Finding Time To Do It All

Braces Suck as Much as Crutches

Yesterday I got braces on my teeth.  My bite has been messed up for years, and I'm finally doing something about it (and yeah, my teeth were a little crooked too - but I'm really not doing this to fix them; it's just a pleasant side effect).  I planned a meal as if I would be able to eat it...

Unfortunately the pain didn't wait a day (I expected my teeth to be sore but not quite so quickly).  You know how it takes you a day or two to get sore after a big workout?  That's what I was expecting.  Not two hours after getting the damn things on my teeth!

So I cooked a roast in the crock pot.  By the time I cooked the rest of dinner, I just opted for potatoes because I knew by then I wasn't going to be eating much anyway.  And I cooked the shit out of the potatoes, until they were nearly creamy.  It turned out to be a smart choice because I couldn't chew those bitches, either.

Then I got a wise idea to fix toast, because that's soft, right?  WRONG!  When you eat gluten-free bread, the crust is really hard (like French bread).  I couldn't bite through the crust.  So then I tore the toast in half, thinking I could chew the soft middle.  WRONG AGAIN!  I couldn't chew a thing - because every time I did, I shredded some tender part of my mouth.  Turns out that metal is really sharp!

Utltimately I survived the night, but I'm not sure I can survive the weight loss regimen (i.e. not eating).  I love food, people, especially Reese's peanut butter cups, and if I can't eat them, I'll die.  I mean that literally; I will wither away and die.  I have a hard time keeping weight on, and I can't live on milkshakes (I might try though). 

I know, I know, the pain won't last forever.  Just about long enough for me to get over it and then go have the damn wires adjusted...but in eight weeks I'm pretty sure I'll lose more than a few pounds, and I'll look emaciated.

Yes, I admit it, tooth pain is the worst for me.  I've broken lots of bones (98 of them, actually - some were repeats), and yes, they hurt when the break.  They even keep me awake at night with pain.  However, they don't often make me want to CRY when they ache.  Teeth, on the other hand, make me want to bawl my eyes out when they hurt.  I don't know why that is, but it is.  Call me a crybaby if you want to, I don't care.  Just please make my teeth stop hurting!

Hopefully next week will be better - or maybe a run will help me forget about my teeth.  What I'm afraid of though is that all the bouncing will make my teeth hurt.  I can't win, right?

OK, enough ranting.  I hope you enjoyed the pictures.  And in case you're wondering, I went with all metal (instead of clear) because you can see the stupid things anyway, and I wanted to rock the school-girl smile as long as I could. :)

 

Cheating!

When you cheat on your diet, who are you cheating?  Your wallet?  Yourself?  Your spouse?  I say, just yourself.  But what do I know...I started a "diet" and I "cheated" (accidentally) within the first week!

I wrote a little while ago about starting the paleo challenge.  I'm on my last week, and all I can say is, when everyone in your house isn't joining in on a diet, it's really hard.  I have no idea how real dieters are able to lose weight because when your children are too young to get what they need/want to eat (and everything isn't nutritious), it's hard not to take two crackers/Cheez-its/potato chips/cookies for yourself.

I started the challenge not to lose weight, but to feel better, and feel better I do.  But I also learned a few things about myself, which I will talk about below.  At any rate, I'm glad I did the paleo challenge because I now eat a lot more healthfully and I avoid wheat-based products like the plague.

So, here's what I learned:

My wheat allergy goes much deeper than I thought.  Most grasses make me sneeze or break out, and I can't eat rye at all.  Whole wheat always made me break out in a rash if I had too much of it, as does beer - but I could eat bleached flour without a problem.  Now that I've completely cut gluten from my diet, I don't have aches and pains like I used to, my allergies are better, and let's just say that the monthly curse of being a woman is much, much less painful (TMI?).

I can get past the things I think I love to eat.  My go-to snack for awhile has been Cheez-Its.  I have no idea how I got started on them, but those little crackers go well with Coke, beer, or water.  You can control how many you eat and sometimes two is enough.  After three weeks of having had only two Cheez-Its (that was the accidental cheating; I was fixing some for Little P and absent-mindedly took two.  When I realised what I'd done, I was disappointed, but I had already swallowed them so I moved on), I no longer even like them.  No joke.  I tried two of them the other day and they literally tasted like shit and I said, out loud, "I can't believe I used to love these things!".  I did the same thing with potato chips (Lays regular, if you're wondering) and had the exact same reaction: they literally tasted like shit to me.

No, I have never eaten shit, but you get the idea.  I didn't just "not want them" - they tasted like something I would never, ever eat again.  Wow.

I need more carbs than my husband.  My husband "accidentally" joined me in the paleo challenge because it intrigued him and he started doing a bunch of research on it.  He took it way farther than I did (but he's also still trying to lose a few pounds, and I am not) and I think he's having good results.  Unfortunately, without around 120 - 150g of carbohydrates every day, I cannot function and I feel bad.  I can't get through the brain fogthat people talk about because I am unable to function, quite literally.  Getting off the couch to get a glass of water was an easy thought, but getting up and doing it was nearly impossible one day (and no, I was not starved or anything, just a nearly-zero-carb 36 hours or so).  I'm still trying to tweak the magic number but I cannot have a carbohydrate-free day.  I like to say that my brain is very active, and that's why.  The truth is, I don't really know why.

