I still enjoy every second of this new lifestyle I have adopted. When I began my weight loss journey about three and a half months ago, I weighed 234. As of my current "low" weight in progress, I weighed 209.6; I have lost nearly 25lbs! I am currently in the midst of one of my inexplicable "gains" -- I think it's hormone or possibly salt induced water retention -- but once my body decides to let it go I will lose all that I have retained and then some. I get more compliments as time goes on regarding my improved looks, and I overall just feel better as a person beyond the health implications. My reading of Gary Taubes has brought me a lot of knowledge I did not have regarding the nature of fat metabolism, sugar and carbs' involvement with metabolic syndromes, and, most rewarding for me personally, obesity not being a behavioral (mind over matter or slovenly state of overeating) issue but a metabolic disease that CAN be treated by changing the diet (low carb of course!). I was also surprised to find that most exercise in no way effects weight loss, and it gives me an excuse not to have to do it since I don't really enjoy it personally!
As someone with a very direct link to the supplements industry and a deep knowledge regarding some of the most current research on fat metabolism, I was looking at a large leaflet by the company Natural Factors regarding their product PGx. I in no way disagree with the statements about the product's efficacy itself because I know they have done their research and have proven it to have positive impacts for those already dieting, exercising (heh...), and trying to watch their blood sugar levels. My issue is actually the inane information that they use as the side-board for the product, catch phrases such as a "healthy" diet or information regarding saturated fats in the diet. Laughable, guys, just laughable. Let's dive into the issue.
In this 48 page leaflet, on page 4, it asks two questions that most of us that are actually obese have pondered throughout our overweight lives: "If the current approach to weight loss works, then why are 60% of adults overweight and 25% of those obese? If diets work, why do so many people end up regaining all the weight they have lost?" These are both great questions, and I will answer them from my personal standpoint and from the research I have done: (1) The current approach to weight loss does not work; calories in/calories out has been, and always will be, a dismal failure to those in the grips of the worldwide obesity epidemic. (2) "Diets" do not work; with the usage in the United States at least, a "diet" implies a short term change to induce weight loss, not something that becomes a lifestyle change. When a lifestyle change (of the proper type) is implemented, weight loss will be permanent because the things causing one to become obese have been eliminated permanently never to return (and thus, obesity is eliminated permanently as well).
On page 5, the true crux of the issue I have with this publication arises: "...PGx users typically reduce the amount of food they consume." This implies that those that are obese overeat, which surprisingly is not always the case; it also implies that obesity is a mind over matter (behavioral) issue such as I discussed above, which has been refuted by scientific study and Taubes' compilation of data. This also implies that Natural Factors is buying into the calories in/calories out theory.
Page 6 - "The new science of appetite control: volume & viscosity" -- This is another theory, one of many, that has been refuted by actual science. Fiber (volume/viscosity) is no replacement for actual foods and calories that truly control appetite -- those being the macronutrients fat and protein. Purchase Good Calories, Bad Calories and get your learnin' on, guys. On the same page the product guide mentions that apples, which are full of fiber, are more filling than eating a fast-food meal; personally, I would choose neither -- I forswear fructose (fruit sugar such as in apples) just as vehemently as I forswear fast food (full of who knows what kind of shit), BUT if I had to choose I'd eat the fast food hamburger and throw away the bun and all other toppings except things like bacon and cheese. Lastly, this particular page talks about "fattening calories" -- the calories you eat are not the enemy, it's the carbohydrates and sugars you eat that are. I'd prefer to eat a spoon of coconut oil, butter, or lard any day over a bite of bread or pasta!
Page 7 - touts exercise, "healthy" meals, and "high-volume, low-calorie" foods as the keys to a successful diet plan. What is "healthy"? This is such a vague catch-phrase in the weight-loss industry, and most Americans have no idea what a healthy diet may even mean. Exercise is another huge money making industry and does not impact weight loss enough to consider part of any weight loss regimen. High fiber, low calorie foods are useless and will leave you just as hungry as you were before.
Page 11 - "unwanted calories" are mentioned; once again, calories are not the enemy but carbs are. Smaller portions are also mentioned; wouldn't it be nice to have a diet where you ate when you were hungry, stopped when you were full, and didn't have to watch portions or calories so much? Welcome to low-carb livin', folks.
Page 12 - more talk about low calorie baloney.
