High-Carb Day

In general, trying to keep my complex carbohydrate and sugar intake low has become my norm. However, I find the hardest time to do that is when the people I spend the most time with are eating anything and everything on the weekend.

My husband, like many husbands I know of, doesn't care to make all the changes I want to make. So, of course, when he is home on the weekend, the boys get treats that I don't buy on a regular basis anymore. 

Rather than fight over it, I just use the weekend, usually only one day, to relax and have a high carb day, which can actually work in my favor if I am trying to lose weight!

Put simply, this sort-of works to jolt my metabolism so when I go back to low carb the next day, my body will respond to the change and not plateau. (You can study carb cycling if you are interested.)

This method seems to work out okay for me. I don't typically "fall of the wagon"  and ruin what I've been doing.

So, to show you an example, my meal for this past Sunday included a baked patato, which I tend to stay away from through the week. We also had steamed broccoli and pork loin, which we cooked in the crockpot with a bottle of pork marinade on low all day. Mmmmm!

Little Changes=Big Payoffs

Back to the diet changes I made:

I got more diligent about checking labels for low sugar, low carbohydrates, the ingredients to avoid and the ingredients to include.

I became very brand-specific in my choices.  This can be extremely difficult when you have a strict budget to stick to, but fortunately I was able to buy the brands I found fit my criteria best.

I definitely know there are still probably better alternatives out there, but I've yet to make it to a Trader Joe's or Whole Foods because they aren't close to my house.  So, I make due with what I know is better so far.  My health is getting so much better since starting on doTerra oils, cleanses, and supplements a month ago!  I am hoping to learn more and make more changes as my energy and endurance increases.

I'll list some of my favorites as far as not-too-terrible ingredients and still great tasting in the recipes I list here so you can get an idea of what I use on a daily basis.  The important thing is to just start making some changes that won't stress you out.  Change a few things at a time, like using Hunt's All Natural Ketchup instead of the ones with high fructose corn syrup.  Some people would never think of even eating that, but every step forward is still a step forward.

I definitely know I won't continue anything that tastes gross or is a big nuisance to obtain.  I just won't, and I think you have to know what you will realistically do and start there.  I know I'm not going to be ordering a bunch of food from the internet, driving miles in traffic to grocery shop, going to several different stores, or growing my own garden.  I just don't have time to do those things at this point, nor any desire.  I just do what I can do with a joyful heart, and those changes have paid off big for me.  I feel better, look better, think better, my test numbers are all in good ranges now... Remember, every little change helps and little changes add up over time.  Just do what you can do.

Tip:  After nixing the sugary drinks out of your diet, start checking all the condiments and dressings.  There are many easy dressings you can make yourself, but if you won't, at least cut down on that sugar and get those nasty oils out of your fridge!  

Baby Steps

More of my beginning: 

Though I decided I need not follow man-made rules or opinions regarding what I ate, I also knew that God has chosen to work through humankind.

I actually know people who will not read books written by other people. Yes, I'm serious.  They will only read the Bible.  I personally think that is an incredible insult to God because it is He who gives wisdom unto man.  None of us will get it all right.  We will write or speak some things that are spot-on in line with God and there will be times our opinions and human logic stick out instead.

I learned a long time ago to be aware that God is still alive and still speaking through humans.  Humans are flawed and sometimes we get the messages messed up for sure.  The many thousands of ideas and breakthroughs in medicine, science, technology, etc... however prove that mankind does get it right as well, and if we choose to shut ourselves off from that, we miss out on a great deal of God's beauty and wisdom manifested through the crowning glory of creation-mankind.

So, I realized I should pray and ask God to direct me to what HE wanted me to read and learn from...to ask Him to help me discern truth from lies and to keep me alert in throwing out the bad and embracing the good.

One of the first books I read was The Belly Fat Cure.  It was simple and to the point.  It was easy to understand and follow.  It was a way to start making decent changes to ward off sickness and disease and help my body (His Temple) stay productive.

Do I agree with everything in the book?  Not at all.  I don't believe in millions of years of evolution for example, but that doesn't mean the author is a flake in my eyes.  He has some very good information that has changed my life and kept me at a steady weight for three years now.  I am grateful to him for stepping out and writing for others.

