isn't that the liquid diet?" they ask. That could not be farther from the truth. There are over 70 products available to support you on your weight loss journey! And as I discovered yesterday, you can even use the products to make something completely different.

I always like to have a dessert or something sweet after dinner. The brownie was an option, but I found some great recipes on the website and I decided to try the Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies. You mix one packet of the Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal with baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, water and Stevia. Plop dollops of cookie dough on the baking sheet, and after ten minutes in the oven, you have fresh, hot cookies that count as your 6th meal! There are lots of recipes just like this one, that add variety and give you a treat, while you still maintain the fat burning state and lose weight.

At the start of Day 2, I feel excited and proud of myself. I can handle this process and I can actually see myself weighing 15 pounds less. My clothes will fit better, I have more energy and I believe I can conquer the world (at least my world!)

A Journey of 15 Pounds Begins With One Sip

Monday, June 14, 2010 - Day 1

Today is the the first day of a new journey. I have decided to lose 15 pounds in 24 days. And you, my friends are invited to join me on this journey. Why the self-imposed deadline and unusual time frame?

My husband and I have become Health Coaches with Take Shape for Life, a revolutionary, life-changing program that helps you lose weight while teaching you how to make wise food choices. (Forgive me - that is the one and only plug during this entire article!) After coaching several clients, I realized that I would not be effective unless I had also experienced the program personally and could say that I had lost weight as a result.

Problem is, did I need to lose weight? I have always been on the thin side, able to eat whatever I wanted to without gaining any pounds. (I know, you can hate me later). But I realized that that was then -- now I am 51 years old and my body had changed without sending me an announcement. Or had it?

When I look in the mirror (past the wrinkles and laugh lines) I see my thin self. My arms are taunt, my skin is vibrant and healthy and my legs should never been hidden behind a towel wrapped around my waist. But why do my shorts feel tight around my waist? Why am I constantly bloated, like someone could prick me and hot air would gush out of my stomach, like a balloon? And how to explain the lack of energy and vitality in my everyday life?

What was going on with my body? It almost seemed as if aliens taken over and I was the last one to know.

You are probably shaking your head in amazement - how could she be so dense? The clue to this conundrum is simple. Look at my age and that should explain it all. When I think about it, the changed did begin when I turned 50. I noticed subtle changes in my energy levels, my weight seemed to creep up and I somehow lost my waist to the dreaded "abdominal fat" that everyone is talking about.

I was also buying up one size - I have always been a size 8. Now I was buying size 10, and sometimes that did not even fit! At first, I blamed the clothing manufacturers. (What did the tiny women in Viet Nam and Taiwan know about the dimensions of an American woman?) But after almost two years of deluding myself, I realized that I was the one who had changed, not the people who made the clothes.

But is age the only thing I can blame? And do I have to accept my physical changes because I cannot stop the ravages of time on my body?

Fortunately, the answer is no.

I just have to allow my body time to adjust to hormonal changes, while still giving it the vitamins, minerals and nutrients it needs to function efficiently and effectively. Sounds easy but is it? That is what I am about to discover by going on the 5-and-1 plan. I will have 5 Medifast meals a day (about every 2-3 hours) and one "lean and green" meal at night. A Medifast meal can be either a shake (I use the one designed for menopausal women, because it contains natural herbs that help smooth out hormonal changes), soup, brownie or pudding. The "lean and green" meal is a piece of lean chicken, fish or pork with one of the approved vegetables.

For the next 24 days, my blog will be devoted to recording my daily experience on this program. Hopefully, while I gain insight and lose weight, you will also learn something from my experience. I promise to share the good, the bad and the ugly (but not my start weight - that is just too embarrassing!)

Why 24 days to accomplish this feat? On July 8-10, 2010, Take Shape for Life will
hold its National Convention right here in the North Texas area - at the Gaylord Texan. There is nothing like the company you represent holding its NATIONAL convention in your own backyard to motivate you to succeed!

Instead of the metaphorical first step, my weight loss journey began with a first sip. When I first woke up this morning, I mixed a Medifast shake with cold water in the handy shaker cup and that was breakfast. It took less than one minute and I still feel full one and a half hours later!

So there you have it - my goal (lose 15 pounds in 24 days), my motivation (look great at the National Convention) and my vision (a slimmer body that will fit easily into a size 8). This blog will help keep my focused so I can regain my slimmer, vital, more energetic body. I know its in there somewhere!

Blessings!

Kathryn Eriksen
www.davideriksen.tsfl.com

What Does It Feel Like to be a Spiritual Messenger?

I am a Round 2 Contestant in the Next Top Spiritual Author Contest (out of 2,800 people who entered, only 271 remain). The Contest has been fun, tiring, thrilling, and motivating, but I have also experienced several unanticipated benefits.

I now realize that I am a Spiritual Messenger.

