Weekly Living Light Metabolic Program Q & A with Alice Jewski & Anna-Lisa Kinch [June 16, 2023]

We're national. Hello.

Hello, everyone, And happy Friday. Hi, Autumn. Nice to see you on this call. Hello, everyone. Happy, happy Friday. Lovely to see all of your faces and so many cameras turned on today. Love that for us. Love this community. Awesome. Beautiful. Beautiful to see your faces. I hope everybody has been having a great week so far and as per usual, I feel like you all know the drill by now. We love to start these calls with a little bit of gratitude and again, it could be something that you are grateful for as of today, something that you have experienced maybe this week, maybe it's something you're looking forward to experiencing this coming weekend, whatever that is for you. I would love if, if anybody would want to share and share their voice as they're saying it, or if you wanted to go ahead and type it in into the comments, I'm happy to share on your behalf as well. So if anybody wants to share with their voice, you can go ahead and raise your hand and then I can go ahead and unmute you. Beverly is saying the support I'm getting from Annalisa. I know Annalisa is such a gem, such a little treasure that we have, and her coaching is just always so, so bang on. So thank you, thank you for the recognition and thank you for all that you do. Analis beautiful weather for outside work from Jan. Yes, it is. It is gorgeous day today and it's going to get even nicer as we roll into kind of the warmer months. So super excited to get outside more, enjoy more outdoor work, whether it be, you know, your job, whether it be gardening, whether it be, you know, building something outdoors. Love that we're able to get outside more. Mary is saying grateful for the people that I have that I work with. Amazing. Makes such a big difference working with the right people that are, you know, excited to be a team that all come and contribute, you know, something from their experience or their wisdom. Thank you for sharing that and for showing gratitude. Geralyn is grateful for this group. Thank you, thank you. We're so grateful to have you in this amazing group. Yes. Annalisa is the best. Love all the love. Coming through. Grateful for our recent rain. Yes. Although rain can be, you know, a bit of a damper in some plans sometimes, it also brings so much bounty, so much abundance, so much vibrancy into our life. So definitely need the rain, especially on the long, sunny, hot summer days, as Ed is saying here. So it's beautiful to have kind of both ends of the spectrum so we can appreciate both of them as well. So both are very important for that reason. Beautiful. Thank you so much everybody for sharing your gratitude. Beverly is thankful for the rain tool. Oh two. It's beginning to look like California. The winter in central Pennsylvania. Wow, that's awesome. It might have my first potential clients for the metabolic program. Congratulations, Autumn. Huge, huge congrats. Your beta group is so lucky to have you. And let's continue to spread the word and to allow people to know that there's an option, you know, that they're not stuck in the place that you know, that is not serving them anymore, learning how to use their body and to sharpen their intuition. So I'm so excited for your word to get out there, Alice. I'm sorry to interrupt anybody that is supposed to be on the training with Deepa. You're just in the wrong room. So Geralyn, Autumn, you want to be on Zoom with Danielle.com?

Yeah, I was just working on letting them know that.

Thank you so much, Annalisa. Thanks Sarah. Got you. I was wondering where that happened. Thank you so much, Sarah. Bye ladies. Okay, awesome. So for today, Deepa is leading a call in another Zoom as Sarah. Just let us know. But I would love to address any questions that anybody has coming in for the program. I have a little bit of content I wanted to chat about today. Kind of the topic matter being fiber, soluble fiber, insoluble fiber, what is the difference? Why we need both. But before I start on that spiel, I would love to address any sort of questions or do any sort of highlights that somebody is experiencing as a part of the program. And we use chia seeds and hemp hearts. So Barb, where are you in regards to the program? Are you in the release phase or the maintenance phase? So if it's release, then. Oh yeah, I see that here now. So for the time that you are in release, we will be pausing all fat sources. So chia seeds, hemp hearts, while they are amazing additions to include in your kind of everyday meal plan post program, for the purposes of the release phase, all fats are being put on pause. That is not to villainize fats at all whatsoever. But that is mainly, mainly for the reason of your body being able to use its own fat stores and then additionally making sure that all your fat stores are being liberated. And additionally your body is not going to be emulsifying fats that are coming in externally. It's really going to give your liver and your gallbladder a drink to then send function and flow to other areas of the body to start beating or start I guess navigating through inflammation and helping out with detoxing as well. So again, fats are not bad. It is just a pause that we are doing for the release. So once you get into maintenance, you can definitely go ahead and introduce the chia seeds and the hemp hearts. I would say on two different days, as best as possible, The person who filled a large jar with the amount of water she wants to have for that day. How many tea bags did she have in it, Jan? I believe she had only one. I don't, don't quote me on that. I'm not entirely sure, but I want to say that it was just the one tea bag that she would use in kind of like that, that massive vat. And for anybody that wasn't there, this was a couple weeks ago where we were sharing, you know, kind of random different things and somebody had a. They put their red organo red tea bag into a 2 liter VAT and was sipping on that all day in terms of their water content. So I would say play around with it. Some people enjoy more, more of that intense tea flavor. Some people don't. So for instance, I, I like more of a light flavor. So even in the summer, I take something like a hibiscus or a mint tea or whatever have you, whatever you enjoy and make an iced tea out of it. So I only use one tea bag. Sometimes I use two, especially if friends and family are coming over. It's just, I feel like that's kind of a good in between for everybody. But I would play around with it. Oh yeah, I believe it works.