Page 14 & 15 are titled "Some helpful tips for a satisfying relationship with food". Once again that star of this volume, high-volume low-calorie foods, makes its appearance; they say they improve "satiety" - fancy word for fullness - and are going to give you lower calories than other foods. Ugh, who gives a crap about calories??? I haven't counted calories once since I started this routine almost four months ago, and I've done pretty damn well! Foods they suggest include: low-fat salads (gross, and a waste of time), high-fiber soups (hungry ten minutes later, or have to eat a gallon of it), legumes (beans are being implicated in a lot of things as having negative health benefits - and peanuts are a legume too), low-fat stews (that's just a soup, dear, stews imply hearty beef concoctions with plenty of fat to be had), raw or cooked non-starchy veggies (maybe with a heaping side of protein like eggs or beef), boiled whole grains like barley, quinoa, or oatmeal (carb-laden and will kill you faster than a steak). Healthier food alternatives mention lower sugar (yes, I agree with this wholeheartedly), less fat (nope, I do about 75% of my cals daily in fat), and lower calories (useless measurement, look at the carbs first).
I really don't have the patience to continue. Needless to say, I in no way condone any product that believes that things such as calories and fats are the demons of the SAD. If you are not able to get with the times and realize that carbohydrates are killing the world then I will not promote your products at work to my customers!!! The worst part of this terrible pamphlet is that it states that saturated fats and other animal fats are specifically unhealthy and damage cells' ability to communicate and properly use insulin...WHICH IS A FLAT OUT LIEEEEE!!! It says to improve your insulin function you should not eat saturated fats...okay...but you fill your softgel with coconut oil, which is almost entirely a SATURATED FAT?! PLUS, animal fats are roughly 70% healthy fats that are GOOD FOR cholesterol, and 30% of them still raise HDL (good cholesterol and a good thing to raise), lower triglycerides (very good) and slightly raise bad LDL, which in the end means that animal fats are a positive impact on overall cholesterol profiles, since HDL and triglyceride levels are the main indicators of your risk for a heart attack. Even the LDL that is raised by animal product is raised in volume, not in number; large, fluffy LDL particles are healthy and normal and do not affect the risk for heart disease issues; however, if you eat large amounts of carbs your LDL is more likely to be small and dense, which promotes atherosclerosis and other heart disease issues...
In a proper low carb regimen, fats are the mainstay of your calorie intake. I make sure that I ingest more fat vs. protein and little to no carbs. I lose weight and feel wonderful. I am amazed at people who demonize the benefits of low carb and are not astute enough to understand current research on the many health benefits that a low-carb regimen has to offer. Get your facts STRAIGHT before you publish this garbage!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Sunday, July 28, 2013
July Update
Everything has been going swimmingly in the land of weight loss; there was a stretch of ten days that, for no reason I could discern, I gained about four or five pounds. I guess it was water weight, because in a two day span I dropped the weight I'd gained and then some to reach a new low weight. For this month of July, so far with three days to go, I have lost 11 pounds total which makes me a very happy lady. :)
I really don't have any huge revelations about the way I'm eating or the things I'm taking. I find at this point in my "low carb lifestyle" that I am not hungry most of the time, and when I am hungry I can eat a small amount and feel satisfied. I admittedly don't eat much beyond the hours of 10 or 11am til about 6pm; it's almost what you would call an intermittent fasting routine (IF for short). IF is something that was featured on Dr. Mercola's website in an article regarding weight loss, though he added an hour of exercise to the last hour of the fast. I personally find that I lack the time or desire to exercise, but I am still losing steadily so that doesn't really bother me much. I do, when I lose a bit more, want to start maybe toning certain areas if I can (I don't think I can save my droopy belly, but I will give it a shot I think).
Oh, I also have more energy throughout the day as well. On my days off in the past I would often be drowsy not long after lunch time and take a nap; now, unless I possibly didn't sleep well the night before, I almost NEVER take naps or feel tired at any point before bedtime. I do wish that I could get a better, uninterrupted sleep every night, but with a three month old that wants to eat once a night in between her long sleep it's impossible! I think I would be losing even more if I could sleep through without that one time of feeding the little lady...but it really doesn't bother me, as I mentioned before, because I still lose continuously either way.
