The High Carb-Cardio Low Carb Cycle Diet.

Step 1: The diet and work out days:

Day 1. Low carb, High protein and a Lower body work out. (+abs)

Day 2. Low carb, High protein, and a Upper body work out.

Day 3. High carb, Low protein, and Cardio. (+abs) 

Day 4. Low carb, High protein and a Lower body work out. 

Day 5. Low carb, High protein, and a Upper body work out. (+abs)

Day 6. High carb, Low protein, and Cardio. 

Day 7. Avg. carb, Avg protein, Rest, and stretch.

Step 2. Choose your Exercises:

Plan A: All Natural Exercises. 

This means: push ups, Body-weight Flys, sit ups, squats, dips, chin ups, pull ups, Leg raises, lunges, plank, jogging, swimming, cycling etc. 

Plan B: Machines and/or free Weights.

This means: bicep curls, triceps pull downs, Squats with weights, Lunges with weights, bench presses, chest presses, buterflys, cable crossovers, calf presses etc. and swimming, cycling, and jogging etc. for cardio.

Plan C: mix and match from Plans A and B and add some of your own favorite exercises. (Recommended*)

*Remember the best workouts are the ones you will enjoy doing.

Step 3. Customize your diet.

Contact us for a customized diet that will fit your body shape and nutritional needs: Nutritionbymendy@gmail.com

or message your questions via Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/nutritionbymendy

Phase Three of Thirty Day Diabetes Cure: Ready for the Outside World

(Days 21-30)

Day Twenty one

• Pay attention to when you eat, what you eat, and why you eat it. You're in charge of your eating habits. by starting to understand what compels you to eat and how this contributes to your health, you can make the necessary changes to your lifestyle. 

Extra credit: 

• Keep a journal of what thought processes causes you to have cravings.

Day twenty two

• Start eating at restaurants again.
• Eat out at a restaurant for practice with some friends and let them help you order a healthy meal. Explain to them why you are making these changes.

Extra credit:

• Prepare a list of healthy foods that you will buy for your next vacation or weekend getaway. 

Day twenty three

• Eliminate those things in your life that encourage your old behaviors.

Extra credit:

• Choose one self-sabotaging behavior you recognize in yourself and decide how you can transform it.

note: I will be posting a more in depth post on this subject.

Day twenty four

• Assemble a support system that will encourage you to reach your goals.

Extra credit: 

• Call your doctor and ask if they have a diabetes support group.

Day twenty five

• Commit to clearing toxins from your body and environment.

Extra credit:

• Buy and install a water filter.

note: I will be posting a more in depth post on this subject.

Day twenty six

• Add strength training two to three times a week, (on non-consecutive days) to your exercise plan.

Extra credit:

• If you don't have a gym membership, ask your local gym for a week trial.

Day twenty seven

• Have a smoothie to start your day and add your supplements into it.

Day twenty eight

• In addition to having a multi-vitamin and a vitamin D supplement  that we discussed on day sixteen add, with your doctors permission, omega 3 fish oil,  co-q 10 enzyme and ALA to your diet.

Day twenty nine

• Eliminate boredom from your life

Extra credit:

• Turn off the TV for an entire day and replace it with a activity that get's you moving like swimming, playing tennis or the like.

Day thirty: 

• Share and reflect  your progress.
• Recommit yourself to being more healthy.
• It's not over; it's just beginning.

Extra credit: Reward yourself you deserve it.

Phase Two of The 30 Day Diabetes Cure

Congrats! You've made it to Phase Two! 
If you haven't already, 
click here for the intro to the plan,
and here for Phase One.

Phase Two: Inside the bubble 
(Days 11-20)

Day Eleven:

• Eliminate the following oils from your kitchen: corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, vegetable shortening, hydronated oils and margarine products. 
• Add good fats to your diet. 

'Good' fats and oils are high in HDL (High-Density Lipoprotien) and 'Bad' Fats and Oils are high in LDL (Low-Density Lipoprotiens,) Cholesterol, saturated fats and trans-fats are generally bad for you, while polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are good for you. The above is oversimplified and not a complete explanation; I will be expanding more on this concept in a separate post. (link needed)

Extra credit:

• Eat more omega 3 rich foods like flax seed, walnuts, salmon and other sea food. 

Day twelve:

• Add whole grains and fruit back into your diet.