The basis of this book is that before the Industrial Revolution, people didn't consume so much processed food, especially sugar.  Obesity became a problem after that time in history.  Heart disease busted on the scene and doctors scrambled to the conclusion that it must be fat making people fat!  The "new" diet plan was to eat "heart healthy" which became an epic failure because it focused on a lot of carbs that turn to what?  Sugar.  People continued to get bigger and diabetes and cancer hit new highs.

Well, finally something was making sense to me!  I read studies about how it actually isn't fats making us fat and revving disease, it is sugar and carbs.  The author of the book went on to tell about his system of watching your intake of servings of carbs per day, as well as keeping your sugar grams low.

I began by simply reading two things on food labels:  carbohydrates and sugars.  I was stunned at what I had been eating that was deemed as "healthy!"

I began to lose inches around my midsection as I made these simple changes.  I couldn't believe the difference...even in how I felt physically.

As I read more, I learned some major ingredients to avoid: corn syrup, high fructose corn syrup, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, MSG, enriched flour...

I learned some good ingredients to look for:  whole grains, omega 3 oils, stevia...

You have to think about what kind of person you are and how you work best.  I know that if I try to make a bunch of changes at once, I most always fail, and it takes me a long time to get back on the horse!  If I work on small baby steps and change one or two things at a time, I sustain those changes.

Start making simple changes and work your way up until you are living the lifestyle habits right for you and your family.  Sugar intake is a big deal to me because diabetes is big in both sides of our family, however so is thyroid disorder so we stay away from all things soy, which many people think is fabulous for you.  It's not fabulous for us!  

What is best for you and yours may not be what is best for another family so be mindful, seek wisdom, and then start walking forward implementing a little at a time.

Tip:  If you need a place to start, cut out the sugary drinks and drink more water :)  Carry some small packs of stevia with you and at restaurants, ask for water with lemons and cherries.  Add the stevia and you have yourself a nice cherry lemonade!

Food Rules!

About five years ago, it seemed like people all around me were radically changing their eating habits.  What was my normal from growing up was suddenly looking disgusting compared to what I was hearing others talk about putting in their mouths, and I did not know what I was to do with that!

To say I was overwhelmed would be an understatement.  To say that I was hurt a few times by others condemning and judgmental remarks about my kids and me is being kind. 

I love to learn new things.  I like to be taught by others.  However, I found very few people in those days willing to have a polite conversation about what they had learned and why they were making changes.  They seemed to just want to impose their food laws on me.

My "normal" was nothing like what these folks were describing they were eating.  My dad grew up on a farm in the country and though his family had a garden and livestock, they fried everything in bad fats. My mom grew up in the city for most of her life, and her family didn't have much money so they ate whatever they could get!

When my parents married, they also struggled to make ends meet for a long time.  It was standard that my dad worked 16 hour days or more even by the time I came along twelve years into their marriage.

My momma cooked like she had been taught and tried to learn to cook like my dad enjoyed.  I am the youngest of three children.  I was quite a surprise for my parents and my brothers are 8 and 12 years older than me.  They were often not around and it would just be my parents and me at dinnertime.  Unfortunately, I became a very picky child and my parents didn't push me to try new things.  I was pregnant with my first son before I had a real salad!

So, as you can imagine, when five years ago, people in my sphere were talking about putting vegetables in everything and not allowing their kids any sugar, etc... well, I was overwhelmed.  Sodas and snacks were my normal, and I didn't know how bad they were for me!

To make matters harder, it wasn't even like these people around me were all in agreement with what they were eating either.  So many people were doing so many different things and one would say, "You should eat this!" and another would say, "No!  Never eat that!"

I was so confused and so tired of feeling like a complete failure as a wife and mom because of food that I tried to avoid anybody that was talking about the subject!

One day while reading the Bible, I was struck by Romans 14 that touches on what we eat.  I realized that like many things, this was another individual issue for each of us before the Lord and none of us should be trying to be the Holy Spirit for others.

As I searched God's Word more for direction and prayed, He led me to other passages for my family.  I began to understand that different people will face different issues, and if we are seeking God for wisdom for what we need to do, then He promises to give that wisdom liberally to His children who ask Him for it...even regarding what we should eat or abstain from.

That brought me a lot of peace, and I no longer avoided conversations because I didn't want to feel attacked; I avoided them because I wanted God's opinion and not man's! 

I will continue to share on the steps God walked me through, but I am praying today that if you are in the dazed and confused place of, "Where do I even start?" that you will be enveloped with peace and begin to hear God direct your steps. :)