I pretty much eat the same types of foods repeatedly, and that hasn't really impeded my losses either. I do make sure that my fat consumption is higher than my protein, but beyond that I really don't specifically count to reach certain numbers like some people do. I can't complain much; I was a bit discouraged during that ten day stretch of gaining weight, but I stuck with the plan and did not let my discouragement fuel a binge eating attack. Once I started losing again (even just 0.2lb the first day of loss after ten days of gain) my resolve was tempered and I knew I'd be fine.
Good luck with your Low-Carb/Ketogenic lifestyles.
I really don't have any huge revelations about the way I'm eating or the things I'm taking. I find at this point in my "low carb lifestyle" that I am not hungry most of the time, and when I am hungry I can eat a small amount and feel satisfied. I admittedly don't eat much beyond the hours of 10 or 11am til about 6pm; it's almost what you would call an intermittent fasting routine (IF for short). IF is something that was featured on Dr. Mercola's website in an article regarding weight loss, though he added an hour of exercise to the last hour of the fast. I personally find that I lack the time or desire to exercise, but I am still losing steadily so that doesn't really bother me much. I do, when I lose a bit more, want to start maybe toning certain areas if I can (I don't think I can save my droopy belly, but I will give it a shot I think).
Oh, I also have more energy throughout the day as well. On my days off in the past I would often be drowsy not long after lunch time and take a nap; now, unless I possibly didn't sleep well the night before, I almost NEVER take naps or feel tired at any point before bedtime. I do wish that I could get a better, uninterrupted sleep every night, but with a three month old that wants to eat once a night in between her long sleep it's impossible! I think I would be losing even more if I could sleep through without that one time of feeding the little lady...but it really doesn't bother me, as I mentioned before, because I still lose continuously either way.
I pretty much eat the same types of foods repeatedly, and that hasn't really impeded my losses either. I do make sure that my fat consumption is higher than my protein, but beyond that I really don't specifically count to reach certain numbers like some people do. I can't complain much; I was a bit discouraged during that ten day stretch of gaining weight, but I stuck with the plan and did not let my discouragement fuel a binge eating attack. Once I started losing again (even just 0.2lb the first day of loss after ten days of gain) my resolve was tempered and I knew I'd be fine.
Good luck with your Low-Carb/Ketogenic lifestyles.
Friday, June 28, 2013
It's About Big Green (RANT)
The travesty of the American diet and the lies told by health officials and the government experts can be summed up by the increase of obesity over the last 30-40 yrs., which coincides with the low-fat, high-carb revolution. Obesity was a non-issue in native populations and virtually any other society prior to the introduction of processed white flour, sugar, and rice. In a metabolic sense, insulin is the mechanism by which fat is stored in our bodies; the lower your insulin in the blood, therefore, the less your body can hang onto that extra fat. Contrary to what most people know, there is no dietary need for a person to ingest carbohydrates. All energy and metabolic processes can be addressed through fat, protein, and low-carb veggies (leafy greens especially), while keeping insulin levels at a low key in the bloodstream. Evidence for low-carb is everywhere, but anti-low-carb is not something that has direct scientific proof. Many studies over the last 300 years have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of lowering carbohydrates to treat not only obesity but also its accompanying conditions: high blood pressure, cholesterol, triglycerides, and diabetes. As Taubes states in Good Calories, Bad Calories: why would a "cure" for such a debilitating condition be knowingly withheld from the public (and actually condemned in most circles as a crazy "fad diet")? It would be akin to discovering a cure for cancer, HIV/AIDS, alcoholism, cigarette addiction, etc. and keeping it a complete secret. The only reason I can think of is the root of all evil in our world today
...MONEY.
The sugar industry. Big Pharma. Most giant food producers. GMO makers like Monsanto. Soda companies.
These businesses not only direct a large part of our national economy but the political landscape as well. Even the natural foods industry is laden with extra grain, sugar, and other processed products; shopping the outer edge of the store and avoiding the inner aisles is the only course of action to avoid these potentially deadly foods. Even the big market of the diet industry would stand to lose billions of dollars if there was a simple dietary system to eliminate obesity. If no one is "sick", why do you need the "medicine" in the first place (the same goes to Big Pharma)? Openly acknowledging the existence of a "cure" for obesity would ruin most of the largest corporations in the United States AND change the growth and production of food forever!
...MONEY.
The sugar industry. Big Pharma. Most giant food producers. GMO makers like Monsanto. Soda companies.
