…Your salad could be ruining your weight loss program!!!

Eating salad is probably on your top ten food choices when it comes to eating healthy.  You grab a quick salad for lunch, add a small salad with dinner or order a salad when eating out.  You believe that eating this way will help you reach your goal of living healthier and eating better. 

Without really knowing exactly what you’re eating and how many calories you’re actually consuming, you’ll continue to lose the battle against weight loss.  But I, Dr. Ferguson—The Health and Wellness Queen, am here to tell you that not all salads are creating equally. 

Imagine your favorite salad….fresh, crispy lettuce leaves, tomatoes, broccoli florets, cucumbers, grilled chicken breast strips…topped with shredded cheese or feta cheese, chopped egg and enough salad dressing to coat each leaf.  You may think that eating a salad is way better than grabbing a bite to eat at the nearby fast food joint…but with the added cheese, egg yolks and regular salad dressing, you could be eating your very own version of a Big Mac or Whopper sandwich….with close to 800 calories!!

Here are some eye-opening facts about salads…and how knowing this can save hundreds of calories and keep you from reaching your weight loss goal:

1. Your favorite Asian salad with a peanut based dressing adds extra fat calories.

2.  Crumbled blue cheese, feta cheese and regular shredded cheese adds great flavor but also substantially increases your caloric intake.

3.  Regular salad dressing has an unacceptable amount of saturated fat from its oil based component especially if you’re trying to lower or limit your daily fat intake.

4.  Get your fat from healthier options, like avocado, olives, and nuts such as almonds and walnuts.

5.  Hardboiled eggs can be a healthy edition…minus the egg yolk.  All you need to do is cook a hardboiled egg as usual but instead of chopping up the whole egg, remove the yolk and chop up the egg white component—lowering your cholesterol and your calories…helping you eat better and healthier. 

6.  Reduced fat salad dressing is a viable option as long as you stick within the serving size and monitor your overall caloric content.  Reduced fat dressing doesn’t necessarily translate into reduced calorie dressing—meaning that if you pour on the dressing and drown your salad, you’ll wind up eating more calories than you’d like.  Think moderation when adding dressing to your salad.  If you really want to control how much salad dressing you use, keep your dressing on the side instead of pouring it on and dip each forkful in the dressing.  You’ll be surprised at how much less dressing you’ll actually use this way.  The overarching theme when it comes to eating healthy and that includes eating salads is to know what you’re putting in your mouth, keep track of the serving size and stick within your desired caloric intake.

7.  Keep both variety and color in your salad, eating at least four or five fruits and vegetables and varying your color palette.  You’ll increase the “curb appeal” of your salad and keep you excited and interested in eating healthier.  

So the next time you step up to the salad bar or order a salad for lunch or dinner at your favorite restaurant, remember that all salads are not created equal.  Make your salad perfect.  Don’t skimp on the flavor but cut back on the hidden fat and calories. 

To your wellness,

Dr. Traci Ferguson, The Health and Wellness Queen

Have you ever started a weight loss program, kept up with it for a few days and even a few weeks but then slacked off and before you knew it, you were back doing and eating the same thing that put on the extra weight in the first place?
Have you ever had a family member, friend or co-worker start the same program but unlike you they stuck with it through the holiday season, through the company picnic and now they’re still losing weight, looking better and healthier than ever?
Have you ever wanted those same results?

Like anything in business or in your personal life, sometimes you have to go through the motions until you reach that level, develop that inner drive to keep on track of your goal or achieve that “stick-to-it”ness.  Often you’ll need a very visible and tangible goal or direction for which to aim.  Sometimes what you need is someone to push you in the right direction…someone to give you that edge to stick with your weight loss plan. 

Do you want that “stick-to-it”ness that they have?

If you answer is yes or even maybe, then get your mark, get set and let’s go!!!

It’s time for you to get prepared and get ready for some action…for a little competition.
In this competition there are only winners because this is a win-win proposition.  A healthy and friendly competition between family members, friends and co-workers that will help take you to the next level in terms of your weight loss, your health and your overall well-being. 

One of our former clients (whom Coach Ferguson had to fire) recently saw one of our current clients looking fine and fit in her summer best after losing over 15 pounds in just over 4 weeks by following our food plan.  Our client has lost an amazing 15 pounds without even starting on the exercise component of her weight loss program.  She’s concentrating on her nutrition plan right now and we’ll slowly add in the exercise component….not wanted to overwhelm her with too much change at one time which if you don’t know, is the one of the keys to a successful weight loss program. 

Once our former client realized that someone else was taking advantage of our one-on-one expertise and consultation she desperately wanted to get back on the bandwagon and sign-up.  We immediately said “come on”…..BUT only if you are ready to follow the plan.  Because it goes without saying that time is money….just ask your mechanic, your plumber or even your lawyer. 

