Richie's Life In The Fat Lane

Add some spice to your life – Have some Ginger!

Ginger (Zingiber officiale) is a member of the family of plants that includes tumeric.  We consume the rhizome which actually isn’t the root but the underground stem from where the roots spread.   Did you know that for over 5,000 years ginger has traveled from Southeast Asia to the rest of the world?   It’s ancient trade helped shape nations and insure it’s worldwide cultivation.  Ginger is one of the top ten favorite herbs in the world known for it’s culinary contribution.   Ginger (Zingiber officinale) also may be useful in helping people with a variety of ailments.   Ginger has over 400 constituent parts that give it healing abilites and they can be broken down into four basic parts.  The four parts can be divided into taste, fragrance, nutrients and synergistics.

TIP from Dr. X : Most people know that ginger can calm an upset stomach but did you know it could also help lessen a cough?   Next time a cough appears try adding 5-6 slices of ginger into hot water and drink it as a tea and see if it doesn’t help you.  Of course, consider adding some non-glycemic natural sweetner like liquid stevia!

Some Possible Health & Nutrition Benefits of Eating Ginger

• Promotes upper respiratory tract warmth so it can help with a cold or flu.
• Effective in pain associated with Rheumatoid Arthritis.
• Components such as cineole content in ginger is a mood enhancer and helps with stress relieve.
• Digestive comfort.
• Lessens a cough.
• May have some cancer fighting properties.
• Eases  menstrual cramps.
• Can help abate a headache.
• Ginger is quite effective in treating diarrhea and nausea even during pregnancy  (After Thanksgiving Dinner most of us could use some!)
• Antinausea effect  that can be utilized for chemotherapy and ocean travel.  Also Nausea and vomiting in pregnancy can be lessened according to a Cochrane review.
• Antiulcer effect.

TIP:  Add 2-4 drops of 100% organic Ginger oil to a batch of cookies, or loaf of bread to bring out a refreshing aroma and enhanced taste.  Use precautions in handling any essential oil.

Hello everyone, Richalvarez here!

First off, let me apologize for taking so long to make any updates on this blog. Back during the summer, after I completed Richie’s Life in the Fat Lane 2.0, I was originally going to tell you exactly what I did to lose all of my weight. However, my attention quickly shifted over to my Independent Film (The Clicking Noise), and unfortunately I wasn’t able to follow up on the Fat Lane project.

Several things have happened since then:

1) We finished filming The Clicking Noise, and it’s currently being edited. Because of this, I currently have a lot more free time.

2) Dr. X, the friend who helped me during Fat Lane, has spent a lot of time working on and improving the diet plan.

3) I was surprised to find out that a TON of you have been reading this blog, and that it’s been viewed over a quarter of a million times!

So where does that leave us? Well, obesity has become an increasingly severe problem, and I want to do whatever I can to help those who are struggling with weight problems.

Therefore, after talking with Dr. X, I’ve decided to do an official follow up to Richie’s life in the Fat Lane. It’s going to be an online course, and I’ll be guiding you through all of the steps I used to lose weight!

I can’t say anymore at this point, because I’m still busy polishing up the project. However, keep an eye on this blog because I’ll be making an update soon with more details!

Hope you’ve all been well!

Best,

-Richalvarez

I finally did it! As of today I have officially lost 10 pounds! I lost half a pound today, so my current weight is 163.5 and it’s all thanks to the Fresco Menu at Taco Bell and the help from Dr. X! Anyway, here’s today’s video!

And here are 2 tips from Dr. X!

Tip #1 – Enjoy Spicy food!

Add seasonings or hot spices to your food because this will enhance the taste and make you feel like you’re eating more. (No salt though!).  Herbs such as turmeric, curry, ginger, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, garlic, as well as others, can add tremendous flavorings to your food without increasing your caloric input.

Tip #2 -  How to stay motivated!

One great way to stay motivated is to have a weight loss buddy. If you have friends or relatives who also want to lose some weight then you can work together as a team and nudge each other on to make sure you reach your goals.  You can also be of great support to each other and have something in common to talk about and share.

We’re a dozen days in and I’m half a pound away from my goal of losing 10 pounds! Today I lost another pound, so my current weight is 164. I’ve got 2 days left on the diet, and it looks like I may even lose a bit more than my original goal! Anyway, here’s my video for today.

And as always, Dr. X has his tip for the day!

A Few Summer Beverages

It’s summer time so here are some cool beverages that won’t increase your weight!

#1 – Stevia-aid: Which is lemonade made with lemons or lemon concentrate and Stevia. (Best Served Chilled!)

#2 – Stevia-aid Iced Tea: Which is made with Arnold Palmer iced tea and then diluting it 50/50 with Stevia-aid.

#3 – Freckled lemonade: Make some Stevia-aid and then add some fresh, crushed Strawberries. (Make sure you add all the Strawberry juice!)

Bonus: You can also do this with blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and apples. Just make sure you puree them first!