These businesses not only direct a large part of our national economy but the political landscape as well. Even the natural foods industry is laden with extra grain, sugar, and other processed products; shopping the outer edge of the store and avoiding the inner aisles is the only course of action to avoid these potentially deadly foods. Even the big market of the diet industry would stand to lose billions of dollars if there was a simple dietary system to eliminate obesity. If no one is "sick", why do you need the "medicine" in the first place (the same goes to Big Pharma)? Openly acknowledging the existence of a "cure" for obesity would ruin most of the largest corporations in the United States AND change the growth and production of food forever!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
Good Calories, Bad Calories
I joined a low-carb dieters' forum this week. My decision to do this is because I am lacking a support base at home, and I am interested in seeing what other people are going through whose lives are so similar to mine. I connect to people more efficiently through an internet medium anyways, so a forum fits my personality style very well. I like that there are also resources I am not privy to as a single person in a forum setting. One such resource is the title of this particular blog entry, actually.
Gary Taubes is the author of a book that a lot of the forum members suggested or have already read, Good Calories, Bad Calories. As a preview to the book I found an article in an old issue of Mother Earth News magazine available online that gave me a good insight as to what Taubes' book might be like. I have an e-book copy now of the real deal, but I am very tempted to look on Amazon and see if I can get a copy of the paperback for cheap (since this book has been out a while). I like the feel and convenience of a hardcopy book, and I can read it easily in a three day span if I have it in my hands all the time and don't have to rely upon a computer.
Here's a link to the Mother Earth News article: Good Calories, Bad Calories
I am now 228.6 -- lost two pounds in 24 hrs -- so I think the hitch I had with losing might be overcome!
Gary Taubes is the author of a book that a lot of the forum members suggested or have already read, Good Calories, Bad Calories. As a preview to the book I found an article in an old issue of Mother Earth News magazine available online that gave me a good insight as to what Taubes' book might be like. I have an e-book copy now of the real deal, but I am very tempted to look on Amazon and see if I can get a copy of the paperback for cheap (since this book has been out a while). I like the feel and convenience of a hardcopy book, and I can read it easily in a three day span if I have it in my hands all the time and don't have to rely upon a computer.
Here's a link to the Mother Earth News article: Good Calories, Bad Calories
I am now 228.6 -- lost two pounds in 24 hrs -- so I think the hitch I had with losing might be overcome!
Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Busting Vices
I'd like to start out - briefly - by saying that I finished the Atkins book I had been reading (yes, all 300 pages in only 3 days). It really was a good review of things I already mostly knew, and it gave me an idea of why, at my current age and overall status, it is so hard for me to lose weight (I have a slight metabolic resistance). It gave me a bit more confidence in my choice of "diet." Eating like this is something I can easily stick with, between home and work, without putting myself under much undue stress in terms of coming up with some type of food choice. My workplace is a great place for a low-carb dieter; we have gourmet cheeses and olives (one of my favorite work meals), a great salad bar complete with full-fat dressings, cheese, and boiled eggs, and sometimes the chicken on the hot bar is simply roasted without a lot of added ingredients.
So...vices. We all have things in our life that we "can't live without" when it comes to food. For my boyfriend, this would be Coca-Colas (and, more recently, Monster Protein drinks). For me, previously, it was carbohydrates in general...and currently it is "grazing." I am a bored/emotional eater; I will, especially when at home, veer towards the fridge at random times whether I'm hungry or not and eat. It's a really terrible habit that is easy to avoid at work (I'm too busy to eat all the time like I can at home), but on my three days a week that I am off I seem to find the fridge in front of me more often than anything else. My FIRST WEEK'S vice that I want to bust (see next paragraph for explanation of this) is my grazing -- instead of EATING something when I peek in the fridge, I am going to pour myself a glass of water and drink it instead. :)
I am starting to read (well, re-read mostly since I've read a lot of it before) The Vice Busting Diet by Julia Havey. I do not like some of the messages she sends (extreme focus on cutting calories and fat being the major point of contention compared with what I personally feel is a more successful route of eating), but I do like the motivational and methodical points the book promotes. Julia is a very vivid writer and motivator, especially since she lost 130 lbs. herself over a few years' time. I personally do not have that much to lose - my immediate goal is about 30 lbs, with 65-70 lbs being a very long term goal. I think that, using what I've learned both from Ms. Havey and Dr. Atkins will serve me pretty well. The Atkins Diet is a good food plan for me, but I do need more discipline and direction in terms of a way to cut back positively, which Ms. Havey outlines very well in this book she has written. Each week you are to either eliminate a vice or add a positive routine (i.e., some type of working out session) to your schedule and continue adding on as time goes by. This gives a gradual increase to the "new" things, which helps you avoid being overwhelmed.