Just responded.

Yeah, perfect.

One tea bag of Reishi in two liters.

Awesome. Yeah. Thank you, Barbara. How is everybody enjoying their release phase thus far? Any surprising, I guess, side effects or any surprising benefits that you didn't think would come out of this program that you've had a chance to experience? Have you noticed if your bloating has subsided? Are you still experiencing maybe the afternoon slump or the after lunch crash? Are you feeling more rested as you wake up? Do you feel like your mood is maybe a little bit more balanced than it was previously? How is your digestion? How have your bowel movements been? How have you been checking in with yourself? Jan is saying getting weary, it is hard. So while the program is definitely challenging, I believe everybody can do something for six weeks. And this program, while challenging on the protocol at times, I find that it tends to be more challenging emotionally for some people. And you really get to understand and realize how your emotions are tied with food. How Maybe other areas of your life are, you know, maybe not tended to in the ways that we want to tend to them and want to make that time for them. And it comes out, you know, in sort of comforting and self soothing ways through food. If you're getting tired and weary, I'd love to know kind of what you've been, what you've been experiencing. Experiencing. And where exactly along in the program are you? You can go ahead and unmute if you wanted to share or you can write it into the chat. Preeti is saying, I didn't have an emotional release, but I am very calm. Amazing. And not everybody.

Sorry, jan, is day 21 okay?

