So to all who learn about the "Rice Diet" from me, I first must appologize because I don't think I'm stressing enough with the fact that's it is a DIETA (lifestyle change) and it's not something to be taken lightly.  Because it is such a big step, it is also not expected to be an overnight change!!

In the book "The Rice Diet Solution" they do set it up as a DRASTIC change but the dieta was created for heart patients.  When I started the dieta (years ago after I had my children),  I did do the drastic change and after my initial weightloss I fell slowly back into my old ways.  It was to be expected! 

Why?  Well it's simply because you start to feel like your missing out on something.  So you start sneaking in little things here and little things there, promising yourself you'll make up for it later.  Til eventually you just end up right back where you started from. They don't call it a yo-yo syndrome for nothing!

So my suggestion is this: 

Make a plan!  I know, it's such a pain..nobody ever wants to have to sit down and think about it.  No think, just do!  But I think that's the problem with society nowadays.  If you can't take the time to mentally set yourself up. Give yourself the time to think about what you want, your goals and how your going to attain them. 

How on earth are you going to be able to accomplish them?  It's almost like we are all in a GIANT RACE with time.  Like we are going to miss out on something if we don't have it HERE and NOW.

It's important to remember that it took time to put on those extra pounds and it's going to take time to get them off as well. 

• Take some time out of your day for yourself and actually think about what you want and write it down.
• Start by changing ONE THING about your eating habits or lifestyle.  Try and stick to that for one week and see how it feels.  Where you able to stick to it?  Yes?..Great! 

No?.. Change something else...ect

It's important to find what works for you.  Everyone has different habits and lifestyles that they live by so why should everyone be expected to live by the same rules as everyone else? 

I look at the Rice Dieta as more of a "guideline".  I know inside of me that, I would never be able to stick to their way of eating forever.  Never cheating, never feeling guilty...I cannot lie to myself...otherwise I would never of had to of gone on it in the first place!

 

For the many that follow the Rice Dieta or have even tried.  Please remember that this is a "Lifestyle Change" not a run of the mill diet you follow and then once you've lost the desired amount of weight "you quit". Therefore you are not required to drop your life as is and completely reform yourself in a day. 

In order to both lose the weight and keep it off it's important to change your eating habits for life. if that takes awhile and some minor changes to what the (Rice Diet Program) states, then so be it.  Remember that, these are good changes not only beneficial to weightloss but also to your health in general.

I notice that many people get stressed out, wanting to follow the dieta to "a tea" but that really isn't necessary.  The important thing to do, is to try as best you can.  If something doesn't work for you, you find what does (but with common sense).  You'll never lose weight or be healthy if you're continously sabataging your diet.  There has to be a happy medium!

I've found the best advice or ideas come from other members.  I encourage everyone to go ahead and read other members journals if they are having problems with the dieta.  We in the community are not there to put you down or make you feel bad.  We are simply there to support one another and give out helpful advice as needed.

So I reiterate, Do What Works For You!  If you cannot eat healthy for youself, then who can you do it for?

Just a few notes on how The Rice Way has now updated....

First off, I want to talk about the "Member Subscription".  For those members who have registered to the community before May 7th, 2008 this subscription does not apply to you.  You will still have FREE access to community. 

As of today it is manditory for all new registers to subscribe to be eligle for the wonderful support the commuinity has to offer.  I have been a little iffy on it for awhile but seeing as the cost is outweighing the income, I'm afraid I don't really have a choice in the matter.

I'm praying that the fee of $7.00 a month isn't too much and that many more people will still want to join the community.  There are so many wonderful members in our community.  The Rice Way definately has the feel of being "one big family".  Thank-you to you all for being such a devoted group!

Secondly, I've just recently added the option of sending Birthday Ecards to members.  I think it's a really sweet thing to do.  I'm hoping that many of our members take advantage of this feature and hopefully in the next few weeks I'll be able to upgrade it and make it even better for all of us.

Well that's all for now,  thanks again!!

Admin of The Rice Way,

Nathalie

MUFAS….Eat Fat to Lose Fat?

What the heck are MUFAS?  (pronounced MOO-fahs). 

MUFA, which stands for monounsaturated fat is becoming the current hot buzzword in health and diet.    The concept, which at first glance appears foreign and contradictory, is that by consuming several portions of MUFA a day you will not only benefit your heart health, but it will help you lose fat.  The fat lost is that so-hard-to-get-rid-of-belly-fat. Those of us over 40 know only too well how hard it is to get rid of that middle age spread (mine is more like a middle-age-comforter).

There are so many diets available to us.  High protein, low carbohydrate, low calorie, vegan, the list goes on.  Most diets will work up to a certain extent, however most will not do a lot at budging all 'that' fat.    To benefit your cardiovascular system, you have to banish the visceral fat that your body loves to hang on to.  This is not the fat  that is an inch (or several inches) thick just under your skin, but is the fat that is solidly packed around your internal organs.   This fat is deadly and can lead to diabetes, high blood pressure, and high LDL cholesterol levels.  

Unfortunately alot of diets which we choose, do not allow any (or very little) fats, and we are not getting the full health benefit of any weight loss that we achieve.   Also in many cases, even on the strictest diet, we still can not lose that spare tire.