Changing the way I eat has been really hard.  I've never really been on a diet to lose weight.  I've tweaked the kinds of calories I've eaten in order to tone up and get in better shape (and the result is sometimes weight loss) but I've never been overweight.  I can't imagine what would happen if I reached the point where I had to lose weight, because I would fail miserably.  I gained a new respect for anyone who has lost weight and kept it off.

Sometimes, it's OK to cheat.  I gave myself permission to cheat after about two weeks on the paleo challenge.  Why?  Because I was still fighting to maintain my weight, and I wasn't noticing a lot of difference in performance, except for the carbs thing I mentioned above.  I don't mean I resorted to sandwiches or cookies; I didn't.  But I have had one piece of cake (it was a very special occasion and it would have been very rude not to have eaten it - but it was tiny and I have a new appreciation for the sugar rush!).  I also had a few homemade butterscotch brownies.  I had a few because one just wasn't enough.  It reinforced the fact that gluten bonds to the same receptors in your brain as opiates!  I also had a 12-oz can of Coke because after the butterscotch brownies I just decided to say "Screw it" for the day and caved.  The Coke was good.

I managed to lay down the law after that though, and even given the brownies and the coke, I only had about 180g of carbs that day, so it tells you a lot about what I had to eat the rest of the day.  It taught me that it's OK to cheat, if you are able to get yourself together and not cheat again the next day.  Once in awhile is fine though.

The way I eat is probably forever changed.  As I mentioned above, I now don't like the taste of some of my previously favourite foods.  I suspect it has to do with the partially hydrogenated oils, or perhaps it's the gluten.  I'm pretty sure that I will avoid most gluten for the rest of my life.  Not to the point of never having a sandwich (which I'm not a huge fan of anyway), but to the point that I will probably limit myself to pizza once a month or so.  And yes, I will eat regular pizza, at least on occasion.  I'm looking forward to trying a beer, but I'd bet that I either won't like it, or I will have a reaction to it (but maybe not).  Processed foods make me sick.  I had a Jimmy John's Unwich (instead of bread, they wrap the meat in lettuce), and it was quite tasty.  Unfortunately I had a raging headache after eating it.  Must have been the preservatives in the meat (it was the kind of headache I get after eating MSG).  I'm enjoying grass-fed beef and free-range chicken and organic brown eggs.

I will still eat a cookie and drink a Coke.  Not every day mind you, but I still have an appreciation for the finer things in life.  But to give you an example, a month ago, if I had Coke in the house, I had to have one - just one - every day until they were gone.  Yesterday I bought Mexican Coke (made with sugar instead of high fructose corn syrup) and I'm saving the first one for Sunday, when my challenge is over.  Dumb, yes, I know.  I'm sure my children will wonder what happened to me when the sugar and caffeine hit me at the same time.  As for the cookies, they'll have to be homemade, but what the hell.

 So that sums it up.  For those of you who have had to interact with me in the real world during the past month, I appreciate your patience.  It hasn't all been rosy, but it's been an education, if nothing else!  If you're considering trying the paleo challenge, or changing the way you eat for the better, I highly recommend it.  What doesn't kill you definitely makes you stronger. :)

*Note: I didn't take before and after pictures because I really didn't think there would be much difference.  I wasn't trying to lose weight, and the 3-4 pounds I did lose were inconsequential and actually made me look a tad emaciated.  When I have washboard abs, I'll post a picture, I promise.  Please don't hold your breath, because the likelihood of getting past my existing 2-pack seems minuscule!

Trying the Paleo Diet

I'm sure you've heard of the paleo diet, right?  The one where you eat like a caveman?  Yeah, I figured I'd give it a try.  Why not?  I love meat!

Before telling you about my experience so far, I want you to know some things about me.  It's important that you know these things so you get a different point of view about the change in eating habits.

• I was not overweight when I started the diet; in fact, I was borderline underweight.
• I wanted to see if cutting all refined carbs made me feel better
• I love meat, and I will make any excuse to eat it, especially red meat!
• I tried being a vegetarian for a little while (like two weeks) but it made me feel like crap (not enough protein)
• I had already cut gluten from my diet and was feeling better (I do not have celiac but I'm allergic to whole wheat)
• I am one of the world's pickiest eaters.

Now that we've got those little items out of the way, here is where I'm at after a little over a week of eating like a cavegirl.

• I lost THREE pounds in less than a week.
• One day I truly thought I was going to DIE because of the lack of carbs (didn't eat enough before a very light workout).  Once I ate some protein and veggies I felt much better.
• I need a fair amount of carbs, but fruit provides me with plenty
• I miss Cheez-Its like the devil, but I am determined to get through the 30 days without them.
• I have accidentally cheated once by licking icing off my fingers after cutting a slice of cake for the boys.
• I am loving the hell out of eating lots of meat (redundant?)
• the wives' tale is true (in my case): red meat makes your body odor worse.

