Warning, this blog contains diet talk. lol
Okay, I've tried no carbs, low carbs, high carbs. I've tried low calories, low portions and low fat. Still no progress. I'm just about ready to quit. If it was just a simple fact of my clothes looking better on me, I would just resign to being fat. (They make clothes in the size of "tent" don't they?) But, my heath is at risk. I've got high blood pressure. My knees are starting to hurt, and I can't tie my shoes without passing out.(Okay, the last one was a little bit of an exaggeration, but not much.)
The first problem is, I don't know what to do. First the doctors are telling you to eat high carb. Then they are telling you to eat low carb with high fat. Next they are telling you to eat low fat. Now I just heard on the news that they don't think eating saturated fats have anything to do with high cholesterol. Does anyone know what's going on? I mean, come on! Us fat people are trying to lose weight here.
Then I watched an episode of Oprah. Finally someone has put out in main stream media what I have, deep down, known all along. Eat what your grandma and grandpa did. No more processed foods, no more meat with antibiotics in it, and eat more "real" food. Will it be more expensive at the grocery store? YES! But, we splurge on toilet paper, why not splurge on stuff that will keep us out of the doctors offices? (Well I guess good tp could keep out out of the doctor's office too.) We are conditioned through media to think we love the taste of fast food. Next time you go,(and I know you will) stop and think,"Does this really taste good?" 9 times out of 10 you will say,"No!" So why do we love the idea of eating at fast food restaurants. To me, it's the convenience. When I get off work it's so much faster and easier to go through the drive thru, than it is to go home around 7 pm and try to figure out what to have for dinner. But we are sacrificing convenience for taste and health. What's wrong with us?
This thought is protrade in the movie Food Inc. I have watched it and, yes, it did change the way that I look at food. My problem is once again convenience. I need to make it a priority to plan out my food ahead of time so that I won't even think about eating out. Maybe that will help with losing weight. We shall see.
Now with that in mind, I'm trying to figure out what we like to eat and what we would like to try. My garden, this year, has to be a lot bigger. (Hey exercise!) I have to plant more than just tomatoes, beans,and corn. (Although Hubby doesn't think there are any other veggies.)I need to TRY different veggies. Does anyone out there have any suggestion? Or, does anyone have any recipes that use "real" food. (Kelle, this is your expertise!LOL). I'm getting back on our bandwagon of eating real food. Oh, and smaller portions wouldn't hurt either. lol.
So until later.....
Small Farm Girl,bandwagon getter back oner. (It is a word....that I made up)
19 comments:
Well, I'm trying the low fat deal at this very moment. Started Feb 1 - and cut out salt and only eat what ever salt is in the meal already. I am a salt-a-holic, but already my knees feel better only after 6 days. They aren't swollen, probably due to the cut back in salt. And I eat small portions, which is killing me. So I drink water to fill me up or celery when I get the urge to eat. Going one day at a time. Will weigh myself one time a week, which will be Monday's. I am PRETTY FLUFFY so it's going to take probably 8-9 months to get back to what I need to be. It's hard for me, as I am sure it is for you. But, we must do this SFG!!! ...debbie
I agree with you Debbie. Me must do it. It's going to take me a while too. Because I am extra fluffy. hehehehe
Keep up the good work. I've been working on losing weight over the last 2 years. Once you find something that works, stick with it and it does get easier.
I've lost 140 pounds since Thanksgiving 2007. Since then we've moved to our farm (I would have never been able to do farm work with how large I was). Now I love working outside!
Bil
I struggle with all these things, too.
I have strongly come to believe that the "food pyramid" is political NOT based on good science. They recommend a lot of carbs & don't tell folks that cereal & bread are not a good form of carbs.
I've been hearing for some time now that you can pay for it either way - in more $$ at the grocery or later at the doctor. (Of course, i don't believe that what passes for health care are good choices, either.)
I think that your comment on "eat what your grandparents (in some cases great-grandparents) ate" is the best advice of all. Part of the problem is that we have been taken with the idea of quick, fast, convenient. Dr. Mercola says that if you are going to eat healthy SOMEONE has to pay for that with time in the kitchen. I am trying very hard to change my attitude about that. It has to be me, 'cause hubby won't & i'm the one who cares so much.
Ah, the choices in life.
I believe that we need a lot of different things in our diets, including carbohydrates and fats. Of course, not all of them are created equal. A varied diet consisting of real, nutritious food accompanied with physical exercise is good for people. Fast food loaded with bad fats and bad carbs (it may satisfy even if it doesn't taste good), especially when coupled with limited physical movement, is not good for people. Americans are obsessed with 'healthy eating' and different diet fads, but we're some of the most unhealthy (and overweight) people in the world.