The main issue, beyond my "grazing" is my lack of physical exercise. My body adapts well to cardio, but in the past when I added jogging into my routine I found my right knee was not able to support it with my higher current weight (in high school I was very good at endurance running, but I also weighed between 165 - 180; my current weight is 230). When I can afford it, I really want to own some sort of exercise machine like a exercise bike or treadmill. Beyond the negative impact on my knee, the weather in the area in which I live is not very friendly in the summer months (100+ degrees with high humidity on a regular basis). I would be more than willing to give up 30 minutes a day to get some cardio in if it didn't involve hurting my knee and dying of heat stroke!
And, lastly, I am thinking of taking advantage of my job (I sell supplements in a natural foods market) and get samples of some of the diet products we sell. I am not talking about just "any" diet products, but I would prefer to get samples of things with multiple clinical studies done on them such as the Fucothin Green by Garden of Life and Super Citrimax in our own private label brand. They both contain popular ingredients (garcinia cambogia and green coffee bean extract), but they also both contain other ingredients that have had some serious science and years of success behind them (fucoxanthin in the first and chromium in the second). I figure, since I'm well into the changed lifestyle with little to no carbs daily, it's about time that I start putting more things into me that push my metabolism a little more in my weight-loss favor.
So...vices. We all have things in our life that we "can't live without" when it comes to food. For my boyfriend, this would be Coca-Colas (and, more recently, Monster Protein drinks). For me, previously, it was carbohydrates in general...and currently it is "grazing." I am a bored/emotional eater; I will, especially when at home, veer towards the fridge at random times whether I'm hungry or not and eat. It's a really terrible habit that is easy to avoid at work (I'm too busy to eat all the time like I can at home), but on my three days a week that I am off I seem to find the fridge in front of me more often than anything else. My FIRST WEEK'S vice that I want to bust (see next paragraph for explanation of this) is my grazing -- instead of EATING something when I peek in the fridge, I am going to pour myself a glass of water and drink it instead. :)
I am starting to read (well, re-read mostly since I've read a lot of it before) The Vice Busting Diet by Julia Havey. I do not like some of the messages she sends (extreme focus on cutting calories and fat being the major point of contention compared with what I personally feel is a more successful route of eating), but I do like the motivational and methodical points the book promotes. Julia is a very vivid writer and motivator, especially since she lost 130 lbs. herself over a few years' time. I personally do not have that much to lose - my immediate goal is about 30 lbs, with 65-70 lbs being a very long term goal. I think that, using what I've learned both from Ms. Havey and Dr. Atkins will serve me pretty well. The Atkins Diet is a good food plan for me, but I do need more discipline and direction in terms of a way to cut back positively, which Ms. Havey outlines very well in this book she has written. Each week you are to either eliminate a vice or add a positive routine (i.e., some type of working out session) to your schedule and continue adding on as time goes by. This gives a gradual increase to the "new" things, which helps you avoid being overwhelmed.
The main issue, beyond my "grazing" is my lack of physical exercise. My body adapts well to cardio, but in the past when I added jogging into my routine I found my right knee was not able to support it with my higher current weight (in high school I was very good at endurance running, but I also weighed between 165 - 180; my current weight is 230). When I can afford it, I really want to own some sort of exercise machine like a exercise bike or treadmill. Beyond the negative impact on my knee, the weather in the area in which I live is not very friendly in the summer months (100+ degrees with high humidity on a regular basis). I would be more than willing to give up 30 minutes a day to get some cardio in if it didn't involve hurting my knee and dying of heat stroke!
And, lastly, I am thinking of taking advantage of my job (I sell supplements in a natural foods market) and get samples of some of the diet products we sell. I am not talking about just "any" diet products, but I would prefer to get samples of things with multiple clinical studies done on them such as the Fucothin Green by Garden of Life and Super Citrimax in our own private label brand. They both contain popular ingredients (garcinia cambogia and green coffee bean extract), but they also both contain other ingredients that have had some serious science and years of success behind them (fucoxanthin in the first and chromium in the second). I figure, since I'm well into the changed lifestyle with little to no carbs daily, it's about time that I start putting more things into me that push my metabolism a little more in my weight-loss favor.