OK.  Now, before you start in with "Why are you doing this to yourself?", please hear me out.  I didn't do this to lose weight.  I did it because I found over the last year or so, the more fit I got, the more I craved vegetables and fruits.  I always craved meat, so I'll leave that out.  The more fruit I wanted, the less refined grains I wanted.  I am a bread junkie, so this perplexed me - but I really cut down on that stuff.  But being a "good American", I ate what "they" recommend - a diet heavy in whole grains.  Over time I started feeling like I could even do better, so I cut out most things with high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).  I found this made me feel even better (and I didn't feel bad to begin with).  After that, I started cutting out gluten products.  This was easy for me because I'm allergic to whole wheat anyway (I don't have celiac, but I break out in a rash when I eat too much whole wheat.  White/bleached flour does not do that to me for some reason, I'm sure it's whatever they don't remove from the so-called "healthy" stuff that makes me itch).

Once I cut out the gluten, I felt so good it was amazing.  I slept better.  I was calmer and less uptight.  I got over my road rage.  My irritable bowel pretty much went away (TMI?).  So, the paleo challenge was just another step in the direction of "seeing if I can feel even better".

I am still trying to figure out how to not continue to lose weight.  As I write this, I am at 118 pounds exactly, and at 5'8" that's a bit skinny (and exactly what I weighed when I graduated high school - and don't hate me, please).  I don't need to lose anymore weight, that's for sure.  The problem is, with all this fat in my diet, I'm not very hungry for snacks!  I'm hoping to get my exercise groove on again in the next month (I've started back to moderate floor exercises but really I'm burning about 150 calories in my workouts), although I have no idea when I'll be able to run again.  But I'm out of the boot and taking regular walks!

I would be lying if I said I wasn't missing a few things.  I am not a huge cheese eater, but when I want it, I really want it, and for the challenge, I "can't" have it.  That's been the hardest, honestly.  As much as I love toasted bread, not having it hasn't been difficult.  One thing I've found hard is that when I do want a snack, I'm pretty much left with fruit - which is high carb and I probably tend to eat too much of it (but if that's what it takes to stop losing weight, I will continue to do it).  Having a snack of fruit is fine except that I'd like a bit more variety (crackers and cheese?  Summer sausage and crackers and cheese maybe?) and  having to cook everything you eat is a major pain in the ass (yes, I know you can eat many vegetables raw, but when you work in a cubicle it can be annoying to listen to me crunch a carrot).  I have been paying lots of money for high-grade jerky, but at $7 a bag, it's a bit ridiculous (and yes I'm looking at making my own).  The fact that that $7 bag of jerky lasts me about two snacks sucks too (not to mention that everyone else in the family likes it too!).

I will say though that I am enjoying the food, and I did not drop weight like this when I was eating a grain-based diet.  I hit a plateau and could not lose the last five pounds I wanted to lose until I cut the gluten.  Taking it this far has made it super-easy to lose weight (at least for me - I know it may be different for everyone else out there), despite the fact that I don't want to.  Fortunately it does allow me to eat as much as I want and not really cut calories (and yes, I'm eating about 2000 calories a day, so please don't tell me to eat more).  The other night I ate a 14-oz NY strip and loved every bite of that bad boy!

We've switched all our meats to grass-fed and free-range and all that, and it's true, you can taste the difference.  I don't see ever going back to the other stuff, at least not consciously.  Yes, we are spending far more money on groceries - in fact I'd say a good 35% more.  But, we are MUCH less inclined to eat out now.  Overall, that's actually a savings in money, believe it or not.  And you thought a $20 meal for four at a restaurant (Chick-Fil-A or Sonny's) was cheap, right?  You can do so much better.

The increase in meat inspired my husband to buy a grill, which I am loving.  We are using charcoal instead of gas, too (because the grill was cheaper and a no-brainer for purchase) - and I like it better.  We've been grilling out a lot lately, which we haven't done in years.

So if you're considering taking the paleo challenge, I'd say it's a good one.  Your mileage may vary, but hey, it would regardless of the changes you make.  And yes, I will probably continue to mostly eat this way after I finish the challenge - but I reserve the right to cheat with Cheez-Its on occasion!

Forget Paleo, I'm WINNING!

With all I've been talking about the Paleo diet and Primal lifestyle lately, I couldn't resist posting this video.  I find the whole Charlie Sheen situation hilarious and I was convinced he had lost his mind.  However, this actually brings a tiny bit of doubt into my mind on whether it's a publicity stunt (or at least part of it - perhaps fueled by mania?).  I don't pretend to know (or care) but you'll definitely crack a smile when you watch this - especially if you are a healthy eater!

Charlie Sheen's Winning Recipes from Charlie Sheen

 

Hat Tip to the Daily Burn blog where I first saw the video!