#1. Oh, hi there, yeah it's been a while.. and #2. You can't say I didn't warn you! ;)
I promised a post about how I've been losing weight and whatnot. For me, it's really not so much about weight loss as it is about being healthy, and if you're looking for a quick-fix, lose-30-pounds-in-30-days kind of deal, you may want to stop reading because this is definitely NOT it. Chances are, none of those are "it".. because what they don't tell you is that the moment you've lost the 30 pounds in 30 days (if that is at all possible), the fine print is that you'll gain 60 pounds back in the next 30 days once you get back into your normal life routine...
Having said that, you've probably heard all of this before... "It has to be a lifestyle change".. "Diet and exercise is the only way you'll really lose weight".. "Portion control" and yada yada yada... We hear that all the time and usually have to learn the hard way that all those statements are actually true! Who knew!
Here's a few facts about what I've been doing the last month or so...
- I've lost 13 pounds so far!!!
- Surprisingly, this has been much easier than any other "diet" I've done!
- I have yet to begin working out.. I know, I know, 70% diet + 30% exercise. I just have to get in the swing of things. Problem is, I get bored easily when working out.. I'm planning on starting a rotation of biking, working out at my mom's gym and workout vids :)
I get asked a lot of questions about what I've been doing and how it works, etc... etc.. So, here's a little FAQ followed by a few of my favorites! :)
This is basically how a typical conversation about my weight loss goes:
1. Soo, what exactly ARE you doing?
I'm doing a little something called the "No Whites" diet, but with my own little tweaks. No whites means basically nothing that's white (with a few exceptions).. No white flour, no white potatoes, no soda or artificially flavored drinks, no white rice and no white sugar (or high fructose corn syrup), and actually no brown sugar because I found out that it's just white sugar mixed with molasses. :/
Basically, I'm trying to eat everything as close to the way that God made it.. Yes, ORGANIC.. there, I said it. The word Organic has always somewhat irked me because when you hear that word there's sort of this imagery attached to it. Like, you immediately picture some obsessive hippie who wears organic corduroy pants, doesn't use hair product and won't wear deodorant or shave their armpits... There's this whole world attached when you start getting into the whole organic thing. But when I started thinking about it, almost EVERYTHING we eat has some sort of white sugar, high fructose corn syrup or some kind of processed form of corn. Not good! After trying to lose weight several other times and not succeeding, my husband, Ty had the idea of taking all sugar out of my diet. I agreed that it would make a huge difference and decided to go the whole 9-yards and take out all whites that were processed. Almost all the food in my pantry is now organic, and it feels GREAT to know that what you are putting in your body doesn't have extra junk that you didn't know about and is making you fat!
2. So if you don't eat any of that stuff.. what the heck DO you eat?!
I actually eat a LOT.. I've tried the Atkins diet before and was MISERABLE because my body just NEEDS carbs (I know there's at least one other person out there who understands how I feel!!) So the thing I love about this is it's all about substitution.. Instead of white bread, I eat whole wheat bread.. white rice < brown rice.. white sugar < honey.. white potatoes < sweet potatoes (in moderation).. white pasta < whole grain pasta.. soda < 100% juice.. I also eat a LOT of meat, eggs, cheese, nuts and fruit.
3. What about potatoes, aren't they all natural.. And milk, eggs or yogurt, aren't they white?
Potatoes are natural, but they're loaded with carbs, so for me.. I try to steer clear of them.. I'll probably add them in later on, but for now I've decided to nix them. I do however eat sweet potatoes once in a while since they're healthier. As for yogurt, most yogurt has sugar in it, however, I do eat either plain greek yogurt with fresh fruit or greek yogurt with honey. Mmm.. That stuff is amazing and so very good for you! Milk and eggs are also great as long as they're all natural. I keep it classy and drink 1% milk. It's a good balance, I think. ;)