So, eat like your great-grandparents did, especially if they lived in a rural area and grew/prepared much of their food. Fresh fruits and vegetables are good for you (and what you grow tastes so much better than anything you can buy). Fresh, raw milk is good for you (pasteurized, homogenized milk extracted from corn-fed antibiotic-dosed cows isn't). Grass-fed beef and pasture-raised poultry are good for you (CAFO meat isn't).
Maybe the goal shouldn't be to lose weight. Maybe it should be to be healthy, and size will follow. I was blessed to grow up poor which required my family to grow much of our food (big gardens). I attended a college with a food service department that was obsessed with 'healthy & wholesome' food, shaping my notions of good food. We currently raise/grow a lot of our own food and what we purchase is primarily non-processed (whole grains and beans kind of things). I haven't eaten at a fast food place in almost 20 years. I haven't had a Coke or other soda in well over 20 years. These things do not appeal to me.
You can do it. You're taking steps in the right direction. You have a desire that will motivate you. Relax. One of the greatest health detriments there is is stress. Seek peace; pursue it earnestly.
dp
Thanks guys! Your support means everything.
Bill..all I can say is WOW! That's a lot of weight to lose. How exciting!
Kathryn...I think we are so much alike in the way we think it's scary. heheh
Dp..How wonderful for you that you could be raised that way. I don't drink sodas. I just don't like them either. The fast food, well that's another story. I need to work on that.
Hey, we're kindred spirits! Yeah, I have a lot of suggestions, more than fit in a decent comment box :) Maybe a good first start would be to try a couple of different veggies a week, trying them a couple of different ways and trying to keep it simple. Some foods I thought I hated were my childhood tastes or ways relatives used to fix them that I didn't like...like sweet potatoes all sugared up. When I learned to roast them with onions and other chunked root veggies and a drizzle of olive oil or just bake them and eat with salt and a small pat of butter. As far as carbs and all that, we're simply trying to eat as close to nature as possible, which eliminates all processed things and chemicals. The things that get kept in moderation, interestingly, end up being the things we would have to buy at the store if living on most of what we would grow in the garden...things like salt, olive oil, etc, are things we'd have to buy and therefore use judicially in cooking instead of a whole lot of. I'd love to keep blathering on and on about this subject, as it's something we're in the process of adopting ourselves...getting out of the modern way of thinking is a real process :) You're doing GREAT :)
Oops, meant to say that when I learned to eat sweet potatoes different ways than when I was a child, I really loved them, especially when paired with any beef or for something hot to accompany some raw foods...there's just something comforting about warm food in the winter. I never thought we'd like pumpkin and winter squash, either, and suspected they were hard to prep and cook. NOT :) I put the entire pumpkin on a cookie sheet and bake till the skin can be easily pierced with a steak knife...voila! And then I cut away the shell and seeds easily. blah blah blah. See? I have to try not to hijack the comments section :)
Robbyn, me and you need to get together. hehehe. Looks like I could learn a thing or two.
hey there, i'm new to your blog, but hopefully it's okay if i put in my two cents.
i am a big advocate of less processed foods (though i love a frozen pizza as much as the next girl)
one thing i've found that helps me use less over-processed food is my crock pot. it's easy, quick, and you can make a lot of healthy recipes. i just set it up in the morning, and by supper everything's ready to go!
one idea i've used in the past to help with portioning things out (to help prevent over-eating) is to put the leftovers away BEFORE i sit down to eat... i portion out my plate full, (and let my kids and husband serve themselves) then put the rest in the fridge right away. if i feel i want more, i try to have another drink (of water, milk or the like) and wait to see if i really need it. it seems to help those unthinking 'oh, i'll just have a wee bit more' second servings.
just a thought :)
wishing you the best,
oh, and as i skimmed your post and the comments again, i was struck by a thought/memory... i'd listened to a radio broadcast some time ago on 'basic healthy eating' and what they stressed was that, generally, it was the foods that most people find LEAST socially 'vogue' that are the healthiest for us... cabbage, sardines, liver and other organ meats, sweet potatoes, parsnips, etc.... if society might consider it 'low class' (other than fast food) chances are it's pretty good for you...
two extra cents, evidently
SFG I can surely sympathize with your plight, losing weight is very hard, keeping it off even more so. For me, the best and most intelligent diet plan I`ve ever found is the American Diabetes plan.
