Directions:
👉 In a large pot, sauté onion in coconut oil for a few minutes. Once onion has softened, add garlic, spices, salt and pepper and stir. Sauté for 1 minute. 
👉 Add butternut squash and cover with vegetable broth or water. Add just enough liquid to cover the squash. Cook on medium-low heat for 15-20 minutes, or until squash is soft and cooked through.
👉 Transfer to a blender and puree soup. Transfer back to pot. Time to taste test! Feel free to add additional spices if necessary.
👉 Serve hot with a tbsp of chopped walnuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon.

Procrastination has dreadful side effects! Here are 7 ways delaying the actions of today until tomorrow can eventually ruin your life.......

1. You will lose precious time
2. You will miss opportunities
3. You won’t achieve your goals
4. It will lower your self esteem
5. It will increase self doubt
6. It will damage your reputation
7. It will increase stress, anxiety, and overwhelm

God Himself reminds us to act swiftly and to not delay (especially when it comes to helping others). " Do not say to your neighbor, 'Come back tomorrow and I’ll give it to you' - when you already have it with you." Proverbs 3:28

So tell me, have you created your plan, yet? If not, what are you waiting for?
Time waits for no man. Get going friends, XO

If you aren't sure how to create your 7-day meal plan because you don't know what type of system to follow - continue reading....

First, you need to start eating a well-balanced diet that controls your blood sugar and keeps your physical cravings at bay.
This means you need to focus on providing your body with the NUTRIENTS it needs, rather than punishing it with a restrictive diet in another unsuccessful attempt to “starve yourself healthy”.

That strategy does not work and will not help you. Trust me on that one!

Now without knowing your circumstances, it’s hard for me to recommend a specific eating regiment, but typically speaking, following a whole foods diet that is primarily plant-based is going to be the best place to start for most people who eat for emotional reasons or have an eating disorder.

That means you want to choose foods in their natural state like fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes, nuts, and seeds.
You also want to include a small amount of organic meat like chicken, beef, pork, or seafood to add flavour, nutrients (like B12), and adequate protein to your meals. You could also opt to use organic eggs or milk products instead if you don’t like eating animal flesh.

OK, that's it for today, start putting together your 7-day plan and let me know if you have any questions or need more help.
​
Blessings! XO

Hi Guys.

Over the weekend I created a 4-part video series that outlines the 4-steps necessary if you want to achieve weight loss success.

These steps are true regardless of what goal you want to accomplish, but they are especially true for weight loss, so I encourage you to watch these videos every Monday and complete the action tasks if you want to set yourself up for optimal success!

If you have any questions, you can contact me at the store Monday-Friday from 11:00am-7:00pm by calling 905-878-7999 or you can simply send me an email at carmen.macpherson@simplyforlife.com and I will get back to you within 24 hours.
Have an amazing week and don’t forget to be come back next Monday with your plan so you can learn about step 2! 

Myth 1: Calories cause weight gain. Therefore, fewer calories are the path to weight loss
 
Yes, it’s true that eating too many calories can cause weight gain. It only makes sense that if you consume more energy than you use, your body will store the extra energy for later.
 
HOWEVER, calories are not the “be-all and end-all" of weight loss.
 
In fact, many of my clients came to me because they couldn’t understand why they weren’t losing weight on the very low-calorie diet they were following.
 
They didn’t understand that eating TOO LITTLE calories stalls weight loss too.
 
It’s important that we create a deficit of “energy in” vs “energy out” when we are trying to lose weight, but too much of a deficit actually slows down our metabolism and pushes our body into starvation mode – both of these mechanisms cause weight stalls and even weight gain. Yikes!
 
Myth 2 - A calorie is a calorie
 
Can we please put this one to bed already?
 
Not all calories are created equal as far as weight loss goes. The 100 calories in an apple operates very differently in the body than 100 calories from a cookie.
 
Nutritional science has long since confirmed this.
 
For example, proteins and carbohydrates both have 4 calories/gram, but when you metabolize protein you burn more calories than when you metabolize carbohydrates because the TEF (thermic effect on food) is much higher in protein at 15–30% then carbohydrates at 5–10%.
 
Even different forms of fat are metabolized differently.
 
Medium chain triglycerides (MCT’s) for example, have the same 9 calories/gram that other fats do; but they're metabolized by the liver before entering the bloodstream and therefore they aren't utilized or stored in the same way as other fats.
 
The take away?
 
Yes, it’s important to monitor HOW MUCH we are eating, but it’s even more important for weight loss to pay attention to WHAT we are eating.
 
#acalorieisnotacalorie
 
Myth 3 - “Eat less move more” is good advice
 
The premise of this myth is based on the first myth – “that “calories in” minus “calories out” equals your weight”. With that logic, eating fewer calories and using exercise to burn more calories should be all we need to lose weight, right?
 
But if that were true – then why are so many people still struggling to lose weight despite chronic exercising and eating 1,000 calories a day?  
 
The honest truth?
 
Because human physiology is NOT a simple math equation……
 
This thought process completely negates other factors that contribute to weight problems, such as pre-existing medical conditions, hormonal imbalance, genetics, autoimmune disorders, and eating disorders to name a few.  
 
Weight loss is not a one size fits all “calories in – calories-out” equation, so a generic meal plan and exercise program simply doesn’t work for a lot of people because it’s not specific to their nutritional needs.   
 
So what IS the most important factor to consider when you are trying to lose weight?
 
YOU!
 
Your body requires specific nutrients to function optimally – this is true for everyone, but if you have an underlying medical condition, food sensitives or you’re an emotional eating – your needs are going to be different then someone without these factors.
 
It’s time to start gearing your weight loss efforts towards YOUR needs and YOUR wants – not somebody else’s
 
You deserve it.