4. Do you ever cheat?
On tests, no. On this eating plan, *sigh* yes. For the first 2-3 weeks, I was very strict on myself and did not cheat. A couple of weeks ago I had my wisdom teeth taken out and kind of ate whatever I could.. which wasn't always healthy. There was also Ty's birthday... so yeah there have been a few cheat days, but I'm back and going strong now, so I'm excited for the next phase of weight loss!! I'm not against cheat days, but they should definitely be in moderation. There will ALWAYS be a birthday, graduation, anniversary, special occasion, bar mitzvah or whatEVER reason for you to eat unhealthy, but you just gotta get to a point where you learn to say no, set a goal for yourself and when you hit that goal, then and ONLY then you treat yourself a little bit. ;) Rather suck it up and go strong for a few months and lose the weight instead of cheating here and there and there and there and there, and then dragging out the whole process over years and years. Self control is the big winner here!
5. Is there anything you haven't given up?
Well, yes. There are one or 3 things that I just won't cut out completely. For example, cream cheese once in a while. OH! And Chik-Fil-A sauce... Nuff said. That stuff is like nectar from Heaven and I just can't eat a Chik-Fil-A grilled chicken sandwich without it! In moderation of course! :) Condiments are usually the thing I gotta have (especially when Pollo Tropical has a whole bar full of them!), so I just use them in moderation now.. What can I say, I'm a saucy girl!
6. So you only eat it if there are 0 sugars on the label?
Noooooo way Jose! It's all about checking the ingredients. Most foods have natural sugars, especially if there is fruit involved. So no, just make sure you check the ingredients. If it says sugar, high fructose corn syrup or sucralose, then it's no good!
7. What about multi-grain bread?
Multi-grain is another way of saying "White bread with a few different whole grains thrown in there".. Pretty much anything can be multi-grain if you just add a couple of grains in the mix. I generally try to steer away from them, and instead only stick to 100% whole wheat and whole grain products.
8. Oh and Splenda.. it's not sugar, so you can eat it, right?
Personally, I don't use any other sweetener other than honey.. Most of those artificial sweeteners are just that... artificial. Kind of defeats the whole purpose of organic. Many of them are not approved by the FDA and I'm not willing to ingest rat poison and who knows what else just to have something sweet. I'm good with honey! :) The only exception is Xylitol.. Xylitol is another word for fruit sugar, they basically extract the natural sugar from fruits and uses it as a sweetener.. Still, I don't eat it much, maybe a couple of times a month.
9. Any other tips?
Myfitnesspal.com - This one is a MUST! There is an app for your phone (or you can track everything online if you don't have a smart phone).. This site is completely free and has a database of over 200,000 foods with all of their nutritional information. Including most items from all well known restaurants around America. Very helpful for when you're out at a restaurant and wanting to compare foods to see which one is healthier and/or which has more calories. You can also track your weight loss/measurements and there's a great community of people on there. It's great when you do it with friends too.. and did I mention it's FREE!!?
Lastly, here are some of my favorites so far!
Favorite Breakfast:
Starbucks Perfect Oatmeal (I omit the brown sugar and use honey instead) and..
Cascadian Farms Organic Fruit & Nut Granola (best granola EVER!)
Favorite Snack:
Cheddar cheese, grapes and whole grain Wheat Thins
Favorite Fast Food Meal:
Pollo Tropical Tropi-Chop with brown rice and..
Chik-Fil-A chargrilled chicken sandwich on whole wheat
Favorite Sweet Treat:
Sauteéd Fruit with Honey drizzled over and...
Sugar Free Jello Mousse (made with Xylitol)
And that about wraps it up.. Now I do want to say, this is what's been working for ME, it's not necessarily for everyone (although I do think everyone can benefit from eating healthier!) The best thing you can do is analyze the way that you eat and make decisions for you that are going to create a healthier lifestyle for you! Just take a look at the labels of the things you eat, you'd be shocked at how many chemicals and how much corn syrup/sugar/fructose is going into your body every day!
Till next time!! :)
