** I just wanted to share this because I eat ALOT of coconut products.  

COCONUT OIL: A MIRACLE FOOD

In the past, coconut oil has been given a bad press as a saturated fat that raises cholesterol and causes arterial sclerosis. For years, dieticians and doctors have warned the public not to consume it. However, Dr. Bruce Fife, N.D. and Dr. Mary Inig who is an expert on fats claim that natural coconut oil will not raise cholesterol or cause heart trouble. In fact they vigorously argue that coconut oil is a very beneficial fat that helps individuals overcome health problems and induce weight loss.

PROOF THAT COCONUT OIL IS HEALTHY

In his book titled, “Coconut Cures” Fife writes, “Prior and his colleagues measured the cholesterol levels of the entire populations of two Polynesian islands. He chose these islands because of their high coconut consumption. Up to 50 percent of their daily calories came from coconut oil. Even with this extraordinarily high amount of coconut oil in their diet they did not have elevated cholesterol levels. A review of the medical literature reveals many studies indicating that natural coconut oil, when consumed as part of the diet as it normally would be, does not have an adverse effect on cholesterol levels.”

Fife asserts that since coconut oil is a medium chain fatty acid, the body does not need to use any digestive enzymes to process it and it becomes a quick source of nutrition. Many sports drinks contain coconut oil for a quick boost of energy. I’ve tried pure virgin coconut oil and found that it helped snap me out of a deep depression. In the evening I took 1 tablespoon of coconut oil mixed into ice cream and the following morning I took another tablespoon. To mix it I melted the oil in the microwave and then slowly blended into into vanilla ice cream. Bye the time I got the second tablespoonful down I felt wonderful.

Coconut Oil and Weight Loss

Not long ago I ordered Dr. Mary Enig’s book, “Eat Fat Lose Fat” in which she talks about how to lose weight with coconut oil. Enig advises, ” Want a surefire way to escalate weight loss? Twenty minutes before each meal, take some coconut oil! By mealtime, coconut’s satiation effect will be in full force, so that you won’t feel hungry. You may even feel full before finishing your meal, so that you eat less and lose weight. The easiest way to take your coconut oil is to make a Coconut Infusion: place 1 to 2 tablespoons of softened coconut oil into a mug and add hot water (or hot herbal tea),

allowing the oil to melt before drinking. Use the following formula to determine the amount:

• If you weigh 90-130 pounds, take 1 tablespoon coconut oil before each meal, for a total of 3 tablespoons per day
• If you weigh 131-180 pounds, take 1 ½ tablespoons of coconut oil before each meal, for a total of 4 1/2 tablespoons per day.
• If you weigh over 180 pounds, take 2 tablespoons coconut oil before each meal, for a total of 6 tablespoons per day

Enig’s book contains a low carbohydrate high fat diet in which she encourages people wishing to lose weight to consume traditional oils like butter, cod liver oil, and of course the coconut oil.

Fife in his book “Coconut Cures” claims that, “Just adding coconut oil to a meal will essentially reduce the effective number of calories in the meal. In a study that measured energy expenditure before and after a meal containing MCT’s, (Medium Chain Fatty Acids) energy expenditure in normal weight individuals increased by 48 percent. In other words, metabolism increased by 48 percent. In obese individuals energy expenditure increased by and incredible 65 percent! So the more overweight a person is the greater an effect coconut oil has on stimulating metabolism. This is good news for overweight individuals who want to use coconut oil to help them lose weight. More good news is that this increase in metabolism doesn’t last for just an hour or two after a meal. Studies have shown that after a single meal containing MCT’s, metabolism remains elevated for a full 24 hours!”

I find that the easiest way to add coconut oil to your diet is to cook with it or add it to recipes. Kevin Cuneen of Sydney, Austraila came up with a recipe to get the coconut oil into your diet called, “Cococreme Honey Spread” which is nice on toast. You take 3 tablespoons of melted virgin coconut oil and mix with ½ tablespoon of honey ( I put in a whole tablespoon of honey). Put the mixture in the freezer in a bowl for 3 minutes until it solidifies. Mix together until the honey and coconut oil make a spread and do not separate. The spread should resemble thick butter. You may need to freeze it another 1-2 minutes for the two to become one.