Note: Diabetics have to look at fruit differently then everyone else does; sugar is still sugar, no matter what the source is. Whole fruit is best, because of the fiber content. Fruit juices are still off limits. Home made smoothies are good in moderation. Don't have plain fruit by itself, add some protein instead; for example, an apple and some cheese.

Extra credit:

• Make a ten day breakfast menu, and shop for the ingredients (on a full stomach).

Day Thirteen:

• Walk everyday for 15 minutes.

Extra credit:

• Walk every day for 30 minutes.
• Find a walking buddy, and decide on a regular time and place that you'll walk together.

Day Fourteen :

• Gradually increase the amount of beans and legumes in your diet, until you are having them with every meal.
• Add other Resistant-Starch foods to your diet, like bananas, potatoes, yams, barley, brown rice, and whole corn.  

Extra credit: 

• Go to the store right now and buy the foods listed above. Now would be a great time to go for that fifteen minute walk we spoke about.

Day Fifteen:

• Reduce your stress levels.
• Get a good night's sleep.

Extra credit: 

• Meditate.

Day Sixteen:

• Take a high-quality multivitamin everyday. Take a Vitamin D supplement. (With your doctor's consent)

Extra credit: 

• Forget the vitamins, and get all your nutrients, including vitamin D, from your food (and the sun). This won't be easy.  

Day seventeen:

• Talk to a friend.
• Take a walk.
• Get un-depressed.
• Lose the blues with a blue berry smoothie.

Yes, I understand that being depressed isn't a choice, but you can do things that will help. G-d willing, I will  write a post about this. (Link needed)


Extra credit: 

• If you feel you have chronic depression, then talk to your doctor about these supplements: Tryptophan, 5-HTP, Fish oil, Vitamin B6, B12, and Folic Acid (otherwise known as Folate)

Day eighteen:

• Do yoga.

Extra credit: 

• Add one pose a day and become a yoga master!

Day nineteen:
Though this was mentioned for day 15, it deserves to be mentioned again. Your sleep is that important.

• Get enough sleep.
• Wind down 20 minutes before going to sleep.

Extra credit: 

• A melatonin supplement might help with readjusting your sleep schedule.
• Try chamomile tea before going to bed.
• Stop using electronics a half hour before going to bed.
• If you can't sleep because your anxious, then ask your doctor about Valerian Root tea. 

Day twenty:

• Be more physically active.
• Buy a pedometer and aim to take 10,000 steps every day.
• Walk to nearby places, and park a little further than usual.

Extra credit: 

• Get a gym membership and use it.
• Add 60 minutes per week of weight training. (20 minutes on 3 non-consecutive days)

Note: With diabetes, it is possible to exercise too much. If the duration or Intensity level is too high, then your blood sugar levels can get too low (,which will cause your liver to break down glycogen into glucose resulting in a blood sugar spike. in general moderation is the key to success.)

It would mean a lot to me, if you would share your thoughts, questions, experiences, success, and/or struggles that you have had with the plan.

thanks,

Mendy 

Top Ten Diabetes-Friendly Snack Substitutions

This is a more in depth discussion of day eight of the "30 Day Diabetes Cure" plan. Please note, that besides being good for diabetics, this post will be beneficial for anyone who wishes to lose weight or eat healthy.

Day Eight: 

• Clear all damaging snacks from your pantry and replace them with better alternatives.

Instead of...                   choose...
                    
1.                   Chips                      Air-popped popcorn (with a little olive oil and Parmesan cheese)
                     
2.                   Soda                      1/2 cup 100% pomegranate juice and 1/2 cup   sparkling water.
               
3.                   Cookies                  Apple slices and 5 walnut halves.

4.                   Candy Bar              Four prunes and four almonds.

5.                   Ice Cream              Yogurt with berries, chopped nuts and cinnamon.

6.                  Granola bar            Table spoon peanut butter, plus raisins on
                                                    whole-grain slice of bread.      

7.                   Nachos                  Potato skins with diced spinach or broccoli slices onion and a bit of cheese.

8.                   Milk Shake            Smoothie with plain yogurt, berries, and flaxseed.

9                    Popsicle                10 tart fresh cherries. 

10.                 Energy bar             Greek salad


other Useful tips:

• Avoid HFCS (high fructose corn syrup) at all costs.
• Don't be fooled by "energy" bars.
• Snack on nuts.
• Eat high fiber snacks
• Eat high protein snacks 
• Try Hummus and other dips.

