Inside HBC

Gillian’s Journey with the HBClinic Weight Loss Program

I hated being fat.  So much so, that I didn’t realize how fat I was. My brain somehow wouldn’t let me see what I really looked like. Sounds odd, I know, but I think its common.

When I was on Active Duty in the USAF, I was required to maintain a certain weight.  It was just below what I weighed in college when I joined AFROTC.  I had a language degree and thought maybe I could “see the world” with the military. I had to learn how to control the weight, though.

For years I read magazines, talked to friends and coworkers, gathered all the tricks (some not so healthy) and maintained, just barely, the standard. When I left the active force, I joined the AF Reserve.  They have the same standards, but if they don’t see you every day sometimes it gets overlooked.

Somewhere along the way, my tricks stopped working. I cut out all fat, stopped eating meat, snacked on pretzels, not chips, ate lots of fruit, but it wasn’t working anymore.  In fact, I was gaining weight like crazy.  I knew I had to get it together, but I was really at a loss.  Then one day, I saw my friend Sharon.  She had to have been 15 pounds lighter than when I saw her last; it couldn’t have been more than a couple of months?  OK, maybe three?

After complimenting her, I begged her to tell me what she’d done.  When she said “acupuncture” I remembered a friend years ago in Germany who swore she quit smoking after a doctor stuck 5 needles in her ears.  (I was curious, but I didn’t smoke! Missed opportunity… )  Sharon offered to take me to her next appointment at the Heavenly Bodies Clinic so I could learn more.

I was embarrassed to tell Dr. Ana that I was there because I was fat and needed help (I think she knew, though–duh). I told her my reason for coming in was that my shoulders hurt. And they did, indeed–I had knots, couldn’t turn my head, couldn’t raise my arms over my head for more than a few seconds.  She agreed to help me with this pain, and after a few sessions, I decided to ask for help with my weight pain.

During the months of my weight loss program, Dr. Ana taught me how food works according to Traditional Chinese Medicine to deliver nutrition and energy to our bodies.  I asked lots of questions because what I was hearing was so different from what I “knew” about healthy eating, especially for weight loss.  Some of what I learned is now available to the general public since Atkins, Southbeach, and the other famous “diets” that focus on low carb dieting became so famous.  But the information Dr. Ana gave me was different–it was not a “diet”, it was just “how to eat” and how to think about food for energy and as medicine.

In six months, I lost 40 pounds. Tiffany’s Meridian Exercise changed the shape of my body so much I went from a size 14 to a size 6.  SIZE 6! Normally, “they” say you drop a size as you drop 10 pounds. As I was getting used to my new “heavenly” body, my sister sent me some photos from the past Christmas–7 months earlier–that she had just downloaded from her camera (she had a one-year old).  I called her and we both laughed (while I held back the tears).  We were amazed at how different I looked! Neither of us saw it back then, but I was truly shocked.  And excited, and happy, and grateful.

Whether you have lots or not so much to lose, talk to Dr. Ana if you’d like more information. And to make some changes. You’ll love the new you.

Look out world: “One Bowl = 2 Servings. F.D.A. May Fix That”

When I first read that headline, I was afraid they were going to start recommending we eat more!  Then I read this article from the NY Times. I think they may actually be trying to help.  Here’s an excerpt:

“The goal is to give people a jolt of reality before they reach for another handful of chips. But the urgency of the message could be muted by a longstanding problem: official serving sizes for many packaged foods are just too small. And that means the calorie counts that go with them are often misleading.”

It is misleading and sometimes very confusing to read the nutrition information on the sides of packaged foods, so your healing team at HeavenlyBodies Clinic recommends you stick to the walls”" in your grocery store, stay out of the isles and away from “food” in boxes with long ingredients lists. (Think American Werewolf in London–”stick to the roads, stay off the moors!”)  And of course, come see us often, ask questions if you think you’re doing everything right, but you are still not losing weight.

F.D.A Weighs Update to Standard Service Sizes

WLC Spring 2010 Starts Monday!

Your beautiful, amazing body works hard for you.  Don’t divert its amazing power by carrying around more weight than it was built to carry.  Join us this spring to grow stronger, slimmer and even more sensational.

Here are the rules of engagement for the Spring 2010 Weight Loss Program at the Heavenly Bodies Clinic in Arlington VA:

• All are welcome to join with the Doctor’s consent
• Weigh-in starts 1 February–we highly recommend you weigh in as soon as possible
• Each participant will pay $5 each week towards the prize*
• After weighing in, please make a note of your weight loss in the journal
• Final weigh-in will be the week of 17 May–the week before Memorial Day

There will be space in the journal for you to write notes, or you can bring your notes in with you and we will add them to the book (if you love to journal about your process and success, we’d be thrilled if you would contribute a copy.  The better we understand your challenges, the more we can help you conquer them.  And we all secretly aspired to be cheerleaders, so please don’t deny us an opportunity to jump up and down with glee when something great happens!