Monday, June 24, 2013
Psychological Benefits, Too?
So, as I mentioned yesterday, I am reading Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution. In the beginning of Chapter 12 he mentions a facet of the low-carbohydrate/ketogenic lifestyle that I really didn't think about so much before: psychological. I have, especially at work, noticed that I have a much more positive outlook most of the time. As someone that is prone to bouts of depression from time to time, I feel that there have been a bit less of these episodes (this is no direct cure, mind you, but I've felt just better in general). I never had even thought of it as something that could be related to diet, but the book definitely makes mention of that being a possibility. Dr. Atkins specifically says a lot of patients with dietary problems also display with emotional / mental problems as well; there are quite a few of these people who eventually, through changing their life starting with their diet, can wean off of their psychotropics to the point where they are taking very little or possibly none at all.
What's funny is, as I've mentioned before, a lot of foods that are higher in carbohydrates also are more likely to be genetically modified, processed, and/or filled with other chemical additives for a variety of reasons. I would be interested to find out if, through a nearly non-GMO, unprocessed (or very low processed), low-carb diet perhaps many people can cure a lot of the digestive, mental, emotional, and other physical problems that they usually present to doctors and have to be medicated for? This lifestyle, according to cardiologist Dr. Atkins, was originally created for his patients not as a weight loss mechanism but to help with their heart, cholesterol, and triglyceride issues. These big three are a huge reason that America is a society of illness -- and obesity is a huge common denominator in these people.
I would like, as a mother of three and partner to a soda addict (he is blessed with a crazy high metabolism, however), to eventually convince the entire family to eat as I do. With our low income it is difficult enough, however, for me to feel justified to spend the extra money I do on foods only for myself. I feel guilty often because I am spending so much on things like whipping cream (admittedly I have found THE BEST deal possible on it and stick with it), cheeses I love, olives, fresh meats, all natural & uncured salami, etc. I find, though, that my food stores do last a pretty long time. I am satisfied with eating only a little bit at a time -- but I still find that I am a "bored" eater and snack often throughout the day. I am not sure how to combat this, or if I am possibly in the category of "metabolically resistant." I definitely feel that wheat and excess starch was what had made my digestive system, at times, rebel against me in fits of irritable bowel flares and diarrhea. I have followed the "induction" style regiment pretty closely for a lot longer than I should (with little weight loss in terms of pounds)...so I am going to have to research this information from the book more closely.
I am happy with how I feel, however, and would not change THAT for the world!
What's funny is, as I've mentioned before, a lot of foods that are higher in carbohydrates also are more likely to be genetically modified, processed, and/or filled with other chemical additives for a variety of reasons. I would be interested to find out if, through a nearly non-GMO, unprocessed (or very low processed), low-carb diet perhaps many people can cure a lot of the digestive, mental, emotional, and other physical problems that they usually present to doctors and have to be medicated for? This lifestyle, according to cardiologist Dr. Atkins, was originally created for his patients not as a weight loss mechanism but to help with their heart, cholesterol, and triglyceride issues. These big three are a huge reason that America is a society of illness -- and obesity is a huge common denominator in these people.
I would like, as a mother of three and partner to a soda addict (he is blessed with a crazy high metabolism, however), to eventually convince the entire family to eat as I do. With our low income it is difficult enough, however, for me to feel justified to spend the extra money I do on foods only for myself. I feel guilty often because I am spending so much on things like whipping cream (admittedly I have found THE BEST deal possible on it and stick with it), cheeses I love, olives, fresh meats, all natural & uncured salami, etc. I find, though, that my food stores do last a pretty long time. I am satisfied with eating only a little bit at a time -- but I still find that I am a "bored" eater and snack often throughout the day. I am not sure how to combat this, or if I am possibly in the category of "metabolically resistant." I definitely feel that wheat and excess starch was what had made my digestive system, at times, rebel against me in fits of irritable bowel flares and diarrhea. I have followed the "induction" style regiment pretty closely for a lot longer than I should (with little weight loss in terms of pounds)...so I am going to have to research this information from the book more closely.
I am happy with how I feel, however, and would not change THAT for the world!