The gravity of that statement is only lessened by the mere fact I had the audacity to type it, bold face it and share it with the world! As I read over those words, it strikes me that they may sound ego-centric, but that could not be farther from the truth.

You see, for most of my life, I never believed I had anything worthwhile to say. My "Voice" was silent (by my own choosing, of course) but still, it remained quiet and hidden. Like a precious jewel that lay sleeping beneath the waters of life, my Voice waited for me to discover her. The funny part is...now that I have discovered her, I can't get her to be quiet!

Not that I am complaining, but recognizing that I do have something to share with people, that it does come from a Source much higher than my own puny intellect, is rather disconcerting. It tends to throw life off balance, out of kilter and into another gyration completely!

When I wrote the book proposal for the contest, for example, it felt like the words were coming from somewhere outside of my own consciousness. I simply listened and typed. When I finished and I read back through the document, I was astounded that those thoughts and ideas had even been created by my own hands.

But that is the point, isn't it? When I think about it, it really is not "my Voice" at all...I am just the physical embodiment of something much greater and much more spiritual. And guess what - you are too!

My spiritual journey will continue whether or not I make it into Round 3 of the contest. I have walked through the door toward my new life. I am awake, alive and a perfect Voice for the Source.

How about your journey? Where is it taking you?

Blessings,

Kathryn Eriksen
http://www.NextTopAuthor.com
Author ID # 545
http://www.KathrynEriksen.com

I need your help (again)!

The Next Top Spiritual Author Contest continues to roll on -- we are now down to 271 authors (from 2,800!) and the voting is open again. My book, "Faces of God" is in the running, but for it to advance, you have to vote again.

Please visit www.NextTopAuthor.com and look for Author #545. Read the book proposal, detailed chapter outline and sample chapter. If you voted for me before, there is no need to register again. Just cast another vote -- and help propel me in to Round 3!

Blessings,

Kathryn Eriksen
www.KathrynEriksen.com

New Books on Spirituality - Check them out!

I recently did a search on Amazon to see what new books have come out on spirituality. While I have not had an opportunity to read any of these works, their titles were intriguing. In no particular order:
Essential Spirituality: The 7 Central Practices to Awaken Heart and Mind
Dance of the Spirit: The Seven Stages of Women's Spirituality
The Spirituality of Imperfection: Storytelling and the Search for MeaningWomen & Spirituality
Women Food and God: An Unexpected Path to Almost Everything

Let me know if you read any of these books...I just ordered the last one - "Women, Food and God," because it looks at weight loss through the lense of spirituality. Intriguing, isn't it?

Your Destiny Awaits

You are meant to discover the special music that God gave you before you came here in physical form...When you play your own notes, you add to the Divine Symphony. No one can take away your music, and no one can play it for you. You have to reveal it yourself...just like Savannah Hartt, the troubled teenager who discovers a new way to look at her life, in Dance With the Divine. The following is an excerpt:

The fall air was still warm, but the tinge of winter’s bite was lurked at the edges of the morning. Savannah closed her eyes and let her body relax, as she wondered about what Ms. Andersen had said about asking the wrong question.

“If ‘why did this happen to me’ is the wrong question, what is the right question?” Savannah thought to herself.

“Don’t ever ask why,” a quiet voice inside her head exclaimed. “It will only lead to more ‘whys.’”

“Why is that?” Savannah asked with a mischievous smile playing on her lips, her eyes still closed.

“Oh, so you want to play word games, do you?” The voice answered with a hint of good humor.

Savannah felt herself drift off into a deep sleep. When she woke up, she was groggy and disoriented. She sat up slowly and looked around to get her bearings.

The sun had continued its upward path in the sky. Beams of light filtered through the trees, making dappled patterns of color on the ground. The air had warmed up and Savannah stood up to take off her jacket. When her left arm caught in the sleeve of her coat, she twisted around to get it off.

And that is when she saw her. Or rather, them.

The shadow lady stood on the other side of the pond, her back to Savannah. Her silhouette moved gracefully in flowing movements. She faced the sun and it looked almost like she was dancing with its sunrays of luminous light. The dog sat patiently under a tree, ears and nose perked toward her owner.

Savannah broke from her trance and sprung into action. She gathered all of her things and got her bike ready to ride. She had to find this person and discover who she was and how she could simply disappear. Besides, it was a lot more fun to solve a mystery than to wallow in her depressing misery.

As Savannah started to ride around the pond, she glanced to make sure that the mysterious woman was still there. Savannah just caught a glimpse of the woman’s silhouette. They were walking away!

“Darn it,” Savannah cried in frustration. “Not again!”

She rode as fast as she could through the thick grass, but never could catch up to them. She even tried calling out to them, but they continued to walk away calmly, not breaking their stride. The pair seemed to be from another world, their calm demeanor belying the fact that they traveled over a lot of ground without effort.

