Freemotion's food journal: Expanding the gardens, pics p 53

[Dace]

It is not a competition, and I think you are doing a fantastic job!!!!

I am not in it to compete...I am just trying to keep up with the long list of things I want to try!

Free, I have a question for you. I think I am putting on weight now that I have cut out fast food, soda, daily sweets (ice cream etc) how can this be? My tummy feels extra puffy and based on the change in my diet I would think it would be starting to at least show a hint of slimming down.
Here is a typical day:

2 cups of coffee (that is down from 4 and I switched from non dairy to real cream)

Breakfast: an egg and fruit shake (frozen berries, 1/2 banana, plain yogurt and a little water to thin) or some left over dinner (a homemade piece of Naan with brown rice, chicken , cucumber salad and yogurt inside...has been a several day repeat) or maybe a homemade pizza with homemade sauce & mozzerella. (yes I eat weirdly in the AM)

Snack- a plum, apricot or hard boiled egg, maybe a small hunk of cheddar

Lunch - veggie or turkey sammy on WW bread with 1/4of an avo, cuke, yogurt and romaine, sprouts if I have them & kombucha

snack- peas lately

Dinner is usually a fairly small meal for me, last night was a baked pot with butter & yogurt, and some fresh sauteed green beans with lemon. Night before was Naan, chicken brown rice, cuke salad & yogurt.
I also usually have a cold beer while making dinner, sometimes one after while watching tv with hubby.

Does anything here jump out at you as wrong or too much of something?

 

[freemotion]

Everyone's metabolism is different, and your body likely needs some time to heal and cleanse. The thing that jumps out at me is the amount of grains and high glycemic carbs as compared to low glycemic veggies.

For the average woman to lose weight, you need to limit the HGI carbs to two servings per day....a serving is one piece of bread, 1/2 c beans (cooked dry beans) or lentils, etc. Avoid potatoes and corn altogether, and limit grains for a while, even at the two servings. Think yams and beans as your daily carbs.

This doesn't mean you write off pasta and potatoes forever, it means you avoid them while you are trying to lose weight. Limit fruit to one or two servings....but I don't like to do that while they are in season, it is too cruel.

And you need to WAY increase your LGI veggies....this will tell your body that food is plentiful, so there is no need to put on that layer of fat. It helps to kick your metabolism into high gear. Shoot for two lbs per day, which takes some work to do. You will feel like veggies are coming out of your pores! But you will feel better and after a few days, your body will kick into weight loss mode.

You have to figure out what the correct amounts are for you. Remember that beer, wine, etc will have the same effect, lowering your metabolism.

NO sugar of any kind while trying to lose weight. If you cheat, kick up the high-fiber, LGI veggies.

You described 6-12 servings of high glycemic carbs, depending on serving size. (Peas are carbs, too, unless you are talking about snow peas.) It is really a different way of thinking. But it is very easy to adjust for weight loss, maintenance, or high energy output times. And your body will ultimately shift as it heals, and you can handle insulin production and maintain blood sugar levels again. How long this takes is very individual.

 

[Dace]

That all makes good sense, I will up the low GI veggies.

Funny thing about me though is my typical diet includes fast food several times a week, and soda, and chips, crackers, cookies ice cream all kinds of crap.

When I want to lose a few lbs, I cut out fast food and I drop a few lbs. I am 5'7" and have never had weight trouble, up until I hit 37 I weighed 120-125 without even thinking about it. Then my metabolism started to slow as I neared 40. Now at 41, I weigh about 135 but right now I am feeling 140.

You would think with the simple elimination of the garbage the extra lbs would just melt away, but for some reason I seem to be putting weight on which is pretty abnormal for me.

 

[big brown horse]

y'all are killing me...I can't keep up!!

Don't worry Dace, I havn't made kombucha tea yet, or yogurt either.

 

[freemotion]

Dace, one thing most of us find out is that we seem to be getting away with our poor habits, then BOOM, it hits us when our body just can't take it anymore. The damage was there, your body could compensate for a long time. Your weight, by the way, sounds very appropriate for your height. I'm an inch shorter than you and 135 is a good weight for me. I used to get down to 120 when I worked on the horse farm, sometimes even less in the summer no matter how much I ate, and that was downright boney.

Teaching your children how to be healthy in their habits is one of the best things you can do for them. Somehow we can think we are doing ok if we eat junk-junk-junk and can still be thin and have energy, but it is just not true. The toll is invisible, then often irreversible.

During the Vietnam war, when all those 18 year olds were on the surgery tables, the condition of their arteries was far from pristine. No symptoms of heart problems or diabetes (it was still called Adult Onset) or even obesity, but the silent damage was there, thanks to hydrogenated fats, white flour, white sugar, and other highly processed displacing foods. These young men were the fittest guys around, too, by the time they were done with basic training. The typical American diet is far worse now.

Thank goodness we are figuring this out while we still have some decades left, and you have the opportunity to teach your kids.

 

[freemotion]

Speaking of carbs, this October-in-July weather has gotten me into fall food mode. Too many carbs today.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Supplements
pint of goat's milk warm hot chocolate
3 scrambled eggs with butter
a big bowl of corn/cuke salad
A double serving of swiss chard quiche with tomatoes
Popcorn with butter and romano cheese

It will get a lot easier when we get our new fridge on Sunday! I will actually have room for fresh produce, and will pick all that stuff in the garden...lettuce, cukes, and zucchini is waiting, along with some more herbs. I will be able to make a big cole slaw, which I have been craving but there is just no more room in the fridge right now, and I have those beans to refrigerate tomorrow....

 

[Blackbird]

Monique, did you happen to watch the Raw vs. Cooked foods video on YouTube? Susun Weed and Brigette Mars.

I thought it was a very interesting topic. It seems they each have a different definition of the words raw and cooked. Susun held a better argument and had more information I feel, but both had interesting insights. Never get tired of Susun Weed though, she's something else.

 

[noobiechickenlady]

I have a question, too. What is your definition of low glycemic? Most lists I have found includes all food under "50", but their lists include fruits & rice.

 

[Dace]

Free I opted to change out eating habits for the long term health benefits, so I know that I am on the right track. I just assumed that I would lose a couple pounds by cutting out the crap and have been surprised that I feel like I have put on weight.

I do have (and DH & all my kids!) a pretty slight frame, small boned little muscle....even when I worked out with weights, I could only get a small amount of definition. I have a nice little belly roll going...nothing serious, but I don't like it!

I just thought I would ask in case it had some meaning. I guess if I want to shed a few I will move more towards lower glycemic.

Thanks for your thoughts.

 

[Javamama]

Free, that swiss chard quiche sounds delish! Recipe, pretty please?

Dace, another thought, could it be hormonal changes, time of month stuff? That's when I get "fluffy"
Also, I think Free said it too, if you are healing from the inside out, it might just take some time. Changes in what you are eating will have an effect on the GI tract for awhile, especially if you are doing the kombucha and adding lots of veggie fiber to break down. Drink more water to help if you need to.
That's all the tips I can think of for now.