So when it comes to customizing a weight loss plan, you have to pay to play.  Now if our former client is not willing to make the sacrifice to stick with the program then we’ll have to chalk it up as a loss.  But if our former client is up for the challenge and really wants to get back in shape, lose weight and get healthy then we welcome the healthy competition to see who’s going to be the BIGGEST LOSER.

Are you up for the challenge?  Do you want to take on your family member, friend or co-worker who’s also on a weight loss program?

Well, Dr. Ferguson, the Health and Wellness Queen says come on…..get on your mark…..get set….and let’s get going!!!!! 

To your wellness,

Dr. Traci Ferguson, The Health and Wellness Queen

P.S.  Click here to order your copy of the Backyard Workout manual which includes the world’s easiest food plan!

For years, the medical community has been ordering MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scans to evaluate everything from strokes, tumors and venous or arterial blockages to ligament tears, broken bones and herniated discs.  Before the first reports came out, I thought nothing of ordering an MRI with contrast (a medication called gadolinium is injected into your vein during the MRI to take a better look at certain structures) not realizing that slowly but surely a new disease called “nephrogenic systemic fibrosis” would be on the horizon. 

I had always considered gadolinium to be a “safe” medication to give if someone has poorly functioning kidneys…..but this is definitely not the case. 

Now I know you’re saying to yourself, Dr. Ferguson, you have to speak in laymen’s terms…so here it is. 

Nephrogenic systemic fibrosis refers to the thickening and hardening of your skin, your muscle tissues and other organs in your body after being exposed to gadolinium contrast used to perform some MRI scans….if you have poorly functioning kidneys.  When your kidneys aren’t functioning normally, the gadolinium remains in your system and can cause this total body “stiffening.”  People who are on dialysis or have failing kidneys need to be extremely careful about getting a MRI with gadolinium.

Now you may be asking yourself, “What should I do if I need to have a MRI scan?” or “What if I have poorly functioning kidneys or I’m on dialysis, can I still have an MRI?”

In both cases, the most important first step to take is to….talk with your doctor. Your doctor will explain to you the reason or indication for the MRI scan and determine if you’ll need to have the test with or without gadolinium.  If you have problems with your kidneys and need to have a MRI with gadolinium your doctor will discuss with you the risks or potential side effects of the test and you’ll both have to weigh the benefit of having the test with the potential consequence of developing nephrogenic systemic fibrosis.  Studies have shown that the risk of developing this disease is between 2.5 to 5 percent if you have advanced kidney disease. 

If you receive routine dialysis, your doctor will likely recommend that you have a session of dialysis immediately after the MRI with gadolinium to remove the excess contrast from your body and lower your risk for developing this debilitating disease. 

If you have very poorly functioning kidneys but aren’t on dialysis, you and your doctor will need to weigh the risks of developing this disease versus the risks of starting you on dialysis. 

The development of this new disease called nephrogenic systemic fibrosis has been a wake-up call for the medical community….because all tests and all medications have some risk associated with them—and sometimes it takes years to even discover them.  

The Health and Wellness Queen wants you to be an informed consumer when it comes to your healthcare…so I’ll continue to bring you up to date information that affects you and your family.

To your wellness,

Dr. Traci Ferguson,  The Health and Wellness Queen 

…..Especially when it comes to a potentially career-ending injury versus Wimbledon. 

We love watching sporting events whether live or on TV and when it comes to the Williams sisters, we’ll all sit down and watch history in the making.  But this Wimbledon, we look forward to Venus’ upcoming matches instead of a Williams-Williams match-up…..all due to a calf injury.

As my husband, the Strength and Conditioning King and Coach Ferguson can attest, the elite athlete is not part of the general population and therefore, what elite athletes do and what stresses their bodies can handle is not for the faint of heart.  Serena’s determination to come back after a potentially career-ending calf injury is case in point…check out the Mini-Movie clip

Many commentators speculated whether Serena would come back after the injury or whether she would bow out after her rain-delayed match.  Serena did what any elite or professional athlete would do when it comes to returning to competition after an injury….she consulted with a medical professional. 

As a medical professional, I’m frequently faced with similar questions about when an athlete should return to competition after an injury or how long an athlete should remain out of competition to rehab an injury…….and for elite athletes, the answer rests with the athlete.  Some athletes have mistakenly overtrained their bodies, others have sustained injuries due to overuse and some have injuries that unexpectedly just happen.  Whatever the underlying cause of injury, these athletes have careers, expectations and dreams at stake.  And it’s the elite athlete that knows when they can push through an injury and when they need to stop.  They know their bodies.   

Serena has many more years left in her tennis career but she had another Wimbleon win in her sights.  She received the necessary physical evaluation of her injury from a medical professional, got the proper treatment to minimize any swelling or aggravation of the injury and then with all the information available she made the best decision for herself……to return to play. 

