Monday, April 18, 2011

If it makes so much sense, why is it so dang hard?!

Those of you that keep up with the happenings around here (that have to do with #WINNING), have asked me what 'we' have been doing for our weight control 'contest'. 

We - okay, really, I - have been trying to eat high protein, low carb and unprocessed. If you strip it down, it is really eating as our ancestors ate.  If it was available to them, it is perfect. If it has been processed at all (pastas, canned soups, boxed, bagged or dry anything, etc.), it has been off limits (at least mentally). 

You know what that means, right? Right. Turn the pantry into a coat closet. IT IS ALL JUNK. 

It is truly astounding what we put in our bodies and in our children's bodies when you start paying attention. And, I am not just talking about high fat and high sugar foods.

In my past life, I was a Registered Dietitian, and one of our mantras when teaching classes on healthy eating was 'always shop the perimeter' which meant staying out of the aisles of the grocery store. I never paid much attention to that suggestion in my own life until recently. (For the record, I am seriously questioning the Food Guide Pyramid or whatever they call it nowadays. It is a bunch of bunk.)

It is really difficult, especially with children, to eat like a caveman. Plus, I am an all or none kind of girl. I either do it, do it right, or don't do it at all. And, the guilt when eating something processed is stressing me out completely!

Here is why. Because cutting all of that crap out of your meals and snacks works, yet it is a complete lifestyle change. In just three weeks, I have lost some girth, I feel great (with the exceptions of those times when I have caved and eaten carbs), and my mind is clear(er). My energy level is exponentially more than what it was four weeks ago. I can stay up past 9 o'clock on most evenings. True. But, it is very difficult to stick with, especially with kids in the house.

You certainly won't see pictures posted on this blog of my bitchin' bikini ready body... so you will just have to take my word for it that it exists. Okay, it isn't bitchin', but it wouldn't give you nightmares for a week if you saw it in a bikini right now. 

The processing to make our lives easier and meals more convenient is killing us.  It is no wonder that we are a nation of the obese, tired, and hypertensive. 

However, I would give virtually anything for someone to slip me a processed carb right now... stuffed with cheese, and smothered in a delicious sauce.   

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Have you done the Paleo or Primal Blueprint plans? Did they work for you? Most importantly, what have you done to make it lifestyle change instead of it being a temporary fix? I wanna know!! And, I really want to know if you have kids in your home!!
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And now, it is time to vote! Once a day. Remember, I write, you vote... and you should be COMMENTING. So many of you have awesome things to share with me, albeit not on the blog, but they would be such an addition to this one-sided conversation! Don't be afraid... go anonymous if you must!



1 comment:

  1. This post caught my attention because I have been for the past several months trying to follow an eat clean diet. Somewhat the same concept but it is a little less stringent on processed foods as long as no chemicals are added to the food. Carbs are not eliminated but definitely not the focus. It is really HARD! For my kids health I have been trying to avoid artifical dyes. Say good bye to almost ALL cereal. Life cereal has yellow dye...I mean really is it necessary. Vitamins have dyes! Dyes have been banned from Europe but from some reason we continue to put them into almost everything on the shelves in the grocery store. Back in the day I was a personal trainer and I could not tell people what to eat because that was not my training but I used to always give the tip of shopping the perimeter of the grocery store too. If anyone is interested you can find more on clean eating by searching Tosca Reno the eat clean diet. Its hard but I do believe it is the way we should eat. Good Luck Anne sounds like you are doing great!!!
    Sandie

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