Okay. And are you. I guess there's so many different things to cover that I'm sure Annalisa has gone through the, the long checklist, but I guess really assessing if you are prioritizing, of course, stress and sleep. But I also find, and something that maybe isn't talked about enough, but I find to be super important on this program is making sure you're still seating in time for fun. You do not want this to feel like, you know, a journey or some sort of lecture or, you know, assignment. I really urge everybody to have as much fun with the process as you can. Notice that, you know, sometimes it can be challenging, but the reason that it even feels challenging in the first place is because we're here and we're alive and we're able to experience that. And we won't really fully appreciate the great times if we haven't had maybe the opposite happen. And I don't wish that for anybody. Of course I want everything to be as positive as possible, but that is just a way of allowing us to be more appreciative of when the times are really great and when we are feeling really great. So this too shall pass. Make sure to have some fun interjected, connect with a loved one. Focus on a hobby that you really, really enjoy. And, and of course make sure that you're sleeping well. There's anywhere to put your eggs into a basket. It is definitely the bed basket. So definitely make sure that you are resting and it's okay to nap. You know, you don't want to nap a little or too, too late into the evening, but there's nothing wrong with having a nap sometimes when you are feeling a little bit more exhausted. So know that that's okay somewhere around 2pm if you wanted to around 20 to 30 minutes. That's typically what does the job. And you don't want to go anywhere over an hour, unless you really need it. What is the difference between the Reishi tea and then the red tea that I just mentioned? So the red tea is more of a Rooibos based tea, whereas the Reishi tea has the actual Reishi mushroom. The red tea is the ganoderma. So it's a different mushroom for different properties. They're both very beneficial in terms of relaxing the nervous system in terms of speeding up cell apophagy as well, which kind of sloughing off dead cells that are in your body, but both have slight different nuances in terms of what they typically do in the body. So we have actual PDFs that I can share with you all in this chat that go more into both the red tea and then additionally the coffee as well, the Reishi coffee. So just give me one moment here. As I go ahead and add them in. Okay, I'll add the green T1 as well. And here is the. Oh, I can't seem to find the red T PDF, but I will go ahead and look into my deeper notes after today so I'll be able to include those as well. Mary is saying I'm on my second release and notice not as much weight loss. I did have too many carbs this week. Do I just continue on with the release phase? Do you ever need to do the loading phase to restart your system? I see Annalisa commented back here. Yes. So every time you do any round of the program you always want to do the loading days. You might not be loading to the same amount based off of your new set point and additionally based off of how much weight you are looking to release. And the second round as well doesn't have to be the full six weeks. So I always say the first round you want to try to go as far as the six weeks. That's typically when people have 20 plus pounds that they're looking to release, but the second round tends to be quite different. The reason being is that of course, of course carbs are going to make a difference, but also your body has done a lot of elimination of inflammation so you're not releasing as much of the inflammation, you're not releasing as much water retention. So it does tend to go a little bit slower, but that's not the case for everybody. It's also very unique. More commonly I find that it tends to be a little bit slower. So I would say to definitely just keep on keeping on. You know, just stick to the release phase. You know, there might be things that derail us here and there or maybe A carb here or carb there. And I always say, you know, and Deepa always says this as well. Whatever it is that we do in that choice, let's say we do fall off for a moment or we go to an event and we eat a little bit more than we would typically, let's say. And the worst thing to do in that situation is then to harbor guilt, harbor shame, or think that everything is lost because of this one action. What I say is, you know, if that's a decision that you consciously made, you take a pause, you think about it, you say, you know what, I am happy with this decision. I'm going to go ahead and move forward with this. And of course you don't want to make a habit out of it. But let's say there is, you know, a wedding for a close friend or whatever, have you make that decision and commit to it and don't harbor any guilt or shame because that's actually going to create more of a negative reaction in your body than it would be just to enjoy that specific food in that moment. Know that every single new moment and opportunity is there for you to get right back on track. So let's leave the past in the past and move forward and look at, and, and just look at things as if, you know, how can I do better next time by 1% doesn't have to be a full life change, you know, asking yourself each day, how can I be 1% better? And the cool thing about that is that, you know, 1% is something that's very manageable and we can do in very subtle ways. But at the end of a hundred days we are a hundred percent better. And you know, it's, it's such a stark difference from where it is that we started from. So know that there is no mistakes, there is no messing up. They are all learning opportunities. But I would say the best learning opportunity is to, to ask yourself, you know, am I happy with, with this decision? Is it aligned with where I want to be health wise? And additionally, how can I navigate the situation in the future so that I'm honoring both sides of myself? But I'm still able to come out feeling really great with my decision. Jan is saying my pleasure. Jan is saying in release I had less gas and GI discomfort. Trying to slowly add approved foods to trace increase to trace increase in discomfort. I'm still keeping portions because my eating, my history is to overeat. Good for you, Jan. Way to have that awareness. And I'm happy that you're noticing less gi Discomfort and less gas. So that's huge. And that's letting you know that something that maybe you were consuming before was leading to that or it could have even been just the setting that you were consuming that food in. So both are very important. The foods that we eat and also actually in the setting in which we enjoy them and how quickly and with how much liquid. So all of those make a really big difference in terms of our digestive system. So it's always best to eat outside as best as possible, especially during lunch. And now that the weather is getting a little bit nicer, that's what I recommend until I'm blue in the face. Enjoy some outdoor time habit. Stack as much as possible, get that sunshine, get that fresh air, remove yourself from distractions and enjoy that beautiful meal outdoors. Jan is saying I am, oh, we got two Jans, Jan Crawford and Jan Frets. So Jan Frets is saying I am three weeks in having a hard time to be able to eat 4 ounces of protein. So you are having the two meals with 4 ounces of protein at least 5 hours apart. Jan, Is it just the protein that's difficult or is it also the non free and the fruit? So if you wanted to explore, I would say if it's difficult getting the protein in, then I would say waiting at least half an hour and then trying to see if you can stomach the protein at that point. So giving yourself a little bit of a pause if you still find discomfort after, after that. Something that I recommend for some people and it still gives really great results on the program, is actually taking, you know, those two meals that you should be having, combining the quantity and having three meals in that eight hour eating window period. So I don't like to recommend that to everybody just because again, as much as as little time that you can give your digestive system to digest, it'll send function and flow to other places. So it maximizes healing by having those two E times. That's where I find the best results come through on the program. But if it's a difference of you being able to enjoy your journey on the program and you know, not being able to consume that food in one sitting, you can split it up to three meals in that eight hour period. Of course you won't have the five hours in between each of the meals, but if that's going to allow you to stay on track, that's going to allow you to enjoy the journey. That's what I would recommend to do at that point. So then you would take the 8 ounces of protein that you would have have for the day and it would come out to be around 2.6 ounces per meal in those three meals. And the same thing goes with the non free veg and also the fruit.

Alice, I also suggested that she add in 8 ounces of water with some apple cider vinegar. She does not like the taste so I'm trying to think of what other options might be to help her digest the protein too, too if she's feeling full. That's a great suggestion.