Like Serena, my husband had to make the best decision for himself when it came to returning to competition after reconstructive knee surgery four whole months before the orthopedic surgeon said he would because he was determined and he had a goal and a dream in sight…..the Olympic dream.  Although some people said he couldn’t do it, my husband returned to competition in five and a half months to make the 2004 Olympic Team in Judo.  He did it….and Serena did it.  She won her rain-delayed match but didn’t advance to the semi-finals.  It just wasn’t her time. 

So for Serena, she has to look forward to her next Grand Slam……because now…. it’s rehab time!

To your wellness,

Dr. Traci Ferguson, The Health and Wellness Queen 

My good friend called me today after my husband and I had just finished barbecuing on the grill to say that she was up all night with a pain in her tooth like you couldn’t believe.  She didn’t get more than two hours of sleep the night before because the pain was so severe.  To control the pain she took upwards of 10 extra-strength Tylenol throughout the night and I almost died.

I promptly told her that she couldn’t take anymore more Tylenol over the next 24 hours.  Since she was in so much pain I couldn’t fully explain to her that taking so much Tylenol could actually cause more harm than good and that the amount of Tylenol should took could be toxic to her body and cause significant and sometimes irreversible liver damage, so I just told her “no more Tylenol.” 

I realized that the pain must have been so excruciating to disrupt her sleep and so severe that she needed to call me, Dr. Ferguson, so early in the morning.  Because she couldn’t think about anything aside from controlling her pain, I knew I had to find someone to take care of her tooth, immediately, even if it was the 4^th of July holiday.  After a brief search through the yellow pages, I found an oral surgeon who had holiday hours today and could see her immediately.  Within two hours of my first call to the dentist, we were walking out of the surgeon’s office and on the way to her house.

Whether you’ve ever been hospitalized in your life or not, whether or not you’ve ever broken a bone or had a toothache, you have experienced some degree of pain at one point in your life.When you go to the doctor’s office complaining of pain, one of the first things you’ll be asked is to rate your pain on a scale of 1 to 10….one being the least amount of pain and 10 being the worst pain of your life. 

Some of us have a high tolerance for pain—meaning the pain has to be very severe (at a level of 7 or above) before we even tell anyone we have pain.  While others have a low threshold for pain, meaning a pain level of 1 or 2 creates significant discomfort enough that you can’t even function.  To control pain with over the counter medications, you’ve probably chosen from pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil), naproxen (Aleve), aspirin or acetaminophen (Tylenol).  All of these over the counter remedies can control your pain but they all have certain adverse side effects that you have to be aware of.

Aspirin is a common pain reliever with a potent and significant effect on your platelets, which are blood cells that are responsible for clotting and preventing excessive bleeding.  Ibuprofen and naproxen are also in the class of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs along with aspirin and also have anti-platelet effects which is why your doctor or dentist may recommend that you discontinue these medications before having major surgery.  BUT REMEMBER….before discontinuing any prescription medication or prescribed over the counter medication, please consult with your physician.

If you are prone to easy bleeding or bruising due to an underlying medical condition, you may want to avoid taking aspirin, ibuprofen or naproxen as over the counter pain relievers unless directed by your doctor.  These NSAIDS can also cause irritation of the lining of your stomach so taking these medications with food may prevent any gastrointestinal upset.  This side effect of the medication is NOT an allergic reaction and should not be classified as an allergy….just an adverse effect. 

Acetaminophen (Tylenol) is in a different class of pain relievers and is useful if you’re already on aspirin because of a prior heart attack or stroke, have a history of easy bleeding or have a bleeding disorder, or have a true allergy to NSAIDS.   Although Tylenol is useful at controlling pain and lowering fevers, it’s not a benign drug.  Taking more than 4000 milligrams or 4 grams of acetaminophen (that’s 8 extra-strength Tylenol!!) in a 24 hour period can be toxic to your liver.  Some studies have shown that even if you take less than toxic levels of Tylenol (less than 4 grams of Tylenol a day) can still have significant effects on your liver, with elevated liver enzymes above the normal range.

I’ve seen people end up with near end-stage liver damage from taking enough Tylenol to control the pain even though they’ve reached and even surpassed the toxic range of acetaminophen ingestion. 

My friend, in her desire and need to control the pain, took too much Tylenol, not because she wanted to but because she didn’t know.  If she had known, she would have called me earlier and we would have gotten her into see the dentist earlier…before she’d taken her 10^th extra-strength Tylenol.   She’s still recovering from oral surgery but it seems that her liver is doing fine….as long as she stays away from high doses of Tylenol.  Not all excessive amounts of Tylenol will lead to liver damage…but it only takes one time—-too much pain, too much Tylenol and too much liver damage.

So the next time you grab that bottle of pain reliever, take a close look at the drug label.  Know how much you should take…know the maximum amount of medication you should take within a 24 hour period and know when to call the doctor if your pain is not adequately controlled.  Don’t wait until it’s too late.

To your wellness,

Dr. Traci Ferguson, The Health and Wellness Queen