*And speaking of jumping up and down, the PRIZE will go to the person who loses the most weight over the next 17 weeks.

What you think about you bring about.

Perhaps you’ve heard that saying before, or something similar referring to how your thoughts manifest reality.  If that’s true, then all we need to do is think ourselves thin, right?  Well, I’m going to say “yes!” “sure!” “why not?”.  Belief in your ability to be successful has a lot to do with why you do certain things every day, wouldn’t you agree?

“If you think you can, you can.  If you think you can’t, you’re right.” If you think your thoughts might be the only thing standing between you and a healthier you, consider the following:

1. Sauna, sauna, sauna: if you are struggling in any area of your life, get in the sauna!  Yes, we love the needles, but that sauna is out of this world for real, substantial results in not just physical, but also emotional healing.  And fast!  Come to First Friday Ladies Only Sauna Night and hear some amazing stories about healing and “AHA” moments that have allowed our amazing clients to push through to the next level.  Next event: 5 February at 6pm.
2. No fillers, no fakers: There’s no reason to eat “filler” food (Bread?  “Bread is dead!”).  There’s no reason to eat fake food (I could have said junk, I suppose).  Put only beautiful, enriching, delicious food into your amazing body.  Look through the recipes on this blog, in the HBC Recipe Book and coming soon, our menu guide for ideas.
3. MOVE:  Yes, its hard in the wintertime to get outside (unless you love those winter sports), and you may not need the same intense, exercise you get in the summertime, but don’t stop completely.  Find creative ways to get 30 minutes in a couple of times a day.  Take the stairs; park in the furthest spot; get on Tiffany’s calendar for Meridian Exercise; do crunches or leg lifts during the commercials; clean the house (yuk).
4. Be accountable to someone:  This is what helped me lose 40 pounds.  And that’s why I am going to keep running the Weight Loss Club this year.  It works.
5. Focus: Look for the things that sabotage your health and make some gentle changes. I have about 20 passwords for all of my email, Facebook, Twitter, etc. accounts, so I changed a couple of them to reflect my weight loss goal so I am reminded each time I log in.  Oh, and get rid of the candy dish!  Can you believe I had a candy dish on my desk?  It had beautiful dark chocolates in it, but still.  I now have a jar full of pistachios in that spot.
   

We will start the new iteration of the WLC on 1 February.  I hope you’ll join us.  Please make a comment here on the blog or talk to the doctor next time you are in the clinic.

“Drink your vegetables!”

Not what you remember hearing at the dinner table, is it?  Why does it seem so hard for us to get enough green stuff into our bodies every day?  Personally, if I don’t have something green everyday I start to crave spinach and broccoli, but I know its not like that for everyone.  So here’s something Tiffany, our Meridian Exercise Expert, taught me not that long ago that helps green our diets AND can help those in the Weight Loss Club survive a day of “liquids”:

• 1 bunch of spinach, cleaned well (I use a small bag of prewashed baby spinach) (sweet, bitter)
• The juice of 1 lime (or lemon) (sour)
• 1/2 to a whole bag of frozen blueberries (or any frozen berries–I like strawberries) (sweet, sour)
• 1 ripe avocado (sweet)
• 1 squirt of liquid stevia (optional, but do add if you have a sweet craving) (sweet)
• 1 cup (plus more if needed) of water

1. Blend all ingredients in your blender
2. Drink it up!

This is a great cooling drink that will last for about 2 days, refrigerated.  If you make it in the morning, you can sip on it all day long.  Its delicious, really, and perfect for increasing your energy levels.

WLC Contestants: you have two whole weeks to go!

Just a reminder that we have two whoooole weeks to go on this weight loss goal of ours.  How are you doing?  How about a couple of days of just liquids?  Home made chicken broth is our preferred liquid, since it is so nutritious and lovingly made.  Protein shakes are also great–make sure to pick up some of our high quality protein powder at the clinic and find some recipes in the recipe book.

Final weigh in will be on or before 18 January.  I have no idea who has lost the most weight, so even if you think there’s no way it could be you, be serious these last few weeks, then come in to see us!  Remember the winner takes the cash…

Qi Gong

Have you been doing your Qi Gong exercises?  If not, you might need a refresher.  Look at what I found on the web: five Qi Gong exercises that you can do any time of day to sooth and balance your energy.  That’s smart any time of year.