Yeah, yeah, no, and that's a, that's a great point as well. So the apple cider vinegar will help. I know the taste is a little hard to stomach. Something that I do is add a little bit of cinnamon. Personally I enjoy the taste of cinnamon and it's also great on, you know, many different perspectives. It's a really powerful antioxidant. It also helps to manage blood sugar and then additionally it helps to burn fat. So adding in a pinch of cinnamon, seeing if that makes makes a difference. And then once off of the program I would even say to add in you know like a teaspoon or half a teaspoon of honey so then you don't taste it as much. It actually tastes like quite a good elixir in my personal opinion with that honey added inside of it. So you can explore that for protein. Additionally you can try doing something like a probiotic. So I'm not sure if you're currently taking one, but taking a probiotic just roughly after your meal, both for lunch and for dinner is also going to help to break down those proteins. I tried to do two 24 hour fasts per week for migraine relief. May I continue doing this during the release phase? So ideally I would say to again to have the best results on the program. It is based on that specific algorithm. So it's try, it's a tried and true process. And so, so while we do encourage fasting, we don't encourage full 24 hour day fasts. But I say you never know until you try. From my personal experience, I've had some clients with a history of migraines and they've done this program and they actually were able to finally eradicate themselves from the migraines. It was something that they were either doing lifestyle based or consuming before doing this program that was leading to the migraines. I'm not too sure what your journey has been in terms of what you've explored to alleviate those migraines, but I would say initially if it's Like a, you know, a massive difference that you notice, then I would say definitely go ahead and play around with it. If you think it's possible to pause the migraine, pause the fasting that you do for the migraines, I would say to try that out first. Yeah. Preeti is saying I've napped almost every day. Awesome way to get those naps in. And sometimes they're necessary. You know, sometimes we go through periods in life where we do feel a little bit more tired. We do feel like we need that additional rest period. So definitely indulge and take it. Don't let anybody tell you it's unproductive or, you know, you shouldn't be doing this or whatever have you. If you're napping responsibly, then you definitely can go ahead and continue that. And that's a sign from your body a lot of the time that it's taking that downtime to do additional repair. So it actually could be, you know, accelerating your success on this program. Yes, Jan, thank you. There is a module all about Reishi and it goes into Reishi mushroom, both the coffee and the tea products that we have. So all of you have access to those modules. You will have them for life actually. So you can always go back and, and reread that information, re watch any of those resources. So definitely go ahead and dive in if that is something that you're interested in. We also have a really cool talk. I believe this is the one that you're referring to that Sapchin did. And he also shared a little bit of Paul Stamets inside of that module as well. Super mind blowing. Just really amazing content. Gets you really excited about medicinal mushrooms. So for anybody that has not checked out that module, I would highly, highly recommend end. Prior to starting, my water and protein levels were low, but are now still rising. Amazing. Congratulations, Ed. And they're going to continue to rise too as you keep continue on with kind of these basics, you know, through this program and then outside of this program as well. How are you measuring those metrics? Do you have a scale that kind of gives you. Is it the run?

Yeah, the red fro scale measures those two and I was way, way below the minimum for both of those. And the funny thing was I always ate, drank a lot of water, excessive amounts of water and ate excessive amounts of protein and they were both low. So now I'm back in the normal range, right on the low end of the normal range. But the scale measures that.

That's awesome. And where do you feel like the Change really took place for your body to accept more of that water and to be able to retain more of that protein.

It was very, very gradual. I think I'm, I'm at the beginning of week five now and probably didn't happen until week end of week three. And I just, you know, got back up to the, the minimum threshold for normal, but it's been very gradual.

Would you say you're more consistent maybe with your water intake and your protein intake than you were previously? Do you think that had anything?

No, I would say I am eating far less protein and drinking slightly less water.