Hello blog type people! Sorry about the lack of blogging yesterday! Anyway, the supplements have continued to work, so as you can guess I lost a pound on Day 10 and another on Day 11. That means I’ve lost a total of 8.5 pounds in the last 11 days, and my current weight is 165 pounds. Wow! I’m only 1.5 pounds away from my goal of losing 10! Oh yeah, and if you missed my last 2 videos, here they are!

Richie’s Life In The Fat Lane 2.0 (Day 10) Video:

Richie’s Life In The Fat Lane 2.0 (Day 11) Video:

And here’s a tip from Dr X!

Apples have Pectin and Pectin is good!

The reason why apples are important in your weight loss diet is because they contain pectin. Pectin is a special chemical that can prevent your body from absorbing too much fat. Pectin is also a strong appetite suppressant that keeps you satisfied for long periods of time causing you to not overeat so you won’t gain weight. An interesting study was recently done on Pectin in Brazil. In it, people who had 1 whole apple before each meal lost 33% more weight than a group of people who didn’t eat apples. But don’t take my word for it. The next time you’re at the grocery store, buy some apples and try it out yourself. See if an apple before your meal curbs your appetite!

Hello all! Today is Day 9 out of 14 and I’m happy to report I’ve lost another pound! This brings my total to 6.5 pounds lost, and my current weight is 167. At this point, I can definitely say that the supplements from Dr. X are certainly working! Anyway, here’s my video for the day.

And of course, this blog wouldn’t be complete without some advice from Dr. X!

9 Super Foods that can help trim your waist line!

Here’s a short list of Super foods that can help keep the waist small!

1. Oatmeal
2. Whey Powder
3. Coconut Oil
4. Berries – strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries etc
5. Eggs
6. Avocados (limit to 1/2 cup per day)
7. Beans like pinto and black (not refried)
8. Carnellini Beans
9. Almonds (limit to 18 per day)

These are all used in a well-balanced diet to help lose unwanted fat!  The key to any diet (and there’s a new one created everyday) is to make sure you are getting all your nutritional needs met! And of course drink your water!

Another day, another pound. I’m now down to 168, so I’ve lost a total of 5.5 pounds. That means I’m more than half way to my goal of losing 10 pounds. There’s only 6 days left until Day 14, but I’m feeling very confident that I’ll reach my goal with the help of Dr. X and his supplements. Anyway, here’s today’s video.

Like always, I have some more advice from Dr. X. Today’s tip is very short, but I hope you still enjoy it!

Consider replacing your oils with coconut oil.  Coconut oil contains medium chained fatty acids (MFA’s).  These are important because they have been shown to have antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activity.  And believe it or not coconuts can help increase your metabolism and promote a lean body.  It can also help boost your thyroid gland and can be useful in helping you lose weight. I recommend that you look for books like those written by Bruce Fife if you are interested in more info.

-Dr. X

Well I’m officially 1 week into my diet! Today I’ve lost another pound, so that means up down to 169. Overall, I’ve lost 4.5 pounds in the last week. That’s a pretty good start! At my current rate, my goal of losing 10 pounds in 2 weeks looks very achievable. Anyway, here’s my video for today.

And like always, here’s some more advice from Dr. X!

DO YOU HAVE A FAT POINT?

MYTH:  People believe that you have a particular fat point where the body realizes this is a normal level of fat to that particular person.

TRUTH:  Our fat points are based on our lifestyles.  While it is true that there are different body types determined by our family genes, the % of fat that we carry around in our body is NOT due to our genes.  The fat point is due to the food we have been eating from our birth up to now.

If you over eat for a long period of time and you have remained at a specific fat level for quite some time then that becomes your new fat point.  And this fat point can be changed either up or down by changing our lifestyle.

Remaining at a particular fat level for a year or two will allow your body to develop all the necessary physical requirements such as capillaries, connective tissues, hormonal levels and so on to support that fat point. In other words, your body will have determined what that point is and your body will now try to maintain the new level.

Your body constantly monitors that fat point by all the messages that are sent to the brain. If you are to go on a crash diet without the proper supplemental support, the body reacts to this fact and sees the crash diet as an attack on that fat point and will do all it can to maintain what it believes is the correct balance.  Unfortunately, the maintenance of this fat point can be in the form of a reduction in muscle tissue to save fat.

Bottom line to remember: Many people don’t want to accept the responsibility and try to pass off their weight as family genes or other issues that have resulted in their fat point being too high.  Re-read yesterday’s blog to move from a spectator to participant in your life.  You will be better for it!  If you want to be admired by your family and friends, start making plans and executing them and show them how with planning and discipline you can accomplish everything you desire in life!

-Dr. X

Today I lost another pound, so now I weigh 170. That means in 6 days I’ve lost 3.5 pounds! Anyway, here’s today’s video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sn6dZSBpUBQ

And of course, this blog wouldn’t be complete without some awesome advice from Dr. X! So here’s some awesome wisdom on being successful!