WLC Count down to the New Year

Another big challenge this month, folks, as we are all probably doing at least some planning, baking, and partying this holiday season.  One of the hardest things is resisting the cookies and candies that start appearing around the office, school, and home from before Halloween and don’t stop until New Years Day, when we all feel about 4 sizes bigger than we should.  And then come the resolutions not to do it again next year.  Well, let’s just stop it now.

The HBC Recipe Book is full of recipes that are good for you and will help you not only create delicious dishes, they will help you stay on track with your weight loss goal because they follow the Chinese Medicine philosophy of 5-Flavor Eating.  There are recipes for every aspect of your meal, including drinks.  If you haven’t looked at it, please ask about it the next time you are in the clinic, or just go ahead and order your’s today from the HBC main website (click here).

Office parties: make your own sweets so you can resist the sugar.  Check out the Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Christmas Cookies I posted over the weekend.  They have all 5 Flavors in them!  You can subsitute GWF Baking Mix plus a couple of TSP of stevia powder into almost any cookie recipe and cut out the sugar completely!  Just use the same amount of mix as flour is called for, and don’t worry about any other dry ingredients (except spices–add those).

Holiday dinners: if someone else is cooking, I always ask if they used sugar.  When you start paying attention, its just incredible how much we use, isn’t it?  If the main event is turkey–my favorite–skip the crispy skin (its fine, but I’d rather have my mini cheesecake later on).  White, dark, whatever you like, have some.  The vegies on the table (sans the marshmallowed sweet potatoes–my eyes are rolling) are probably fine (if it looks saucy, be suspect unless you know what’s in it).  And repeat after me: stuffing is NOT going to help me with my weight loss goal!  How I have always loved it, though.  Instead, I am going to make some of my GWF Herb Loaf–that has all of the same herbs we love so much in stuffing and will totally satisfy.  That recipe is in the GWF Recipe Book, also on the website.  Other great side dishes from the original HBC Recipe Book will be on my table, like Roasted Asparagus with Cranberries, Kale with Garlic and Bacon (recipe), and maybe even Roasted Brussel Sprouts .  Remember, if you cover the 5 Flavors in your dishes, you will be less likely to overeat.

As for desserts, how about a pumpkin pie using the Almond Flour crust (recipe), or Mini Cheescakes from the original HBC Recipe Book.  You can make these as your contribution to the office potluck so you know there’s no sugar in it.  For coffee afterward or a great gift idea try Chocolate Biscotti (recipe) or the HBC Truffles.

Make informed choices and you will be thankful that you feel great and are healthy for life.  Save that resolution for something else because you have your weight conquered!

Cream Cheese Chocolate Chip Christmas Cookies

Cookies, cookies, cookies!  They are everywhere this time of year.  Get it together, WLCers, you know you can’t eat just any old cookie.  Here’s a recipe for a batch that you’ll love, and they won’t kill your weight loss plan.  In moderation, of course.

• 1 package of cream cheese, room temperature (sour, sweet)
• 2 sticks of butter (1 cup), room temperature (sweet)
• 2 TBS stevia powder (sweet)
• 2 large eggs (sweet)
• 2 cups of GWF Baking Mix (sweet, salty)
• 1 package of as-dark-as-you-can-get-em chocolate chips (bitter, sweet)
• 2 tsp grated orange zest (bitter

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  With an electric mixer, beat together butter, cheese, & stevia powder until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time and beat on high until well mixed.  Add chips and orange rind and stir until just mixed.
2. Drop teaspoons of dough onto an ungreased cookie sheet about 1 inch apart and bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown and firm to touch.
3. Transfer to a cooling rack.  Can be stored for 1 week in an air tight container in the refrigerator.

Really, the hardest part of the holiday office parties are the baked goods: the cakes, cookies, candies that remind us of Grandma’s house.  If you bring a few of these with you, eat the privately if you want to, you will be able to resist the rest!

You can get GWF Baking Mix at the Heavenly Bodies Clinic or by ordering online.

WLC – Yikes it’s Turkey Day!

OK, folks–BIG day if you are watching what you are eating… here’s my plan:

Stick to 5-Flavor Eating!

That’s it.  Really… if you focus on the 5 Flavors: sweet, sour, salty, pungent and bitter, you will feel satified sooner and you won’t overeat.  Well, on Thanksgiving day, you might overeat a bit, but this plan really will help.  Oh, and if there’s sugar in it?  Fuhgedabowdit.

If you are cooking, make sure your dishes are in compliance with YOUR food plan.  Recipes from the HBC Recipe Book are all good, of course.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!