Very interesting. And your body is enjoying that so much more or for, you know, reasons that are, that are not known to us. But I'm happy that it's trending in the way that it is and that you have those stats to be able to show you that sometimes we over protein ourselves or we over water ourselves. And while that seems kind of like a funny thing to say, it is actually dangerous to over water yourself. So sometimes when we give our body just enough, that's where we're really able to access that parasympathetic and it's able to accept it happily. It's, you know, even the things that are healthy need to come in out of moderation sometimes. Thanks for sharing, Ed. I am taking amino acids to help with sugar and carb cravings. So amino acids are, I would say you can, you can take them on the program. What I would recommend doing in terms of taking them is after a meal just because of course they are, are protein building blocks so they can take you out of a fasting state. So as long as you're able to enjoy them after a meal, that is the best time. When it comes to sugar and carb cravings, that naturally tends to happen and that tends to increase anytime we're experiencing more stress or we haven't had a chance to sleep properly and recover from the previous day. Something else that I find really helps with the sweetened carb cravings is doing the crush technique. So I believe we chatted about this maybe a couple of weeks ago. But the crush technique basically focuses. It uses emotional freedom technique. So the technique of tapping into different meridian centers in our body and reciting and using the prompts that come on this sheet whether you are experiencing stalls, cravings or plateaus. So I'm happy to share the PDF. Maybe you can try it and see if that helps to curb some of the sugar cravings that you're having. Having. Go ahead and add it in here. Thing is just uploading now at the very bottom. So let me know if you're able to give that a try. Jan, and to see if it work. I'm drinking warm lemon and ACV water in the a.m. and getting my first three cups in. Then I do a green tea. Is this order okay? Yes. So ideally you always want to drink your water first. So you want to get as as much as, or as little, I should say as two cups to four cups in the morning. So as much as you can. Because your body has been dehydrated all day, meaning at night you of course have been sleeping and not drinking any sort of liquid. So the thing you want to address it with is some hydration, which is water. Something to allow your body to hold on to that hydration a little bit better. Could be a pinch of salt. So something like Celtic salt, Redmond salt. Just a little pinch goes a long way. And then something that I like to introduce as well as electrolytes. So it's a really great time to energize your body with those essential minerals. And additionally it's great for just cognitive function, memory and additionally muscles to help operate or to help your muscles work their best throughout the rest of the day. So definitely go ahead and enjoy non caffeine beverages first and then ideally you want to enjoy your first caffeinated beverage. So that would be green tea, that would of course be coffee or black tea or anything along those lines an hour to an hour and a half after waking. So in terms of your cortisol levels, that research suggests that around an hour to an hour and a half is when they start to fall a little bit. They're the highest when we first wake up in that first kind of, kind of couple of hours of the day. So we don't want to shift our cortisol and get our energy from caffeine versus naturally from within. So ideally you want to wait an hour to an hour and a half. I've been prescribed some antibiotics for, for some dental work. I'm unhappy about that. Are there alternatives to amoxicillin and, or what can I do to protect my, my gut? Great question. So I am unsure if there is an alternative to amoxicillin just because I don't have a degree in pharmacy. So I unfortunately cannot answer that question. But I can definitely relay it back to Deepa. I'm going to go ahead and make a note of it here. And so what I would say to start protecting your gut is definitely taking some digestive bitterness or some probiotics to start building up that healthy gut flora. So I wouldn't even say to start acv, I would probably hit it with something stronger. If you live in the US there is an amazing probiotic called Megaspore probiotic. So that's the one that I would recommend using. Unfortunately, it's not. You're unable to receive it in Canada, which is a huge bummer. Really upset about that. But there is also a really great probiotic from Designs for. For Health. So if you do not have a probiotic already on hand, we can definitely send over that recommendation. So let me know, Barb, and then I can go ahead and. Send off that recommendation to you. So a digestive bitter is something that basically helps to promote your natural gut flora in your micro biome. So it gives the healthy bugs basically food so that they can, you know, consume that food and then multiply. And it also has a lot of alkalizing benefits for the gut as well. So while your gut is acidic, it helps to promote a healthier environment for gut flora to, to flourish, basically. So there's a lot of different bitters that exist that are homeopathic and sometimes we recommend taking those on this program, especially if you're experiencing some bowel discomfort. It really helps to kind of replenish that and help to get more regular in your bowel frequency and movements. Sorry, I'm just going up in the chat here. Jan