My MIL is a diabetic and thier food plans are sensible and easy to follow. I`ve dropped twenty pounds slowly, over a year, and although its not a major loss it is a healthy one that my doctor stands firmly behind.
We`re there for ya gal!
SFG,
Struggling right along with you. After years of dieting you know what I found is working best for me, getting my system working full steam ahead. After years of eating junk foods, drinking diet pop(which BTW is proven to make your fat cell increase), eating out, etc.... I'm taking vitamins trying to get my system regulated again, changed our diet, eating more raw foods or naturally fermented foods, drinking raw milk and dairy products. Funny thing is when we got our Jersey cow, everyone said, "Oh! you're going to clog up your heart, get fatter etc....!" You know what both Mike and I lost weight when we began drinking raw milk, funny isn't it but if you think about it it hasn't been processed, or homogenized, so your body has to work to break down the milk fat molecules and most are passed out before much is absorbed.
Get a book called "Nourishing Traditions" by Sally Fallon and read it. Now some of it we won't do, like consume organ meats or eat raw meat, but in general once your read it you'll understand why we've become a nation of overweight people.
Over the last 2 yrs I've lost 38#, now I back slid last winter, but have been working extra hard not to add any weight back on this winter( maybe 1-3 lbs added) I just have to remember that I didn't put it on overnight so why should I think it will come off that soon.
Keep working at it, wish you were closer we could partner up and help each other.
Blessings,
Kelle
Simply complicated..Thank you for visiting my blog! Your ideas are wonderful.
Feral...I heard that diet was a good one.
Kelle...You don't know how much I wished you lived closer to me. We could really get into a lot of trouble. hehehehehe
We have been planting different kinds of things in our garden each year just to try. We tried eggplant and discovered that neither one of us liked it so we wont be planting that again. I really like to cut up root veggies, sprinkle them with Italian herbs, salt and pepper and some olive oil, bake them in 350 degree oven for about an hour. It brings out the sweetness in the veggies and if you have any left over you can cut them up and use them in soup. I have cut back on HFCS and MSG. I couldnt figure out why my ankles were swelling up so much but after I cut out anything with MSG in it (including all fast food) my ankles dont swell up any more. We also are going to cut out all processed sugar and going to use local honey instead. Our far distant ancestors never used processed sugar. They flavored everything with herbs. Salt was very expensive. I think we flavor everything way too much and cover up the natural taste of the food.
im commenting just to feel included,, kisses shivers:)
Yes, it confusing all the mixed health messages we recieve. We rarely ever eat fast food now and I've decided to make more homemade things, too, to save money. We used to 'treat' ourselves every week with take-out pizza at $10-$20 just for one pizza. Now I make pizzas from scratch at home using my breadmaker. I do still buy the cheese and the pepperoni, and the tomatoe sauce but everything else is made at home and assembled and costs less than $4.00 per pizza and is much healthier, too. We can add lots of veggies, too, if we like.
Good luck in your weight loss efforts.
~Lisa
It is no doubt confusing. I also agree that the easiest "diet" is to just eat real food. Fast food, processed food, none of that counts as food. It gets hard to retrain one's brain and pallette to taste real food again, though. I'm actually poking around the internet this morning while waiting for the mall to open up so I can go get some quality cross trainer-type sneakers. My main problem is that I need to get my big butt moving. I've got about 70 pounds that need to come off.
Best of luck in your efforts.
I think it's obvious you are not alone out there, SFG. Most of us want to cut back at least a little weight, and we all want to eat healthier for our bodies.
First off, fast food smells good because of the fat. It's scientifically proven that animals (and this includes humans) are geared to respond to the odor of the highest calorie foods for survival. Think about it: if you were out in the wild, fending for yourself, you'd need calories to survive. Fat would be the best source you could get. Therefore fast food is playing on our most primal instincts. Don't believe me? Try it on your dog.
Next, making a daily menu ahead of time cured my need for poor, last-minute food choices. I've always suffered from digestion problems, and I've gained way too much weight in the past two years (damn those Starbucks pumpkin scones!!). I originally started using the Vitabot online meal planner when I joined a local gym, but I've since ditched the gym and kept the Vitabot. Yeah, it requires a subscription fee (about $12 a month), but it works for me. This thing gives you letter grades based on how good your meals are in categories like vitamins, minerals, omega fats, etc. Losing weight has been a great side-effect, but the major change for me is how much better my whole body feels. It's truly worthwhile.
Good luck with your goals, SFG. We're all here with you.
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