OK, first things first. I am going to admit that I have always been one of those non-dieters. One of those annoying people who can eat anything they want and not worry about it. Until...I hit 30. They (whomever 'they' is) don't lie when they tell you that as you get older and closer to...*gulp*...middle age your metabolism slows way the heck down. I can now attest to the truth in that assertion as much as I wanted it to be a big old lie.
After Jillian was born I hung on to a lot of weight. In truth, almost 2 and a half years later and I was only down 3 lbs from what I weighed the say she was born. 'Course she weighed 6 lbs 6 oz so make what you want to out of that. Most people brag that the weight just melts off when they are breastfeeding, so not the case for me! So long story short, I have been hanging onto a lot of weight and it's all around my middle.
It's true what they (there 'they' are again) say about belly fat. Gaining belly fat is dangerous to your health and the precursor to a myriad of health problems. Not to mention I was feeling icky every time I tried to button my pants. Muffin tops are only good when they are the kind you bake in the oven.
I came across a book called The Belly Fat Cure and although I don't ever read diet books, the name made me giggle in it's literalness. It was only $6 to download it on the nook so I thought I'd give it a shot. I was excited when I started reading it and realized it was all based on the balancing the body's insulin. Now this is something I know about! Everything I read made total sense. This was not a fad diet. This was science and biology at it's best. I decided to dive right in and try the challenge. First of because I knew I needed to change my diet. I eat well, but my soda habit has been my sore spot. Second, it promised results in one week. I am a product of the instant gratification era, if I can't see a little improvement quickly I tend to give up.
So 8 days ago I jumped in with everything I could give it.
The Plan:
15/6
In other words 15g of sugar a day and 6 servings of Carbs.
(I thought this would be so hard. I thought I'd have a VERY hard time, but let me go on...)
- The carbs needed to be as unrefined as possible, whole grains. This is easy for me, I ate english muffins, bagels and bread made from sprouted grains. I love them anyway.
- Read all labels for hidden sugar
- Artificial Sweetener is ok. (For me Stevia and Xylitol only. I don't do chemical sweetener.)
- Balance the carb intake throughout the day, no saving it up for one carb binge.
- Do NOT skip meals.
And that is basically it. It's not a diet, it's a lifestyle. I do think my sugar intake eeked up closer to 20g but I still saw great results. As in, I would wake up and look smaller.
So here is the part where I give my warning. PICS are coming. If you don't want to see my icky belly fat...maybe close your eyes, or give up reading now.
Day 1
Waist :34"- Weight:135
That was embarrassing! But it illustrates my point.
Day 8
Waist: 29"- Weight: 130
So one week in and I am jazzed enough to keep going. I can't wait to be back at my healthy goal weight again. I feel so much better too.
Things I have noticed since I went almost all sugar and HFCS-free:
- I am less tired, have tons of energy.
- I have more patience (a lot more patience!)
- I am happier, when I would drink a large soda I would have little flashes where I felt suddenly sad for no explicable reason. It was fleeting but bizarre. Sugar causes depression.
- I am hardly ever hungry! I experience enough hunger to eat what I need but i am not ravenous.
- I have little desire to snack.
- My clothes fit!!!
Sugar and High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) inhibit the brains ability to tell you you are full. This is one of the ways people gain weight when they eat a lot of sugar. Eating a large amount of sugar (or refined carbs which turn right into sugar) tells your pancreas to dump a large amount of insulin into your body. It's never good to flood the body with insulin. The idea is to space it out evenly so that the insulin level in the body remains balanced.
Throughout the week I had moments where I craved something sweet. Interestingly I did not crave full sugar soda. The thought of it kind of made me nauseated. I created a delicious smoothie that I could eat that was almost sugar free. This is what I treat myself with at night.
Berry Smoothie
1/2c frozen berries (6g sugar)
1/2 c plain yogurt
1/2 c Almond milk (6g sugar)
Dash of vanilla
1 tsp Xylitol
Ice
These are so good that the whole family begs me to make them now. For 12g of sugar they cannot be beat. I also decided that I would cheat a little on the last day of each week and get a light frappuchino from Starbucks. Oddly, I seem to have cut back on coffee too. I did not do that intentionally but I am down to a cup or two every 4 days.
That's it for now. I'll report back next week with more progress. Wish me luck!
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