is no longer rushing her meals. Chew, chew, chew. Yes. Continue to chew that food until it's a lovely baby food consistency. Your gut will be thanking you for many, many years to come. Yes. So ideally you want to, in regards to the intermittent fasting, you want to keep your meals, again as best as possible, five hours apart. Sometimes it's not possible and that's okay. But if you can, that would be ideal in terms of giving your gut more of a break again, allocating resources to other areas that it can start fixing or to start giving a little bit more love to. Yeah, Mary. I found as a protein, shrimp and fish is a good alternative and easier to eat than chicken, for example. Yes. So it's good to also rotate your proteins, get a wider, wider range of minerals of different nutrients. So know that fish is obviously, of course, a little bit lighter. I find that during the summer people tend to gravitate more towards the seafood section. I would just say to make sure that you are watching seafood. Watch. So you can make sure that there are no harmful levels of any sort of heavy metals in your fish that you're consuming. And then including one to two portions a week is what I typically recommend. Yeah, Jan, so you want to have at least five hours in between each meal as best as possible. Yeah. Beverly, you can definitely try some stevia in the apple cider vinegar. Again, I would say cinnamon would work best only because it doesn't actually have any sort of sugar. It does have a light, sweet sweetness to it, whereas stevia can sometimes mimic your body consuming sugar. So then it might crave more sugar after having that stevia because your body feels like it's getting something sweet. So I would say with meals it's completely fine. You can go ahead and use your stevia and from time to time go ahead and use it too. But if you do notice that you tend to be or tend to gravitate more towards wanting than a carb or something more sweet after that, I would say to stick to more. So the side cinnamon. Round two for me. Denise says not losing how I'd like. However, I have bronchitis, so I'm sure that it is stimulating my sympathetic nervous system. Yes. Trying to focus on rest and getting in the sauna. Any other tips? Yes, I see here Annalise posted suggestions for a plateau. So definitely your body is on on energy conservation mode. So it's not concerned with releasing excess energy or excess calories because it needs that extra nourishment to make sure that you're healthy through this period of time that you're experiencing bronchitis. So definitely lots of fluids are going to be your best friend. Sauna is going to be awesome as well if you can additionally hit yourself with some extra vitamin C making sure you're getting some zinc because zinc is actually a powerful mineral that boosts your immune system system. You want to make sure that's coupled with copper for the most available bio absorption. And then additionally I would even say to include some either amino acid powder or something that I recommend for anybody that is going through maybe like a flu or any kind of sickness is to increase your broth. So have a cup of broth either before or shortly after consuming your meal because that's going to be additional proteins. It's going to be warming for your your gut microbiome. So definitely go ahead, enjoy some nice broth and that'll also help to keep your fluids up as well to kind of flush this virus out. Let me see here. Anything additionally that I would also suggest. Echinacea is also really great, but that's typically taken kind of an onset when you first start feeling a little bit run down. If you first start feeling, you know, feverish or congested or kind of like the first signs of a sickness, echinacea just helps to boost your immune system. So before you get to the cusp where you get sick, it kind of stops it right there. And then you just gradually fall down and have to avoid that whole situation from happening in the first place. So echinacea is also really great at fighting any sort of bacteria or viruses. So, Mary, it is a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar. So you want to have a tablespoon and about 6 to 8 ounces of water around 30 meals or, sorry, 30 minutes before your meal. Should I be losing muscle in the release phase? So that's a question that comes up very frequently, I find on this program. And a lot of people have that worry coming in, but then they have something like a Renfro scale or any other kind of biometric scale that tracks it. And from time and time again, from what I've seen, people release maybe 0.5% of lean muscle mass on their body, but they end up releasing 5 to 10 pounds of body fat. So it might be slight, like a very slight amount that you will be releasing while on the program, but if you take into consideration the body fat that you're releasing, it tends to supersede any sort of muscle that you will be releasing, and hardly any from anybody that I've spoken to. I was actually just talking to a personal trainer who is. I just had the call prior to joining right now, and he was like, I was so, you know, worried about losing any kind of muscle mass. And he's like, I've lost none. Like, I'm. I'm still super fit. I've taken two weeks off, and this is the first time ever, like, my job is training. I love training. He loves working out and moving his body, and he saw no differences in terms of his lean muscle mass. So that's just one example, of course. But as you go through it, you'll see for yourself. And it's always good to have a scale or any sort of measuring system that you can always refer to.