Another easy way to get coconut oil into your diet is to mix it with cottage cheese. Fife recommends this recipe:

Coconut cottage Cheese

• 1 to 31/2 tablespoons of coconut oil
• 1 cup of cottage cheese
• 1 cup strawberries or peaches
• ¼ cup shredded coconut (optional)

Put melted coconut oil and cottage cheese in a blender or food processor. Blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl. Stir in shredded coconut (to increase fiber content) and fruit.

I would suggest that if you have a wand blender you could simply put the mixture in a deep bowl and blend to make the process easier. Coconut oil can be added to smoothies, shakes, etc. for a quick energy boost. I bake potatoes in coconut oil and they taste delicious. However, because the oil can smoke and set the smoke detector off I always cover the pan with aluminium foil.

Make sure that you buy pure virgin coconut oil from a reputable dealer or health food store. Never use the hydrogenated kind! I think that the benefits of coconut oil are just starting to be discovered. Not only can this amazing oil help you lose weight, it can help you gain weight if you are too thin. Actually, the whole coconut is healthy for you - the meat, the milk, and the oil. I suggest that for further information you get the two books, “The Coconut Cure” and “Eat Fat Lose Fat” or do research on the Internet. One night I deliberately searched on the Internet for hours to try to find something negative about coconut oil and I couldn’t. All the information that came up was positive!

Havent been on much lately… everything has sure changed on this site…

Well things are going good… down another 5 lbs…. so only 10 to my goal yippie !!!

Hope everyone has a nice 4th!!

The most important day

This is the most important day in your life. Because this is the day that you are now living. rn

If your life is headed in an undesirable direction, this is the day you can change it. If there are dreams you are longing to fulfill, this is the day you can follow them. rn

This day, right now, is the day when you can put to use all the knowledge, experience and wisdom you’ve accumulated. On this very day, you can do the things you’ve been meaning to do and connect with the people you’ve been meaning to see. rn

On this day, you have a world full of choices. On this day, there are more possibilities than ever before. rn

Of all the days you’ve ever lived, and of all the days to come, this is the one special day that now matters the most. For it is on this very day that you can now think and speak and act and love and live. rn

Give yourself a quiet, peaceful moment, and grasp the immense value that is now yours on this very day. Then step forward and fill it with beautiful life. rn

– Ralph Marston

Let life freely flow

Any task can become effortless when you let go of all your resistance to it. Creativity and effectiveness come easily and naturally when there is nothing blocking them. rn

Do you resent the things you will be doing today? Then not only will you be miserable all day, you will end up with very little to show for your efforts. rn

Choose instead to eagerly and enthusiastically embrace each task, each activity, and each situation. Fully accept whatever you are doing, and you will give it great value. rn

Great accomplishments do not arise out of miserable struggle. Great accomplishments come from being able to see the goodness in everything, and then focusing that goodness in a specific direction. rn

It’s impossible to stay focused on what can be when you’re obsessed with complaining or worrying about what already is. Yet by accepting what is now, you are free to create what you know can be. rn

Make your efforts effortless by letting them happen and letting them be. Let life freely flow, and you will go anywhere you desire. rn

– Ralph Marston

Life’s treasures

The good things in your life are infinitely more enjoyable when you avoid becoming dependent on them. If you see yourself as desperately needing something, the fear of losing it prevents you from getting full benefit from it. rn

Many of life’s frustrations come from being unable to fully enjoy the good things that are already right in front of you. The desire to hold on tightly to the things you have can make those things virtually worthless. rn

Security is not attained by hiding away from life. The most enduring form of security is found in knowing that you can deal successfully and positively with whatever may happen. rn

Life’s treasures become useless when they remain locked inside a vault of your own making. What good is it to have anything of value if you must live in fear of losing it? rn

Instead, take the treasure that is your life out into the world and enjoy it. Focus on the possibilities and not on the fears. rn

The more you think you need, the more those needs will hold you back. The more you choose to give and to live, the more good things you’ll find coming your way. rn