In a number of studies over the past few years, researchers have found that consumption of a calorie controlled diet (the more natural the better), plus the addition of  MUFAS daily, leads to
weight loss, loss of belly fat and improved cardiovascular health. 

To find out what  five groups of foods  are excellent sources of MUFAS, check out this site on MSN.com: http://tinyurl.com/23ch3a

Prevention Magazine website has an excellent feature on MUFAS and banishing belly fat.
http://tinyurl.com/yue5ne

Spec.com also has a very informative article about MUFAS and some of the research that has been done. http://www.thespec.com/go/healthfitness/article/333854

Personally I am following The Rice Diet, which allows for the addition of olive oil in your diet.  In a month, I've lost 19 lbs, my blood pressure is back to normal and my blood sugars have come down dramatically.  I still have a fair amount of weight to lose AND  a lot of belly fat.  I plan on adding a small amount more MUFAs to my diet every day.  As long as the portions are kept controlled and the rest of the diet is followed, I can only be doing my body good.

"Many thanks to our Staff Member Sue for writing this very helpful and informative entry "

Well I like to give credit where credit is due, and I've gotta say that Campbell's Soup deserves some of it.  They've recently added 6 New low sodium soups to their product line.  For those of you who haven't tried them, I recommend you check them out.

Click On Any Of The Images Below To See Their Nutrional Values

Another wonderful low sodium product brought out for all of us to enjoy.  It'll be great for those times when you've had a busy day and no time to make yourself a meal. 

Open the can, heat and serve!!

Are you having problems finding low sodium products?  Well my suggestion is "look around" you'd be surprised at the amount of companies who are now selling low sodium products.  The World Wide Web is the perfect place to start.  You don't have to go to all those stores and buy the products online but you can certainly look and see which name brands they are selling. 

I see so many overpriced items online not to mention the fact that you've got to pay for the shipping & handling on top of that.  I know it's more convenient so if your into that sort of thing, by all means go for it.  I'm not here to judge only to help you find your way

Here are a few stores I can think of offhand that you may have nearby and didn't even realize they sell "low sodium" items.

• Trader Joe's - I hear good things about this store and they seem to be popping up everywhere in the U.S.  Click on the name to check out the website or you can click here to see the low sodium products they have available.  All of which contain 140 mg of sodium or less.
• Whole Food's Market - Sells a lot of safe foods as well.  They've got a list you can check out as well here.  They've got stores in both the U.S & Canada.

Eating foods that are low in sodium is not just some faze.  The word is figuring out just how unhealthy too much salt is in our diets. We as consumers consume a lot of it.  High blood pressure and heart disease are just a few of the common ailments associated with those eating habits. 

Don't get down and be lazy because you think it's too tough to find foods low in sodium.  Stick to your guns! 

It's your body, isn't it worth it to you to take care of yourself and eat better? 

 

Stone Ground Whole Grain Products
"The Old Fashioned Way"

If your looking for some great low sodium products I recommend checking out "Bob's Red Mill". 

"Bob's Red Mill produces more than 400 products, from hot cereals to mixes to cornmeal to flour milled from all grains. Included in this astounding variety of grains are teff, amaranth, spelt, quinoa and sorghum. With such a wide array of whole grain products, Bob's Red Mill can be part of every meal of the day."

They've also got a wonderful archive of over 1200 recipes.  Many of which are low in sodium and Rice Diet acceptable. 

http://www.bobsredmill.com

Our wonderful members have posted many tips on The Rice Way. 

Here are just a few to get you started:

• Keep a journal! (if you can, keep a hard copy one and then
  post on your online journal here - really helps keep you intouch
  with what you are eating) ~Sues~

 

• Be patient. It will take time for you to get used to not having salt on everything, to get used to new tastes, to learn how to eat out without blowing it, to take the weight off. Baby steps--you didn't put it on a a couple weeks, you shouldn't beat yourself up beause it's not coming off overnight!! ~tkdmom~

 

• Try different grains, fruits and veggies. Keep yourself interested. Don't just eat rice, get bored and give up. ~Wyldkat~

 

• Use this site, but also, if you can, have your whole family "ricing." Even those who say, "I don't use that much salt," are still probably getting way too much sodium. (At least that's what I said until I started reading all the labels. WOW!) "Ricing" will probably benefit your entire family just in eating healthier.~Sylvia~

 

For more tips, visit us @ The Rice Way

So here it is the new blog for The Rice Way.  I'm so thrilled to start this up and hopefully help others learn about this wonderful dieta.  The more the word gets out the healthier people will be.

If you've never heard of our site then it's about time you did!  The Rice Way is devoted to a dieta called "The Rice Diet" (ie.The Rice Way).  It's a great change of pace for those of you looking to lose some extra weight or if you just plain want to start eater healthier.

The Rice Diet is a make sense, low sodium eating plan with 3 Phases:

 Detox, Lasting Weight Loss & Maintenance.

Detox lasts one week and then you move on to the Lasting Weightloss phase through the duration of your weightloss.  After that comes the Maintenance phase to keep the weight off.

This whole thing is just common sense really..eat nutritious foods and keep the amount of sodium you eat per day under 500 mg.  How tough is that?!  It's not! 

For more information please feel free to click on any of the links in our menu.

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