Yeah, it's been about a little over 4 pounds on 20 pounds of weight loss. Muscle loss versus 20 some pounds.

Okay. So sometimes it can be a little bit more. But as soon as you come off of this program and go into that maintenance phase and transition through the maintenance phase as well, you can then start adding in more body resistance training, more strength training, and more lifting. So for the time being, as you're in the program again, you're giving your body that much needed rest so it can allocate resources into actually, you know, detoxifying and helping to relax your body before ramping up and then starting those additional workouts. Because while exercise is a fabulous stressor on the body, it is still a stressor nonetheless. So by giving your body a bit of that break, it then can kind of hit the ground running once you do go back into the gym. What I recommend starting off with is doing at least two sessions of 15 minutes each week where you are focusing on body resistance training or a little bit of strength trainer or even lifting some, some weights and then see how you feel adding in those two sessions, eventually working your way up to doing two 30 minute sessions each week. That is going to be for somebody that has goals of attaining more lean muscle mass and that additionally has more of a sedentary lifestyle. So if you are a little bit more active and on the go or your goals are a little bit different. I am by no means a personal trainer, so I don't have the exact stats. But you want to make sure that it's being addressed with your goals and what exactly you want out of your body. And so that is something that I recommend for anybody that has more of a desk job. For somebody that is a little bit more active, it might be three to four sessions of 30 minutes that you'll be including each week. Yeah, the Renfo scale has a lot of different, you know, metrics and a lot of different things you can play around with which you don't need to by any stretch. I always say if you're curious and if you are a numbers person, it definitely helps to motivate from time to time. I definitely saw a huge, like Ed was sharing, I saw a huge increase in my overall water intake and how much my body was retaining and then also my protein, protein intake. So those were two big things that I was never aware of prior to that I thought were really cool. But if that kind of gives you a bit of a headache to, you know, go into all those numbers, don't focus on the weight. And then the rest of it you can always play around with as you need to. Yeah. Mandy is saying she has it with lemon. I'm assuming the apple cider vinegar and three cups of warm water. And it dilutes the taste. Yeah. So you can also mix and match it with a couple of other, you know, little add ins for somebody that enjoys maybe something like a herb. I really enjoy taking fresh mint and kind of muddling it, making it into a tea, or adding it into any one of those tonics as well. I don't feel the same way about basil, but somebody in this group might. So if you wanted to play around with basil as well, that's also really refreshing to even just have, you know, in your water to give it a little bit more flavor. Cucumber work really well as well. So all of those things are adding those slight benefits. So definitely go ahead and add herbs wherever possible. Yeah. Beverly is saying I've virtually tried everything. And then Annalisa here is saying, sometimes we have detox symptoms as we start something new. So it takes a little while for things to kick in. And the one thing I will say is, you know, you. You are still in pursuit. So while you have tried so many, so many things, you. I'm so grateful that you're here and that you continue to be dedicated to figure this out, because there will be a way. There will come a time where this will be the past. It'll no longer be your present. And the only thing that I would say that I recommend for anybody to do is keep an open mind. You want to start using a narrative of this is going to work for. And I am on pursuit in pursuit of finding out what that. What that ideal ratio is for me in my unique situation and my unique body. I know it can be frustrating, super frustrating to continue to be positive after you have exhausted so many different routes. But I just want you to know that I'm proud of you for continuing with that dedication. The answers will come, and sometimes you find them the places you least expect. So I'm hoping that that comes through during this program as I've seen it for so many other people. And I'm almost certain you're going to join that list, too. Beverly.

Yeah, she's starting Loading day today.

Happy loading day number one. You got this. I know it's going to be a lot of food. It's not going to be smooth sailing today. That is to be expected. But know that this is the toughest part of the entire program, and smooth sailing will come as soon as you enter into that routine release phase. So make sure to stock up on all your healthy, indulgent foods that you love and enjoy. Wipe out that pantry of any foods that are going to be tempting or that are going to be kind of in your face, and make sure to rest for these next two days and know that you're not going to be feeling your best, and that's okay. But positivity and Refresh is coming. It's around the corner.

Enjoy coconut ice cream while you can.