Simple yet powerful!

Phase One of the 30 Diabetes Cure

Phase one: Blood Sugar "Boot camp"

Day one:

• Remove all added sugars from your diet for the next ten days.

Extra credit:

• Take a break from sodas, fruit juices, and alcoholic beverages as well.

Day Two: 

• Add one teaspoon of cinnamon a day to you meals.

Extra credit:

• Try using high-antioxidants like cloves and allspice to your foods.

Day Three:

• Eliminate all sugary beverages, including soda, sports and energy drinks, sweetened coffees and teas, and fruit juices (even those made from 100% juice).
• Eliminate alcoholic beverages for the next ten days.

Extra credit:

• Eliminate all products containing High Fructose Corn Syrup. 

Day Four:

• Add slices of lemon, orange, mint, lime etc. to your water.
• If removing soda from your diet is too much then: dilute your soda with 1/3 part soda and 2/3 sparkling water and gradually reduce the amount of soda.
• replace your sugary drinks with chilled green and black tea, iced ginger, herbal tea,  soy and low-fat milk, iced coffee (with stevia instead of sugar), and fruit spritzer (a mix of 1/4 pomegranate/blueberry juice with 3/4 sparkling water).
• Drink lemonade made with fresh lemons and Stevia to sweeten.

Extra credit: 

• Drink 64 ounces of drinking water per day. better yet, check out my post on water consumption for the exact amount of water you need to drink.

Day Five:

• Stop eating "Fast Carbs."

[A good reference for what is and is not a "fast carb", is the Glycemic Index (GI): The higher the GI ranking, the faster the food spikes your blood sugar levels; therefore, you should stick with foods that have a low GI.

A more accurate, yet not as well know reference, is the Glycemic Load (GL). The Glycemic Load is more accurate because it takes more things into consideration, like the amount of fiber for example. 

GL = GI/100 x Net Carbs. Net Carbs is the total carbohydrates minus the fiber]

Day Six:

• Eat a protein-rich breakfast with healthy fats.
• Replace your Fast Carb breakfasts with more diabetes-friendly options. 

Extra credit: 

• Make your own yogurt.

Day Seven:

• Eat protein-rich lunches with plenty of vegetables, without the Fast Carbs.
• Plan a weeks menu of diabetes-conscious lunches.
• Go grocery shopping for the ingredients you need (and go on a full stomach). 

Extra credit: 

• Get into the habit of making your lunch the night before and after you have already eaten dinner. (This is such a useful habit!)

Day Eight: 

• Clear all damaging snacks from your pantry and replace them with better alternatives. (You will probably have to check back for my post for Day Eight for a full understanding of what to do today.)

Day nine:

• Eliminate processed meats; like pepperoni, cold cuts, and commercial sausages. 
• Cut back on animal products that aren't grass fed, that have hormones injected into them, and that are genetically modified. 

Day ten:

• Eat vegetables several times a day.
• Try Eating three to five servings of vegatables.
• The more vegetables the better! (Within reason of course.)

Extra credit: 

• Challenge yourself to discover new ways to include vegetables in all of your meals.

Day 2 of the 30 Day Diabetes Cure

Sorry for not posting till today, it was my holiday. Anyways, today is day two of the plan, and I decided to change two things: number one is to include success stories throughout the plan; and second, is to add a  positive/negative symbol to indicate whether in the plan you will add something to your diet/exercise plan or take something away. Soon, I will be posting everything in the diabetes tab for easy access. Also, G-d willing, I will be posting everyday, and in case I miss a day, you have my apologies in advance.  

"I have failed over and over again and in my life, and that is why I succeeded."

-Michael Jordan

[+]

Day two: Add cinnamon for lower blood sugar

       This common spice is mother nature's glucose reducer. eat a little everyday to lower your blood sugar, improve insulin sensitivity, and reduce inflammation.

the research:

A study found that when people with type II diabetes, consumed one to three grams of cinnamon daily, it reduced their fasting blood sugar levels by 29%, their triglycerides (fats) by 30%, their LDL cholesterol (aka their 'bad' cholesterol) by 27% and their overall cholesterol levels by 26%.

