Home Body Fat Test, True Confessions and more....

In order to track my health and fitness progress, I am logging my body measurements and percentage of body fat. I wasn't sure how to estimate my own body fat, until I discovered a slick online body fat calculator at Health Central. According to Fit or Fat guru Covert Bailey, the American male has 22% body fat, while the average American woman's has 32% body fat. Mine is lower than the average American woman, but higher than the average Caucasian woman. Okay, if you really want to know, my body fat is 28%. I can't believe I'm sharing that tidbit with you! So, I hope by being perfectly open and honest I will encourage someone to take this health and fitness challenge with me. We can do this!

Before you go to Health Central to plug in your measurements, take the following measurements with a cloth tape measure: waist, the widest part of your hips (with your feet 4-inches apart), calf (place your weight on your dominant leg and measure your calf at its widest part - about half way between your knee and ankle), thigh (stand with your feet about 12 inches apart. Measure your upper thigh at the widest part) and wrist (measure in the dip between the bony part of your wrist and the start of your hand).

I also measured my neck, chest and arms. I've created a chart to track my weight, body measurements and body fat throughout the year. I'ts my intention to reach my health and fitness goals within 5 months, before my 60th birthday coming up on July 22nd. Yikes, I can't believe I just told you that, too! Crazy! Where did the time go?

Besides including more raw foods in my diet, keeping my body hydrated and getting regular exercise and quality sleep, eating optimally nutritious foods regularly will as help to stimulate my metabolism. If I eat right and burn calories, I will reduce my body fat. Common sense and consistency is the key. That's my plan in a nutshell.

Back in the '80's, I went on the Cabbage Soup Diet and lost 14 pounds in 14 days. Fad diets come and go - weight loss is inevitable, but often the weight packs back on. Anyway, my weight always did. because fad diets are not sustainable. The most sensible approach is to eat clean and eat three meals a day, following the one o'clock rule, occasionally cleanse our system by fasting and burning more calories than we take in. What I did take away from the Cabbage Soup Diet was the soup recipe. It's a nutritious, tasty soup and you can change the ingredients and seasonings for variety. I enjoy this soup cold.

I made up a batch of this soup last night to have on hand throughout the week to ease my way back into adding food back into my diet after a 6 day fast. Tonight, I start adding more raw foods to my diet.

Cabbage Soup Recipe

Ingredients:

6 large green onions (I also add one yellow onion)
2 green bell peppers
1 or 2 cans of tomatoes (diced or whole) (or 4 whole fresh tomatoes, chopped)
3 carrots
10-ounces mushrooms
1/2 head cabbage
1 package Lipton soup mix (I use 2 vegetable bouillon cubes)
1 48-ounce can V8 juice
Flavor with any of these seasonings: cayenne pepper, parsley, curry, garlic powder, cumin, oregano, cilantro, mint, etc.

Directions:

1. Slice green onions, chop onion and saute in a pot with a splash of olive oil.
2. Cut, stem, de-seed and chop the peppers and add to pot.
3. Take the outer leaves of the cabbage and chop into bite-size pieces and add to the pot.
4. Slice the carrots in rounds or chop and add to the pot.
5. Slice the mushroom and add to the pot.
6. For variety, you can add 1/2 pound of green beans, 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
   
7. If you like your soup spicy, now is the time to add seasonings to the pot.
8. Add about 12 cups of water or 8 cups of V8 juice, cover and cook on low heat.
9. When the vegetables are tender, season to taste with salt and pepper (I've never had to).

To add protein to your diet, you can add cooked beans and rice, crispy tofu or tempeh or prawns during the last minutes of cooking. Add more water, as needed. Eat this soup for lunch or dinner or in-between meals instead of snacking when you are feeling a bit famished.

Interested in transitioning to a raw foods lifestyle? Read the Boutenko Family, also known as the Raw Family, story and visit the All Raw Directory website for a plethora or raw food resources.

P.S. One way you can challenge yourself to shoot for your personal goals is to take a contract out on yourself with StickK.com. Last year, I completed a 12-week commitment to exercise a minimum of 3 days per week, and at the beginning of January I took out an identical 12-week contract. The incentive is that if you don't meet your weekly goal, it costs you. An incentive that works for me is to donate to an anti-charity, if I fail. So far, it hasn't cost me a penny.