Exactly. Enjoy your nuts, your seeds, your bulletproof coffees, your coconut desserts. Enjoy them guilt free. Completely guilt free. I will drink water only when I am walking and then start with the tea. Yeah, go ahead, play around with what liquids suit you, at what different times and, and see what really gets you excited about consuming those liquids. I know I. This might sound a little crazy, but I used to hate the taste of water. I was like, how do people drink this stuff? It just tastes like nothing to me. And so drinking 2 liters of water was very, very difficult. And so then I started kind of hacking my way through it and being like, oh, you know what, what is going to make me gravitate more towards water? And I'm somebody that's very visual. So identify what kind of, you know, consumer it is that you are. Do you consume with something sounds good. Do you consume when something looks good or feels good or whatever? Have you identify with the sense that draws you in the most. For me, it's definitely my eyes. So I know if I make things, if I present something in a specific way, I'm much more likely to, to interact with it because it looks more aesthetically pleasing. So if that's the case for you, you know, sometimes music works great for people, sometimes that gets them motivated. So putting on a song that, you know, really gets you pumped up or put on a song that, you know, makes you feel like your absolute best self. And then, you know, add that kind of association with having the water during that song or, you know, going on a walk if it's something like movement that you, you enjoy. So get to know yourself on, on those levels as well. It really helps to stay on track. I am taking a probiotic. When is, when is best if I'm starting my day with ACV water. So probiotics, you generally want to take them after your meals, so they help to break down proteins. So it's ideal to take them after a meal once you've consumed some, some protein. So ACV before probiotic after. I see a message here from Dominic. Hi. As a vegetarian, we consume mostly fish protein four days a week. We sometimes use tofu tonight taco night. But my other protein was always beans. But I read that that we need to eliminate during Release Phase Week 4. It's been hard to figure out what to make. I only like two recipes and I removed all pastas, breads and rice. So as a vegetarian, of course the protein sources do tend to be a little bit more limited. So you're welcome to use the seafood to your heart's content. You can also use soy based proteins if that's something that you can tolerate or that you enjoy. So something like tofu, something like tempeh or even edamame. I loved using the edamame in a stir fry, using cauliflower, rice, edamame as the protein and then a bunch of free vegetables like bok choy and the red peppers and onions. So that is a really filling, really delicious, healthy meal. But if you do get tired or bored of the proteins, you can use 6 ounces of any cooked lentils or beans. So you are welcome to use that. What I will say is whenever you are using those protein sources, they have a higher carbohydrate content. So some, for some people it might take a little bit longer to release the weight because of those foods, because of the added carb content. But I've also worked with vegans on this program that have used that and still had fantastic results. Released 25 pounds in 10 weeks. So just wanted to give you that disclaimer. I would say if you wanted to throw in beans and lentils once, twice a week, it's not going to have a significant difference in terms of your weight release. And if that's going to allow you to enjoy your meals and give you a little bit more of that variety, definitely go ahead. I don't know if this is right for the plan or not, but I do like ACV lemon juice and baking soda in water. No sweetener at all. Yeah, so that should be fine. It I would say to just watch out with how much lemon juice you're using. You want to use around 1 tablespoon, no more than that because it does still have a little bit of sugar as associated with the lemon juice or inside the lemon juice. So trying your best to keep it around one tablespoon. I'm almost done with my first round and contemplating the second for those final pounds that haunt me. Good luck to all. Less food gets easier, but I eat huge salads with free veg before I eat my protein. If I can release at 70, you guys can do it for too. Yes, thank you for that motivation, Jan. And, and you know what's, what's interesting is if you're able to keep up with majority, maybe not all of the components in the way that it's laid out in the release phase, but if you're able to keep up with majority of them, you know, kind of post program a lot of people continue to release weight. So one of my very first clients, you know, I don't even know how long ago this was now, but I would check in with her every so often and. And she would be, you know, down 40 pounds. So at the end of the 10 weeks, she was around 35 pounds released. I would check in with her after a month. She's like, I'm at 40 pounds. I would check in with her after three months. She's, I'm at 60 pounds. So it was just constantly adding up. Because she was keeping up with the intermittent fasting, she was sticking largely to the approved food lists, which are very nutrient dense, low inflammation, low glycemic index as well. Very good for blood sugar regulation and weight management. Filled with fiber. So if you're able to keep up with certain components, you're able to keep up with health in your body. And a healthy body is never going to retain more than it needs to. So know that maybe you won't have to even do a second round. Maybe if you keep up with certain things, it'll just naturally shed off as well. Yes, I love putting my water in a stemmed glass or a really fun glass. I have a wine glass, actually, that has flowers kind of all around it. It makes me so happy, and I know I'm going to interact with it. And I fill that actually with iced tea or I make my own tonic with some mineral water and a couple of other, like I mentioned, some muddled mint and some cucumber and add in actually a little bit of acv or I sometimes just. Actually what I've done as well is taken magnesium citrate powder and vitamin C powder and put them together and it tastes like. I don't know if anybody's ever had Fanta, but it tastes even better than Fanta to me. So I even use those sometimes. It's kind of like a healthy drink that I know I love, but I know is also doing really good for my body. Yes. Egg whites and cottage cheese you can use as protein sources as well. I would say with the cottage cheese, try to limit the amount. Try to get as clean of a source as you possibly can get your hands on. Because, of course, conventional dairy can be a little bit more inflammatory for some people, but if you do tolerate it well, that's definitely an option you can use as well. Well, Barb, it's totally fine. I'm sure that you're using or you're consuming the apple after the end of a meal. So after your lunch, after your dinner, so it's totally fine. Plus the apple is going to have some sugar associated with it anyways. Your fruit you want to try consuming at the end of the meal. The reason being is that with the protein, with the fiber from the non fruit, vegetables, free vegetables and then of course the fruit being the last thing, it's going to help stabilize the blood sugar from the fruit. Even though it all is low sugar fruit that we're including on this program is just going to again help to kind of sorry, stabilize your blood sugar levels. Yeah, you can do half with tofu, half with cottage cheese. That works as well. Thank you for the love in the chat and we are at the top of the hour here. I feel like that kind of flew by today. But you know, time flies when you're having fun I guess. So thank you everybody for your comments. Thank you for your questions, for your honesty, for the chat and the discussion that we had today. I wish everybody a beautiful rest of your Friday. Have some fun this weekend. Definitely make sure to interject fun, you know, work hard but also play hard. Both are very important and I look forward to seeing you all next week, next Friday.

Great job, Alice.

Thank you. Thank you so much. Bye everyone.