Simple steps to take today:

1. Dust cinnamon to your yogurts for breakfast or a snack
2. Sprinkle onto oatmeal, barley, lentils or split peas.
3. Blend a cup of cooked brown rice with some yogurt and cinnamon (and a little stevia if you wish), heat and enjoy for breakfast or dessert. 
4. Add a spoonful to the ground coffee in your coffeepot for a delightful taste and aroma. Or simply sprinkle it directly onto your coffee or tea.
5. Add some to your smoothies.
6. Sprinkle onto uncooked sweet potatoes, squash, or pumpkin. A half cup of canned pumpkin with cinnamon and a couple of tablespoons of cream tastes delightful!
7. Add a cinnamon stick to a glass of water and reuse until the stick unrolls.

A Case study: 

"When Tim first came to my office, he weighed 222 pounds. When I told him he was pre-diabetic, it hit him like a ton of bricks. At first, he dismissed the lab findings even though his A1-c was 7.5 and his blood pressure was 162/96. Instead of seeing this as an opportunity to change his life, he viewed the thirty day diabetes cure, as just another obstacle. At each exam, he'd complain about having to eat better, and schedule time for walking.But, like most of my patients, he noticed improvements right away. The pounds came off more easily than he expected after only a couple f weeks and he actually began to enjoy the eating plan. Fairly soon, he decided he could never go back to his old eating habits  After 3 Months, he had lost 26 pounds and his blood pressure had returned to normal  After 6 months, his A1-c was a normal 5.6"

Take action today: Use a teaspoon of cinnamon every day to quickly bring your blood sugar metabolism into balance.

extra credit: Try using high-antioxidants like cloves and allspice to your foods.

Please +1 and follow if you enjoyed my article.

Feel free to leave any comments or suggestions. 
Mendy  

Day 1 of the 30 Day Diabetes Cure

Today is day one of the curing diabetes series. If you haven't already read the overview to the plan, you can do so by clicking here. Also I would like to note that I will be adding more content to each one of these posts later on, like success stories, tips, article links etc; however, you can always repeat the cycle and in fact it's recommended that you do so. I will also be posting all the posts of this series under the Diabetes tab for quick access. 

Day one: Take a break from sweets.

Americans consume, on average, 170 pounds of sugar per person per year. (USDA 2011) That's about a half a pound per day. There's no doubt that sugar consumption has become an addiction, in fact one study (link needed), found lab rats to be more addicted to sugar than to cocaine. There's absolutely no chance of reversing diabetes or getting off medication, without breaking this deadly addiction.

The health risks associated with excess sugar:

• Excess sugar damages arteries, which causes nerve damage, tissue death, gangrene and amputation.
• Excess sugar is associated with heart disease.
• Excess sugar can cause blindness.
• Excess sugar is devastating to your hormone balance and metabolism
• Sugar adds to your weigh and girth.
• Sugar triggers inflammation throughout the entire body.
• Sugar represents a severe health risk. It leads directly to diabetes, cardiovascular complications, and cancer.

Tips for conquering your sugar cravings:

1. Hydrate often. Whether it's ice cold cup of water, sparkling water, a cup of tea or coffee (sweetened with Stevia), it will diminish your sugar cravings.
2. Brush your teeth often. I don't know why, but it works.
3. Snack on nuts. (They are energy dense and have no sugar)
4. Sample cheese at the end of the meal instead of sweets.
5. Eat protein rich foods.
6. Raw veggies 
7. Cut back on caffeine 
8. Never skip a meal. Never!
9. Drink hot soup. (did I have to mention that it was hot, not sure)
10. Find a different fix. It's very possible that your sugar craving is filling happiness gap. find the gap and fill it with something else like working out, a walk, talking to a friend etc.

     

      Take action Today: Starting now, go on a ten day sugar strike. Sugar includes white cane sugar, white beet sugar, corn syrup (including high fructose corn syrup), honey, molasses, pancake syrup, and brown sugar. Eating three regularly spaced meals, high in protein, with two snacks in between, will reduce your sugar cravings considerably. Nutritious balanced meals filled with protein  fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains and healthy fats, will satisfy your hunger and provide your body with the energy it needs.                      

      Extra Credit:  Take a break from sodas, fruit juices, and alcoholic beverages as well.

As always, please +1 and follow if you enjoyed,

and feel free to leave any comments or suggestions. 
Mendy

P.S I was kind of in a rush when writing this. It might take a little longer then 30 days to write this series after all. You might want to repeat some of the days or alternatively, you can wait a couple of days and then begin the series. Thanks for your patience.