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You Are What You Believe!

Your belief system and how you monitor your own thoughts are keys to any weight loss system.

Have you ever finished lunch or dinner only to pick up another piece of food and eat it?  Doing this on a regular basis (which seems mindless) programs your body and mind to believe that there is always more to come simply by repeating this ritual.  And the end result – you can never achieve the weight loss goals you set!

Another example that needs self-examination:  Have you ever cut a piece of pie or cake in half only intending to eat the portion cut and then shortly after go back and eat the other ½?

Here’s what you are doing:  When you are cutting that cake in your subconscious mind you already know that you will be getting the rest and you are falsely kidding yourself into believing that the process of cutting off half is doing you some form of good. Countless people fail in their diet attempts strictly from doing this simple but devastating action to the diet.

Actually,  it would be better to decide on how much you plan to eat and then eating that entire portion, because then you have a more realistic and visual perspective of the portion size you are consuming.

If you are trying to “diet” and fail by succumbing to additional food or temptation then you are training your belief system in a negative way.  And training like this can allow you to let it entwine in other areas of your life.  For example, not being disciplined in doing your homework or procrastinating to do a project another day!

The old cliché applies: if you are going to talk the talk then walk the walk.  Don’t tell yourself one thing and then not do it!  Personally it is worthless in what you say to other people or what you try to have them believe. It is not helping you one bit to tell everyone that you won’t be eating any more cake. What matters is what you do and whether you are doing what you say you will do.

So if you really want to lose weight then lose the weight by being true to your purpose, goals, and most importantly to yourself.  If your beliefs do not match your reality then your reality will never amount to more than your real beliefs.  Read this again because the secret to success in weight loss, school, work and life lies in that one sentence!

If you believe that your genes or your metabolism are responsible for your over weight condition then that is what you will alwaysbe even though a change in diet and exercise will make a difference.  Genes are set and important but environment plays a big role in how the genes express themselves.  Change your environment to change your life.  If you are “addicted” to Oreos don’t keep them in your bedroom, house or car!  Don’t buy them and make sure your access is very limited.

Taking responsibility is one of the hardest lessons in life to learn.  If your room is a mess  – clean it.  If you don’t like your friends find new ones.  If you don’t get good grades find help to make them better if you think you want better grades.  Life isn’t good because you want someone like your parents, grandparents, friends, boyfriend, girlfriend or siblings to “make you happy.”  Happiness is an inside job that starts with you accessing, analyzing and deciding what is important to you and then making adjustments to your habits, behaviors and environment to achieve it! Getting your mind to understand and accept your true reality is one of the biggest hurdles for most people who are trying to make changes in their life.  Decide that you want to change yourself to make yourself better, healthier and do so because you want it.  You set up your plan, you embrace the plan, you execute the plan and then you achieve the benefits of your plan.  It is no different in becoming a good student, a good friend, a good sibling or good person.  But no other person can achieve this for you.   And here is the question you should really think about:  If no one plans to be a failure on their diet why are there so many out there?

Believe you can do it and you will – there is no doubt about that!  Success is never an accident.  It is planned for and executed.  Achieving your ideal body weight can be accomplished the same way!

PS – You can substitute the term weight loss above for any dream, goal or thing you wish to bring into your life and accomplish it!

-Dr. X

Today I lost another pound, so I’m now down to 171! That’s a total of 2.5 pounds lost so far. It took me a while to get the ball rolling, but things are really starting to look good now! Anyway, here’s a link to my video if you haven’t seen it yet.

And also, Dr. X has some really good advice to share on Goal Setting! Enjoy!

GOAL SETTING – A SKILL TO DEVELOP TO ACHIEVE YOUR LIFE’S AMBITIONS

Nearly all successful people find that goal setting is the  most important part of achieving goals and this, of course, applies to almost everything in life including your ability to be successful with weight loss.

Goal setting needs to be realistic and something that you believe in to the core of your being.  If you start something saying you can do it, but deep down inside you harbor doubts, you will be starting off on the wrong foot and failure will be imminent.

To lose 10 lbs in a couple of weeks is impossible for those without the internal belief system matching their external actions. Losing 10 lbs in 14 days is easy if you a) make a plan, b) prepare to execute the plan c) execute the plan and d) execute the plan.  The second execute the plan is to keep your mind clear of doubt, want and subversive activity.  Subversive activity would include deciding to indulge in activities outside the a) plan above.   Failure comes from deviation.  Make a sound plan and believe in it with every fiber of your being!

One of the great ways to help you achieve your goals is by keeping a diary of your activities, all your foods, supplements taken, your thoughts and cravings and the reasons you want this diet to work.   Doing this on a daily basis and reviewing it often will help enforce your goals!

Having a diary helps you “log” your changes.  It is very useful in helping  you to readjust your goals and make changes to your fitness and nutrition as things change in the course of your weight loss program.

-Dr. X