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Keep It Fresh
In terms of diet, the main pitfall that people of our modern world seem to have are overprocessed, unnatural foods. For the sake of money, the majority of the grocery store is filled with items that are made to live longer than most of our electronic devices we own do by adding a variety of chemicals and other additives to avoid loss. Even our own government, in all of their "wisdom", encourages an intake of a variety of "whole grains" and other carbohydrates daily. Why are Americans so unwilling to see that they are being misled by big business and politicos?
The greatest piece of wisdom I like to pass on is "keep it fresh." I am not perfect, no one is nor will ever be, but I do feel as if I have gotten a lot better with avoiding processed foods. Most of my grocery shopping is done in the "outer ring" -- I avoid the aisles in the middle of the store for my personal diet and eat almost exclusively from produce, meats, and dairy. I limit my dairy items to cheeses, butter, and heavy cream; I do not eat fruit nor starchy, sugary vegetables such as potatoes, corn, peas, beets, or carrots. It really is a pretty simple guideline to use as a compass towards better health. I tell customers at my job all the time the same thing (I work in the vitamins aisle of a natural foods co-op). Yesterday is a fair example of a typical day of eating:
Protein shake for breakfast
Lunch of salad with chicken salad, ranch dressing/vinagrette, some fresh cherry tomatoes (only a few)
Dinner of browned ground chuck with some caesar dressing (I usually add veggies to this like a salad but was too tired to bother)
I just finished re-reading George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series and decided to read (for the first time!) Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution. Within a couple of pages I find that things I already knew and liked to impress upon people have been, once again, confirmed and vindicated. I am not good at reading non-fiction, but I must admit I am more than a little obsessed lately with the hoax of health that is being impressed upon our nation. Obsession with a subject tends to make it a little more interesting in a non-fiction book like this, hah. I like adding resources to my arsenal of knowledge when I have to use it to help people (and myself).
I'm still feeling as amazing as I have been. My eating habits are a bright point of life (weird to think of it as such I guess) when compared to the other chaos I deal with on a daily basis (children, partner, lack of help in terms of keeping my house or children clean and tidy). Work and food are the least of my worries; home is a harder life situation, but I still manage not to stuff my face with the junk that surrounds me in my pantry or fridge. Not having episodes of stomach cramps and running to the bathroom is great, and I can eat things that I love without feeling guilty. I try to keep the fat intake above the rest, and the protein moderate...with as little carb as possible...and KEEP IT FRESH. That's the TRUE key!
The greatest piece of wisdom I like to pass on is "keep it fresh." I am not perfect, no one is nor will ever be, but I do feel as if I have gotten a lot better with avoiding processed foods. Most of my grocery shopping is done in the "outer ring" -- I avoid the aisles in the middle of the store for my personal diet and eat almost exclusively from produce, meats, and dairy. I limit my dairy items to cheeses, butter, and heavy cream; I do not eat fruit nor starchy, sugary vegetables such as potatoes, corn, peas, beets, or carrots. It really is a pretty simple guideline to use as a compass towards better health. I tell customers at my job all the time the same thing (I work in the vitamins aisle of a natural foods co-op). Yesterday is a fair example of a typical day of eating:
Protein shake for breakfast
Lunch of salad with chicken salad, ranch dressing/vinagrette, some fresh cherry tomatoes (only a few)
Dinner of browned ground chuck with some caesar dressing (I usually add veggies to this like a salad but was too tired to bother)
I just finished re-reading George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series and decided to read (for the first time!) Dr. Atkins' New Diet Revolution. Within a couple of pages I find that things I already knew and liked to impress upon people have been, once again, confirmed and vindicated. I am not good at reading non-fiction, but I must admit I am more than a little obsessed lately with the hoax of health that is being impressed upon our nation. Obsession with a subject tends to make it a little more interesting in a non-fiction book like this, hah. I like adding resources to my arsenal of knowledge when I have to use it to help people (and myself).
I'm still feeling as amazing as I have been. My eating habits are a bright point of life (weird to think of it as such I guess) when compared to the other chaos I deal with on a daily basis (children, partner, lack of help in terms of keeping my house or children clean and tidy). Work and food are the least of my worries; home is a harder life situation, but I still manage not to stuff my face with the junk that surrounds me in my pantry or fridge. Not having episodes of stomach cramps and running to the bathroom is great, and I can eat things that I love without feeling guilty. I try to keep the fat intake above the rest, and the protein moderate...with as little carb as possible...and KEEP IT FRESH. That's the TRUE key!
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