– Ralph Marston

Focused abundance

Abundance is all around you. At any given moment, you are immersed in it. rn

Through the living of your life, you focus that abundance. And it becomes specific experiences, creations and accomplishments. rn

There is never any shortage of positive possibilities. Whatever your circumstance, life’s abundance is available to be transformed by the guiding power of your intentions. rn

There is always plenty of raw energy available to you. Your challenge is to consistently and persistently direct that energy into a life that is rich and meaningful. rn

Consider carefully what you choose to allow and what you choose to block. Every choice you make is amplified many times over by the constant flow of abundance that is always present in your world. rn

Visualize a life that is the best you can possibly imagine. Hold steady to that vision, and you will make it so. rn

– Ralph Marston

Thats the name of the current book I am reading…. I found this particular section interesting so I thought I would share.

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” Go around the house and move the food to the appropriate storage places. Comb the house for hidden food and return it where it belongs. Before you put it away though consider wether you want to keep it. does your significant other really need pretzels within reach or even with in the house for the next few months? Do your kids have to have twinkies when they come home from school, or would they do just as well with some carrots, or low cal sorbet? And how about those chocolates hidden in your closet? And the cookies on hand just in case the neighbors drop by?

rn

Review your priorites and look at the junk you’ve collected. Your significant other will survive,your kids will get by in school, and the neighbors will still love you if you don’t feed them. make a decision to store the food out of sight or throw it away. Decalorize your whole enviroment so you don’t have the opportunity to snack.”

rn

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You are somebody

There’s no need for you to strive to be somebody. You are somebody already, with your own unique gifts to offer life. rn

What a waste it would be to spend your whole life seeking to be someone you’re not. What a true joy it is to spend your moments expressing and fulfilling the authentic person you are. rn

Today is a day to dance your own dance, to sing your own song. Live the joy that is yours to live, and create the beauty that is yours to give. rn

Pay no attention to the fleeting, superficial vision of success that the world seeks to sell you. Build a success that has real meaning for you by being true to who you are. rn

Most of the disappointments you’ve experienced have been the result of striving to follow someone else’s dream. Let go of the need to do that, and feel the freedom, the amazing effectiveness, and the exhilaration of living a purpose that is truly you. rn

You are somebody unique, valuable, beautiful and worthy of the best life has to offer. Now is the time to fully live that truth. rn

– Ralph Marston

Life changes

Even the most pleasurable experience can become dull and unpleasant if it continues on and on with no end. Even the most magnificent surroundings can feel like a prison if you’re unable to take a break from them. rn

Life thrives on variety and change. When you keep yourself stuck in a rut, no matter how satisfying that rut may be, it gets old and can be very draining. rn

When you’re constantly fighting against change, even if you succeed in keeping things the same you render yourself unable to enjoy them. Because you’re always worried that they will not last. rn

When, on the other hand, you accept that change is part of life, you will enable yourself to enjoy and to fully live every moment you’re in. You’ll also be able to look more confidently and enthusiastically toward the future instead of dreading it. rn

Yes, with change there is risk, yet there is also enormous opportunity. Change gives life richness and meaning, and makes possible all sorts of achievements that no one has yet even considered. rn

Embrace and celebrate the dynamic, changing nature of life. And you’ll find each day to be a unique and joyful blessing. rn

– Ralph Marston

Thoughts become real

The thoughts you hold most often and most intensely are the thoughts you will put into action. What you think about life determines what you do with your life. rn

If you worry enough about something you don’t want, you will, unfortunately, find a way to make it happen. In the same way, when your most treasured dreams are clearly and meaningfully focused by your thinking, you’ll find a way to make them real. rn

Thoughts can be volatile and easily changed. Yet despite the fact that they have no physical form, they still have enormous power. rn

For your thoughts create your map of reality. And that map serves as a reference for all that you do. rn

Taking control of your thoughts requires nothing more than the will to do so. And just as a small change in the rudder can alter the course of a massive ship, by changing your thinking you can change your whole world. rn

Think as though your thoughts will become real. For you do surely make them so. rn

– Ralph Marston