Savannah did all she could to catch up to them, standing on her pedals to get the most speed out of her bike. The handlebars waived back and forth and she used them to push herself harder and faster. Her long brown hair streamed out behind her like a banner, declaring to the world that she was on a mission. Despite all of her efforts, the woman and her dog disappeared around the next turn in the road.

After several minutes, Savannah finally had to stop and catch her breath. She looked around her and realized with a start that she did not know where she was. In her focused determination to reach the woman, she had not paid attention to where she was riding.

And now she was lost.

“Don’t panic,” she told herself sternly. “Why didn’t I bring my cell phone?” she moaned to herself.

The forest of pines, elms and oaks that surrounded her did not answer. It was much darker on this road, because the dense foliage blocked out the sun. Savannah was in the middle of a dirt road that twisted in front of her and behind her. She was just about to turn around, when she noticed a mailbox partially covered by smaller saplings. She parked her bike and walked over to see if she recognized the name on the box.

As she got closer, she noticed that the mailbox was shaped like a small house, complete with a front porch, windows and doors. Savannah had never seen a mailbox like this and she studied it intently. Painted a sunny yellow, it was complete with a bright red door and blue front porch. There were even two tiny rocking chairs waiting on the porch! Savannah half expected small, magical fairies to hang out the windows, asking in high voices what she was doing in their front yard.

“I must be losing my mind,” she muttered.

Just as she was about to turn away, she noticed the initials, “DWTD” painted next to the tiny front door. “What does that mean?” she wondered out loud.

She peeked down the driveway and discovered that she could see a short distance before it made a right hand turn. Savannah just caught a glimpse of a large tail as it turned the corner, and she knew that her mystery woman and dog had walked up this drive.

Savannah hesitated – should she follow them or turn around and go back home? She was scared of getting in trouble, but the pull of solving the mystery was too strong. With a shake of her head, she pushed her bike up the drive as quietly as she could. As she walked further down the driveway, she began to feel different. Her senses told her that this place was special.

She entered another world.

Leafy limbs gracefully formed a canopy over the dirt lane. Sunlight filtered through the trees in quiet grandeur, dappled rays of light sparkling down to the small dirt road. The drive was barely wide enough for a car, and it looked too natural to be man made. The liquid notes of a cardinal in full song filled the air with music.

Savannah took a deep breath of the sweet air and felt her entire body relax. She paused for a minute to admire the beauty of this forest, and her mind stopped its maddening dance of thoughts. She set her bike against a tree and stood in the middle of the lane, face upturned, eyes closed and palms relaxed by her side. The small frown of worry that had taken up residence between her eyebrows fell away.

For the first time in as long as she could remember, peace invaded her soul.

Time stopped and her world no longer felt like it was spinning out of control. She heard the same quiet voice again inside of her, and the two words it spoke to her infused her with happiness and joy.

“Welcome home.”

She smiled in gratitude and opened her arms wider, accepting her place in this new world. She did not think – she just reacted from her heart. Open and receptive, her heart stepped forward and seemed to grow and expand. Savannah began slowly twirling in a circle, eyes closed, arms outstretched, palms open and relaxed. She looked almost like a flower, eagerly waiting to receive the sun’s nourishment.

A solitary beam of sunlight filtered through the dense foliage and landed on Savannah. She felt its warmth and stopped her twirling so she could absorb its heat and strength. White light glowed from inside her eyelids. As Savannah watched the light, it collapsed into a glowing ball of blue.

She had never felt so happy and peaceful.

Time and matter stood still. It seemed as if the earth paused for an eternal instant and held its breath waiting for Savannah to choose and accept the message of the blue light.

Savannah’s body remained standing in the middle of the magical forest, but her spirit knew what to do. She knelt in homage and bowed her head.

As soon as her spirit acknowledged the blue light for what it was, Savannah felt such a rush of love pour over her that she gasped in awe at its magnificence. The strength and power of it stunned her so much that she gasped and broke the connection.

Savannah’s eyes sprang open involuntarily. She found herself back in the forest, back in herself, but she felt disoriented and confused. Her breathing quickened and adrenaline flooded her body. Savannah had no idea what had just happened to her, but she knew that she had had enough for one day.

She quickly grabbed her bike, turned it around and pedaled as fast as she could to the mailbox. If Savannah had thought to catch a quick look over her shoulder, she would have see two pairs of bright eyes glowing with the same love-force that she had just experienced in the forest.

She missed the clue. All she wanted to do was to get away from this place as fast as possible. A quick left hand turn and soon she was back on a familiar road, heading toward home.

Only to wonder about the other world she had temporarily touched. What was that all encompassing love that threatened to overwhelm her?

If you enjoyed reading this passage, please support me in the Next Top Spiritual Author Contest. The winner is awarded a book contract with Hampton Roads Publishing! Go to www.KathrynEriksen.com and click on the link to vote.

Blessings!
Kathryn Eriksen